Motorsports

Autocross in My 1985 Corvette Went Far Better than Expected

Published

2 weeks ago

May 21, 2025

As those who have the “pleasure” of listening to me ramble in person might be annoyed to hear, one of my favorite one-liners is “it takes all types to make a world.” I often use this as a stand-in for simply saying that how someone else chooses to do a task is not the way I would have done it. It’s not good or bad, just different than what I would do. Last weekend, I went against my own sensibilities and took my 1985 Corvette to a local autocross event to see just how much fun I could have and how quickly I could go with the tired 120,000-mile car. The answer surprised me, but didn’t come without consequences.

For starters, I’m a person who loves track time. Unfortunately, my heart and wallet are often in disagreement about the value of track time. So when a flyer was left in my driver’s seat about an autocross event happening just two miles from my driveway with a comically low $35 per-day entry fee, both heart and wallet were finally in full syncromesh. The only problem was a lack of an appropriate car.

Even as the most approachable form of motorsports, autocross has technical and safety requirements, a few of which were unwelcoming to my 1965 Chevrolet Corvair. I really love my Corvair as it sits, but the lap-belt-only restraint combined with an unbolstered seat and solid steering shaft makes the car less than ideal for modern motorsports. I love to drive the Corvair—on the street. The amount of modifications I would want to do to feel comfortable autocrossing the Corvair would change it more than I want to. So when I bought my 1985 Corvette last fall, I saw the opportunity.

autocross cones — The standing cones define the course and the laying “pointer cones” help keep drivers on course.Kyle Smith

tech inspection autocross — The standing cones define the course and the laying “pointer cones” help keep drivers on course.Kyle Smith

The Corvette is well-worn, but when I saw that the technical inspection for this autocross event boiled down to tires not showing cords, battery restrained with OE or better hold down, me having a helmet, and not much more, I realized my black targa would be perfect. I no longer had an excuse to stay home. So I registered online, did an oil change and brake fluid flush, and drove out to the baseball field parking lot to be greeted by a field of Michigan’s state flower—traffic cones. And plenty of them.

After sailing through tech inspection with my taped-on car numbers and class designation, a quick driver’s meeting confirmed the run schedule for the day. Each of the three run groups also has to work for one of the other run groups, helping with staging cars or resetting cones between runs. It was pure luck that I was put into the third run group and was positioned in the center of the track, flagging for the first group. It gave me a great view to see how things worked and also how drivers with more experience took the course.

Autocross action shot — Some cars were really tight to the cones, while others left a little more room.Kyle Smith

Autocross action shot BMW — Some cars were really tight to the cones, while others left a little more room.Kyle Smith

autocross line in 1985 Corvette — Sitting in the lineup waiting to start my first run.Kyle Smith

A lot could be learned from spectating, but there is no replacement for time in the driver’s seat. The sky was spitting rain off and on all morning while the temperature struggled to get above 55 degrees. While this all but ensured the Corvette wouldn’t overheat even with its broken front air dam, it also made sure that the high-performance summer Bridgestones were not going to be happy. Before the driver’s meeting, I walked the course with a friend who regularly autocrosses his C5, and even with the big layout, I had dedicated most of it to memory before I rolled up to the start line. Sitting and waiting for the car in front of me to get about halfway through their run, I mentally ran the course in my head, and right when I opened my eyes, the guy in charge of starting waved his hand and said, “You’re good to go.”

Corvette Autocross action shot — The timing beams were placed out a ways from the start line, making the start less critical and easier on the cars.Kyle Smith

I got the clutch out and put my right foot down, grabbed a quick shift to second, and settled in for a rodeo ride. A tame rodeo ride. With no experience, my goal was just to make a clean run, not getting lost as I used the pointer cones to navigate the multiple slalom sections and tight switchback corners. The Corvette rolled and pitched more than it ever had in my ownership, even more than those times I tried to set the record for fastest pass through the new roundabout in town. Squealing tires told me that my requests for both braking and steering at the same time were not only foolish but detrimental to a smooth and quick run. Regardless, 68 seconds after leaving the starting line, my front tires tripped through the timing beams at the finish. I looked over to the timing tent and got a thumbs up, confirming I hadn’t taken out any cones or cut the course. Back around to the staging lanes to make some mental adjustments and get prepared for my remaining four runs.

