Motorsports

Denny Hamlin earns No. 1 seed in NASCAR’s first In-season Challenge |

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned the top seed in the inaugural version of NASCAR’s In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament set to kick off next week in Atlanta. The tournament, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner, is part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT. The […]

Published

1 month ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned the top seed in the inaugural version of NASCAR’s In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament set to kick off next week in Atlanta.

The tournament, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner, is part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

The final 32-driver field was set by results of the races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Chase Briscoe won the Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway to finalize the field.

The drivers will be paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Hamlin goes head-to-head next week against the 32nd seed, Ty Dillon. Briscoe earned the second seed, Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The tournament is patterned after in-season tournaments that are staged by soccer leagues around the world and even brought to the NBA.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Link

Motorsports

Over 55 of the Most Emblematic F1 Cars Will Convene During Monterey Car Week

Formula One is turning 75 this year, and there’s a massive, unofficial birthday bash planned later this month during Monterey Car Week. Over 55 of the most emblematic F1 cars built since the series started will participate in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, including at least 20 that will hit the track. The roster of […]

Published

4 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The roster of cars that will travel to the event reads like a list of F1’s greatest hits. Highlights include a 1956 Maserati 250F that Stirling Moss won the Italian Grand Prix in, a 1962 Porsche 804 that Dan Gurney drove to victory in the French Grand Prix (and that gave Porsche its only F1 win as a constructor), and a 1967 Lotus Type 49 that took first in the Dutch, British, and Watkins Glen races with Jim Clark at the wheel.

1974 Parnelli-Ford DFV — Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

1961 Cooper T53 — Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Several newer cars will be on hand as well, including the 1983 Williams FW08C that Keke Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix in, the 2009 Brawn that Jenson Button won six races and a championship in, and the 2024 McLaren MCL38/02 that Lando Norris won three races in. Seeing such a diverse assortment of highly significant F1 cars at the same venue sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime treat.

And, speaking of Jenson Button, he’ll be on location as the event’s Grand Marshal. He’ll participate in the opening and closing ceremonies, sign autographs, and serve as a guest commentator during the Mario Andretti Trophy race, which will put a group of F1 cars built between 1966 and 1985 back on the track. Button is going to be racing, too: He’ll notably line up on the grid in his 1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior.

The 2025 edition of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will run from August 13 to 16.

1958 Vanderwall — Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

1959 Cooper T-51 Formula — Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Link

Motorsports

Judge halts sale of RWR’s NASCAR team amid legal battle…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order preventing Rick Ware Racing from selling its NASCAR team to T.J. Puchyr as part of an ongoing legal dispute with Jimmie Johnson-owned Legacy Motor Club. The order remains in place for 10 days and Legacy is required to post a […]

Published

5 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The order remains in place for 10 days and Legacy is required to post a bond of $5 million by end of business Friday. Rick Ware Racing’s attorneys had requested the bond amount be set at $150 million — the agreed purchase price between RWR and Puchyr, one of the founders of Spire Motorsports who now is a consultant to various race teams and sponsors.

Legacy is suing RWR over a dispute stemming from an agreement that Puchyr brokered for Johnson’s race team to purchase one of Ware’s two charters. The dispute is over which charter Ware agreed to sell and if the deal is for 2026 or 2027.

A charter is NASCAR’s version of a franchise tag and guarantees teams entry into every race, plus monetary assurances. Ware currently uses one of his charters to field a full-time car for his son, Cody, and leases a second charter to RFK Racing.

Before he entered into a deal to sell a charter to Legacy, he already had an agreement with RFK to swap the charters currently in play and lease the other one to RFK in 2026. Then, in 2027, Ware planned to sell a charter outright to Legacy, which has a major investment from Knighthead Capital Management, a private equity firm worth over $13 billion.

Legacy requested both a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order, in arguing Ware “has shown a willingness to lie to Legacy and to the Court about the status of the deal,” after Puchyr announced his plans in June to buy RWR’s NASCAR team.

Puchyr had negotiated the charter sale and Ware had previously stated he had no intention of selling or otherwise transferring the charters while the lawsuit was pending.

