He has worked his way up from multiple jobs in the race shop, including being part of Larson’s Cup Series championship-winning No.5 team in 2021.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me,” Wall said earlier this season. “I’ve been a lot of places in this organization, kind of worked my way up through it, so to get to this point, it’s the whole goal of my journey through this place was to get here. It’s a cool spot to be in.”

All eyes will now be on how Elliott works with Wall in the No.17 car this weekend as he performs double duty before Sunday’s Cup race at the ‘Tricky Triangle’.

BUCHANAN (WLUK) — A NASCAR Hall of Famer stopped by the Wisconsin International Raceway for a special ceremony Thursday.

Mark Martin, who raced numerous times at WIR early on in his career, was officially inducted into the track’s “Circle of Fame.”

His name will forever be engraved at the raceway’s honor wall. Racing fans coming from near and far said this induction is well deserved.

“Always a clean driver and he’s just a gentleman,” fan Timothy Mikelson said.

“Just to tell him thank you for how he raced. To me, he was always a champion,” said Matthew Latus, a fan from Fort Collins, Colorado.

It’s not everyday you see a legend. Dozens of race fans waiting in line couldn’t believe their eyes when “The Kid” walked up to sign autographs and take pictures with them. It brought out the inner-child in many of the fans.

“I’ve always wanted to meet racers like him, Matt Kenseth, and to get to actually meet him. It was nerve racking because again, he’s such a household name. He’s such a big racer,” fan Joseph Mikelson said.

Martin was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017. He spent his early days racing at WIR from the late 1970s into the 80s, even earning Red, White and Blue State Champion in ’85 and ’86.

He said it’s great to be back in America’s Dairyland.

“It’s so cool to see the track. It almost looks the same. It made me feel like I could just get out there and make laps again, and I haven’t been in a racecar in 10 years,” Martin said.

In his NASCAR career, he’s considered the one of the greatest drivers to never win a championship, but he did win 40 Cup Series races. Martin said it’s a great honor to be put into WIR’s Circle of Fame, saying it was one of his favorite tracks.

He said he owes a lot to the Badger State for jumpstarting his career.

“I can’t stress enough my feelings toward Wisconsin fans and the Wisconsin racers, because those racers are the ones that taught me how to race,” Martin said.

Fans said it’s fitting Martin came back to the racetrack where he cut his teeth at early on.

“It means a lot, because the fact is, you know, Mark Martin and how successful he was on one of the biggest stages in America of racing,” fan Mike Van Domelen said.

When she left last year’s NHRA Virginia Nationals after a second-round loss to Tony Stewart, two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force wasn’t sure if or when she would race again in the wake of the 300-mile-per-hour crash that sent her dad to VCU Medical Center with a Traumatic Brain Injury.

Nevertheless, 12 months later, the 38-year-old is back at Virginia Motorsports Park at the wheel of her Chevrolet Accessories dragster and John Force is back, too, as the manager of the team he founded more than half a century ago.

“After a devastating departure from Richmond last season, I’m eager to leave something good behind this time around,” Brittany said of her return to a venue at which three years ago she set track records for both time (3.654 seconds) and speed (335.82 mph) enroute to the winners’ circle.

“Although emotions were running high, our team had a solid outing last year,” she recounted, “winning our first (Mission Foods) 2Fast2Tasty challenge on Saturday and making a second-round appearance on Sunday.”

Despite a forecast of horsepower-sapping heat, the 18-time tour winner expects to contend for the championship Sunday in a 340-mile-an-hour race car prepared by David Grubnic and John Collins.

“We’re still adjusting our hot weather tune-up and the forecast is (for) high 80s to low 90s,” she said, “so that will give us the perfect opportunity to make some good runs in the heat.”

The 2013 Rookie of the Year has gleaned more positivity from the fact that her national record-holding dragster is wearing Chevy Accessories livery for the first time this year.

“The last time Chevy Accessories was our major sponsor was at Las Vegas in the fall (of 2024) – and we won the race,” she said, “so we’re looking to do well for all our sponsors this weekend and get back in the winner’s circle like we did a few weeks back in Epping (N.H.).”

The only woman to have won as many as 300 racing rounds in the sport’s signature category, Brittany is also excited about supporting a new philanthropic initiative launched by brother-in-law Graham Rahal and sister Courtney through the Graham and Courtney Rahal Foundation (GCRF) and Graham Rahal Performance (GRP).  