Kyle Smith autocross corvette driving — Even with the stock seats, I had no problem fitting a helmet on and driving comfortably.Kyle Smith

Corvette autocross action shot cones — Even with the stock seats, I had no problem fitting a helmet on and driving comfortably.Kyle Smith

With each clutch drop from the starting line, I had my fingers crossed that the bone-stock and barely prepared Corvette wouldn’t snap a ball joint or push a head gasket out from between the head and the block. Even when I was “taking it easy” on the early runs, this was clearly the hardest this particular car had been driven. But at the end of each run, the gauges leveled out, and despite my picking up the pace with each run, there were no new clunks or hiccups. I’d bet my relative novice inputs were actually harder on the car than what a better driver would do. Despite the hard braking and wide-open pulls for most of the afternoon, the Corvette happily drove home at the end of the day with no signs of anything bad or broken.

Having been lucky enough to try a few different forms of motorsport over the last few years, there is no question in my mind that autocross is far and away the most approachable. The atmosphere was laid back all day, and everyone I talked to was both kind and helpful. Even a small amount of interest would have drivers offering the right seat of their car for a ride, something I leveraged heavily on the second day when the course switched directions. I also took advantage of the ability to double-enter the car with two drivers. My friend Tim loaned me one of his cars to participate in a bump-n-run race last fall, so I repaid the favor by tossing him the keys to try autocross for the first time in my Corvette.

Tim Wahl in Corvette autocross — Kyle Smith

It also meant I got to ride passenger for his six runs. We alternated driving, each picking up a little from the other and debriefing after each run between the two of us. We both spun the Corvette multiple times, and Tim even took out a few cones in one spectacular rotation near the finish line, and the only consequence was a little rubber scuffed off the tires.

Interestingly, a large takeaway from the weekend was that the Corvette as it sits and I were pretty well matched. I had convinced myself I needed a host of performance suspension bits before really wheeling the ‘Vette, and yet, at the end of two days, I found that the car was faster than me in stock form, and I would likely be better putting my cash into entry fees than fancy suspension. It was humbling to go out with what looks like a rough car and find that nothing on the car was holding me back; I was holding myself back. Maybe I’ll find the limit of the Corvette one day and will likely put a few fun parts on it at that time, but between here and there, I’ve got a lot of learning and even more driving to do.

Link

Motorsports

NASCAR Sets Sight On International Drivers as Commissioner Speaks Out On Expansion

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future. As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen […]

Published

15 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future.

As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen to see some of the drivers from the series join either the Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, or Cup Series.

During an interview with Motorsport.com, Phelps explained:

“We have a driver who is from Mexico, Daniel Suarez, and that’s a great victory for us. Not through our driver development program, [but] we also have Shane Van Gisbergen from New Zealand [who] used to race in Australia.

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Dollar Tree Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025…

James Gilbert/Getty Images

“We’d like to have drivers from all over the world coming to race with us, in our three national categories, but in particular in our main category, like what Daniel and SVG are doing.”

He added:

“We’d like to have a Brazilian come out of NASCAR Brazil, come and race with us full-time, and, you know, compete for wins and championships. So we’re excited about this prospect, I was very impressed with the number of drivers I saw and how fast they were and their abilities, and we’re excited about this happening in the future.”

Phelps was promoted to the newly formed role of NASCAR Commissioner in March. He commented at the time of the announcement:

“I’m honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I’ve loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports.

“I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership, and most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago. This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I’m privileged to continue as part of that legacy – and especially its bright future.

“We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR’s first Commissioner. His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport,” said NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France added.

“With more than 50 years of expertise between them, both Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell bring tremendous expertise, stability and a commitment to the bold racing innovations that will continue to serve fans, teams and stakeholders for many years to come.”

Link

Motorsports

TNT Sports & Max Announce NASCAR Driver Cam “Featured Multiview” Selections for FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8 – Speedway Digest

TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag: Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2). Joey Logano, looking […]

Published

54 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag:

Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2).
Joey Logano, looking for another strong finish to follow his May 4^th win at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bubba Wallace, currently 12th in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings, with a couple top 10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway (March 30) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) this season.
Ty Gibbs, looking to gain momentum following his two top 10 finishes in April at Briston Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

B/R Racing’s X and Instagram platforms will also host four head-to-head polls through this Friday featuring eight additional drivers for fans to vote on which four will be featured on a special “Fan Selected” Multiview stream on Max.

