The legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) returns July 10–13, and Subaru Motorsports USA is set to make its mark once again. With a proven track record and fan-favorite drivers at the helm, the team is coming back to the South of England with eyes on the podium—and continuing a lineage that helped shape rally history.

[Scott Speed fires WRX: Project Midnight up the legendary hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed]

After a breakout debut at the 2024 Festival where Scott Speed and the blistering WRX: Project Midnight recorded the fastest internal combustion engine (ICE) time and ran neck-and-neck with electric competitors boasting triple the power, the duo is back for 2025. “Project Midnight is an amazing car,” says Speed. “And Goodwood is a special event. I can’t wait to run it up that hill again!” The car is brutally loud, shooting flames out of the hood as it charges toward its nearly 10,000 rpm redline—an unmistakable presence on the hill.

No Festival of Speed would be complete without Subaru Motorsports USA driver and extreme sports icon Travis Pastrana, who this year returns to the gravel on Goodwood’s storied rally stage behind the wheel of the class-leading WRX ARA25. With his characteristic energy and flair, Pastrana is set to thrill in the American Rally Association (ARA) Open 4WD class car.

“I’m stoked to be in the O4WD car again!” Pastrana says. “It’ll take a second to get used to it, but I always have fun driving for that crowd. We’re gonna have a great time!”

As Goodwood celebrates thirty years since Colin McRae’s title-winning season, Subaru’s presence on the rally stage carries added weight. With several of McRae’s own cars running alongside the WRX ARA25, the moment is both a tribute and a reminder: the spirit that defined an era continues today—loud, fast, and still wearing the same iconic colors.

With the crowd still buzzing from last year’s record-setting runs, anticipation is high for Project Midnight’s return to the hill. From classic motorsport icons and rare hypercars to experimental hybrids and full-electric mobility platforms, the 2025 Festival promises a lineup as diverse as ever. And with Formula 1’s 75th anniversary as a central theme, fans can expect to see legends of speed from every corner of the racing world.

Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa to stay in touch with all the happenings as Speed and Pastrana take on the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed July 10-13.

Subaru Motorsports PR

Shane van Gisbergen Makes NASCAR History with Record-Breaking Win in Chicago

Reigning supreme at the 2025 Grant Park 165, Shane van Gisbergen has etched his name in NASCAR history books by matching a milestone set by the legendary Jimmie Johnson. The New Zealander’s spectacular performance not only secured a dominant victory in Chicago but also saw him equal a record untouched since Johnson’s rookie year, underlining his meteoric rise in the NASCAR Cup Series.

In just his 33rd career start, SVG clinched his third Cup Series win, mirroring Johnson’s early-career success in 2002. The official NASCAR handle hailed his achievement, highlighting him as the fastest driver to reach three wins since the seven-time champion. This feat places Shane van Gisbergen among the elite names of NASCAR’s modern era, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Tony Stewart, who accomplished a similar feat in his debut season back in 1999.

Van Gisbergen’s unparalleled 3-in-33 record now ranks him alongside racing greats like Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and other NASCAR legends who have left an indelible mark on the sport. His latest victory at the Grant Park 165 showcased his prowess in controlling chaotic street courses, further solidifying his reputation as a force to be reckoned with on the track.

The race at Grant Park was a moment of triumph for Shane van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing, as he maneuvered his way to the front of the pack with confidence and skill. Overcoming challenges and seizing the lead on Lap 60, SVG held off fierce competition to emerge victorious, ultimately capturing his second Cup win at Chicago and his fourth overall at the street circuit.

Not only did Van Gisbergen secure a historic win, but he also secured his position as the most successful foreign-born driver in Cup Series history, surpassing notable names like Marcos Ambrose and Earl Ross. His post-race remarks reflected his gratitude for the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the sport and pave the way for future generations of foreign drivers in NASCAR.

With this latest triumph, Shane van Gisbergen has solidified his status as a rising star in the NASCAR Cup Series, setting the stage for further victories and milestones in his promising career. As he continues to dominate both road courses and ovals, all eyes are on Van Gisbergen as he carves out his legacy in the world of professional racing.

Deputies with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 27-year-old Pensacola man July 5 after he allegedly shot his uncle.

NASCAR fans thought they were getting the ultimate throwback moment when Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s name appeared as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief on the official entry list. The buzz lasted exactly one day before reality crashed the party.

With Chicago’s double-header in the rearview mirror, NASCAR heads to California’s Sonoma Mountains for another road course challenge. However, amid all the buildup for this weekend’s technical test, fans got distracted by something unexpected.

Was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Really Making His Crew Chief Comeback?

Yesterday, NASCAR released the official entry list for this weekend’s Xfinity Series race, the FoodMaxx 250. Among the 39 entries, one detail next to Zilisch’s name jumped off the page. The list showed Earnhardt as the crew chief for the No. 88 team, sending fans into an absolute frenzy.

