Motorsports

IndyCar Notes: Barber Motorsports Park Facts & Figures

LEEDS, Ala. — It can be argued that Scott Dixon is the most successful NTT IndyCar Series driver in Barber Motorsports Park history, yet he doesn’t have a win to show for it. The Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driver will be looking to change that during this weekend’s Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix. Dixon’s stat line […]

Published

1 month ago

May 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEEDS, Ala. — It can be argued that Scott Dixon is the most successful NTT IndyCar Series driver in Barber Motorsports Park history, yet he doesn’t have a win to show for it.

The Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driver will be looking to change that during this weekend’s Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix.

Dixon’s stat line at the 17-turn, 2.38-mile permanent road course is impressive: Nine podium finishes in 14 starts, including six runner-up finishes. But he still would like a win at the track and kick off the Month of May with a triumph.

PENSKE PERFECT

As for reaching the top step of the podium at the Alabama track, Scott McLaughlin has been the track’s recent master, winning the last two races. In fact, Barber has been a Team Penske kind of place.

Josef Newgarden has won three of the past nine races while Team Penske teammate Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet) has won two races.

Power is a four-time NTT P1 Award winner at Barber, part of the record 70 poles he has scored in his career.

RACE STOPPER

Kyle Kirkwood became the first NTT IndyCar Series race winner this season not named Alex Palou as he earned his third career win April 13 at Long Beach.

Palou finished second and leads Kirkwood by 34 points heading into the critical Month of May, which has more than 150 points on offer over the next four weeks with races at Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will be the 15th NTT IndyCar Series event conducted at Barber Motorsports Park. Active race winners who are expected to compete are Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin.

Other Tidbits

• Six drivers have won the race from the pole – Will Power in 2011, Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2013, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2018, Takuma Sato in 2019 and Scott McLaughlin in 2024.

• Three drivers have competed in every NTT IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park – Scott Dixon, Will Power and Graham Rahal. All are entered this weekend.

• Team Penske has eight wins at Barber Motorsports Park (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024). Andretti Autosport, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Arrow McLaren have also won at the track. Andretti Autosport won in 2013 and 2014 with Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Ed Carpenter Racing won with Josef Newgarden in 2015, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing won in 2019 with Takuma Sato, Chip Ganassi Racing won in 2021 with Alex Palou and Arrow McLaren won in 2022 with Pato O’Ward.

• Twenty-three of the 27 drivers entered in the event have competed in NTT IndyCar Series races at Barber Motorsports Park. Eleven entered drivers have led laps: Will Power 216, Josef Newgarden 141, Scott McLaughlin 82, Rinus VeeKay 58, Alex Palou 72, Pato O’Ward 52, Scott Dixon 46, Graham Rahal 25, Santino Ferrucci 14, Alexander Rossi 3 and Felix Rosenqvist 1.

• Three NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year contenders – Jacob Abel, Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman – are entered and will race an Indy car at Barber Motorsports Park for the first time, as will second-year driver Nolan Siegel.

• Felix Rosenqvist will attempt to make his 100th NTT IndyCar Series start, while Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 343rd consecutive start — the second-longest streak in series history.

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Motorsports

No one loves Detroit more than Renger Van Der Zande, Acura, and Ford

Tarohn Finley | The Detroit News Detroit — When Ricky Taylor of Cadillac crossed over Felipe Nasr of Porsche to take the lead, Renger Van Der Zande of Acura stayed right behind. With not enough speed and little tire traction, patience was all Van Der Zande could rely on. With 3:15 left, for Van Der […]

Published

40 minutes ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Tarohn Finley
| The Detroit News

Detroit — When Ricky Taylor of Cadillac crossed over Felipe Nasr of Porsche to take the lead, Renger Van Der Zande of Acura stayed right behind.

With not enough speed and little tire traction, patience was all Van Der Zande could rely on. With 3:15 left, for Van Der Zande it was “game on” as soon as he hit Turn One.

He capitalized on his last opportunity to take the lead and he never let it go.

