NASCAR is ready for its final change of broadcaster this season after the the Brickyard 400marked the end of the FOX Sports, Amazon Prime and TNT Sports coverage schedules of the NASCAR Cup Series.

USA Network’s NBC is now set to see out the remainder of the season, which means Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepping aside for the remainder of the year after his hugely successful return to the booth as part of the Amazon and TNT teams.

One of the familiar faces set to fill the void left by Earnhardt, who gave 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace some excellent post-race advice on Sunday, is the much-loved Aussie, Leigh Diffey, who, in 2025, is marking his 10th year covering NASCAR for NBC as a play-by-play announcer.

Diffey and Co. will mark their return to the airwaves on Sunday when they cover the Iowa Corn 250 Powered By Ethanol from Iowa Speedway, and it’s safe to say NASCAR fans are excited.

“The second best (formally best) broadcast partner in NASCAR is back! Can’t wait for Iowa. Excited to hear Leigh Diffey in the booth again. TNT was solid in my opinion but NBC is definitely better, especially on the production side,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

“I’m gonna miss jr. used to be neutral on him but prime really made me like him for what is to nascar,” said a second, while a third replied, “Leigh Diffey could call play by play on a grass growing contest and make it worth watching.”

And while Diffey’s commentary from Iowa will mark a welcome return, it’s his take on another upcoming race that others are focused on, such as one who responded, “Personally I can’t wait for Diff to call Talladega. It’s gonna be nuts.”

Diffey will be joined on NBC by former Cup Series Rookie of the Year Jeff Burton, who like the Australian, is returning for his 10th year with the network. Burton will provide his analysis pre and post race along with former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte.

1999 Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett will also be returning to provide his valuable insight both pre and post races, along with Hyak Motorsports co-owner Brad Daugherty.

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Down in the pits, NBC will be relying on Kim Coon, Dave Burns, and Parker Kligerman for in-depth coverage of the goings on behind the scenes.

Iowa will mark the first of NBC’s 14 races this season, with Watkins Glen, Richmond Raceway, and the Daytona International Speedway next to close out the regular season. The playoffs will then kick off at Darlington Raceway on August 31 with the Cook Out Southern 500.

Following his win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, 23XI’s Wallace became the 13th driver to secure a spot in the postseason battle, leaving just three spots open heading to Iowa. These spots are occupied by 23XI’s Tyler Reddick, Hendricks’ Alex Bowman, and RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, who is currently the last qualifying driver, 42 points above the cutoff line.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen was involved in a multi-car crash on a dirt racing track in Quebec, Canada. He sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and right leg, which required surgery, according to a post on his social media account.

Avid runners and motorsports enthusiasts alike took over the Indy Toronto street course for the third edition of the Rev & Run 5k on Friday, July 18. We chatted with co-race directors Kevin Silva and Heather Page about this year’s Rev & Run, including the racing connections and charitable aspect, plus their plans for 2026, including a visit to the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo.

Photos courtesy Rev & Run (Dre, Graham, and Koray)

One of the cars that will be circling the Iowa Speedway track during the NASCAR races this coming weekend features the name of a business in Newton.

Costa Oil has a primary sponsorship with the car piloted by Xfinity Series driver Carson Ware. Andy Sullivan, owner of Costa Oil in Newton, said in preparation for the upcoming races at the local racetrack, Carson Ware will be accompanied by his brother and Cup Series driver Cody Ware at the shop for a meet-and-greet.

“We’ll be the only location that has a driver in Newton. We just think it’s great for Newton. They’re very happy to be there and they’re going to sign autographs, meet-and-greet and take pictures with people,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to have a food truck there. We’re going to have the Cuisine Queens there.”

It’s not the first time Costa Oil has hosted a NASCAR driver.

When the Iowa Speedway held its first NASCAR Cup Series last year, Costa Oil welcomed Xfinity Series driver Ryan Ellis. Sullivan said a business like Costa Oil is very lucky to be a family-owned franchise, and it is important to him and the people who found the company to give back to the community.

“As we get more time and presence, we clearly want to do more in the community,” Sullivan said.

WHAT IS COSTA OIL?

Costa Oil opened in Newton less than two years ago as the 17th franchise in the entire country. The business has numerous locations across the United States and specializes in a 10-minute, stay-in-your-car oil change. With its focus on speediness and efficiency, Sullivan said there is no time for upselling customers.

