What’s Happening?

Despite NASCAR’s return to Mexico City being a relative success, a new report claims that the race is by no means a guarantee for the 2026 schedule.

The NASCAR Cup Series went international for its first ever points-paying race in Mexico City for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. LEGACY MC teammates, John Hunter Nemechek piloting the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE and Erik Jones in the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE were ready to take on the foreign road course. Shane Van Gisbergen led the field to the green flag after Saturday’s qualifying session was shortened by 17 minutes due to weather. At the end of the race, it was Van Gisbergen who defended his pole and took home the win in Mexico City.

Below is a look at how the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries fared:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 32ND | FINISH: 6TH | POINTS: 23RD

It only took one lap for the rain to make its way into the storyline in Mexico City. On Lap 2 the field pitted for rain tires and John Hunter Nemechek found himself in the 29th position as the race restarted. Lap 6 saw another caution and Nemechek said the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota needed some grip as he found himself in the 23rd position. On Lap 10 Nemechek ran off course due to the slick conditions as it continued to rain and fell to 31st. On Lap 17 the No. 42 pitted for tires and fuel, as part of their strategy. Nemechek would finish Stage 1 in 31st place.

Nemechek would start Stage 2 from the 18th position. While running 20th he spun during Lap 25 into the grass falling back to 32nd in the running order. He pitted again on Lap 32 under yellow for tires and fuel, stating the car lacked grip. Crew chief Travis Mack called for an adjustment and Nemechek restarted the race in 26th. He finished Stage 2 in the 14th position.

At the stage break Nemechek told Mack that he was a little tight on entry and free on exit, but Mack said he was “looking good”. More rain began to threaten the race on Lap 46.

Nemechek started the final stage in the 12th position. By Lap 50 Nemechek powered his way to ninth. On Lap 60 Nemechek was running 18th when green flag pit stops started. On Lap 64 Nemechek pitted under green and he made it to the end of pit road when a caution flag flew. He restarted seventh and in one lap clawed his way to fourth in the running order with 30 to go.

In the closing laps, the tire wear proved to be what ultimately caused Nemechek to forfeit fifth, and he brought the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota home in sixth, his best career finish on a road course.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:

“Hats off to this whole No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. The Pye-Barker colors looked really good on our Camry this weekend, and I’m super stoked on a sixth-place finish. Our road course program has not been good here at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, so a solid run for us after the last three weeks we’ve had – two wrecks, and not so good run in Nashville – we needed this as a team to get back on track. I had a lot of text messages from my wife (Taylor) and had a lot of text messages from Jimmie (Johnson, co-owner, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) yesterday – I was pretty down after qualifying, and beating myself up pretty bad, but we executed during the race. I got spun out a couple of times and still came home sixth. Hats off to Travis (Mack, crew chief) on the strategy. He called a really good race, and we were able to execute and come home sixth. Proud of the day.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 14TH | FINISH: 17TH | POINTS: 22ND

Erik Jones was ready for a new challenge as he took on NASCAR’s Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City. After rain brought out the early caution, the No. 43 Family Dollar team brought Jones down pit road to put on a set of rain tires after starting 14th for the inaugural event. He restarted in the same position and despite being cautious in the rain, he was able to work his way up into the top-10 before putting on slick tires as the rain went away. Crew chief Ben Beshore opted to keep his driver on the track while others were short pitting the first stage to finish sixth and gain five valuable stage points.

This strategy caused Jones to be stuck deep in the field for the start of Stage 2 where Jones restarted 22nd. He was attempting to make moves on the opening laps of the stage when he was shoved off course by a spin and fell back to 29th. He kept his head in the game though and found himself back in 22nd by the lap-32 caution. Trouble hit during the next green flag run though as Jones was forced to come to pit road for an unscheduled stop on lap 38 for a flat left front tire. He stayed on the lead lap but was far behind the leaders in 33rd, where he finished as the rest of the stage went green.

In the final stage, Jones was once again deep in the field after restarting 32nd. In one lap though, he drove his way all the way up to 20th as he used advantage of the speed he had found on the restart. He continued to work his way up to eighth by the lap-65 caution where he took a trip down pit road for four tires and fuel. Jones restarted 16th and avoided chaos on the first few turns to battle in the top-15 in the final laps. As the race went green though, Jones started to struggle with a tight-handling racecar and fell back to 17th, where he ultimately finished.

ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:
“Today was honestly a roller coaster. We had so much speed that first stage and even got bonus points. I think we could’ve worked our way back into the top-10 for the second stage if it weren’t for that flat tire. I’m still proud of my No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota team for giving us a fast car this weekend. We’re working on improving our road course package, and I think you’re seeing that overall at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.”

NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM on Sunday, June 22. The race will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET with coverage on Amazon Prime, MAX, MRN and Sirius XM.

LMC PR

A fun weekend in Mexico City has come and gone, and the NASCAR Power Rankings are starting to become solidified. 10 winners on the season and 10 races to go before the postseason begins. A lot can change between now and then.

Shane van Gisbergen was the big winner this weekend. Started on pole, had a skeleton crew to start the weekend, and was sick the morning of the race. None of the negatives got in the way as SVG went on to win by a country mile.

With that said, SVG will not appear on the list below. Let’s look at our top-10 drivers in the NASCAR Power Rankings and then turn our attention to the Tricky Triangle.

1. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (-)

While William Byron wasn’t in the mix for the win, he fought hard in Mexico City. All race long, Byron earned his P9 finish through grit and determination.

There were a lot of tough moments for Byron. However, the NASCAR points leader and Power Rankings leader managed another solid finish.

2. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (+3)

A very well-deserved P2. Even if he was almost 17 seconds behind Shane van Gisbergen, I have to give Christopher Bell credit for his finish.

Bell moves up big in the NASCAR Power Rankings by being one restart away from making things interesting. He wasn’t the only one, either.

3. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-1)

Now, Denny Hamlin didn’t race this weekend. He had dad duties back home with his newborn son. However, I can’t drop him too much, he is coming off a Michigan win and going to Pocono, his best track.

Maybe this little break from NASCAR is what the 44-year-old needed to take the Tricky Triangle by storm. Can he earn his 8th official win at the track?

4. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (+3)

Finally, we saw a potential for Chase Elliott to win. I think if there was one more restart late, he was the most likely of himself and Bell to take down SVG. But it never came.

Going to Pocono, Elliott is racing double duty in the Xfinity Series. He moves up in the NASCAR Power Rankings for one week, but can he maintain this speed?

5. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (-1)

A wreck on Lap 7 took Kyle Larson out and it was no doing of his own. Kyle Busch was a wrecking ball after losing grip into Turn 1.

The fact Larson picked up the fastest lap bonus point tells me a lot about that car, and the driver. Speed is there, he just needs a clean race start to finish. It might be this weekend.

6. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (-3)

While I understand why Ryan Blaney finished P14, I wish I could have seen more of him in the top-10. So, he drops in the NASCAR Power Rankings. Mostly on account of Bell and Elliott doing so well.

Blaney has had his struggles this season, but he’s a championship contender. Make no mistake about it.

7. Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing (-1)

Much like Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain had an average day. He had his bright spots, but P16 overall, not much to write home about from Mexico City. So, he drops in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

Chastain was the lone Trackhouse Cup driver not to win a race this weekend. Both Daniel Suárez and SVG picked up wins in Xfinity and Cup, respectively. But only Chastain is ranked.

8. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing (+1)

A small bump for Bubba Wallace on account of other drivers falling out of the NASCAR Power Rankings after Mexico City, and his solid P12 finish. For a road course, that’s really solid for the 23 team.

There is still time for this group to get a win this year. But for now, picking up as many points as they can will have to do. They have to hope they see some repeat winners down this final 10-race stretch if they themselves can’t get the job done and go to Victory Lane.

9. Chris Buescher – RFK Racing (NR)

Another road course, another top-10 for Chris Buescher. He has been quietly chipping away at solid finishes this season, as usual.

I fear that Buescher may be left out of the postseason yet again if he can’t win a race. But there is still time and the speed has been there.

10. Ryan Preece – RFK Racing (NR)

Look at that! Another RFK Racing driver in the NASCAR Power Rankings. Ryan Preece qualified P2 and won a stage on Sunday. P15 after a late pit road penalty, that’s nothing to be too upset about.

Preece has found his home at RFK. That first-career win feels like it is just around the corner.

RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece had a solid points day at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday afternoon after qualifying on the front row in Saturday afternoon’s rain-shortened qualifying session.

He won stage one, though he would have been hoping for better than a 15th place finish in the 100-lap Viva Mexico 250 around the 15-turn, 2.429-mile (3.909-kilometer) road course in Mexico City, Mexico.

Still, he started the race in a 14th place tie in the point standings with Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, and he broke that tie for 14th and now sits four spots ahead of Busch. However, after entering the day on the inside of the provisional 16-driver playoff picture, he now sits on the outside looking in.

Ryan Preece out of NASCAR playoff picture

Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen won the race after entering the weekend in 33rd (out of 36 full-time drivers) in the point standings. Even with the win, he is only in 30th, but the win made him the 10th different winner through the season’s first 16 races and thus vaulted him above all the non-winners in the playoff picture.