“When we made the pass for the win I kind of lost it, I felt like a little child because I was so excited,” Van Der Zande said.

Van Der Zande won the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic GTP Class race on Saturday in downtown Detroit. Van der Zande’s comeback victory was his 22nd IMSA Class win.

It was all Acura this weekend, as Acura was able to secure its first win this year. Van Der Zande’s victory and Nick Yelloly’s pole win yesterday made it a “precision-crafted performance weekend” for Acura drivers.

The victory was the first time both drivers had success on the course. For Yelloly, he got a victory in his second start on the course. Despite it being Van der Zande’s first victory on the course since the course was moved downtown in 2023, Van Der Zande has had a lot of success in Detroit.

“I actually won quite a bit in Belle Isle, maybe four times or something, ” Van Der Zande said. “So it has always come my way here.”

Renger Van Der Zande was not the only one who had momentum in Detroit; Ford was able to win the GTD Pro. Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx led them.

Rockenfeller, a six-time IMSA class winner, was happy to get the victory after recent struggles. “Finally it’s been a bit of a struggle not having the right days or packages the last couple of years,” Rockenfeller said.

Rockenfeller dedicated the win to Ford workers, as Edsel Ford looked on. “For Seb and I, the whole Ford team, all the employees of Ford are just right around the corner, I think this victory is really for them,” Rockenfeller said. “I’m so happy and really overwhelmed.”

Priaulx now has consecutive victories on the Detroit street course. Despite winning with two different manufacturers, winning with Ford in Detroit was significant for Priaulx. “To win for Ford here is an amazing achievement I think, ” Priaulx said.

For Ford and Acura drivers, it has been a great weekend indeed.

tafinley18@gmail.com

@Tarohnfinley

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Motorsports

Ryan Truex on standby for Denny Hamlin, who is on ‘baby watch’

Denny Hamlin, who already has two Cup wins this year, is set to make his 700th career Cup start on Sunday. However, the expected arrival of a baby boy may keep him from the track. Hamlin and long-time partner Jordan Fish already have two girls, but the due date for their first-born son is June […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Denny Hamlin, who already has two Cup wins this year, is set to make his 700th career Cup start on Sunday. However, the expected arrival of a baby boy may keep him from the track.

Hamlin and long-time partner Jordan Fish already have two girls, but the due date for their first-born son is June 1st — the same day as the Cup race at Nashville.

Ryan Truex, younger brother of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., is the reserve driver and will be called upon to pilot the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota should Hamlin have to leave the track.

Truex has 26 Cup Series starts, but none since the 2014 season — almost 11 years ago. Most recently, Truex has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JGR, winning three races since 2023.

Hamlin is scheduled to start from the outside of the front row for Sunday’s 400-mile race with teammate Chase Briscoe earning pole position. If Hamlin starts the event and Truex has to replace him mid-race, then Hamlin will get credit for the final finishing position. However, if Hamlin misses the start, the car will go to the rear of the field and Truex will get credit for the start.

NASCAR has introduced a stricter playoff waiver policy for 2025 and has promised to strip drivers of all playoff points if they need a waiver for non-medical reasons. However, missing a race for the birth of a child is covered under valid medical reasons, so there is no issue for Hamlin should he need to miss the race entirely.

Photos from Nashville – Practice & Qualifying

Motorsports

NASCAR Qualifying Results: Nashville – Denny Hamlin beaten to pole as Kyle Larson suffers nightmare

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has been denied pole position after an exciting qualifying session at Nashville, whilst 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson suffered a nightmare session. Hamlin was beaten to pole position for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, with the No. 19 car edging the No. 11 by […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has been denied pole position after an exciting qualifying session at Nashville, whilst 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson suffered a nightmare session.

Hamlin was beaten to pole position for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, with the No. 19 car edging the No. 11 by just 0.049 seconds around Nashville Superspeedway.

It is Briscoe’s second consecutive pole position after also topping Coca-Cola 600 qualifying at Charlotte last weekend, although the 30-year-old will be hoping he can convert it into a win this time around.

