NASCAR star Larson ready to focus on Indy 500 — after sprint car race
By DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson said he would turn his attention to the Indianapolis 500, and a second crack at racing immortality, the moment he stepped out of his car following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. The only problem with that? He wasn’t due […]
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson said he would turn his attention to the Indianapolis 500, and a second crack at racing immortality, the moment he stepped out of his car following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.
The only problem with that? He wasn’t due for practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway until Tuesday.
Plenty of time to squeeze in another race.
So even as Larson was basking in the glow of a third Cup Series win of the season while flying to Indianapolis on Sunday night, he wasn’t quite ready to fully focus on the 500. The plan was to hop in a car and drive to Kokomo, Indiana, for a sprint car race on Monday night, and only then turn his focus to the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“He just goes and goes and goes,” marveled Chad Knaus, the vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports, which fields his No. 5 car in the Cup Series and is working with Arrow McLaren to field Larson’s car for the Indy 500.
The reality is that Larson would rather be behind the wheel of a race car than behind a TV screen, or a bar, or just about anywhere else. His priority every year may be the Cup Series, and winning a second championship, but that leaves plenty of open dates on the schedule where he can sprinkle in an Xfinity Series race, or Truck Series race, or run at a local dirt track.
He happened to do that Friday night at Lakeside Speedway, just down the road from Kansas Speedway, where his High Limit Racing series was running. Larson nearly had a sprint car land in his lap during a scary wreck that tore up his car. But he simply shrugged it off as part of racing, and he was back at the track the next morning.
“The thing that I’ve always been impressed with Kyle since he showed up at Hendrick Motorsports is that he is unfazed,” Knaus said. “Like, nothing gets under his skin. He doesn’t get wound up. He doesn’t get emotional about maybe something that happens on the race track. He doesn’t get emotional and carry weight on his shoulders.
“He just rolls with it,” Knaus said, “and he goes and he continues to drive.”
That preternaturally placid demeanor was stretched nearly to a breaking point at last year’s Indy 500, though.
Larson was taking his first shot at “the Double,” trying to run every lap of the 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte the same day Memorial Day weekend. Many have tried but only Tony Stewart in 1999 has managed to pull it off.
But while Larson was able to overcome every problem lobbed at him on the track — aside from a speeding penalty on pit road in the 500 that took him out of contention for the win — he was powerless when it came to dealing with the weather.
He doesn’t like being powerless.
On race day, rain swept through Indianapolis Motor Speedway and soaked the track, leaving Larson to wait in Gasoline Alley to see whether the race would even take place that Sunday. And if it did take place, would he stay and run the 500 or be forced to withdraw so that he could head to Charlotte and fulfill his obligations in the Cup Series race that night?
He stuck around and ran every lap of the Indy 500, and was chosen rookie of the year afterward. But the delay kept him from starting the Coca-Cola 600, and by the time his helicopter-plane-helicopter trip from Indiana to North Carolina had deposited him at the track, more rain in Charlotte kept him from ever climbing into his car there and completing a lap.
“Unfortunately once Mother Nature stepped in,” Knaus said, “we didn’t have a whole lot that we could do.”
The long-range forecast for the Indianapolis 500 looks much better this year.
And once again, Larson is heading into perhaps the busiest month of his calendar year riding a wave of on-track momentum.
His dominating victory at Kansas Speedway, where he led 221 of 267 laps on Sunday, was his third Cup Series win of the season, and it moved him into first place in the points standings. Larson also has won two of his three Xfinity starts, one of his two Truck races, and he has a win and three top-five finishes in five sprint car features in the High Limit series.
Then again, all that success doesn’t seem to matter much to him.
“I don’t really let a race affect the next day of my life,” Larson explained Sunday night. “I would rather win leading into these next couple of weeks than have a DNF or something. But I don’t really think it matters.”
What happens the next couple of weeks matters a lot, though. He’s been waiting a whole year to try “the Double” again.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a fun two weeks,” Larson said. “I look forward to working together with the team, Arrow McLaren, and learning the car more, trying to narrow in on our balance, and just trying to have a smooth couple weeks like we had last year, and execute like you would in any race and try to be in the hunt at the end.”
Race Preview: Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series At White Mountain Motorsports Park
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Mustang edges Corvette on streets of Detroit | Highlands News-Sun
DETROIT — Perhaps in was fitting that the GTD Pro class race came down to Mustang and Corvette on the streets of Detroit. But at the checkered flag, it was the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 that took a 1.623-second victory over the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry to […]
DETROIT — Perhaps in was fitting that the GTD Pro class race came down to Mustang and Corvette on the streets of Detroit. But at the checkered flag, it was the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 that took a 1.623-second victory over the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry to win the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.
