Motorsports

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

MEXICO CITY – Amid much anticipation from fans and NASCAR teams alike, the NASCAR Cup Series has arrived in Mexico City for the series’ first points-paying international race in seven decades, Sunday’s aptly-named Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The industry has long been […]

Published

1 month ago

June 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The industry has long been preparing for this inaugural visit to the renowned 2.42-mile, 15-turn road course in the middle of bustling Mexico City. And perhaps no one is more eager for NASCAR’s Mexican arrival than Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who has made multiple visits to his home country in support of the event, excited to show the world-class facility NASCAR’s brand of Cup racing.

“I’m super excited, regardless of what happens on Sunday,” said the Monterrey, Mexico-native Suarez, who has competed – and won three times – on the track’s oval-configuration while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will also be competing this weekend.

“I’m super excited for the event. I’m super excited to live in the moment because the first time is going to only happen once. I’m really trying to be as present as possible; enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that’s not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.”

Suarez, who scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win on a road course at Sonoma, Calif. in 2022, has been a vital supporter of this initiative. For months, the popular driver has starred in the NASCAR commercials promoting the Mexican race – the script depicting him trying to teach fellow racers how to speak in Spanish.

“At first, I thought man, I don’t know if this is going to work out, like, I don’t think this is going to be funny,” Suarez said smiling. “And honestly, it turned out amazing. I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for trying all these different things. I think people are liking it. Drivers are embracing it. And, obviously, I’m having fun with it. I’m the one teaching the language, so for the first time, I feel like I’m in my zone, so that’s good.”

Suarez is certainly among the group of drivers hoping a new venue may produce different results on the season. The driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet is ranked 28th in the championship with 11 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field.

Others traditionally considered road course aces similarly see this as a big opportunity to punch a Playoff ticket. Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and Suarez’ Trackhouse teammate Shane Van Gisbergen are all some of the most talented road racers in the sport and all are still looking to earn a victory this season. Many still well below the 16th place Playoff cutoff line.

Interestingly, six of the 14 regular season races in the Next Gen Era have been won by drivers ranked 16th or worse in the standings at the time of their victory.

“Everyone expects us to perform on road courses,” said the New Zealand-native Van Gisbergen, who made the ultimate NASCAR debut winning at the Chicago street race two years ago in his very first start.

“Not that we have been hanging out for it (road courses), but the ovals have been a big learning process the last couple of months. It will be nice for sure to have a bit of a break and races on the types of courses I’m used to which means turning right.”

Hendrick Motorsports has won at eight different road courses – the most in NASCAR history. And four of the remaining 11 races will be on road courses.

Hendrick’s William Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings – up by 41 points on his teammate Kyle Larson heading to south of the border – and both are also considered favorites this weekend. Hendrick drivers – Byron (two), Larson (two) and Bowman (one) – have won five of the last eight road course races. If Elliott wins this weekend he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer for second most road course wins all-time (eight).

Last week’s race winner, Denny Hamlin claimed his first career Xfinity Series win at the Mexico road course in 2006. He, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (who won the 2008 Xfinity Series race) and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski are the only drivers to have raced at the circuit – competing in the Xfinity Series there.

RFK’s Chris Buescher, who finished runner-up to Hamlin last week at Michigan, boasts the best road course average finish (8.7) in the Next Gen cars.

Busch Light Pole Qualifying is set for Saturday at noon ET (Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to return to Mexico

The NASCAR Xfinity Series marks its return to Mexico with Saturday afternoon’s The Chilango 150 (4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The series has held four previous races at the famed Autodrome Hermanos Rodriquez – the last in 2008 won by Kyle Busch.

This is the second of seven road course races on the schedule. Series rookie, JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch won at Circuit of The Americas from pole position.

Reigning series champion, JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier earned his third win of the season in the series’ most recent race, two weeks ago at Nashville. It marks the fifth time in the last eight years, the veteran has scored at least three victories in a season. He holds a 92-point advantage in the championship standings over fellow three-race winner, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill.

The Illinois native has answered his first career title run with another top-shelf season in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. He leads all drivers in laps led (638) and top-10 finishes (10). He’s only eight top-10 finishes from 300 in his career – a feat never before accomplished in the series.

With 12 regular season races remaining and six Playoff spots still to be claimed, Mexico City certainly presents all the makings of an ultra-competitive weekend.

Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs have the most road course wins (four) in this weekend’s field. Interestingly, nine of the series’ last 11 road course races have been won by just three drivers (Mayer, Shane Van Gisbergen and Zilisch). And Mayer, who is ranked third in the standings, is still looking for his first win of the year.

