Team Stats & Notes

• New Venue Vibes: This weekend’s LiUNA! 150 will be the inaugural running of a NASCAR national series race at Lime Rock Park. It will also be the first Truck Series race held in the state of Connecticut, expanding the series’ reach.
• Niece Motorsports Road Course Stats: Niece drivers have made a total of 42 starts on six different road courses (Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Circuit Of The Americas, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Watkins Glen International, Daytona International Speedway, and Sonoma Raceway). The team has won two pole awards (Carson Hocevar – Sonoma, 2022 & Ross Chastain – COTA, 2023) and have earned three top-fives and nine top-10 finishes.
  No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST
  Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
  Matt Mills Racing
  @MattMillsRacing
  @MattMillsRacing
  Website
• Mills’ Lime Rock Stats: Matt Mills will make his first-career start in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.
• Mills’ NASCAR Road Course Stats: Mills has raced on two road courses in a truck; first at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2023 and later at the Circuit Of The Americas in 2024. He picked up his best result at Mid-Ohio, finishing 22nd. In seven NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts, Mills’ best effort was a 19th-place finish at the Daytona road course in 2021.
• Shiplett’s Lime Rock Stats: Mike Shiplett will call his first race in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.
• On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric and Utilitra, who will serve as his anchor partners for the entire 25-race season.
• Recapping Pocono: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team brought home a 20th-place finish at Pocono Raceway. Mills found it difficult to make up track position as he was mired in traffic, and picked up some slight damage in a mid-race incident. The J.F. Electric team made repairs and kept Mills on track to finish the race inside the top-20.
• Points Rundown: Mills remains 19th in the points standings heading into the 15th race of the year. The driver currently is 10 points behind Jack Wood in 18th and has a 13-point lead over Dawson Sutton in 20th. With four races left to run in the regular season, Mills is 159 points below the Playoffs cutline.
• Quoting Mills: It’s been a while since you’ve raced a road course, so have you done any special work to prepare for Lime Rock & Watkins Glen?

“Between running on the simulator and working in the Wise Program, it’s been extremely helpful having those resources to be able to go over everything. Obviously, iRacing too has been helpful in getting in as many laps as we can in different vehicles since we don’t really know what to expect in the trucks. I feel like Niece Motorsports has been a pretty solid team on the road courses the past few years, so having that notebook to build off of will be great. I think specifically for this weekend, the name of the game is going to be survival. We need to qualify well and get what we can without being too greedy.”

About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.

About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.
No. 44 Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Josh Bilicki | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Josh Bilicki Racing
@JoshBilicki
@JoshBilicki
Website

• Bilicki Joins the Team: NASCAR veteran, Josh Bilicki, will make his debut with Niece Motorsports on Saturday. Bilicki, who has competed in over 225+ starts in the top-three national series, is an accomplished road course racer in other disciplines. He is slated to compete in one other race for the team at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in October.
• Bilicki’s Lime Rock Stats: Josh Bilicki will make his first-career start in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday. He has driven the track several times before in track days / testing with other series, but has never raced here before.
• Bilicki’s NASCAR Road Course Stats: Bilicki has only made one other road course start in a truck, which came at Sonoma Raceway in 2022. In NXS competition, Bilicki has competed on 10 different road courses (Road America, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Charlotte ROVAL, Indianapolis RC, Daytona RC, COTA, Portland, Chicago, and Mexico City), earning three top-10 finishes in total. He has also raced in several Cup Series events at different venues.
• Rogers’ Lime Rock Stats: Wally Rogers will call his first race in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.
• On the Truck: Bilicki’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions and Lemons Of Love.
• Recapping Pocono: Conner Jones and the No. 44 team were forced out in an early Pocono exit due to a crash on lap 47. After starting 22nd, Jones was moving forward before getting collected, but the damage proved to be too severe to continue. He was credited with a 31st-place finish in his second outing with the team.
• Owner Points Rundown: Following Jones’ crash in Pocono, the No. 44 team dropped to 17th in owner points. Heading into Lime Rock, the team is currently 12 points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 15 entry in 16th and 35 points ahead of ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 entry.
• Quoting Bilicki: You’ve made some laps around here before, so how do you expect this weekend’s race to play out?

