Facing extreme heat and intense on-track competition, the red-liveried Sailun-supported Lynk&Co 03 TCR race car powered through the infamous “Green Hell,” showcasing the exceptional endurance and grip of Sailun’s race-spec tyres across the 24 hours of the race. It is the largest motorsport event in the world with more than 140 teams with 450 drivers from 34 countries  competing and 280,000 spectators around the course celebrating a motorsports festival that is one of a kind.

“This is more than a race – it’s one of the ultimate tests of tyre performance,” said Yan Chuang, race driver and media influencer from China. “To finish strong in such harsh heat conditions at the Nürburgring, with its unpredictable terrain, weather conditions and relentless pace, is a testament to Sailun’s smart engineering and the resilience of their compound technology.

Despite soaring track temperatures pushing teams to the limit, the Sailun tyres delivered consistent lap times, minimal degradation, and superior handling through day and night shifts. The red car, already a fan and media  favorite, captured attention not only for its bold aesthetics but also for its relentless pace and reliability throughout the marathon.

“The official number of the car was 827 – a very meaningful combination as “8” represents a lucky number in China and “27” being the foundation year of the Nürburgring in 1927. The 25.3 km configuration of the Grand Prix Track and the historic Nordschleife provides the most demanding, longest and most challenging race track in the world. Until today the famous seal of quality “Nürburgring approved” represents the benchmark in global automotive testing and developing2, comments Stephan Cimbal, Director Marketing Sailun Europe.

The Lynk&Co on Sailun racing tyres finished on position 60 overall and took the podium in the class for alternative fuels as well – an all time first race set up 100% “Made in China“.

Press Contact (Original Photos and further Informations):
SAILUN EUROPE GmbH
Stephan Cimbal,
Director of Marketing Europe
Grosser Hasenpfad 30
D-60598 Frankfurt, Germany
T: +49 15111566780
Mail: stephan.cimbal@sailun-tyres.eu
 

And just like that, NASCAR is on the move … again. AGAIN! Feels like we just got to Amazon Prime, and now the boys are packing their bags and heading to TNT for the next month or so. 

The good news? My mamaw can watch the races again! What a relief. I was so tired of taking notes every week just so I could sound smart during our obligatory Monday morning debriefs. 

Channel 43, mamaw! “The Richard Petty channel!” Have at it. Zach gets a few weeks off now. 

Anyway … what did we all think about Pocono? A lot going on, but also, a typical Pocono race. You go to Pocono, you’re getting a fuel mileage race at the end. That’s just the way it goes at that place. 

Chase Briscoe ain’t exactly the most exciting new winner this season, but he’ll do. That’ll probably be the last time we talk about him today, though. Just being honest. 

We will talk about Natalie Decker, who broke out her red flag bikini to officially start summer. Feels like a natural way to kick off the season, if you ask me. 

We’ll also talk some Prime, Dale Jr., Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Tab Boyd – the spotter who insufferably woke NASCAR fired this week because God forbid you say anything negative about Mexico. 

Embarrassing. 

Four tires, enough fuel to get us through all three Tricky Triangle corners, and maybe a tampon for the muckity-mucks at HYAK Motorsprts … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘Hasta Luego!’ edition – is LIVE!

Typical NASCAR move here

Hate to start this class on a sour note, but the wokes who run the sport have once again left me no choice. 

So, two folks last week got sent to the principal’s office over their not-very-nice comments on the Mexico race weekend. 

Carson Hocevar was caught calling the place a “shithole” during a live video game stream (what a stupid way to spend your time), and was promptly fined $50K and sent to Liberal Finishing School (NASCAR-mandated sensitivity training). 

And while that was stupid in itself, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s spotter – multiple-time Daytona 500 winner Tab Boyd – was FIRED because of this since-deleted tweet:

“I’m ready to go home, screw this place. People can talk it up all they want… can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched… in less than five minutes. Good area my ass…”

Good God. NASCAR is so soft. Or maybe we don’t even blame NASCAR here. Maybe this was a HYAK Motorsports decision? Regardless, they’re both so soft. It’s incredible. 

This whole sport is just constantly walking on eggshells. They’re all so scared of their own shadows that they don’t dare let anyone say anything remotely controversial without laying down the hammer. 

Tab Boyd actually lost his JOB because he implied that Mexico City wasn’t the best area. That’s it. That’s all he said. 

There are rumors floating around that spotter Tab got hustled by a dude who told him he could turn his US dollars into Pesos, and then just ran away with his money. True story. Objectively, that’s funny. Sort of on Tab to not trust shady people like that outside your hotel. 