Gibbs (No. 19 Toyota) is among three NASCAR Cup Series regulars – also Suarez (No. 9 Chevy) and Christopher Bell (No. 24 Toyota) – racing Saturday. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie, Andres Perez De Lara will be making his Xfinity Series debut.

Kennametal Pole Qualifying is slated for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (CW App) and historically has proven very significant on road courses with the polesitter winning 10 of the last 18 road course races.

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Motorsports

Santangelo stays hot with Stock victory at South Georgia Motorsports Park

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park: COMPETITION ELIMINATORGlen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 19.869, no speed def. James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, broke. SUPER STOCKKevin Helms, Plant City, Fla., ’95 Achieva, SS/BM, 9.001, 145.16 def. Don Barber, […]

Published

12 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 19.869, no speed def. James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, broke.

SUPER STOCK
Kevin Helms, Plant City, Fla., ’95 Achieva, SS/BM, 9.001, 145.16 def. Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.160, 150.83.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Joe Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.445, 118.26 def. Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.522, 136.46.

SUPER COMP
Chris Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’00 Horton, 8.911, 176.77 def. Ashley Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’04 Racetech, foul.

SUPER GAS
Jim Perry, Niota, Tenn., ’00 S-10, 9.934, 167.20 def. Keith Mayers, Ellendale, Del., ’88 Spider, 9.929, 151.29.

SUPER STREET
Keith Mayers, ’92 968, 10.874, 146.54 def. Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., ’92 Camaro, 10.862, 134.11.

TOP SPORTSMAN
Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 7.018, 198.38 def. Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 7.575, 179.73.

TOP DRAGSTER
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.342, 205.47 def. Robert Houston, Newland, N.C., ’23 Race Tech, 7.156, 183.44.

FIRDAY

The following are Friday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 7.832 seconds, -0.548 (under index)
2) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 7.761, 0.611
3) James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, (no time)

SUPER STOCK
1) Mark Alvey, Chesterfield, Va., ’04 Sunfire, GT/GA, 9.423 seconds, -0.977 (under index)
2) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.562, -0.938
3) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.091, -0.909
4) Russell Ghent, Mooresville, N.C., ’94 Camaro, SS/JA, 10.095, -0.905
5) Dan Starko, Nashville, Tenn., ’16 Copo, FSS/C, 8.766, -0.884
6) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’06 Cobalt, GT/FA, 9.382, -0.868
7) Frank Beasley, Taylorsville, N.C., ’08 Cobalt, GT/JA, 9.935, -0.865
8) James Schaechter, Cumming, Ga., ’03 Cavalier, GT/H, 9.493, -0.857
9) Jarrod Granier, Labadieville, La., ’66 Nova, SS/F, 9.524, -0.826
10) Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 8.956, -0.794

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) James Marshall, Indian Land, S.C., ’79 Malibu Wagon, G/SA, 10.955 seconds, -1.045 (under index)
2) Thomas Mace, Jacksonville, Fla., ’90 Corvette, G/SA, 10.981, -1.019
3) Anthony Hughes, Mcdonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.747, -0.903
4) Mike Trumble, Pasadena, Texas, ’71 Chevelle, D/SA, 10.671, -0.879
5) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’94 Formula, H/SA, 11.294, -0.856
6) Orion Riley, Longwood, Fla., ’74 Nova, I/SA, 11.454, -0.846
7) Blake Hickman, Laurinburg, N.C., ’83 Camaro, J/SA, 11.633, -0.817
8) Joseph Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.439, -0.811
9) Timothy Fletcher, Selma, N.C., ’69 Camaro, F/SA, 11.065, -0.785
10) Darrell Bargeron, Jesup, Ga., ’72 Duster, E/SA, 10.922, -0.778

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.610 seconds, 211.00 mph
2) Paul (jackie) Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.714, 208.84
3) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 6.964, 199.46
4) Jeff Windholz, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.208, 197.91
5) James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’05 Grand Am, 7.273, 189.90
6) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.395, 185.82
7) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.404, 184.02
8) Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.457, 185.56
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 8.012, 180.31
10) Daniel (danny) Leibham, Tomball, Texas, ’01 Camaro, 12.400, 69.51

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecra, 6.128 seconds, 225.97 mph
2) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.168, 226.77
3) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., ’14 Miller, 6.214, 228.15
4) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.253, 223.69
5) Darryl Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’25 Maddox, 6.615, 200.47
6) Tisha Wilson, Salisbury, N.C., ’25 Racetech, 6.704, 200.74
7) Alexis Whitaker, Telford, Tenn., ’21 Mike BOS, 6.808, 196.02
8) Chad Taylor, Laurens, S.C., ’19 Maddox, 6.846, 195.76
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’19 M&M, 6.948, 196.02
10) Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.983, 191.81

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Motorsports

From Denny Hamlin to Ryan Blaney, and where’s SVG?

