Chris Knight

Chris Knight has served as a senior staff writer and news editor for CATCHFENCE.com since 2001.
In his 20-plus years with CATCHFENCE.com, he has covered NASCAR’s top three national series, often breaking news and providing exclusive at-track content, including in-depth race weekend coverage. He also offers insider coverage of the entire Motorsports platform, including the ARCA Menards Series.
In 2022, Knight became co-owner of CATCHFENCE.com.
In addition to his active duties at CATCHFENCE.com and other Motorsports-related endeavors, he is also a frequent contributor to SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Knighter01 or on Instagram, Snapchat, or Threads at @TheKnighter01. He can be reached by email at [email protected].

Lee Spencer

A veteran journalist with 30 years on the motorsports beat. In addition to CATCHFENCE.com, Spencer is the lead post-race reporter for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Weekend co-host. Driven to break stories for a 24/7 news cycle. Able to anticipate and identify trends within the sport and follow up through reporting to create concise, compelling stories. Abundant contacts and dependable sources provide a constant flow of leads and exclusive opportunities with athletes, teams, sponsors and sanctioning bodies. Covered a variety of racing series, pavement and dirt, throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

NASCAR’s decision to step away from major metropolitan markets has sparked serious concerns from veteran driver and team owner Denny Hamlin, who warns that losing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles could significantly impact the sport’s commercial future.

The 2026 schedule changes represent a dramatic shift that eliminates NASCAR from the nation’s three largest media markets, raising questions about the sport’s long-term growth strategy.

Speaking at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hamlin emphasized the financial implications of these departures, particularly highlighting how major markets serve as crucial activation centers for team sponsors. His dual perspective as both a competitor and business owner provides unique insight into NASCAR’s delicate balancing act between operational efficiency and commercial viability.

How Will Major Market Losses Impact Team Sponsorship Revenue?

“It certainly is important from the team owner side,” Hamlin explained when discussing the significance of metropolitan markets for team operations. He specifically pointed to Chicago as “a big activation place for 23XI in particular,” referencing his racing team’s major sponsors who had substantial marketing opportunities at the Chicago Street Race.

The numbers tell the story of what’s at stake. NASCAR teams depend on sponsorship for a huge portion of their annual revenue, with full-season sponsorships often commanding $25 million or more.

For 23XI Racing, Chicago represented a perfect storm of sponsor interests. McDonald’s, headquartered in Chicago, had natural branding opportunities while Michael Jordan’s Bulls legacy created additional marketing appeal. The team’s other major sponsor, Robinhood, also benefited from the major market exposure.

The Chicago Street Race alone generated $128 million in economic impact for the city in 2024, while NASCAR invested approximately $50 million annually to stage the downtown event. This substantial financial commitment underscores both the potential rewards and risks of urban racing ventures.

What Challenges Does NASCAR Face in Balancing Operations and Commercial Success?

Hamlin acknowledged the complexities NASCAR faces in their scheduling decisions. “I also understand the challenges of bringing racetracks to those particular cities,” he noted, recognizing the logistical difficulties of staging races in dense urban environments.

The sport is attempting an innovative solution with the San Diego Naval Base race in 2026, which provides cost efficiency through existing military infrastructure while maintaining Southern California market access. However, this single-year agreement reflects uncertainty about long-term sustainability compared to traditional track partnerships.

As Hamlin concluded about NASCAR’s predicament, “it’s a tough balance,” one that will ultimately determine whether the sport can attract new audiences while maintaining the financial ecosystem that supports teams, drivers, and stakeholders.

The 2026 season will serve as a critical test of whether creative venue strategies can compensate for the absence of traditional major market presence.

Layne Riggs led 159 of 200 laps in a stunningly dominant showing at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Front Row Motorsports driver seemed untouchable for most of the race, cruising to the checkered flag.

Corey Day earned a career-best finish of second, while Stewart Friesen managed to hang on to a podium result on older tires in his 200th start. Unfortunately, Friesen was later stripped of his third-place finish when his No. 52 truck failed post-race inspection.

“Oh man, my team — this truck was badass,” said Riggs, who now has four career wins in the NASCAR Truck Series. “It was so great. I was just out front saving my tires at the end, and I was just waiting for a late-race caution. Trying to run the bottom and trying to run the least amount of distance for my tires … Thanks to everybody at Front Row. I’m out of breath. That was a pretty cool celebration. The guys in the fab shop, body shop — I did it for you guys. This thing was really fast and made my job easy today.”

Riggs actually started the final stage in seventh, as the six trucks in front of him stayed out on old tires in a track position gamble. He quickly made his way back to the front, but Corey Heim, who was on the same strategy as Riggs, actually passed him at one point. 

