By Dan Gelston, The Associated Press

LONG POND, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reaffirmed the state would provide no funding for any new sports arenas — a possibility that looms with the Eagles’ lease set to expire in 2032 — and said there were conversations about bringing NASCAR to Philadelphia as he championed the state’s full sports slate next year during an appearance Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

Shapiro said he would continue talking with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the Rooney family in Pittsburgh about what — if anything — the NFL teams need when it comes to the state of their stadiums.

Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium, the home of the Steelers, opened in 2001 while Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003 in Philadelphia’s shared sports complex. The Eagles do not own the Linc. The team will need to renew its lease or build a new stadium, and Lurie said during the lead-up to the Super Bowl that he was “torn” over the idea of replacing the stadium or staying put in the home where they raised their only two Super Bowl championship banners.

If a new stadium is proposed, it won’t come with state money — just as Shapiro said he would not provide when the 76ers considered building a new arena (ownership did not ask for the funds) last year.

(The 76ers decided to partner with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord, to build a new arena in South Philadelphia.)

“I’m very worried about the overall budget,” Shapiro said Sunday at Pocono. “I’m very worried about the overall economic situation given the federal cuts. You want to balance investing in tourism, investing in sports, investing in great arenas and facilities, with making sure that you’re also investing those dollars in things that Pennsylvanians need most.”

Shapiro, who spoke ahead of the scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race at the track, declined to get into specifics about any stadium conversations with the state’s NFL owners.

“I will tell you that we want to make sure the Steelers, we want to make sure the Eagles, and all of our pro teams have outstanding places to play,” he said. “That are welcoming for fans. That generate revenue.

“We’re going to continue to dialogue with them about what they need and what’s possible.”

Shapiro promoted the financial impact generated for the state each year because of the NASCAR weekend at Pocono. He praised Pocono Raceway officials for its third straight sellout crowd set for Sunday. The track sold out all frontstretch seating, premium seating, suites, infield camping and the grandstand camping area. It also is the fifth consecutive year that the entire infield camping inventory has been sold out.

Pocono President Ben May said the track sold around 50,000 grandstand tickets, around 2,000 suite seats and 3,300 camping spots.

NASCAR expressed at least a cursory interest in adding to its recent string of offbeat race locations — everywhere from Mexico City to a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — and floated the idea of holding a race inside a Philadelphia stadium, Franklin Field. The site is traditionally home to the Penn Relays and college football.

“There’s some conversations,” Shapiro said. “First and foremost, we don’t want to do anything that undermines Pocono. But as Ben (says), the more NASCAR the better. The more racing, the better. The more we can turn people on in communities that haven’t been to Pocono yet, to get excited about racing, and then make that trip to Pocono next year, the better. I want to see more NASCAR, more racing. I also just want to see more sports in general.”

He’ll get his wish next year.

Shapiro laughed when he said he calls into sports talk radio stations as “Josh from Juniata” and was all-in on the heavy inventory of major sports events headed to the state.

Among the events in 2026, Pennsylvania will host the baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, the World Cup at the Linc and the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. The big year kicks off with the NFL draft in Pittsburgh next April.

“I worked my ass off to bring that to Pittsburgh, together with the Steelers,” Shapiro said. “I’m excited for them.”

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

We’re down to single digits and now we have 11 different winners.

June 22, 2025

Odrick Tallies Second Pro/Am Challenge Victory of 2025

LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 22, 2025) – Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) earned his first-career CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series victory in style, leading every lap on his way to Victory Lane at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After claiming the point position when his teammate Corey Day (No. 17 HendrickCars.com/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) went off course in the first turn of the race, the second-place starter put on a display of pure dominance, driving away from his competitors and repeating the feat for multiple restarts. When he captured the checkered flag, he became the second-youngest winner in the history of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at the age of 14 years, 10 months and 19 days, and stood atop the podium between TA2 Champions Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) and Thomas Merrill (No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro). McKee’s win extends his lead in the point standings for the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Championship, Rookie of the Year and Young Gun Award.

Notes of Interest:

• Tristan McKee earned his first-career victory in just his eighth points-paying race in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series.

• McKee became the second-youngest winner in the history of the Trans Am Series at 14 years, 10 months and 19 days old. Brent Crews is the youngest winner, earning his first victory at 14 years, three months and four days old.

• McKee leads the point standings for the class, in addition to the Rookie of the Year and Young Gun Award battles.

• McKee’s victory was his fourth-consecutive podium finish. He has not finished worse than seventh in the first six events of the season.

• Rafa Matos’ second-place finish was his third podium of the season. The three-time champion has one win, which he earned at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

• Thomas Merrill earned his first podium of the 2025 season with his third-place finish.

