Trackside to Online: How Sponsors Bridge Live Racing and Digital Play – Speedway Digest
Trackside banners and car hood badges are no longer the only ways to promote a race. By fusing the sound of an engine with the buzz of a smartphone, sponsors now seek to connect with fans both on the racetrack and on their screens. Companies are using digital technologies, such as social media, live streams, […]
Trackside banners and car hood badges are no longer the only ways to promote a race. By fusing the sound of an engine with the buzz of a smartphone, sponsors now seek to connect with fans both on the racetrack and on their screens. Companies are using digital technologies, such as social media, live streams, mobile games, and apps, to provide a live racing digital experience that keeps spectators interested before, during, and after the checkered flag drops as they search for new ways to remain in touch.
Sponsors are changing the way motorsports fans engage with the sport through virtual events and mobile platforms. The boundaries between the real and virtual racing worlds are rapidly blurring, whether it is through esports competitions, AR-enhanced overlays, or real-time leaderboards.
Connor Zilisch’s debut Xfinity Series win at Pocono with Dale Jr. as crew chief
Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to action as a fill-in crew chief at Pocono Raceway this weekend. LONG POND, Pa. — In just his first time here at Pocono Raceway Connor Zilisch has mastered this tricky triangle. Zilisch earned first place in stages two and three in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, with Dale Earnhardt […]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to action as a fill-in crew chief at Pocono Raceway this weekend.
LONG POND, Pa. — In just his first time here at Pocono Raceway Connor Zilisch has mastered this tricky triangle.
Zilisch earned first place in stages two and three in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. filling in as his crew chief.
“It was a tricky race for sure. A lot of re-starts and chaos and cautions and we had to work for it for sure,” said Zilisch. “Very grateful for my entire JR Motorsports team and Registix for being on the car today. It looks awesome and it looks even better in victory lane.”
When asked if he’d ever fill-in as a crew chief again, Earnhardt Jr. laughed, and said no.
“I always feel confident that, you know, we could go out and get a good result if we needed to do this again, but I’m not going to seek it out,” said Earnhardt Jr.
“It was a lot of fun, a lot of pressure, definitely out of my wheelhouse for sure but just so much good support to be able to succeed. Really really good fortune on his strategy,” said Earnhardt Jr.
The race was chaotic from start to finish with yellow flags waving all around.
With 13 laps to go, Chase Elliot, who led most of the race, made contact with Justin Allgaier’s #7 Chevy and fell behind.
The last re-start gave Zilisch prime position to pass Jesse Love and celebrate in victory lane.
Christian Eckes, Chase Elliott and Ryan Seig round out the top five.
“It was definitely a wild final stage, the whole race was kind of wild with the strategies and everything. It must of been pretty interesting to watch for the fans so, uh – to have some good results back to back, Miller top-5 and contending here for a win hopefully shows what’s to come for the future,” said Eckes.
NASCAR Race Weekend in the Pocono’s continues on Sunday with the Great American Getaway 400. The Cup series race begins at 2:00p.m.
Pocono Starting Lineup: June 2025 (NASCAR Cup Series)
NASCAR starting positions for Pocono Raceway Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series will take the green flag in Long Pond, PA. Now, the field rolls to the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono Raceway for a round of practice and qualifying. View the Pocono starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below. Pocono MenuTruck: Prac/Qual | RaceXfinity: Prac/Qual | RaceCup: Prac/Qual | Race Pocono TV Schedule […]
Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series will take the green flag in Long Pond, PA. Now, the field rolls to the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono Raceway for a round of practice and qualifying.
View the Pocono starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below.
Cody Ware backs it hard into the wall during practice. The No. 51 will not take part in qualifying.
Josh Berry also will not qualify. The diffuser of the car knocked off the pavement and the team is now going to replace the entire rear clip as the diffuser bracket is bent.
Bubba Wallace is struggling to fire his car. The crew is attempting to give him a push start but the car won’t start. Wallace will not take part in qualifying.
William Byron spins on his qualifying lap. He slams the inside wall. The team will probably unload a backup.
Chase Elliott was on track as Byron hit the wall. He was called to the pit lane and NASCAR will give him an extra set of tires as he makes another qualifying run.