Hamlin, meanwhile, will have to make do with second, if he takes part in the race, that is. The Joe Gibbs Racing star is on standby as he awaits the birth of his baby son and has said he will skip the race to be there for his family.

Elsewhere in Nashville, it was a poor session for Hendrick Motorsports star Larson, failing to bounce back in the way we are used to after the disappointment of two wrecks last Sunday as he attempted ‘the double’.

The No. 5 car was only 28th quickest in qualifying this evening, with plenty of work for Larson and his team to do on race day if they want to secure a strong result.

With that said, let’s take a look at the full results from Saturday’s qualifying.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin NASCAR replacement on standby at Nashville as JGR star could miss race

NASCAR Cup Series: Who is on pole at Nashville?

After qualifying on Saturday afternoon, here is the starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, with times included.

Position	Driver	Car No.	Team	Lap Time/Gap
1	Chase Briscoe	19	Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota	29.125 sec
2	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota	+0.049
3	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.182
4	Tyler Reddick	45	23XI Racing Toyota	+0.183
5	Ross Chastain	1	Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet	+0.185
6	Brad Keselowski	6	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford	+0.252
7	Christopher Bell	20	Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota	+0.262
8	Michael McDowell	71	Spire Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.272
9	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske Ford	+0.309
10	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford	+0.318
11	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.352
12	Bubba Wallace	23	23XI Racing Toyota	+0.401
13	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.463
14	Erik Jones	43	Legacy Motor Club Toyota	+0.464
15	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske Ford	+0.476
16	Austin Cindric	2	Team Penske Ford	+0.481
17	AJ Allmendinger	16	Kaulig Racing Chevrolet	+0.494
18	Justin Haley	7	Spire Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.498
19	Ryan Preece	60	RFK Racing Ford	+0.510
20	Josh Berry	21	Wood Brothers Racing Ford	+0.526
21	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet	+0.532
22	Ty Gibbs	54	Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota	+0.533
23	Shane van Gisbergen	88	Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet	+0.534
24	Alex Bowman	48	Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.545
25	Kyle Busch	8	Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet	+0.607
26	Carson Hocevar	77	Spire Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.629
27	Zane Smith	38	Front Row Motorsports Ford	+0.641
28	Kyle Larson	5	Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet	+0.653
29	Cole Custer	41	Haas Factory Team Ford	+0.682
30	Noah Gragson	4	Front Row Motorsports Ford	+0.695
31	Ty Dillon	10	Kaulig Racing Chevrolet	+0.699
32	Daniel Suarez	99	Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet	+0.759
33	Corey Heim	67	23XI Racing Toyota	+0.771
34	Cody Ware	51	Rick Ware Racing Ford	+0.826
35	Todd Gilliland	34	Front Row Motorsports Ford	+0.871
36	John Hunter Nemechek	42	Legacy Motor Club Toyota	+0.898
37	Riley Herbst	35	23XI Racing Toyota	+1.035
38	JJ Yeley	44	NY Racing Team Chevrolet	+1.318
39	Chad Finchum	66	Garage 66 Ford	+2.604

NASCAR HEADLINES: Denny Hamlin speaks out on future as Cup Series driver suffers disqualification blow

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Motorsports

Kyle Larson says another Indy 500 not likely until NASCAR career ends

“Someday, maybe when I’m done with Cup racing, I would definitely love to do the 500 again, and devote all of my time to it,” Larson said. LEBANON, Tenn. — Kyle Larson hasn’t spent much time thinking about his latest failed attempt at becoming only the second driver to run all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“Someday, maybe when I’m done with Cup racing, I would definitely love to do the 500 again, and devote all of my time to it,” Larson said.

LEBANON, Tenn. — Kyle Larson hasn’t spent much time thinking about his latest failed attempt at becoming only the second driver to run all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway again may just have to wait until Larson’s NASCAR career ends.