Mecklenburg Superior Court Judge Clifton Smith issued a verbal order entering a temporary restraining order Thursday that blocks any sale for 10 days. Smith will consider Legacy’s request for a preliminary injunction.

Mark Henriques, counsel for Rick Ware Racing, argued both Ware and Puchyr intend to honor any deals but cannot meet the current terms of the charter purchase for 2026 based on the existing deal to lease a charter to RFK next season. RWR and Puchyr have said the plan is to lease to RFK in 2026 and sell to Legacy in 2027; Legacy says if Ware is selling to Puchyr, the charters contractually should be sold to Legacy.

“What we know is that these promises were made and this backdoor transaction was apparently entered into and is apparently a binding agreement, although not yet closed,” Legacy attorney Keith Forst said. “There is really no harm to defendant whatsoever, and there is tremendous harm to plaintiff Legacy if this closing of these assets in fact happens.”

Ware’s attorney disagreed and argued that Ware is trying to stay in business as a one-car team fielded for his son. Puchyr has made clear he intends to keep Cody Ware in the lineup after he buys the assets from Rick Ware.

“My clients did exactly what they had the freedom to do, work out a deal that meets the needs of the entity, and enter into a binding transaction that covers the entire business and yet keeps Cody racing,” said Henriques. “They’re trying to have their cake and eat it too since they lost the first preliminary injunction.”

Trial is currently scheduled for January, but Legacy has filed a second suit against Puchyr for interfering with its deal with Ware. Legacy has also terminated its consulting agreement with Puchyr.

Link

Motorsports

William Byron, Rudy Fugle and the No. 24 team focused on NASCAR points battle through recent tough luck

NEWTON, Iowa – What’s that old saying, the one about life handing you lemons? Well, despite some tough luck in recent weeks, lemons are far from a problem for crew chief Rudy Fugle, driver William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team. Quite the opposite in fact. Car and speed dependability, despite some misleading lackluster results, […]

Published

23 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEWTON, Iowa – What’s that old saying, the one about life handing you lemons?

Well, despite some tough luck in recent weeks, lemons are far from a problem for crew chief Rudy Fugle, driver William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team.

Quite the opposite in fact. Car and speed dependability, despite some misleading lackluster results, are the silver linings that still have spirits high in the 24 camp entering a crucial run of four races that will decide the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points championship.

That stretch will start on Sunday with a trip to Iowa Speedway.

“Honestly, that’s the summer in NASCAR,” Fugle told HendrickMotorsports.com on Thursday. “With the way the races play out, you end up in fuel mileage races, you end up in races where track position is huge and a caution at the wrong time can really mess up your day. Restarts become super hairy at the end of races, you can get caught up in wrecks and that was Dover (Motor Speedway) for us.

William Byron (24) led 36 laps at Dover Motor Speedway and was a fixture up front before being collected in a crash with seven laps remaining.

“It’s been rough, but I think we’re resting on the fact that we’re showing up with really fast cars every week. We’ve had tough summers and tough stretches before, I think every team does, but I think this is the first one we’ve had really, really fast cars every single week.”

Fugle alluded to Dover, a race in which Byron was a fixture in the top five all day until being collected in a crash, not of his own doing, with just a handful of laps to go. He ran out of fuel after leading 98 laps at Michigan International Speedway and again came up just short on gas at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past Sunday, despite running in the top three all day.

And yet, it’s a perfect case of Fugle not judging performance strictly by finishes.

“We kind of focus on what the speed metrics are for everything we do and then hope that we can execute the right way and sometimes you can look at it and say, ‘We need to execute better,’ and there’s probably a couple of those but most of them, it’s luck or something out of our hands that comes into play,” Fugle said. “Our speed metrics and how we run on a weekly basis is P1 all year long and hasn’t really dived down much, even in this stretch.

“The pit crew is operating at its highest level of the year the last couple of weeks. They’ve been working really, really hard. They don’t get to show it at the road courses a lot of times but as we’ve gone to Dover and Indy, it’s showed up and I think the driver and the road crew are doing a great job driving the cars and building the cars.

