Pete Stephens has been a consistent piece of Tod Quiring’s team throughout the years

Throughout Big Game Motorsports’ history, there’s been a quiet, reliable presence working hard to help ensure Tod Quiring’s cars remain some of the fastest in the country.

While a handful of drivers have come and gone, crew member Pete Stephens has almost always been there. He may have had some stints with other teams, but Big Game has remained a priority for 15 years.

That commitment led to him being tapped as the new car chief for David Gravel and the defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champions. He stepped into the role after Stephen Hamm-Reilly vacated the position at the end of the 2024 season.

Stephens’ path to becoming a car chief began in his home state of Washington. He’s from the town of Mount Vernon, which is just a 15-minute drive down I-5 from Skagit Speedway. Attending races with his family evolved into helping a local team to get his foot in the door.

“I started out at Skagit with Chad Hillier when he was young,” Stephens recalled. “He started in the Sportsman class out there. I just knew him through friends and everything and started working with him in the mid to late 90s, probably. I just kind of raced at Skagit with him for a long time.”

Eventually, Hillier got the opportunity to expand his operation nationally, which also allowed Stephens to hit the road for the first time.

“Chad got a chance to go out and run World of Outlaws stuff in 2007,” Stephens said. “I had a business back there at that time, and I always thought working on a World of Outlaws Sprint Car team was one of those things like, ‘Oh man, if I could do anything, that’s what I would do.’ So, he got a break to go run that stuff, and I just kind of called him one time and asked if he knew anybody looking for help because I’d maybe like to go try it, and he said they were. It was basically him and Tyler Swank at the time, so I went out with those guys for a bit and liked it.”

The business Stephens mentioned is part of what instilled his work ethic. He started a hoof trimming operation for cattle, which makes Sprint Car maintenance feel easy by comparison.

“You’re usually up by five-thirty or six in the morning,” Stephens said of a regular day in the hoof trimming business. “You usually got half an hour to an hour drive to your job site. You set up, and you’re usually there for eight to 10 hours, and you’re physically moving non-stop because in the hoof trimming world, if you’re not moving, you’re not making money. You’re physically working most of the day. We did dairy cows, and with the farms getting the size they are, it’s a very labor-intensive job.”

The time on the tour allowed Stephens to make some connections and led to working with one of the sport’s legends in 2009. Sammy Swindell was driving for Tom Rolfe, and Stephens joined the crew. The next domino to fall was heading to Lonnie Parsons’ team with Danny Lasoski in late 2009. Oddly enough, that’s where Stephens first met current Big Game crew chief Cody Jacobs as they both worked with Barry Jackson on the No. 6. The following year, Swindell joined forces with Big Game, and Stephens reunited with “Slammin’ Sammy” in Quiring’s camp for what became a hugely successful stretch.

“That was a lot of fun when Sammy got into that deal,” Stephens said. “We had a good time. We finished 2010 and started 2011 with a pretty light crew. There was only two of us, me and Scott Green was the kid’s name who did tires and stuff like that. That was a lot of fun, 2010, ’11, ’12. We won a lot of races and had a good time.”

Stephens worked for a different team following the run with Swindell but was quickly back in the Big Game shop, this time on Craig Dollansky’s car. But he wasn’t done with Swindell as Stephens returned to the No. 1 team in 2014.

In the late 2010s, Stephens made the decision to head home and focus on business as well as raising his child, but it wasn’t long until involvement with Big Game was back on his calendar. When Cody Jacobs went to the team in 2020, the two talked, and Stephens returned part-time, a period that birthed a nickname.

“Once Cody got here, the joke was kind of that I would only go to the big events,” Stephens said with a laugh. “My one friend Nate, he nicknamed me “Big Money Pete.” So, yeah, I’d go to the larger events and help out and stuff like that.”

Fast forward to the off-season heading into 2025, and Big Game was looking for a full-time car chief. Originally, Stephens had no plans of being on the road this season, but the team’s first candidate backed out. So, Stephens agreed to help get them ready for the season opener and navigate the opening portion of the season. But one thing led to another, and he agreed to come aboard for the entire season of their title defense.

