Behind the scenes, crews keep race running smoothly
At the door of the DGM Racing trailer, Janice Kennett sat peacefully in the double shade of a tent and her Chevrolet baseball cap. She took advantage of a quiet moment between her caretaker duties for the racing team: Kennett washes all the drivers’ suits and ensures the team is stocked with cold drinks and […]
At the door of the DGM Racing trailer, Janice Kennett sat peacefully in the double shade of a tent and her Chevrolet baseball cap.
She took advantage of a quiet moment between her caretaker duties for the racing team: Kennett washes all the drivers’ suits and ensures the team is stocked with cold drinks and snacks. She and her husband, Gary — who drives the truck for the team — have been with DGM Racing for four years. They drive to all 33 race weekends from their home in Lake Wales, Florida, where Kennett uses her own washing machine to do the team’s laundry.
“People work better when they’re taken care of,” Kennett said.
Behind the many wire fences surrounding NASCAR’s fan area, dozens of trailers and hauling trucks are lined up like oversized dominoes. Back here, everyone wears long black pants or heavy suits, protecting themselves from the gasoline and asphalt that makes racing dangerous for the large crews that come with every driver.
This is the sweaty world of NASCAR, where mechanics lie belly-up beneath racecars, their hands covered in grime. It’s not glamorous or easy, but this work is the lifeblood of American racing.
Late Saturday morning, water poured out from under the hood of Joey Gase Motorsports’ No. 53 car, driven by Sage Karam. Five team members, in green and black racing shirts, crowded around the vehicle. Sweat ran down everyone’s foreheads as one mechanic crawled under the car, and two others set up a tent to shield them from the sun as they worked.
Mechanics often perform this kind of maintenance. When drivers do their practice loops at the beginning of a race weekend, their cars accrue all sorts of damage. The JR Motorsports team had at least 12 people working on one of its cars, while the Joey Gase group did its repairs just a few trailers away.
Behind another fence, Sunoco employees distributed dozens of gas tanks. To their right, technicians from Goodyear Racing carefully studied piles of tires, which were stacked up all over the NASCAR area.
Getting tires to cars is one of the more complex aspects of a race. Rick Heinrich, the Goodyear Racing product manager for NASCAR, said that his company provides roughly 3,000 tires to cars every NASCAR race weekend. Cup Series vehicles get a maximum of seven pairs of tires for each race. Xfinity Series cars get a maximum of six pairs. Most teams hold onto a pair or two of “scuffs” — used tires — as backups. Almost all the tires used in a race weekend are immediately recycled into rubber dust.
Heinrich and his team are usually the first to arrive at a race site. They have to unload and organize thousands of tires, and then collect data on every tire so that small manufacturing discrepancies can be accounted for and explained to teams, which receive tires at random.
A crew member releases tire air for Katherine Legge (78)’s team during the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 on July 5, 2025. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)A crew member from Nick Sanchez (48)’s team works underneath the car before the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)
“You really can’t help but to have an appreciation, or be somewhat of a fan of racing, when you work for Goodyear,” Heinrich said, “because, really, the core of the automotive business is racing.”
If it rains, all those numbers change, and teams are allotted an additional four sets of wet-weather tires. They’re necessary to prevent slippage when it rains, but will slow down a driver once the track dries up again.
The Chicago Street Race, with its imperfect asphalt and lines of yellow and white paint for average city drivers, offers an unusual track for Goodyear tires. That aspect, however, is out of Heinrich’s hands.
“That’s why this place is so special,” Heinrich said. “It’s just different. It’s not a purpose-built racetrack.”
The five-person crew at Cope Family Racing would agree that this weekend is different. Usually, the team has a trailer with all of its tools right behind the pit box. But because the pit road area is so limited, in the middle of downtown Chicago, the crew had to park elsewhere and lug all the tools to the pit road.