“To win in Detroit is a dream come true,” said Mike Rockenfeller, who shared the No. 64 car with Seb Priaulx. “It was a perfect weekend, where we started strong and didn’t make any mistakes to the finish. Finally, we got this top spot.
It was not an easy race because the competition is high here in IMSA. We had to be perfect in our driving, which makes this win especially rewarding. Thank you to Ford Performance, the Ford family and to Multimatic Motorsports for such a great day.”
The race was the proverbial battle of attrition you expect in a street course race. There’s going to be a fair amount of contact between cars and Detroit was no exception.
The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche and No. 4 Corvette were handed penalties for late-race contact while fighting for position, while the No. 65 Mustang was forced to retire from the race with several laps remaining after being taken out by the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW.
“We got roughed up a little bit right at the start, and then got roughed up again the next corner after that,” said Tommy Milner, one of the drivers of the No. 4 Corvette. “But it’s street racing. Everybody gives a little bit. Sometimes you take a little bit, sometimes you give a bit more than you take. It’s just kind of how it goes sometimes.”
The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini placed third and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus placed fourth despite suffering a pair of drive-through penalties.
“We had that penalty early on after the contact, but the guys called a really good strategy to keep us out there long,” said Jack Hawksworth, who shared the Lexus with Aaron Telitz. “It was amazing. We were back in the pack, but Aaron rallied to finish fourth. From starting in the back to ending just one spot off of the podium, it shows how everyone on this Vasser Sullivan Lexus team never gives up.”
Some drivers will be heading to France to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14-15, while the next IMSA race is Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 22. It is the third of five Michelin Endurance Cup races and all four classes will be in action.
Time to crown the King of Brands Hatch: the NASCAR Euro Series heads to the UK for American SpeedFest 12 – Speedway Digest
Paul Jouffreau and Thomas Krasonis spearhead the electric festivities that will take place at Brands Hatch on 7-8 June – Tens of thousands of fans will attend EuroNASCAR’s most popular event 22 teams and 38 drivers will compete in the NASCAR GP UK Four thrilling races await the competitors in PRO and OPEN Brands Hatch […]
Paul Jouffreau and Thomas Krasonis spearhead the electric festivities that will take place at Brands Hatch on 7-8 June – Tens of thousands of fans will attend EuroNASCAR’s most popular event
22 teams and 38 drivers will compete in the NASCAR GP UK
Four thrilling races await the competitors in PRO and OPEN
Brands Hatch hosts the 12th edition of their crown jewel EuroNASCAR event
Brands Hatch sets the stage for the third round of the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series championship: the ever popular American SpeedFest. The festival is one of the most awaited events on the calendar for drivers, teams and fans. Tens of thousands of fans will pack the 1.938 kilometer Indy Circuit for four thrilling NASCAR sprint races and an event growing American-themed festival. The twelfth edition of the American SpeedFest promises to bring an even bigger and better spectacle to Brands Hatch.
PRO: Three drivers in four points at the top
Three primary protagonists have emerged after two exciting rounds in both Spain and Italy. Paul Jouffreau from RDV Competition battled PK Carsport’s duo of Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Krasonis in four highly acclaimed races. The tension is palpable and the battles between them have always been tight but fair. The three drivers are separated by just four points as they head to Brands Hatch for a continuation of their exciting championship dogfight.
Jouffreau secured wins in Valencia and Vallelunga, taking the lead both in the overall standings and the Junior Trophy. Reigning champion Ghirelli returned to the top step of the podium at his home event in Italy and wants to make it double – or even triple – in the UK. Krasonis showed great adaptability to his new PK Carsport machinery and with a win in Spain, the Greek is poised for another shot of victory at a track where he took his first OPEN podium in 2024.
Gianmarco Ercoli is not that far behind and will be there to sniff for an opportunity to grab his first win of the season. The same goes for Dutch veteran Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who enjoyed a much better start to his 2025 campaign. Garrett Lowe’s steady performances make him a threat for not only the class win in Junior Trophy, but also potentially the overall win. Just like in Spain and Italy, seven drivers will contest the special classification for fast and exciting young drivers.
Liam Hezemans aims to bounce back after suspension drama prevented the Rette Jones Racing driver from maximizing his result in Italy. Don’t count out Vladimiros Tziortzis, Fabrizio Armetta and Martin Doubek, who all have the potential to bring out an unexpected surprise that can dramatically shake up the running order.
