INDIANAPOLIS – Fox Sports is continuing its crossover with IndyCar by featuring two iconic athletes in the “Fastest Seat in Sports” at this year’s Indianapolis 500.

The “Fastest Seat in Sports” is a specially designed two-seat Indy car that takes ceremonial laps ahead of IndyCar races. This marks the first time since 2019 that the two-seater will lead the field before the Indy 500.

Tom Brady, Jimmie Johnson will lead Indy 500

Behind the wheel will be none other than seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, teaming up with NFL analyst and former quarterback Tom Brady.

What they’re saying:

Johnson, who has 29 IndyCar starts under his belt, shared his excitement with FOX Sports.

“I love the Indy 500,” Johnson shared. “There is an energy and excitement around the 500 that is unlike anything I have experienced before.

FILE: #6: Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet prior to the NTT IndyCar Series 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 14, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Credit: Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

He added: “Certainly, pre-race ceremonies are the ultimate racing experience that I’ve had outside of the car. I’m thrilled to be a part of the program and to see the stands full one more time. I’m extremely honored to come back and do it and to be able to also share this experience with another seven-time champion.”

How to watch ‘Fastest Seat in Sports’

What’s next:

Fox Sports is in its first year as IndyCar’s broadcast partner and has vowed to make the Indianapolis 500 its biggest televised event of the year. 

It kicked off the season with baseball analyst Alex Rodriguez in the Fastest Seat in Sports at the opener in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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The 2025 Indy 500 race will be broadcast on FOX and available to be streamed live on the FOX Sports website and the FOX Sports App. 

The ride will occur just before the green flag, scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Eastern on May 25. The FOX coverage of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Jimmy Johnson, Tom Brady’s careers

Dig deeper:

Johnson, who transitioned to IndyCar for two seasons after retiring from NASCAR, was named the Indy 500 top rookie in 2022.

A NASCAR Hall of Famer, Johnson spent 19 seasons behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He now serves as the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, a NASCAR team that recently formed a partnership with Knighthead Capital Management—a private equity firm in which Tom Brady holds a stake.

After giving Brady his high-speed ride at the Indy 500, Johnson will fly to North Carolina to race in the Coca-Cola 600, marking his 700th career NASCAR start. Brady is expected to join him at the event.

Brady considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history with seven Super Bowl championships. He is also a five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player, 15-time Pro Bowler and the 2007 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

NASCAR is racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway with two national touring races scheduled to take place at the .625-mile North Carolina speedway this weekend.

NASCAR TV schedule for Friday, May 16

Practice and Qualifying for NASCAR Cup Series

• 4:30 p.m. ET (Open)
  • TV: FS2
  • Radio: MRN & SiriusXM Channel 90
• 6 p.m. ET (All-Star)
  • TV: FS1
  • Radio: MRN & SiriusXM Channel 90

NASCAR TV schedule for Saturday, May 17

Qualifying for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Window World 250 Race

• 1:30 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
• Radio: NRN & SiriusXM Channel 90

All-Star Heat Races for NASCAR Cup Series

• 5 p.m. ET
• TV: FS2
• Radio: MRN & SiriusXM Channel 90

NASCAR TV schedule for Sunday, May 18

NASCAR Cup Series’ All-Star Open

• 5 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
• Radio: MRN & SiriusXM Channel 90

NASCAR Cup Series’ All-Star Race

• 8 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
• Radio: MRN & SiriusXM Channel 90

Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.

From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book “All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story” with racer Geoff Bodine.

Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.

You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.

Denny Hamlin has revealed an injury which has bothered him throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The veteran driver has already secured his playoff spot with a win at Martinsville, perhaps making him more willing to admit a little short-term weakness with his post-season spot already assured.

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The 56-time Cup Series winner was talking to fellow veteran Kyle Busch on his Actions Detrimental podcast this week, having needled the two-time champion about ‘dodging’ an appearance on the show.

Hamlin recalled: “You dodged me for a year, I think you were supposed to be on here after Indy of last year? You wrecked my ass…you were inside of me and lost control.”

