Team Penske dropped a bombshell days before the Indy 500, which could shake up NASCAR, too. High-ranking firings, rule-breaking revelations, and a Hall of Fame twist involving a current Cup driver with deep family ties to the scandal. This one hits every corner of the motorsports world.

• Why did Penske clean house just before the biggest race of the year?
• Could Austin Cindric’s future at Penske be in real trouble now that his father’s gone from Penske?
• Who are the current NASCAR drivers locked in as future Hall of Famers — and who’s on the bubble?
• And which surprising names might sneak onto the ballot someday?

This episode packs drama, history, and speculation from the fallout at Indy to the Class of 2026. Are we witnessing the start of a major shift at one of NASCAR’s top teams? And are the Hall of Fame standards changing in real time? Drop your thoughts in the comments — who would you put in the Hall today, and who still has something to prove?

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Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski each will have a new spotter in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Wednesday that Matt Philpott has replaced Stevie Reeves as Bell’s spotter. Reeves had been Bell’s spotter in Cup since Bell made his series debut in 2020.

Cup drivers will compete in the longest race of the season Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bell won last week’s All-Star Race and is the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600.

Todd Brewer will fill-in for T.J. Majors as Keselowski’s spotter. Majors said on this week’s Dale Jr. Download that he would be out about a month due to a medical procedure.

When it comes to iconic NASCAR races, the 2005 running of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 is up there as one of the wilded and most bizarre. It was May 29th, 2005, a few hours after Dan Wheldon had won his first Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day.

43 drivers took part in NASCAR’s longest race and through 5+ hours of chaos, it came down to an aging champion searching for one last moment of glory and a new superstar on the cusp of greatness.

The race kicked off in the daylight with Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon leading the field to the green flag. Seven laps were run before the caution flew and the safety vehicles were deployed in what would be a very busy night for them. Martin Truex Jr. rubbed the wall and while it was nothing major, it was the beginning of the most caution-filled race in NASCAR history.

The first 100 laps were fairly subdued and nothing peculiar occurred. But as Kyle Busch defended the lead against then-teammate Gordon, a multi-car pileup ensued on the backstretch. No big names collected, but the free pass did go to 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, who had started back in 34th. And you’re going to want to remember that name for later. 

Chaos reigns

Things began to unravel from that point onward. The race could hardly go 20 laps without an incident. Ten cautions flew between lap 115 and 240. Perhaps the most notable incident happened on the 247th lap, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then-teammate Michael Waltrip were battling for position. A misjudged crossover move by Earnhardt sent Waltrip spinning wildly down the frontstretch, destroying both cars in the process. Former Cup champions Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte also got swept up in the mess and had their nights ended prematurely. Terry’s brother Bobby was able to weave through the chaos and just barely avoid the out-of-control race cars. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet

Photo by: George Tiedemann via Getty Images

When the race returned to green flag conditions, the carnage began to subside (for the moment) and everyone finally got the chance to take a breath after 375 miles of almost non-stop destruction. The cautions continued to trickle in, but they were for minor things such as a piece of debris or oil on the track. But when Kasey Kahne blew a right front tire and threw debris all over the track, NASCAR was forced to display the yellow once more. How was this yellow more significant than the others? Well, it happened in the middle of green flag pit stops and just like that, the running order was turned upside down.

The race-altering yellow

All four Hendrick cars were trapped deep in the running order, as were many other top contenders. One driver was told to pit by his crew chief seconds before the caution was displayed, but that driver called an audible and decided to wait after seeing Kahne limping around on the apron. That driver would be veteran Bobby Labonte, who now ran second to Carl Edwards. With the rules as they were back then, cars that stayed out to get a lap back weren’t waved around the pace car. Instead, they restarted just ahead of the leaders at the tail-end of the lead lap, putting Edwards and Labonte in the middle of the field — and the eye of the storm.

On lap 364, Joe Nemehcek fought his way through the traffic and took over the race lead. With the drivers tired and the race running incredibly late, tempers began to flare. Under caution, Edwards and Dale Jarrett got into a shoving match with their cars over some earlier contact.

Another massive pileup took place with just twenty laps remaining. Seven cars in total received damage including notables such as Gordon, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, and Mark Martin. Jimmie Johnson was lucky to be directly in front of the accident as few behind it made it through. That wreck officially broke the old NASCAR record for cautions in a single Cup race, and they weren’t even done tearing up equipment yet.

Brian Vickers, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet damage

Photo by: Getty Images

As for Johnson, he had been quietly avoiding drama throughout the race. He entered the event as the favorite, and not just because the track was called Lowe’s Motor Speedway at the time, which was also his primary sponsor. Johnson was the defending winner of the Coke 600 and swept both races at Charlotte the previous year. He was now one of the few drivers left standing in the closing laps.

And this race wasn’t done surprising us just yet. As the laps ticked down to under ten laps remaining, race leader Nemechek lost control and backed it into the wall due to a tire failure. His mangled No. 01 machine slid down the track and directly into the path of Johnson. The No. 48 somehow made it through the blinding smoke, inches away from what would have been a terrible impact. 

