Carolina Handling Partners With Spire At Talladega Race
Kathy Laughlin | Marketplace Greenville Carolina Handling Partners With Spire At Talladega Race Carolina Handling, a material handling solutions provider and a support center for Raymond Solutions, will partner with Michael McDowell at Talladega (Alabama) Superspeedway on Oct. 19. McDowell drives Spire Motorsports No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1. The race will be the NASCAR Cup Series […]
Carolina Handling Partners With Spire At Talladega Race
Carolina Handling, a material handling solutions provider and a support center for Raymond Solutions, will partner with Michael McDowell at Talladega (Alabama) Superspeedway on Oct. 19.
McDowell drives Spire Motorsports No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1. The race will be the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500.
“Carolina Handling is thrilled to partner with Spire Motorsports, an organization that shares our core values of respect, teamwork and innovation, and aligns with our drive to be elite in service to our customers and our community,” said Brent Hillabrand, President and CEO of Carolina Handling.
“Our affiliation with Spire Motorsports and winning NASCAR driver Michael McDowell gives the Carolina Handling brand significant visibility and offers us the opportunity for dynamic customer, associate and consumer engagement.”
Talladega Superspeedway is known for high-speed, nose-to-tail action where the difference between winning and losing is usually fractions of a second.
McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, joined Spire Motorsports for the current season. He has been in NASCAR’s premier division for 18 years.
The crew chief is Travis Peterson.
Carolina Handling started in 1966 as a gas station in North Carolina. The company, headquartered in Charlotte, now provides integrated logistics and warehouse solutions across the Southeast.
McDowell said the pairing makes sense. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to showcase how our industries can continue to integrate technology into our workforce with confidence,” he said.
“Being able to represent a company that has such a strong tie to the Carolinas is important for our industry and our community. It should be a great race at Talladega, and we look forward to having Carolina Handling join the Spire team.”
The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is the 34th of 36 points-paying races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
Carolina Handling is the Raymond Solutions and Support Center for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and part of Florida. The company provides forklifts, automation solutions, parts, racking, storage, lighting, and dock and door equipment to manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centers.
The company has branch offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Greenville, and an equipment distribution center in Piedmont.
Fair At Heritage Park In Simpsonville Until May 25
The Fair at Heritage Park will showcase new foods, rides and shows in Simpsonville through May 25.
Admission and ride specials are available every day. The Fair at Heritage Park is at 861 S.E. Main St. On-site parking is free.
A new ride is the Cyclops 2.0, the second-generation Cyclops with more flips, dips and heart-pounding swoops. The FireGuy show is new; he holds the Guinness World Record for performing with fire.
For kids, movie characters such as Tinker Bell, Stitch, Ariel and more will roam the fairgrounds daily for photo opportunities. All shows are free to fair guests.
Admission is a flat rate of $10 for ages 11 and up. Fair-goers under age 10 are admitted free. Visitors can pay one price for unlimited rides. Individuals under the age of 17 will not be allowed after 5 p.m. without parents, and a clear bag policy is in place.
The fair is family-owned and family-run.
For information about daily promotions, hours, safety policies and attractions, go to FairAtHeritagePark.com or contact info@trzlive.com. For changes due to weather, go to The Fair at Heritage Park Facebook page.
Lima One Capital Hires Senior Director of Underwriting
Lima One Capital in Greenville, a lender nationwide for real estate investors, has hired Greg Larsen as its new Senior Director of Underwriting.
Larsen will lead the Lima One team that underwrites borrowers and loans. He has nearly two decades of commercial real estate lending and credit experience and a record of building high-performing teams, managing complex loan portfolios, and driving strategic growth, according to a press release.
Most recently, Larsen served as Director of Credit at Builders Capital and led initiatives in underwriting standards, product development and credit strategy. Previously, Larsen spent 17 years with Bank of America, where he held leadership roles in underwriting, credit risk and portfolio management.
“I’m excited to join Lima One. The team’s energy, drive and commitment to making a real impact in the real estate space is inspiring,” Larsen said.