Claudio Remigio Cappelli enters SpeedFest as the new leader of the Challenger Trophy. The Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport driver battled championship contenders Jouffreau and Ercoli in Vallelunga, proving that the elite amateurs can fight against the best NASCAR drivers in Europe. Fellow countryman Max Lanza and Georgia’s own Davit Kajaia will be Cappelli’s closest contenders, while drivers such as Federico Monti, Jordan Wallace and Thomas Toffel will make their first PRO appearance in 2025.
OPEN: Close battles across the board
OPEN’s reputation for unpredictability comes true once again: Only 26 points separate the top-10 drivers after four races in Spain and Italy. Krasonis and Doubek took two wins apiece, but circumstances allowed past rivals in Patrick Schober and Melvin de Groot and new faces in Thomas Dombrowski, Sandro Tavartkiladze and Bruno Mulders to make the overall championship battle more exciting than ever.
Krasonis returns to the site of his first OPEN podium and pole position of 2024. With his wins in Spain and Italy, the Greek has only one goal for the 2025 NASCAR GP UK: victory. A driver who can deny the PK Carsport driver from achieving this is RDV Competition’s Schober. The Austrian is hungry for his first win of the season and will do everything he can to find his way back to the Victory Lane.
Master and Legend Trophy leaders Dombrowski and de Groot have come narrowly close to victories before, with Dombrowski in particular being only one straight away from a maiden win in Vallelunga. The Brands Hatch races have an element of chaos written all over them due to the track’s short and twisty layout. If the cards are played right, there’s a golden opportunity for the Frenchman and the Dutchman to bring home their first top silverware award in their careers.
Doubek knows the victory experience all too well: The two-time champion has won two races in 2025 and is the driver with the most wins in the OPEN division. The Hendriks Motorsport driver has the speed, but he’d like to get rid of the issues that deprived him of important championship points.
Tavartkiladze and Mulders have impressed in their rookie season so far, delivering top performances right from their first laps. They trailed Dombrowski in the Master Trophy battle by nine and ten points respectively, while eleven points is what separated de Groot from Roberto Benedetti in the Legend Trophy. Cappelli is 27 points behind, but will have the opportunity to recover points that he lost from the preceding races. The Lady Trophy features only Happinessa, with Arianna Casoli absent as she recovers from the injuries she suffered from in Vallelunga.
PRO
New challenge for Ulysse Delsaux – Thanks to a joint venture between Speedhouse and Club Competition, the Frenchman will pilot the #22 Chevrolet Camaro
Federico Monti returns to PRO – With Marc Goossens absent, Academy / Alex Caffi co-owner Federico Monti is back in PRO for the first time since 2022
Team Bleekemolen adds one more entry – American Jordan Wallace makes his EuroNASCAR debut as part of the Dutch team’s new #25 Chevrolet Camaro
OPEN
Two British drivers at home – Gordon Barnes returns to EuroNASCAR with Club Competition, while Matthew Ellis joins Lux Motorsport as a substitute for Mario Ercoli
A wakeskater’s competitive debut – After two appearances in Rookie Challenge, wakeskating star Mike Wise is ready for a big leap forward with his OPEN debut
Return to double duty – Thomas Toffel will drive the #34 M Racing Chevrolet Camaro in both PRO and OPEN
NASCAR Insiders provide latest on Corey Heim, 2026 Cup buzz
When you think of the top prospects in NASCAR, Corey Heim might be at the top of the list. The 22-year-old has been dominant in Truck Series competition this season and has a handful of Cup and Xfinity Series starts under his belt. Heim’s path to Cup is simple as he is currently signed with […]
When you think of the top prospects in NASCAR, Corey Heim might be at the top of the list. The 22-year-old has been dominant in Truck Series competition this season and has a handful of Cup and Xfinity Series starts under his belt.
Heim’s path to Cup is simple as he is currently signed with 23XI Racing as the team’s development driver. But it will not be Heim time in Cup next year. According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Heim will continue to run full-time outside of Cup while making spot Cup starts for 23XI.
Right now, Heim is blocked. Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are all under contract for 2026. If 23XI believes Heim is capable of a full-time Cup ride, and they do, 2027 is the earliest at which he can secure his seat.
“He’s going to be a Sunday Cup guy,” 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin said. “There’s no doubt in my mind about it. He’s going to be with 23XI for the long haul.”
Corey Heim destined for Cup ride with 23XI?
Heim currently pilots the No. 11 Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. Twelve races through the 2025 campaign, he is first in the points standings with four wins and 10 top 10s. Heim has made two spot starts in Cup this season, finishing 13th at Kansas Speedway and 37th at Nashville Superspeedway.
