It takes a staff of dedicated journalists to bring you the news from around Central Indiana. In this feature, the Indianapolis Star introduces readers to our newsroom staff — or, rather, we let them introduce themselves. Up this week is motorsports insider Nathan Brown.

Read the full story on Modern Car Collector

Automotive enthusiasts now have a rare opportunity to win a fully street-legal Superformance GT40 MKI—valued at $250,000—through a new sweepstakes that also supports individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities.

Win here.

This continuation GT40, offered by Downforce Motorsports, pays tribute to the legendary No. 6 car driven by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver to victory in the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans. Finished in the iconic Gulf Oil blue and orange livery, the car reflects one of motorsport’s most storied eras.

Built under license and engineered with period-correct specifications, the GT40 MKI features an original-style steel monocoque chassis, independent suspension, Bilstein® coilover shocks, and four-wheel Wilwood vented disc brakes. Powering the car is a thunderous 427 cubic-inch Windsor-based stroker V8 with Weber carburetors and silver powder-coated exhaust pipes—offering both performance and visual drama.

Inside, the cockpit is race-inspired with Alcantara-covered bucket seats finished in silver rivets, a Moto-Lita steering wheel, Smiths gauges, and even air conditioning for modern comfort. Exterior details include BRM-style knock-off wheels, twin-pin rear clam, inverted side scoops, and a functional Gurney bubble.

Win here.

Downforce Motorsports, the largest independent Superformance dealer in the U.S., is spearheading this giveaway in partnership with the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. The charity event honors Pittsburgh’s deep GT40 history—Gulf Oil’s global racing sponsorship in the 1960s was headquartered in the city and played a key role in the GT40’s legendary success.

Every ticket purchased supports the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix’s mission to benefit autism-related charities. The sweepstakes winner will drive home in a machine that not only honors racing history but also makes a meaningful impact.

Win here.

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Coca-Cola 600 qualifying order for NASCAR weekend

A crown jewel is on deck for this weekend in Concord, North Carolina. The 1.5-mile of Charlotte Motor Speedway is set to host the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series.

View the NASCAR qualifying order for Charlotte Motor Speedway below.

NASCAR Cup Series
Qualifying Order

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. Connor Zilisch
42.800

2. Josh Bilicki
42.200

3. Derek Kraus
41.900

4. Jimmie Johnson
39.800

5. Brad Keselowski
35.800

6. AJ Allmendinger
34.100

7. Ty Dillon
33.500

8. Daniel Suarez
31.900

9. Cody Ware
31.800

10. Erik Jones
31.100

11. Justin Haley
30.100

12. Riley Herbst
28.500

13. Cole Custer
27.700

14. Ty Gibbs
27.400

15. Denny Hamlin
27.300

16. Bubba Wallace
26.400

17. Shane van Gisbergen
24.500

18. Carson Hocevar
23.900

19. Michael McDowell
22.100

20. Austin Dillon
21.700

Group B

21. Kyle Busch
19.800

22. Noah Gragson
19.100

23. Zane Smith
17.800

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
17.500

25. William Byron
17.400

26. Ross Chastain
16.200

27. Todd Gilliland
15.300

28. Tyler Reddick
13.700

29. Chris Buescher
12.800

30. John Hunter Nemechek
12.400

31. Chase Elliott
11.700

32. Austin Cindric
10.400

33. Ryan Preece
9.400

34. Joey Logano
9.300

35. Josh Berry
9.000

36. Chase Briscoe
6.700

37. Alex Bowman
5.900

38. Ryan Blaney
3.600

39. Christopher Bell
2.300

40. Kyle Larson
1.000

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Qualifying Order

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. Austin Dillon
58.700

2. Dawson Cram
41.900

3. Katherine Legge
34.400

4. Leland Honeyman
33.700

5. Kris Wright
33.300

6. Josh Williams
33.100

7. Christian Eckes
32.600

8. Garrett Smithley
31.500

9. Nick Leitz
29.300

10. Carson Ware
29.200

11. Sheldon Creed
29.100

12. JJ Yeley
29.000

13. CJ McLaughlin
28.900

14. Jeremy Clements
28.000

15. Blaine Perkins
24.900

16. Ryan Ellis
24.800

17. Justin Allgaier
24.800

18. Brad Perez
24.300

19. Dean Thompson
24.300

20. Kyle Sieg
23.800

Group B

21. Nick Sanchez
19.100

22. Matt DiBenedetto
18.000

23. Brennan Poole
17.600

24. William Sawalich
16.900

25. Parker Retzlaff
16.700

26. Carson Kvapil
16.000

27. William Byron
15.700

28. Anthony Alfredo
15.000

29. Sammy Smith
14.100

30. Daniel Dye
11.900

31. Jeb Burton
10.000

32. Ryan Sieg
8.900

33. Brandon Jones
8.700

34. Harrison Burton
7.800

35. Taylor Gray
6.200

36. Jesse Love
6.100

37. Sam Mayer
4.400

38. Chase Briscoe
4.200

39. Austin Hill
3.400

40. Connor Zilisch
2.500

NASCAR Truck Series
Qualifying Order

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. Justin Carroll|
39.200

2. Timmy Hill
28.900

3. Cody Dennison
32.400

4. Mason Maggio
30.100

5. Stefan Persons
30.000

6. Frankie Muniz
29.000

7. Spencer Boyd
27.400

8. Dawson Sutton
25.100

9. Ross Chastain
24.300

10. Matt Mills
24.100

11. Andres Perez
24.000

12. Parker Kligerman
22.900

13. Toni Breidinger
22.800

14. Brandon Jones
21.400

15. Ben Rhodes
20.000

16. Jack Wood
19.700

17. Matt Crafton
17.700

Group B

18. Connor Mosack
17.500

19. Luke Fenhaus
16.600

20. Rajah Caruth
15.000

21. Stewart Friesen
13.400

22. Tanner Gray
12.500

23. Corey Heim
12.200

24. Jake Garcia
10.800

25. Kyle Busch
10.000

26. Gio Ruggiero
9.100

27. Kaden Honeycutt
8.900

28. BJ McLeod
8.100

29. Ty Majeski
6.300

30. Grant Enfinger
5.000

31. Layne RIggs
4.100

32. Daniel Hemric
3.700

33. Tyler Ankrum
3.300

34. Chandler Smith
1.300

Charlotte Results: May 26, 2024 (NASCAR Cup Series)

