DAYTONA, Fla. – In 100 days, racing returns to The World Center of Racing. But this weekend, Daytona International Speedway will be the world center of rock.

Welcome to Rockville, a four-day festival at the speedway, will bring over 150 rock and heavy metal bands, and over 200,000 fans. Headliners include Shinedown, Green Day, LINKIN PARK and Korn.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez and Harley-Davidson motorcycle driver James Rispoli took off the racing gear and became stagehands Thursday, helping move production equipment, wrapping mic cables and taking pictures of performing bands.

“It’s like a completely different place,” Suarez told News 6. “It’s been a good experience, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Their day wrapped up with a golf cart race down pit row against Shinedown’s lead guitarist, Zach Myers.

“(Today) has been unreal,” Rispoli said. “It’s been crazy to see how the bands do it and to see some of my childhood heroes. This has been such an experience to come out to Daytona and be a part of this.”

On Aug. 23, racing will be under the lights for the NASCAR regular season finale with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. This race is the last chance for racers to qualify for the playoffs.

“It’s a very high-intensity race because it’s the last race of the regular season,” Suarez said. “Hopefully by then… I have a win or two under my belt, and I don’t have to worry about the playoffs.”

Tickets for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 are available, and Welcome to Rockville information is here.

Hendrick Motorsports have revealed Kyle Larson’s replacement for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s insane schedule.

Justin Allgaier has been tabbed to practice and qualify for Larson for this weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro this weekend while the one-time champ practices and qualifies at Indianapolis, and will also fill in at the Coca-Cola 600 if necessary.

READ MORE: NASCAR Results Today: Kyle Larson smashes record in win as 23XI Racing struggle

Larson will be allowed to leave Indianapolis before the Indy 500 Fast Six if he qualifies that high, allowing him to make it to North Carolina for the $1 million race at the expense of his position at the very front of the Indy 500 start.

The 2021 Cup Series champ is fortunate in that he has won several races since the start of 2024, allowing him automatic qualification into the All-Star Race as opposed to having to qualify via the All-Star Open (or fan vote) earlier in the day.

Larson crew chief: We’re ready for Justin

Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Larson’s #5 team, said: “We’re fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help. He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there’s a lot in the cockpit that’s common between the two.

“I think that serves him well and it serves us well. He’s had some time in the simulator driving the track and he did the wheel-force test there a year ago, so he’s got some experience in the Cup car at North Wilkesboro. We’re looking to put in a solid practice and make sure the car drives good.”

On the track evolution, Daniels added: “I think no matter what there’s going to be a general progression of balance from Friday through Sunday. The track is going to take more rubber. Friday, the groove is going to be a bit more narrow and Sunday I think it’s going to open up a bit. So, there’s still some changes regardless of Justin or Kyle that we would plan to progress through throughout the weekend.

“At the end of the day, I just want to make sure Justin is comfortable in what he feels and he, of course, trusts the feedback he’s going to give us. If there’s something he can provide to us to make the car faster, we’re going to listen. We’re going to do those little things and then we’re going to kind of stick to a little bit of what we think the track is going to evolve through, throughout the weekend.”

NASCAR HEADLINES: Cup Series leader demoted as dozens of in-race penalties confirmed

Related

The ticket renewal process begins tomorrow (May 16) at 10 a.m. PT for all multi-day Grandstand and RV space purchasers from last year’s BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland, featuring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and Pacific Office Automation 147, headlined by the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Eligible customers from 2024 will receive a direct email communication with further purchase instructions. Public ticket sales will begin for multi-day Reserved Grandstand tickets and any remaining RV spaces on Monday, June 2 at 10 a.m. PT for both events.

This year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race weekend is set for August 8-10, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series event follows later for the first time on August 29-30 over Labor Day weekend. Both events are scheduled on new dates this summer at Portland International Raceway creating a ‘Speed Month’ at the motorsports facility positioned just south of the Columbia River along Interstate 5 in North Portland.

“We are thrilled to have ‘Speed Month’ at Portland International Raceway with both of these big motorsports events moving to August. Portland is exclusively and uniquely the only city on the West Coast to host both INDYCAR and NASCAR national series races,” said Jerry Jensen, vice president and general manager of Green Savoree Portland, LLC, which owns and operates the event at PIR. “We will also be offering combo ticket packages to both events for the first time providing fans further benefits and savings for attending both weekends this August.” 

As part of this combination ticket packaging, returning multi-day Grandstand ticket holders renewing both their BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland and Pacific Office Automation 147 seats will receive a free INDYCAR Paddock Pass, a $75 value. Gold Grandstand customers also receive a complimentary Infield Parking Pass with their renewal purchase to both events, limited to one per order and a value of $30 for the INDYCAR race weekend and $25 for the NASCAR event.

Both events offer a tremendous family value. Children 12 and under receive free General Admission when attending either event with a ticketed adult. Additional family value packages will be announced at a later date when public sales begin on June 2. Also, both events will feature no fees on order processing when ordering online at RacePortland.com.

All ticket pricing and options, including parking passes and RV Club spaces, are posted online at RacePortland.com. Stay up to speed on these premier Portland events on social media all year long by following #PortlandGP and #NASCARPortland or by signing up for the E-Club on the website to get exclusive pre-sale access on tickets.  

