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From Barcelona to Indy: The Racing Journey of Alex Palou

If anyone had never heard of Alex Palou before May 25, 2025, they will now after his victory in the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.  The 28- year old from Barcelona, Spain and the current driver of the No.10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, has only been in the IndyCar series for six seasons […]

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If anyone had never heard of Alex Palou before May 25, 2025, they will now after his victory in the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. 

The 28- year old from Barcelona, Spain and the current driver of the No.10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, has only been in the IndyCar series for six seasons but has three championships and 16 career wins to his name, to go with the recent “500” victory. 

Palou started his career in Europe, racing in karts at the age of six and as he moved up the ranks, he may not have won everything but raced against some of the best in the world while doing so. 

Palou’s family has no connections to the auto racing world and despite that, he was given a second-hand kart to start his racing journey. Palou would go on to win multiple karting titles in Spain from as a young child and work his way up to the international karting ranks, winning the WSK Euro Series title in 2012. 

That championship, featured the likes of current IndyCar drivers Callum Ilott, Santino Ferrucci and Robert Shwartzman, Mercedes Formula One driver George Russell, Aston Martin F1 driver Lance Stroll, former NASCAR Truck Series driver Dalton Sargeant and former F1 driver for Haas, Nikita Mazepin. 

After winning the WSK Euro Series, it was time for Palou to transition to open-wheel racing. He joined the Campos Racing team for the Euroformula Open Championship at 17. Palou would finish third in that championship, winning three races and three poles. 

Palou continued to stay with the Spain-based team in Campos throughout his junior career and moved up to the GP3 series in 2015 (now merged with the Formula 3 series, two steps below F1). 

After suffering reliability issues early on in the season, Palou would start to find form later in the season, posting several top 10’s and winning the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the first Spanish driver to do so. Current Haas F1 driver Esteban Ocon would win that championship, with former IndyCar driver Luca Ghiotto in second. 

Palou would stay in GP3 in 2016 with Campos Racing, finishing 15th in the championship standings, with only one podium at Silverstone. Competing alongside Palou would be Ferrucci, Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc, Williams F1 driver Alexander Albon, former F1 driver Nyck De Vries and former IndyCar driver Tatiana Calderón. 

Campos racing dallara gp3 16 aer palou 50735
Palou racing in the GP3 Series in 2016 for Campos Racing. Photo Credit: GP3 Series

For 2017, Palou left the GP3 series and moved to the World Series Formula V8 3.5 (formerly known as the Formula Renault 3.5 series) for Teo Martín Motorsport. Here Palou ran a partial season, competing alongside Calderón and former IndyCar driver Pietro Fittipaldi. 

Despite not running in the full season, Palou finished 10th in the standings, even winning a race at the Nüburgring in Germany. Palou also notched three pole positions and podiums for the short season. 

Also in 2017, Palou made four Formula Two starts (the series below F1), with Campos Racing. Racing at just two circuits, Jerez, in his native Spain and the Yas Marina Circuit, Palou managed a highest finish of eighth in the two races at Jerez. Yas Marina saw Palou finish 12th in both races in Abu Dhabi, garnering five points on the season, 21st in the championship. Leclerc would win F2 that year with Palou crossing paths with Ilott, Ferrucci, Albon, de Vries, Ghiotto, and Lando Norris. 

Taking the next step in his racing career, Palou entered into a full season campaign in F3, returning to the series for the first time since 2016. This time, paired with Hitech Bullfrog GP, the Spaniard would notch seven podiums and two fastest laps across the 10-race campaign, ending the season seventh in the championship.  Palou once again ran into Shwartzman, current IndyCar drivers Devlin DeFrancesco and Marcus Armstrong and former F1 driver Mick Schumacher on his road to the IndyCar series. 

With the road to F1 backed up around this time, Palou started the switch and the move to Japan to race. The switch started in 2017, while racing in F2 and the World Series Formula V8 3.5. 

Joining the Threebond with Drago Corse team, Palou made a full season effort in Japanese Formula Three, finishing third in the championship with 10 podiums and five poles, Palou cemented himself as a promising talent in Japan at 20 years old. 

After the F3 campaign in 2018, Palou fully committed to racing in Japan in 2019, starting out in the Super GT GT300 class driving a McLaren 720S GT3 for the McLaren Customer Racing team. Palou and teammate Seiji Ara finished 15th in class for the season, with a season-high second place at the Autopolis circuit. 

2019 was also when Palou competed in the Super Formula series, the top open-wheel series in Japan.  Palou finished third in the championship that year, with one win at Fuji Speedway and three poles, with TCS Nakajima Racing. 