Might as well lead off with who’s not here in our humble Top 10. It’s tough to win two straight races, and three of the past five, and stay on the outside looking in. But such is the disparity between Shane van Gisbergen on road courses and Shane van Gisbergen everywhere else. Given that one-sixth […]

Published

13 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Might as well lead off with who’s not here in our humble Top 10.

It’s tough to win two straight races, and three of the past five, and stay on the outside looking in. But such is the disparity between Shane van Gisbergen on road courses and Shane van Gisbergen everywhere else.

Given that one-sixth of the Cup schedule is on road courses, should SVG get at least a cursory visit to that 10th slot on our board this week? If not now, for Pete’s sake, when? Fair question.

Here’s another fair question: Should Denny Hamlin still be on the far-north end of our top 10? He’s had two clunkers in the past three weeks, sandwiched around a rare quality finish on a road course, maybe because that road course was actually a street course.

But with the other three-time winners (Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell) bogged down a bit, who else would you put there? So it remains Denny, for now.

1. Denny Hamlin

Grip on our top spot is weakening, as is his grip on the 23XI charter, if NASCAR decides to play hardball.

2. Chase Elliott

Keeps piling up points and conserving room in the trophy case.

3. Kyle Larson

Played some pinball at Sonoma as his Summer of Shove continues.

4. Christopher Bell

A fifth at Sonoma slowed his recent mini-slump.

5. Chase Briscoe

Made SVG work on the late restarts at Sonoma and got a rare good road-course finish.

6. Chris Buescher

Wonders why he’s never found the White Cliffs of Dover.

7. William Byron

Not back on eight cylinders yet, but probably back to 7½.

8. Alex Bowman

A win and five top-5s in his last seven Dover starts.

9. Tyler Reddick

Made some hay at road courses the past two weeks, but right-hand turns at Dover aren’t recommended.

10. Ryan Blaney

Wine country delivered sour grapes. Raise your hand if you didn’t irritate Blaney at Sonoma.

— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

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Motorsports

Watch: Unexpected Pit Crew Fight Breaks Out During NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma

An unexpected fight broke out between the pit crews of RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma after Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski pitted. The unexpected clash was caught on camera, which helped NASCAR look into the incident. The pit stalls of […]

Published

31 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

An unexpected fight broke out between the pit crews of RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma after Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski pitted.

The unexpected clash was caught on camera, which helped NASCAR look into the incident. The pit stalls of both drivers in question were next to each other. Just as Keselowski’s crew was waiting for his arrival, Gibbs arrived before him and drove through the RFK Racing stall, grazing tire changer Telvin McClurkin.

McClurkin quickly approached crew members from JGR before things escalated to a fight. The video shows other JGR members eventually joining. McClurkin confirmed later that Gibbs made contact with the tire in his hand as he passed by.

NASCAR officials reportedly intervened but decided to clear Gibbs of any penalties, despite Keselowski’s team putting forward their case with the footage offering an overhead view of the incident. However, NASCAR did not accept RFK’s argument. Reports suggest the sport may levy a penalty after revisiting the clips of the incident by Tuesday.

Sonoma, California — Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Delta Ford, Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, and Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 SAIA LTL Freight Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series…

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NASCAR’s Todd Gordon and Kyle Petty sided with the sport’s decision not to levy a penalty on Gibbs, hinting that the tire changer should have left some space in front of him. Gordon said:

“I see two cars coming to green flag pit in some of the shortest boxes we’ve got on pit road. I always talk about pit crew guys: you’re playing in traffic and that’s where you’re at here.

“One tire carrier has to carry two tires and he’s standing kind of sideways and that leaves his tires out, exposed… Ty comes through, makes a little contact with the outboard tire. It kind of spins the tire carrier’s wrist around and puts him a little behind.

“I think the tire carrier actually could stand to not be so wide, understanding that he’s got the car that’s in the box in front of him coming in right in front of his car. He’s got to make himself a little skinnier so that he isn’t put behind in that situation.

“As most everybody does, the carrier that carries two tires, you’re allowed to have two feet in the box, but you’ve got to be close to the wall. You’ve got to be in a position that’s as close to the wall as you can be but be down in the box. That’s where he was.

“But he was standing looking down pit road and he’s two tires wide, which is half a pit box. And Ty Gibbs is trying to get in and get close to his fueler. The boxes are short, so you’ve got to kind of use up the box behind you to get yourself pointed in the right direction.”