Denny Hamlin will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 52.144 seconds.
Pocono Raceway Starting Lineup June 22, 2025 NASCAR Cup Series
Pos | Driver | Best Time
1. Denny Hamlin 52.144
2. Chris Buescher 52.227
3. Carson Hocevar 52.379
4. John Hunter Nemechek 52.390
5. Cole Custer 52.436
6. Chase Briscoe 52.444
7. Ty Gibbs 52.464
8. Tyler Reddick 52.500
9. Christopher Bell 52.525
10. Daniel Suarez 52.631
11. Erik Jones 52.632
12. Joey Logano 52.673
13. Ryan Preece 52.727
14. Brad Keselowski 52.781
15. Zane Smith 52.803
16. Austin Dillon 52.811
17. Noah Gragson 52.813
18. Chase Elliott 52.820
19. Austin Cindric 52.836
20. Ryan Blaney 52.837
21. Ross Chastain 52.861
22. Justin Haley 52.927
23. Shane van Gisbergen 52.962
24. Kyle Larson 52.966
25. Alex Bowman 52.978
26. Kyle Busch 53.095
27. Ty Dillon 53.107
28. Michael McDowell 53.140
29. Riley Herbst 53.159
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr 53.661
31. William Byron 57.645
32. Todd Gilliland 59.181
33. AJ Allmendinger 64.077
34. Bubba Wallace No Time
35. Josh Berry No Time
36. Cody Ware No Time
37. Brennan Poole No Time
Pocono Raceway Practice Results June 21, 2025 NASCAR Cup Series
Carson Hocevar Regretting Disparaging Comments About Mexico? Spire Motorsports Driver Comments After $50000 Fine
It was only a matter of time before Carson Hocevar crossed a line and got punished for his unruliness. The Spire Motorsports driver made an offensive statement about Mexico City ahead of the race weekend there and drew a fine of $50,000. A week later, he explained at the Pocono Raceway what led him to […]
It was only a matter of time before Carson Hocevar crossed a line and got punished for his unruliness. The Spire Motorsports driver made an offensive statement about Mexico City ahead of the race weekend there and drew a fine of $50,000. A week later, he explained at the Pocono Raceway what led him to make such insensitive remarks.
Shortly after arriving in Mexico, the youngster had begun a livestream on Twitch and called the city a “s—hole.” He had gone on to list various concerns about the hotel he was staying in and the area surrounding it. The comments did not come to light till after Sunday’s race was completed and the bags were packed.
Just as it began surfacing in the real world, Hocevar issued an apology on social media. He said that he was embarrassed by his comments and that they weren’t his first-hand opinion to begin with. He claimed that he’d hastily drawn the wrong image of the city after hearing the opinions of other parties. In Pocono, he doubled down on this reasoning.
“The issue wasn’t for the team having their kind of frustrations, that I’m giving my opinion and putting it out there. It’s just the fact that, you know, my opinion wasn’t my opinion. It was just based on everything else, you know, that I’ve heard or seen, right? I didn’t go do my own homework and voice my own opinion,” Hocevar said.
The mistake he made was that he didn’t give the city a chance. He mentioned that he ought to have walked around town and spoken to people before making such a severe judgment. Things are in the past now, and there’s nothing that can be done to change them. Hopefully, the driver will catch himself by the collar to prevent a harder fall going ahead.
The $50,000 fine was inevitable after NASCAR threatened that it might take stricter action against him if Spire Motorsports didn’t do something about him. The money will be split among three organizations that serve Mexican communities — the Mexican Red Cross, United Way Mexico, and a nonprofit that combats childhood malnutrition.
Hocevar, meanwhile, will undergo cultural sensitivity training to properly understand why what he said won’t be accepted now or in the future. Judging from his skill and talent behind the wheel, it can be assured that he is going to stay on the Cup Series field for a long time to come. It can only be a positive that he learns this lesson early on in his career.
Hamlin returns from dad duty with Cup Series pole at Pocono
In his return to the seat of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota, Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag at Pocono Raceway. Hamlin captured the pole Saturday with a lap of 172.599mph (52.144s). A seven-time winner at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin missed the most recent event because of the birth of […]
In his return to the seat of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota, Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag at Pocono Raceway.
