Photo: Brian Cleary/SRO

Kyle Washington clawed his way closer to the lead of the GT America powered by AWS championship with a convincing victory in the second race of the weekend at Sebring International Raceway.

Washington, in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, scored his third series win of the season, starting from pole and driving to a 7.591-second win over Saturday race winner Memo Gidley in the No. 56 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.

Washington, who claimed his sixth consecutive podium finish, provisionally gained ten points on SRO3 class leader Justin Rothberg, who finished third on Sunday and has seen the Turner Motorsport driver’s lead reduced to just two points.

Mirco Schultis came home fourth in his No. 70 Mishumotors Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R after the German driver got around the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Ross Chouest on Lap 5.

The two Corvettes ran nose-to-tail for virtually the entire 40-minute contest.

GT4 class honors went to the No. 69 JTR Motorsports Engineering Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 of Anthony McIntosh, following an early race battle with series debutant Michael Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick, in the class pole-sitting No. 89 89x Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4, led the early stages in a hard-fought race with McIntosh until he dropped a wheel in the grass and spun into a tire barriers on Lap 6.

It marked the first weekend sweep for McIntosh, who takes over the class points lead as a result.

The No. 20 FASTMD with Remstar Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Farhan Siddiqi, racing as an Invitational entry this weekend, did not start Sunday’s race after the car sustained damage in yesterday evening’s Pirelli GT4 America race.

RESULTS: Race 2

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, a prominent racing analyst, is always straightforward. His latest tweet sparked a buzz among the NASCAR community. Replying to a fan on X, he mocked the sponsorship panic and added a reference to Coffeemate, sparking more buzz among the fans.

Kenny Wallace’s ‘Coffeemate’ Roast Sparks NASCAR’s Biggest Fear

The post by Wallace was short, but the words were sharp and full of sarcasm. When he referred to Coffeemate and related it to “death,” it resonated with the media and fans’ absurd linking of brand absence to NASCAR’s decline.

“. Google about those creamers. The oils in those things are the death ”

. Google about those creamers. The oils in those things are the death https://t.co/OtTCKoOrA6

— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) May 16, 2025

Furthermore, the tweet quickly gained views as many fans and other personalities interpreted it as a jab at the narratives surrounding the sponsor exits in NASCAR.

The lifeline of NASCAR is the sponsorship deals it gets. However, high-profile sponsors such as M&M Mars and Geico recently exited NASCAR, fueling concern about the sport’s financial sector. Moreover, fans and commentators have quickly tied these issues to the decline in viewership.

Wallace’s tweet mocks the overanalysis by fans and commentators and suggests that not every exit deal is a disaster. Moreover, his connection to Coffeemate, which is not even part of NASCAR sponsorship, displays the people’s exaggerated reactions regarding sponsor exits.

A Deep Dive into Wallace’s Hot Takes

The response to Wallace’s tweet was largely supportive, with a mix of contradictions. Yet many fans appreciated his straightforward take. They also appreciated that Wallace’s response indicated that NASCAR is a complex financial organisation and that mere sponsor exits will not bring it down.

It is not the first time that Wallace has stirred controversy in the community. Wallace is known for his blunt commentary. No matter the issue, he always voices it strongly. His fans respect and acknowledge his voice, except some NASCAR fans who often criticize his views, as he recently got into a social media brawl against fans, sparking a stats war.

His latest tweet shows that he joked about the sponsorship chaos. A considerable number of his fans understood the meaning of his tweet and agreed with him while raising voices on other aspects. Most importantly, his reference to Coffeemate, a creamer brand, relating it to death, shows his brilliant effort in creating a sarcastic reply to a popular overanalysis.

The Charlotte Roval is not a race track that every driver enjoys. Brad Keselowski, for one, wants it off the Cup Series calendar. The RFK Racing co-owner has opined that he’d rather see the North Wilkesboro Speedway gain a points-paying race in its stead. However, a few drivers in the Hendrick Motorsports garage wouldn’t like this.

The Cup Series has raced at the Roval seven times, and Hendrick Motorsports has won four of them. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have contributed to this, securing two wins each. These drivers led the line for most laps led on the Roval as well. Larson has led 122 laps and Elliott has led 109 laps. So, why does Keselowski want to pull the rug out from under them?

The veteran spoke to the press at North Wilkesboro after winning pole position for Sunday’s All-Star Race. He noted that he’d like to see the All-Star Race return to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. As things stand, the oval track at Charlotte has only one race a year, and he thinks that the lack of a second date is a big miss for the sport.

When a reporter questioned his words by pointing out how the Roval has created some memorable moments in the past, he responded, “Has it really? I look at the stands and more fans come to the oval race and better ratings too, than come to the Roval races. I thought that’s what we judge the sport by. I’m very strong about the Roval has got to go.”

