Zane Smith Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 8th / Stage Two: 25th / Race Result: 14th

• “14th doesn’t show what this car was capable of, but all things considered this was definitely a step in the right direction for our road course program,” said Smith. “Really excited to take another step at Sonoma and I’m really thankful for Vermeer Midwest coming on board this weekend for their first race.”

Todd Gilliland Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 38th / Stage Two: 38th / Race Result: 38th

• “This was probably the worst-case scenario for how our day could have ended,” said Gilliland. “We had only made it two laps before the 77 hit the wall and caused a traffic jam. I’m not really sure how that happens but it’s disappointing. Super thankful to have Grillo’s on board this weekend, the “Hot Pickle” scheme was awesome and was definitely a crowd favorite. I wish our day had ended better, but we’ll come back stronger next week.”

Noah Gragson Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 10th / Stage Two: 24th / Race Result: 30th

• “During the race, the car didn’t feel quite as good as it had—ride quality was a bit rough, but still manageable,” said Gragson. “Our pit strategy and speed were solid, and things were going fairly well. On a restart, I was racing the 60 hard—he was our competitor for the In-Season Challenge —and ended up tagging the wall again, which bent another toe link. Unfortunately, the repair didn’t go as well as we’d hoped, and from that point on, everything was a struggle. We ended up seven laps down.”

FRM PR

The headline stripped atop the Orlando Sentinel’s front page at the end of this past legislative session seemed like it should’ve been accompanied by a sad-trombone sound:

“Tax relief collapses as session ends.”

Womp womp.

It sure seemed sad for taxpayers. The governor and the Legislature’s GOP leaders had spent months promising you tax relief. But then, Golly Ned, they just couldn’t manage to deliver.

Well, not to you anyway. The special interests, though, well, they got tax breaks galore.

NASCAR scored one on its ticket sales. So did Publix on lease taxes. South Florida casinos even scored one on slot machines.

Much of that was summed up in a follow-up story: “DeSantis signs austerity budget, saves Florida businesses nearly $1 billion in taxes”

So to recap: Business lobbyists scored a billion bucks in tax savings while efforts to provide you relief collapsed.

But wait, there’s one more headline you should see that ran in the Sentinel this past week: “Tolls increasing on Central Florida roadways”

You’d better believe all of this is connected. See, when lawmakers give corporations a pass, someone else has to pay. And that someone is usually you. If the state doesn’t collect enough money for roads, road builders have to find other ways to pay for them.

That is why Florida has more miles of tolled roads than any other state in America.

Many states consider providing free-to-drive roads a basic function of government. Florida gives businesses tax breaks and then forces you to make up the difference one toll at a time, at a rate that’s constantly climbing.

Florida bills itself as a low-tax state. But it’s really a low-tax state for corporations.

While the state doesn’t collect income taxes on individuals  — by order of the Florida Constitution — the state taxes residents to death in other ways.

In Florida, you face above-average sales taxes, hefty property taxes, some of the highest gas taxes in America and the highest number of toll-road miles.

Why? Because a tax burden is like a pie. It must always add up to 100%. So when the corporate share of the pie goes down, yours usually goes up.

And in Florida — where only about 1% of businesses pay corporate income taxes and where lawmakers keep reducing the other taxes businesses pay — your piece of the tax-burden pie keeps getting bigger.

This past session, the biggest tax break, about a billion dollars’ worth, was given to businesses that previously paid taxes on leases. That tax was nixed after companies like Publix lobbied for years to have their tax bills reduced. In 2023, the Florida-based supermarket chain had five lobbyists pushing to reduce its tax payments.

You can actually make a fair argument that this was a bad tax, since it taxed businesses on money they spend to do business rather than on profits they reap. The problem is that Florida doesn’t collect many taxes on profits. So this tax was one of the few that actually forced businesses to pay anything. And now it’s gone.