“Lime Rock is a track I’ve been to, but never raced at before. So, I feel good going into the track. There’s been a lot of sim work here, and it almost feels like it’s a backwards short track where you’re turning right. There’s only one left-hand corner here, but it’s really tight. I think the lap times are going to be under a minute. I think there’s going to be attrition, with guys using their bumpers because it’s such a tight track. Hopefully, we can qualify up front and stay there out of the mess all day and bring home a good result for the No. 44 team.”

About Trim-Tex: Trim-Tex Drywall Solutions, a world recognized manufacturer of drywall corner bead and accessories, is no stranger to the motorsports industry. Along with their CEO, Joe Koenig, Trim-Tex has been involved in the motorsports industry as a sponsor, team owner, and a competitor for nearly three decades.

About Lemons of Love: Lemons of Love is a nonprofit organization that delivers care packages to individuals undergoing cancer treatment to provide comfort and support. Each package is thoughtfully filled with items that help ease the side effects of chemotherapy and remind recipients they’re not alone. In addition to care packages, Lemons of Love offers free programs and resources to build community and spread hope.
No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Kaden Honeycutt Racing
@KadenWHoneycutt
@KadenHoneycutt10
Website

• Honeycutt’s Lime Rock Stats: Kaden Honeycutt will make his first-career start in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.
• Honeycutt’s NASCAR Road Course Stats: Honeycutt has only competed in one prior road course race in a truck, which came at the Circuit Of The Americas in 2023. In his lone NASCAR road course race, he finished 15th.
• Gould’s Lime Rock Stats: Phil Gould will call his first race in any series at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.
• On the Truck: Honeycutt’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing, who will serve as his anchor partner for the majority of the season.
• Living Life: There have been lots of reasons to celebrate in the Honeycutt household. On Monday, Kaden celebrated his 22nd birthday, and in just a few weeks, he and fiancée, Jessica, will get married before the series’ next outing in Indianapolis.
• Recapping Pocono: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team matched their season-best showing with an impressive third-place finish. Honeycutt started off strong on the front row, and maintained track position through the first stage. With stage finishes of second and sixth, Honeycutt nabbed a total of 15 extra points on the day.
• Points Rundown: Honeycutt’s third-place finish in Pocono vaulted him up to sixth-place in the championship points standings, up two positions from the previous week. Entering Lime Rock, he is five points behind Grant Enfinger in fifth, and 15 points ahead of Tyler Ankrum in seventh. The driver is currently ninth in the Playoffs standings with a 45-point advantage over the cutline.
• Quoting Honeycutt: You don’t have a ton of road course experience, so what have you been doing to get acclimated to this type of racing?

“Thanks to Chevrolet, Scott Speed, and Josh Wise, I’ve been getting some help on the simulator. We’ve been going over Lime Rock and some characteristics there to see what we can do to be successful there. It’s all right-hand turns except for turn two, so we’ll be running right for 100 laps. I think it will be a very interesting race to see, and it looks like the track is pretty narrow. Passing zones will be pretty small, and I think everyone should unload pretty fast because of how simple the track layout is. Once we get through practice to see what kind of speed we have, I’ll dive into finding out what I can do to be better. You can always go faster on road courses, so it’s all about maximizing. But, the big thing is to stay on the track, and that should lead to a good day. We don’t have really big expectations, so hopefully we can exceed those and be fast.”

