Hendrick Motorsports have officially announced a new driver deal ahead of this weekend’s NASCAR action at Dover, with fans making their feelings known in response.

The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series are set to race at the ‘monster mile’ on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with Hendrick Motorsports set to field a new driver in their No. 17.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Officials slam 23XI as Cup Series team facing multiple suspensions

That’s right, the team have confirmed that Jake Finch will be piloting the No. 17 Chevrolet this weekend on one of its 16 outings this season.

So far this campaign, the likes of William Byron, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Corey Day have all driven the No. 17 in Xfinity Series events, with the car having picked up two wins and seven finishes inside the top five.

Now, Finch is set to take the wheel, with the 20-year-old set for his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, having previously raced in the ARCA Menards Series this season.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin hit with NASCAR penalty as four Cup Series drivers guilty of same offence

Next up in the No. 17! @jamessfinch will drive the No. 17 @HendrickCars Chevy at the @MonsterMile. pic.twitter.com/g8SNtsqcsq

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) July 14, 2025

NASCAR fans respond to Hendrick Motorsports announcement

NASCAR fans in the replies to Hendrick Motorsports’ announcement were not best pleased with the news, however, with several fans calling for Rajah Caruth to get an opportunity to drive the No. 17.

Caruth currently drives full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series with Spire Motorsports, but he is backed by Hendrick Motorsports, with his car adorned in the blue, white and red of Hendrickcars.com.

Caruth has raced for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity Series once previously, and some fans feel he should be given another opportunity.

“Why isn’t Caruth getting opportunities in the 17?” one X user wrote, for example, whilst another added: “Can we get a Rajah Caruth start in the 17 before the end of the year too please.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Caruth will indeed get a run out in the No. 17 this season, but the good news is he is going to get an opportunity in the Xfinity Series this weekend.

Jordan Anderson Racing have confirmed that Caruth will be driving their No. 32 Chevrolet at Dover this weekend, with EventsDC supporting the effort.

It will be Caruth’s first appearance in the Xfinity Series this season, with his last run out in the series having come at Phoenix last November.

READ MORE: Michael Jordan-owned 23XI attempt to save Cup Series status as ‘immediate’ sale prepared

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… pic.twitter.com/GCUY9pM6OK

— Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport (@JARnascar) July 14, 2025

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Racing legend Mario Andretti visits OKC for grand opening of karting facility

Racing legend Mario Andretti attended the grand opening of Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in northern Oklahoma City, sharing his passion for motorsports and family.

Updated: 10:21 PM CDT Jul 15, 2025

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Andretti Indoor Karting & Games opened its doors Tuesday in northern Oklahoma City with racing icon Mario Andretti attending the grand opening event. The facility, located off Interstate 235 and Wilshire Boulevard, offers an 84,000-square-foot space, featuring a high-speed go-kart track, arcade, bowling, and various food and beverage options.”We have quite a bit to offer here actually, because it’s totally family oriented but also business oriented,” Andretti said.Andretti, a Formula 1 World Champion and winner of the Indy 500 and Daytona 500, reflected on his family’s deep connection to motor racing. “There are eight drivers in the family between my twin brother Aldo and I. So, yeah, motor racing pretty much leads the conversation at the dinner table,” Andretti said. >> Video Below: Racing legend Mario Andretti visits OKC for grand opening of karting facilityAndretti has been on the tracks at his facilities. He said racing boils down to one thing. “The job of the driver, then and now, was to extract every inch of the potential performance that the car can give you. That’s our job,” he said.Andretti recalled his top speeds down to the decimal and exactly where he was at that time. “Averaging 234.7 and 252 miles per hour on a straightaway in Michigan in 1993 was a pretty good speed,” he said. >> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelThe Italian-American said his passion is what kept him going for decades, chasing multiple championships. “The dream started when I was 12 years old, and there was never a plan B to pursue, so that’s why I have a special appreciation about it,” Andretti said.>> Video Below: Andretti Indoor Karting & Games opens Tuesday in Oklahoma CityAndretti even surprised himself a few times, and he made it clear how blessed he feels to live the life he has been given. His achievements include clinching the 1977 World Championship at Monza. “I clinched the World Championship where my idol, Alberto Ascari, won the first race, in Monza, in Italy. So, how could that ever happen in life?” he said.Andretti sees a bright future for motorsports in America, particularly with the growing fanbase for Formula 1. “Because now, you have three races in America, which is like no other country on the planet,” he said.>> Video Below: Oklahoma City welcomes Andretti Indoor Karting and GamesAndretti is 85 years old, and his professional career spanned from the 1950s through the 1990s. His new attraction opened at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Click here to learn more.Top Headlines VIDEO: Twin sisters give birth to baby boys one day apart in the same Indiana hospital Popular Oklahoma City bakery known for its macarons to close soon Start your engines, as Andretti Indoor Karting & Games opens Tuesday in OKC Multi-vehicle crash backs up traffic on westbound I-40 in Oklahoma City for about 2 miles YoCrunch yogurt products recalled over potential choking risk

MOORESVILLE, N.C. —Dover Motor Speedway hasn’t always been the kindest to Joey Logano but that may make it the best track for him to make his 600th NASCAR Cup Series start.

