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Big Game Motorsports and Gravel Capture Knoxville Raceway Victory to Build Momentum Entering Mega Week at Huset’s Speedway – Speedway Digest

A stout weekend at Knoxville Raceway showcased a return to Victory Lane for Big Game Motorsports. David Gravel advanced from eighth to win the opening night of a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader at the half-mile oval last Friday. It marked the team’s ninth triumph of the season. Gravel was […]

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A stout weekend at Knoxville Raceway showcased a return to Victory Lane for Big Game Motorsports.

David Gravel advanced from eighth to win the opening night of a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader at the half-mile oval last Friday. It marked the team’s ninth triumph of the season.

Gravel was fifth quickest in his group during time trials before he advanced from third to second place in a heat race. That earned a spot in the dash and Gravel finished eighth to line up on the outside of the fourth row in the main event.

After quickly rocketing into the top five, Gravel methodically worked his way into the runner-up position before taking the lead on Lap 20. He pulled away in the closing laps to secure his 112 th career World of Outlaws win.

“I felt really good,” he said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “From Lap 5 to Lap 20 I felt awesome. In the beginning I was alright, and at the end I was feeling a little weird, but we were the best car there for 15 or 20 laps by far. We could move around, charge the corner hard on the bottom and carry speed. I’ve got to thank Cody (Jacobs), Zach (Patterson), and Pete (Stephens) and Scott (Vogelsong) this week for helping us out.”

Gravel was strong on Saturday as well. He timed in second quickest in his group and won a heat race. A sixth-place result in the dash started him on the outside of the third row in the A Main. Gravel’s car got stronger as the race went on and in the last 10 laps he advanced to second and closed on the leader. Gravel went for a last-ditch slide job in turns three and four, but was forced to check up to avoid contact. His second-place showing marked the team’s 20 th podium in 33 races this season.

“I felt really good,” he said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “I tried running the bottom a few times, and one time it really cost me a lot of time. Those last 10 laps I could really carry some speed through the corner. I wish I could take a couple laps back and gain some of that time back. Obviously, we had the fastest race car there at the end. These guys continue to give me fast race cars every single night, and it’s my job to get the win.”

Gravel used the strong weekend to build his lead in the World of Outlaws championship standings to 176 points.

Focus shifts to a home week for the team with Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., hosting the $100,000-to-win Huset’s Hustle on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the $250,000-to-win BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by Menards on Friday and Saturday.

Gravel won the then-record quarter-million payday at the track in 2023.

QUICK RESULTS –

June 13 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 8 (7); Feature: 1 (8).

June 14 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 6 (6); Feature: 2 (6).

SEASON STATS –

33 races, 9 wins, 28 top fives, 32 top 10s, 32 top 15s, 32 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Wednesday through Saturday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., for the Huset’s Hustle and the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by Menards with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

ILP PR



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NASCAR In-Season Tournament updated bracket: Round of 4 locked in after Sonoma

The NASCAR In-Season Tournament bracket has been updated following an exhilarating weekend at Sonoma Raceway in California. Sparks flew at the end of the Toyota/Save Mart 350, as Ty Dillon bumped Alex Bowman out of the way on the final lap to advance to the Round of 4. Now, he’ll be matched up against John […]

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The NASCAR In-Season Tournament bracket has been updated following an exhilarating weekend at Sonoma Raceway in California. Sparks flew at the end of the Toyota/Save Mart 350, as Ty Dillon bumped Alex Bowman out of the way on the final lap to advance to the Round of 4.

Now, he’ll be matched up against John Hunter Nemechek. On the other side of the bracket, Tyler Reddick will face Ty Gibbs in what should be a doozy of a showdown. Dover International Speedway will be the cathedral for the Round of 4.

Dillon has been the star of the In-Season Tournament, the very last seed making a miraculous run to the Round of 4. His victory over Bowman didn’t come without controversy, as the duo shared words on pit road following the last-lap incident. Dillon’s team in Kaulig Racing shared a video of the conversation, with Dillon and Bowman sharing an awkward handshake at the end.

Prior to moving past Bowman, the No. 32 seed in Dillon defeated No. 1-seed Denny Hamlin and No. 17-seed Brad Keselowski. Bowman previously the No. 8 seed. Winning the tournament and a cool million would be a huge boost for Dillon, who has yet to win a race in his Cup Series career.

In the process, the run Dillon has been on is getting a lot of attention. Along with defeating the top drivers in NASCAR, the 33-year-old has trolled Hamlin and Keselowski after winning. This led to NASCAR legend and FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick calling Dillon out for his actions.

“The bracket, there’s a little bit of luck involved in, no matter what racetracks we go to, but starting at Atlanta just turned it all upside down,” Harvick said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “I mean, Ty Dillon is still in it.”