Niece Motorsports PR

Atlanta II Event Info:
Date: Saturday, June 28
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Hampton, Georgia
Format: 260 Laps, 400.4 Miles, Stages: 60-160-260
TV: TNT Sports
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 3 p.m. ET, Xfinity Qualifying (CW App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday: 5:05 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday: 7:30 p.m. ET, Xfinity Race (CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 7 p.m. ET, Cup Race (TNT Sports, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The newly rebranded EchoPark Speedway hosts race No. 18 on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule this weekend, the first track to host its second date on the calendar this season.
• There have been five different winners across seven total races on the newly reconfigured Atlanta track.
• Last weekend at Pocono was the final race in the “Driving 4 a Difference presented by the Gene Haas Foundation,” a new in-season Ford tournament within the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
• Sam Mayer won the inaugural Xfinity tournament with 117 points, followed by teammate Sheldon Creed (116), Ryan Sieg (101), Harrison Burton (93) & Kyle Sieg (37).
• Mayer is now tied with Justin Allgaier (10.9) for the best average finish among full-time Xfinity drivers this season.

Cole Custer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: HaasTooling.com

Sheldon Creed Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Friends of Jaclyn

Sam Mayer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel

Custer at Atlanta (Cup)
Starts: 7
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

• Custer makes his eighth Cup start at Atlanta this weekend, where he has a 23.6 average finish. His lone top-10 finish came in the fall of 2022.
• His best start was 18^th in that same race, and he boasts a 23.3 average starting position.
• Custer has also made seven NXS starts at Atlanta, where he has three top-10 finishes and a pole in 2019.

Creed at Atlanta (Xfinity)
Starts: 7
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: —

• Creed is set to make his eighth Xfinity start at Atlanta on Friday, where he finished P4 in the spring last season. He has two career top-10s at the track, including a 9^th-place finish in his Xfinity Series debut at the track in 2022.
• Over seven races, Creed holds an average qualifying position of 10.9 and has started inside the top-15 in six of those races.

Mayer at Atlanta (Xfinity)
Starts: 8
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —

• Mayer is in line for his ninth Xfinity start at Atlanta this weekend, where he has recorded three top-10 finishes in his career. His lone top-5 came in the fall of 2023, where he started and finished fifth.
• He has started inside the top 10 three times, and has an average starting position of 10.5.

Where They Stand
Cup Points Standings (41: 34^th): Custer is 34^th in the Cup Series points standings through 17 races this season with 219 points.

Xfinity Points Standings (41: 7^th, 00: 10^th): Mayer sits seventh in the Xfinity points standings with 518 total points on the season, behind the six winners, while Creed is in 10^th place with 420 points heading into Atlanta this Friday.

HFT PR

CONCORD, N.C. – Automotive cosmetic appearance services leader All-Pro Auto Reconditioning will become a primary sponsor of two-time DAYTONA 500 champion and current points leader William Byron through the 2030 season, representing an expansion of its existing partnership with 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports. 

In 2025, All-Pro will appear as a primary sponsor of Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet at two high-profile events: the Chicago Street Race on July 6 and the Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway on Aug. 31. The company will continue to grow its presence in subsequent seasons, serving as a primary sponsor for two races again in 2026, four races in 2027 and six races annually from 2028 through 2030. 

“From day one, partnering with Hendrick Motorsports has exceeded our expectations,” said Brett Boettcher, chief strategy officer for All-Pro Auto Reconditioning. “This expansion reflects our confidence in the relationship and what it delivers for our brand. Hendrick Motorsports embodies performance, precision and teamwork – the same values we bring to every customer we serve. As we grow nationally, aligning with William and the iconic No. 24 team will elevate our visibility, deepen customer relationships and attract top-tier talent to our company. We’re proud to take this next step and excited about the long-term impact it will have on our associates and our partners.” 

Byron, 27, opened 2025 with his second consecutive DAYTONA 500 victory and currently leads the Cup Series regular season standings after 17 races. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has already posted 14 career wins at NASCAR’s top level. 