Another tax break was awarded to NASCAR, exempting the sales tax levied on tickets to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Races at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Some economists say that’s more of a gift to NASCAR than the fans, since ticket sellers can then jack up prices and then keep all of the money for themselves. More problematic in my mind, it’s not a level playing field, since some ticket-selling businesses get this break while others do not.

Gambling interests also scored tax breaks, specifically card rooms and casinos at horse tracks where lawmakers cut everything from the pari-mutuel taxes to the license fees for slot machines.

Meanwhile, efforts to provide direct relief to you, the average taxpayer, went largely unfilfilled with only very targeted sales tax exemptions granted on things like hurricane supplies and purchases associated with outdoor activities. Think bottled water and bug spray.

So you save 24 cents on a can of OFF! while Publix saves a few million on lease payments.

Welcome to Florida, where corporate lobbying is a pleasure.

GOP lawmakers also shot down another proposal to provide tax relief to real-life Floridians when they caved to the state’s tourism lobby and refused to allow counties to spend hotel taxes on services locals need, such as roads, transit, police and affordable housing. By letting tourism interests hoard these tax dollars for themselves, lawmakers force local taxpayers to shoulder the tax burden. You’ve seen the results, as Orange County leaders have repeatedly proposed raising your taxes, partly because state lawmakers won’t let them spend hotel taxes on pressing needs.

Of the two proposals GOP lawmakers had floated to help everyday Floridians — both of which they abandoned — one had merit.

Republican House Speaker Danny Perez’s proposal to reduce sales taxes statewide would’ve added up to real relief on a regressive tax that hits everyone.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal — to reduce or even abolish the property taxes collected by local governments — was simply nonsensical. It would be like Publix declaring that Winn-Dixie should cut prices.

The real problem is that these same lawmakers can’t afford to give you meaningful relief, because they keep providing it to the corporations that cut them big campaign checks.

So instead of getting relief, you get higher sales taxes, higher gas taxes and yet another toll hike.

©2025 Orlando Sentinel.

Motorsports industry leader Scott Fischer Enterprises has purchased two Wisconsin Harley-Davidson dealerships in Harley-Davidson’s home state. Florida-based Scott Fischer Enterprises owns Harley-Davidson stores across the U.S. and recently acquired Milwaukee Harley-Davidson and West Bend Harley-Davidson.

Industry veterans Scott Fischer and John Greene lead the company with 40-plus years of combined dealership experience nationwide. They have bought, sold, owned and operated multiple award-winning dealerships across the country.

“We know that Harley-Davidson is beloved in the region and globally, and as a custodian of the brand, it’s our honor to lead the next chapter at both the Milwaukee and West Bend Harley-Davidson locations in the hometown of our parent company,” said Scott Fischer, founder, owner and CEO, Scott Fischer Enterprises. “As long-time Harley-Davidson store owners and operators, we are committed to elevating the Harley-Davidson brand, its focus on lifestyle, community and freedom. We are taking all that we have learned over the years to further engage employees, enhance the culture, build community and grow both dealerships into more customer-focused destination dealerships for Harley owners and enthusiasts to enjoy.”

Milwaukee and West Bend Locations Offer Full-Service Experience

Milwaukee Harley-Davidson is located at 11310 W. Silver Spring Road and offers new and pre-owned motorcycles. The dealership provides a top-tier service and parts department, as well as financing, apparel, events and more.

West Bend Harley-Davidson sits at 2910 West Washington St. in West Bend, Wisconsin. It features new and pre-owned inventory, award-winning service and a wide parts and accessories selection. The dealership also offers the latest Harley-Davidson MotorClothes and branded merchandise.

Rider Training Anchors Local Community Offerings

Both dealerships offer the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy to deliver rider education and skills training to new and returning riders. These Wisconsin Harley-Davidson dealerships continue to serve their local communities through accessible education and immersive brand experiences.

For more information, including store hours, visit MilwaukeeHarley.com or WestBendHD.com.