Petty said that the crew members have to adjust to a small pit box. He added:

“People get bumped, people get moved, people have to adjust. And I think it’s just the timing. It’s the perfect storm here. Ty had to be in his pit box, had to get in straight. When you’ve got a short pit box, the only way to get in your pit box straight and close for fueling and give the tire guys room is to come in the back door, to come in that back line completely straight. And when you see Ty come in, he comes through the 6’s box and into his box straight.

“No, I don’t have an issue with what Ty did. Now, I don’t really have an issue with what the tire carrier did either because he’s a little upset. He should have maybe kept his tire out of the way.”

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Motorsports

23XI, Front Row seek urgent court order to retain charters

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model […]

Published

53 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Later Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a scheduled court date in North Carolina over their fight for a charter. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026.

RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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Motorsports

Jake Finch making Xfinity Series debut with Hendrick Motorsports at Dover

This weekend is a big one for Jake Finch. The 20-year-old is going to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Dover Motor Speedway. Finch is suiting up for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 car in a somewhat surprising move. Jake Finch has a history at Dover. He won the 2023 ARCA East race […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Jake Finch has a history at Dover. He won the 2023 ARCA East race at the track. Finch also has an ARCA national series win from Talladega in 2024. But he’s mainly driven Toyotas up to this point.

Finch’s father, James Finch Sr., was the owner of Phoenix Racing. His family has experience at the highest levels of NASCAR. Now, Jake is getting a major opportunity at a track where he’s had success. Hendrick Motorsports has had Corey Day primarily in the 17 car this season. Now, Finch takes over for a week.

Jake Finch is a bit of an unknown. He has done well in ARCA competition. But we haven’t seen anything that jumps off the page. Even though he races in Venturini equipment most of the time, he hasn’t had the strength of a Jesse Love, William Sawalich, or Connor Zilisch.

This is a very interesting pairing. It could also be risky for Finch. Hendrick Motorsports won’t be the ones to blame if Finch has a poor showing at Dover. No one is expecting him to win, but if he can’t at least have a decent finish in this car, then it could do more harm than good.

Dover is a really challenging track. When Finch won that race, William Sawalich was still 16. Landen Lewis was 17. Luke Fenhaus was 19. Big names like Jesse Love were not in the race that week, and Finch took advantage of that to win.

Dale Jr. spilled Jake Finch Hendrick Motorsports news

All the way back in April, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was talking about the Hendrick Motorsports Xfinity Series program. It was after Kyle Larson had raced in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol. While talking about that team, he let it slip that Jake Finch was going to have a start in the 17 car.

So far, Earnhardt has been accurate. He also mentioned Rajah Caruth at the time.

“Hey, he’ll [Larson] tell us, ‘Well, the Hendrick car’s full – they got Day, Rajah, Finch, they got a season full.’ Well, there’s other Chevrolets out there,” Earnhardt explained. “He won’t be in that sweet, sweet Hendrick equipment carrying him around that racetrack, but hey, he’s the difference maker, right?

“And the CARS Tour would love for him – that’s one box he ain’t checked. He went to the CARS Tour and raced our car, a good car, at Caraway and finished 7th. So, there’s some mountains he ain’t climbed yet.”

Rajah Caruth races in the No. 71 Chevy for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series. He won earlier this season at Nashville, his second career win. Caruth has raced in the 17 car before. He finished P14 at the Phoenix season finale in 2023. If I had to guess, Caruth could race this Hendrick Motorsports car at Gateway or Kansas later this season.

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NASCAR in-season tournament bracket down to 4 drivers after Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ in-season tournament bracket is down to four drivers after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE With a sixth-place finish at Sonoma, Tyler Reddick eliminated Ryan Preece from the NASCAR in-season tournament. Preece finished 12th. Ty Gibbs […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SONOMA, Calif. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ in-season tournament bracket is down to four drivers after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs

With a sixth-place finish at Sonoma, Tyler Reddick eliminated Ryan Preece from the NASCAR in-season tournament. Preece finished 12th.

Ty Gibbs finished seventh and eliminated Zane Smith, who finished 27th after starting 12th at Sonoma.

MORE on Gibbs: ‘Nothing wrong’ for Ty Gibbs in NASCAR Cup top-10 finish at Sonoma

After Sonoma, Reddick and Gibbs will face off on the “East Coast” side of the NASCAR in-season tournament bracket at Dover.

Ty Dillon vs. John Hunter Nemechek

Ty Dillon literally moved Alex Bowman out of the NASCAR in-season tournament in the final corner at Sonoma. Dillon bumped Bowman, boosting himself to a 17th-place finish and dropping Bowman to 19th and continuing his miracle run in the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek finished 28th, one spot ahead of Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones in 29th. Jones finished 1.779 seconds behind Nemechek.

After Sonoma, Nemechek and Dillon will face off at Dover.

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

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