Individual Driver Cams will also be available for all drivers in the NASCAR All-Star Open earlier in the evening on Sunday.

The NASCAR Driver Cam experience — exclusive to Max — offers motorsports fans the ultimate all-access pass to every driver for every race throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, all synced up with a 1080p Driver Cam feed (on supported devices). 

Fans will be able to choose between the up to 40 individual Driver Cams or the two pre-set Multiview stream options featuring four drivers each. Each individual driver stream features integrated live stats— stage, lap number, position and race status — along with telemetry data including speed, RPM, gear, and more. Users can pause, rewind and fast forward as well, and a replay of each individual driver stream will be available following each race.

The NASCAR Driver Cams and Multiviews are available to stream within Sports on Max. Users can find all NASCAR Driver Cam on Max live content on the upcoming schedule at https://play.max.com/live-sports-schedule.

TNT/WB PR

Link

Motorsports

NASCAR Michigan qualifying live results: Cup Series starting lineup

The NASCAR Cup Series’ only race weekend at Michigan this year begins June 7 with practice and qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Ryan Blaney is coming off his first win of the 2025 season with the June 1 win at Nashville Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick is the defending winner of the […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NASCAR Cup Series’ only race weekend at Michigan this year begins June 7 with practice and qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Ryan Blaney is coming off his first win of the 2025 season with the June 1 win at Nashville Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick is the defending winner of the Michigan race, but has not yet won in 2025.

The Michigan race is the first of three to set the field for the NASCAR in-season tournament.

Follow the practice and qualifying sessions for the NASCAR Michigan race with our live updates.

NASCAR Cup Series Michigan qualifying live results, updates

On track action begins at 8:30 a.m. CT from Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR Michigan entry list for FireKeepers Casino 400

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

What channel is qualifying on today for the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan?

Qualifying time: 9:40 a.m. CT Saturday (Practice begins at 8:30 a.m. CT)
TV: Amazon Prime Video (streaming) (Watch Amazon Prime with a free trial) | Radio: SiriusXM and MRN
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video; NASCAR.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)
Track: Michigan International Speedway (2-mile oval) in Brooklyn, Michigan

NASCAR Michigan news, stories

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Link

Motorsports

NASCAR Is Coming to Michigan International Speedway This Weekend

Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI — June 6, 2025 Race fans, Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, NASCAR makes its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway. It’s a “Home Game (Race)” for us locals. Let’s start with some important announcements. Speedway Traffic Updates Michigan International Speedway worked closely with Michigan State Police and a […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI — June 6, 2025

Race fans, Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, NASCAR makes its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway. It’s a “Home Game (Race)” for us locals. Let’s start with some important announcements.

Speedway Traffic Updates

Michigan International Speedway worked closely with Michigan State Police and a logistics company to update the traffic patterns and parking lots to ensure that your trip in and out of the facility is as quick as possible on Sunday, June 8th. These changes include opening additional parking lots (Yellow Lot 8 & 9) and directing traffic into specific parking lots depending on the direction you arrive at the property.

Be sure to review the Traffic Maps and detailed directions on the Speedway’s website so you approach the track and park in your preferred parking lot. If there is a specific parking lot you typically park in, you may need to change the route you typically use. All parking will be one direction inbound and one direction outbound.

Patterns may change due to traffic situations and capacity of parking lots.

Day parking on Michigan International Speedway property is FREE to Speedway guests! Please follow the parking attendant’s directions. A one-way traffic pattern will be implemented if deemed necessary on Sunday.

Busch Light Summer Music Series Concert News

Michigan International Speedway announced today that award-winning country singer and songwriter Ashley Cooke is stepping in to headline the Busch Light Summer Music Series performance prior to Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race.

Cooke replaces Nate Smith during pre-race festivities after he announced Wednesday afternoon that he’s going on strict vocal rest through the rest of June, thereby canceling his performances for the month.

“It means a lot that Ashley is stepping up to the plate to perform for our passionate fans before our NASCAR Cup Series stars hit the track,” said Joe Fowler, Michigan International Speedway President. “Ashley is one of the most exciting rising stars in country music and her show will have everyone singing along before the race on Sunday. We also wish Nate the best in his recovery and hope to see him out at the track soon.”

