Ernie Humes swept the No Box class at Farmington to lead the DragChamp Top 10 List, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance 5/7/25 – We’ve accumulated the best performers from the past week for the Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Read below to see how they ranked. Racecar insurance is more affordable than you […]
Ernie Humes swept the No Box class at Farmington to lead the DragChamp Top 10 List, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance
5/7/25 – We’ve accumulated the best performers from the past week for the Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Read below to see how they ranked.
Racecar insurance is more affordable than you think! Laris Motorsports Insurance policies are handled in house so they can provide quotes within minutes and they offer the broadest coverage available. Call (985) 746-4663 today to learn how Laris Motorsports Insurance can protect your racing operation both on and off the track! If you’re a business owner, Laris also offers commercial insurance. Protect your business with a trusted name.
Want to check out previous Top 10 Lists, click here.
DragChamp Top 10 List
1 – Ernie Humes
Ernie Humes’ great start to the 2025 racing season got even better last weekend at the K&J Promotions 1st Annual Marty Williams’s Memorial at Farmington. EH3 swept the No Box class winning all three days! After moving into the Top Bulb class, Humes made a couple of late round finishes to cap off a great weekend.
2 – Jeff Serra
A week after winning $15,000 at the Spring Fling Galot, Jeff Serra picked up a $25,000 victory at the Farm. Jeff’s enjoyed a great start to the season and proved his versatility by driving different cars in each of his multiple final rounds this year.
3 – Donnie Durenberger
Donnie Durenberger earned a rare double-up at the NHRA D3 LODRS race in St. Louis when he won both the Super Street title and the Sportsman Motorcycle class.
4 – Nathan Prose
Nathan Prose has been on fire lately winning four times in the last three races. Prose kicked off his win streak with wins in Super Gas and Super Comp at the Spring Classic in Indianapolis. A week later he won Super Gas at the D3 LODRS in INDY and followed with another SG victory this past weekend at the D3 LODRS race in St. Louis. That’s four wins in two classes in three races!
5 – Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams continues to impress after reaching four final rounds in the last two weeks. A week ago Brandon drove his Firebird to a No Box runner-up in Montgomery. This past weekend he added two runner-ups at the Farm and a win in Gainesville to increase his season total to 17 final round appearances!
6 – Gary Williams
G-dub parked Fancy 2.0 in the winners circle at the Farm taking home $25,000 in the process! He also added a Gambler’s runner-up to earn the #6 spot this week.
7 – Chris Crawford
Chris Crawford cashed for $25,000 at the Farm to land in the lucky #7 spot this week.
7 – Bill Angel
Bill Angel also cashed a big check at Farmington after winning the $20,000 High Roller Shootout.
8 – Andrew Goss
Andrew Goss doubled up at Mo-Kan winning Footbrake on Saturday and Box on Sunday to make another Top 10 appearance.
8 – Andy Innes
Andy Innes swept the No Box class with his Super Stock Cavalier winning Saturday and Sunday at the Mid Michigan season opener.
9 – Grant Zimmerman
Grant Zimmerman earned a Top 10 showing after racing to a win and a runner-up at Cordova’s season opener.
9 – Jeromy Hefler
Former IHRA World Champ Jeromy Hefler drove his Subaru Brat to a win and a runner-up at the Windmill Nationals in Ardmore.
10 – David Saunders
David Saunders closes out the Top 10 List this week after making four final round appearances over the last few weeks at Summerduck Motorsports Park. Saunders earned two wins in four final round appearances at the Duck.
Let us know what you think about the DragChamp Top 10 List. We want to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook and share it with your friends.
And remember, look for our DragChamp Top 10 List nominations Facebook post every Monday evening. You can nominate your favorites in the comments of the post for consideration on the list.
DragChamp is your online source for sportsman drag race results, news, and updates.
‘It’s a ballet’: Inside the intricate choreography of a NASCAR Cup Series pit stop in the Next Gen era
Still, lost in the midst of a green flag run or buried amid a busy pit road during a caution flag, the individual movements and execution displayed by each crew member for each team can be lost. So, we gathered a Hendrick Motorsports crewman from each of the five positions and representing all four teams […]
Still, lost in the midst of a green flag run or buried amid a busy pit road during a caution flag, the individual movements and execution displayed by each crew member for each team can be lost.