Hamlin captured the pole Saturday with a lap of 172.599mph (52.144s). A seven-time winner at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin missed the most recent event because of the birth of his first son and third child with fiancée Jordan Fish. It is his fifth pole at Pocono.
“We typically can step up from practice; we make good adjustments,” Hamlin said of earning the pole after being 27th in practice. “I never really panic too much, and obviously, because I was a little more rested than the field right there, I was able to go a little [faster].”
Chris Buescher qualified second and will join Hamlin on the front row. Buescher’s fast lap was 172.325mph.
Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar qualified third at 171.825mph and John Hunter Nemechek fourth at 171.789mph. Cole Custer completed the top five at 171.638mph.
Chase Briscoe ended up sixth at 171.612mph, Ty Gibbs seventh at 171.546mph, Tyler Reddick eighth at 171.429mph, Christopher Bell ninth at 171.347mph and Daniel Suarez 10th at 171.002mph.
It was an eventful qualifying session to set the field of 37.
William Byron crashed during his lap and will go to a backup car for Sunday’s race. Byron had been fastest in practice and in the best 10 consecutive lap averages.
Todd Gilliland hit the wall with the right rear of his Ford during his qualifying lap. He qualified 32nd.
Bubba Wallace was one of four drivers who did not make a lap. Wallace’s car would not fire on pit road and he could not get on track.
Josh Berry and Cody Ware did not make qualifying laps after issues in practice. Berry’s team is still working to repair the diffuser and replace the rear clip of his car. Ware crashed during practice, and his car is also being repaired.
Brennan Poole was not allowed to make a qualifying lap per NASCAR. Poole’s car failed inspection three times Saturday morning.
NEXT: The Great American Getaway 400 at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson Reveals the Biggest Reason Behind His Success At Hendrick Motorsports
700 races, seven Cup Series championships, and 83 Victory Lane visits in 22 years. Jimmie Johnson’s journey with Hendrick Motorsports is the type of legend that little children go to sleep hearing with a wondrous glint in their eyes. But it ought not to be forgotten that his tale would not have become what it […]
700 races, seven Cup Series championships, and 83 Victory Lane visits in 22 years. Jimmie Johnson’s journey with Hendrick Motorsports is the type of legend that little children go to sleep hearing with a wondrous glint in their eyes. But it ought not to be forgotten that his tale would not have become what it is if not for a loyal friend, companion, and crew chief in Chad Knaus.
When Johnson signed with Rick Hendrick’s organization, he was poised to be their fourth driver. He mentioned in a recent conversation with Before The Lights that the No. 48 team was already filled with the energy of young talent and ambition before he made it in. And once he walked through the doors, that energy only went up through the roof.
Johnson said, “Whatever energy or vibe was there, we created it. There was so much ownership in it, and man, we did so much in a short period of time.” He continued to explain that a core group of people had surrounded him throughout his career, and the continual relationship he had with them is the biggest reason for his success.
The most important of them all is Knaus. Knaus and Johnson worked together as driver and crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports. They won five consecutive championships from 2006 to 2010, and two more after that. Johnson looked back at their time together and could only be grateful to the man for everything he’d done.
“But there’s one man that really led the team for all that (time we were together),” he said, referring to Knaus. “17 of my 19 full-time years, and he’s like a — I guess I have two younger brothers — he’s like a fourth or third brother to me.” Despite their success together and Johnson’s tryst with continuity, he couldn’t end his career with Knaus as his crew chief.
He added, “Unfortunately, we got to a point where we spent more time fighting, and our team owner had to say, ‘Alright. Enough of you guys. I’m going to have to separate you.’ I wish we could have made it those final two years together before I moved on to IndyCar. But people and consistency have been the bottom line for my success.”
The pain of separation was healed when they were both inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame together as a part of the Class of 2024. It was the perfect culmination of their long and storied partnership in the Cup Series. They remain close friends to this day.
Carson Hocevar expects payback, admits “this is the world I’ve made”
Carson Hocevar was once again in the middle of controversy in Mexico City. The fast, but highly aggressive driver was involved in a few incidents including another run-in with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevrolet. To make the situation worse, Hocevar was a lap down when he spun Stenhouse out. After the race, Stenhouse confronted […]
Carson Hocevar was once again in the middle of controversy in Mexico City. The fast, but highly aggressive driver was involved in a few incidents including another run-in with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevrolet.