Social media exploded with speculation about the two-time Daytona 500 winner’s possible return to the pit box. The idea of the JR Motorsports owner calling the shots again felt almost too good to be true.

Unfortunately for fans hoping for a nostalgic moment, that instinct proved correct.

What Really Happened With the Entry List Mix-Up?

Racing journalist Toby Christie quickly poured cold water on the excitement, confirming that Earnhardt’s listing was nothing more than a clerical error. Christie wrote, “JR Motorsports has confirmed the listing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief on the entry list was a mistake, and Earnhardt will not serve as the crew chief this weekend.”

JR Motorsports has confirmed the listing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Connor Zilisch’s crew chief on the entry list was a mistake, and Earnhardt will not serve as the crew chief this weekend.

— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) July 7, 2025

FOX’s Bob Pockrass backed up the report, sharing the corrected entry list and explaining how the mistake happened. Pockrass noted, “DaleJr is not crew chief for Zilisch this weekend. I believe what happens is with the electronic entry list when you fill it in, there are drop downs and since now that he is in the system, just a miscue on the entry list.”

The veteran reporter also confirmed that Mardy Lindley, Zilisch’s regular No. 88 crew chief, will handle the duties for this weekend’s Xfinity race. This clears up any confusion about who’s actually calling the shots from the pit box.

The mix-up makes more sense when you consider Earnhardt’s recent crew chief experience. A few weeks ago, Lindley served a one-race suspension for an incident at Nashville, which opened the door for Earnhardt’s crew chief debut. During that Pocono appearance, the 50-year-old didn’t just fill in. He helped guide Zilisch to victory lane.

While the idea of Earnhardt returning to the pit box remains exciting for fans, this weekend’s entry list drama was ultimately just a computer glitch, not a comeback story.

The Seneca County Fair Demolition Derby Hall of Fame will induct three new members during the Seneca County Fair demolition derby events next week.

Formal inductions will be held during pre-race ceremonies during Championship Saturday on July 19, with derby action beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The class includes two exceptionally hard drivers, Tim Ellison and Chuck Bowman, and Walt Mitchell, a long-time sponsor and supporter of the demolition derby.

Ellison is the most decorated of this year’s inductees. He had won the main show once, the four-cylinder championship twice and the full size truck division twice. Ellison holds a rare distinction of wins in a single night, nearly sweeping the fair events in 2019. That season, He shared the full size truck win, won the four-cylinder championship and finally got his Saturday Night Championship.

His wins often came second to showmanship, he would drive as hard as the car would allow. If there was still mobility in his machine when the checkers flew, then he would collect a win. But his goal was to be the standard in setting the pace. He was active in changing to a one-and-done format, often speaking up about the implementation of heavier ‘built’ parts in the vein of protecting the casual competitor. He had the foresight to protect tomorrow while still smashing today. Tim often brought three and four entries on a given night, and would drive all of them as hard as he could.

Similarly, Chuck Bowman embodies everything an entertainment-focused demolition derby driver should be. Finding his feet as a driver in an era where premium cars were the standard, and building a car so it would last multiple runs was expected, Chuck had none of that. Bowman found pure joy when smashing cars in Seneca County. He would take whatever car he could find, and turn it into a pretzel in rapid fashion. Chuck would hit anyone on track, friend or foe. And there was not any science to his hit placement. In his peak, wheel shots to disable steering were selected with precision. Bowman used his right foot as the counter-argument, hitting whatever was broadside in front of him.

On the surface, Walt Mitchell’s career at the Seneca County Fairgrounds is closely tied to his stellar career racing stock cars. He was a force at Maple Grove Speedway/Waterloo Raceway, Weedsport Speedway, Black Rock Speedway/Dundee Raceway, Five Mile Point, Fulton and Woodhull Speedways.

Mitchell amassed between 300 and 350 wins in his career. He earned track titles at Weedsport from 1966-69, then Fulton and Weedsport again in 1979 and Five Mile Point in 1981. He won three 358-Modified track titles at Woodhull and finished with 37 DIRTcar-sanctioned small-block wins.

Mitchell’s career on track will be chronicled among the dozens and dozens of racers and feature winners during the Maple Grove Speedway/Waterloo Speedway displays during the fair. The static display will have memorabilia, photos and historical records. A more elaborate tribute to the speedway is being planned for September 27 at the fairgrounds, featuring picture boards, video, posters and trophies, stats, model car replicas and restored full-size race cars.

However, it’s for his time running Mitchell Auto Parts on Route 96 south of Waterloo that he was recognized by the Hall of Fame committee. Mitchell was a local go-to for cars, parts and rebuild pieces among Seneca County derby drivers. Mitchell supported the Seneca County Fair Demolition Derby scene in the late hours, as well. He would buy the cars and tow them to his yard, long after the fairgrounds fell silent. He was key in the feature landscape during the peak of his salvage business, delivering running cars to the Ag Society for feature qualifiers to wheel in the main event.