“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished with All-Pro in such a short time,” Byron said. “They’re a great partner with a shared commitment to performance. Having them become a primary sponsor shows that we’re delivering results, and it means a lot to me and the whole No. 24 team. We’re looking to build on our momentum and put All-Pro up front for years to come.” 

All-Pro originally joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2024, aligning with the No. 24 team as an associate sponsor. The partnership launched during a milestone year for both organizations, with All-Pro celebrating its 30th anniversary and Hendrick Motorsports marking its 40th in NASCAR. 

“It means a lot when a partner believes in what we’re doing and chooses to grow with us,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “The No. 24 team has competed at a high level, and William continues to elevate his role as a driver, a leader and a spokesperson. All-Pro is expanding the program because it supports business goals, strengthens their connection with customers and reflects the performance-driven culture they’ve developed. We’re proud of this long-term commitment and can’t wait to see what’s next.” 

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race didn’t come from nowhere — it came from a computer.

Rather than taking the risk of racing on the roads of a major city blind, NASCAR used a cost-effective alternative: iRacing.

The sim-racing video game has become an essential tool for the real-life racing series, especially when it comes to innovation.

So, when NASCAR began to consider what a street race in Chicago might look like, it turned to iRacing for help. The sim game is the closest replica of what it feels like to drive a race car. Using laser-scanners, iRacing is able to create pin-point details of every car and track imaginable.

“We pioneered the use of laser-scanners, to go to a track and use them,” said Steve Myers, executive vice president of iRacing. “We can collect millions of points of data by taking laser-scanners around these tracks, and get them digitally perfect. Every little bump, every curve, every crack. We can even, from the laser-scan, pick up where the paint is on the track. Paint is a little bit more slippery than pavement, so we can recreate these tracks to be exactly perfect.”

Myers, who has been in the industry since 2000, was one of iRacing’s earliest employees. The company was founded in 2003 by designer Dave Kaemmer and John Henry, who co-owns the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool FC and RFK Racing.

“We started the company with the idea that we wanted to make the most authentic racing simulation that you could possibly make,” Myers said. “The way that we did that was create truly authentic driving models of cars and digitally perfect race tracks, to the point that real world race car drivers could use the product and actually find value in it.”

The value of sim racing is different from virtual reality versions of any other sport. If you’re playing “Madden” or “NBA 2K,” you aren’t actually doing the motions of football or basketball. In iRacing, you’re able to truly simulate what to feels like to drive a particular race car — from setting up the balance to managing tires and navigating treacherous tracks.

“There is no Dick’s Sporting Goods where you can go buy a race car and do it in your backyard,” Myers explained. “This is done on a computer now. It absolutely has become that gateway for people to experience racing and see if this is something exciting for them.

“In sim racing, you can be on the track with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and be competitive with him. William Byron, he was able to take that skill transition to the real world and continue that career and trajectory to where I think he’s going to be a Cup champion some day. That’s what’s really cool about sim racing though — if you were good at ‘NBA 2K,’ you could dominate LeBron James in that game on a console. There’s no chance that you’re going on to a basketball court with him and probably even score a basket.”

Byron is perhaps the greatest example of how iRacing translates to the real world. The Hendrick Motorsports star didn’t grow up racing, instead picking up iRacing as a teenager. His success in the video game boosted his profile and eventually led to a contract with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Now, the 27-year-old Byron is the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion and leads the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.

As NASCAR saw drivers like Byron coming from iRacing, they have developed a closer partnership for projects like the Chicago Street Race. That venture began back in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when NASCAR broadcasted virtual races on iRacing with real-life stars competing.

That’s when the world was introduced to the Chicago Street Course.

We walked, biked and drove the Chicago NASCAR Street Race course to see what it’s really like—and how long it takes to complete without race-day speed.

“NASCAR was interested in looking at Chicago as a location for a race,” Myers explained. “We came to the city in November of 2021 and we scanned every road around Grant Park there. Then we took that data back in house, and started mapping out what might be a good race course.