“We just want to have fast cars and the driver wants to drive fast and we want to compete up front. That’s what makes racing fun. It stings into Sunday night and Monday morning when you don’t get the finish, but when you get to have fun all weekend long it makes it where you’re excited to go to the track again. If you’re slow you’re dreading and worrying how you’re going to be going to the track and right now, we’re not doing that.”

RELATED: Relive Jeff Gordon’s 1995 NASCAR Cup Series championship

Crew chief Rudy Fugle believes his No. 24 pit crew is peaking at the right time.

Even if Fugle, Byron and the 24 team were keen to throw pity parties, which is obviously not the case, right now, there’s simply no time.

Despite its run of misfortune, the team finds itself locked into a razor-thin battle for the regular season points title, just four tallies back of leader and teammate Chase Elliott. While another Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kyle Larson, is just 15 off of Elliott’s lead in third while Denny Hamlin enters Iowa 20 points out of the top spot.

On the line? A trophy and some bragging rights, for sure, but much more critically is a bonus of 15 points that could prove crucial in advancing from round-to-round in the Cup Series playoffs.

“That’s what we’re trying to stack,” Fugle said of the playoff markers. “We have 12 playoff points right now, that’s with seven stage wins, which is one of the higher totals in the series, so that’s good. But we’ve had so many close calls on wins that we haven’t capitalized on, this is a way as we’re closing out the year to basically get three wins out of the regular season championship points.

“I don’t know that there’s a ton of momentum that comes out of just being the regular season champion. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. I love that we have a trophy. I love the fact we celebrate it. I love the fact we get points for it. It’s cliché, but we’re here for the playoffs and the next trophy 10 weeks later. So, nobody gets focused on that too much. I don’t think it gives a ton of momentum, but the momentum comes from having those playoff points in the bank and that’s what we’re trying to get.”

Certainly, if the 24 team is to reverse its recent swoon and reclaim its perch atop the heap, the final four races would seem to set up perfectly. After all, Byron has a victory at Iowa in the K&N Pro Series East (2015), the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2016, with Fugle on the box) and the Xfinity Series (2017) while finishing second there last year. He also rolled to victory lane at Watkins Glen International in the Cup Series in 2023 and as for Daytona International Speedway, the group just registered its second straight DAYTONA 500 win in February to go with Byron’s first win in the premier series in the summer race in 2020.

RELATED: Highlights from Hendrick Motorsports pit crew minicamp

And so, the team’s forward focus remains its solace in overcoming the unfortunate circumstances of weeks past. In other words, and as the old saying goes, making lemonade.

Even if by race car standards, the team has been handed anything but lemons.

“Really excited about the opportunity coming up to try and go win this thing,” Fugle concluded. “It’s a four-horse race and all of us have a lot of strengths and not many weaknesses.

“It’ll be a crapshoot. It’ll be a close race in Daytona, for sure. We’ll be counting points and trying to figure out how to get there, so, it’ll be exciting. It’s almost like a mini playoff round to try and practice up a little bit.”

Link

Motorsports

The four things to know ahead of the Iowa Corn 350

NEWTON, Iowa — After making history last year with its inaugural cup race, NASCAR returns this week to the Iowa Speedway. But before the green flag drops, here are four things you should know ahead of the IOWA CORN 350. 1. Staying on Schedule After waiting 18 years to host a cup race, NASCAR is […]

Published

24 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

1. Staying on Schedule

After waiting 18 years to host a cup race, NASCAR is here to stay at the Iowa Speedway, cementing the fastest short track on the planet to NASCAR’s schedule. And while the fans were excited to welcome NASCAR back, drivers seemed equally as thrilled.

“Literally, up until they had their first cup race, anytime I would asked ya know, where do you wish was on the cup schedule, I would say I wish Iowa was, it’s my favorite race track,” said NASCAR Cup Series Driver Chase Briscoe.

“Iowa does have a lot of great racing fans, I think the Midwest does as well too, I think that it’s a little quiet culture around here with all of the dirt tracks and everything that takes place but I think they still come out and support the NASCAR ranks,” said NASCAR Cup Series Driver Kyle Busch.

2. Get a Grip

“It’s still a lot of that very awkward, no grip, full grip, bumpy, smooth, you kind of don’t know what you’re asking out of your car until it all settles down,” said NASCAR Cup Series Driver Austin Cindric.

