After a break in Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Pro Stock competition, Elite Motorsports has sights set on success at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing Pro Stock car, heads to Norwalk, Ohio as the defending event winner determined to repeat last year’s success.

“Going back to a track where you’re the defending event winner is pretty special. Might give a little confidence, but really, my confidence is in these Elite Motorsports guys. It’s been a less-than-ideal start to the season, but they’re grinding. They’re working hard in the engine shop, out at testing, and then giving it their all each race weekend,” said Stanfield. “It’s pretty special to be a part of. I hope this weekend we can repeat our win from last year and celebrate all the hard work they’ve put in. I’ll just try to do my job well and not screw it up too badly for them.”

The Norwalk event brings an extra element with the GETTRX NHRA All-Star Pro Stock Callout, a specialty race featuring the top eight qualified Pro Stock cars in a unique NHRA Callout format. This race within a race adds intensity and rewards, amplifying the stakes for Stanfield and his team.

“This weekend has some extra excitement with the Callout. Always fun to have a race within a race for some extra cash and bragging rights,” Stanfield added. “The Callout format makes things interesting. I think we’re all looking forward to the added competition.”

Stanfield will be joined by three Elite Motorsports teammates in the All-Star Pro Stock Callout making up half of the eight-car field.

Troy Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Pro Stock car for Elite Motorsports, will be one of those teammates. This weekend’s events hold special significance for Troy Jr., a native Ohioan, as he races in front of family, friends, and JEGS employees while debuting a striking new Haas Racing chassis with a reverse black-and-yellow paint scheme, flipping the iconic JEGS.com colors for a bold new look.

“Nothing beats racing in the Great State of Ohio. We have a ton of JEGS employees accompanying us this week, along with most of my family. It’s such an exciting race at Norwalk with the family atmosphere, really excited to have my wife, Brenna, and kids, Aubrey & Tripp, with me, it’s a huge motivator to be my best,” Troy Jr. said. “What we’re building with the JEGS Midnight Haas Camaro is something truly special. With the talent and heart poured into this car by Kelley, Kyle, Stevo, Alex, and the Elite Motorsports team, we’re not just preparing to race—we’re preparing to win. The energy in the Crew Chief Lounge is electric, and the entire team lives and breathes this sport. Every day is a step forward, and the future for this program is incredibly bright.”

Troy Jr. is looking for his first national event win at his home racetrack. In 2024, Troy Jr. qualified 10th and made his way to the quarterfinals, coming up short to teammate Cristian Cuadra.

Driving the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Light Beer machine, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is also set to compete in the GETTRX NHRA All-Star Pro Stock Callout. A six-time world champion with five Pro Stock titles to his name, Jeg Jr. is a proud Ohio native chasing the first victory at his home racetrack.

“Racing in Ohio has always been special, and as we approach the week and the Norwalk Nationals, I couldn’t be more excited to race before the local fans, our awesome SCAG dealers/partners, and our huge family that is close by,” Jeg Jr. said. “This week’s event is a doubleheader in the Pro Stock world with the GETTRX Callout specialty race that takes place for the eight best-qualified cars. So, we will be very busy racing and entertaining the massive crowds expected this weekend.”

Despite not having a national event victory at Norwalk, Jeg Jr. has won at the fan-favorite track. He picked up the top prize in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, similar to the All-Star Callout, in 2009.

“With just a handful of races remaining in the ‘regular’ season, every round is important to position ourselves for our ‘playoffs,” said Jeg Jr., referring to the NHRA six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Currently tied for ninth in points, Jeg Jr. will hope to improve on his raceday efforts from last year when he qualified 12th and had a first-round exit.

Six-time Pro Stock world champion and the winningest female in all of motorsports, Erica Enders, rounds out the Elite Motorsports quad that will be competing in both the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals and the GETTRX NHRA All-Star Callout. Enders and her JHG / Melling / SCAG machine are chasing national event win number 50, 49 in Pro Stock. Last year in Norwalk, Enders was the No. 2 qualifier but, like Troy Jr., had her race day ended early by Cristian.

Driving the Janac Brother / The Rod Shop Pro Stock car, Greg Stanfield, a veteran racer in his first year racing under the Elite Motorsports banner, will also be looking for victory at this weekend’s Norwalk national event. Greg is currently 12th in points and looking for his first win racing as a teammate with son Aaron.

Competition at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park begins with qualifying Friday at 6 and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations for the event will begin Sunday at 11 a.m. with Pro Stock first round at 12:05 p.m. Fans can catch qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

This story was originally published on June 26, 2025.

HAMPTON, Ga. — The bracket is set for the inaugural NASCAR in-season tournament, which kicks off this Saturday at EchoPark Speedway at Atlanta.

Over the next five races, 32 NASCAR Cup Series teams will square off to determine who will $1 million. A fan could also win $1 million for their bracket.

NASCAR In-Season Challenge Tournament Bracket

The top-32 in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings after the June 1 race at Nashville Superspeedway locked into the in-season tournament. NASCAR seeded the tournament based on drivers’ finishes at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono.