Larsen’s accomplishments include designing and implementing a program that delivered over $800 million in commitments to sponsors in its first five months and managing a team that underwrote and closed $3 billion of real estate transactions in one year.
“Greg is passionate about credit quality, team development and process improvement, and I am confident that he will continue to improve our already talented team,” said Lima One CEO Josh Woodward.
Since its inception in 2010, Lima One Capital has funded over $10 billion in business-purpose real estate loans. With a reach across 46 states, Lima One operates as a capital partner for real estate investors and brokers by financing residential investment strategies including fix and flips and rental and new construction. In 2021, Lima One was acquired by real estate investment trust MFA Financial Inc.
Homes of Hope Celebrates Two Workforce Graduates
As addiction remains a pressing concern, two Upstate men are rewriting their stories.
Cade Cope and Austin Allen recently graduated from the Homes of Hope Men’s Workforce Development program – an initiative designed to help men rebuild their lives as they overcome addiction and homelessness.
The Homes of Hope MWD program pairs safe housing, life skills coaching, and hands-on workforce training that the men need to succeed beyond recovery.
“Addiction shows no favoritism. It can entangle anyone, often trapping them in long, dark, seemingly endless cycles of despair,” said Steve Vicari, Director of Men’s Workforce Development. “But recovery is a fresh start, full of promise.”
Overdose deaths have risen by nearly 60% in recent years, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Cope has been hired by John Norwood, who graduated from the MWD program several years ago and founded Old Timey Electric. He is “paying it forward” by offering Cope a full-time position and mentorship.
Allen secured full-time employment at Viper Services.
“It is truly inspiring to see generational change happen,” said Don Oglesby, President and CEO of Homes of Hope.
The Men’s Workforce Development program has graduated more than 330 men since its inception.
For information about Homes of Hope and the Men’s Workforce Development program, go to homesofhope.org.
Homes of Hope is a nonprofit organization based in Greenville. The organization’s dual mission is to provide affordable housing while helping men in the MWD program find stability. Since its founding in 1998, Homes of Hope has built 704 homes.
AIRSYS Cooling Headquarters Slated For Spartanburg County
AIRSYS Cooling Technologies, a cooling solution provider, announced that it will expand its global headquarters by building in Spartanburg County. The company’s $40 million investment will create 215 jobs.
AIRSYS, celebrating three decades in business, is currently headquartered in Greer. The company develops and manufactures cooling equipment for information and communication technology. The company’s energy-efficient cooling solutions are used in data centers, schools and telecom cabinets worldwide.
AIRSYS will construct its global headquarters at 6228 Hwy. 101 in Woodruff. The existing manufacturing site will be expanded.
The new campus will have one of the world’s largest 3D printing factories and will make customizable spray liquid cooling components for high-density computing servers, according to a press release.
Operations are expected to be online in 2026.
Xoted Biotechnology Establishing Operation In Duncan
Xoted Biotechnology Labs, a research and development center, has announced plans to establish a presence in Spartanburg County.
The $4.2 million investment is a significant advancement in sustainable biotechnology and scientific innovation, according to a press release. The company will create 34 jobs.
Xoted is a subsidiary of DRC Ventures and TRB Holdings. Xoted works in the biotech, nutraceutical and environmental industries.
The new facility, in the Spark Center at 1875 East Main St. in Duncan, will focus on plant-based detoxification, seed research, and next-generation applications in textiles and cleanroom technology. In addition to product development, the operation will serve as a hub for STEM education and scientific research.
Upstate Forever Protects 1,100 Acres In ’24
Upstate Forever protected 1,130 acres in 2024.
Conservation easements were finalized in Abbeville, Greenville and Pickens counties. The permanent protections include forests, farmlands, waterways and green space.
Upstate Forever protects land in partnership with landowners through conservation easements – voluntary contracts that allow landowners to legally restrict certain uses on their property (including residential subdivisions and commercial or industrial operations), while allowing traditional rural uses, such as farming, grazing, hunting and timbering.