But still … that reaction got him fired? Really? Who are NASCAR and HYAK Motorsports scared of offending here? The rabid NASCAR fanbase in Mexico? 

The best part is, they’re both deathly terrified of something that no longer exists. Cancel culture is done. Finished. Kaput. Over with. DONEZO. 

The second Trump retook office last fall, cancel culture died. But not for NASCAR. Not for its woke teams. It’s still 2020 in their eyes. 

Idiots. 

At least Ricky’s handling it well!

The Kyles had a fun weekend at Pocono!

Whoaaaaaaaaaaa Nellie! What an ROI for Ricky! Never a bad day when you turn $4 million into $12 million. Certainly helps ease the blow of losing your spotter. 

OK, let’s sneak back into the states and head to Pocono, where both Kyle Larson AND Kyle Busch had miserable weekends. 

We’ll start with Larson, who actually battled back for a decent finish yesterday, but clearly despises this stupid Next Gen car because it’s cheap garbage:

That would be sarcasm for the folks trying to piece it all together in the back. I don’t think Kyle loves Next Gen racing. I know for a fact that Kyle Busch HATES it, mainly because he’s shit on this new car for two years now. 

Coincidentally, he also hasn’t won a race in over two years. Weird! 

Speaking of KB, he angered all the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans in Pocono this weekend with this SCORCHING hot take ahead of Dale’s crew chief debut:

Cut down in their Prime, nearly cut in half, and Natalie’s red flag!

Incredible. I know Rowdy wasn’t taking a shot at Dale Jr. – at least that’s what he later said – but still … such a bold move to kinda-sorta shit on anything that has to do with an Earnhardt. 

“Just gonna be a warm body sitting atop the box.” Hey, Kyle, does THAT look like a warm body just twiddling his thumbs and passing the time?

Nope. That looks like a dude down in the trenches with the fellas getting dirty and kicking ass. Dale Jr. is America’s Crew Chief, now. Sorry Larry Mac. This is Junior’s world. 

Piss off, Kyle! 

Couple quickies on the way out. Let’s all pour one out for Amazon Prime, which turned on race fans across America over the past five weeks with a pretty stellar NASCAR debut:

I’ve written about it plenty, so I’m not gonna rehash all the ratings talk here. The numbers are/were the numbers, and the numbers … were a mixed bag. 

NASCAR wants to get younger, and Prime executed perfectly. The audience for the five races? Youngest NASCAR audience in years. YEARS. 

The actual viewership itself? It steadily decreased each week. Again, if you want to really dive in, I wrote about it two weeks ago. Read it. You’ll probably like it. 

Bottom line: NASCAR on Prime was a success in terms of the broadcast and the median age. The viewership numbers left a lot to be desired, but that was expected in Year 1. Next summer will probably be a better gauge. 

Speaking of things getting cut in half, let’s check in with this WARRIOR on pit road yesterday:

My God. Taking a TIRE to the torso is next-level stuff. What a legend. D1 lacrosse player, too! I’m amazed every week that stuff like this doesn’t happen more often. You don’t realize how close these dudes are to the action until you venture onto pit road yourself. 

But they still have a job to do and a tire to CHANGE. Get your ass up, dust yourself off, and get SVG back on track in an appropriate amount of time. And that’s what this legend did. 

Bet he’s a BIG B2 bomber guy! You don’t take a tire to the chest like that without having some Republican in your blood. 

OK, that’s it for today. We’re off to Atlanta next week. TNT’s got the next five races, for those wondering. 

Channel 43, mamaw!

Take us there, Natalie. 

What’s Happening?

Thomas Annunziata will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend at Lime Rock Park with Spire Motorsports.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned the top seed in the inaugural version of NASCAR’s In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament set to kick off next week in Atlanta.

The tournament, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner, is part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

The final 32-driver field was set by results of the races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Chase Briscoe won the Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway to finalize the field.

The drivers will be paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Hamlin goes head-to-head next week against the 32nd seed, Ty Dillon. Briscoe earned the second seed, Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The tournament is patterned after in-season tournaments that are staged by soccer leagues around the world and even brought to the NBA.

At Pocono Raceway, famously known as “The Tricky Triangle,” Denny Hamlin fell short as another JGR driver, Chase Briscoe, who clinched the win with his impressive skill. Despite Hamlin falling behind, securing the first and second spots was a significant achievement for JGR, reinforcing the team’s strength.

Yet, the victory was also off the track, and Hamlin knew its significance. After the race, Hamlin paid a tribute to Fred Smith, the founder of his former sponsor, FedEx, who had recently died at the age of 80.