Keselowski is bound to find some support in this contention. The North Wilkesboro Speedway has found a lot of proponents since entering the fold in 2023. Moreover, the conversation is about a road course versus a short-track. The latter will always have an edge, given the core nature of stock car racing.

For now, Keselowski‘s focus will be on winning the $1 million prize money on Sunday. He secured pole position by winning the time trials on Friday. He went on to solidify his chances by winning the first Heat Race on Saturday and led 74 of the total 75 laps.

Notably, the veteran also laid bare the importance of racing on the superior top lane. It is by racing there that he was able to hold off attacks from the likes of Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Ross Chastain. He’ll aim to take the lead early in the main event and hold it throughout.

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott has seen a change to his No. 9 team at Hendrick Motorsports ahead of this weekend.

The annual NASCAR All-Star Race is taking place at North Wilkesboro on Sunday, with an action-packed weekend ahead of the 250-lap exhibition, which Elliott is set to compete in.

Elliott and his No. 9 pit crew will have a new right rear tire changer for the event, however, with FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass revealing that Calvin Teague was now a part of Elliott’s crew.

To make way for Teague, Chad Avrit has moved from the No. 9 team to the No. 7 team of Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports.

READ MORE: NASCAR legend Kyle Busch makes family announcement as new deal revealed

Chase Elliott’s 2025 season so far

So far, 2025 has been a mixed season for Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Although the 2020 Cup Series champion got his year off to a strong start by winning The Clash exhibition back in February, he is yet to register an official point-scoring victory all season.

Indeed, Elliott’s best finishes have come at COTA and Martinsville, where he finished fourth, whilst the former champ also registered a fifth-place finish at Talladega.

Finishes inside the top 10 have also come at Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Darlington, but in recent weeks, results have been harder to come by.

In three of the last four races, for example, Elliott has finished either 15th or 16th, with his Talladega P5 the only exception.

With the pressure of a point-scoring race off the table this weekend at North Wilkesboro, it will certainly be interesting to see how the 29-year-old gets on.

READ MORE: Hendrick Motorsports announce Kyle Larson absence update ahead of All-Star Race

Related

The final lap of the Saturday, May 17, Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway saw two lead changes, a side-by-side battle among teammates and a winner – Chandler Smith – who took the white flag in third place.

Smith emerged victorious after a breathtaking final-lap battle for victory with Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs and pole winner Corey Heim, which culminated in Heim spinning out in Turn 2 after contact with Riggs. Smith – who stayed on the bottom lane – drove past the carnage and withstood Riggs’ last-gasp effort entering Turn 3 to register a wholly unexpected victory.

The only lap Smith led on Saturday was the one that counted most.

In what was another enthralling chapter of Truck Series history at North Wilkesboro, Heim had the machine to beat and proved it for most of the afternoon, leading a race-high 162 of 255 laps. His downfall, however, was not pitting when Smith, Riggs and other leaders stopped during a caution period on Lap 214.

Heim went the final 111 circuits on the same set of tires – and nearly won the race in spite of it. The TRICON Garage driver managed his equipment to near-perfection, but Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford slowly caught up to Heim over the final 20 laps. Smith appeared poised to pass him before a caution for Brent Crews’ spin with four laps remaining bunched the field and left Heim in control of the final restart.

With 70 more laps on his tires than the rest of the lead pack, Heim tried to work the high line and hold off Riggs’ unexpected charge from third. Riggs slid under Heim coming off Turn 4 and as the two entered Turn 1 on the final lap, contact sent Heim spinning. The fracas was a welcome sight for Smith, who dashed under Riggs, held off his teammate’s lunge into the final corner and emerged with his second victory of the season.

Riggs ended up second with Tyler Ankrum third, Daniel Hemric fourth and Grant Enfinger fifth. Ty Majeski, Gio Ruggeiro, Kaden Honeycutt, Kyle Busch and Sammy Smith completed the top 10.

Heim finished 17th after the contact with Riggs sent him spinning toward the inside of the track, while the Front Row duo continued out front.

Heim’s 162 laps led marked a career high – a dominant performance despite not winning the race, nor Stages 1 or 2. Ruggeiro won Stage 1, while Enfinger claimed Stage 2.

CHANDLER SMITH, NO. 38 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS FORD (Race Winner):
“We fought and clawed today. Just getting toward the front of the pack shows how good this Ford F-150 was today. I wasn’t as good as the 11 (Heim), but we had the tire advantage on him. That last restart, I did everything but the right thing. My teammate, Layne Riggs, executed it perfectly – but I’m happy we could bring one home for Front Row Motorsports.”

LAYNE RIGGS, NO. 34 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS FORD (Runner-Up):
“I feel like (Heim) got loose into (Turns) 3 and 4 and gave the bottom up. We were side-by-side and I didn’t fence him. I slid up the track, but I gave him a lane. That’s North Wilkesboro for a Truck win. I feel like if the roles were reversed, it’d probably be the same thing.”