NASCAR In-Season Challenge Tournament: How it Works

The tournament consists of 32 drivers competing head-to-head for a $1 million prize. The field will go from 32 drivers to 16 to 8 to four to two through these five races:

1. EchoPark Speedway at Atlanta: June 28 at 7 p.m. (all times Eastern)
   • “All 32 eligible entries will run a unified black-and-yellow ‘In-Season Challenge’ windshield header decal.​”
2. Chicago Street Race: July 6 at 2 p.m.
   • Cars in rounds two through four “will carry unique color-based windshield header decals based on bracket matchups”
     • Cars go back to regular decals once eliminated
3. Sonoma Raceway: July 13 at 3:30 p.m.
4. Dover Motor Speedway: July 20 at 2 p.m.
5. Indianapolis Motor Speedway: July 27 at 2 p.m.
   • The final two drivers will run a special gold/chrome header

All races will air on TNT and Max. Larry McReynolds and Jeff Burton will host an altcast on truTV, focusing exclusively on tournament matchups in real time.

MORE: Prime Video, TNT Sports name announcers for NASCAR Cup Series races

During the tournament, the highest-finishing driver in each matchup advances to the next round. At Indy, only one driver will be left standing.

Fans can win $1 million if they fill out a perfect bracket. NASCAR is also partnering with DraftKings to offer bets on the tournament.

MORE: NASCAR to launch in-season tournament in 2025

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

Lakeville Track Hosts NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for First Time in Its 68-Year History

LAKEVILLE, Conn., June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage is proud to serve as primary sponsor of the LIUNA 150, a historic NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race taking place Saturday, June 28 at Lime Rock Park. This will mark the first time a NASCAR national touring series event has ever been held at the legendary Connecticut road course.

The race will also make history as the first-ever Lime Rock Park event to be broadcast live on a major television network, with FOX airing the event at 1:00 p.m. ET. Only three NASCAR Truck Series races will be featured on the FOX network this season, making this a major milestone for both the track and the surrounding community.

“We’re thrilled to support this groundbreaking moment at Lime Rock Park,” said Michael McAlhany, CEO of UNITS Moving and Portable Storage. “As a longtime NASCAR sponsor, it’s an honor to partner with Hill Motorsports and help bring national attention to such a historic and beloved track.”

UNITS currently sponsors NASCAR driver Timmy Hill, who will compete in the LIUNA 150 as part of a 14-race schedule in 2025. The company has supported Hill Motorsports for the past four years and previously worked with Starcom Motorsports and 2000 NASCAR Cup Champion Bobby Labonte in other national series.

Lime Rock Park, nestled in the Litchfield Hills of Lakeville, has long been a favorite for road racing fans. This NASCAR Truck Series debut and national TV spotlight represent a major step forward for the track and an exciting opportunity for Connecticut racing fans.

To learn more about Units Moving and Portable Storage please visit https://unitsstorage.com.

ABOUT UNITS^® Moving and Portable Storage

Established in 2004, UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage was founded by Michael McAlhany during the emergence of the moving and portable storage industry. The company’s mission is to provide personal customer service and supply the most innovative and highest quality equipment. Nationwide UNITS Moving and Portable Storage are locally owned and operated and familiar with the communities they serve. UNITS Moving and Portable Storage offers high-quality constructed containers featuring barn-style doors and all-steel construction.

The UNITS Moving and Portable Storage container is clean, weather-resistant, spacious, and available in 12-ft and 16-ft. lengths. The UNITS Moving and Portable Storage ROBO Delivery System is the most technologically advanced in the industry, virtually eliminating any shift in contents when lifting containers on and off transport vehicles and placing them in tight areas where competitors cannot. The container may be placed in a UNITS Moving and Portable Storage service center or at the customer’s desired location, always at ground level for easy access. The national network of UNITS Moving and Portable Storage and Service Centers currently services over 3,000 cities in over 30 states throughout North America and continues to grow. Please visit www.unitsstorage.com for more information.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the founders of Spire Motorsports has entered an agreement to purchase the NASCAR team owned by Rick Ware and is jumping back into the stock car series because he believes the current charters are grossly undervalued.

T.J. Puchyr, who in 2018 alongside Jeff Dickerson launched the Spire team to take over the charter that Furniture Row Racing could not unload, told The Associated Press on Thursday he and Rick Ware Racing have a deal for him to take over Ware’s organization next season.

When Puchyr and Dickerson bought the Furniture Row charter, the market for NASCAR’s version of franchise models was essentially dead. Their agency had been hired by Furniture Row owner Barney Visser to sell the charter and when they couldn’t find a buyer, the two decided to purchase it themselves for $6 million and launch their own team.

That decision jump-started the charter market and the most recent charters sold — when Stewart-Haas Racing went out of business at the end of last season — went for approximately $30 million. Puchyr and Dickerson are largely credited with pumping life and value into an otherwise dormant charter system.