Harvick also shared his reaction to Dillon trolling Keselowski: “I just don’t know how you talk that much trash when you run that bad, though,” he stated. “I would just be more humble about it. I mean, if you were up there running first or second, third, fifth, something, and you’re knocking people out of the bracket, but you’re knocking the guys out that are crashing. Let’s not be cocky about it.”

All told, Dillon has earned one top-10 finish, which was eighth place at Atlanta. Maybe Harvick has a point. The Welcome, North Carolina native returned to full-time Cup Series racing this year after being part-time in 2024. In 249 Cup Series races, Dillon has finished in the top 10 seven times.

The rest of the competitors in the NASCAR In-Season Tournament Round of 4 are a little more polished. Tyler Reddick has to be the favorite at this point among the four. He’s the reigning regular season champion in the sport, and while he hasn’t found that same level of success in 2025, he’s still a major threat to win each weekend.

Time will tell who gets the better of one another in Dover, and which drivers advance to the finale. After a trip to Delaware, it’ll all come to a head in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We’ll see if it’s Ty Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick or Ty Gibbs standing tall at the end of it all.

— On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this article.



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Connor Zilisch slows the SVG roll for one race at Sonoma

Don’t worry fellas, help is on the way.  This plunder from Down Under might have run its (road) course after three straight poles and three straight wins.  And to think, they’ll have to send a kid to do a man’s job. That’s right, the only guy in recent memory to beat Shane van Gisbergen on […]

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Don’t worry fellas, help is on the way. 

This plunder from Down Under might have run its (road) course after three straight poles and three straight wins. 

And to think, they’ll have to send a kid to do a man’s job.

That’s right, the only guy in recent memory to beat Shane van Gisbergen on a road course is a teenager named Connor Zilisch, one of a few Next Big Things in NASCAR these days.

Fresh-faced Connor Z, just 18, won a slugfest with SVG at Sonoma this past Saturday to win the Xfinity Series race. Go find yourself a replay of the final few laps and tell me that doesn’t take you back to some epic battles among yesterday’s heroes.

Or better yet, watch it here.

Like SVG, Connor Z learned to race on road courses. Unlike SVG, he’s been a quick study on ovals. Along with three road-course wins in the Xfinity Series, he also won last month at Pocono, and four of his five ARCA wins last year were on ovals. He’s also fourth in Xfinity points.

SVG, at 36 with a long Aussie Supercars career behind him, has many more years of road-racin’ on the odometer, and perhaps that’s making it harder for him to get the knack of ovals. The proof is in the points: Despite three wins, he’s down there in 26th in the current point standings.

And frankly, his road-course winning streak might be in danger. Trackhouse Racing, SVG’s employer, also has Zilisch under contract and will presumably put him in the No. 99 seat next year, replacing Daniel Suarez. Looking ahead to that, Trackhouse is entering Zilisch in a few Cup races this year.

Yep, one of them is Watkins Glen, the next scheduled road course, in four weeks. 

Coming soon to a right-hand turn near you: SVG versus Connor Z. Can’t wait.

First Gear: SVG snagging plenty of roadside playoff points

You know the drill for the next three weeks: Go fast and turn left. So far, that’s not Shane van Gisbergen’s strength. Not even close.

But let’s say it again: He has a chance to stick around the playoffs when they start at the end of August, even though nine of the 10 races are on ovals or something resembling ovals.

His three dominant weeks over the past month have resulted in 17 playoff bonus points. Just two drivers have more — Kyle Larson with 23 and Denny Hamlin with 19. That could help him tremendously in navigating the three ovals in the Round of 16.

After that, the Round of 12 includes the Charlotte Roval and the Round of 8 includes the ultimate wildcard, Talladega. 

In the midst of this recent run of road-course races, SVG has shown modest improvement on the ovals — very modest, yes, but improvement. Assuming that trajectory continues, he just might have some playoff staying power. 

And speaking of which, let’s catch up with a guy who’s possibly becoming another Next Big Thing right before our eyes.

Second Gear: Time to pay attention to The Other Chase

GIve it up for Chase Briscoe, who finished second at Sonoma and made SVG work like hell to keep him there on those late-race restarts. 

He’s never been competitive on road courses, and that’s particularly true at Sonoma. Until Sunday.

“This is by far my worst racetrack. Kind of surprised myself, truthfully,” he said after the runner-up finish.

Briscoe has been good on Saturdays and has steadily improved on Sundays during his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing. He clinched a playoff spot with the win at Pocono last month, and is now eighth in points. Only three drivers have more top-fives than the seven he’s posted.

