MOTOR SPORTS Earnhardt wins in debut as crew chief LONG POND, Pa. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. might already be NASCAR’s most popular crew chief. He’s certainly an undefeated one. Pressed into unexpected service, Earnhardt called the shots for 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Chevrolet and they landed in victory lane Saturday in […]
LONG POND, Pa. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. might already be NASCAR’s most popular crew chief.
He’s certainly an undefeated one.
Pressed into unexpected service, Earnhardt called the shots for 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Chevrolet and they landed in victory lane Saturday in the second-tier Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
“It felt good to have some input and decision-making power,” Earnhardt said. “And then helping Connor understand what our plan was so he knew when to push and what he was expected to do.”
Earnhardt — who won NASCAR’s most-popular driver award 15 times — made a pit stop from his day job as team owner at JR Motorsports with normal crew chief Mardy Lindley suspended one race because of a lug nut infraction this month at Nashville.
Aside from his duties as team owner, Earnhardt also was at Pocono for his role on the Prime broadcast for the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.
“Lot of fun for me today,” Earnhardt said. “I missed the thrill of competition. I love broadcast, don’t get me wrong. But nothing compares to driving or just being part of the team. Being an owner doesn’t really deliver like this. This is a lot of fun.”
Earnhardt had his wife and two young daughters in tow with him as he made the celebratory walk to victory lane. Oldest daughter Isla Rose clutched the checkered flag while youngest Nicole Lorraine soaked in the scene from her dad’s arms.
“I love that they just get to experience things about NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “I had such a great time growing up as a kid in this sport, just running around here. I want them to have that opportunity and understand that this is a place where they could create opportunities for themselves down the road.”
Report: NASCAR Lined Up Buyers to Sell 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports Charters Soon
Following a preliminary injunction request by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports related to their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, the league has now filed an opposition that revealed it intends to sell all six charters in October. As reported by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, NASCAR filed a response on Monday night stating that it has existing teams […]
Following a preliminary injunction request by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports related to their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, the league has now filed an opposition that revealed it intends to sell all six charters in October.
As reported by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, NASCAR filed a response on Monday night stating that it has existing teams interested in buying the charters originally issued to 23XI and FRM. With a 30-day bidding process required, NASCAR argued it must begin that process soon since new entrants would likely need to get started by Oct. 1 in order to prepare for the 2026 Cup Series season.
Advertisement
Related: Tyler Reddick Landing Spots if He Leaves 23XI Racing over Lost Charters
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lost their charters in July, after a federal judge rejected the teams’ bid for a temporary restraining order. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Bell stated in his denial that neither team was at risk of losing their drivers or sponsors in the immediate future as a result of losing the charters.
NASCAR first positioned itself for that legal victory by creating a new rule that ensured all six drivers from FRM and 23XI would still qualify for every remaining race on the Cup Series schedule.
The two teams filed their latest injunction request recently in hopes of being re-chartered for the remainder of the year. If granted, they would receive a larger share of the prize pool for race finishes and collect the full payouts for playoff participation and top-16 results in the NASCAR standings.
Advertisement
In their July filing, 23XI and FRM stated they learned through discovery that NASCAR intended to begin the sale process of the six charters, which they claimed put them in “irreparable jeopardy of never getting their charters back and going out of business.” In his decision, Judge Bell wrote that while that was a “fair and significant” concern, NASCAR had agreed not to sell the charters before the court could rule on the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction.
“This is a fair and significant fear; however, NASCAR has agreed that it ‘will not sell any charters before the court can rule on plaintiffs’
U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Bell in July in his ruling against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports
NASCAR’s agreement only applied directly to the preliminary injunction filed earlier in the summer. However, the league’s admitted timeline to sell the charters would fall during the playoffs. 23XI driver Bubba Wallace has already clinched a playoff spot and Tyler Reddick is on the verge of securing one of the final positions. This could allow the team to argue that the sale of both charters would result in the loss of sponsors or even cost them Reddick and Wallace during the postseason. Reddick’s contract includes an opt-out clause if 23XI loses its charters.
Following Monday night’s developments, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin posted on X that NASCAR may release the 2026 schedule this week to divert attention from its plan to sell the six charters. To his argument, reports have indicated the schedule is expected to be released later this week.
As reported by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, NASCAR’s filing on Monday night stated that the court cannot force it to be in a business relationship with parties it does not want to. The filing also argued NASCAR would be harmed if the court blocked it from selling the six charters to “many eager potential entrants.”
“Unlike the Plaintiffs, many individuals and organizations, including the interested parties referenced above, view the 2025 Charters as a good investment and want to acquire them and work with NASCAR to further grow the Cup Series.”
