Former championship-winning crew chief Travis Carter has died at age 75, leaving the NASCAR world in mourning. He was a staple in the sport for multiple decades, serving in various capacities over the years.

Following his death, Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighed in on social media. He wrote on Twitter:

“Sad news. Travis added a lot to NASCAR,” Earnhardt wrote. “It was really nice to get to talk with him in recent months. I’m in awe of the men like him that shaped the NASCAR I grew up in.”

Carter, who was born in 1949, was previously a car owner and crew chief in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He won championships with multiple drivers there, first with Benny Parsons in 1973 and then with Cale Yarborough in 1978. Notably, he split crew chief duties with Tim Brewer during the 1978 title run.

Additionally, he owned Travis Carter Motorsports from 1970 to 2003. He’s also the father of NASCAR driver Matt Carter.

But Carter’s legacy touched many. Dozens in the sport reached out following his death, including Earnhardt and other drivers.

“Just heard about Travis Carter passing away,” wrote Brian Keselowski on Twitter. “If you didn’t know him, you missed out on a great guy. When we first moved to NC in 2010 we rented a shop from him. He was so happy for us when we made Daytona in 2011, I’ll never forget it. Rest easy my friend.”

ESPN personality Ryan McGee, who has covered NASCAR at various points, also weighed in on Carter’s death. The two were fond of each other.

“Godspeed Travis Carter. He used to greet me with ‘Hey, Cousin McGee’ because I was from Rockingham, NC and he was from Ellerbe, NC and ‘that’s close enough,’” McGee wrote. “What a NASCAR legend and what a damn nice guy.”

Jordan Heir “Motorsports”

Image via Nike

Jordan Heir “Motorsports” Release Date

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Just days after showing signs of a resurgence at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders finds herself at the center of a brewing controversy in Bristol.

On Tuesday, NHRA officials announced a 100-point deduction and a $5,000 fine for Enders and her Elite Motorsports team following a disqualified qualifying run during the fourth session at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The penalty stems from the use of rear wheels that allegedly did not meet NHRA’s approved specifications for Pro Stock competition.

Team owner Richard Freeman didn’t hold back in his response to the sanctioning body.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Freeman told Drag Illustrated. “We spoke with Rick [Dodge, NHRA tech official] the week prior in Epping and asked him about that wheel and his opinion. He checked the rule book—as he did Saturday in Bristol. The wheel is a beadlock, the proper width, and exceeds the SFI specification. We would love an explanation how that warrants a 100-point deduction and $5,000 fine. Whomever made that decision is clearly delusional.”

Freeman also raised concerns over consistency and transparency in the rule enforcement process.

“The rule book does not say a liner is illegal. It is legal in Pro Mod, legal in Alcohol. And it is not a performance advantage—it’s a disadvantage due to the weight.”

The penalty announcement comes as a gut punch for Enders, who was hoping to build on the momentum of a runner-up finish to rival Greg Anderson in Epping just a week ago. Enders, who has 49 national event wins and is the winningest female driver in motorsports history, had expressed confidence that her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Scag Power Equipment Camaro was finally trending in the right direction.

“We made some substantial changes and spent a lot of time on the dyno,” Enders said in a pre-race statement. “Pro Stock is not for the weak. It’s competitive problem-solving and we take a lot of pride in how well we work together. We may be down now, but they will not keep us down forever.”

Enders currently sits ninth in points and had entered the Bristol weekend optimistic about gaining ground in both qualifying and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where she was slated to face teammate Aaron Stanfield in a highly anticipated rematch.

Instead, the focus now shifts to whether Elite Motorsports will appeal the penalty—a right they retain per NHRA’s official statement. NHRA also confirmed that proceeds from the fine will be used to enhance the Safety Safari’s operational capabilities.

As the season nears its midpoint, the incident adds more tension to what has already been a turbulent year for one of drag racing’s most dominant dynasties.

This story was originally published on June 10, 2025.

A new Madring street circuit in Madrid will debut on the Formula 1 schedule in September 2026, replacing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy.

Spain gets two races in 2026 as Barcelona stays on the calendar for the final year of its contract before Madrid’s race on September 13. F1 has said Madrid’s race will be known as the Spanish Grand Prix; the schedule doesn’t specify a new name for Barcelona’s race, which has been known as the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991.

Spain’s second race means Italy drops back to having one grand prix as Imola leaves the schedule. The historic track returned to the schedule in 2020 as a late addition amid the pandemic and has hosted five races since.

“It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel to wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and chief executive officer.

The Australian Grand Prix on March 8 starts the season for the second year running because the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia again move to April to avoid clashing with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The season stays at 24 races and concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Dec. 4-6.

As part of a push to limit intercontinental travel, the Canadian Grand Prix moves forward from June to May 24 so that it follows the Miami Grand Prix, a potential clash with the Indianapolis 500.

Moving Canada in 2026 creates a consolidated European leg of the season across the summer months, beginning in Monaco from June 5-7 and finishing in Madrid. The championship then returns to Asia with the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, ahead of a triple header in the Americas highlighted by Austin on October 25, before Las Vegas on November 21, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close out the season.

THERE has been new information regarding the death of motorsports icon Scott Bloomquist.

The Nascar dirt track racing legend died at the age of 60 while flying his vintage plane near his house last August.

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On August 16, 2024, authorities announced that Bloomquist died in a plane crash in Tennessee.

The 44-year racing car veteran was the only person on the plane.

Bloomquist flew his 1938 vintage plane from a private airstrip near his Tennessee home.

But on Tuesday, a little less than 10 months later, the plane crash that tragically took the life of Bloomquist has been ruled a suicide.

TMZ Sports revealed that the outlet received a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board that shared Bloomquist appeared to intentionally fly his plane into a barn on his family property in Moorseburg, Tennessee “as an act of suicide.”

The police report revealed that the cause of death was blunt force injuries.

Bloomquist’s representative told TMZ that his family “is not making any public statements regarding the plane crash or the recent NTSB findings.”

The rep added, “They are focused on supporting one another and respectfully request privacy as they navigate this difficult period.”

Bloomquist was the only person on board his vintage single-engine Piper J3 aircraft as he crashed into his family’s barn.

He is survived by his parents, sister, and daughter, Ariel.

Bloomquist won more than 600 races during his over four-decade career.

He was known for his famous No. 0 late models.

Bloomquist won nine national championships, including the 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model series title.

The Late Model race car is a full-bodied vehicle that usually runs on dirt tracks.

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He most recently won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

Bloomquist also competed in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

He became a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2002.

Bloomquist will go down as one of the sport’s prolific greats.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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