This weekend is a big one for Jake Finch. The 20-year-old is going to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Dover Motor Speedway. Finch is suiting up for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 car in a somewhat surprising move.

Jake Finch has a history at Dover. He won the 2023 ARCA East race at the track. Finch also has an ARCA national series win from Talladega in 2024. But he’s mainly driven Toyotas up to this point.

Finch’s father, James Finch Sr., was the owner of Phoenix Racing. His family has experience at the highest levels of NASCAR. Now, Jake is getting a major opportunity at a track where he’s had success. Hendrick Motorsports has had Corey Day primarily in the 17 car this season. Now, Finch takes over for a week.

SONOMA, Calif. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ in-season tournament bracket is down to four drivers after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs

With a sixth-place finish at Sonoma, Tyler Reddick eliminated Ryan Preece from the NASCAR in-season tournament. Preece finished 12th.

Ty Gibbs finished seventh and eliminated Zane Smith, who finished 27th after starting 12th at Sonoma.

MORE on Gibbs: ‘Nothing wrong’ for Ty Gibbs in NASCAR Cup top-10 finish at Sonoma

After Sonoma, Reddick and Gibbs will face off on the “East Coast” side of the NASCAR in-season tournament bracket at Dover.

Ty Dillon vs. John Hunter Nemechek

Ty Dillon literally moved Alex Bowman out of the NASCAR in-season tournament in the final corner at Sonoma. Dillon bumped Bowman, boosting himself to a 17th-place finish and dropping Bowman to 19th and continuing his miracle run in the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek finished 28th, one spot ahead of Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones in 29th. Jones finished 1.779 seconds behind Nemechek.

After Sonoma, Nemechek and Dillon will face off at Dover.

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

UAB Medicine will serve as the title sponsor of the UAB Medicine GT World Alabama, scheduled for Sept. 5-7 at Barber Motorsports Park. The event will feature the GT World Challenge America racing series and aims to support Teal Wings of Hope, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization focused on education, awareness and advocacy for individuals affected by ovarian cancer.

“We’re thrilled to welcome UAB Medicine as the presenting sponsor for GT World Alabama,” said George Dennis, president of Zoom Motorsports. “As one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, UAB is a vital part of the Birmingham community. Their support, alongside the impact of Teal Wings of Hope, brings an even deeper purpose to a weekend that already offers world-class racing and family-friendly entertainment.”

Through UAB Medicine’s sponsorship, proceeds from the event will benefit Teal Wings of Hope. The three-day event will include motorsports activities and opportunities to contribute to the organization’s mission.

“Teal Wings of Hope was founded in memory of my wife, Babs, with the goal of improving ovarian cancer care so that future generations of women won’t have to endure what she did,” said Bob Barrett, chairman emeritus of Teal Wings of Hope. “This partnership with UAB is incredibly meaningful. And with September being Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the timing couldn’t be more fitting. We’re truly excited and look forward to working with everyone involved.”

The event will showcase vehicles from such manufacturers as Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Acura and McLaren. Activities will include races, interactive fan zones, autograph sessions and other entertainment options.

“I’m extremely grateful and excited about this endeavor. Our work with the community is what drives us to do what we do,” said Warner Huh, M.D., chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “The most important thing for me is making sure that we provide access and high-quality care to all individuals in the state of Alabama who are seeking really top-notch world-class care and gynecological oncology.”

Tickets and additional event information are available at barberracingevents.com.

F1 Power Rankings: Austrian GP Shake-Up Before British Grand Prix!The Austrian Grand Prix flipped the F1 Power Rankings upside down! From Lando Norris’ dominant win to Max Verstappen’s rare DNF, we break down the top 10 drivers heading into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Don’t miss the drama, surprises, and standout performances! Subscribe for more F1 coverage and visit sportsnaut.com for all the latest race updates.

A pair of Italian manufacturers – Ferrari and Lamborghini – both rolled the dice on strategy and came up aces in the two GT classes in Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

When DragonSpeed called Albert Costa into the pits near the end of the first full-course caution of the race, exactly half of the two-hour, 40-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race remained.

Costa, driving the No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3, and the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the hands of Nicky Catsburg were the only two entries in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class to top off their tanks after stopping with the rest of their competitors at the start of the safety car period.

A GT3 car generally can’t stretch a tank of VP Racing Fuel over 80 minutes of green flag racing. But then, CTMP’s high-speed, high-commitment layout generally produces a caution in the closing stages – in five of the last six WeatherTech Championship races, as a matter of fact.

Make that six of seven, because the safety car made a second appearance just past the two-hour mark, before ultimately leading the field to the checkered flag after the race-leading Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA driven by Tom Dillmann crashed with about 15 minutes to go. Damage to the barrier and tire wall prevented the race from going back to green.

That made DragonSpeed’s strategy perfect for the circumstances, and the No. 81 Ferrari led the final 22 laps to reward the team with its sixth victory in IMSA competition and first in the GTD PRO class. DragonSpeed’s last win came at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2022 (Henrik Hedman and Juan Pablo Montoya shared the team’s No. 81 ORECA LMP2 07 in the LMP2 class).

Costa and co-driver Giacomo Altoe have each won twice in the WeatherTech Championship. They started Sunday’s race from 10th and last in class.