With Preece currently sitting seventh among non-winners in points scored, he finds himself in 17th in the playoff picture and thus below the cut line, ironically because of his own team’s decision to appeal teammate Chris Buescher’s penalty from Kansas Speedway last month.

Buescher had a 60-point penalty reduced to a 30-point penalty, and he now leads Preece by 19 points for the 16th and final spot above the playoff cut line with 10 races remaining on the 26-race regular season schedule.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman sits just three points above Buescher, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe sits just 17 points ahead of Bowman.

As for those below the cut line, Preece is 24 points clear of the next driver, that being Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell. Two points behind McDowell is Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, and Busch is five points behind Allmendinger.

Today, Spire Motorsports announced NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standout Patrick Emerling will pilot the team’s No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series MillerTech Battery 200 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway where GOAT Power Bikes will be showcased as Emerling’s primary sponsor.

Emerling, a multi-time race winner on both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the Race of Champions Modified Tour, brings a wealth of short-track experience and national series versatility to the team’s Truck Series program. Pocono will mark the 32-year-old’s fourth race in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition and his debut with Spire Motorsports.

“I’m thrilled that GOAT is joining me for my first race with Spire Motorsports,” said Emerling. “Spire has really fast trucks, and GOAT has some of the fastest electric bikes on the market. Pocono is a fun and challenging track, and I’m ready to show what I can do.”

Emerling competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with SS-Green Light Racing while building his body of experience across NASCAR’s developmental ranks.

In 2017, the Orchard Park, N.Y., native, earned his first Whelen Modified Tour victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. His open-wheel accolades continued to stack up with a win in the 2019 Whelen Engineering All-Star Shootout at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and back-to-back Race of Champions titles in 2019 and 2020.

The 2021 season was a career highlight for Emerling, where he collected three Whelen Modified Tour wins and finished second in the championship. He also made multiple Xfinity Series starts for Our Motorsports. In 2022, he co-founded Emerling-Gase Motorsports, fielding two full-time Xfinity Series entries while also competing part-time during the 2023 season.

Emerling returned to full-time status in the Whelen Modified Tour in 2024, earning three wins and a runner-up finish in the division’s championship point standings. He kicked off 2025 with top modified honors at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt, tallying a trio of victories in the five-day event.

“It’s a perfect-fit partnership. We both like to go fast,” said GOAT Power Bikes owner Byrson Goodman. “We’re excited to see the partnership develop.”

The MillerTech Battery 200 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live on FS1 Friday, June 20, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.

Spire Motorsports PR

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing unveils liquid hydrogen-fueled “GR LH2 Racing Concept” at Le Mans

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has unveiled the GR LH2 Racing Concept, a liquid hydrogen (LH2) fueled test car to advance the development of hydrogen technology in motorsports. It made its public debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe where it is being exhibited at the H2 Village, organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, during the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours (11-15 June).

As part of its efforts to make ever-better cars through motorsports as the starting point, and to realize a carbon-neutral society, Toyota has advanced its technologies in the challenging environment of motorsports, including the Super Taikyu series in Japan. It has also accelerated its efforts to expand the production, transportation, and use of hydrogen together with partners inside and outside the industry, towards the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

Toyota has taken on the challenge of hydrogen engine development in motorsports, initially through Rookie Racing’s participation in the Japanese Super Taikyu series with the hydrogen-engine Corolla, which initially used gaseous hydrogen from 2021, before the introduction of a liquid hydrogen-powered car from 2023. The potential of hydrogen engines in rallying was showcased in 2022 when the GR Yaris H2 completed demonstration runs on Ypres Rally, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

In 2023, the hydrogen-engine Corolla completed a demonstration lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, while a hydrogen engine concept car, the GR H2 Racing Concept, was presented to preview a potential future hydrogen category at Le Mans. Since then, development of the technology intensified, reaching a new milestone with the unveiling of the liquid hydrogen-powered GR LH2 Racing Concept. It is based on the GR010 HYBRID Hypercar which currently participates in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Through future track testing, the GR LH2 Racing Concept will support Toyota’s continuous development of hydrogen technology and infrastructure, as well as helping build relationships to expand the possibilities of hydrogen through the challenge of motorsports.

The presentation of the forward-looking GR LH2 Racing Concept completes a celebration of past, present and future which marks the 40th anniversary of Toyota’s first participation at Le Mans, following the introduction of a unique combination of livery designs. The #7 GR010 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries carries a red and white tribute livery inspired by the iconic TS020 which participated in 1998. The #8 GR010 HYBRID – driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa – represents the team’s present determination to win. Its matt black livery is built around a GR logo, capturing the team’s “Hate to lose” spirit and the “Prototype” concept of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and continuous evolution.

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing unveils liquid hydrogen-fueled “GR LH2 Racing Concept” at Le Mans, source