“In 2021, we did the Pro Invitational (virtual race on FOX), where we showed the Chicago Street Course to the world for the first time in the digital space. It wasn’t even a real race yet at that point. So, when we did that race on TV, it was well-received. The racing was well-received. That was the point where NASCAR and Chicago decided to make this a real race.”

That wasn’t the end of it, though. The first street race was held in July 2023, nearly two years later. Over that time in between, Myers and his team worked with NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy to nail down the perfect course layout.

“We worked very closely with Ben Kennedy, who had made site visits and had some ideas of sections of the track that he wanted to see there,” Myers said. “Over a couple of months, we iterated a number of different design ideas and showed them to Ben and we’d have drivers drive it. Ultimately, we settled on the track that’s currently being raced now.”

Even when they finally thought the track was perfect, Kennedy found one more change to make.

“We actually had it going the reverse direction, and then Ben was doing laps on iRacing and said ‘You know what? I think this is going to go better going the other direction.’ So, we switched the direction based on his feedback.”

Now, the Chicago Street Course is a 2.14-mile circuit with 12 turns — going in the clockwise direction around Grant Park.

“We’re very proud of our part in the sport and being able to do some of these changes.”

The third edition of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race will take place on Sunday, July 6.

A street race brings high speeds and tight turns to city streets that are closed off for racing.

Hendrick Motorsports and All-Pro Auto Reconditioning, which serves over 250 auto dealers nationwide, have announced an expansion of their partnership, which will now include primary sponsorship of William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team through the 2030 season.

Byron, 27, is excited to continue the partnership with All-Pro Auto Reconditioning with an expanded level of sponsorship.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished with All-Pro in such a short time,” Byron said. “They’re a great partner with a shared commitment to performance. Having them become a primary sponsor shows that we’re delivering results, and it means a lot to me and the whole No. 24 team. We’re looking to build on our momentum and put All-Pro up front for years to come.”

According to a press release from the race team, the company, which has served as an associate sponsorship partner of Byron since 2024, will adorn Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet in the Chicago Street Race on July 6 as well as the Southern 500 at Darlington on August 31. All-Pro Auto Reconditioning will expand its involvement with the No. 24 team in the coming seasons.

In 2025 and 2026, the company will serve as a two-race primary sponsorship partner; that presence will grow to four races in 2027, and six races annually from 2028 to 2030.

“From day one, partnering with Hendrick Motorsports has exceeded our expectations,” said Brett Boettcher, chief strategy officer for All-Pro Auto Reconditioning. “This expansion reflects our confidence in the relationship and what it delivers for our brand. Hendrick Motorsports embodies performance, precision and teamwork – the same values we bring to every customer we serve. As we grow nationally, aligning with William and the iconic No. 24 team will elevate our visibility, deepen customer relationships and attract top-tier talent to our company. We’re proud to take this next step and excited about the long-term impact it will have on our associates and our partners.”

For Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick, it’s just special to see a partner that doubles down due to their belief in the race team.

“It means a lot when a partner believes in what we’re doing and chooses to grow with us,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “The No. 24 team has competed at a high level, and William continues to elevate his role as a driver, a leader and a spokesperson. All-Pro is expanding the program because it supports business goals, strengthens their connection with customers and reflects the performance-driven culture they’ve developed. We’re proud of this long-term commitment and can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Through 17 races, Byron is the leader of the NASCAR Cup Series championship point standings, and he has nine races left to wrap up a regular season championship. Byron took a victory in the season-opening Daytona 500, the young driver’s second consecutive triumph in The Great American Race. Byron has accumulated 14 victories through his first 269 career NASCAR Cup Series starts.