It was the talk of the speedway last year, the jet-black corners that stood out like a sore thumb after the 7/8-mile oval short track underwent a partial repave project, leading to changing grip levels throughout the track and issues for drivers.

“We learned a lot last year, I think we went with a package, really unsure what the track was going to be like, thinking it was going to be a little bit smoother with all of the patches, and we kind of went the wrong way, and ended up blowing a tire out,” said Justin Allgaier, Xfinity Series Driver.

3. Driver comebacks

After having the fastest car last year and winning the first two stages of the race, Kyle Larson suffered tire issues and ended up on pit road after a wreck. He rejoined the race multiple laps down, ending 34th. Larson says this year, he’s hoping to be just as fast.

“I hope it’s that way, but I imagine everybody had a year to kind of work on their stuff, and we will all be a little more equal this time around, but yeah, hopefully as good as we were, we can still be one of the contenders,” said Larson.

Larson is currently ranked 3rd in the 2025 standings.

4. Fanfare

NASCAR Drivers will return to the Iowa Speedway to race in front of a sold-out crowd. But the race won’t be the only entertainment, as the Speedway will host its first-ever Busch Light Summer Music Series pre-race concert featuring Country music sensation Corey Kent on Sunday.

“We want it to be a day from start to finish, with everything going on with your family from the moment you arrive, enjoying the infield, enjoying the concert, enjoying the race, and then concluding it with a really cool victory lane on Sunday,” said Speedway President Eric Peterson.

Racing officially returns this weekend at the Iowa Speedway. Drivers start their engines for the IOWA CORN 350 on Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Central time.

Link

Motorsports

2 lineup changes (other than Katherine Legge) confirmed

The NASCAR Cup Series is set for its trip to Iowa Speedway this weekend, a track that made its debut on the Cup schedule last year. This year’s race is set to lead off the month of August after last year’s took place in mid-June. Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 is scheduled to be a 350-lap […]

Published

39 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 is scheduled to be a 350-lap race around the four-turn, 0.894-mile (1.439-kilometer) Newton, Iowa oval, and there have been a total of three changes made to the entry list from last weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to this weekend.

Last weekend, there were three part-time teams that fielded non-chartered (open) cars, meaning that there were 39 cars in the field. This weekend, just one of those teams has returned, and they have returned with a different driver.

3 driver lineup changes confirmed at Iowa

Beard Motorsports fielded the No. 62 Chevrolet for the fifth time this year and for the second time for Jesse Love, but after a career-high 24th place finish, he will not be back in the No. 62 car this weekend.

Likewise, Live Fast Motorsports fielded the No. 78 Chevrolet for the ninth time this year and for the fifth time for Katherine Legge. She too secured a surprise career-high finish of 17th place, but she will not be back in the No. 78 car this weekend.

Garage 66, the team formerly known as MBM Motorsports, fielded the No. 66 Ford for the ninth time this year and for the fourth time for Josh Bilicki. They are set to bring back the No. 66 car this weekend, but for Joey Gase. Gase has not competed in a Cup race since last year, and he has not competed for MBM Motorsports since 2019.

With Garage 66 being the only part-time team on the entry list, there are 37 cars set to compete, meaning that all 37 cars, including the six 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports entries, are locked into the race.

USA Network is set to provide live coverage of the Iowa Corn 350 from Iowa Speedway starting at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 3. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss any of the action!

Link

Motorsports

NASCAR RETURNS TO NBC SPORTS BEGINNING THIS SUNDAY FROM IOWA SPEEDWAY AT 3:30 P.M. ET ON USA NETWORK

Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Marks NBC Sports’ Milestone 200th NASCAR Cup Series Race Since Return as Media Broadcast Partner in 2015 NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series Broadcast Booth Features Return of Veteran Motorsports Play-by-Play Commentator Leigh Diffey with Analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte NBC Sports’ 2025 NASCAR Season Begins Saturday in Iowa […]

Published

42 minutes ago

August 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Marks NBC Sports’ Milestone 200^th NASCAR Cup Series Race Since Return as Media Broadcast Partner in 2015

NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series Broadcast Booth Features Return of Veteran Motorsports Play-by-Play Commentator Leigh Diffey with Analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte

NBC Sports’ 2025 NASCAR Season Begins Saturday in Iowa at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network; Countdown to Green Gets Underway at 3 p.m. ET

New Coverage Innovations to Peacock Pit Box

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2025 – The NASCAR Cup Series returns to NBC Sports beginning this Sunday, Aug. 3, at Iowa Speedway, with the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. NBC Sports will present 14 NASCAR Cup Series races this season with 10 on USA Network, including the first three, and four on NBC, including the final three races of the season.