Logano will make his 600th start in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover, just five hours away from his hometown of Middletown, Connecticut. The accomplishment should easily supersede what he is otherwise known for at Dover.

While making his second Cup start at Dover in September 2009, the 19-year-old “kid,” as he was known at the time, spun sideways entering turn three. Logano spun back into traffic just right and began tumbling through the turn.

“In the middle of that wreck I was just hoping to get stopped and I wasn’t gonna be hurt and was gonna live another day because, to this day, it’s the longest crash I’ve ever been a part of. It just kept going and going and going,” Logano recalled Tuesday with a smile.

Now a 35-year-old veteran, Logano is reflecting on his growth since that 2009 tumble.

“I grew up in front of everybody. All of us change over the years as you grow up. Life comes at you and you evolve and keep going with it,” Logano said. “When you’re 18 years old to 35 years old… some of the biggest changes in your life happen in that period of time. Getting married, having [three] kids – that’s the biggest change you can ever have in your life, I think – but I did all of this in front of everybody.”

After Logano lost his ride in 2012, Team Penske – with guidance from defending champion Brad Keselowski – jolted his Cup career. He won in 2013 and made the Championship Four in 2014.

Then, as he traversed the 2015 playoffs as the championship favorite, millions of people watched in real-time as he learned one of his hardest lessons.

In the eyes of many fans and Matt Kenseth himself, the hungry kid in his second championship-contending season stole a chance away from the hungry veteran grasping to his final championship hopes.

As we all know, the veteran made his displeasure very well-known with the kid.

“Everybody went for the ride with me in ways, and not to mention the lessons learned on the racetrack and how I’ve changed as a race car driver, too, over that period of time, where I was a young, cocky kid coming in to getting my humble pie and learning how to become a champion and learning a lot of lessons in front of everybody,” Logano said.

Since then, Logano has had several November days he’ll remember much more fondly than that cloudy day at Martinsville Speedway. Logano claimed his third NASCAR Cup Series championship in November 2024 at Phoenix Raceway as he went to victory lane for the 36th time in his career. In 2025, he claimed win No. 37 at Texas Motor Speedway to earn his 12th playoff berth in 17 seasons.

“Am I proud of what we’ve accomplished? Absolutely, I just really felt like there would have been more because that’s what I expect out of myself,” Logano said.

It’s why Logano believes he isn’t even close to retiring, even at a point when many drivers consider stepping away.

 “My dream has always been to be a NASCAR driver, be a NASCAR champion and if I can win and be a help to my team, then I want to stick around,” Logano said. “I don’t want to stick around and be one of those guys where people say, ‘Man, he went a few years too long.’ You don’t want to be that guy. I think whenever that happens, that happens, I don’t know when that is. I would be an idiot to think you can be competing at the top level into your fifties. What athlete has ever done that? 

“Right now, I still feel as fresh as ever. I feel as sharp as ever. I’m driven as much as ever. I still care. I still get emotional about things, so that shows me I care a lot. With those factors still there, when the end is? I don’t know yet.”

At Dover, Logano’s best finish is third – in September 2010, September 2013 and October 2018. In 2024, he finished 16th, on the lead lap.

Maybe some milestone magic could lift his performance at Dover. After all, in his 300th Cup start at Richmond Raceway in April 2017, he won after racing perennial rival Matt Kenseth throughout the day.

“I remember my 300th start and I think it was Kenseth at the time… [who] wasn’t too far from 600 and I thought, ‘Geez, that’s double the amount of races as me. That’s crazy.’ But here I am, so it went by pretty quick,” Logano said.

Logano has a 10th-place finish to beat Kenseth’s result in his 600th start – at Watkins Glen International in August 2016.

No matter how the weekend goes or if he wins, Logano’s 600th start is a victory lap for the kid who became a champ.

The highest a driver has finished in their 600th start is third-place, twice:

• Darrell Waltrip, Atlanta Motor Speedway, March 1994
• Jeff Gordon, Chicagoland Speedway, July 2010

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

NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick has a clause in his contract stating he can leave 23XI Racing if the team is stripped of its charters by NASCAR amid its ongoing antitrust lawsuit. With 23XI Racing facing the potential loss of its charters as soon as Wednesday, Reddick could theoretically leave this month.

On the latest episode of The Teardown, NASCAR reporter Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic noted that multiple teams in the garage are closely monitoring the situation and would like to sign Reddick if he becomes available. However, a midseason move is considered highly unlikely due to the logistical challenges involved.