Last week, we learned of massive job cuts across Microsoft’s various divisions that produce Xbox games. Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios was among the departments hardest hit by the move, as The Verge reported that the Redmond, Washington-based team lost over 70 people from its ranks. The layoffs appeared to have affected key individuals across the whole company, from physics and audio leads to artists, engineers, and community support personnel. And it’s left the future of the Motorsport side of the brand in limbo, following a comprehensive live service reboot with the most recent entry released in 2023.

Late last week, an employee who last worked at Turn 10 in 2016 named Fred Russell posted on Facebook that Forza Motorsport was “shuttered,” but the Forza Horizon franchise “would continue.” The Verge’s report linked above states that the layoffs have left “enough people behind to keep Forza Motorsport up and running,” though that doesn’t necessarily mean that the game will receive new content going forward—just that it’ll stay online. Motorsport got a significant update in May celebrating the franchise’s 20th anniversary, bringing a large number of new single-player events, retrospective races, and, most notably, the return of the fan-favorite Fujimi Kaido track to the series.

Last month, before the staff cuts, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer mentioned the arrival of “the next Forza” in 2026, which would coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original Xbox. It was already assumed that this upcoming title would be a new entry in the open-world, arcade Forza Horizon series, rather than a new Motorsport sim, and the Turn 10 layoffs would seem to confirm that. The last Horizon came out in 2021, after all, and that series is managed by U.K.-based Playground Games, unlike Motorsport, which has always belonged to Turn 10. What’s left of Turn 10 would supposedly assist Playground in building Forza Horizon 6. The Drive has reached out to Microsoft about the future of the Forza Motorsport franchise, and will update this story should we learn anything.

The latest Forza Motorsport was released to mixed reception in October 2023, with many reviewers and gamers praising its handling and rebuilt circuits, but finding fault with its experimental single-player campaign, performance on Xbox consoles and particularly PC, and day-one bugs. In early 2024, one of many contractors who worked on the game shared his account about a challenging development environment.

Forza Motorsport quickly became one of Microsoft’s tentpole gaming properties alongside Halo and Project Gotham Racing toward the tail-end of the original Xbox’s lifecycle. The first entry emerged in May 2005, three months after Gran Turismo 4 dropped on the PlayStation 2. While it was clearly Microsoft’s aim to compete with Sony’s racing simulator, Forza had a different identity, mostly based around letting players do all the things Gran Turismo refused to—including damaging vehicles, modifying them cosmetically, swapping powertrains, and designing liveries.

Forza Motorsport was the grassroots challenger to the more suave and avant-garde Gran Turismo, capturing automotive subcultures from the 2000s tuner boom to golden-age American muscle and contemporary motorsports. And its soundtrack, largely consisting of Junkie XL arrangements of classic guitar rock jams, was the furthest cry imaginable from GT’s jubilant jazz. The series would arguably hit its zenith during the Xbox 360 generation, with FM3 taking Xbox’s racing sim to new heights, and FM4 arguably perfecting the formula. Since the release of Playground Games’ first open-world Forza Horizon game in 2010, however, the more casual spinoff has eclipsed Motorsport in general popularity.

Forza Motorsport hasn’t managed to quite recapture its magic from 15 years ago—and, frankly, neither has Xbox—but there was always this hope that the series would get back on its feet again, and reclaim its place as a leader in the genre, rather than a follower. That dream is sadly looking bleaker than ever, 20 years and two months since the very beginning.

Got a tip? Reach the author at adam.ismail@thedrive.com

While Shane van Gisbergen was once again the driver to beat on Sunday, his closest competition never got a fair shot in the end due to some mechanical gremlins.

Michael McDowell started from the outside of the front row at the Chicago Street Course and took the lead from SVG on the opening lap. He went on to win Stage 1 and appeared to be a real threat for the win. The Spire Motorsports driver was also facing a two-year winless streak and hoped to put that behind him on Sunday.

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Unfortunately, after leading the most laps (31), a stuck throttle forced him to give up the lead and head to the garage for repairs. He returned to the race over 20 laps down, finishing a disappointing 32nd. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen captured the checkered flag.

Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

“The throttle cable just broke,” said McDowell. “I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened. I feel like we had control of the race. I think it would have been a battle, no doubt. I felt like any time I could open a gap on SVG, I could.

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“We were just working on our strategy. We knew we were going to one-stop it, so I was taking care of the tires and doing all the things I could. I was behind the pace car and the throttle stuck wide-open. Luckily, I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something, and then a cable broke after that. It’s just a shame. We had a great No. 71 DePaul Chevrolet. We’ve got some good momentum heading into Sonoma next weekend.”

The good news for McDowell is that NASCAR heads to another road course next weekend with Sonoma, where he finished second just one year ago.

Read Also:

Joey Logano confronts Ross Chastain after Chicago smash-up

Shane van Gisbergen sweeps Chicago weekend with chaotic NASCAR Cup race win

Bubba Wallace “ran me into the fence” says Alex Bowman after intense battle

Why Tyler Reddick passing 15 cars in 12 laps wasn’t enough for a Chicago win

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Cadillac are inching closer and closer to their F1 debut in 2026, which means their driver negotiations are accelerating. Among the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, Mick Schumacher is also in talks with Cadillac – as confirmed by their team principal in Silverstone.

Cadillac confirm Mick Schumacher discussions as they evaluate 2026 driver shortlist

The British GP, beyond its historical importance, is significant in more ways than one.

Since most teams are based in England, the Silverstone circuit typically sees many upgrades introduced – due to logistical convenience.

Silverstone’s location also gives an opportunity to senior personnel that do not always attend Grand Prix – such as Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey – to be present.

In the case of Cadillac, last weekend was an opportunity to continue their talks with drivers ahead of 2026.

The American team are yet to confirm who will be in their line-up next year. However, they cannot afford to postpone their decision too much longer.

During the summer break, which is only a few weeks away, negotiations between drivers and teams will intensify.

With drivers like Valtteri Bottas in demand elsewhere in the paddock, Cadillac must ensure they are active in talks with drivers.

The favourites to join F1’s 11th team are Bottas, Perez, and Zhou. Outside contenders, such as Yuki Tsunoda, could enter the mix over the coming months – depending on how the market evolves.

Speaking of outside contenders, Mick Schumacher held discussions with Cadillac in Silverstone.

Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal, touched on these talks:

“The situation is pretty good for us at the moment,” he told Sky Germany.

“There are a lot of good drivers available—a mix of experienced drivers and new, up-and-coming drivers from Formula 2.

“I think we’ll see some movement in the driver market soon.

“Mick is great. He’s a very nice guy, I like him a lot.

“I’ve gotten to know him better now. He’s still young, but he already has Formula 1 experience.

“Sure, that was a while ago, but he’s kept up to date himself.

“He’s also done tests and is showing great interest in the project. We really like that. We like that a lot.”

Driver market activity set to intensify

At the beginning of the year, very little activity was projected in this year’s driver market.

Cadillac were the only team, with the exception of one or two others, without two confirmed names for 2026.

Things have become far more volatile in Formula 1, with question marks following next year’s line-ups at Mercedes, Red Bull, VCARB and Alpine.

In this environment, Cadillac must be vigilant to ensure they capitalise on any opportunities.

Yuki Tsunoda, for example, could unexpectedly become available later this year. Should the US team believe the 24-year-old is an exciting prospect, they might wait a little longer before signing both of their 2026 drivers.

Conversely, someone like Valtteri Bottas might require a more proactive approach.

The Finn is currently entertaining interest from Alpine, which might prompt Cadillac to making an early offer to secure his services.

It is unknown if Lowdon’s team will sign both drivers at once, or instead bide their time after finalising their first agreement.

Regardless, Mick Schumacher can still be considered a relatively unlikely option to join Cadillac.

What could still give the German driver hope is, as the last few weeks have demonstrated, there could be unexpected shifts in the market.

Main photo: LAT images (via Mercedes media gallery)