“That’s what we’re hoping for, to be the champion when it comes to the last race,” said McKee on the podium after being asked if he could become the youngest champion in Trans Am history. “I’ve just got to give thanks to all the SLR guys; they brought a really good car. They came prepared; we unloaded off the trailer really fast and stayed fast all weekend, so all props to them. You know, I did a lot of studying and preparation for this race, and it really paid off. Thanks to Josh Wise, Scott Speed, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet, Gainbridge, and once again, all the TeamSLR crew.”

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series National Championship Top 10:

1. Tristan McKee, No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro

2. Rafa Matos, No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro

3. Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro

4. Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry

5. Sam Corry, No. 70 Stilo Helmets/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry

6. Ben Maier, No. 6 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang

7. Eric Cayton, No. 71 Ray Skillman Auto Group Ford Mustang

8. Gian Buffomante, No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry

9. Will Robinson, No. 51 Mike Cope Race Cars LLC Ford Mustang

10. Mia Lovell, No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry

Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear/CoolBoxx Chevrolet Camaro) earned his second win of the 2025 season in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge, finishing ninth overall. Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) started the race in the lead and had commanding speed, but was stymied by an electrical issue on lap 28. Once Odrick took the lead, it was a tight battle between him and Keith Prociuk (No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Car Ford Mustang), with Odrick ultimately taking the checkered flag and Prociuk finishing second. Cale Phillips (No. 99 Mincey’s Graphics/SNP Inc. Ford Mustang) took the third podium spot.

“It was tough, obviously it’s hot,” said Odrick on the podium. “We were all trying to keep our composure and catch our breath here. But it was awesome. [Keith] Prociuk and I were close all race, he was in my mirrors all race. At the end there, he actually overtook me going into [Turns] 8 and 9 because I had let some National guys go through to keep a clean race. He passed me, looked like he got a little wide in Turn 9, and he had to wait to get on throttle, and I was able to get on throttle a little bit earlier, so I was able to take it with two corners left. And it was so, so dramatic; I can’t wait to watch the tape.”

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge Podium:

1. Jared Odrick, No. 00 Black Underwear/CoolBoxx Chevrolet Camaro

2. Keith Prociuk, No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang

3. Cale Phillips, No. 99 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang

Omologato Watches Fastest Lap of the Race:

Tristan McKee, No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro

Bassett Hard Charger:

Matt Gray, No. 64 Ryan Companies Ford Mustang

Full race results can be found here.

An encore presentation of today’s race will air tonight on SPEED SPORT 1 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series returns to the track next weekend for the Road America SpeedTour at Road America, June 27-29. Tickets can be purchased here.

Pocono Raceway used to host two NASCAR Cup Series races per year, and on two separate weekends. In 2020, it began hosting a doubleheader weekend, but that experiment was short-lived, and since 2022, just one race per season has been contested at the “Tricky Triangle”.

This Sunday’s 160-lap Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is the 17th of 36 races on the 2025 schedule. It is also the season’s final race on Amazon Prime Video. After this race, there will be just nine races remaining on the regular season schedule before the four-round, 10-race playoffs.

This race is also the third and final seeding race before the upcoming five-round, 32-driver tournament.

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is the reigning race winner at Pocono. He is a two-time winner at the track, having also won there in 2017 to secure his first career win when he was still at Wood Brothers Racing.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin took the pole position for Sunday afternoon’s race in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, and RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher started beside him on the front row.

A full starting lineup can be found here.

Follow along with our race updates from Pocono Raceway.

NASCAR at Pocono: Stage 1 results

1st – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2nd – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

3rd – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

4th – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

5th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

6th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

7th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

8th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

9th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

10th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR at Pocono: Stage 2 results

1st – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2nd – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

3rd – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

4th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

5th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

6th – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

7th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

8th – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

9th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

10th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR at Pocono: Full race results

1st – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2nd – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

3rd – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

4th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

5th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

7th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

8th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

9th – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

10th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

11th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

12th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

13th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

14th – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

15th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

16th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

17th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

18th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

19th – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

20th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

21st – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

22nd – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

23rd – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

24th – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

25th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

26th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

27th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

28th – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

29th – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

30th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

31st – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

32nd – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

33rd – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

34th – Brennan Poole, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet

35th – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

36th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

37th – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

LONG POND, Pa. – Chase Elliott followed a top-three finish in Mexico City with a top-five run at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, pushing Hendrick Motorsports to a little history along the way. 

Elliott finished off a solid day with a fifth-place finish, marking the 25th straight race with at least one of the organization’s four Chevrolets coming home in the top five dating back to last year. That is now the longest such streak in company history. 

Adding to the day, Elliott also scored points in both stages, gathering three tallies in stage one and coming home third in stage two to earn eight more. 

“I was really proud of the effort from where we were (on Saturday),” Elliott said. “To get our NAPA Chevy back in contention and really gave ourselves a shot … It was a solid day.

