Chris Knight

Chris Knight has served as a senior staff writer and news editor for CATCHFENCE.com since 2001.
In his 20-plus years with CATCHFENCE.com, he has covered NASCAR’s top three national series, often breaking news and providing exclusive at-track content, including in-depth race weekend coverage. He also offers insider coverage of the entire Motorsports platform, including the ARCA Menards Series.
In 2022, Knight became co-owner of CATCHFENCE.com.
In addition to his active duties at CATCHFENCE.com and other Motorsports-related endeavors, he is also a frequent contributor to SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Knighter01 or on Instagram, Snapchat, or Threads at @TheKnighter01. He can be reached by email at [email protected].

This August, the hills of Monterey will echo with the unmistakable scream of historic V12 engines as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca hosts an unprecedented celebration for the 75th anniversary of Formula 1.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, one of the most prestigious vintage racing events in the world, will become a full sensory immersion into F1’s rich history.

From August 13-16, fans will have a rare opportunity to see, hear, and get up close with some of the most iconic machines that have ever graced the globe’s most famous circuits.

The on-track action promises to be a major highlight. A grid of 25 authentic F1 cars from the fan-favorite 1966-1985 non-turbo era will compete daily for the Mario Andretti Trophy.

This moving museum will bring legendary names like Tyrrell, Williams, Ferrari, Lotus, and Brabham back to life, allowing spectators to experience the raw power and glorious engine notes that defined a generation of Grand Prix racing.

Beyond the track, the event will feature an incredible exhibition of more than 30 rarely seen historic F1 cars, sourced from world-renowned museums and exclusive private collections. For many of these cars, it will be the first time they have ever been displayed together in one place.

The collection will span nearly the entire history of the sport, from a classic 1956 Maserati 250F and the iconic 1966 Eagle Mk1 to modern marvels like the 2024 World Constructors’ Championship-winning McLaren MCL38, as driven by Lando Norris.

“It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see this jaw-dropping collection of cars and F1 history,” said Mel Harder, president of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. F1’s Chief Commercial Officer, Emily Prazer, also added, “This is a fitting commemoration of 75 incredible years of Formula 1.”

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion has always been a premier showcase for authentic race cars, but this year’s official F1 celebration promises something truly special. For motorsport fans, it will be a rare chance to walk through 75 years of technological evolution and witness the machines that created legends, all in one iconic American location.

HARLAN – A beautiful race night on a very warm Tuesday in July. All I can say is Wow the ground pounding Lucas Oil Late Models and the Sorensen Equipment IMCA Late Models put on a unbelievable show. A huge crowd of patrons watched the action on the Hi Banks of SCS. And if you were a lukewarm racing fan who attended, after tonight you are now converted into a hard-core fan.

Thirty-eight Lucas Oil Super Lates were checked in. As well as 26 Sorensen Equipment Late Models that provided a fun and fast evening of entertainment.

In The IMCA portion of the night three heats were on tap. And those winners were. Curtis Glover in the first heat, second heat Brandon Baker took the checkers, and Jesse Sobbing won the third heat. In the “B” Feature Zach Zeitner took the win over Drew Baker and Mike Collins. In the A feature, back in action was Jack Hearty who came from the fourth starting spot and looked good winning since his early season accident. A charging Nick Deal finished in second place; Jake Bridge finished in the third spot fourth to Micah Brown and Sam Halstead from Mt. Pleasant finished in the fifth spot. Congratulations to Jack on the win and happy you are back in action.

Then in the Lucas Oil Super Late Models. Group A qualifying, Hudson O’Neal had quick time ar 13.400 and in Group B it was Johnathan Davenport with a time of 13.494. In heat race action number one Garrett Alberson captured the win. In the second heat Blair Nothdurft was the winner, 2rd heat was taken by Jonathan Davenport and in the fourth heat Dennis Erb Jr. was the winner. Then their were 2 B features to round out the A Feature lineup. Ethan Dotson picked up the first B main. In the second B Derrick Stewart was the winner. In the 53 Lap Kosiski 53. With $25,053 on the line action was hot and heavy and kept the fans on the edge of their seats. After taking the green Jonathan Davenport took the early lead and looked like he had it all but won. But 53 laps is a long race. But as things progressed in turned in to a back-and-forth exchange of the lead between Davenport Ricky Thornton Jr. Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Peirce. Soon Davenport faded and Peirce and Thorton were dualling with Sheppard closing in. Peirce ended up putting the $25,053 first place money in his pocket with Brandon Sheppard getting second place, Ricky Thornton Jr. in third Hudson O’Neal finished in fourth and Davenport ended up in fifth place. What a show! Wow!

This weekend is MAHLE night at SCS and we are having our Guns n Hoses event at intermission. In support of the First Responders Foundation. We may have a pony tail cut if enough donated to the First Responders Foundation. The goal is $5800 to see Josh Minnehan lose his pony tail. Be in Harlan this Saturday, July 19.

P1 Motor Club has announced the renaming of its P1 Research & Development Park to P1 Commerce Park. The change reflects the significant interest and commitment from the high-caliber motorsports businesses choosing to locate within the facility, company officials stated in a press release.

Driven by strong demand, the development of the P1 Commerce Park was accelerated from its originally planned later phase. Currently, half of the 400,000 square feet of available space has been reserved by some of the most successful race teams and prominent prep shops in the motorsports industry, including ANZE Suspension, Extreme Velocity Motorsports, HP-Tech Motorsport, Ibiza Farm Motorsports, P2R Power Rev Racing, Primal Racing, RaySport US, and Turner Motorsport.