Bradley Carson is one of three mechanics on the Cope team, which is the smallest as well as one of the newest in the series, not that it has limited XFinity driver Thomas Annunziata, who qualified in the middle of the pack for the Chicago Street Race.
Bayshore Mortgage’s Thomas Annunziata, 70, in the pit stop in Grant Park during the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series on July 5, 2025. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)
Saturday afternoon, as the temperature climbed into the mid-80s, an oil-caked Carson was sitting on a tire in the shade of his team’s pit box.
“I’m exhausted,” he said.
He had every right to be. Carson, 62, who lives in Morrisville, North Carolina, and the two other mechanics on the team, rebuild Annunziata’s car nearly every week and after a racing weekend, it requires a complete renewal. For Carson, a 19-hour day, four times a week, is nothing unusual.
He admitted that the job takes a lot. But he wouldn’t give it up.
“People are doing this because they want to do this,” Carson said.
He got into motorsports as a 16-year-old not-always-legal drag racer in Los Angeles. Carson fell in love with “the thrill” of being around cars and stuck with it.
“You build something and it comes to life,” he said. “It’s a calling, in a sense … something that drives inside of you.”
Kevin Harvick predicts winner of NASCAR Brickyard 400 at Indy
The NASCAR Cup Series will move from one oval to another this weekend, as Dover will give way to Indianapolis. While the two tracks aren’t exactly the same, some intense racing will take place in the Brickyard 400, similar to this past weekend’s race in Delaware, where Denny Hamlin was victorious. As many try to […]
The NASCAR Cup Series will move from one oval to another this weekend, as Dover will give way to Indianapolis. While the two tracks aren’t exactly the same, some intense racing will take place in the Brickyard 400, similar to this past weekend’s race in Delaware, where Denny Hamlin was victorious.
As many try to predict who will kiss the bricks on Sunday, the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour crew is locking in their predictions. First off, Kevin Harvick is riding with a fellow former Cup Series champion to win in Indiana.
“I’m going to go with Chase Elliott,” Harvick proclaimed. “I think Dover was good weekend. This is a big team track. The Hendrick versus Gibbs things showed up last week, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere here.”
At Dover, Elliott seemed primed to return to Victory Lane. A late strategy call to pit instead of staying out changed everything, and the Hendrick Motorsports star never made it back to the front, having to settle for a P6 finish.
Moving ahead of this weekend, Elliott has been good, but not great at the Brickyard. He finished P10 last season, and his best showing in seven tries is P9. Harvick is hoping he can rise above and get the job done this time around.
Elsewhere, Harvick’s co-host in Kaitlyn Vincie is riding with Elliott’s teammate: “I’m taking Kyle Larson,” she stated. “I have renewed confidence after what I saw this past weekend. He won this race a year ago. I’m team No. 5.”
Larson made an effort to get to P1 in the final laps at Dover, but he couldn’t get past the Joe Gibbs Racing tandem of Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. Still, a P4 finish isn’t anything to scoff at, and the Hendrick star will take it after struggling a bit over the past few weeks.
Indianapolis has been a mixed bag for Larson, especially considered his time at the track in IndyCar. He won last season’s race though, as Vincie mentioned, so another trip to Indiana that ends in kissing the bricks would be something to behold for the former champion.
Finally, Mamba Smith watched as Briscoe finished as the runner-up at Dover. As he returns home to Indiana, he’s thinking the No. 19 Toyota team can get their second win of 2025, and continue their little hit streak.
“I’m going with Chase Briscoe. They’re on a roll,” Smith added. “This is a home race for him. I think it’s a big week for Chase Briscoe.”
All told, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe are all solid picks for Indianapolis. Whether or not one of them will kiss the bricks this weekend remains to be seen, but the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour crew will be watching all the drama that comes to fruition during the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, for sure.