“When I look at today, I felt like we were right there. One little adjustment from being right with Ryan (Blaney) and Denny (Hamlin). I feel like it’s well within reach, we’ve just got to piece it together.” 

Joining Elliott in the top 10 was Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, who came home seventh. Alex Bowman, who led laps during stage two, was solid in an 11th-place run.

As is a staple of racing at Pocono, pit strategy ruled the day with teams diverging on different plans in stage one. That was to Hendrick Motorsports’ advantage early as seven cars short-pitted the stage break, allowing Elliott (eighth), William Byron (ninth) and Bowman (10th) to earn some valuable points. 

Stage two quickly devolved into a rash of cautions and ensuing pit strategies. A total of four yellow flags waved with all four Hendrick Motorsports entries coming and going near the front as pit stops cycled through. 

Bowman led 15 laps, restarting in fourth around the halfway mark of the segment and driving his way to the point. He was out front with 18 laps to go when a yellow for debris waved. Bowman pulled the No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet onto pit road while others stayed out including his three teammates. 

Another caution came out with 12 left to go in the stage for a crash including Ty Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Busch. In the end, Elliott (third), Byron (fourth) and Larson (ninth) all earned stage points. 

At the stage three break, Byron sacrificed a bit of track position to wait on fuel, theoretically cutting pit time later in the segment. As he began his fight through the field, he was forced to check up to avoid a near crash in front of him, costing the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet a handful of spots. 

FROM WINNER TO CHAMPION, PART 5: Gordon vs. Earnhardt

Then, the race’s final caution flew with 36 laps to go as van Gisbergen spun again. Already in the back, Byron ducked down pit road to take fuel but mired in dirty air, the going was tough. He finished 27th but maintained the top spot in points. 

Elliott was part of a four-car breakaway at the front of the field throughout stage three until slipping one spot in the late going. 

The NASCAR Cup Series will return on Saturday night with a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

When regular crew chief Mardy Lindley was suspended one week for the (rather common) issue of loose lug nuts, JR Motorsports team co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped up to the plate to lead the No. 88 team this weekend. Well, with Dale Jr. calling the shots and rising star Connor Zilisch behind the wheel, they captured the checkered flag at Pocono Raceway.

It was actually Lindley’s idea, texting Dale Jr. to ask if he was up for the challenge. The Lindleys and Earnhardts have quite the history as well. Dale Sr. and Butch Lindley (Mardy’s father) raced against each other back in the 1970s and sadly, both Mardy and Dale Jr. lost their fathers to the sport of auto racing. Earnhardt said on Saturday that the shared tragedy of losing their fathers connected them.

Getting back into the competitive spirit

Connor Zilisch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

And at Pocono, it was big shoes to fill for Earnhardt, as Lindley had won nine Xfinity races since 2023 with three different JRM drivers. As for Dale, it was great for him to get back into such a high-pressure environment after spending most of his time watching from afar as a owner/broadcaster. 

“I love owning race cars, and I love racking up statistics and championships, but it does not have the competitive sort of skin in the game, if you will, that (today) does,” said Earnhardt in the winner’s press conference.

“If you’re in the car, it’s on you to make sure you’re doing everything right. And when you’re the crew chief, you’re under a ton of pressure. I understand that I did not come in here and handle all of the layers that Mardy usually handles or any given crew chief manages. They certainly were putting me in a position to do some light lifting, but as the race went on, we got more comfortable and more aggressive.

“It was fun. I felt like I really had some involvement, some input in the energy that the crew and team had. Keeping them pumped up, everybody executing, and keeping Connor aware of what are goals were and what our expectations were on the restarts. He wanted to deliver.”

How much of a crew chief was he…really?

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

As for how much say Earnhardt actually had, he admits that anything significant involving the set-up and adjustments was already being handled by the engineering team. Dale Jr.’s influence was more with in-race strategy and advising Zilisch as a driver coach. 

“I’m not a fool to think — I didn’t have control of all the buttons and levers and stuff,” said Earnhardt. “But mid-way through the race, I was feeling it. Me and the engineers on the box we’re in a great conversations around what we should do, how far we could make it, whether we were going to have enough for the green-white-checkered…all those things.”

After his experience, would he be up to do it all again? “I would not ever walk in the shop and say I’d be up for doing but if we find ourselves unfortunately where somebody gets suspended, if they want me to do it, I would happily do it,” added Earnhardt.

Earnhardt added that the thing he was most nervous about wasn’t actually being the crew chief, but when he came off the box to prepare and set the right-front tire on the wall before handing it off to the pit crew during the stop. He was worried about messing up the flow of things or slowing down the stop unnecessarily, even visiting with the Trackhouse earlier in the week to practice.

He also praised Zilisch as a “young man going on 35,” but he was happy to advise the 18-year-old and keep him focused on the task at hand as he went on to earn his first oval win. “It was fun to help him understand what I thought would be the best scenario on some of those restarts.”