“We woke up this morning and said, ‘We need to make a gamble,’” Costa said. “We were not fast; we were the slowest car on the track. But we played hard. And I’m happy for the team, and for the strategy they made, so that’s to them for all the support. We were lucky for once.”

“Obviously, it’s not the way you want to win, and at the end we were lucky,” Altoe added. “But this is a really good result that is important for the team. It has not been an easy weekend, but we made the most of it. That’s mega.”

Catsburg also acknowledged that good fortune played a role in the best result of the season for himself, Tommy Milner, and the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R as the ninth different GTD PRO car to finish on the podium this season.

“It’s very nice to finish on the podium,” he said. “But we do have a lot of work to do. We got a little bit lucky today. We need to figure out where things keep going wrong in the pit lane and figure out how to get the Corvette in a bit of a better window.”

Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler took third place in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, followed by the GTD PRO points leading No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R driven by Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims. The result cut the No. 3 car’s lead in the GTD PRO point standings over the No. 77 car from 52 points to 39.

GTD: WTR Lamborghini Prevails in Comeback Effort

Sometimes the best wins in racing are the ones that are least expected. Just ask Trent Hindman, Danny Formal, and Wayne Taylor Racing.

The No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 started fifth but dropped to the tail of the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class field in the opening stages of the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park when contacted by another GTD car.

But Formal and WTR’s GTD team didn’t give up. Formal kept pressing on, and the team played a strategic card by making a second pit stop near the end of the first caution period in the two-hour, 40-minute WeatherTech Championship race.

Hindman took over, and as every other GTD competitor stopped for energy, he kept the WTR Lamborghini on track. When a pair of late cautions caused the race to end behind the safety car, Hindman and Formal were in position to collect Wayne Taylor Racing’s 52nd victory in IMSA competition, but first in the GTD class. It was Formal’s first win in the WeatherTech Championship, and the second for 2019 GTD class champion Hindman.

Formal is also the first driver from Costa Rica to triumph in IMSA competition since Javier Quiros in 1997, coincidentally also at CTMP in the GT class.

“It was complete adversity in the first five minutes of the race,” Formal exclaimed. “I got a good start and the car was amazing, but I got T-boned going into Turn 9. We drove the whole stint with a broken rim, and the vibration was just insane. But the team said, ‘Keep on chugging, keep on doing this. We have a strategy; we have a plan.’ So obviously I kept driving as hard as I could.”

Despite driving in full fuel-save mode, Hindman kept the chrome-liveried Lamborghini out front.

“The whole time, I had nothing but faith for the guys on the box,” Hindman said. “You see the calls they make in GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) racing, so we are just very fortunate to have the same caliber crew on our side with the GTD car.

“We’ve had nothing go our way this year,” he added. “To finally have a race come to us like that took a bit of luck, but from personal experience, I’ve been on the wrong side on a lot of these kinds of races. So, you take it any way you can get it. But the car was plenty quick.”

The GTD championship points leaders consolidated their positions with podium finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. A second place run for Philip Ellis and Russell Ward (No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) extended their lead over third place finishers Parker Thompson and Jack Hawksworth (No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) to 93 points.

“At the end of the day, we accomplished what we set out to do, which was to extend the championship lead,” said Ward. “A little disappointing when you have such a good car and have the ability to win the race but finish under caution. That’s racing, and still a good points day for us. We’ve had a couple seconds and a third here, so hopefully a win is coming.”

Canadian fan favorite Robert Wickens teamed with Alec Udell to finish fourth in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. It was a career-best result for paraplegic racer Wickens in just his fourth WeatherTech Championship start, and third in GTD.

The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the IMSA SportsCar Weekend, August 1-3 at Road America.

IMSA Wire Service PR

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams were set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

After the filing NASCAR was ordered to respond by 5 p.m. Wednesday — which means there would be no ruling on if the charters will be revoked likely until Thursday, at the earliest.

“Today we filed a motion in the district court for a renewed preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to protect the teams’ ability to race chartered for the remainder of the 2025 Cup Series season and prevent irreparable business harm to 23XI and Front Row Motorsports until we can present our case at trial in December,” said Jeffery Kessler, attorney for the teams.

“New information surfaced through the discovery process that overwhelmingly supports our position that a preliminary injunction is legally warranted and necessary. The teams’ love of stock car racing and belief in a better future for the sport for all parties – teams, drivers, employees, sponsors, and fans – continues to motivate their efforts to pursue this antitrust case.”

There were large portions of the filing redacted because the arguments are based on information learned through discovery, making it confidential, for now. But, the urgency is likely tied to NASCAR indicating it plans to immediately begin selling the charters if they are revoked.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.”

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Also on Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a short virtual hearing in a North Carolina court over their fight for a charter.

Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026. RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

Legacy on Monday asked for and was granted the right to depose RWR over the recent revelation that T.J. Puchyr, one of the founders of Spire Motorsports, plans to purchase the race team. Legacy contends if Ware is selling the team, then one of the charters should be transferred to its organization.

Legacy also argued that Ware did not disclose he was entering into a sales agreement with a third party — Puchyr, who is now a consultant and brokered the initial lease deal between RWR and Legacy — in an April hearing. The judge in that case warned that RWR could be in contempt of court if it misrepresented its intentions in the first hearing.

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