Links

Charlotte Motor Speedway | NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney will have some chill as he gets locked in and focused on the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Blaney’s No. 12 will feature the Bodyarmor Chill design for the highly anticipated race.

Each flavor of Bodyarmor Chill will be featured on the hood of his vehicle, including Frozen Cherry, Frozen Orange and Frozen Berry.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The NASCAR star hasn’t been with Bodyarmor since 2017, and he told Fox News Digital he was looking forward to having the premium sports drink back on his car again.

“It’s been a fun ride, a fun journey,” he said. “It’s been fun (to see) both of (us), whether it’s my career or their company, grow and be successful together. It’s pretty awesome when you can be teamed up with a group like that.

“They work like crazy, and it’s always fun to do different schemes through the years and multiple ones in the year. Whether we’re doing SportWater, we have the Bodyarmor Chill car this weekend at the 600, which I’m really excited about, Flash I.V. Being able to do all these fun schemes with all the products they have, that’s a dream.”

Blaney said he likes being able to use unique designs and knows the fans enjoy it too.

NASCAR fans will pack the speedway for the race, and it will be the first Cup Series points race after the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

TY DILLON THREATENS FELLOW NASCAR DRIVER AFTER ALL-STAR OPEN RACE

The drivers will travel 600 miles, completing 400 laps in what could be considered one of the most grueling races of the year. Blaney agreed with that notion, mentioning how taxing the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is each season.

“It’s funny, I remember my first 600 in like 2015, and they’re like, ‘All right, halfway.’ And I’m like, ‘What? We’re only halfway in this thing? Like, I’m exhausted.’ So, it just really puts it into perspective of actually how long the night is, how physically draining it is. … I think just as physically exhausting as it is, it’s really mentally draining. Staying in the game for 600 miles is really, really tough.”

Despite the race’s challenges, Blaney said he enjoyed trying to outlast everyone else on the track.

Blaney won the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

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He will enter this year’s race fifth in the drivers’ standings. He has yet to win a race this season but has five top five finishes and six top 10 finishes.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Coca-Cola 600

The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Sunday, May 25

The Time: 6 p.m. ET

The Purse: $13,651,450

TV: Amazon Prime, 5 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 600 miles (400 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300),

Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: BetMGM 300

The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Saturday, May 24

The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,651,939

TV: CW, 3:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Next Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200

The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Friday, May 23

The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $782,900

TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)

Kevin Harvick has watched with a keen eye throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. While some drivers have multiple wins on the year, like Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, there’s a couple winless wheelmen who are in danger of falling deeper and deeper into a slump in 2025.

The former Cup Series champion has his focus squarely on two drivers who have also lifted the trophy at the end of a season. Harvick thinks it’s paramount that Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch return to Victory Lane sooner rather than later.

“The few cars that I think really need to win are the No. 9 [Chase Elliott]. The No. 9 needs a win. I think, for them to keep their confidence level where they are, I think Chase Elliott has to win,” Harvick proclaimed, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “I think that’s the expectation that he has, the team has, the organization and [Crew Chief] Alan [Gustafson] have. They’re consistent. They’re finishing races. They’re dotting i’s. All the things that they need to do, but they’re not winning. I believe that if they don’t win soon, that frustration is going to build.

“The other one is the No. 8 [Kyle Busch]. I think that if Kyle Busch, if that doesn’t stabilize, with everything that we’ve talked about with contracts and this and that, I think that could boil over, before it’s all said and done, if there’s not some bright spots pretty quickly.”

While Elliott hasn’t been to Victory Lane in 2025, he’s been among the more consistent wheelmen in the series. He’s currently P4 in the overall standings, amassing six top tens, three top fives and 74 laps led this season. He doesn’t have a DNF, but he also doesn’t have a top three finish. His top mark was P4 twice, at the Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville Speedway.

One thing working against Elliott has been the performance of his teammates. William Byron and Larson have passed the former champion by, finding Victory Lane on a more consistent basis. If Alex Bowman goes on a winning streak, the pressure will be turned up even more for the Dawsonville, Georgia native. 

On the other hand, the downfall of Busch has been highly publicized over the past couple of seasons. While his time at Richard Childress Racing started off with a bang, the two-time champion winning three races during the first half of the 2023 season, it hasn’t been smooth sailing ever since for the No. 8 team.

His streak of winning at least one race a year came to an end in 2024, and he hasn’t been as competitive as he’d like in 2025. Busch is currently P17 in points, with four top tens and one top five to go along with 62 laps led on his resume so far. His best finish came at the Circuit of the Americas, where Busch came home P5 after leading a litany of laps, before he was caught by the aforementioned Bell.

Evaluating the landscape, it’s easy to see why Kevin Harvick believes Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch need to get to Victory Lane sooner rather than later in 2025. Whether it happens remains to be seen, but two of the more talented, popular wheelmen in the sport falling by the wayside once again would be a major disappointment for fans and media members alike.