He turned a lot of heads five years ago when he won nine Xfinity races, but he faded into the background at the Cup level as his former team, Stewart Haas, lost its footing. 

But now he’s definitely looking like a keeper.

Third Gear: Bowman Gray stays, Chicago looks like a ‘maybe’

On the scheduling front, we’ve been dealt a non-surprise and a mild possibility of a surprise since last week.

First, the predictable. NASCAR is taking the preseason Clash back to Bowman Gray Stadium next year. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it this past February, and not just because their man Chase Elliott won, though that never hurts.

It’s one of those rare “new venue” moves that was met with universal enthusiasm. Probably because this new venue is actually one of the oldest, though mostly familiar to folks targeted by those reverse-mortgage commercials. Nostalgia rules, and Bowman Gray definitely brings nostalgia.

The mild surprise is the word out of Chicago, where we all assume NASCAR’s three-year run has come and gone. NASCAR has a few months to decide on formally asking the city to pick up a two-year option, and though everyone assumes NASCAR is looking at other big-city options, Chicago might not be off the table.

But only if NASCAR moves the race off the Fourth of July weekend — a weekend that doesn’t need help drawing crowds to Chicago.

If NASCAR decides to send the request for two more years, Shane van Gisbergen will gladly serve as courier.

Fourth Gear: In-Season Challenge not producing any Duke-Kentucky vibes

How’s that bracket challenge working out? 

Yikes. We knew this could happen, but still …

We’re down to a final four (not to be confused with the officially licensed Final Four), and next week at Dover we get Ty Dillon versus John Hunter Nemechek and Ty Gibbs versus Tyler Reddick. Gone after Sonoma are Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Zane Smith and Ryan Preece.

Nope, not exactly a Murderer’s Row of heavyweights but not exactly shocking given how easy it is for the heavyweights to miss a gear in any given race. 

After this coming weekend at Dover, it’ll be whittled down to two battling at Indy in a race within the race, with a million bucks dangling with the checkers for whomever wins an intramural battle that might be back there in mid-pack.

Given how Indianapolis can produce a thinned-out snoozer, at least there will be a wee bit of drama.

Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com





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NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps takes shot at 23XI owners Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, Front Row

NASCAR has been engaged in a legal battle with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports since the two teams rejected the sanctioning body’s final Charter Agreement proposal last September. 23XI and FRM instead decided to file an antitrust lawsuit, accusing NASCAR and its CEO Jim France of “unlawful monopolization of premier stock car racing in […]

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NASCAR has been engaged in a legal battle with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports since the two teams rejected the sanctioning body’s final Charter Agreement proposal last September. 23XI and FRM instead decided to file an antitrust lawsuit, accusing NASCAR and its CEO Jim France of “unlawful monopolization of premier stock car racing in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams.”

But nearly a year later, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps still isn’t sure why the teams are suing them. Phelps said he doesn’t know what the teams’ demands are, adding that NASCAR would be open to a settlement.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Phelps told John Ourand of Puck. “The lawsuit is supposed to be an antitrust lawsuit. I don’t believe it’s an antitrust lawsuit. I think it’s just a contractual dispute. We had 13 of the 15 charter holders representing 32 teams sign. On balance, if there are winners and losers to the charter extension, I think the teams won. The number one thing the teams wanted was more money, which is exactly what we gave to them.

“We’re either gonna settle or we’re gonna go to court. Do I think we’d be willing to entertain a settlement? Yeah. To date, they have not come with anything. I don’t even know what their demands are. I don’t even know what they’re suing for.”

NASCAR vs. 23XI, Front Row lawsuit takes another turn

The final Charter Agreement proposal came Sept. 6, 2024. 23XI and FRM were the two holdouts among the 15 Cup Series teams. The final offer included a nearly 50 percent increase that teams earned from NASCAR’s record $1.1 billion per year television deal that went into effect in 2025 and also runs through 2031.

Monday, 23XI and FRM filed another restraining order against NASCAR and a new preliminary injunction in order to save their charter status for the remainder of the 2025 season. The teams filed the restraining order and new preliminary injunction after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied the teams’ request to rehear their case after a three-judge panel overturned the preliminary injunction which granted charter status to the teams throughout the duration of their lawsuit against NASCAR.

The Court of Appeals initially vacated the preliminary injunction June 5. 23XI and FRM are currently set to lose their chartered status on Wednesday. The teams wanted NASCAR to file a response by Tuesday afternoon. The judge has given NASCAR until 5 p.m. ET Wednesday to respond. Judge Ken Bell of North Carolina’s Western District urged both sides to settle before the case goes to trial Dec. 1.

“It’s hard to picture a winner if this goes to the flag — in this case,” Bell said June 18. “It scares me to death to think about what all this is costing.”