NASCAR President Steve Phelps in the legal response to the preliminary injunction filed by 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports
The teams interested in acquiring the six charters were not named. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are ineligible because they already hold four charters, “grandfathered in” past the current limit of three per organization. Trackhouse Racing is also at the three-charter limit. Legacy Motor Club is actively seeking a third charter. It is also likely that RFK Racing is interested, while Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and Rick Ware Racing are other possible suitors.
Porsche targets overall at VIR as IMSA runs GT-only
Photo credit: Porsche Round nine of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship trades prototypes for a GT-only showcase at Virginia International Raceway, giving GTD Pro and GTD entries a rare shot at the overall win in a two-hour, 40-minute sprint. Porsche customer teams AO Racing and Wright Motorsports will field 911 GT3 R entries in Sunday’s […]
Round nine of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship trades prototypes for a GT-only showcase at Virginia International Raceway, giving GTD Pro and GTD entries a rare shot at the overall win in a two-hour, 40-minute sprint. Porsche customer teams AO Racing and Wright Motorsports will field 911 GT3 R entries in Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge, part of a 23-car grid split between 10 GTD Pro and 13 GTD starters.
Porsche’s contenders arrive with form and opportunity. AO Racing’s 565 PS (416 kW) 911 GT3 R returns with former Porsche Junior drivers Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler in GTD Pro, while Wright Motorsports pairs Americans Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer in GTD. “Virginia International Raceway is a favorite, with technical corners and very high speeds to challenge the teams and the drivers,” said Volker Holzmeyer, president and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America, who noted the GT-only format gives customer teams a clear run at the overall.
Heinrich and Bachler sit third in the GTD Pro standings, 97 points off the lead, and bring back the fan-favorite green “Rexy” livery after launching their partnership at VIR last season. They expect VIR’s long arcs and heavy braking zones to suit the 911 GT3 R, which has shown consistent pace on flowing circuits this year.
Wright Motorsports balances a busy schedule. Adelson and Skeer enter the weekend sixth in GTD, while Adelson will also contest a tripleheader in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, driving a 911 GT3 R solo as the GTDX points leader. The VP program adds a make-up sprint from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, setting up four races in one weekend for Adelson.
Photo credit: Porsche
VIR’s 3.27-mile layout remains one of IMSA’s most evocative stages. A Porsche 550 RS won its class at the track’s first event in 1957, and Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg took the first IMSA race there in 1971 with a GTU-class Porsche 914/6. After closing in 1974, the circuit was revived in 2000, and Porsche has since collected 11 IMSA-sanctioned wins at VIR, most recently in 2022.
Porsche depth extends to the support bill. In Michelin Pilot Challenge, RS1 drivers Jan Heylen and Luca Mars arrive with a 90-point lead, a year after Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports swept the GS podium’s top two spots with BGB Racing and RS1. The VP tripleheader adds four Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports to the GSX class alongside Adelson’s GTDX entry.
U.S. viewers can watch the race in full on USA Network or stream on Peacock, with a free international stream at imsa.tv and live timing at scoring.imsa.com. The Michelin GT Challenge receives the green flag Sunday, Aug. 24 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
With prototypes on the sidelines until Indianapolis in September, strategy, tire life and traffic management will define the fight for an overall at VIR. AO Racing and Wright Motorsports both see a window to convert class pace into the top step, and Porsche arrives expecting its customer teams to be in that conversation deep into the final stint.
NASCAR says Michael Jordan antitrust suit is to force permanent charter no other team has | News, Sports, Jobs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR argued in its latest court filing that Michael Jordan is suing the stock car series to earn a permanent charter that no other teams possess, and that neither 23XI Racing nor Front Row Motorsports has suffered any harm by racing as “open” entries. NASCAR also indicated in its […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR argued in its latest court filing that Michael Jordan is suing the stock car series to earn a permanent charter that no other teams possess, and that neither 23XI Racing nor Front Row Motorsports has suffered any harm by racing as “open” entries.
NASCAR also indicated in its 34-page response filed late Monday that it has buyers interested in the six charters that have been set aside as a federal judge decides if the two teams can have them back for the remaining 11 races of this season. NASCAR is prepared to immediately begin the process of allocating the charters elsewhere.
These latest arguments are part of the ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI and Front Row against NASCAR in a fight over charters, which are essentially franchise tags. 23XI, owned by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, were the only two organizations out of 15 not to sign extensions on new charter agreements.
All the teams were fighting to have the charters made permanent during more than two years of extension negotiations, but NASCAR refused and its final offer was a seven-year extension with an additional seven-year option beyond that. 23XI and Front Row won a temporary injunction to be recognized as chartered as the case heads toward a Dec. 1 trial date.