The agreement is permanent and remains with the land, even if it is sold or passed to heirs.
Easements are:
Abbeville County
Morrow Creek Timbers, a 236-acre addition to 429 acres protected by conservation easement in 2021. The protected lands contribute to forest and wildlife habitat and local water quality. The S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funds.
Greenville County
Fern Springs, a 37-acre recreational and wildlife habitat in northern Greenville and one of the last undeveloped parcels in a private community. The protected property contributes to water quality in the headwater streams of the Saluda River Watershed.
Hereford Hill Farm, a 101-acre working family-owned ranch in southern Greenville County. In addition to permanently protecting the property’s scenic value and pastureland for 50 cattle, the project contributes to local water quality. The land has more than 6,600 feet of tributary streams in the Saluda River Watershed. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding.
Horsepen Creek, 45 acres that are part of a neighborhood strategy to protect key wetlands and creek frontage on Horsepen Creek in southern Greenville County. It is adjacent to 34 acres of Horsepen Creek property protected in 2023. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding.
Pearl Bottoms, a 60-acre cattle farm in the Tigerville community. The property is at the confluence of three tributaries that serve as a headwater source of the South Tyger River. The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust, S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services.
White Tract, 512 acres near the boundary with North Carolina. It expands an existing network of public and private protections along the Blue Ridge Escarpment. The perpetual protection of the natural area will help preserve access to the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area and its ecological biodiversity. Partners and funders include Naturaland Trust, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and Upstate Land Conservation Fund.
Pickens County
Horse Gap Forest, 69 acres of fields, forests, seeps, bogs, and a pond along the Wadakoe Mountain Ridge that separates Hwy. 11 from the Eastatoe Valley. The property is bordered by tributary streams of Little Eastatoe Creek and 534 acres maintained by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Management Area. The S.C. Conservation Bank, S.C. Conservation Bank, Upstate Land Conservation Fund and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services.
Keowee Ridge, a 66-acre organic hobby farm on a peninsula of Lake Keowee. The farm produces free-range eggs, apples, honey and goat byproducts, distributed through the Clemson Area Food Exchange. The easement protects scenic views, agricultural potential, and natural habitat amid rapid lakefront development. The S.C. Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund provided funding, with a reimbursement grant from S.C. Department of Environmental Services.
Upstate Forever’s stewardship team will support the landowners and monitor each tract to ensure the terms of the easement are upheld. Currently, the team monitors 219 stewardship sites.
In addition to enacting and stewarding conservation easements, Upstate Forever supports conservation partners on projects that benefit the Upstate.
Upstate Forever partnered to protect an additional 1,900 acres in the Upstate. Partners were Conserving Carolina, The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina, State of South Carolina, Spartanburg County Parks Department, Spartanburg Area Conservancy and The Tyger River Foundation.
Since Upstate Forever’s founding by Greenville attorney Brad Wyche in 1998, the organization has permanently protected more than 44,000 acres through conservation easements and partner efforts across the 10-county Upstate.
Casting Cleaning Resources Expands In Greenwood County
Casting Cleaning Resources, a provider of casting cleaning services, is expanding its Greenwood County operations with a $5 million investment that will create 42 additional jobs.
Founded in Indiana in 1992, CCR provides cleaning services for industrial applications. The company’s Greenwood County operation, established in 2019, specializes in casting finishing services and other post-mold services for foundries.
CCR will operate in a standalone building at 104 Stoneridge Court in Greenwood.
Agent Joins BrownStone
Kem Swenson has joined BrownStone Real Estate agency.
A Greenville native with over two decades in real estate, Swenson began her career in 1999 at a firm specializing in custom-built neighborhoods. Later, she helped agents with listings, contracts and buyer relations.
“Kem embodies our mission of personalized service and community connection,” said Rhett Brown, broker and owner of BrownStone.