Sunday’s race is a landmark one for NBC Sports, as it will be its 200^th NASCAR Cup Series race since its return as a media partner ahead of the 2015 season, beginning with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win and Austin Dillon’s wreck into the catchfence at Daytona International Speedway in the summer of 2015. Since then, NBC Sports has presented 10 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Championship races and 199 Cup Series races ranging from iconic tracks such as Darlington, Bristol, and Martinsville, as well as new and innovative track layouts at the Charlotte ROVAL and Chicago Street Race. NBC Sports has captured iconic moments throughout those 199 races, such as Jimmie Johnson’s record-tying seventh Cup Series Championship in 2016, Ross Chastain riding the wall into the Championship 4 in 2022, and many more.

NBC Sports’ broadcast team of veteran motorsports play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte returns for the 2025 season. Dave Burns and Kim Coon will serve as pit reporters.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett will anchor coverage from the Peacock Pit Box on Sunday. Marty Snider will host pre- and post-race coverage alongside Letarte and Jarrett. This season will feature innovations to the Peacock Pit Box that include the addition of two new state-of-the-art LED displays and updated artwork.

Additionally, NBC Sports’ NASCAR broadcasts this season will look to emphasize the toughness of these drivers, showcasing NASCAR icons both past and present in special features to punctuate the authentic grittiness of the sport. To watch this week’s open, click here.

This will be the second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway following Ryan Blaney’s win in the Cup Series’ inaugural visit to Iowa last season. At last week’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace (550 points, 11^th) took the win with 2024 Cup Series third-place finisher William Byron (722 pts, 2^nd) and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (706 pts, 4^th) rounding out the top three. Chase Elliott, with 726 points, currently leads the season-long Cup Series standings.

Pos.	Driver	Points
1.	Chase Elliott	726
2.	William Byron	722 (-4)
3.	Kyle Larson	711 (-15)
4.	Denny Hamlin	706 (-20)
5.	Christopher Bell	664 (-62)

Live coverage from Iowa Speedway begins on Sunday with Countdown to Green at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, followed by the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 14 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025 across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ 2025 NASCAR coverage. Live coverage of practice and qualifying will be presented on truTV and Max this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

BROADCAST TEAM

Play-by-Play: Leigh Diffey
Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Kim Coon

STUDIO TEAM

Host: Marty Snider
Studio Analysts: Dale Jarrett, Steve Letarte

HOW TO WATCH

TV – USA Network
Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app

Date	Coverage	Platform	Time (ET)
Sat., Aug. 2	Practice and Qualifying	truTV, Max	1:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 3	Countdown to Green	USA Network	3 p.m.
	NASCAR Cup Series – Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol	USA Network	3:30 p.m.
	NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race	USA Network	6:30 p.m.

NBC SPORTS’ 2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Date	Location	Platform	Time (ET)
Sunday, Aug. 3	Iowa Speedway	USA Network	3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug.10	Watkins Glen International	USA Network	2 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 16	Richmond Raceway	USA Network	7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 23	Daytona International Speedway	NBC, Peacock	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31	Darlington Raceway#	USA Network	6 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 7	World Wide Technology Raceway#	USA Network	3 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13	Bristol Motor Speedway#	USA Network	7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 21	New Hampshire Motor Speedway#	USA Network	2 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28	Kansas Speedway#	USA Network	3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5	Charlotte Motor Speedway (Road Course)#	USA Network	3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 12	Las Vegas Motor Speedway#	USA Network	5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 19	Talladega Superspeedway#	NBC, Peacock	2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26	Martinsville Speedway#	NBC, Peacock	2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2	Phoenix Raceway#	NBC, Peacock	3 p.m.