So, we gathered a Hendrick Motorsports crewman from each of the five positions and representing all four teams to walk us through their thought processes and movements, step-by-step, from inside their helmets.
Spoiler alert: The amount of time it took them to explain far exceeded the amount of time of the stops themselves.
Without further ado:
RELATED: Know your Hendrick Motorsports pit crew – the No. 5 team
TJ Semke, jackman, No. 9 team
“First and foremost, practicing as much as we do throughout the week, really hoping to get the muscle memory down to where I’m not out there thinking, I’m just reacting. Before I jump off the wall, I like to know I had a great week of prep and I’m feeling confident jumping out onto pit road. The worst thing that hurts a lot of teams is when one guy is lacking confidence going over the wall. If you don’t have confidence, you’re already in a bad position.
“As I go out to the right side of the car I’m trying to get the car up as fast as I can, well under a second – about six tenths – that’s my goal from when the car stops to when the car is off the ground. Then, I want to help the tire changers get started sooner to pull the tires off faster. Then I’m trying to get to the right-front tire as fast as I can to get on the right-front hub and drop the jack. One thing with this top, there’s not a lot of time for a jackman. There’s no pauses. With the five lug, we had time before each movement. This is just a faster stop and so much more fluid. I don’t want to be the guy anyone is waiting on.
RELATED: Kyle Larson seizes NASCAR Cup Series points lead
“Dropping the car fast on the right side is always an important piece for me. I need to do it fast and accurately as soon as the guys are done putting the lug on then dropping the car and bolting to the left side as fast as possible to get the car up again so they’re not waiting for me to pull the tires off.
“As a jackman, we’re kind of managing the entire stop and kind of can make or break you. Ultimately, you’re the one that’s going to be the hero for dropping the car on time or the zero looking at a two-week suspension if a tire isn’t secured. It can’t be understated how difficult that is and how much pressure that is but it helps being alongside solid teammates and knowing what they’re doing and trusting in them.”
John Gianninoto, fueler, No. 9 team
“Our jackman, TJ, does a great job marking the box and making sure we have the sign where we need it depending on if there’s a car in front of us or behind us, whether we’re going to stop short or long, all that stuff. From there, it’s just communication with each other. We have a lot of hand gestures because it’s so loud at the track. Especially as a fueler, me and the rear changer, we have to communicate really well because he has to know what I’m doing fuel wise and that changes what his job is going to be. Am I going to be out of the way? Is he going to have to go underneath me? Is he going to have to check up? All that kind of stuff.
“The first thing we have to do is make sure our communication is checked off so we know what the stop is and from there, it’s a ballet we try to put together just making sure it’s cohesive and it runs well.”
PIT CREW CHALLENGE? For Hendrick Motorsports crewmen, every tenth is a test
Mike Moss, rear-tire changer, No. 5 team
“It starts with the crew chief; he’s giving the call that the car is 10 stalls away. From there, I take a deep breath, and you just feel light. As the car enters the next box, that’s when we can jump off the wall. I jump off the wall and I like touching the left side of the car, just feeling the speed of it and I try to get to the right side of the car within three seconds. I engage the lug nut and push the tire off. As I’m setting the tire, my tire carrier, Allen Stallings, is indexing the tire.
“And then my most important job is to make sure the lug nut is on there completely. As I see that – I have stripes on my gun that’s an indicator of how tight the nut is – I get up, approach the left side, do my runaround, engage the left-side lug nut and do the same thing over there but now the jackman is indexing the tire. Then, I just make sure the tire is tight.”
RELATED: Kyle Larson participates in the first day of Indy 500 practice
Donnie Tasser, front-tire changer, No. 48 team
“It starts with your mindset. Breath-work I think is important, or however guys get into the zone so to speak. So, when the car gets one spot away, I take a slow, deep breath and that’s my trigger.”
The car is coming in. As the front-tire changer, the jackman and tire carrier are coming off the wall in front of me. I’m finding my own line of sight. I’m trying to get that right-front lug engagement as quick as possible so, as the car is coming up, I can be pulling the tire and sending it to the wall. Then zip it back up and get out of the way so that my jackman can haul around the car, enter the left front and do it again. As soon as we finish the left front, I’m looking at the jack because in some situations, I end up dropping that. Making sure that when the left-rear is done if (jackman Allen Holman) is not back at the jack yet, I’m moving toward it so we can save any amount of time that we can.”
RELATED: Check out Alex Bowman’s paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600!