NASCAR adds new Saturday session after rain cancels Brickyard 400 practice
In modern NASCAR, it has become increasingly rare for Cup teams to get full practice sessions as part of three-day race weekends. The Brickyard 400 is one of those rare occasions, but thunderstorms forced NASCAR to cancel on-track activity for the Cup Series on Friday. However, in an attempt to get the teams some practice […]
In modern NASCAR, it has become increasingly rare for Cup teams to get full practice sessions as part of three-day race weekends. The Brickyard 400 is one of those rare occasions, but thunderstorms forced NASCAR to cancel on-track activity for the Cup Series on Friday.
However, in an attempt to get the teams some practice time, series officials have introduced a new session to be run on Saturday. The 39 Cup teams will get the chance to practice in a 25-minute combined session, instead of the 50-minute practice that was planned for Friday.
This session will follow Xfinity Series qualifying and immediately precede Cup qualifying.
Unfortunately, the weather outlook is not much better for Saturday afternoon. Temperatures at Indianapolis are in the late 80s and early 90s this weekend and there is a chance of more afternoon thunderstorms.
If weather forces the cancellation of this new practice session and qualifying on Saturday, it will be the second consecutive week where weather has denied teams any on-track activity before the race. In the event of a Saturday rainout, Denny Hamlin will start from pole position. Hamlin also announced on Friday that he has signed a new multi-year deal that will keep him at Joe Gibbs Racing for the next few years.
NASCAR has also been forced to cancel Truck qualifying at Indianapolis Raceway Park, a short track just a few miles away from the big track. Corey Heim will start from pole position.
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Former NASCAR Driver Rips Chase Elliott’s Cup Series Lead, Calls it ‘Mediocre’
Chase Elliott may be leading the NASCAR Cup Series standings but not everyone is impressed. NASCAR analyst and former driver Kyle Petty has publicly questioned Elliott’s rise to the top. He called it “mediocre consistency” not standout performance. Advertisement Elliott who has 12 top 10s in 21 races this season quietly moved to the top of the standings after last Sunday’s race at Dover. […]
Chase Elliott may be leading the NASCAR Cup Series standings but not everyone is impressed.
NASCAR analyst and former driver Kyle Petty has publicly questioned Elliott’s rise to the top. He called it “mediocre consistency” not standout performance.
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Elliott who has 12 top 10s in 21 races this season quietly moved to the top of the standings after last Sunday’s race at Dover. He spun twice while leading but still finished 6th.
The Hendricks Motorsports driver has been top 20 in every race this season and that’s kept him in the conversation even without frequent trips to victory lane. But for Kyle Petty that’s not enough.
Speaking on PRN’s Fast Talk Petty said “He’s been incredibly consistent. Mostly mediocre consistent, which has led him to lead the championship. He’s just there, he’s vanilla… He’s not done anything special to lead the points.”
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Petty Want More Than Consistency
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Kyle Petty went on to compare Chase Elliott to more aggressive drivers. “When you look at Denny with four wins, when you look at at Shane with three wins, when you look at these other guys who have led races and gone out in a blaze of glory and all this stuff. Chase is just that guy. It’s the tortoise and the hare. It’s the tortoise and the hare.”
He later said “Top 20 is not a stat, dude… Top 10, top 5, wins. That’s what we go after.”
Petty said Chase Elliott’s consistency has been enough to keep him near the front but it’s not the same as drivers who dominate races.
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Even Kyle Larson said he was surprised to see Elliott second in the standings after his Atlanta win earlier this month. Elliott has since passed teammate William Byron who led the series most of the year and now leads by 16 points.
Next up for Chase Elliott is the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a track where he’s never had a top 5. While Larson won there in 2024 Elliott has yet to make an impact at the crown jewel event.
With the regular season winding down the race may be the opportunity for the points leader to silence his critics with a big result.
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Kyle Larson hoping to recapture Brickyard magic in NASCAR action | News, Sports, Jobs
Kyle Larson is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson raced to his third NASCAR Cup victory of the season at Kansas in mid-May then turned his attention to his second and perhaps final attempt at […]
Kyle Larson is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson raced to his third NASCAR Cup victory of the season at Kansas in mid-May then turned his attention to his second and perhaps final attempt at racing’s double — completing all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Instead, he was hit with a double whammy.