The season-long rivals battled fiercely before Riggs ultimately prevailed, going on to snatch the lead away from Friesen with just over 50 laps to go. The rest of the field (outside of those he was lapping) never saw Riggs again, as he cruised to the checkered flag.

As a result of Friesen’s disqualification, Heim finished third, which was just enough to clinch the regular season championship early. Grant Enfinger finished fourth, Ty Majeski fifth, Chandler Smith sixth, Daniel Hemric seventh, Tyler Ankrum eighth, Ross Chastain ninth, and Rajah Caruth tenth.

Stages 1 and 2

The race got underway with Heim starting from pole position after qualifying was cancelled due to thunderstorms earlier in the day.

The first stage went completely caution-free, which made Riggs’ charge from 11th on the grid even more impressive. He cut a path forward, taking the lead and winning the opening stage of the race.

During the stage break, NASCAR Cup star Chastain had a wheel come off on pit road. His truck actually climbed up over the loose wheel, losing a lap for repairs in the process.

The race remained clean and green throughout most of the second stage, but Josh Reaume slammed the wall at one point, triggering the first natural yellow. Chastain got back on the lead lap via the free pass, while a handful of drivers chose to pit for a fresh set of tires.

This alternate strategy allowed them to scoop up some track position with Friesen benefitting the most, charging all the way up to second. However, he was not able to deny Riggs a sweep of the two stages.

1	L. Riggs Front Row Motorsports	34		Ford	200			4	60
2	C. Day Spire Motorsports	7		Chevrolet	200		1.864	5
3	S. Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing	52		Toyota	200		1.716	5	43
4	C. Heim TRICON Garage	11		Toyota	200		1.883	5	43
5	G. Enfinger CR7 Motorsports	9		Chevrolet	200		0.985	5	46
6	T. Majeski ThorSport Racing	98		Ford	200		0.588	5	44
7	C. Smith Front Row Motorsports	38		Ford	200		2.519	5	44
8	D. Hemric McAnally Hilgemann Racing	19		Chevrolet	200		2.223	5	29
9	T. Ankrum McAnally Hilgemann Racing	18		Chevrolet	200		4.273	5	33
10	R. Chastain Niece Motorsports	44		Chevrolet	200		2.001	6
11	R. Caruth Spire Motorsports	71		Chevrolet	200		0.295	7	30
12	B. Rhodes ThorSport Racing	99		Ford	200		1.521	6	35
13	L. Fenhaus ThorSport Racing	66		Ford	200		4.150	5	26
14	T. Gray TRICON Garage	15		Toyota	200		0.529	5	24
15	K. Honeycutt Niece Motorsports	45		Chevrolet	199		1 Lap	6	27
16	J. Garcia ThorSport Racing	13		Ford	199		0.123	5	21
17	B. Queen Spire Motorsports	07		Chevrolet	199		7.779	5	20
18	C. Mosack McAnally Hilgemann Racing	81		Chevrolet	199		8.745	5	20
19	M. Crafton ThorSport Racing	88		Ford	199		2.401	7	18
20	D. Sutton Rackley W.A.R.	26		Chevrolet	199		1.186	6	17
21	J. Wood McAnally Hilgemann Racing	91		Chevrolet	199		2.559	5	16
22	M. Mills Niece Motorsports	42		Chevrolet	198		1 Lap	6	15
23	A. Pérez de Lara Spire Motorsports	77		Chevrolet	198		11.537	5	14
24	B. Crews TRICON Garage	1		Toyota	198		1.086	5	13
25	S. Boyd Freedom Racing Enterprises	76		Chevrolet	198		1.590	8	12
26	G. Ruggiero TRICON Garage	17		Toyota	198		0.874	5	11
27	T. Breidinger TRICON Garage	5		Toyota	198		5.486	6	10
28	F. Muniz Reaume Brothers Racing	33		Ford	197		1 Lap	4	9
29	G. Van Alst Van Alst Motorsports	35		Chevrolet	194		3 Laps	10	8
30	J. Anderson Young’s Motorsports	20		Chevrolet	194		5.433	10
31	A. Jayson Young’s Motorsports	02		Chevrolet	193		1 Lap	6	6
32	N. Benning Norm Benning Racing	6		Chevrolet	99		94 Laps	13	5	Handling
33	A. J. Waller Reaume Brothers Racing	22		Ford	65		34 Laps	7	4	Accident
34	B. Oliver Mike Harmon Racing	74		Chevrolet	39		26 Laps	7	3	Handling
35	C. Dennison Reaume Brothers Racing	2		Ford	8		31 Laps	3	2	Electrical

Caio Collet pulled off a two-for-one deal Saturday, sweeping the poles for both races in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Collet drove to his first and second poles of the season – and second and third in his career – in the INDYCAR development series, edging championship leader Dennis Hauger for the top spot in both 35-lap races. Race 1 starts at 4:30 p.m. ET today, with Race 2 taking the green flag at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (Both races FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

SEE: Race 1 Qualifying Results | Race 2 Qualifying Results

The pole winner has won the last 10 INDY NXT races at this picturesque 11-turn, 2.238-mile permanent road course adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, which bodes well for Collet. His first career victory, in July 2024 at Mid-Ohio, came from his only other career pole. He also won this season at Road America from the second starting spot.