23XI is thus far thrilled with Heim’s performance. If it continues, he should have a Cup ride in the very near future.
“[Heim is] doing everything [he’s been] asked to,” Hamlin said. “He’s in the building multiple times per week, working on his craft, continuing to get better, waiting on the opportunity. And he knows he’s got a long-term future with 23XI Racing, and he’s happy with that. And he’s happy with the development process that we have set out for him in the future.
“But, ultimately, there’s only three cars, three charters that we’re allowed to have, and so we have to figure out in the future where we go with that.”
NASCAR driver averages: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott lead Hendrick Motorsports to Michigan
CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson visited victory lane three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. But he’s hardly been a slouch at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval since, either. Larson enters this week with four finishes inside the top seven in his last five starts at […]
CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson visited victory lane three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021.
But he’s hardly been a slouch at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval since, either.
Larson enters this week with four finishes inside the top seven in his last five starts at Michigan with three of those coming since taking over behind the wheel of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Michigan is one of four tracks Larson has won thrice at (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway) and his three victories came in consecutive events across 2016 and 2017.
Over the course of those seasons, Chase Elliott registered three straight runner-up finishes at Michigan but is still looking to break through for his first win there. His average finish of 10.5 is tops among all drivers to have made more than three starts in the Wolverine State.
William Byron turned in the best performance of his career at Michigan last August, scoring third- and fourth-place finishes in stage one and two respectively before coming home in second.
Here’s a look at how all four drivers have fared in Michigan as well as a quick brush up on Hendrick Motorsports history:
RELATED: From Winner to Champion, Part 3: Championship Metal
Kyle Larson averages, statistics at Michigan
Starts:
16
Wins:
3
Poles:
2
Top fives:
7
Top 10s:
9
Laps led:
263
Average start:
13.5
Average finish:
12.4
Chase Elliott averages, statistics at Michigan
Starts:
14
Wins:
0
Poles:
0
Top fives:
3
Top 10s:
10
Laps led:
173
Average start:
10
Average finish:
10.5
RELATED: Dale Earnhardt picks up Rick Hendrick’s first victory as owner
EUR/USD Current price: 1.1386 EU inflation eased by more than anticipated in May, according to the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices. The focus shifts to United States employment-related data ahead of Friday’s NFP release. EUR/USD under near-term selling pressure, downside potential limited. The EUR/USD pair eases from its weekly peak on Tuesday, trading a handful […]
EU inflation eased by more than anticipated in May, according to the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices.
The focus shifts to United States employment-related data ahead of Friday’s NFP release.
EUR/USD under near-term selling pressure, downside potential limited.
The EUR/USD pair eases from its weekly peak on Tuesday, trading a handful of pips below the 1.1400 threshold, as the US Dollar (USD) found some footing after edging sharply lower at the beginning of the week. The market sentiment improved just modestly after Monday’s tensions, despite the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expressing concerns about global economic growth.
“The global outlook is becoming increasingly challenging. Substantial increases in trade barriers, tighter financial conditions, weakened business and consumer confidence, and elevated policy uncertainty all pose significant risks to growth,” the OECD expressed in its 2025 Economic Outlook.
The Euro (EUR) fell amid the negative sentiment, and regardless encouraging inflation data. The EU Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) rose by 1.9% year-on-year (YoY) in May, below the European Central Bank’s (ECB) 2% target. The core annual figure printed at 2.3%, easing from the 2.7% posted in April and below the 2.5% anticipated by market players.
The focus now shifts to the US calendar, as the country will release April Factory Orders and the JOLTS Job Openings report for the same month. The latter will likely gather most of the attention ahead of the release of the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report next Friday.
EUR/USD short-term technical outlook
The EUR/USD pair trades around 1.1380, and the daily chart shows the slide could continue, although the risk of a steeper slide is well-limited. The pair trades above all its moving averages, with a flat 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) providing support in the 1.1270 price zone. At the same time, the 100 SMA keeps advancing beyond a directionless 200 SMA, both far below the shorter one. Finally, technical indicators turned modestly lower but remain well into positive territory, reflecting the ongoing slide but far from suggesting mounting selling interest.
The near-term picture is pretty similar, with EUR/USD aiming to extend its decline, yet with limited downward scope. In the 4-hour chart, the pair is currently battling a bullish 20 SMA, which advances beyond directionless 100 and 200 SMAs. The Momentum indicator turned flat just above its 100 level after correcting overbought conditions, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator heads south, yet remains above its midline.