“The swift and significant interest in the P1 Commerce Park truly underscores the unique vision we have for this development and the value proposition of the location,” said P1 Motor Club founding partner Al Guibord, who has been central to engaging with interested businesses. “By creating an exclusive ecosystem focused solely on motorsports-related companies, right next door to our world-class 4.5-mile P1 Circuit, we are building something truly one-of-a-kind. I am particularly excited about the phenomenal group of prep shops that have chosen to join us, as they will provide invaluable support and service to our P1 members, enhancing their overall motorsports experience.”

Extreme Velocity Motorsports Will Reserve Half Its Space for Visiting Race Teams & Future Residents

Extreme Velocity Motorsports (EVM), a race team and driver development program currently based in West Palm Beach, is a key new tenant. EVM plans to relocate the vast majority of its operations to a 60,000-square-foot building in P1 Commerce Park upon its 2026 opening, while maintaining a presence in West Palm Beach to serve existing clients and new members from the south, according to co-owner Derek Granison.

“For Extreme Velocity Motorsports, the vision of P1 Commerce Park was a dream realized from the very first mention, and our commitment to the project has only deepened as it has evolved,” said Granison. “We see P1 Motor Club as a cornerstone of one of the Southeast’s most anticipated motor clubs, and we intend to serve as the ‘gateway’ to P1 Motor Club for new memberships.

“We recognize the industry’s capacity to quickly foster a family-like atmosphere, and we’re very enthusiastic about becoming neighbors with both long-standing collaborators and new teams that will move into the P1 Commerce Park in the future. EVM is poised to support that growth by allocating half of its space within the P1 Commerce Park for temporary use by visiting race teams and future residents of the P1 community.”

The P1 Commerce Park offers businesses direct access to P1 Motor Club’s track and facilities, a built-in customer base of motorsports enthusiasts, convenient access to major transportation routes in Florida, flexible space options for purchase or lease and modern infrastructure, noted the release.

Typically, I don’t like betting a pair of favorites to win a race.

Because their odds are shorter, my bet size increases. And because only one of them can win, I’m guaranteed to lose at least one of those wagers. So, I prefer a mix where if I bet a favorite, the other outrights — if I have any — come with longer odds and, thus, lower bet sizes.

I’m willing to make an exception this week.

My model is pretty top-heavy for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover with four drivers holding double-digit win odds and two drivers above 15%.

Both of those drivers are values in FanDuel Sportsbook’s NASCAR betting odds, and it’s not slim value, either. So we’ll be taking a slightly different approach this week.

This does limit my ability to add outrights later in the week, so there’s risk and downside. It’s worthwhile in my eyes, though. So let’s dig into the sims, and then we can lay out which two favorites I like for Dover.

NASCAR Predictions for Dover

NASCAR Betting Picks for Dover

Denny Hamlin to Win (+500)

If the Cup Series is on concrete, I want Denny Hamlin on my betslip. Luckily, the market obliged here.

During the Next-Gen era, the Cup Series has run 12 races at Dover, Bristol, or Nashville, the three concrete tracks on the schedule. Here are Hamlin’s finishes and average running positions in those races.

That’s three wins, six podiums, and nine consecutive top-five average running positions.

Hot dang.

We have to be vigilant about declining form with Hamlin, who is in his age-44 season (NASCAR drivers tend to peak at age 39, according to research from David Smith). But Hamlin already has three wins this year at three very different tracks. I’m comfortable with the model putting him at 21.1%, which makes him a clear value at 16.7% implied odds.

William Byron to Win (+850)

Although William Byron has never won Dover, he has shown recently that he has that upside. I think he’ll wind up in victory lane soon.

The big coming-out party for Byron was in 2023. There, he led 193 of 400 laps before ultimately finishing fourth. He followed that up by qualifying third last year, finishing second in the opening stage and leading 36 laps before getting caught up in a crash late.

Byron often goes through lulls during the summer months as his team gears up for the playoffs, but that hasn’t happened this year. He was runner-up in Darlington and Charlotte, had a fifth-place average running position in Nashville, and was sixth in Bristol. With his team leading the regular season points, they’re still trying to maximize this stretch run.

That all leads to my having Byron at 16.4% to win, way up from 10.5% implied. If I could place just one outright, it’d be on Byron due to the massive gap presented there. But for this one week, we’ll take a “Why not both?” approach instead.

Noah Gragson to Finish Top 10 (+1100)

Noah Gragson tends to run best at high-banked tracks, and Dover firmly checks that box.

In his Xfinity Series days, Bristol was the better stop for Gragson. He won there in 2020 and 2022 while his best finish in Dover was fourth.

But last year, Gragson had arguably his best race of the year in Dover. He qualified fifth, stayed up front all day, and finished sixth. It was his best finish on a non-drafting track all season.

Gragson hasn’t had the best debut season with Front Row Motorsports, logging just three top-10s so far. One of those top-10s was in Charlotte, though, which was recent and has that high banking. It also shows he should have the speed in the car once he gets to the right track type.

I’ve got Gragson way above market as he’s 18.5% for a top-10 for me. His current odds are a great payout, given we saw him achieve that feat just last year.

Zane Smith to Finish Top 10 (+1400)

Gragson’s teammate, Zane Smith, has had a smoother transition back to Front Row with consistent pace across various track types. That — to me — makes him the best value on the board for a unique track.

Smith has had speed at tracks that bear at least some resemblance to Dover. He finished 13th in Nashville on the concrete. He also was 12th in Darlington, which has overlaps with Dover as the tire falloff forces you to search for new grooves throughout a run, something you see on concrete as rubber builds up on the track.

Although Michigan is not similar to Dover, he finished seventh there, showing that the car has giddy-up, which does still matter, even at a smaller track.

I’m a believer in Smith’s talent, and some of that is starting to shine through this year. It’s possible my belief has led to my model’s inflated expectations — he’s 21.8% for a top-10 for me — but I very much believe the market is underselling his skills.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.