After Japan, Palou made the decision to come to the United States of America and take a shot at IndyCar. 

Palou came into IndyCar in 2020 as an unknown driver, joining up with Dale Coyne Racing, in partnership with Team Goh, an established team in the Super Formula series. The difference in cars was slim as well, coming from the 550 horsepowered Super Formula to the 650-700 horsepower of the IndyCar. 

Palou made several IndyCar tests in order to be ready for the 2020 season and had a baptism by fire with his debut in the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, one of the fastest tracks on the calendar, at that time. Palou would finish 23rd on debut after crashing with Rinus Veekay. 

As the 2020 season went on, Palou would show signs of the driver that he is today, producing consistent results, with a podium at Road America and a ninth on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Finishing 16th in the standings, with a history of consistent results and out-performing the equipment, the future was bright for Palou in IndyCar. 

Scott dixon will power and alex palou on the podium for the rev group grand prix race 1 at road america saturday july 11 2020 ref image without watermark m32862
Palou on the podium with Will Power and Scott Dixon for the REV Group Grand Prix Race 1 at Road America in July of 2020. Photo Credit: Chris Owens-Penske Entertainment

Then Chip Ganassi came calling and as they say, the rest is history. 

Ganssi tapped Palou to drive the No.10 car after Felix Rosenqvist left for Arrow McLaren. Palou delivered on the gamble that Ganssi took after winning on debut at Barber Motorsports Park. Breaking through for his first win, the floodgates opened for Palou, now a six-year veteran of the sport. 

“He certainly delivered out of the blocks there at Alabama. His first race with us he won,” Ganassi said of his driver after the Indy 500 win on Sunday. “The guy continues to just change the record book.

I think he’s one of the greats. It’s that simple. Certainly we’ve had some great drivers on our team, and he’s right there, at worst, shoulder to shoulder with all the rest of them. You’ve got to talk about Franchitti and Montoya and Dixon and all the champions we’ve had, Vasser and Zanardi, and it just adds to it, Marcus Ericsson won here with us. It’s just a great thing. He’s clearly in that group now.”

Palou has now broken records in the 2025 season, becoming just the third driver to win five-of-the-first-six races in an IndyCar season. Only A.J. Foyt and Al Unser have accomplished such a feat. 

It’s hard to debate against Palou being cemented among the greats of IndyCar racing after his “500” win. At 28, coming from a family that worked hard to make sure he lived out his dream of driving race cars, Palou will keep breaking records and further cementing himself with the likes of Foyt, Unser, Mears, Dixon, Franchitti, Castroneves and Kanaan.



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Camden Murphy Joins Nitro Motorsports for ARCA Menards Series Event at Dover Motor Speedway – Speedway Digest

Nitro Motorsports is proud to announce that Camden Murphy, a versatile competitor in both NASCAR and Monster Jam, will drive the No. 70 Dreamer Toyota in this weekend’s ARCA Menards Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.  “I’m thrilled to team up with Nitro Motorsports at Dover,” explained Camden Murphy. “Joining such a well-structured ARCA program—especially one built on the legacy […]

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Nitro Motorsports is proud to announce that Camden Murphy, a versatile competitor in both NASCAR and Monster Jam, will drive the No. 70 Dreamer Toyota in this weekend’s ARCA Menards Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.

 “I’m thrilled to team up with Nitro Motorsports at Dover,” explained Camden Murphy. “Joining such a well-structured ARCA program—especially one built on the legacy of Venturini Motorsports—is a huge step for me. Dover’s high speeds will be a new challenge, but given the team’s technical strength and Toyota backing, I can’t wait to show what we can do together.”

Murphy brings a wealth of experience from across motorsports disciplines. He began his NASCAR career in 2014 and has made 29 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and seven starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a reputation for his adaptability and determination. 

Outside of stock car racing, Murphy is a fan favorite in Monster Jam, having driven premier trucks such as Bakugan Dragonoid and Classroom Crusher. Murphy has earned accolades including Rookie of the Year, Rising Star, Fan Favorite Driver, and Breakout Driver awards.

“Welcoming Camden to the Nitro family for Dover aligns with our mission to grow racing talent,” added Nick Tucker, Owner of Nitro Motorsports. “Camden’s proven adaptability—whether in NASCAR Trucks, Xfinity, or Monster Jam—brings a fresh, dynamic element to our ARCA effort. We’re excited to support him and watch him excel on the track this weekend.”