Funds from the campaign, which will span the remainder of the season, will support the expansion of the Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters program at the University of Texas-Dallas, which, in partnership with Virginia High Performance, addresses specific brain health issues of members of the military.

This story was originally published on June 19, 2025.

Carson Hocevar has issued a lengthy statement after being handed a major punishment by his Spire Motorsports NASCAR team.

The 22-year-old caused an uproar after making insensitive comments about Mexico City on a live stream, where he was caught using derogatory language about the destination of the Viva Mexico 250.

Ahead of the first international points-paying race in the Cup Series in the modern era, Hocevar labelled Mexico City a ‘s**thole’, and having been held accountable by Spire Motorsports since, the No.77 driver has now issued a response to the punishment.

Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Hocevar wrote: “Whoa everybody, the truth is the truth. I said something that not only was wrong, I said it without even laying my own two eyes on CDMX or turning one lap in an actual race at an amazing facility that welcomed me with open arms and I go and say that?

“Thank you for the support but I’m not sure we’re on the same page. You guys want me to be me? It was me who said it and it was me who apologized after actually taking the time to explore the city and feel the passion of every fan in attendance. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and I knew before this weekend what respect means to this organization and I didn’t meet the standard so I got what I deserved.

“I hate learning these lessons in the public eye and bringing any negative attention to Spire or me. We’ve been fast just about every week and I’m sure I have plenty of mistakes left in me.

“I appreciate growing up in front of all of you and you guys get to see the good and the bad. I’m just me. I’m trying. It just doesn’t always go the way I want and I bring a lot of this on myself.

“However, I love being in this garage, with this team surrounded by the best drivers and fans in the world. See you in Pocono,” he concluded.

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How have Spire Motorsports responded to Hocevar’s livestream comments?

NASCAR team Spire Motorsports responded to the footage of Hocevar’s comments on Twitch with a statement of their own, laying out the many layers of the multi-faceted punishment they had decided was suitable for their driver.

After reviewing his live stream comments about Mexico City, the team announced that Hocevar would be fined $50,000, with the money be split between three organizations which benefit Mexican communities.

Additionally, the No.77 driver will have to attend mandatory cultural-sensitivity training and bias-awareness training to ensure his actions in the future align with the team’s core values of ‘RESPECT’.

After laying out the punishments awaiting Hocevar, Spire Motorsports also confirmed the suggested disciplines had been submitted to NASCAR, with the governing body reportedly content with the team’s handling of the incident.

Spire Motorsports’ own social media statement concluded: “We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.”

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Justin Ashley and the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel dragster team are geared up for the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth race of the 20-event 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Coming off a runner-up finish at the Thunder Valley Nationals, Ashley and his SCAG Toyota team, led by crew chiefs Mike Green and Tommy DeLago, are currently sitting fourth in the points standings. With back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Charlotte Four-Wide event and Route 66 Nationals, the SCAG dragster has shown consistent strength leading into this weekend’s two-day event that will feature three qualifying runs on Saturday and race day Sunday.

“Virginia Motorsports Park is a fantastic facility, and we’re excited to race in front of such passionate fans,” said Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “This race is going to be a unique challenge unlike anything we’ve seen so far this season. It’s a lot of racing in a short period of time and very high temperatures. The teams that usually win events like this are the ones that can go A to B more consistently than the others. That’ll certainly be our goal. But truthfully, it’s the perfect weekend to highlight the importance of having a good crew. They are so important to having success in this sport and this weekend should further highlight that point. I am so grateful to have ours and look forward to watching them go to work.”

Previously at Virginia Motorsports Park, in Top Fuel Ashley has had a pair of first-round exits in 2022 and 2024. He does, however, have a regional event win at the track from 2018 in Top Alcohol Dragster. He’ll be looking for four win-lights on Sunday to tally his first professional event win at the facility.

“We’ve found our rhythm over the last few races and want to ensure that continues for our SCAG Power Equipment Toyota team in Virginia. We’re grateful for the support of SCAG Power Equipment and all our partners,” Ashley added. “This team is championship-caliber, and we’re ready to fight for every round win. Let’s make some noise in Virginia.”

With the runner-up finish, Ashley will also be competing in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying session two and three on Saturday. It is the first time in SCAG Racing’s history that Ashley will be joined by both Funny Car teammates Daniel Wilkerson and Dave Richards.

Racing action at the American Rebel Light NHRA Virginia Nationals kicks off with three qualifying rounds on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Fans can catch qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET and eliminations coverage on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

This story was originally published on June 19, 2025.