Hamlin: My wrist is still not the same

The pair bickered good-naturedly for a bit before Hamlin admitted: “I felt that he was dodging me to not take responsibility for crashing into me, but then it turned out he actually did have a wrist issue.”

That turned into the pair sharing stories on their recent injury histories, with Hamlin admitting that he’s still suffering from the impact of a wreck in the first race of the 2025 Cup Series.

“I got in a wreck in Daytona this year and my wrist is still not the same,” he said. “In February, that’s three months now and it’s still not right.”

Busch sympathized, adding: “Mine took until about the end of the year to be right. There’s still times when I work out that I’m like ‘hmm, it’s gonna be sore for this week’.”

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Related

Kyle Busch shared details on how his son, Brexton, will compete in NASCAR. While speaking to Denny Hamlin on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Busch was asked if there’s a right path for Brexton to follow.

“I don’t think there’s a right path,” Busch said. “He’s getting more into the Legend car right now. He turns 10, he can’t race a Legend car until he turns 10. That’s this week, so he’ll actually race his Legend car debut this week at Hickory. There’s a lot more racetracks around our area for Legends cars, pavement racing Legend cars than there are the Dirt Micro.

“…For KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), KMB still exists, it’s the Legends cars, the Micros, the Bandoleros. It’s just that stuff that I’ll keep doing with Brex. But the next level, so when he turns 12, it will be Late Model stuff, so getting him into Dirt Late Models, getting him into Pavement Late Models. I’d like to keep him on both, just learning that sense of all the different vehicles that you can drive. Don’t stay in anything too long that you learn those bad habits that keep you good at that, that doesn’t allow you to keep your mind open and fresh to new things.”

Kyle Busch wants the Kyle Larson path for Brexton

Busch also said that when Brexton turns 13 and 14, he will get him into the Super Late Models and a few Late Model Tours “for the dirt world.” The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion wants Brexton to race on both pavement and dirt because Kyle Larson has done the same thing in his career.

“I look at Kyle, ‘Tiny’ Kyle Larson,” Busch said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast in April. “I would say he’s obviously one of the top talents right now in our space and in the dirt world space as well. He can get in anything anytime and go fast. I feel like the dirt world and having that expertise and feeling comfortable crooked and being sideways and not having the grip has helped him a lot over the years and just being able to carry cars further than they were potentially worth. And then obviously the pavement side as well, just kind of get that craft as well of being on the pavement.”

Layne Riggs | Chandler Smith
North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race Advance
Window World 250
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Event: Race 10 of 25
Series: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Location: North Wilkesboro Speedway (0.625-miles)
#of Laps: 250
Time/TV/Radio: 1:30 PM ET on FS1/SiriusXM channel 90

Layne Riggs Notes

Layne Riggs heads to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina this Saturday for 250 laps at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. This will be Riggs’ second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the short track. In his previous start in 2024, Riggs started 23rd and finished third, earning his first top-five finish of the 2024 season. After last week’s race at the Kansas Speedway, Riggs is now ninth in the Truck Series’ Driver Championship points standings.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will join Riggs and the No. 34 Ford F-150 team for their first race of the 2025 season. For Riggs, the relationship with the University extends beyond the partnership. In 2024, Riggs earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University while also making his rookie debut in the Truck Series with Front Row Motorsports.

“My education is something I take a lot of pride in,” said Riggs. “When I started my journey at Charlotte, I put a big emphasis on taking what I learned in the classroom and applying it to my racing career, something I still do today driving for Front Row Motorsports. Both my crew chief and my engineers have an engineering background, so when I joined the team, I was able to apply my degree in not only SIM sessions but also at the track to help them make the proper adjustments. I owe a lot of my success to my Alma Mater and my former professors, so it’s special to me that I get to represent them on track. Hopefully, I can make current students and professors proud with a trip to Victory Lane.”

“North Wilkesboro Speedway is my type of track,” said Riggs. “Growing up in the late model world, I feel most comfortable at the short-track circuits and Wilkesboro is just that. The team and I are hungrier than ever and with the momentum we have, I think we can get the job done this weekend and lock ourselves into the Playoffs.”