Fans can watch Camden Murphy and the No. 70 Dreamer Toyota from Dover Motor Speedway on Friday, July 18 at 5:00PM EST on FS1 or Fox Sports App. Follow Camden Murphy on social media @camden.murphy for race weekend updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Nitro Motorsports PR



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NASCAR Driver’s ESPYs Dress Is Going Viral

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways ‘Whoa’ – NASCAR Driver’s ESPYs Dress Is Going Viral originally appeared on The Spun. There were no shortage of head-turning outfits at the annual […]

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Generate Key Takeaways

‘Whoa’ – NASCAR Driver’s ESPYs Dress Is Going Viral originally appeared on The Spun.

There were no shortage of head-turning outfits at the annual ESPN ESPYs yesterday. But one NASCAR driver really stood out from the crowd.

It was Tricon Garage’s Truck Series star Toni Breidinger who drew all of the attention yesterday. She showed up to the event ready to walk the red carpet while wearing a bold red dress.

“2025 ESPYS,” she proudly wrote on Instagram and her X account last night.

Breidinger’s post garnered thousands of likes and shares on both platforms. Just about everyone agreed that she looked incredible and represented NASCAR well at the event.

“You look really pretty and will represent NASCAR with class. Have a fun night,” one fan wrote before the event.

“Such a magnificent woman !! Love everything about her!” wrote another.

“This is the only Toyota driver I’ll ever love,” a third declared.

“I retract everything I’ve said about Toyota racing.”

“You look stunning.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Toni Breidinger, driver of the #5 Women's Sports Foundation Toyota, is seen in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 14, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: Toni Breidinger, driver of the #5 Women’s Sports Foundation Toyota, is seen in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 14, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Breidinger has long been a fan favorite in motorsports. After three straight top-10 finishes in the ARCA Menards Series, she was given a full-time seat in Tricon’s lineup for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

While Breidinger has yet to finishing higher than 18th in a race, she’s been determined to get better and hopes to earn her way into even higher levels of competition in the future.

All the while, Breidinger has been building her profile with big endorsement and sponsorship deals including Raising Cane’s and 818 Tequila among others.

Her next stop in the series will the TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Related: Toni Breidinger Aims for Top Finish at Friday’s NASCAR Truck Race

‘Whoa’ – NASCAR Driver’s ESPYs Dress Is Going Viral first appeared on The Spun on Jul 17, 2025

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.



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GM Names Jim Campbell VP for Performance and MotorsportsPerformance Racing Industry

General Motors (GM) has named Jim Campbell as VP, performance and motorsports commercial operations. Campbell will oversee commercial operations for GM’s motorsports programs, with a strategic focus on leveraging the Cadillac Formula 1 Team to elevate the Cadillac and GM brands. He will continue to work closely with GM’s global motorsports competition, engineering, purchasing, design, […]

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General Motors (GM) has named Jim Campbell as VP, performance and motorsports commercial operations.

Campbell will oversee commercial operations for GM’s motorsports programs, with a strategic focus on leveraging the Cadillac Formula 1 Team to elevate the Cadillac and GM brands. He will continue to work closely with GM’s global motorsports competition, engineering, purchasing, design, Cadillac and Chevrolet teams.

Campbell most recently served as chief product officer of GM China and president of the Durant Guild. He will continue to work with the GM China team to finalize the GM premium import restructuring already underway.

Over his more than 35 years at GM, Campbell has held multiple leadership roles, working with dealers, divisions, retail planning, fleet and commercial operations, product marketing, accessories and performance parts, product planning and export groups. He’s also held leadership roles in GM’s motorsports operations, including NASCAR, INDYCAR, IMSA, NHRA, FIA WEC and off-road racing.

Late last year, GM announced plans to field a Cadillac Formula 1 Team in the 2026 season as a fully American entry.

“Jim’s experience and leadership will be invaluable as we prepare to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026 with the Cadillac Formula 1 team, a uniquely American venture,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “While racing is deeply rooted in our history, F1 marks a bold new frontier, on a worldwide stage, and is the pinnacle of motorsports. Having Jim in this position working with our collective team makes me feel even more confident in our capabilities and plans to succeed, and to win.”

For more information, visit gm.com.



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2025 NASCAR Dover qualifying: Order for Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Qualifying starts Saturday on truTV. Check out the 2025 NASCAR Dover qualifying order below. Shane van Gisbergen Reveals How He Took Over NASCAR’s Road Courses & What’s Next on Ovals On this week’s Victory Lap, Kaitlyn Vincie sits down with back-to-back NASCAR winner Shane van Gisbergen. Fresh off his win at Sonoma, SVG breaks down […]

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Qualifying starts Saturday on truTV. Check out the 2025 NASCAR Dover qualifying order below.