News

NASCAR wants to hold a race at Franklin Field in Philadelphia (photo of Franklin Field via public domain)

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NASCAR Wants to Race at Franklin Field In Philadelphia

There are few things that get me less excited than NASCAR, cars just going around in circles over and over again. But I’m a firm believer in the democratic process and that this column can’t just be about me. And obviously NASCAR is a beloved “sport” to many. So here goes…

As part of an expansion plan, NASCAR is considering Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania for future races.

“The days of just building a rural track are over,” NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell told the Pocono Record. (Pocono Raceway is a major destination for NASCAR races; you just missed races there last weekend.) “But if we can build a track with some real estate development around it and partner with some people, we’re gonna look at major cities and bring the product to the fan base within the city as well.”

O’Donnell confirmed that Franklin Field is the location NASCAR is looking at in Philadelphia, saying, “It was one of the only places we could’ve put a race track inside.”

Franklin Field, which dates back to the late 19th century, is the oldest operating college football stadium in the country. The Eagles played there from 1958 until 1970, thereafter moving to Veterans Stadium.

There’s no timeline for when all of this NASCAR action might come to Philadelphia. So it sounds like you have plenty of times to learn your Kyle Larsons from your Denny Hamlins. (Yes, I googled this.)

The Amy Wax Watch

It’s been a while since we talked about Amy Wax, who is either a racist or a martyr for Free Speech, depending on whom you ask. Wax, who is serving a one-year suspensions from her University of Pennsylvania professorship over race-related comments she made, has been suing the university for punishing her, alleging that the school was racially discriminating against her and violating her First Amendment rights. She tried to get a judge to issue a preliminary injunction against Penn, but the judge just ruled against her, as the Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

The Mutter Museum Watch

It’s also been a while since we talked about the Mutter Museum, which has been struggling for years with its identity amid ethical controversies over keeping and displaying human remains. The New Yorker finally caught on to this mess, and does a deep dive in the new issue.

The Heat Wave Watch

If you were hoping that Wednesday might bring some relief from the heat, that’s not gonna happen. Though we’re not supposed to have a redo of Tuesday’s triple digits, we’re still looking at 96 degrees or so. The good news? We’re not supposed to see another day in the 90s through the weekend.

Headlines We Weren’t Expecting to See

“Alligator Named Ferdinand Recovered During Philly Eviction”

But How Do You Really Feel, Kae Lani?

Do you remember when famed New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gave an infamously bad review to some Guy Fieri restaurant in Times Square? Well, I don’t think I’m understating it when I say that my esteemed colleague Kae Lani Palmisano just wrote what will become known as an infamously bad review of “the worst new bar in Philadelphia.” Everybody’s talking about it.

Speaking of Bad Bar Scenes…

Never been a fan of Center City Sips. It’s like amateur hour for happy hour. And it sounds like these three Center City bars aren’t big fans of it either, having pulled out due to all the “mayhem.”

By the Numbers

2: Shows still happening at World Cafe Live this week between Wednesday and Sunday. If that sounds like an anemic schedule to you, that’s because it is. Artists are refusing to perform there thanks to actions by the new leadership team.

0: Nonstop flights you can catch from Philadelphia to Doha (it’s in Qatar, in case you’re not up on your geography) now that American Airlines has suspended its service between the two cities amid rising tensions in the Middle East. But, hey, it’s 110 in Doha and 100 here, so you can almost get the Doha experience. Well, minus all the human rights abuses. Oh, well, actually…

15: Years that Rob McElhenney’s Philly bar Mac’s Tavern lasted before announcing that it was closing. The bar made the announcement on social media yesterday. Meanwhile, the 17th season of his show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres in July.

Local Talent

If you’re wondering what’s new and fresh in the Philly music scene these days, look no further than KulfiGirls, which longtime Philly music scribe and current Philly Mag contributor Patrick Rapa describes as having “blazing riffs, venomous vocals and angular accents from a well-plucked veena,” an apt description if ever there was one. You can see them for free on Thursday night at Spruce Street Harbor Park. And you can listen to their first single, “Divinity”, right here.