Corey Heim left his competition in the dust on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Heim led 98 of 134 laps and swept every stage on his way to a convincing victory in the NC Education Lottery 200.

Heim’s No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota had no equal, and a pristine performance on pit road and behind the wheel led to Heim’s 15th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory and his first at America’s Home for Racing. Heim paced a pair of Niece Motorsports drivers – NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain and up-and-comer Kaden Honeycutt – to the finish line, covering Chastain’s Chevrolet by 6.229 seconds.

Layne Riggs finished fourth with Kyle Busch fifth and Grant Enfinger, who finished second in the General Tire 150 earlier Friday, sixth. Matt Mills, Daniel Hemric, Rajah Caruth and Brandon Jones rounded out the top 10.

Heim also posted the race’s quickest lap time, a 30.41-second lap, in scoring his fourth win of the year. Pole winner Giovanni Ruggiero led two laps but ended up 21st.

COREY HEIM, NO. 11 TRICON GARAGE TOYOTA (Race Winner): “I kind of needed a smooth-sailing day, considering we’ve had so many days this year where we ran the best, but things happened and we didn’t win. In the past, this has been our best track, so I’m glad to close things out here for once. It’s been circumstantial things that have kept us from winning more races this year, but tonight was finally one that was smooth sailing.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 44 NIECE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (Runner-Up): “For our Niece Motorsports Chevy, we were best in class and to have three in the top seven with Kaden and Matt Mills, that’s what we need. I first drove for Niece in 2018, and I’ll keep driving for (team owner) Al (Niece) as long as he’ll have me. It was super-fun to rip the top all night. I had a lot of fun racing (Kyle Busch) and Kaden.”

KADEN HONEYCUTT, NO. 45 NIECE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (Third-Place Finisher): “Awesome, man. I’m just really grateful to have an awesome team owner like Al Niece, who fought for our freedom, and to get to come out here and do what we’re doing. Every veteran who’s fought for our country, we’re out here for them. A great night tonight for our company, second, third and seventh. A good day for us. I hate that we didn’t win the race. This thing has been so good here. We were good here last year and I put a lot of pressure on myself to win, but that’s how badly I want to do it.”

TICKETS:

Fans can purchase Coca-Cola 600 weekend tickets, online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in all weekend for just $10.

MORE INFO:

Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on X and Instagram, or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Information provided by Speedway Motorsports

The Xfinity and Cup Series will hit the track for a full Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Cup cars will begin practice on the 1.5-mile oval at 1:35 p.m., followed by qualifying for the longest race on the schedule. Christopher Bell is the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600, which was shortened to 374 miles last year because of rain.

The main event Saturday is a 300-mile race for the Xfinity Series starting at 4:30 p.m. Practice begins at 11 a.m. with qualifying at 12:05 p.m. Chase Elliott won last year’s race in the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Teammate William Byron will be driving the No. 17 for Hendrick in Saturday’s race.

Coca-Cola 600 schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(All Times Eastern)

Saturday, May 24

Garage open

• 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. — Cup
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. — Xfinity

Track activity

• 11 – 11:55 a.m. — Xfinity practice (CW App)
• 12:05 – 1 p.m. — Xfinity qualifying (CW App)
• 1:35 – 2:35 p.m. — Cup practice (Prime)
• 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime)
• 4:30 p.m. — Xfinity race (200 laps, 300 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 45, Stage 2 at Lap 90; CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weather

Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a high of 78 degrees and winds from the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 76 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.

May 24, 2025

Mike Skeen Second, Adrian Wlostowski Third, Boes Fastest in Pro/Am Challenge

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (May 24, 2025) – Practice and qualifying have concluded for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race at Lime Rock Park. In a damp qualifying session, Thomas Annunziata scored his second pole of the 2025 season, piloting his No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry to a best time of 51.619.

“It was a bit hectic; we went out on rain tires when it was raining at first, we had the pole by eight-tenths,” said Annunziata. “Then it started drying, people were going faster on slicks, so all your hard work’s done. But we as a team stayed calm, went out on slicks, did our lap very quickly. The car is so fast, so I’m so thankful for all of them, and they worked so hard. We have the least amount of laps on our slicks, so we’ll have good tires for the race. Overall, a great Chipoys/Nitro Toyota. I’m super excited to get to the race.”

Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) was the fastest of the Pro/Am Challenge contenders with a time of 1:23.959.

The race will be contested today at 1:20 p.m. ET. It will be streamed LIVE on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, @TheTransAmSeries and broadcast LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1, with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. An encore presentation will air on SPEED SPORT 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. For more information on where you can watch SPEED SPORT 1, click here.