“Very fortunate,” Collet said. “It was a little too late in the championship, to be honest, to get our first pole, but better late than never. The team did a phenomenal job since yesterday.

“The car was quite tricky. I made a couple of little mistakes, but I was glad I could pull both laps together. It was a tough session, to be honest. I’m just happy to start on pole for both races.”

Collet, who led practice Friday, earned the top spot for the first race with his top lap of 1 minute, 13.2566 seconds in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. His second-best lap of 1:13.3283 was good enough for pole for Race 2.

Hauger recovered from a rare crash in practice Friday to qualify second for both races in the No. 28 Nammo car of Andretti Global with his top two laps of 1:13.3275 and 1:13.3585.

Josh Pierson will start third in both races in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car after his best laps of 1:13.4363 and 1:13.4499.

The mirror-image starting lineups for both races ended starting with the fourth spot. Myles Rowe, winner of the most-recent race at Iowa Speedway, will start fourth in Race 1 after his best lap of 1:13.6423 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car. Lochie Hughes, second in championship points, will start fourth in Race 2 with his lap of 1:13.7569 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championships machine of Andretti Global.

The third row in both races also featured a mixture of drivers. Callum Hedge will start fifth in both races after his best times of 1:13.5210 and 1:13.7659. Hughes will join Hedge in Row 3 for Race 1, while Rowe will start sixth in Race 2.

This is the second and final doubleheader of 2025. Hauger leads teammate Hughes by 76 points with five races remaining this season.

INDIANAPOLIS — Two laps at Texas could be worth $1 million Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Ty Dillon and Kaulig Racing.

In an In-Season Challenge finale no one could have foreseen, Dillon —the last seed in the 32-driver event — will race Ty Gibbs. Whoever finishes the best among those two will win the big paycheck.

Dillon looks back to his overtime restart at Texas with setting him up for this magical run.

Ty Dillon’s overtime charge netted a season-best finish and made the disappointment of recent races fade away.

Dillon went from 18th to 12th in the final two laps at Texas in May for what was then his best finish of the season. He passed Gibbs, Zane Smith, Chris Buescher, Justin Haley and Riley Herbst before moving ahead of William Byron just before the finish line.

“The thing about me beating William to the line there, it’s probably insignificant at the end of the day, it’s one point different, that’s it … but for me it was a check on my list,” Dillon told NBC Sports in May. “OK, I feel confident in making that move for when it is for something super important.”

That came two weeks ago at Sonoma and then last week at Dover as Dillon found ways to advance in the In-Season Challenge.

Dillon was matched against Alex Bowman at Sonoma in the third round. On the final lap, Bowman was ahead of Dillon entering the final corner.

For Dillon, that brought to mind his Texas finish.

“That Texas restart where we passed a lot of cars … built confidence,” Dillon said this week in response to a question from NBC Sports. “It builds confidence that the next time you get in that situation, you feel like you can get it done again.

“Sonoma was the first time where backs against the wall, last restart, couple of laps to go, here’s one of those moments. And was able to capitalize on that.”

Denny Hamlin has raced his entire Cup career with Joe Gibbs Racing and has a deal in place to keep them there through 2027.

Dillon advanced when he moved Bowman up the track to get by.

Dillon then faced John Hunter Nemechek in last weekend’s semifinals at Dover. They raced each other late to be in the free pass position if there was a late caution.

“Last week, it looked even more grim from my position of I don’t know if we’re going to make it around here, but if I can just get one more restart, that’s the only moment I need,” Dillon said this week.

On a restart eight laps from the scheduled distance, Dillon went to the bottom lane to go three-wide with Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Turn 1. Dillon cleared Stenhouse and then completed the move by Nemechek in Turn 3.

There are only three former winners in the field of the crown jewel event.

A caution soon came out, keeping Dillon ahead of Nemechek. Dillon held off Nemechek on the next restart before the caution came back out, going him the free pass over Nemechek. Dillon would finish as the last car on the lead lap. Nemechek would finish one spot behind, the first car a lap down.

“The moments have been happening and I have been able to step through, so the confidence is there,” Dillon said. “All I can hope is that the moment comes up again and I feel, ultimately, supremely confident that myself and our team will walk through that door and be able to capitalize.

“So, I’m not really thinking about the magnitude of the situation (at Indy) … I think we’ve already won as a team and as a driver making it this far.”