Founded by Brown and Kirby Stone, Greenville-based BrownStone Real Estate carries forward a family legacy of real estate sales and development. BrownStone’s services include customizable pre-listing concierge assistance to help sellers maximize the value of their homes.
First Presbyterian Church Presents Fine Art Exhibit
First Presbyterian Church, in partnership with the Galleries at First Presbyterian, will hold an art exhibition, “Looking Up,” through Aug. 31. The exhibit will feature the works of George Stone, Joe Craighead and Mark Baral.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. The works will be displayed on the first and second floors of the Galleries at First Presbyterian, 200 W. Washington St.
Stone is known for representational oil paintings; Craighead focuses on plein-air oil landscapes; Baral specializes in landscape and representational oil paintings.
For information, go to firstpresgreenville.org/events/signature-events.
Book Explores Beach Music
McBryde Publishing of New Bern, North Carolina, has released “The Embers: The Bobby Tomlinson Story,” an account of one of Carolina’s most iconic bands.
The biography – written by McBryde CEO Bill Benners, Chris Jones and journalist Skip Crayton – explores Tomlinson, founding drummer of The Embers, and the band’s 60 years as pioneers of beach music.
Founded in 1958 by Bobby Tomlinson and Jackie Gore, The Embers made their debut in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a signature sound that blended blending rhythm and blues, soul, and the swing of beach music.
“The Embers: The Bobby Tomlinson Story” is available in eBook, hardcover and paperback at major online retailers, including Amazon, and at BuyBeachMusic.com., off Church Street.
NASCAR in Pocono: Key information, links, results throughout race weekend
The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck series are in action this weekend for a tripleheader at Pocono Raceway. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more. NASCAR Cup Series Race day: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The […]
The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck series are in action this weekend for a tripleheader at Pocono Raceway. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more.
NASCAR Cup Series
Race day: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.
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Tires: Seven sets for the race (six race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying).
Entry list Qualifying Order Practice Results Practice Lap Averages Practice Lap Times Qualifying Results Pit Stalls Stage 1 Results Stage 2 Results Race Results
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race day: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.
Tires: Five sets for the event.
Entry list Qualifying Order Practice Results Practice Lap Averages Practice Lap Times Qualifying Results Pit Stalls Stage 1 Results Stage 2 Results Race Results
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race day: Friday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.
Tires: Five sets for the event
Entry list Qualifying Order Practice Results Practice Lap Averages Practice Lap Times Qualifying Results Pit Stalls Stage 1 Results Stage 2 Results Race Results
Big Rigs & Long Trips — NASCAR’s Real Road Warriors
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — After last Sunday’s inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, NASCAR Cup Series crew members were back in their respective homes by Monday night, most in time for dinner. Chris Avery, meanwhile, had just crossed back into the United States. Home was still another 20 hours away. […]
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — After last Sunday’s inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, NASCAR Cup Series crew members were back in their respective homes by Monday night, most in time for dinner.
Chris Avery, meanwhile, had just crossed back into the United States. Home was still another 20 hours away.
Avery drives the 18-wheeler for Rick Ware Racing that carries the team’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse to all 38 races on the Cup Series schedule. He departed Mexico City a few hours after the checkered flag dropped to begin his 1,974-mile trek back to RWR’s NASCAR facility in Concord, N.C.
“Time-wise, this was our longest trip of the season,” Avery said. “When we go out to Sonoma, California, that’s actually our longest trip mileage-wise, but this one was more involved because of the border crossing and just traveling in another country.”
The Cup Series’ race in Mexico City was its first international points-paying event in 67 years. There was some teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing when it came to the logistics of moving NASCAR’s small city to and from Mexico City in between the June 8 race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and this Sunday’s race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, a route which will total nearly 5,000 miles.
Avery, however, already had a good idea of what to expect. He drove racing transporters internationally, specifically, all across Europe for teams competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
“I’ve been driving for about 25 years,” Avery said. “I’ve done a lot of work in sportscar racing, and I had the chance to travel all over the world. Matter of fact, 20 years ago, we won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
Avery was the transporter driver for Champion Racing, which won the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans with drivers J.J. Lehto, Marco Werner and Tom Kristensen in an Audi R8.