Shane van Gisbergen Reveals How He Took Over NASCAR’s Road Courses & What’s Next on Ovals

Shane van Gisbergen Reveals How He Took Over NASCAR’s Road Courses & What’s Next on Ovals

On this week’s Victory Lap, Kaitlyn Vincie sits down with back-to-back NASCAR winner Shane van Gisbergen. Fresh off his win at Sonoma, SVG breaks down why he’s been so dominant on road courses, what makes Trackhouse Racing such a strong fit, and how he plans to improve on ovals.



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Playoff Pressure Mounts: Xfinity Stars Face Monster Test at Dover – Speedway Digest

With only seven races remaining to set the 12-driver NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field, Saturday’s BetRivers 200 (4:30 p.m. ET on CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Dover Motor Speedway could play a big role in the championship outlook Four teams are represented among the top-five drivers in the championship standings with reigning series champion, […]

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With only seven races remaining to set the 12-driver NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field, Saturday’s BetRivers 200 (4:30 p.m. ET on CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Dover Motor Speedway could play a big role in the championship outlook

Four teams are represented among the top-five drivers in the championship standings with reigning series champion, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier holding a 59-point advantage over Haas Factory Team driver Sam Mayer atop the current rankings. Allgaier (2018 and 2020) joins two-time defending race winner Ryan Truex as the only multi-time race winners at the Dover mile.

But Mayer, who boasts an impressive 11 top-10 and eight top-five finishes through the first 19 races – his 15 top-15 showings is a season best – is hoping Dover’s Monster Mile will be where he celebrates his first victory of the season. The 21-year-old Mayer was third in last year’s race and is a perfect three-for-three in top-10 finishes there.

A victory for the Ford driver Mayer Saturday afternoon would halt a record 11-race winning streak for Chevrolet this season. The bowtie has won 17 of 19 races.

It’s Joe Gibbs Racing, however, boasts the most wins at Dover – 15 – its lineup of Xfinity Series championship hopefuls includes a pair of talented rookies in William Sawalich and Taylor Gray and along with veteran Brandon Jones and this week, former NASCAR Cup Series star Aric Almirola in the No. 19 JGR Toyota.

The three fulltime drivers have all turned in standout summers with the rookie Sawalich coming off a career best third-place showing on the Sonoma, Calif. road course last week. Jones just scored his best two stage efforts on the season at Sonoma. Gray arrives fresh off his 11th top-10 finish of the season in California and is a former ARCA Menards Series winner at Dover – leading 116 of 125 laps to win from pole position in 2022.

Interestingly, it’s cousins Jeb and Harrison Burton, who are straddling the Playoff line. Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet holds a 16-point advantage over Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 25 AM Racing Ford for that 12th and final Playoff position.

Jeb Burton has finished 13th or better in five of his seven Dover starts with a best finish of seventh in 2020. Harrison Burton has similar encouraging statistics with three top-10s in four starts and a top effort of fifth place – also in 2020.

The entire series, however, must find a way to best the mighty JR Motorsports team, which has won 10 races this season with six different drivers. It is coming off a phenomenal showing at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway where five drivers finished among the top-10 and 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch claimed his third win of the season.

Zilisch now ties his teammate Allgaier, and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill for most wins on the season. They are the only competitors with multiple trophies.

NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain will steer the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend and two-time defending Dover race winner Truex will drive the No. 24 Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing. NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standout Rajah Caruth is hoping to make his first Xfinity Series start of the season. He’s entered in the Jordan Anderson Racing No. 32 Chevrolet. In addition, ARCA Menards Series rising star Lavar Scott will also be attempting to make his Xfinity Series career debut this weekend in the No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet.

Practice is at 11 a.m. Saturday followed immediately by Kennametal Pole Qualifying at 12:05 p.m. – both sessions available on the CW App. Brandon Jones is the defending Xfinity pole-winner.



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NASCAR Qualifying Order: July 2025 (Dover Motor Speedway)

Dover Motor Speedway qualifying orders Dover Motor Speedway is hosting a triple-header race weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series qualifying orders are posted below along with the ARCA Menards Series entry list. View the NASCAR qualifying orders for Dover Motor Speedway below. NCS Purse:$11,055,250 NXS Purse:$1,651,939 Dover TV Schedule NASCAR Cup SeriesQualifying Order […]

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Dover Motor Speedway qualifying orders

Dover Motor Speedway is hosting a triple-header race weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series qualifying orders are posted below along with the ARCA Menards Series entry list.