To make the situation worse, Hocevar was a lap down when he spun Stenhouse out. After the race, Stenhouse confronted Hocevar and said “I’m gonna beat your ass” when they return to the United States. The two drivers have not interacted since then.
No conversations
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
“No, unfortunately,” said Hocevar when asked if the two have talked this week. “I’m not sure what I could what I would say, right? You know, there’s nothing that really would change it, right? We’ve already had that conversation.
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“I feel like we have a good relationship or, you know, had one. I was just running behind him, just kind of logging laps and, you know, just locked up in a very dumb spot. And it was just so dumb, really. Just a mistake that didn’t need to happen and didn’t want it to happen. But there’s nothing that I could do or say. You know, I can’t buy him a Hallmark card and, you know, really make things better. So, it sucks. It sucks for me because he’s the only NASCAR driver that owns a sprint car team, and I love sprint cars. So it sucks because I want to go talk to him about sprint cars. So, yeah, hopefully everything can be set, but I know that the scorecard has me ahead right now, unfortunately.”
It’s not open hunting season
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Hocevar does expect Stenhouse to get him back. After wrecking the No. 47 at Nashville, the two drivers talked things out, but it’s clear that there’s no mending things through a simple conversation anymore. Hocevar qualified third for the Cup race at Pocono while Stenhouse will start 30th.
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“The scorecard has it that I’m getting something from the 47 [Stenhouse] at some point, right? And I think my team and everybody kind of knows that. But at the same time, it’s ideally just the 47, right? It’s not an open hunting season on the 77 [Hocevar] because of these incidents. You know, it’s kind of oscillated to, you know, when the 47 has a moment that he wants to take at us or take a shot. It’s just like — OK, you know, that’s probably fair.
“But with everybody else, my team has reassured me that this isn’t open hunting season. We are going to race like we’ve raced, let’s just not create more enemies that we start getting shots back at us. But, you know, we’re still just going to go race, be aggressive and defend ourselves when we need to. But this is kind of, unfortunately, now a ‘two to nothing’ scorecard. I’ve been a fan of the sport for a long time. You know the game; you’ve seen it and everything. But we just go race.”
Accepting whatever happens
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Hocevar has no idea when payback is coming, or if Stenhouse will even use his car to settle the score…or his fists. But either way, the Spire Motorsports driver said he’s going to accept whatever happens.
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“It could be tomorrow or it could be six months from now,” said Hocevar. “It would be very hypocritical for me to then lose my mind and be frustrated. I’ve been a fan for a very long time. You’ve seen these stories before. It’s not, by no means, the first time. So, hopefully, for my sake, it doesn’t happen and we can race, and if I need to, you know, we can point it by whatever. But I know how frustrated I was that I brought this back up because I thought we were good. And I let him go because I was a lap down or whatever, and I was just riding behind him and then I locked up. You live in the world you make for yourself, and this is the world I’ve made.”
The Stenhouse situation isn’t the only dark cloud over Hocevar, who also faced internal penalties this week from his team, Spire Motorsports. He called Mexico a “s***hole” in some comments on Twitch, resulting in a $50,000 and mandatory sensitivity training. Reacting to those comments, he said in a Saturday press conference that his comments were “based off everything else, you know, that I’ve heard or seen, right? I didn’t go do my own homework and voice my own opinion.
“I didn’t give it a shot. I didn’t give it a chance. I didn’t go walk around. I didn’t go see it. When I did, you know, then hindsight’s 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I’ve already put it out there. So I think that was the biggest thing was like — I wasn’t doing what I pride myself of doing. I was just having my own opinion, putting it out there and being me. You know, I just didn’t give it a fair shot, so I think that’s where it all stems from.”
Photos from Pocono – Practice & Qualifying
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Brennan Poole, Chevrolet
Brennan Poole, Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford
Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota
Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
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Read Also:
Carson Hocevar fined for making insensitive comments about Mexico
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. threatens Carson Hocevar: “I’m gonna beat your ass”
Carson Hocevar will try to “round the edges off” after clashing with rivals
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