Since her debut album shot in the dark earned her critical acclaim, Cooke has been recognized as MusicRow’s Discovery Artist of the Year and Next Big Thing, Billboard’s Rookie of the Month and iHeartCountry’s On The Verge Artist.

Cooke won her first CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year at the 2024 CMT Awards before being nominated for ACM New Female Artist of the Year, and is currently up for Best New Country Artist at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

In 2024, Cooke earned her first No.1 at Country radio with her single, “your place,” making her one of the only women to reach the top of the charts that year. With national TV appearances on NBC’s TODAY and ABC’s The Bachelorette, as well as tours with Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell and Jordan Davis under her belt, Cooke is ready to take 2025 by storm. Cooke started her year headlining her “your place Tour,” before hitting the road with Cody Johnson in Australia and Kane Brown throughout the US. She’ll be Performing at festivals all summer long, before heading out on the road with Parker McCollum and Lee Brice in the fall.”

“We enjoyed collaborating with Ashley Cooke last year to surprise our fans in Nashville through the ‘Busch on Broadway’ pop-up series, right after her big CMT award win,” said Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing, Busch Family & Natural Family at Anheuser-Busch. “With the second show of our Summer Music Series coming up this weekend, we know she will give our fans in Michigan a pre-race experience they won’t forget.”

The inaugural Busch Light Summer Music Series consists of five full-length concerts at NASCAR races throughout the country. The series is an exciting new fan experience born from the renewed partnership with NASCAR’S Official Beer Sponsor.

Since the 1990s, the Anheuser-Busch family of brands has created countless opportunities for 21+ NASCAR fans to get closer to the sport they love. The first performance in the series took place earlier this spring, with ERNEST taking the stage at Texas Motor Speedway. After Michigan, the series moves to Chicago Street Race (Zac Brown Band – July 5), Iowa Speedway (Corey Kent – Aug. 3) and will conclude in Busch Light’s hometown of St. Louis at World Wide Technology Raceway (Sept. 7). Artists and details on the final concert will be announced at a later date.

Race Schedule and News

The June race weekend at Michigan International Speedway begins with the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 on Friday, June 6, followed by the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics on Saturday, June 7. The NASCAR Cup Series will cap off the weekend’s action with the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8.

Tickets are available for purchase via phone at 888-905-7223 or online at mispeedway.com.

Fans can view the full 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets, and can stay connected to Michigan International Speedway on Facebook, Instagram and X.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 15th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Beginning this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and continuing through the Mexico City and Pocono races, the top 32 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings will race for seeding in the $1 million, five-race, in-season tournament that begins June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Seeding will be based on the best finish in the upcoming three races, with tiebreakers determined by the next-best finish, followed by the season points position.

The 32 seeds will race head-to-head in a knockout-style format beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The field will be narrowed to 16 after Atlanta, eight after the July 6 Chicago Street Race, four after the July 13 road course race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and two after the July 20 race at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

The remaining two drivers will battle for the in-season title and the $1 million prize on July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez are part of the 32 drivers in the tournament.

Amazon’s Prime Video will broadcast all three upcoming seeding races before TNT Sports, and Max will broadcast the five in-season tournament races.

HOMETOWN HERO: Jones is returning to his home track of Michigan for Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400. The Michigan native grew up just 73 miles north of the track in the small town of Byron, where he started his racing career at a young age before transitioning to stock cars at age 13. He quickly moved up the ranks in NASCAR but never forgot his Michigan roots along the way. He is one of only three Michigan natives racing in the Cup Series fulltime along with Brad Keselowski and Carson Hocevar.

ERIK JONES QUOTE: “I always look forward to Michigan. Obviously, it’s a home race for me and my home track. It’s a lot of fun to get up there and be with family and friends. I typically get there earlier in the week to go spend more time with them and get to see them before the busy weekend. It’s always exciting and a lot of fun. The race itself – I just really enjoy the track. It’s come into its own here as it’s aged and widened out. Racing there with this NextGen car has been good. I’m looking forward to it. This one is high on my bucket list of tracks to win at one day. I just look forward for the chance to be out there every year.”