“Unlike a lot of the other competitors where you sit in a lounge and you’re not involved and they try to upsell you on everything down to a new gas cap — we don’t do that,” he said. “We want you in the car. We want you to hear the top man and the bottom man doing their callouts so they’re part of the process.”

Sullivan said involving the customer in the process is pivotal to getting them to come back over and over again. The owner of the Newton site is proud of the business’s Google reviews, of which it has hundreds. Many online reviewers compliment the shop’s quality customer service.

“That’s really what makes us feel good,” Sullivan said.

To him, Costa Oil has found its place in the community by “filling a gap.” Sullivan said people wanted an affordable and efficient place to get an oil change where they didn’t have to make an appointment. He said customers he’s spoken with had previously traveled to the Des Moines metro to get an oil change.

“It consumed their whole day,” he said. “We quickly realized we were filling a need in the community. And we feel we’ve really helped people with not only being able to do it in their own community and save that time and have that convenience, but now those dollars are staying in Newton.”

Carson Ware and Cody Ware will be at Costa Oil from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 at Costa Oil, 1217 First Ave. E., in Newton.

Although he started on the outside of the front row, few were looking at Bubba Wallace as a driver who could win the Brickyard 400 as the field approached the final set of green-flag pit stops. But with multiple strategies simultaneously unfolding, the hand 23XI Racing played ended up being the winning move … but how?

The moment that set up Wallace perfectly for a run at the victory actually came in his second-to-last pit stop before the end of Stage 2.

Kyle Larson came down pit road almost ten laps sooner than Wallace, so despite his superior track position, his final stop was going to be longer in order to get the car full of fuel.

Pitting just as the window closed

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

Larson made his penultimate stop on Lap 80 of 160, while Wallace pitted on Lap 89. This was the most critical moment of the race for the No. 23, as the caution flew for Erik Jones just one lap later. The timing could not have been better, and had Wallace waited just one more lap to pit, he would have been stuck deep in the field, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

During that stop, he took four tires and fully loaded the No. 23 as he was told to wait on fuel. As the race moved into the final stage, he found himself running as high as fourth before his final stop, running over four seconds behind Larson.

Wallace made the ‘money stop’ with 40 to go, taking just right-side tires and only spending about seven seconds in his box. He rejoined the race behind Joey Logano, who was leading among those who had made their final stop.

Two laps later, Larson came down, but his stop was a bit longer due to running longer on that tank. Wallace crossed paths with him at the exit of Turn 2, just as Larson was about to leave the access road and rejoin the race track.

Taking advantage of Logano’s tire issue

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

At this point, Wallace had his teammate [Tyler Reddick] right behind him, but he was still only going to cycle through as the second-place driver with Logano in control.

But with 27 laps to go, Logano’s right rear tire cut down. Wallace initially veered to the left to get out from behind the ailing Penske car, but quickly had to shoot back to the right as Logano’s car limped to the bottom of the track.

Lognao’s Penske teammate Austin Cindric suffered the same fate while leading the race earlier in the event. At this point, the realization hit that Wallace could actually win this race. 

Saving fuel and double overtime

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

By the time Larson got around a struggling Reddick for second, Wallace was six seconds up the road. This was another critical moment as it gave him some breathing room, allowing Wallace to save some more fuel and manage the gap. Larson sliced the margin to under four seconds with less than 10 laps to go, but he was not going to have a chance to pass Wallace … unless there was a caution.

Some raindrops with six laps to go forced NASCAR to display the yellow flag, ultimately bringing the field down pit road and red-flagging the event. Once things got back rolling, Wallace had to face Larson directly in two overtime restarts.

However, holding the bottom lane was extremely helpful here, even with Larson’s teammate William Byron directly behind him. Wallace maintained control of the race, clearing Larson before the exit of Turn 2 in the first and second restarts. Larson also gave him room, choosing not to pinch him down as it was likely to end in a wreck for both drivers.

No one else was close enough to help Larson build a run as Josh Berry and Byron ran out of fuel behind them. Wallace crossed the finish line, just 0.222s clear of a charging Larson. A 100-race winless streak was over, his playoff worries vanished, and Wallace had just made himself a Brickyard 400 champion.

Watch: Bubba Wallace overcome with emotion after Brickyard 400 victory

Photos from Indianapolis – Race

Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

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Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

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Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

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Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

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Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

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Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos

Indianapolis – Sunday, in photos