Highlands Motorsports, a prominent team led by veteran crew chief and team co-owner Josh Reeves, is excited to announce a new strategic alliance with Rette Jones Racing and Port City Racecars. This collaboration aims to elevate competitiveness through shared expertise, innovative engineering, and advanced chassis development in the ASA STARS National Tour.

Mid-Season Transition to Port City Racecars and Ford Bodies

Beginning mid-season, Highlands Motorsports will transition to Port City chassis and Ford bodies, aligning more closely with Rette Jones Racing’s established setup and engineering philosophy. This strategic move is designed to optimize performance, enhance handling, and provide a competitive edge as the team advances through the latter part of the ASA STARS National Tour season and prepares for the 58th running of the Snowball Derby.

“We’re excited to partner with Rette Jones Racing and Port City Racecars and integrate their proven chassis and engineering support,” said Josh Reeves. “This move strengthens our program and equips our driver with the tools needed to succeed at the highest level of super late model racing. I’m genuinely excited about what this partnership will bring for Highlands Motorsports and our future in racing.”

Expanding the Rette Jones Racing Family

Mark Rette, co-owner of Rette Jones Racing alongside Terry Jones, expressed enthusiasm about the alliance:

“This partnership adds another team to our Rette Jones Racing/Port City Racecars family,” Rette stated. “We’ve seen the success Port City Racecars can deliver led by Gary Crooks and we’re eager to bring Highlands Motorsports and veteran driver Derek Thorn into the fold. Sharing resources will help us all reach new heights.”

Josh Reeves, owner of Highlands Motorsports, again shared his excitement:

“Rette Jones Racing and Port City Racecars are leaders in short-track racing, and to be partnering with them is a huge step forward for our program. We’re confident this alliance will bring new levels of performance and driver development to Highlands Motorsports.”

Veteran Driver Talent Integration

A key highlight of this alliance is the inclusion of Derek Thorn, one of the most respected and accomplished drivers in Super Late Model racing. Known for his dominance in recent years at the Snowball Derby and a 2022 winner along with multiple championships, Thorn’s move to Port City chassis with Highlands Motorsports marks a significant milestone in his career, adding valuable experience to Highlands Motorsports, Port City Racecars, and Rette Jones Racing.

“I’m excited to start this new chapter,” Thorn said. “The partnership between Highlands Motorsports, Port City, and Rette Jones Racing is outstanding. We’re eager to finish the ASA season strong and set our sights on the Snowball Derby in December.”

Thorn will join a talented Port City Racecars driver roster that already includes up and coming Kyle Steckly, veteran Kole Raz, and NASCAR Cup star Noah Gragson.

Adding to the excitement, Noah Gragson, a NASCAR Cup star, and co-owner of Port City Racecars, shared his enthusiasm:

“This is badass! I can’t wait to get to Pensacola this year and have Thorn “the Goat of Pensacola in our camp.” said Gragson.

Looking Ahead

VP of Business Development Greg Zipadelli stated, “We are all very excited and optimistic about the future, with the alliance poised to deliver improved performance, innovative engineering, and opportunities for driver development”. Fans can expect to see Highlands Motorsports competing with new equipment and a revitalized focus as they target strong finishes in upcoming races.

ASA PR

Joe Gibbs Racing announces the SONIC will be a primary sponsor for Ty Gibbs

SONIC is making a return. They’ll be the primary sponsor for Ty Gibbs this weekend at EchoPark Speedway.

The car will feature both SONIC® and Grillo’s Pickles. The new menu combinations are available at SONIC locations beginning June 30th.

View the SONIC NASCAR paint scheme below.

Ty Gibbs comments

“I’m excited to have our team take part in the launch of the Big Dill Meal this week,” said Ty Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing stated via the team release.

“SONIC and Grillo’s joining forces will not only make a great tasting pickle-themed meal, but it is also going to be a lot of fun to have them on board with us in Atlanta.”

EchoPark Speedway Qualifying Order: June 2025 (NASCAR)

SONIC comments

“At SONIC, we believe in choosing fun and living free – and what captures that better than racing 180 mph in a NASCAR showdown?” said Ryan Dickerson, Chief Marketing Officer at SONIC.

“NASCAR fans love a comeback story, so even if it’s just for one race, we knew bringing a SONIC-branded car back to track for the first time since 2020 had to be bold.”

“Our partnership with Grillo’s Pickles and Joe Gibbs Racing is all about delicious, innovative flavors and making every moment on the road a little more fun – and packed with a lot more pickles.”

The green flag drops at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday, June 28th.

NASCAR Bracket set for In-Season Challenge at EchoPark Speedway

Ty Gibbs
SONIC Paint Scheme

Links

Ty Gibbs | EchoPark Speedway | NASCAR

NASCAR and FloSports today announced that seven live events will be simulcast on the NASCAR Channel and FloRacing.