Qualifying Top Five:

1. Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry (51.619)

2. Mike Skeen, No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro (51.702)

3. Adrian Wlostowski, No. 3 CMI/Spot-On Services/AMT Motorsports Ford Mustang (51.724)

4. Noah Harmon, No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanagan’s Chevrolet Camaro (51.890)

5. Julian DaCosta, No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (51.959)

Fastest in Pro/Am Challenge:

1. Barry Boes, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro (52.526)

Full qualifying results can be found here.

Due to weather, only a handful of competitors went on track for Practice 1.

Practice 1:

1. Gian Buffomante, No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (58.831)

2. Julian DaCosta, No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (59.281)

3. Boris Said Jr., No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry (1:00.282)

4. Will Robinson, No. 51 Mike Cope Race Cars LLC Ford Mustang (1:01.277)

Fastest in Pro/Am Challenge:

1. Cale Phillips, No. 99 Mincey’s Graphics/SNP Inc. Ford Mustang (59.779)

Full Practice 1 results can be found here.

The second practice also saw rain, but more competitors opted to participate in the session.

Practice 2 Top Five:

1. Tyler Gonzalez, No. 10 Mobil 1/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry (1:22.047)

2. Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry (1:22.388)

3. Julian DaCosta, No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (1:22.502)

4. Boris Said Jr., No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (1:23.066)

5. Mike Skeen, No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro (1:23.201)

Fastest in Pro/Am Challenge:

1. Keith Prociuk, No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang (1:24.478)

Full Practice 2 results can be found here.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday it has picked up the option on Kyle Busch’s contract, meaning the two-time Cup Series champion will be back with the team for the 2026 season.

The 40-year-old Busch is in the midst of the longest slump of his career, with his winless streak closing in on 70 races. Busch has won 63 Cup Series races since joining the circuit in 2003, but has not taken the checkered flag since St. Louis on June 4, 2023.

Still, Busch believes RCR will get things turned around soon.

“It’s a great place to be, a great place to work and a great atmosphere — there is a lot of determination there from a lot of people (to win),” said Busch, who won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019.

Team owner Richard Childress said he felt like the organization let Busch down in 2024, his first season without a Cup Series win in his career.

Busch has one top-5 finish this season. He is 17th in the point standings.

“I think we will win a race with him this year,” Childress said. “We have to work smarter and that is what we are trying to do. We have a lot of good things going.”

The polarizing Busch, known for his outbursts and rants, called the losing streak “a little humbling.”

“I’m excited for the next win whenever that is,” Busch said. “I feel like there are times where it gives you that motivation and gives you that itch to get back to victory lane.”

Childress said there is hope that he can sign Busch to a long-term extension at some point in the future.

“There is a big future for Kyle,” Childress said.

Busch said he has not considered retiring from racing, He said that is something he will reconsider once his 10-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to get into racing on the national circuit.

Busch will run Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600, a race that he won in 2018.

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

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

It’s race day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

NASCAR racing at the Charlotte track has already begun with the Craftsman Truck Series yesterday evening, which saw Corey Heim clinch the victory. To catch up on the Truck race, click here.

Heading into the Xfinity Series race this weekend, Justin Allgaier continues to lead the drivers’ standings with 471 points, 51 points ahead of Austin Hill in second.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the on-track action.

When is the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

Saturday, 24 May

11.05 a.m. ET: NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice
12.10 p.m. ET: NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying
4.30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300

How to watch the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

Practice and qualifying for the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be broadcast on CW and APP. The race, the BetMGM 300, will be live on CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

What is the purse for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

The purse for the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte will be $1,651,939. This includes payouts, all positions, contingency awards, contributions to the year-end points fund, etc.

Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images

NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Repeat winners

Kyle Busch has been the most successful driver in the Xfinity Series spring race, with six wins over the years.