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Kyle Busch gains on NASCAR Cup playoff cutline with 6 races left in regular season

Kyle Busch remains outside a playoff spot with six races left in the regular season, but he closed the gap after last weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway. Busch’s 10th-place finish helped him gain nine points on the cutline. He goes into Sunday’s race at Dover Motor Speedway 37 points behind Bubba Wallace for the final […]

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Kyle Busch remains outside a playoff spot with six races left in the regular season, but he closed the gap after last weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway.

Busch’s 10th-place finish helped him gain nine points on the cutline. He goes into Sunday’s race at Dover Motor Speedway 37 points behind Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot.

Ryan Preece remains the first driver outside a playoff spot. He is three points behind Wallace after losing one point to Wallace at Sonoma.

Twelve different drivers have won a race this season, leaving four playoff positions via points at this time.

Tyler Reddick is 149 points above the cutline. Chris Buescher is 34 points above the cutline, and Alex Bowman is 32 points above the cutline, held by Wallace.

Here is a look at the playoff standings heading to Dover (those in yellow have won this season):

Race 20 Cup Playoffs after Sonoma.jpg





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Rajah Caruth to return to NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover

DOVER, Del. — Rajah Caruth will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in a Jordan Anderson Racing car July 19 at Dover Motor Speedway. Caruth will wheel the No. 32 Events DC Chevrolet Camaro at Dover. It will be his first Xfinity Series start since finishing 14th with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2023 season finale […]

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DOVER, Del. — Rajah Caruth will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in a Jordan Anderson Racing car July 19 at Dover Motor Speedway.

Caruth will wheel the No. 32 Events DC Chevrolet Camaro at Dover. It will be his first Xfinity Series start since finishing 14th with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2023 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“This weekend marks a special moment for our team as rising star Rajah Caruth joins us in the No. 32 Chevrolet at Dover with the support of Events DC. Rajah’s proven talent and hometown pride make this a powerful opportunity to showcase what we can achieve together on one of NASCAR’s toughest tracks – the Monster Mile,” Jordan Anderson Racing stated on social media.

Since his most recent Xfinity start, Caruth has been racing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports with full backing from HendrickCars.com. Three races into his first season with Spire, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2024, Caruth earned his first career win and locked himself into the playoffs. Then, in May 2025, Caruth earned his second playoff berth with a fierce win at Nashville Superspeedway.

Caruth has 18 other Xfinity starts under his belt, all with Alpha Prime Racing. He raced for them seven times in 2022 and 11 times in 2023 and earned his career-best finish – 12th – two years in a row in the fall Martinsville race. In all, he has seven top-20 finishes with Alpha Prime, mostly at driver-focused tracks like Martinsville, Phoenix, Darlington, Bristol and the Charlotte Roval.

Meanwhile, Jake Finch will step into his old Xfinity ride – the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports – for his series debut.

MORE: Jake Finch to make NASCAR Xfinity debut with Hendrick Motorsports

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com



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Ryan Blaney says he’s looking to go sprint car racing

NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney talks about his interest in dirt track racing The Blaney family has long been involved in dirt track racing. Ryan Blaney’s father Dave Blaney made his name with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series before moving to the NASCAR Cup Series. For over two decades, Dave Blaney has been a […]

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NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney talks about his interest in dirt track racing

The Blaney family has long been involved in dirt track racing. Ryan Blaney’s father Dave Blaney made his name with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series before moving to the NASCAR Cup Series.

For over two decades, Dave Blaney has been a part of the ownership group of Shanon Speedway. As of this year, Ryan Blaney has joined that ownership group of the Ohio dirt track.

Ryan Blaney joins ownership group of Ohio dirt track

Ryan Blaney has spent time in a dirt sprint car but it’s been awhile. Now, he’s expressing interest in driving one again…

Ryan Blaney confirms interest in dirt sprint car racing

“Man, I watch all forms of motorsports,” Ryan Blaney stated via the Rubbin’ Is Racing podcast.

“Like, I just love racing. You know, I watch a ton of Indycar. Just because our group has an Indycar team.”

“I watch F1, I watch Moto GP. You know, dirt sprint cars.”

“I love dirt sprint car racing. I didn’t do a ton of it growing up. But, it’s what my dad did through the 80s and 90s.”

“I got a lot of friends that you know are in it or used to do it. And those cars are just super unique.”

“So, I’d love to be able to wheel a sprint car. It’s been probably 13-14 years since I’ve got behind the wheel of one of those.”

He added, “But, I would love to do that at some point.”

Ryan Blaney and Gianna Tulio have a Baby Blaney on the way

Ryan Blaney talks sprint car racing



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