Ironically, Champion Racing was the last customer team to win the twice-around-the-clock endurance race until this past weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, AF Corse, stood atop the podium with its No. 83 Ferrari and drivers Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Philip Hanson.
Chris Avery (RWR photo)
“We started with right-hand drive trucks, and that was a little bit interesting and took some getting used to. Eventually, we got left-hand drive trucks and that definitely felt more natural,” Avery said.
How does one break into the world of hauling millions of dollars of racing equipment to events in the United States and abroad?
“As a kid, I watched races with my dad, and he was always a Bill Elliott fan, and a big Ford fan,” said Avery, who grew up in New Bern, North Carolina. “With that always in my head, I eventually got a job hauling showcars for a motorsports marketing agency, Cotter Promotions. Starting in 1997, I drove a big dually pickup all over the country, and one of the cars I hauled was for Cale Yarborough Motorsports. I was able to work with the team at some of the races. I worked my butt off and proved myself to them, and they invited me back to help some more and I became their hauler driver in ‘98.”
Driving a show car hauler while operating with an always-on mentality earned Avery the nickname “Showtime.” He eventually transitioned away from Cale Yarborough Motorsports and pivoted to sportscar racing, where he did more than just drive.
“My wife and I created a trucking logistics company that specialized in motorsports,” Avery said. “For European teams coming to the U.S. to race, we operated their haulers. From the paperwork needed to get their equipment into the states to actually driving their trucks to races, we did it all.”
Avery returned to NASCAR in 2022, driving the Wood Brothers Racing transporter. He moved to Spire Motorsports in 2024 and joined RWR ahead of the 2025 season. His worldly background prepared him well for this Michigan-to-Mexico-to Pocono journey.
“The prep for Mexico started in January,” Avery said. “There were numerous – more than I can even explain – emails between NASCAR and the teams just to make sure that we had all of our paperwork and all of our manifests. And the paperwork was probably the single largest endeavor, which took months to get through, making sure everybody had passports, making sure everybody was cleared through customs, not only going into Mexico, but getting back into the United States too.
“Then, about a month out, we were looking more at the individual logistics of everything we needed to do. We put plans in place to make sure that when we got to Michigan to do our swap out, everything that needed to go on the hauler to Mexico actually made it onto the hauler, that every ‘T’ was crossed and every ‘I’ was dotted, so that we could be as efficient as possible, because there truly wasn’t any time to waste. We had to get on the road as quickly as we could out of Michigan and focus on the logistics of physically getting to Mexico.”
Avery and his hauler-driving counterparts made it to Mexico City on time, just like they manage to do week-in and week-out during the longest season in all of professional sports. With experience in their back pockets, returning to the United States was even quicker.
“As soon as we hit the U.S. border, it was standard operating procedure,” Avery said. “We have a day-and-a-half turnaround at the shop and we’ll be back on the road to Pocono on Thursday.”
The long hours, exacting details and tight timelines don’t faze Avery. After all, it is the routine of a NASCAR hauler driver.
“We’re the first ones to leave the shop. We’re the last ones to get back to the shop. Every morning when we’re at the race track, we’re the first one in the gate. I’m the one at the hauler every week. I make sure that the generator’s on, the coffee pot’s got fresh coffee in it, and I try to be standing at the back door to greet the guys as they show up to walk in the door every single week, every day of every weekend, that we’re out racing,” Avery said.
“Here in the Cup Series, the level of professionalism that these guys have, all of these hauler drivers, is second to none. I’ve never worked with a better, close-knit group of guys that are willing to do what they can to help you, regardless of what team you’re affiliated with.”
Avery has already driven more than 22,000 miles this year as the season hits its halfway mark this weekend at Pocono. There are still many more miles ahead of him, with an estimated year-end tally of 68,000 miles.