“There are numerous teams in the garage who have looked at this situation and said, ‘We would love to have Tyler Reddick in our race car.’ Do I think anything will happen in the middle of the season? I do not. For a lot of reasons, I don’t think you would expect to see anything midseason. There’s too many hoops to hop through, it gets messy and complicated.”

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic on another NASCAR team potentially poaching Tyler Reddick midseason

Read More: NASCAR standings, see where Tyler Reddick sits in playoff standings

• Tyler Reddick stats (2025): 615 points, 8 top 10s, 5 top 5s, 1 pole, 112 laps led, 12.8 average starting position, 13.85 average finishing position.

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It was revealed in December that Reddick’s contract with 23XI Racing includes a clause that allows him to become a free agent if the team loses its charter. This clause came into focus when the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied 23XI’s appeal to keep its charters through the season.

On Monday, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed for a restraining order and preliminary injunction, arguing their charters should be protected because NASCAR “signaled its intentions to immediately move to sell” the charters to other teams.

Also Read: NASCAR Predictions for Dover, including Tyler Reddick

If the injunction is denied and 23XI Racing loses its charters, after refusing to sign NASCAR’s new charter agreement this winter, the team would operate as an open entry. Reddick and Bubba Wallace are expected to remain with the team through the end of the season, but that commitment could change in the offseason.

“That said, if this prolongs into the offseason and 23XI doesn’t have its charters and theoretically Reddick is a free agent if you will. Yeah, I would be surprised if there is not a team who says, “We’re going to go all in and we’re going to get him.’…This is a business at the end of the day and when you have a driver to get, like Tyler Reddick, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi on a NASCAR team pursuing Tyler Reddick this offseason

The antitrust lawsuit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR is set for trial in December and challenges the legality of the charter system, which teams argue gives NASCAR monopoly-like control over the sport. The teams claim they risk having their charters sold immediately and face financial risks if forced to operate as open teams, including the possibility of losing top drivers like Reddick to chartered teams in the Cup Series. In addition, there could be no charters left in December if there is a ruling in the two teams’ favor against NASCAR.

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Related: NASCAR reporter sheds light on Corey Heim’s future with 23XI Racing

23XI Racing is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent NASCAR from reallocating its charters. Without such protection, the team would be at risk of losing Reddick at any time and faces an increased likelihood he could depart in the offseason.

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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — As the countdown begins for the much-anticipated race weekend at Watkins Glen International, excitement is building among fans and drivers alike. John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the number 42 car for Legacy Motor Club, came to our CNY Central studios to share his enthusiasm for the upcoming race, citing his personal connection to the track.

“This is one of my favorite courses to come to,” said Nemechek. “Growing up as a kid, second generation, I always enjoyed coming to Watkins Glen. Playing video games, playing NASCAR on Xbox, PlayStation, all that. When I would challenge friends, the racetrack I would pick was Watkins Glen. There was nothing better than that.”

Nemechek, who has come close to winning races at the Glen, is hopeful for a victory this year. “I’ve had a lot of fun there. I’ve been really close to winning races there. So hopefully we can get it done when we come back here in less than a month,” he said.

Track president Don Berlew also accompanied Nemechek to the studio. Bewlew outlined the packed schedule for the race, which spans five days and includes multiple racing series. “It’s always such a five-day event really with us,” said Berlew. “Our campers will show up on Thursday. On Friday, we have our Arca series. We have our truck series. We also have our HSR running on Saturday. We have the Xfinity series and then we cap our weekend off with our NASCAR Cup series.”

In addition to the races, the event will feature concerts, a kids zone, and other family-friendly activities. “There’s gonna be five races in three days. We’ve got concerts for two nights, our kids zone that NASCAR puts on is just a fantastic family area,” Berlew added.

Nemechek also highlighted the improvements made by Legacy Motor Club in their road course program. “At Legacy Motor Club 2024, our road course program was our Achilles heel. We were absolutely terrible, and this year we’ve been able to get our cars better. We’ve been able to have speed. We’ve been able to have some really good results,” he said.

With the race being one of the last opportunities to secure a spot in the playoffs, Nemechek emphasized the importance of a strong performance. “There’s so many unknowns going into the weekend. Third race before the playoffs start. So one of those last and final chances to try and win your way into the playoffs,” he said.

The Watkins Glen race weekend will take place from August 8th through the 10th, with tickets available online at www.theglenn.com.

Owosso, Mich. (WILX) – 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick retired from the Cup Series after the 2023 season but has stayed very busy since. Harvick is involved with on-air media coverage of the sport, and this summer, he has traveled the country racing against his 13-year-old son, Keelan Harvick.

Kevin and Keelan will race among a very talented field of drivers at the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour ‘Masters of the Pros’ pro late model race at Owosso Speedway on Wednesday, July 16. The 200-lap race begins at 7 p.m.

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