Road Crew

Driver: Layne Riggs

Crew Chief: Dylan Cappello

Truck Chief: Alex Lacognata

Engineer: Jonathan Coates

Mechanic: Clark Houston

Mechanic: Brandon Selph

Tire / Interior Specialist: Robert Benzenhafer

Spotter: Josh Williams

Transporter Driver: Joe Haresky

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Blake Hickman

Rear Tire Changer: Steven Chereek

Tire Carrier: Alvin Wilson

Jackman: Landon Honeycutt

Fueler: Patrick Gaddy

Chandler Smith Notes

Chandler Smith will make his first North Wilkesboro Speedway Truck Series start this weekend. Smith has one previous start at the historic short track, competing in the Cup Series’ All-Star Open race in 2023 with Kaulig Racing.

Following last week’s race at the Kansas Speedway, Smith remains second in the NCTS Driver Championship points standings. Through the first nine races of the season, Smith has earned one win, three top-five, and six top-10 finishes.

“I’m looking forward to North Wilkesboro,” said Smith. “Kansas didn’t go how we wanted, but I’m still confident in my team and truck heading into this weekend. This is my first time racing a truck at Wilkesboro, so we’ll have to maximize our practice session to ensure we qualify up front and stay there. I think we can do that.”

Road Crew

Driver: Chandler Smith

Crew Chief: Jon Leonard

Truck Chief: Ron Schutte

Engineer: Caleb Williams

Mechanic: Levy Bixler

Mechanic: Alex Campbell

Tire / Interior Specialist: Kyle Clark

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Transport Driver: Mark Hadley

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Garrett Wager

Rear Tire Changer: Jacob Ray

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Fueler: Chris Webb

ABOUT UNC CHARLOTTE

More than 31,000 students choose to call North Carolina’s urban research university home. As Charlotte’s only R1 institution, UNC Charlotte drives innovation and discovery in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. The University has an award-winning focus on student success, internationally recognized research and creative activity, and a deep commitment to community engagement and cultural vibrancy that makes it one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 Public Universities. Learn more about what’s great—only at Charlotte.

ABOUT QUICKTIE

Quick Tie Products, Inc., (“QuickTie”) manufactures and distributes the QuickTie™ System (a proprietary, patented hold-down system for high wind and seismic construction) and a full line of framing hardware including u-hangers, hurricane clips, straps, structural wood screws, truss connectors and foundation connectors.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

• William Tally, Tim Lewis show podium promise with the #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda
• #93 MMG Honda crew of Karl Wittmer, LP Montour’s race meets premature end

The WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 brought challenges for the Honda-powered teams in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge field, with contact on track and subsequent mechanical issues resulting in a difficult ending to the two-hour race. The KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic Type R TCR and #93 MMG Honda concluded the day in fourteenth and fifteenth, respectively.

LP Montour qualified fourth the day prior in the #93 Honda, but was further promoted up to third for the start of the two-hour race. Similarly, William Tally qualified ninth in the TCR field in the #5 car, but took the green flag from eighth position.

Montour had a strong start, immediately gaining a position in the opening minutes. He was eventually promoted into the lead 25 minutes into the race, as the frontrunning competitor was handed a drive-through penalty for a pass under yellow. However, Montour was later given the same penalty, dropping him down the running order. Teammate Karl Wittmer took over just after the halfway mark, returning on track in sixth.

However, issues arose again as Wittmer was involved in some contact with another car, resulting in damage to the front left of the vehicle, ultimately bringing his race to an early end.

Meanwhile, William Tally had been making steady progress through the field, moving up to sixth before completing a driver change with co-driver Tim Lewis, who gained another position in the shuffle in pit lane.

Lewis continued to rise up the ranks, and was challenging in the top four in search for the final podium position when he suffered from a broken turbo clamp, forcing him to make an unplanned visit to pit lane for repairs with only 25 minutes to go. The team were able to address the problem and he returned on track to complete the race, taking the checkered flag in fourteenth.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 Honda Race Results

• Finished 14th – #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic Type R TCR William Tally, Tim Lewis
• Finished 15th (Not Running – contact) – #93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR Karl Wittmer, LP Montour

Next
Honda will return for the fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the four-hour O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, on Sunday, June 8th at 12:00 PM ET.

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