Joe Nemechek crashes from the lead

Photo by: Getty Images

The lead was put into the hands of none other than Bobby Labonte. That weekend was weird for him, even before the green flag flew. His bright green Interstate Batteries car was replaced with FedEx colors for this race because his teammate Jason Leffler, who had originally carried the scheme, failed to qualify for the event. The company then made an unusual deal with Gibbs to be placed on the No. 18 car. Labonte was also facing a winless streak that dated back to the end of the 2003 season and he was eager to return to Victory Lane.

Labonte fights to the bitter end

The race was red-flagged with nine laps to go and the commentators decided to speak with Labonte, but as they quickly found out, he wasn’t in the mood for chatting.

“You got me Bobby?” … “Yeah.” … “Do you think you can hold him off?”… “I’m gonna try.” … “How good is your car? As good as it’s been all night I guess?” … “Yeah.”

He was so focused on the mission ahead of him, knowing he had the inferior car. But he was not about to bow down in the face of such odds. That weekend was also the tenth anniversary of Labonte’s first win at the Cup level, which came at this same race in 1995. He knew that behind him, he had a hungry rookie in Edwards and Johnson’s Hendrick-powered No. 48. Johnson also had slightly fresher tires than those ahead of him.

The race resumed with just six laps left. Johnson quickly moved forward, taking second with four laps and six miles left to run Labonte down. Well, he was on him in a single lap. 

Labonte fought with everything he had, but he also had a reputation as one of the cleanest drivers in the field. He wasn’t about to get physical in this tense battle for the win. Johnson sent it to the inside of Labonte in Turn 1 on the final lap, but he got too tight and had to lift. It looked as if the battle was over, but Johnson was not finished yet. He sent it deep into the final set of corners on the outside, sparks flying out from under his No. 48 Chevrolet. He clawed forward, pulling alongside Labonte out of Turn 4 as the stands erupted with camera flashes.

At the line, just 0.027s separated them in the closest finish in the entire 65-year history of the Coke 600. Johnson enjoyed the sweet taste of Victory Lane champagne that night, while Labonte endured the bitter agony of defeat, kicking the side of his car in disgust. It was not the celebration he had hoped for to commemorate his first NASCAR Cup win from ten years prior. And as fate would have it, Labonte raced on for another decade, and never won again.

The 46th running of the Coca Cola 600 was a riveting, but bizarre event that lasted five hours and 13 minutes. It featured a record number of cautions at 22, which has yet to be beat. 21 of the 43 drivers that started the race led at one point and the driver who led the most laps [Vickers] never even made it to the finish. And when the smoke cleared, only 36 inches stood between the first and second place cars. It signified the clashing of two eras with Labonte, one of the last stars of the Winston Cup era losing to the man who would turn the newly introduced NASCAR playoffs into his personal playground.

And while there have been plenty of weird and wild Coke 600s, nothing compares to what went on this Sunday evening in 2005.

SALISBURY — First Selectman Curtis Rand agreed to sign approvals for changes in traffic patterns and a “hauler parade” for Lime Rock Park’s NASCAR event June 26 to 28 after a lengthy and detailed discussion at a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen Wednesday, May 21.

Lime Rock Park is hosting a weekend of NASCAR events. In anticipation of a larger than usual crowd, park leadership has asked to have one-way traffic on Route 112 — Lime Rock Road — from the junction of Route 7 and Route 112 to White Hollow Road and the main track entrance between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and one-way traffic in the opposite direction between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28.

On Thursday, June 26, there will be a hauler parade. The trucks will form up at Salisbury School and proceed west on Route 44 starting at 4:30 p.m., with state police cars in the lead and bringing up the rear. Westbound traffic on Route 44 will be stopped as the parade gets underway.

Rand expressed frustration with many aspects of the plans. He was critical of park leadership for setting up arrangements with local businesses for the parade prior to coming to the town for a discussion.

Selectman Chris Williams said Lime Rock Park should have come to the town considerably earlier than the first notification a couple of weeks ago.

Selectman Kitty Kiefer said she has not heard anything positive from anyone she has talked to about the plans.

Lime Rock Park President Dicky Riegel and facility safety director Tom Burke, a retired State Police sergeant with Troop B, answered the questions and criticisms as they came.

Burke said there will be 30 state troopers both along the roads and at the track, and there will be 11 variable message boards deployed to alert motorists several days ahead of the events.

Asked why park representatives had not sent out plans to their immediate neighbors, Riegel said they couldn’t do that until they had an approval. With approval, the track will publicize the information about the traffic flow and the parade.

Riegel also apologized for not coming to the town sooner.

Public comment was uniformly negative.

After an hour or so, Rand asked the selectmen for their opinions.

Kiefer said she would deny both requests.

Williams said he would approve them but reiterated his earlier criticisms.

Rand made up his mind.

“I will sign these.” He said he was “going on good faith.”

“But if it comes up again I might easily say no.”

May 21, 2025

May 21, 2025 – After an action-packed weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Nitro Motorsports is ready to regroup and reload as the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli heads east to Lime Rock Park for the next round of the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series championship. With a powerful eight-driver roster, including a pair of NASCAR ladder series drivers, the North Carolina-based outfit looks to return to the top step of the podium on the historic Connecticut circuit in the Memorial Day weekend event.