It’s been the right move so far as the No. 2 team has been all but unstoppable in 2025. They’ve already piled up eight wins, 17 podiums, and 23 top fives through 27 races. Their average finish is third, and their worst result is seventh. Gravel owns a healthy 188-point advantage atop the standings.

There’s no doubt Big Game Motorsports is at the height of their powers. The team’s history features many successful chapters, but none quite as impactful as the last four-plus years since Gravel came aboard. Stephens has been around for nearly every step of the way, and he remains a key contributor – a rewarding journey for a Washington kid who wanted more than anything to work with a World of Outlaws team.

“It’s been pretty cool to see it built,” Stephens said. “So many people don’t realize how hard it is. These things are built over time. I don’t care how much money you’ve got; spending money is not going to win a race. It’s people. It’s engines. It’s all the small things that have to come together and work. It’s been really neat to kind of watch Tod and Cody. I mean, I knew Cody when he was in his mid-20s and have watched him grow into this and do what he’s done with Tod. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Stephens, Gravel, and the entire Big Game Motorsports team continue their quest for back-to-back World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car titles this week with four races in five nights. First up is Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex on Wednesday, June 4, for the FENDT Showdown. Then, the Badger State Triple takes teams to three Wisconsin tracks in three nights with visits to Plymouth Dirt Track (June 6), Beaver Dam Raceway (June 7), and Angell Park Speedway (June 8) on the calendar. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Atlanta Motor Speedway, located in Atlanta, Georgia, has been on the NASCAR Cup schedule since 1960, but when the series returns there this summer, it will be going by a different name.

Atlanta will now be known as EchoPark Speedway as part of a seven-year branding deal worth several million dollars. The name atop the grandstands has already been changed.

EchoPark Automotive specializes in selling pre-owned vehicles and is owned by Sonic Automotive, which is headed by David Smith. He is the brother of Marcus Smith, who is the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, which owns Atlanta and many other tracks on the NASCAR schedule.

“We have enjoyed serving guests in the Atlanta metro area since EchoPark Atlanta opened its doors in 2020,” said David Smith, Chairman and CEO of Sonic Automotive. “This partnership allows us to share the value of the exceptional EchoPark car-buying experience with more guests in Atlanta and the surrounding area who enjoy the excitement of NASCAR racing at this iconic venue.”

The track hosts two Cup races each year and will serve as the opening round of TNT’s NASCAR broadcast schedule on June 28, as well as beginning the $1 million dollar in-season tournament that is being introduced this year.

Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

The winner of that race will also receive a EchoPark-provided Chevy Silverado and a trailer equipped with a Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Limited Edition Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

“We’re thrilled to partner with an innovative, customer-focused company like EchoPark Automotive as the entitlement partner of our newly named EchoPark Speedway,” said Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith. “EchoPark Automotive is as committed to exceptional customer service as we are, and we know that together we’ll elevate our fan experience to a new level unmatched for Southern hospitality. This partnership will fuel great experiences for fans attending our speedway for years to come.”

Tracks changing their names as part of entitlement sponsor deals is not a new phenomena in NASCAR. Charlotte once went by Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Sonoma was previously called Infineon Raceway, Fontana became known as Auto Club Speedway, and Phoenix was using ISM Raceway for a time. And even on the current schedule, Gateway is called World Wide Technology (WWT) Raceway.

If there is anyone who can get Carson Hocevar to listen to reason, it is probably Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hocevar is the wild child of the NASCAR Cup Series right now, and his comments after the Ricky Stenhouse Jr. incident today are the latest example.

Carson Hocevar is full-throttle 100% of the time. He talked in the pre-race about not wanting to have regrets as a driver. But there is a fine line between having no regrets and creating your own problems.

On the Prime Video post-race show, both Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued warnings to Hocevar. They see him going down a path that could lead to unwanted consequences.

“Well, I hear a guy that doesn’t know that he ran into the back of somebody and wrecked them,” Earnhardt said after hearing Hocevar’s comments on the incident. “Hey, I’ll call it like it is. I like Hocevar a lot. Kid’s awesome. Ran second tonight. I like his attitude, I like his personality, and I like his style. But yeah, I think he could have cut the 47 a break, and he chose not to do that.