A crash on Lap 92 knocked him out of the 500, relegating him to 24th, and two crashes — the second on Lap 245 — knocked him out in Charlotte, where he finished 37th.
Not much has gone right for Lason since then.
He posted just one top five finish over the next eight races before finishing fourth at Dover last weekend. Now, the defending Brickyard 400 champion is back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway trying to recharge his season.
“It’s great to be back here in Indy and back at the track, hopefully I’ll do a much better job than I did in May,” he said Friday. “It’s a privilege to get to run here and I would love nothing more than a good run and hopefully kind of put the bow on the double stuff.”
Only three drivers in race history own back-to-back Brickyard wins — Jimmie Johnson in 2008-09, Kyle Busch in 2015-16 and Kevin Harvick in 2019-20. Larson’s won last year on Indy’s historic 2.5-mile oval instead of the road course used the previous three years.
Most if not all drivers including Larson prefer running the oval.
“There’s so many people from all over the world here whether it be May or our events or, really for that matter, any events,” Justin Allgaier said. “… It’s just there’s nothing quite like it;”
Larson understands having driven an IndyCar on the oval each of the last two Mays and now back in a Cup car, his fourth start in 14 months at the Brickyard.
The difference this year: Larson wants to change directions after some sub-par results.
But they haven’t dashed his championship hopes.
The 2021 Cup champ is tied for second in wins this season, already has accrued 23 playoff points and trails only Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup champ, and William Byron in points. Neither Elliott or Byron has won the 400, though.
Neither has Denny Hamlin, who sits just behind Larson in points despite winning a series-best four times including last weekend at Dover. He also signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing on Friday.
If he can add a win Sunday to the three he’s had in the Daytona 500 and Southern 500 and the one Coca-Cola 600 title, Hamlin would join the short list of drivers who have won all four Cup crown jewel races in their career.
“It certainly would mean a lot to me,” said Hamlin, who has started 16 Brickyards. “We’ve come close. We were actually as close on the road course as we were on ovals although I don’t know — you could argue whether that (road race) was actually a crown jewel or not. So, yeah, highly motivated.”
But things already are off script for Larson, Hamlin and everyone else in Indy.
Friday’s scheduled practice was rained out, making the second week in a row practice was washed out. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday when temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to upper 80s with rain in the forecast most of the afternoon. The forecast for Sunday looks almost identical to Saturday.
That’s not what Larson wanted to hear even though race organizers rescheduled a short practice for Saturday afternoon.
“Hopefully, our car is good again,” he said before the scheduled practice. “I believe it should be fast, if not better than it was last year. So, you know, hopefully we’ll have a good practice, good qualifying (Saturday) and execute a good race on Sunday.”
Larson’s goal is simple — qualify up front, stay up front and stay out of the trouble he’s found far too routinely lately.
“When (Christopher Bell) spun (at Dover), I thought I was going to get collected and be like ‘Uh, oh, just continuing our bad luck here,” he said. “So, hopefully, this is the beginning of us to kind turn things around. We’ll see.”
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“They Don’t Have Men Anymore”: Former NASCAR Champion Criticizes Modern Era
On a recent episode of the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast, former NASCAR Truck Series champion Mike Skinner was his usual candid self. He shared his thoughts on today’s drivers and didn’t mince words. Reflecting on the differences between his era and the current field, Skinner praised the technical advancements in the sport but panned […]
On a recent episode of the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast, former NASCAR Truck Series champion Mike Skinner was his usual candid self. He shared his thoughts on today’s drivers and didn’t mince words.
Reflecting on the differences between his era and the current field, Skinner praised the technical advancements in the sport but panned what he sees as a lack of grit and personality. “In ’95 and ’96 we had men,” Skinner told Harvick. “They don’t have men anymore. They have a lot of guys that are really high technical, their fitness program is impeccable now today, but they fall out of the seat way more than we probably did.”