Racing out of the Nitro Motorsports stable at Lime Rock will be:

• Corey Heim
• Thomas Annunziata
• Sam Corry
• Boris Said Jr.
• Gian Buffomante
• Julian DaCosta
• Cale Phillips
• Thad Moffitt

“We’ve got a deep lineup of talent heading into Lime Rock, and I’m excited to see what we can do as a team,” expressed Nick Tucker, Team Owner of Nitro Motorsports. “After a tough end to a promising weekend at Laguna Seca, everyone is fired up and ready to fight back.”

Last time out, Gian Buffomante turned heads by charging from 21st on the grid to finish third, earning his first career Trans Am podium and the Basset Hard Charger of the Race Award in the process. Boris Said Jr. showed his consistency as well, finishing fourth in class after penalties reshuffled the final order. Meanwhile, early front-runners Thomas Annunziata, the current TA2 championship point leader, and Sam Corry showed winning pace with Annunziata, a two-time race winner this season, looking to rebound after a disappointing event.

Julian DaCosta and Cale Phillips will pilot Nitro Motorsports machines at Lime Rock Park this weekend as they look for their best results of the season, as a pair of new names will join them in the series in 2025. Coming from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series, Corey Heim and Thad Moffitt will race for Nitro Motorsports this weekend. 

“We welcome Corey and Thad to our program this weekend as they have a slight break in their NASCAR schedules and can join us,” Tucker continued. “We’ve shown speed at every track this year. Now the goal is to put it all together—and get back to our dominating ways. With eight talented drivers in the paddock, I have no doubt we’ll be right in the mix this weekend.”

Set to hit the track on Friday for three test sessions, Saturday will be the home of qualifying and race one. Tune in LIVE all weekend long at GoTransAm.com.

For more information on Nitro Motorsports, please visit them online or contact Nick Tucker via email HERE or visit them online at www.RaceNitro.com.

For a long time, motorsport has drawn the rich and famous from around the world. Rock stars, models, celebrities, and even world leaders have been spotted at Formula One (F1) races and other high-power rally events, and Rwanda is steadily catching up with this global trend.

In 2022, Miss Rwanda 2017 third runner-up, Queen Kalimpinya, made history by becoming the first Rwandan woman to compete in the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally since its inception in 2002.

Her trailblazing move was soon followed by renowned radio personality Sandrine Isheja Butera, who boldly entered the world of rally driving in 2024.

Now, other big names like DJ Anita Pendo and rapper Ish Kevin, along with a growing number of Rwandan actors, broadcasters, and musicians, are developing a serious passion for the speed game. But what exactly is drawing this celebrity attention?

Family tradition

For rising rapper Ish Kevin, who was the most recent celebrity to step into rally driving, motorsport is a family affair.

He participated in the recent “Sprint Rally GMT” in Musha in Rwamagana District alongside his older brother Jacques Hakizimana. Their father Genese Semana, put family aside as he turned from parent to rival and competed against them during the GMT rally.

ALSO READ: Family tradition: Ish Kevin ventures into rally driving

“Personally, I drew my passion for racing from my family. My father and uncle hold several accolades in Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Rally, which is a legacy I want to keep alive,” Ish Kevin told The New Times.

With guidance from his uncle, Ish Kevin says he’s determined to elevate Rwanda’s motorsport scene and hopes to inspire more creatives, artists, musicians, and entertainers to join the sport, which offers considerable exposure and opportunities.

This family legacy approach isn’t unique to Rwanda. In Kenya, for example, motorsport also runs deep in several families. One notable case is the Gatimu family of Caroline Gatimu and Tinashe Gatimu, known for their mother-daughter rally racing duo.

Passion and exposure

For Kalimpinya, anything mechanical has always sparked her curiosity.

ALSO READ: Kalimpinya commends ‘growing presence’ of women in Rwandan motorsport

“It started in my neighborhood, where I rode a bicycle from a very young age, and later spent about six years riding motorbikes. That passion for machines naturally evolved into a love for cars,” Kalimpinya said.

Her entry into motorsports came when a racing driver noticed her enthusiasm and introduced her to rallying. She began as a co-driver, and through that experience, her love for the sport blossomed. Eventually, she took the driver’s seat and that’s when her real journey began.

She says it’s not just the thrill but also the discipline, adrenaline, and the constant challenges that got her hooked.

When asked whether her fame helped or hindered her racing career, Kalimpinya acknowledged that her name in the fashion and pageantry world definitely helped bring attention to her racing.

ALSO READ: Blazing a new trail: How Sandrine Isheja found herself into Motorsport

“It’s important. it attracts more people to the sport, especially young girls who need to see that it’s possible to be a female racer,” she said.

However, she is quick to note that fame alone doesn’t make one a successful driver.

“Motorsport requires resilience, intense training, and serious financial commitment. In fact, sometimes you have to work twice as hard. At the end of the day, the car doesn’t know who’s behind the wheel, it only responds to the skill and command of the driver,” she added.

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