“That’s not me shutting down the 500 again,” Larson said. “Someday, maybe when I’m done with Cup racing, I would definitely love to do the 500 again, and devote all of my time to it. It’s such an awesome event, like it is the greatest event in the world. So I don’t want to miss out on that too much.”

Larson said Saturday the attempt just doesn’t make sense logistically with any small delay, weather or crash throwing off the entire schedule.

He’s been dealing with a bit of a “Double” hangover since last weekend’s attempt. He also made a quick trip to Mexico to check out the altitude and area for NASCAR’s race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15. He slept much of Friday after getting sick.

Larson made his first try at one of the toughest challenges in motorsports in 2024 when four hours of rain delays at the Indianapolis 500 wrecked his plans at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then made him late to Charlotte with the NASCAR race called before he ever took a lap.

Last week, Larson crashed on Lap 91 of the Indianapolis 500, flew to Charlotte and then had his NASCAR race end on Lap 246 when caught up in a wreck ending his bid to join Tony Stewart who finished sixth in the 2001 Indy 500 before flying to Charlotte where he finished third in the Cup Series race.

John Andretti was the first driver to try the double in 1994, and Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch also have given it a shot.

Asked what changes could help make competing in both races and finishing the Double possible, Larson said moving the start time up for the Indy 500 wouldn’t work. That race already starts at 9:45 a.m. on the West Coast with people there unlikely to wake up earlier.

Larson said the Coca-Cola 600 can’t start much later. Even with not many cautions, that race still ends after 11 p.m. Eastern.

“I don’t know how those guys did in the past, like that must have been perfect, weather and cautions and all that,” Larson said.

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Motorsports

Tennessee Lottery 250 Predictions & Xfinity Series Nashville Picks

Betting News is your trusted source for betting picks and up to date news and stats on the NFL, MLB, NHL and many other sports. We analyze every game to help you find the best bets and best odds to wager on today’s games. We also review online gambling websites to help you find the […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Betting News is your trusted source for betting picks and up to date news and stats on the NFL, MLB, NHL and many other sports.

We analyze every game to help you find the best bets and best odds to wager on today’s games.

We also review online gambling websites to help you find the best sportsbooks and casino sites to play at.

We are Here to Help You Make Informed Betting Decisions and help players have more fun and more wins when gambling online.

Content reserved for readers of 18+ years of age or legal majority in their jurisdiction. Responsible Gaming.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (USA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN only), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ only), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA only) or 1-800-522-4700 (CO only).

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Motorsports

William Sawalich Storms to Xfinity Pole at Nashville

It’s been an unfortunate start to William Sawalich’s maiden campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver sitting 24th in series point standings at the halfway point of the regular season. However, by scoring a pole position ahead of Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-native is […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

However, by scoring a pole position ahead of Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-native is looking to make a significant turnaround for the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra team.

Sawalich, driving the Starkey-sponsored No. 18, turned a lap time of 30.860 seconds (155.152mph) to secure the pole for Saturday’s 250-mile contest, beating NASCAR Xfinity Series veteran Austin Hill for the top spot.

It’s the second career pole position for Sawalich in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the first of which came in last season’s finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Austin Hill will start on the outside of the front row, driving for Richard Childress Racing. The driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet posted a lap of 30.944 seconds.

STARTING LINEUP: Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville

Sam Mayer will start the race from third place, with Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed completing the race’s top-five starters. Carson Kvapil, Nick Sanchez, Aric Almirola, Ross Chastain, and Connor Zilisch rounded out the top-10.

Other notables starting outside the top-10 include Ryan Sieg (11th), Christian Eckes (12th), Brandon Jones (13th), Sammy Smith (14th), Jesse Love (15th), Corey Day (21st), Taylor Gray (24th).

Kyle Sieg, who paced NASCAR Xfinity Series practice on Saturday afternoon, will start the event from 28th-place.

With 40 drivers on the entry list for Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250, two drivers were sent home prior to the green flag, those being Katherine Legge (Jordan Anderson Racing) and Glen Reen (Joey Gase Motorsports).

The green flag for the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway will drop at 7:00 PM ET on The CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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