Ryan Patton, tire carrier, No. 24 team
“So, for me as the tire carrier, and this has been instilled in me for years, I’m kind of like the voice of the team. I don’t want to say, ‘captain’, but that might be the best terminology. So, the car is on the track running and (driver) William (Byron) is giving feedback and relaying that to (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle. Rudy gets a plan of how we’re going to make this car run a little bit better – could be an adjustment, could be no adjustment – and then Tyler Jones, our car chief, relays that to me. We all hear it on the radio but I specifically go to every member of the team and tell them, ‘This is what we’re doing.’
“We hear the cue and (jackman) Spencer (Bishop) picks up the jack, I pick up the tires and we get ready to roll. Once the car approaches, we leave and kind of form a flying ‘V’ in front of the race car with Spencer and myself being the peak. I pick up my visuals out of the race car and out of my peripherals kind of get a feel of where Spencer is at, where (front-tire changer) Jeff (Cordero) is at so that way, when I drop off the right front, that’s not impeding their performance. Then go to the right rear, make sure I get a good hang for (rear-tire changer) Orane (Ossowski) so he can have a quick change.
RELATED: Check out William Byron’s paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600!
“If we make an adjustment, make sure we get that taken care of and then just haul to the left front. So, we kind of retrace our steps back around the front of the race car and then put the left-front tire on. So, once the right side is done, I don’t want to say you can take a breath, but you can kind of feel the pace of the stop. Like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good one going here. If we can just be clean on the left side, we should have a good one.’ And then, once the car drops, you kind of have a feel like, ‘Hey, that was pretty good.’”
NASCAR hammers Prosper’s Chris Buescher and his team for illegal modifications at Kansas
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway. The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. […]
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway.
The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. It also fined the team $75,000 and suspended crew chief Scott Graves from the next two races: the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.
The hefty penalties came three days after Buescher, from Prosper, finished eighth at Kansas and dropped him from 12th in the Cup Series point standings to 24th, well out of playoff contention.
The violations were discovered when the car was inspected at the NASCAR R&D Center after the race.
Sports Roundup
Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte.
Cup Series managing director Brad Moran said on the “Hauler Talk” podcast that the car exceeded the maximum 2 inches of reinforcement behind the front bumper foam.
There was no immediate word on whether RFK Racing would appeal the penalty.
Find more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Motorsport’s world governing body dials back driver cursing penalties after major outcry
By Ben Morse, CNN (CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations. In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines […]
(CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations.
In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences.
Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver’s first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points.
But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers.
Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although “for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,” the governing body said.
The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it’s a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a “controlled” environment is defined as a press conferences and an “uncontrolled” environment is a “spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.”
The new guidelines also state that “abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.”
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues.
Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers’ committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing “further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”
“Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,” Morgan said.
The new rule that could force Kyle Larson to choose NASCAR over Indy
Kyle Larson is aiming to join a select group of drivers in completing the Indy 500/Coke 600 ‘Double,’ running both races on the same day this year. Only four drivers have ever done it and the last to successfully accomplish it was Kurt Busch back in 2014. But just as difficult as running the races themselves […]
Kyle Larson is aiming to join a select group of drivers in completing the Indy 500/Coke 600 ‘Double,’ running both races on the same day this year. Only four drivers have ever done it and the last to successfully accomplish it was Kurt Busch back in 2014.
But just as difficult as running the races themselves is balancing the two schedules between Indianapolis and Charlotte. That proved to be a major problem for Larson in 2024 as rain delayed the start of the Indy 500, forcing him to miss the start of the Coke 600. He made it there mid-race, but the same rain shower that delayed Indy ultimately ended the NASCAR race early, denying him a chance at becoming the fifth driver to complete the Indy-Charlotte Double.
Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren
Kyle Larson, Arrow McLarenPenske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Advertisement
While he was granted a playoff waiver that kept him eligible for the Cup title, NASCAR has since introduced a new rule that complicates things. They called Larson’s situation “uncharted waters,” and the new guardrails for playoff waivers will essentially force Larson to choose NASCAR over Indy, if faced with that decision again in 2025.
NASCAR has issued playoff waivers to drivers missing races for basically any reason in the past, including suspensions. And to remain eligible for the championship without a waiver, drivers have to attempt every race. Now, NASCAR will punish those who seek playoff waivers for non-medical reasons. Exceptions do include the birth of a child, a family emergency, age restrictions, or some other unique situations beyond the driver’s control.