“That’s his way that he wants to race. He’s not very apologetic about it. A lot of people are going to love that. A lot of people are going to love how he races and how he does his job. From what I saw tonight, I think he probably could have gave Ricky an opportunity there and continued to race. And he’ll have to hear that side from Ricky, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Carl Edwards agreed. He followed up by echoing many of the same sentiments that Dale Jr. had.

“He sat up here in the pre-race and said, ‘Hey, I’m just going to be aggressive. No regrets, I’m going to go, I’m going to get it.’ And there you see it,” Edwards said. “And I talked about it a little bit, but there’s a price, and it hurts, and I’ve been there, and it’s not fun to be on the receiving end of what’s coming.”

Don’t get it twisted, Dale Jr. enjoys watching Carson Hocevar. He likes the aggression. However, the 22-year-old may be shortsighted in his “no-regrets” outlook on life.

“I like what I see out of Hocevar. As a fan and a broadcaster, it is entertaining,” Earnhardt said. “I just don’t like it when he wrecks the good guy, you know? I know Stenhouse has had his issues, too, but you kinda gotta pick and choose who your enemies are, and you can’t just kind of blanket the garage, right?

“So, I don’t know that I want him to dial it off or dial it back because it’s great as a fan to see him in controversy. We need a little color, we need a little personality, and he brings tons of it. But the garage kind of will police it a little bit. To your point, Corey, nobody’s really stepped to him just yet, but I think he might have messed with the wrong guy tonight.”

Big Game Motorsports recorded back-to-back runner-up results in North Dakota last weekend.

That gives team driver David Gravel 17 podium finishes in 28 races this season and it extended his lead in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship standings to 188 points.

“I felt happy with how our weekend went,” he said. “The second night was definitely a more deserving second place. If everything goes right the first night we could have or should have won, but that’s racing.”

Gravel kicked off the weekend on Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, where he qualified fourth quickest. A heat race win was followed by a dash victory to earn the pole position for the main event. Gravel led the first five laps before dropping a position.

“With them doing track work I didn’t know which lane would be the best and stayed on the bottom a little too long,” he said. “Buddy (Kofoid) got by me and took the lead. From there we were able to pace him and stick with him, but didn’t have the opportunity to get back by him. I was a little bummed with that second place.”

The weekend wrapped up on Saturday at Red River Valley Speedway, where Gravel timed in third quickest. He won a heat race and moved from fourth to third place in the dash to start the feature on the inside of the second row.

“Fargo was stressful with how the track was greasy,” he said. “To qualify good that night was a big relief. We qualified and put ourselves in position. To win our heat and draw the No. 4 for the dash was pretty good. We did good to gain a spot.

“We were okay early (in the feature). As the race went on we were good. Donny (Schatz) sniffed me out on the bottom and took my lane away, which slowed me up. We were able to get by him late.”

Gravel got into second with a late-race move, but was unable to make a bid for the lead. It marked his sixth second-place outing of the season.

This week is a big one for the team with four races in five days, beginning on Wednesday with the FENDT Showdown hosted by Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn. A trip to Wisconsin encompasses races on Friday at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth during the Badger State Triple; on Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam during the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial; and on Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie during the Badger State Triple.

“Jackson is a track I haven’t won at so I’m eager to try to win there,” Gravel said. “Wisconsin will be interesting. The Plymouth track is one I haven’t been to. Beaver Dam is a track we’ve been fast at and I think I’ve ran second there five or six times. And Sun Prairie, I’ve been to it one time I think in 2016. It was a very unique track that is very flat and round.”

QUICK RESULTS –

May 30 – River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (1).

May 31 – Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (4); Feature: 2 (3).

SEASON STATS –

28 races, 8 wins, 24 top fives, 28 top 10s, 28 top 15s, 28 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Wednesday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., for the FENDT Showdown; Friday at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., for the Badger State Triple; Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis., for the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial; and Sunday at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis., for the Badger State Triple with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

ILP PR