Ryan Blaney: Blaney heads to Michigan coming off his first win in 2025 at Nashville Superspeedway. The 2023 Cup Series champion has secured a playoff spot and looks to ride the momentum into the Irish Hills this weekend. Blaney was last victorious at Michigan in 2021.

Christopher Bell: Bell has remained a strong force throughout the first half of the 2025 season. Bell has three wins and currently sits third in points standings. He looks to earn his first career victory at Michigan this weekend.

Carson Hocevar: Carson returns to his native state after a strong 2nd place finish in Nashville. Sitting 17th in the points standings, he looks to head to victory lane in front of a home crowd and lock himself into the playoffs.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has been chasing a win in the Cup Series at Michigan his entire career. Keselowski returns home looking to add to Ford’s dominance in the Cup Series at MIS as the OEM has won 9 of the last 10 races at MIS. Keselowski has just one top five finish this year and looks to strike gold at MIS.

Chase Elliott: The fan favorite is still searching for his first win in 2025 and sits 5th in the points standings. Elliott has 7 top 10 finishes and 3 top five finishes while leading 76 laps this season. Elliott also has never won at Michigan and is hungry to visit Victory Lane as his last win came at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024.

Tyler Reddick: Reddickreturns to Michigan as the defending champion of the FireKeepers Casino 400. Reddick is winless in 2025 but sits 6th in points standings currently.

The Heritage Trophy

Since Michigan International Speedway began handing out the Heritage Trophy to the winning manufacturer in August 2013, Ford has taken it back to World Headquarters in nearby Dearborn more times than any other manufacturer. Ford has won 11 races since the trophy came into existence while Chevrolet has won six and Toyota two. Joey Logano’s win in the Pure Michigan 400 on Aug. 18, 2013 was his first win with Ford and new car owner Roger Penske, but it also marked the first time the trophy was awarded. Logano, who won the pole and led a race-high 51 laps, passed Mark Martin for the lead with four laps to go after Martin’s car ran out of gas.

Ryan Blaney’s victory on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway means that all three Team Penske drivers have a win this season. Blaney followed Austin Cindric (Talladega) and Joey Logano (Texas) in clinching a playoff berth, and it continues an impressive record for the organization. Since Team Penske went to three NASCAR Cup Series cars in 2018, it has seen each team win at least one race in the same season six times. Overall, Team Penske has won 104 races with Ford and the current lineup of Blaney, Cindric and Logano have combined for 51 of those.

JOEY LOGANO QUOTE: IS MORE EMPHASIS PUT ON THE RACE AT MICHIGAN? “No more emphasis than any other race. We try to win them all. It’s not like we say, ‘Ah, this one doesn’t matter. We’ll just coast this one through.’ That’s not who we are. We don’t do that because every race matters, especially with the playoff format we have. Every win, every playoff point that you can get can be the difference at the end of the day, so we don’t really put more into any of them. I will say though that the manufacturers take pride in that trophy that they hand out there to the winning manufacturer, so it’s always a topic of discussion. We go up there early more times than not and go visit Ford headquarters and it’s a topic that comes up. They want that trophy in their main lobby, so when people walk in they can walk by it.”

The Lasco Press will be live all weekend at the track, follow Sports Editor Steve Sweitzer on Facebook, and look for his Cup Series Race Report of the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday evening after the race. Only at thelascopress.com.

If you see us at the track, be sure and say hi, we will capture your picture.

NASCAR Fan at Michigan International Speedway / Lasco Press Photo

Link

Motorsports

Driver nicknamed ‘Butterbean’ wins Friday Michigan NASCAR race, climbs fence

BROOKLYN, MI – A racer known for celebrating his wins at Waffle House was victorious Friday, June 6, at Michigan International Speedway – in a state with zero Waffle Houses. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen held off a hard-charging Corey Heim in the closing laps of the ARCA Series race at MIS to win by 0.3 seconds. […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BROOKLYN, MI – A racer known for celebrating his wins at Waffle House was victorious Friday, June 6, at Michigan International Speedway – in a state with zero Waffle Houses.

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen held off a hard-charging Corey Heim in the closing laps of the ARCA Series race at MIS to win by 0.3 seconds.

Brenden Queen (28) celebrates after the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Friday, June 6, 2025. Ayrton Breckenridge | MLive.com

Queen, 27, pumped up the fans in the grandstands during his TV interview.