• June 30 – Cookout Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway (INEX US Legend Cars)
• July 1 – Cookout Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway (INEX US Legend Cars)
• July 11 – ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 at Sonoma Raceway
• August 23 – Season Finale at Bowman Gray Stadium
• September 27 – ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway
• October 12 – NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
• December 5 – Snowball Derby Qualifying Day at Five Flags Speedway

* Races and dates are subject to change

Earlier this month, FloSports and NASCAR contributed $50,000 to the purse for the Virginia Triple Crown, which is capped off by the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 NASCAR Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway. The simulcasts continue their commitment to bolstering local short track racing.

“We are fully committed to building a great experience for our fans on the NASCAR Channel. While we already provide a lot of original and archival content, it’s really important to bring live events onto the platform,” said Dan Barker, NASCAR Managing Director, Media Strategy. Fortunately, we have a great and innovative partner in FloSports who have worked closely with NASCAR to deliver these events. It’s a win for NASCAR fans and regional racing.”

Michael Rigsby, GM of FloRacing added, “As our partnership with NASCAR continues to grow and develop, this is an excellent opportunity for us to match that growth and meet more fans in different places. We believe strongly that this is some of the best racing in America, so we’re working with NASCAR to expand distribution and bring in new fans, new audiences and have that excitement reach them wherever they are watching.”

The NASCAR Channel provides 24/7 programming and content to fans for free. It airs classic races, delayed broadcasts of this season’s races, select live coverage of races and events, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive, and NASCAR Studios original content and video podcasts. It is available on Tubi, Xumo Play, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video. No subscription or registration is needed.

Fans can watch all the listed events and more than 1,000 races annually live or on demand with a FloRacing subscription at www.floracing.com or via the FloRacing app.

NASCAR PR

Kenneth Bell, the U.S. District Court Judge overseeing the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, ruled on Wednesday that NASCAR will get certain discovery material they seek from the teams not involved in the suit.

NASCAR subpoenaed the 13 teams that signed its charter agreement in September for financial information regarding how they operate their organizations. The subpoena was for records and information from the past 11 years, and information that would include the money teams bring in and spend, including payments made to its employees and drivers.

Kaulig Racing submitted the information, but the other 12 teams argued in court Tuesday against being forced to do so, and even went as far as saying it violates the charter agreement. Bell heard those arguments Tuesday before making his Wednesday ruling.

However, Bell ordered that only “certain information” would be produced.

The details of the discovery order are:

1.     On or before Noon on June 27, 2025, NASCAR and the Teams shall jointly select an independent accounting firm to serve as a neutral party to facilitate the production of anonymized information. In the event the Parties are unable to select an accounting firm, they should each suggest one name to the Court by that deadline.

2.     As soon as reasonably practicable (as the Teams committed to do at oral argument), each of the Non-Party Racing Teams must separately provide to the chosen accountant its annual top-line financial data (total revenue, total costs, and net profits/losses) on an anonymized, average per-car basis for each year dating back to 2014. Sponsorship income must be included by the Teams as part of total revenue.

3.     To avoid the production of irrelevant information, the Teams are required to make a good faith effort to limit the financial information produced to operations associated with fielding full-time cars in the Cup Series (for example, revenue or expenses tied to ancillary business lines or non-Cup Series racing activities should not be produced).

4.     The Accountant should be directed to confidentially produce to NASCAR – but not to the Non-Party Teams – a spreadsheet listing the per-car annual averages for each team without identifying the team associated with each set of numbers. The document must include a Highly Confidential Attorneys Eyes Only designation that also permits use by NASCAR’s and Plaintiffs’ experts.

5.     The cost of the Accountant shall be borne by NASCAR. Otherwise, all parties must bear their own expenses, including attorneys’ fees.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were the only two teams that did not sign the charter agreement. The joint lawsuit was filed in October.

There is mediation set for NASCAR and 23XI Racing and Front Row later this summer. The trial date is set for December 1.

Any long-time NASCAR fans know the name Larry McClure, as he was the co-owner at Morgan-McClure Motorsports alongside Tim Morgan and brother Jerry McClure, which operated a NASCAR team from 1983 through 2012. Larry’s family confirmed that he passed away on Wednesday at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia.

McClure’s race team won 14 Cup races including three Daytona 500s. They earned their first 500 win with Ernie Irvan in 1991, and then two more with Sterling Marlin in 1994 and 1995. They are one of just ten teams to ever won three or more Daytona 500s. They utilized the No. 4 car, which became iconic with its Kodak paint scheme.

While most of their race wins came at the superspeedway tracks, they also earned wins at Bristol, Watkins Glen, Sonoma, Darlington, and Martinsville. Bobby Hamilton earned their final win in 1998, winning from pole at Martinsville and leading 378 of 500 laps — their most dominant victory.

They also finished as high as third in the championship standings, courtesy of Marlin in 1995. The team’s first driver in 1983 was NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, but it wasn’t until Irvan’s arrival in 1990 when they finally reached Victory Lane. 

Larry’s nephew Eric McClure competed as a driver for many years, running almost 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and he tragically passed away a few years ago at the age of 42.