If Larson misses the start of the Coke 600 because of Indianapolis again, he can still receive a waiver in 2025. However, that will now come with a price. Larson would forfeit all 23 playoff points he has earned so far in the 2025 season, which is more than anyone else in the Cup Series field. Drivers carry those valuable bonus points with them throughout the championship playoffs and they are critical in advancing forward through each round. Additionally, a driver will lose the ability to acquire any future playoff points for the remainder of the regular season as well, forcing a driver like Larson to start the 16-driver playoffs at zero.
Potential clash between Indy 500 Fast 6 and All-Star Race
Because of this, he cannot afford to stay in Indy if it overlaps with the start of NASCAR’s longest race in any way. However, this is not the only potential clash Larson will have to worry about over the next two weeks.
Advertisement
This weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race starts at 8pm EST on Sunday, which could become an issue if Larson performs too well in Indy 500 qualifying. If he is fast enough to make the top 12 on Saturday, there won’t be a problem as those drivers will get out on track between 4:05pm and 5:05pm EST on Sunday. But if he’s good enough to get the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet into the Fast 6, he will be faced with a difficult decision. The Fast 6 takes place between 6:25pm 6:55pm EST., which doesn’t leave him much time to get back to North Wilkesboro in North Carolina.
The All-Star Race is an exhibition event, so Larson doesn’t have to worry about it impacting his playoff eligibility if he were to miss it, but even still, he has made it clear that NASCAR takes priority this year “no matter what.”
There is also the fact that if Larson were to miss the North Wilkesboro race, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team won’t be able to compete without him as one’s entry into the All-Star Race is based on each individual driver’s eligibility (full-time drivers with All-Star wins, active Cup Series champions, race winners from the 2024/2025 seasons). Justin Allgaier will practice and qualify the No. 5 car, but he is not among those eligible to compete in the main event.
Speaking after Day 1 of Indy 500 practice on Tuesday, Larson said about a potential conflict between Indy 500 qualifying and the All-Star Race: “Always for me and definitely for Rick [Hendrick] and Hendrick Motorsports, I think, no matter through this whole experience, especially this year, Cup should be the priority. Yeah, I just assume we’re going to run the All-Star Race no matter what.
“Hopefully we run into that predicament because that means our car is fast, and two, yes, it would be extremely nice to go for the pole at the Indianapolis 500, but at the same time, it’s hard to turn down an opportunity to race for a million dollars.
“Like I said, I hope we’re in that predicament.”
Larson is a three-time winner of NASCAR’s All-Star Race, earning the $1 million bonus in 2019, 2021, and 2023. Should he win it again this year, he will join Jimmie Johnson as the only four-time winner of the All-Star Race.
Read Also:
IndyCar on FOX shifts start times for five races to avoid conflicts
Kyle Busch reveals he lost Indy 500 McLaren drive to Kyle Larson
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Daytona Motor Mouths: Kyle Larson wins at Kansas. Next up, Indy 500 The guys start with the Indianapolis 500 and Kyle Larson’s double attempt after his win at Kansas. Then, they discuss the NASCAR All-Star Race. As Monty Python would say, “And now for something completely different.” Drivers will practice entering and exiting the pits. […]
Daytona Motor Mouths: Kyle Larson wins at Kansas. Next up, Indy 500
The guys start with the Indianapolis 500 and Kyle Larson’s double attempt after his win at Kansas. Then, they discuss the NASCAR All-Star Race.
As Monty Python would say, “And now for something completely different.”
Drivers will practice entering and exiting the pits. Crews will practice, and compete, during what happens between that entrance and exit.
We’ll see heat races as well as something resembling the Last Chance Qualifier you get at the local short-track show.
But there will also be racing, and it’ll look rather familiar. Even the venue is starting to look familiar again. This is Year 3 for ancient North Wilkesboro Speedway to welcome NASCAR’s annual All-Star Race weekend. At five-eighths of a mile with a little bit of banking in the corners (14 degrees), it can be a racy little joint.
There will be plenty of opportunities to showcase that possibility over the next few days.
CHARLIE HUSTLE Pete Rose will get his chance, but will he get the Hall of Fame votes? Don’t bet on it
Friday: North Wilkesboro pit road is host to action
4 p.m.: Pit Road qualifying entry/exit practice (FS2).