A NASCAR insider has the latest on Dodge making its return to NASCAR Cup Series. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared details on which teams would sign with the car manufacturer for the Cup Series once the manufacturer makes that jump.

“Dodge has had conversations with several parties representing teams, both existing and prospective, including at least one current Cup organization,” Bianchi wrote. “The consensus within the garage is that Dodge would be best served by aligning with an already operational team that knows the ins and outs of NASCAR, helping to mitigate the typical issues that inevitably arise when a new manufacturer comes in. Expect substantial movement on this soon.”

On June 8, NASCAR announced that Ram (previously part of Dodge) would return to NASCAR for the 2026 Truck Series season. At the time, John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said the process of Ram’s return gained momentum at the end of the third quarter of the 2024 fiscal year.

More on Dodge’s return to NASCAR

“I know that this is something that we have been talking about for a long time, and it’s something that we don’t get to do very often,” Probst said in a press release. “I think the last time we did this was over 20 years ago when Toyota entered our sport, so this is something that is a big moment for our entire sport and our existing competitors, potential new competitors, our OEMs.”

Ram spun off as a separate brand of Dodge in 2010. The last time Dodge competed in the NASCAR Cup Series was in 2012, when Brad Keselowski won the title for Team Penske in a Dodge Charger. Dodge Ram celebrated three manufacturer titles in the Truck Series (2001, 2003-2004) during its first run, which ended in 2013.

In June, Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on Dodge returning to NASCAR. “It’s really neat to see RAM come back to the Truck Series,” Harvick stated, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “They were always such a big part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and everything that happens and has happened with it through the years. So they just, I mean — it’s just NASCAR. They’re just a NASCAR brand. I don’t know why they ever left. 13 years ago. I’m happy that they’re back.

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Team
Watkins Glen International Competition Notes
Go Bowling at The Glen

Date: Sunday, August 10, 2025
Event: Race 26 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen International (2.45-miles)
#of Laps: 90
Time/TV/Radio: 2:00 PM ET on USA/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Zane Smith Notes

The NASCAR Cup Series is back to road course racing this weekend with Zane Smith and the No. 38 facing Watkins Glen International. Smith has proven to be a strong competitor on road courses throughout his NASCAR career, earning back-to-back Truck Series wins at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2022 and 2023. In his Cup Series rookie season in 2024, Smith finished fifth at the New York track.

“These last few races have definitely been frustrating, but there’s no quit in this No. 38 team,” said Smith. “We’ve shown we have the speed to compete — it’s just about putting together a complete race and avoiding trouble. I had a solid run at Watkins Glen last year, and with the speed in our car and my confidence on road courses, I believe we have a real shot to turn things around this weekend.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Tyler Podlaski

Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Ernest Mullins

Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Flores

Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Chris Webb

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Kaden Honeycutt will fill in for Stewart Friesen for the balance of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season in the No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro starting with next weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway.

Friesen was injured while competing in a Super DIRTCar Series race at Canada’s Autodrome Drummond on Monday, July 28. He was later transferred to a hospital in New York where he continues to make progress after undergoing several surgeries.

“While I continue to recover, it was important for us to put someone in our truck that can help us compete at the highest level,” said Friesen. “I know Kaden will deliver strong performance in our truck and allow us to continue to run for the owner’s championship.”

Honeycutt comes to Halmar Friesen Racing after achieving at a high level all season in his first full-time year in the NASCAR Truck Series. In 16 starts, the Texas-native has finished in the top-10 nine times, including two third-place finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and Pocono Raceway in June. He comes into the race at Watkins Glen sixth in the standings with a 73-point buffer on the cutline for a NASCAR Playoff berth, which will potentially allow the No. 52 Toyota team to compete for both a driver and owner’s title this year.

“It’s an honor to be able to fill in for Stewart for the rest of the season and help give his team a chance at the owner’s championship, which they earned. I’m excited to compete in contending, race-winning equipment as I pursue a title this season,” said Honeycutt. “We are going to work hard to have a solid final eight races of the season and continue to deliver great results for Stewart, his family and this organization.”

2017 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Christopher Bell will drive the No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra this weekend at Watkins Glen International before Honeycutt takes over. Honeycutt’s run with Halmar Friesen Racing will begin next Friday, August 15 at Richmond Raceway with television coverage on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Honeycutt will drive for Young’s Motorsports this weekend at Watkins Glen International after being released from his Niece Motorsports ride on Monday.

The ARCA Menards Series is going to Upstate New York to take on Watkins Glen International this weekend.

There are 28 cars entered for the road course.

Dale Quarterley will make his first main series start since Lime Rock Park in his No. 4.

Fast Track Racing’s lineup is completely different from its Iowa Speedway roster. Trevor Ward moves to the No. 9, while Ed Pompa, Matt Wilson and Trent Curtis will run the Nos. 10, 11 and 12, respectively. It’s Wilson’s first start of 2025 and Curtis’ series debut.

Alon Day will make his second ARCA start of 2025 in the No. 25 for Venturini Motorsports.

Ryan Gemmell is back for his second appearance of the season in Nemco Motorsports’ No. 29.

ARCA Power Rankings: Brenden Queen, Brent Crews Pull Away from the Pack

Corey Aiken and Shane Backes are entered in VWV Racing’s Nos. 34 and 00. It’ll be Backes’ series debut.