Puchyr last year sold his shares of Spire to Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Motorsports and header of the new Cadillac F1 team. Puchyr has spent 2025 consulting with various teams, including RWR and Legacy Motor Club. He’s watched the market closely and has attended several of the recent court hearings involving NASCAR against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, who have filed an antitrust lawsuit over the charter agreement those two teams refused to sign last September.

There are only 36 Cup Series charters, which guarantee a team entry into every NASCAR race and a steady revenue stream. Puchyr believes they are greatly undervalued and in one of his final deals with Spire, he helped acquire a charter from Live Fast Motorsports for $40 million.

“I am bullish on wanting to build a three-car team. I believe in the France family and the direction of the sport and I want the rest of the shareholders and industry to know that I believe the charters are worth $75 million or more,” he told AP.

In his deal with Ware, Puchyr will keep Ware on board as a partner, also keep Ware’s son, Cody, in the No. 51 Ford, and retain all of the current RWR employees. Ware’s current second charter is leased to RFK Racing, but Legacy Motor Club made a legal claim that it had entered an agreement to buy that charter next season.

A judge did not agree with Legacy, and said Ware has a lease deal with RFK for 2026 on a second charter. Puchyr believes none of the parties can perform to Legacy-RWR contract — which he said was written by Legacy — and there is no charter available from Ware for Legacy for either lease or purchase in 2026. Ware has filed a countersuit against Legacy.

Legacy, a two-car Cup team, is currently owned by seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. He has recently taken on partnership from private equity firm Knighthead Capital Management, which alongside Johnson is exploring expansion into several other motorsports series.

“If anybody deserves a pass it is Jimmie and if he wants to sit down and talk about it like men, I’d entertain the conversation,” said Puchyr, who was offended that Legacy sued Ware.

“I don’t think Jimmie has all the facts, doesn’t understand the deal we had, and they tried to humiliate Rick publicly. We don’t do business that way.”

Now, Puchyr and Ware are confident the second charter currently leased to RFK will be returned to their team in 2027, allowing Puchyr to expand the organization. He wants to buy a third charter that makes the organization a three-car Cup team by 2027.

Ware has done the second-most charter transactions in the industry only to Spire and at one point held four. Now he’s trying to rebuild his organization and win races with his son as the driver, something Puchyr wants to help him achieve.

“I’ve won at everything I’ve done at every level and I think we can compete with these guys,” Puchyr said. “I think we can build it brick-by-brick and it’s going to take people, money and time. It’s not lost on me that (RWR) is the 36th-place car in the garage, we all see it. But I believe we can make this a competitive organization, even a winner.

“And I believe we can get these charters valued at their true worth.”

Ware fields winning organizations in other motorsports series, including NHRA with Clay Millican, who won the 2024 American Flat Track championship, the 2022 FIM World Supercross Championship and the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series prototype title.

Puchyr did not reveal to the AP how much he’s paying for Ware’s organization, which technically only holds the charter for Cody Ware’s car this season and runs Corey Lajoie in a second “open” car in select races. Once it gets its leased charter back from RFK in 2027, the team will have at least two cars with the focus on purchasing a third.

Purchasing charters is not easy at this time as multiple teams have interest but lack the monetary funds to buy them at the ever-increasing rates. Among this is Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has not been able to get his hands on charters to take his Xfinity Series team to NASCAR’s top Cup Series level.

___

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

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2025) – 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.

CONCORD, N.C. – When it came time for Hendrick Motorsports archivist Sam Ulrich to look for Atlanta Motor Speedway-themed trinkets, he certainly had his choices. 

After all, the organization has won a NASCAR Cup Series-leading 17 times at the 1.54-mile quad-oval. And that doesn’t even take into account clinching championships there in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

But somehow, ol’ Sam impressed again, digging deeper, past all the trophies to a little test session in October of 2007. One in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped into a No. 5 Chevrolet to begin acclimating to life at Hendrick Motorsports. 

Yep, nothing gets by Sam, and sure enough, he still had some sheet metal from the exact car that Earnhardt Jr. ripped around the banking in Georgia. 

“It’s like going to a new school, making new friends,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the session. “It’s hard to make new friends. It’s hard to build relationships. I had such a great rapport and great relationship with all the guys on my team I’m currently with, and to have to go through the challenge of that and building that respect and trust with a whole new group’s gonna be tough.”

Probably not as tough as testing Sam’s trivia acumen. 

That’s where you come in. 

As always, test your luck against Sam’s seemingly infinite Hendrick Motorsports knowledge and you could take home the car from that day as well … at least in diecast form. 

Indeed, this week’s prize is a 1:24 diecast from that 2007 test session, fresh in the box and ready for shipping. Earnhardt Jr., donning an Adidas fire suit, is seen pictured on the front next to Hendrick and posed in front of the City Chevrolet No. 5 with All-Star Racing written down the sides. 

To win, be among the entrants who answer the most questions correctly and you will be entered into a random drawing.

As always, this week’s quiz will close at 11:45 p.m. on Monday night. Entries are limited to one per device. 

Good luck!