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Skinner, who won the first Truck Series race in 1995 and went on to win 28 races and 50 poles in that series, also pointed out the physical changes in drivers over time.
“They’re little guys, they’re smaller guys,” he said. “And we’re finding out all the time that the smaller frame and the less weight you have and the shorter you are, you’re like a jockey. Kyle Larson should win every race, right?”
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Skinner Misses the Fire: “We Need More of Those Rivalries”
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While Skinner acknowledged the gains in fitness and preparation, he said we’ve lost something essential, namely, the raw intensity and personalities that once defined NASCAR. “We need more of those rivalries,” he said. “It’s fun to watch… So we don’t see enough of that in my opinion today.”
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Many veterans and long time fans share the same feeling, they think the sport has veered too far from its original roots. Drivers from Skinner’s era, like Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace or Tony Stewart, were great drivers by talent, but they also had larger than life personalities on, and off, the track, along with plenty of on-track altercations.
After his success in the Truck Series, Skinner joined Richard Childress Racing and he became the 1997 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He never won a Cup points race but did win 6 poles. His resume and firsthand experience give him credibility when talking to Kevin Harvick.
Skinner wonders if NASCAR still has a pulse. And with this generation of “nice” drivers like Larson, Byron and Elliott making headlines, this conversation isn’t going to go away.
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Photos: NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway
Shane van Gisbergen known as SVG took the checkered flag in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing at Sonoma Raceway winning the Toyota/SaveMart 350. SVG started in the pole position and dominated the pack leading in 97 of the 110 laps for his third and second consecutive win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series […]
Shane van Gisbergen known as SVG took the checkered flag in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing at Sonoma Raceway winning the Toyota/SaveMart 350. SVG started in the pole position and dominated the pack leading in 97 of the 110 laps for his third and second consecutive win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The New Zealand driver is currently 26th in the series.
Driver Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, does a burnout in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)
Filling the second through fifth spots were:
Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports
Michael McDowell in the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports
Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing
A NASCAR fan reacts to a crash at Turn 2. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)(L-R) U.S. Navy recruiter Petty Officer Rampy, Commanding Officer Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Golden Gate Commander Mike Molloy AmirrorCAN MEN and deputy commander of Naval Education and Training Command – Force Development Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski pose for Boatswain’s Mate Li Zhang in the Fan Zone before the race. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)Driver Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 leads the pack of drivers at Turn 7. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)The #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 driven by Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, heads out of turn 7A. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)Jacob Dobbins asks Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney for an autograph. Dobbins has been attending NASCAR races at the Sonoma Raceway for 5 years. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)The pack heads around Turn 2 after a yellow flag. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)Chase Briscoe drives through Turn 7A in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)
Fans of Tyler Reddick watch the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway from the top of a recreational vehicle. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)
The Trackhouse Racing team celebrates as driver Shane van Gisbergen known as SVG takes the checkered flag in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)
Brooklyn Williford, 11, from Tracy, holds a quarter panel with drivers’ signatures before the race. Williford collected these signatures throughout the weekend and she has been attending the Sonoma Raceway since 2022. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Dalton Leonard, the rear tire changer for the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford before the start of the race. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Fans photograph the Patriots Jet Demonstration Team perform before the start of the race. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Shane van Gisbergen known as SVG does burnouts in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 after taking the checkered flag. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, stands on the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 in celebration of his victory. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Curtis Williford of Tracy shows off a homemade die cast model race car with Noah Gragson’s signature before the start of the race. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, celebrates with his team after his win. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)Shane van Gisbergen, known as SVG, speaks to the media after his win. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)Shane van Gisbergen known as SVG does burnouts in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ZL1 holds onto the checkered flag as he leaves the track after his win.. (Autumn DeGrazia/Bay City News)