Ryan Roulette is set to make his sixth ARCA start of 2025 in the No. 67 for Maples Motorsports.

Thad Moffitt will make his seventh ARCA start of 2025 in the No. 70 for Nitro Motorsports. It’s his first start in Nitro’s No. 70 after previously driving the No. 46.

Glen Reen and Andy Jankowiak are entered in a two-car effort, the Nos. 71 and 73, for KLAS Motorsports.

Chris Werth is back for his first race of the season in his self-owned No. 72.

Tristan McKee is in the Spire Motorsports No. 77 for his series debut.

Casey Carden will make his second ARCA start of 2025 in the No. 86 for Clubb Racing Inc.

Rise Motorsports’ No. 31, which was initially scheduled for the full season, is not entered, instead heading west for the ARCA Menards Series West event at Tri-City Raceway.

The ARCA Menards Series is scheduled to take the green flag at Watkins Glen at 2 p.m. ET, with coverage on FOX Sports 2.

Logan Kendall joined the Frontstretch team in 2025 as the Tuesday News Writer and fills in other roles as needed. He resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spends his free time writing as a hobby creatively and is a self published author.

Logan can be found on X @LoganKendall48

Trackhouse Racing announced early this summer that Daniel Suárez would not return as the driver of the No. 99 car next season. One year removed from making the playoffs, Suárez is now entering NASCAR free agency at a time of significant uncertainty. However, there could be one Cup Series spot on the table.

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that Spire Motorsports driver Justin Haley is very much on the hot seat right now. While an official decision on his 2026 status hasn’t been made, Suárez is a potential replacement option if the team moves off Haley.

“One potential option is if Spire elects to move on from Haley. Signing Suárez would give Spire a veteran who has won multiple races and would be highly motivated to prove he deserves to remain in Cup.”

The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi on Spire Motorsports as a potential landing spot for Daniel Suarez

Related: Trackhouse Prospect Connor Zilisch to Make Big Announcement

• Daniel Suarez stats (Cup Series): 363 points, 3 top 10s, 1 top five, 6 DNFs, 30 laps led, 23.826 average starting position, 22.0 average finishing position

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However, even that isn’t a given. That’s because Spire is still undecided on whether Suárez would even be an upgrade in the No. 7 car over Haley. Even if the seat is offered, per Bianchi, Suárez “would likely prefer” a multi-year deal, and Spire would likely want to keep its options open for a deeper and more talented pool of NASCAR free agents following the 2026 season.

Trackhouse offers better equipment than Spire, but Haley has a better finishing position (21.304) and fewer DNFs (one) than Suárez. On the other hand, Suárez won a Cup race last season (Ambetter Health 400), and he has more top-20 finishes (three) than Haley (one) this year.

Related: NASCAR Standings, see where Daniel Suarez sits

Most around racing agree that the best option for Suárez is to return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He could drive for JR Motorsports, which is poised to lose Connor Zilisch to the Cup level, the same team Suárez won The Chilango 150 at Mexico City with in June. He would be a championship contender, with a strong season in 2026 positioning him to land a better Cup ride the following offseason.

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Suárez, who turns 34 years old in January, has made it clear that he wants to remain in the Cup Series, where he can make significantly more money. However, considering how few open seats there are for next season, he might be left with no other option but to return to the Xfinity Series.

Related: NASCAR Drivers on the Hot Seat, including Daniel Suarez

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After an eight-week skid marked by frustration, including a double-duty disaster with crashes at both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, Kyle Larson finally found daylight in mid-July. His $100,000 Joker’s Jackpot victory at Eldora Speedway in the High Limit Racing Series looked like the spark he needed. Riding that wave of confidence into the NASCAR Cup Series, Larson logged back-to-back top-five finishes at Dover and Indianapolis. But Iowa brought him back to earth.

A 28th-place finish, compounded by heated on-track tension with teammate Chase Elliott, who twice bumped Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet and nearly sent it into the outside wall, left Larson with more aggravation than momentum.

Just one day later, however, Larson flipped the script. He rolled into Southern Iowa Speedway on Monday night for the Front Row Challenge and took the checkered flag, winning the prestigious event for the fifth time in his career and his fourth in the last five years.

The victory serves as a traditional prelude to Knoxville Nationals week, where sprint car racing’s elite will battle for big money and bragging rights at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World,” Knoxville Raceway.

Larson expressed his gratitude to team owner Rick Hendrick and crew chief Cliff Daniels for letting him keep one foot in the sprint car world. He said, “It caps off with the most prestigious sprint car race in the world. So yeah, there’s a lot that goes into making the Knoxville Nationals the coolest event in the world.

“I enjoy getting to run it. I’m thankful that I get to run it ’cause you know, I could easily not. I could have an owner that wouldn’t allow me to run it. But thankfully, Mr. H and Cliff and everybody there let me run. They know how important it is to me, and yeah it’s cool. We’ve been here since last Wednesday and look forward to the weekend.”

Despite winning three Cup races this season and holding third in the driver standings, Larson still seeks to reclaim his midseason momentum. Monday night’s Front Row Challenge win might be the jolt he needed to get his Cup campaign back on track.