“It’s Bean Nation time tonight, boys!” Queen said. “It’s insane. I mean, I think I’ve got to climb the fence before I’m done.”

Queen was true to his word. He scaled the fence in front of cheering fans just after his interview.

The mullet-donning driver brings an energy to the series – living up to the hype of his “Butterbean” nickname. His family gave him the nickname as a baby, as they thought he looked a bit like professional boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch.

This is Queen’s third career ARCA Series win, all coming in 2025. After the first two, he took his team and the trophy to Waffle House to celebrate.

“It’s been a thing I’ve done since I was late model racing … we’d just always take the trophy to Waffle House. It was the only thing open (that late),” Queen said. “We try to enjoy the night, reflect on it and then get ready for the next one.”

While Michigan doesn’t have a Waffle House, Queen has a plane to catch tonight, anyway, to get back to North Carolina.

It’s yet-to-be-determined if he’ll end up at one before the night ends. Queen was asked what his favorite thing is at Waffle House after he finished speaking with the media.

“Chocolate milk! We’re going to go get a chocolate milk,” Queen said.

How he got there

Queen took the lead with 23 laps to go on the final restart. While side by side with Gio Ruggiero, the pair slapped doors entering Turn 3, and Queen cleared him for the lead off Turn 4.

Second-place Heim, who has four Truck Series wins this year and is the favorite for Saturday’s race, wasn’t even supposed to be racing Friday. He was a substitute driver for Jake Finch, getting the call just hours before the race, since Finch had a viral infection.

Morgen Baird, who grew up in nearby Grass Lake, was the top finishing Michigander on Friday, with a 13th-place result. Baird will also race in Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race, which starts at noon on Fox.

RELATED: A Michigan dad with a day job is Frankie Muniz’s NASCAR teammate this weekend

The pinnacle race of the weekend is the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400. That starts at 2 p.m. Sunday on Prime Video.

Where to stream the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan todayJun. 6, 2025, 2:00p.m.
A Michigan dad with a day job is Frankie Muniz’s NASCAR teammate this weekendJun. 6, 2025, 1:19p.m.
Award-winning country artist steps in for Michigan International Speedway showJun. 6, 2025, 11:28a.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Michigan’s Carson Hocevar reminds me of ‘a 1979 Dale Earnhardt’Jun. 6, 2025, 10:05a.m.
See the new traffic patterns around Michigan International Speedway for race dayJun. 6, 2025, 8:35a.m.

Link

Motorsports

Rain Again Takes Quarter Mile Racing At Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway – Speedway Digest

Due to afternoon storms and continued inclement weather forecasted throughout the next several hours, tonight’s Friday Night Lights event scheduled for June 6 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway has once again been postponed. The originally scheduled 1/4-mile special, featuring local short track classes, will now be rescheduled for Friday, June 27, creating a doubleheader weekend for […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Due to afternoon storms and continued inclement weather forecasted throughout the next several hours, tonight’s Friday Night Lights event scheduled for June 6 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway has once again been postponed.

The originally scheduled 1/4-mile special, featuring local short track classes, will now be rescheduled for Friday, June 27, creating a doubleheader weekend for fans and teams alike. All of tonight’s scheduled divisions will be carried over to the new date.

In addition to racing on the 1/4-mile, practice sessions on the 5/8-mile oval will also take place on Friday, June 27 in preparation for the full racing program on Saturday, June 28. Saturday’s lineup remains unchanged and will feature a complete card of 1/4 and 5/8-mile action as originally scheduled.

Fans and teams should monitor nashvillefairgroundsspeedway.racing and the track’s social media platforms for updated schedules, entry info, and additional event details as the doubleheader weekend approaches.

For those planning to attend, the Friday, June 27 event will feature the same ticket pricing and gate times. Tickets purchased in advance for tonight’s postponed show will be honored on the new date.

Updated Schedule Overview:

Friday, June 27:
- Rescheduled 1/4-Mile Racing Program
- 5/8-Mile Practice Sessions
Saturday, June 28:
- Full 1/4-Mile and 5/8-Mile Racing Card as Scheduled

We thank all teams, fans, and partners for their patience and understanding. We look forward to welcoming everyone back later this month for an exciting weekend of short track racing in the heart of Music City!

NFS PR

Link