“You’ve got to love racing to do this and make a career out of it,” Avery said. “I’m also lucky in that I have a very supportive wife who knows racing and understands its demands, especially as it relates to trucking. Gina keeps me grounded and organized at home so I can do my job seamlessly out here on the road.
“I love what I do and I’m going to do it until I get to the point that either I can’t or I’m not good at it.”
26-year-old Justin Haley hoping to break long NASCAR drought at Pocono this weekend | Sports
LONG POND, Pa. – Ten races remain before the playoffs as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend. Justin Haley drives the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 26-year-old Haley earned his lone Cup Series win in 2019 driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet at […]
LONG POND, Pa. – Ten races remain before the playoffs as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend.
Justin Haley drives the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 26-year-old Haley earned his lone Cup Series win in 2019 driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway.
Haley has gone 157 races since winning a Cup race, the longest streak among active drivers who have won in the series.
“I think we all like Pocono,” Haley said. “I think its a fun racetrack for us and we just kind of drive it. The three corners, the engineers and crew chief can worry about, on how to make it drive good. It’s tough, but when you have good cars there, its a pretty good place.”
The main event for the four days of racing at the Tricky Triangle is scheduled for Sunday when the 160-lap Great American Getaway 400 NASCAR Cup Series Race gets underway at 2 p.m.
CONCORD, N.C. — Margins in NASCAR have never been smaller. Whether it’s the leveling effect of the Next Gen car or the evolving technological arms race among teams, the Cup Series has never been tighter. And as parity grows, so does the need to uncover even the slightest competitive advantage. That’s where artificial intelligence comes […]
CONCORD, N.C. — Margins in NASCAR have never been smaller.
Whether it’s the leveling effect of the Next Gen car or the evolving technological arms race among teams, the Cup Series has never been tighter. And as parity grows, so does the need to uncover even the slightest competitive advantage.
That’s where artificial intelligence comes in.
From performance analysis to data visualizations, AI is playing an increasingly pivotal role in how race teams operate across the NASCAR garage. Teams are using AI not just to crunch numbers, but also to make quicker decisions, generate strategic insights — and even rewrite the way they approach race weekends.
“It just builds a little bit more each year,” said Josh Sell, RFK Racing’s competition director. “We’re doing more now than we were a year ago. And we’ll probably be doing more a year from now than we are sitting here right now. It just continues to evolve.”
ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
The rise of AI in NASCAR mirrors the broader tech world.
Early large language models — or LLMs — were trained to answer basic questions. But now, they can cite sources, detect tone and reason through complex decisions. That opens up a new world for how teams evaluate everything from strategy calls to post-race feedback.
For example, a full race’s worth of driver and crew radio chatter can be fed into an AI model that not only identifies which calls worked and which didn’t, but also interprets tone and urgency in real time.
“Information is speed in this game nowadays,” said Tom Gray, technical director at Hendrick Motorsports. “He who can distill the information quicker and get to the decision quicker, ultimately, is going to have the race win. “
FINDING THE TIME
AI is also helping teams develop talent and streamline operations.
Even if someone on the team isn’t an expert in a particular field, AI can help them learn new skills faster. That’s especially important in the highly specialized Cup Series garage — and it could help smaller teams close the gap with bigger operations.
RFK Racing, now a three-car Cup Series team, is already seeing those benefits.
AI helps reduce the hours team members spend manually analyzing photos or videos. Instead of having a crew chief sort through everything, the software flags the most relevant material and delivers it quickly. On the technical side, the team is also using tools like ChatGPT to assist with software development, solving coding problems in various languages and freeing up engineers to focus on execution.
“It’s trying to figure out ways where, instead of having a crew chief spending three hours studying whatever it might be — photos, videos — if we can shorten that to an hour of really impactful time,” Sell said. “Looking at things that are important to them, not searching to find those things. That’s the biggest gain we see, and certainly whether it’s through the week or on race weekends, time is our limiting factor.
“You have a finite amount of time from the time practice ends to when the race starts. What you’re able to do to maximize the efficiency of that time is kind of a race in and of itself.”