PIR PR

Carson Hocevar’s new livery for this year’s NASCAR All-Star Race is a slam dunk.

Earlier this week, Hocevar – who was recently caught flipping the bird at an opponent during a race – debuted a paint scheme promoting the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver will don the unique look in the Cup Series All-Star race, which is slated to feature a promoter’s caution and altered format.

A large WNBA All-Star logo will be visible on the hood of Hocevar’s car alongside the words “Indy 25.” This year marks the first time that Indianapolis will play host to the annual event, with the All-Star Game, STARRY 3-Point Contest, and Skills Challenge all set to take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse – home of the Indiana Fever – from July 18-19.

The out-of-the-blue partnership between Spire Motorsports, Gainbridge, and the WNBA is intended to draw more attention to women’s sports while bringing together motorsports and basketball fans.

“Carson driving a WNBA All-Star paint scheme is an opportunity to cross-promote two properties in our sponsorship portfolio,” Gainbridge Chief of Sponsorship Strategy Mike Nichols said in an official press release. “The scheme highlights our commitment to investing in women’s sports.”

Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, added: “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Spire Motorsports and Gainbridge to highlight AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025 during NASCAR’s All-Star Race.”

Hocevar, for one, is thrilled to be able to represent the WNBA. “It’s really cool to showcase the WNBA All-Star Game on our car for the NASCAR All-Star Weekend,” he said. “I had the chance to visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse in January and it’s definitely worthy of hosting the game.

“Gainbridge has been a great partner for Spire Motorsports and done a lot to promote and expand women’s sports, so it’s exciting to see that support open new doors for those teams and athletes.”

This surprisingly isn’t the first time that NASCAR and the WNBA have intertwined. During last year’s Brickyard 400, Josh Berry paid tribute to Fever superstar Caitlin Clark by featuring a lifesize photo of the Iowa product on the hood of his No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

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Addressing the touching gesture, Clark told reporters at the time: “Never did I ever think I would appear on a race car, honestly I grew up watching NASCAR…I was kind of a big fan growing up and now to be on a car, is super cool.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Is this real? I want to drive the car. So, sometime maybe I have to take a spin, but it’s super cool… Hopefully, it brings good vibes and we get the dub.”

Berry was more than happy to represent one of the WNBA’s best players, stating: “It really is a great opportunity, to have her on the hood of our race car. The amount of reach and popularity she’s gained over the last couple of years has been really, really amazing to watch.

“How it’s transcended women’s basketball, right? Obviously, being a girl dad, I guess, you don’t necessarily put the two together right now, but as she grows older, I’m sure it’ll be a cool thing to look back on, as she continues her career.”

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EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NASCAR Driver Ross Chastain made a pit stop in Central New York to emphasize the importance of seat belt safety as part of New York’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

Chastain, known for driving at speeds of 200 miles per hour and wearing nine seat belts every Sunday, visited East Syracuse Minoa High School to engage students in a hands-on seat belt safety experience.

Chastain, a watermelon farmer from Florida and a professional race car driver, is set to compete for a million-dollar prize at NASCAR’s All-Star Race on Sunday. However, he said his priority is promoting road safety through his “Protect Your Melon” campaign.

“I want to be part of the prevention of accidents on the road, which aren’t actually accidents,” Chastain said. “People are crashing on the roadways, unbelted, just like we crash on NASCAR tracks, but I would never be unbelted. I have nine seat belts, a ton of safety gear.”

Chastain’s “Protect Your Melon” truck will be visible at Watkins Glen in August, but his current focus is on reminding New Yorkers that seat belts save lives as the state kicks off its “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

“I’ve hit the wall head-on at 140 miles an hour before,” Chastain said. “So, it’s something that I feel like I can speak to. Some people might be a little surprised to see a NASCAR driver talking about safe driving, but there’s nobody better.”

Emma DeBerjeois, East Syracuse Minoa’s class president, shared her personal experience with the importance of seat belts. Last year, she was involved in a car crash where her vehicle flipped twice after being T-boned.

“I went to go make a left turn and I was T-boned, which resulted in my car flipping twice and hitting a little small brick wall in Fayetteville,” DeBerjeois said. “And I was stuck upside down, like on the top of my car, kind of dangling.”

Thanks to her seat belt, DeBerjeois emerged with barely a scratch. She believes sharing such experiences can help teenagers understand the dangers of driving.

“I think it definitely will help teenagers realize, like, the reality of how dangerous driving can be,” she said. “Some people don’t have a story that connects with them, but when you have so many people and so many experiences around, I feel like it will definitely help children understand more.”

Chastain hopes that by positively reinforcing the importance of seat belts and showcasing the safety gear in race cars, the message will become ingrained in students’ everyday lives.

“I feel like that if you just keep positively reinforcing it, showing them the race car, letting them see what’s inside and the safety gear we have, hopefully when they leave for the day, the kids and the others, the building just becomes part of their everyday life,” Chastain said. “And then everything about it again, it’s always on.”

Through the experiences of Chastain and DeBerjeois, students learned that buckling up can indeed protect their “melon.”