View the NASCAR qualifying orders for Dover Motor Speedway below.

NCS Purse:
$11,055,250

NXS Purse:
$1,651,939

Dover TV Schedule

NASCAR Cup Series
Qualifying Order

Pos | Driver | Metric Score

1. JJ Yeley
42.200

2. Noah Gragson
35.800

3. Cody Ware
34.600

4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
30.000

5. Carson Hocevar
29.600

6. Riley Herbst
28.000

7. Ryan Blaney
27.300

8. Zane Smith
26.400

9. Cole Custer
26.300

10. John Hunter Nemechek
26.200

11. Erik Jones
26.000

12. Austin Cindric
25.500

13. Kyle Larson
25.400

14. Todd Gilliland
24.400

15. Austin Dillon
23.100

16. Bubba Wallace
22.100

17. Ty Dillon
21.200

18. Justin Haley
20.100

19. Ross Chastain
19.500

Group 2

20. Daniel Suarez
18.500

21. AJ Allmendinger
17.700

22. Alex Bowman
16.900

23. Brad Keselowski
15.800

24. Josh Berry
15.400

25. Denny Hamlin
15.200

26. Chris Buescher
14.200

27. Ryan Preece
12.600

28. Kyle Busch
11.800

29. Ty Gibbs
10.300

30. Joey Logano
9.600

31. Michael McDowell
8.800

32. Shane van Gisbergen
8.500

33. William Byron
5.900

34. Tyler Reddick
5.700

35. Christopher Bell
5.300

36. Chase Briscoe
3.800

37. Chase Elliott
2.700

Brandon Jones - Dover Motor Speedway - NASCAR Xfinity SeriesBrandon Jones - Dover Motor Speedway - NASCAR Xfinity Series
Credit: DOVER, DELAWARE – APRIL 26: Brandon Jones, driver of the #9 Menards/Barracuda Chevrolet, drives during practice for NASCAR Xfinity Series BetRivers 200 at Dover International Speedway on April 26, 2024 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Qualifying Order

1. #35 TBA
40.700

2. Ryan Truex
40.400

3. #53 TBA
36.300

4. Nick Leitz
34.300

5. Garrett Smithley
33.600

6. #45 TBA
31.900

7. Kris Wright
31.100

8. Ryan Sieg
29.000

9. Christian Eckes
28.900

10. Parker Retzlaff
28.300

11. Ryan Ellis
28.200

12. Jesse Love
28.100

13. Daniel Dye
27.800

14. Jeremy Clements
27.600

15. Kyle Sieg
25.600

16. Matt DiBenedetto
25.400

17. Anthony Alfredo
23.000

18. Jake Finch
22.500

19. Brennan Poole
21.400

20. Blaine Perkins
21.100

Group 2

21. Leland Honeyman
20.200

22. Josh Bilicki
19.400

23. Rajah Caruth
19.100

24. Harrison Burton
18.900

25. Jeb Burton
17.600

26. Dean Thompson
17.400

27. Josh Williams
16.800

28. Sam Mayer
12.800

29. Brandon Jones
11.500

30. Ross Chastain
11.300

31. Sheldon Creed
9.700

32. William Sawalich
9.600

33. Austin Hill
9.600

34. Sammy Smith
8.400

35. Taylor Gray
8.200

36. Aric Almirola
7.400

37. Carson Kvapil
7.400

38. Nick Sanchez
5.800

39. Justin Allgaier
4.500

40. Connor Zilisch
1.300

ARCA Menards Series - Charlotte Motor SpeedwayARCA Menards Series - Charlotte Motor Speedway
ARCA Menards Series (Photo: Charlotte Motor Speedway)
ARCA Menards Series
Entry List

#6
Lavar Scott

#9
Blaine Donahue

#10
Tony Cosentino

#11
Zachary Tinkle

#12
Takuma Koga

#18
Brent Crews

#20
Lawless Alan

#23
Tyler Reif

#25
Jake Finch

#28
Brenden Queen

#31
Rick Goodale

#34
Austin Vaughn

#40
Andrew Patterson

#48
Brad Smith

#55
Isabella Robusto

#56
Timmy Hill

#67
Ryan Roulette

#70
Camden Murphy

#79
Isaac Kitzmiller

#86
Corey Aiken

#97
Jason Kitzmiller

#99
Michael Maples

#01
Matt Kemp

#03
Alex Clubb

#06
Brayton Laster

Dover TV Schedule

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Dover Motor Speedway | NASCAR | ARCA Menards Series



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