Denny Hamlin Pays Tribute to the Late FedEx Founder Fred Smith

For a quick historical recap, the FedEx–Joe Gibbs Racing partnership began in 2005, around the time JGR signed Hamlin for the No. 11 Toyota. There is a reason why Hamlin paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Fred Smith.

Smith was a former Marine and a close friend of Joe Gibbs. He was the one who took the initiative and helped in building the brand for the talented and young Hamlin back then. Also, Smith was not the average sponsor. He prioritized the team’s success. Not to mention, Smith used to go to the races to support the drivers.

FedEx’s iconic Takata Livery Toyota, originally purple and orange, marked a significant milestone and remains iconic to this day. From then until the next two decades, FedEx’s involvement with JGR helped run more than 30 races in a single season.

Hamlin repaid with his impressive performances, which people still talk about today. He had an outstanding track record of 50-plus wins in races, including consistent runs at the championships and three Daytona 500 victories. For this instance, the purple and orange Livery became the most iconic symbol in NASCAR.

However, FedEx, the express transportation company with a $54 billion market cap, has slowly begun to depart from JGR in recent years. Additionally, they reduced their race counts from 30 to just 12. The shift in sponsorship created a butterfly effect in NASCAR, altering the ecosystem of the motorsport. Despite FedEx and JGR parting their ways, the bond that Fred Smith and the JGR family shared remained special.

At the post-race interview at Pocono, Hamlin offered his condolences to Smith and FedEx. Hamlin knows about Smith’s contribution to his rise to fame.

In the interview, Hamlin shared, “I do want to say our condolences are to the FedEx family and the Smith family for the loss of Fred Smith. He was such an integral part of Joe Gibbs Racing’s inception of this 11-car, my career. So, thank you to the FedEx family and Fred Smith’s family. And we’re thinking of them.”

Hamlin’s words of remark reflect the deep respect and bond he has for the FedEx family, not to mention his remembrance of the late Smith. Last year, he said, “I will still bleed purple,” reflecting his bond with the former sponsor. The post-race scenario was emotional, and it’s such a beautiful scene, which fans rarely witness in a NASCAR scene.

Another decision in the NASCAR lawsuit saga. The motion to dismiss NASCAR’s counterclaim against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports has been denied. While this isn’t a decision on the merits of that counterclaim, it will allow it to go forward.

The NASCAR lawsuit continues with its many twists and turns. In the Western District of North Carolina, Judge Kenneth Bell has made a decision on the motion to dismiss NASCAR’s countersuit against the teams. That motion was denied.

The countersuit from NASCAR states that it was the teams who illegally colluded against the sanctioning body while negotiating the charter agreements. Of course, 23XI and FRM did not sign the charter agreements while the other Cup Series organizations did sign.

NASCAR filed the countersuit earlier this year. In response, the teams filed a Motion to Strike the counterclaim. While determining whether to dismiss a claim, the court accepts the claims as fact rather than making a ruling on the actual legal standing of the claims. Instead, the court has determined that the counterclaim will go forward and be assessed on its merits in Summary Judgement.

“Of course, Plaintiffs (23XI and Front Row) have several responses to these allegations that will be considered at Summary Judgment … but the Court’s task at this stage of the proceedings is simply to determine if there is a ‘plausible’ claim. And, NASCAR has satisfied that (relatively) low bar. Therefore, the Court will allow NASCAR’s Counterclaim to proceed towards a merits decision on its Rule of Reason Sherman 1 claim.”

This is not a win or a loss for either side. But if you wanted to apply those terms, this is a small win for NASCAR in the overall lawsuit. That’s simply because the countersuit wasn’t thrown out.

NASCAR lawsuit continues to head for December trial

Unless the two parties find a way to reach a settlement, this NASCAR lawsuit is going to go to trial on December 1. There is a lot that can happen between now and then. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently attempting to appeal a decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

If the appeal is denied or the appeal fails upon being heard by the court, then 23XI and FRM will lose charter status for 2025. That is a matter of millions of dollars in revenue that they will lose per car. Not to mention, they could lose the charters that they purchased from Stewart-Haas Racing last year. A lot is on the table on this appeal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals reversed three preliminary injunctions issued by the district court. That decision could strip the teams of their charter status. In that case, they would be racing as open cars each week, with a possibility of not qualifying for certain races, should the field be larger than 40 cars.

A lot is on the line for these race teams right now. The NASCAR lawsuit could change the sport as we know it, no matter which side wins at trial or in a settlement situation. I have a feeling neither side is going to budge and give in before December.