6 wins
Kyle Busch – 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2020

3 wins
Mark Martin – 1996, 1998, 1999

2 wins
Morgan Shepherd – 1978, 1981
Harry Grant – 1982, 1987
Dale Earnhardt – 1983, 1991
Tim Richmond – 1985, 1986
Dale Jarrett – 1988, 1990
Jeff Green – 2001, 2002
Matt Kenseth – 2003, 2011
Brad Keselowski – 2012, 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway entry list

Sheldon Creed – Haas Factory Team
Carson Kvapil – JR Motorsports
Jesse Love – Richard Childress Racing
Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
Parker Retzlaff – Alpha Prime Racing
Kris Wright – Our Motorsports
Justin Allgaier – JR Motorsports
Nick Leitz – SS GreenLight Racing
Sammy Smith – JR Motorsports
Daniel Dye – Kaulig Racing
Josh Williams – Kaulig Racing
Garrett Smithley – SS GreenLight Racing
Christian Eckes – Kaulig Racing
William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
William Sawalich – Joe Gibbs Racing
Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing
Brandon Jones – Joe Gibbs Racing
Austin Hill – Richard Childress Racing
Harrison Burton – AM Racing
Dean Thompson – Sam Hunt Racing
Jeb Burton – Jordan Anderson Racing
Kyle Sieg – RSS Racing
Blaine Perkins – Jordan Anderson Racing
Katherine Legge – Jordan Anderson Racing
Carson Ware – Joey Gase Motorsports
Ryan Sieg – RSS Racing
Sam Mayer – Haas Factory Team
Anthony Alfredo – Young’s Motorsports
Brennan Poole – Alpha Prime Racing
Brad Perez – Alpha Prime Racing
Nicholas Sanchez – Big Machine Racing
Jeremy Clements – Jeremy Clements Racing
JJ Yeley – Joey Gase Motorsports
Taylor Gray – Joe Gibbs Racing
Leland Honeyman – Cope Family Racing
Ryan Ellis – DGM Racing x JIM
Dawson Cram – Mike Harmon Racing
Connor Zilisch – JR Motorsports
CJ McLaughlin – DGM Racing x JIM
Matt DiBenedetto – Viking Motorsports

What are the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings ahead of Charlotte Motor Speedway?

1. Justin Allgaier – 471
2. Austin Hill – 420
3. Sam Mayer – 391
4. Jesse Love – 374
5. Brandon Jones – 326
6. Carson Kvapil – 324
7. Jeb Burton – 320
8. Ryan Sieg – 317
9. Sammy Smith – 312
10. Harrison Burton – 307
11. Sheldon Creed – 304
12. Connor Zilisch – 299
13. Daniel Dye – 293
14. Taylor Gray – 285
15. Nicholas Sanchez – 283
16. Dean Thompson – 249
17. Brennan Poole – 238
18. Christian Eckes – 238
19. Jeremy Clements – 215
20. Anthony Alfredo – 212
21. Parker Retzlaff – 209
22. Josh Williams – 207
23. Aric Almirola – 198
24. Matt DiBenedetto – 181
25. William Sawalich – 170
26. Blaine Perkins – 167
27. Kyle Sieg – 165
28. Ryan Ellis – 161
29. Kris Wright – 110
30. Josh Bilicki – 110
31. Garrett Smithley – 100
32. Leland Honeyman – 92
33. Joey Gase – 87
34. Patrick Emerling – 83
35. Mason Massey – 61
36. Justin Bonsignore – 54
37. Mason Maggio – 47
38. Corey Day – 40
39. Nick Leitz – 40
40. Greg Van Alst – 33
41. Caesar Bacarella – 31
42. Jordan Anderson – 30
43. Alex Labbe – 30
44. Thomas Annunziata – 26
45. Kasey Kahne – 23
46. Brad Perez – 23
47. Patrick Staropoli – 21
48. Ryan Truex – 20
49. Jesse Iwuji – 17
50. CJ McLaughlin – 16
51. Vicente Salas – 13
52. Carson Ware – 12
53. David Starr – 11
54. Myatt Snider – 11
55. Dawson Cram – 7
56. Jeffrey Earnhardt – 5
57. Sage Karam – 5
58. Preston Pardus – 1
59. Baltazar Leguizamón – 1
60. Austin Green – -1

In a groundbreaking move that is set to shake up the world of motorsports, William Byron has officially inked a lucrative four-year contract extension with powerhouse team Hendrick Motorsports.

The multi-year deal, which has been confirmed by the team, solidifies Byron’s future with the elite racing organization. This strategic move not only cements Byron’s position as a key player in the NASCAR arena but also underscores Hendrick Motorsports’ unwavering commitment to nurturing top-tier talent.

Byron, known for his exceptional driving skills and unwavering determination on the track, is poised to continue making waves in the world of professional racing. With this contract extension, both Byron and Hendrick Motorsports are gearing up for a future filled with victories, milestones, and electrifying performances.

This bold partnership between Byron and Hendrick Motorsports is not only a testament to their shared vision for success but also a clear signal to their competitors that they mean business. As the adrenaline-pumping world of NASCAR prepares for the next chapter, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Byron as he revs up for the ride of a lifetime with the full support of his powerhouse team behind him.