VISUAL DATA
At Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in Cup Series history, AI is being used both to look ahead and to look back.
The team now works closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS) — a relationship that began after Prime Video sponsored one of its cars. The partnership has accelerated Hendrick’s use of AI across several key areas.
One of those is visual communication. Engineers are now generating images to help share ideas, whether they’re pitching a new part or breaking down a technical strategy. That ability to visualize complex concepts instantly helps everyone stay aligned and efficient.
Hendrick is also leveraging its four decades of data. The team can now go back and test old strategies, setups and decisions using AI to predict how past insights might inform future success.
“We’ve had a long history in the sport,” Gray said. “Not only can we look forward, but we can also look backward, back-test all the information we have, and see how that predicts the future.”
Chase Elliott given trial run with potential Hendrick replacement – Motorsport – Sports
He has worked his way up from multiple jobs in the race shop, including being part of Larson’s Cup Series championship-winning No.5 team in 2021. “It’s a huge opportunity for me,” Wall said earlier this season. “I’ve been a lot of places in this organization, kind of worked my way up through it, so to […]
He has worked his way up from multiple jobs in the race shop, including being part of Larson’s Cup Series championship-winning No.5 team in 2021.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me,” Wall said earlier this season. “I’ve been a lot of places in this organization, kind of worked my way up through it, so to get to this point, it’s the whole goal of my journey through this place was to get here. It’s a cool spot to be in.”
All eyes will now be on how Elliott works with Wall in the No.17 car this weekend as he performs double duty before Sunday’s Cup race at the ‘Tricky Triangle’.
NASCAR legend Mark Martin inducted into Wisconsin International Raceway’s Circle of Fame
BUCHANAN (WLUK) — A NASCAR Hall of Famer stopped by the Wisconsin International Raceway for a special ceremony Thursday. Mark Martin, who raced numerous times at WIR early on in his career, was officially inducted into the track’s “Circle of Fame.” His name will forever be engraved at the raceway’s honor wall. Racing fans coming […]
BUCHANAN (WLUK) — A NASCAR Hall of Famer stopped by the Wisconsin International Raceway for a special ceremony Thursday.
Mark Martin, who raced numerous times at WIR early on in his career, was officially inducted into the track’s “Circle of Fame.”
His name will forever be engraved at the raceway’s honor wall. Racing fans coming from near and far said this induction is well deserved.
“Always a clean driver and he’s just a gentleman,” fan Timothy Mikelson said.
“Just to tell him thank you for how he raced. To me, he was always a champion,” said Matthew Latus, a fan from Fort Collins, Colorado.
It’s not everyday you see a legend. Dozens of race fans waiting in line couldn’t believe their eyes when “The Kid” walked up to sign autographs and take pictures with them. It brought out the inner-child in many of the fans.
“I’ve always wanted to meet racers like him, Matt Kenseth, and to get to actually meet him. It was nerve racking because again, he’s such a household name. He’s such a big racer,” fan Joseph Mikelson said.
Martin was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017. He spent his early days racing at WIR from the late 1970s into the 80s, even earning Red, White and Blue State Champion in ’85 and ’86.
He said it’s great to be back in America’s Dairyland.
“It’s so cool to see the track. It almost looks the same. It made me feel like I could just get out there and make laps again, and I haven’t been in a racecar in 10 years,” Martin said.
In his NASCAR career, he’s considered the one of the greatest drivers to never win a championship, but he did win 40 Cup Series races. Martin said it’s a great honor to be put into WIR’s Circle of Fame, saying it was one of his favorite tracks.
He said he owes a lot to the Badger State for jumpstarting his career.
“I can’t stress enough my feelings toward Wisconsin fans and the Wisconsin racers, because those racers are the ones that taught me how to race,” Martin said.
Fans said it’s fitting Martin came back to the racetrack where he cut his teeth at early on.
“It means a lot, because the fact is, you know, Mark Martin and how successful he was on one of the biggest stages in America of racing,” fan Mike Van Domelen said.