The injunction was eventually overturned and appealed by the teams. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell will hear arguments Aug. 28 on the matter. 23XI and Front Row as “open” teams do not receive the same financial percentages as chartered teams.
NASCAR asked in the filing that 23XI and Front Row return all money they were paid when they were recognized as chartered teams this season. NASCAR said the money would be redistributed to the 30 current chartered teams.
A rulebook change in July after the chartered status was stripped from the two organizations ensured that the six cars aren’t in danger of not qualifying for a race; starting spots are guaranteed to the 36 chartered cars in every 40-car field.
“Mr. Jordan has said he wants to use the litigation to grant him a permanent Charter that no other team has,” NASCAR alleged.
23XI and Front Row have maintained they will continue to race even if they must do so as open teams. NASCAR has argued that when the two organizations did not sign the extensions they lost all rights to charters and the sanctioning body should be free to move them.
“Plaintiffs’ theoretical inability to obtain Charters post-trial also does not justify NASCAR from selling or transferring Charters, because Plaintiffs do not have Charters now because of their own strategic choice,” NASCAR said in its filing. “Plaintiffs had multiple opportunities to acquire 2025 Charters, and they squandered them.”
NASCAR also argued that a court cannot order the private company into a partnership with teams it is not interested in doing business with. Another argument by NASCAR is that 23XI and Front Row have not been harmed by not being chartered because their drivers have not left the team and the rule change protects them from missing races; Tyler Reddick of 23XI has clauses in his contract that he can leave if his car is not chartered.
Additionally, NASCAR said it pays teams a higher percentage than even Formula 1 does and that its payout structure to teams proves it is not a monopoly because it was increased first by 28% in the 2016 charter agreement, and then by 62% in the 2025 agreement.
“NASCAR pays Teams more than even Formula 1 as a percentage of profit,” NASCAR said. “Plaintiffs ignore the pay raises the Teams received. Instead, they focus on a text during negotiations for the 2025 Charter that said an internal version of the May 2024 draft contained ‘zero wins’ for Teams.
“Plaintiffs ignore that the actual May 2024 draft proposed to Teams carried forward the biggest win for the Teams — a massive pay increase — that was set out in the December 2023 draft. It also gave Charter holders an opportunity to obtain any improved extension terms NASCAR offered to third parties and increased Teams’ ability to receive investor funding, among other benefits.”
Fresh look entering the Playoffs – Speedway Digest
CRAFTSMAN Truck Series rookie Kaden Honeycutt goes into his first Playoff appearance in rather unusual circumstances. The talented 22-year-old drove a truck for Niece Motorsports the first 16 weeks of the season and is now steering the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota for the Playoffs. Honeycutt addressed the change in teams Tuesday and said […]
CRAFTSMAN Truck Series rookie Kaden Honeycutt goes into his first Playoff appearance in rather unusual circumstances. The talented 22-year-old drove a truck for Niece Motorsports the first 16 weeks of the season and is now steering the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota for the Playoffs.
Honeycutt addressed the change in teams Tuesday and said he was optimistic going forward, driving the truck for the injured owner-driver Stewart Friesen.
In his first fulltime season the Texan has earned a pair of top-five finishes and 10 top-10 showings. His best showings of third-place were at Charlotte and Pocono, Pa. He finished an encouraging 10th-place in his debut with HFR last weekend at Richmond. He enters the Playoffs ranked ninth among the 10-drivers, but only two points below the cutoff line.
“I’m pretty passive person when it comes to situations and stuff happening to me,” Honeycutt said. “I’m pretty much able to put that behind me as much as possible, and you know, everything ended on a good note so there’s definitely no issues on any side of mine, personally.
“I think that makes it a lot easier for myself. It was definitely hard at first, but now that we’re moved on, everyone’s doing what they need to do and we’re just looking forward to the rest of these Playoffs with this No. 52 crew.”
Legendary NASCAR Truck Driver Set to Retire After 2025 Season
ThorSport Racing announced the retirement of Matt Crafton, the driver of the No. 88 Craftsman Truck Series entry, who has been behind the wheel for his 26th year. Crafton will finish the 2025 season and step aside for the following campaign, allowing his current teammate and defending champion, Ty Majesk, to take over the No. […]
ThorSport Racing announced the retirement of Matt Crafton, the driver of the No. 88 Craftsman Truck Series entry, who has been behind the wheel for his 26th year.
Crafton will finish the 2025 season and step aside for the following campaign, allowing his current teammate and defending champion, Ty Majesk, to take over the No. 88.
“ThorSport Racing today announced a new chapter for its storied No. 88 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry,” ThorSport Racing said in a statement.
“Three-time series champion Matt Crafton will conclude his full-time driving career after the 2025 season. Beginning in 2026, teammate and 2024 series champion Ty Majeski will take the wheel of the No. 88 full-time.”
Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Chi Chis/Menards Ford, speaks to a crew member during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2025… Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Chi Chis/Menards Ford, speaks to a crew member during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina.
Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images
As the longest-running driver in truck series history, Crafton has accomplished a lot in the sport – winning titles in 2013, 2014, and 2019 – sitting second all-time in series championships.
He is also the only driver in the Craftsman Truck Series to win back-to-back titles.
His 23-year partnership with Menards is the longest driver/sponsor relationship in NASCAR history.
By the end of the season, he is projected to have more than 560 consecutive career starts.
Crafton is at the top of series history in wins with 15, 328 top-10 finishes, 16 poles, and 2,716laps led.
He isn’t done yet – the truck series legend qualified for the 2025 playoffs and can add to a storied career so far.
Who is Ty Majeski?
As the driver of the No. 98 car, Majeski has climbed up the ranks as a driver and has established himself in the upper echelon.
He won the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title after breaking into the racing series back in 2022.
In 2024, he closed the season on an impressive run of results, which landed him the title.
“This is so much fun racing with this group,” Majeski said after his championship win.
“So proud to have the opportunity to drive these great race trucks. There’s a lot of times in my career where this looks like a far dream, and [team owners] Duke and Rhonda [Thorson] really gave me my third opportunity after I had two opportunities that failed. I can’t thank them enough.
“It’s been a long road here. These people behind me, everybody at Ford, really gave me another opportunity when my career looked like it could have ended, and they brought me on as an engineer in 2021 with a few races and turned into a full-time deal.
“We made our first Championship 4 in ’22, and now we’re sitting here as champions.”
Now, Majeski steps into some big shoes with the No. 88 car.
For more NASCAR news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Daytona II Event Info: Date: Saturday, Aug. 23 Time: 7:30 p.m. ET Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Location: Daytona Beach, Florida Format: 160 Laps, 400 Miles, Stages: 35-90-160 TV: NBC Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule: Friday: 3 p.m. ET, Xfinity Qualifying (CW App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Friday: 5:05 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Friday: 7:30 p.m. ET, Xfinity Race (CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Saturday: 7:30 p.m. ET, Cup Race (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
NASCAR heads to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the annual summer event, and the last regular-season Cup Series race before the start of the playoffs.
Sam Mayer (9.5) is tied with Connor Zilisch (9.5) for the best average finish among full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers this season.
Mayer has finished inside the top two in each of his previous three races at Indianapolis (2nd), Iowa (1st) and Watkins Glen (2nd).
He has started inside the top 10 in nine of his last 10 starts dating back to Nashville Superspeedway in May, including his lone pole of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway three weeks ago.
Mayer (799) sits third in the regular-season points standings behind Justin Allgaier (816) and Zilisch (823) with just three races remaining before the start of the playoffs.
Cole Custer Team Info: Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer Partner: Haas/Bonanza
Sheldon Creed Team Info: Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney Partner: Ollie’s
Sam Mayer Team Info: Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere Partner: Audibel
Custer makes his eighth Cup start at Daytona this weekend, where he has a best finish of 11th and led a lap in 2021. Earlier this season, he was leading on the final lap before an incident resulted in a 21st-place finish.
His best start came in 2020 (12th), and he boasts a 22.3 average starting position.
Custer has two top-10 results in 10 Xfinity Series starts at Daytona, while also making one Truck start in 2016.
Creed is set to make his ninth Xfinity start at Daytona on Saturday, where he is coming off a third-place finish earlier this year. In his last four starts, he has led 30 laps and finished inside the top-10 in each race.
He has started inside the top 10 in seven of his eight starts and carries a 6.6 average starting position into the weekend.
Creed also has a pair of top-10 results in three career Truck Series starts.
Mayer is in line for his ninth Xfinity start at Daytona this weekend, coming off a runner-up finish in the first race of the season. He has led 28 total laps across eight career starts and has an average finish of 21.6.
His best start was on fourth in 2022, and he holds an average starting position of 18.6.
Where They Stand Cup Points Standings (41: 34th): Custer is 34th in the Cup Series points standings with 307 points heading into Daytona this Saturday.
Xfinity Points Standings (41: 4th, 00: 10th): Mayer sits fourth in the Xfinity points standings with 799 total points on the season, behind the three multi-winners, while Creed is in 10th place with 625 points.