At that time, drivers qualified, and would return for the feature not in their own prepared car, but a provided fresh machine. A driver would draw a number; that number corresponded to your car for the main. Seneca County resurrected this in the early 2000s for one night only, hosting a Pros vs. Joes type team feature.

The Wednesday Night program will include the kids power wheels demo, lawnmowers, the four- and six-cylinder figure 8 races, the 80s and Newer Chain feature and the popular light truck and SUV ‘junk run.’ Start time is 7 pm. Thursday night, Ian Doyle and Pure Chaos RC will oversee the RC Demolition Derby in Floral Hall, with a 7 pm start time. Saturday will include four one-and-done events, with the four-cylinder and six-cylinder championships, then the stock full size feature and the pro stock full size championships will follow. Best Paint and Hall of Fame Inductions will be held during pre-race ceremonies, with action scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm.

ESS Speedweek

At Weedsport Speedway Danny Varin won the ESS Speedweek finale, winning the 25-lap feature by more than four seconds over Dylan Swiernik. Swiernik finished with the week-long championship, having won three of the five races contested. Logan Crisafulli was third ahead of Chase Moran and Jordan Poirier. Mat Williamson delivered a convincing win in the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series event. He won the 50-lap main over Tim Sears Jr. and Felix Roy; it was his third DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win of the year. Ronnie Davis III was fourth ahead of Jordan McCreadie. Tim Lotz leveraged a late race restart to win the 600 sprint feature. Mike Smith was at the helm for most of the 25-lap feature, but Lotz was better on one restart, which equated to a one-second edge at the checkers. Smith held for second ahead of Zach Bobbett, Will Fisher and Ivan Forney.

Saturday night at Fulton, Dylan Swiernik took the 25-lap Empire Super Sprints win from the pole. Jordan Poirier stormed from 10th to the runner up spot, holding second ahead of Joe Trenca, Shawn Donath and Dalton Rombough. The modifieds raced with sail panels in a special 35-lap Outlaw 200 Qualifier, with Tim Sears Jr. taking the win over Billy Dunn and Ronnie Davis III. Marshall Hurd and Amy Holland filled the top five. Hunter Hollenbeck won the DIRTcar Sportsman feature over a hard-driving Emmett Waldron. Waldron started 17th and raced to second with Cody Manitta, Gregg Carner and David Moyer in tow. John Pietrowicz scored the 15-lap Hobby Stock main. Brayden Bullock won the Novice Sportsman feature.

Friday, Jason Barney interrupted the Swiernik party at Brewerton Speedway, winning the 25-lap ESS feature over Larry Wight and Danny Varin. Jordan Poirier was next, with Chris Hile taking fifth. Wheeling a DIRT-legal 358-Modified, Kyle Devendorf took the lead on lap 16 and prevailed for his first Modified feature win in the 35-lap big block feature. Tim Sears Jr. was next, with Max Hill, Chris Hulsizer and Chad Phelps giving chase. Devendorf’s win keeps the streak of different winners going; Brewerton has welcomed seven different Modified winners to victory lane over seven races. Hunter Hollenback scored the 30-lap Sportsman. Cody Manitta, Tony Finch II, Jason Parkhurst Jr., and Nick Ventura completed the top five. Nathan Powers won the Four-Cylinder Super Stock main.

Thursday at Utica-Rome Speedway, Swiernik won his second of three Speedweek features. Chuck Hebing was chasing from second while Jordan Poirier, Logan Chrisafulli and Paulie Colagiovanni filled the top five. Payton Talbot held off Rocky Warner and Matt Janczuk to win the 358-Modified Challenge Series event; Marc Johnson and Neil Stratton followed in the top five. Ed Lukas won the 602 Crate Sportsman Feature over Talbot, Zach Welch, Josh Coonradt and Carson Rothwell. Luke Horning captured the Pro Stock feature over Slater Baker and Devon Camenga.

Wednesday night, Swiernik opened the ESS Speedweek with a win at Can-Am Speedway, holding off Jordan Poirier and Billy VanInwegen Jr. Davie Franek and Danny Varin filled the top five. Mike Mahaney won the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series event, scoring the 50-lap main from outside the front row. Billy Dunn settled for second ahead of Felix Roy, Mat Williamson and Shaun Shaw. Donovan Lussier won the DIRTcar Sportsman Series event, starting sixth and charging to the front of the 30-lap feature. Shane Pecore was second ahead of Richard Murtaugh, Tyler Corcoran and Taylor Doxtater.

The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series will next visit Cornwall Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 16. Then, drivers head to Mohawk International Raceway on Thursday, July 17. The Empire Super Sprints will race July 18 and 19 as well, visiting Albany-Saratoga Speedway and then Fonda Speedway.

Super DIRTCar Series

Mat Williamson delivered his first career Super DIRTcar Series win at Land of Legends Raceway, winning the Stars and Stripes 76 Thursday. The 76-lap win was worth $7,600. Erick Rudolph was next, with Justin Haers, Alex Payne and Alex Yankowski filling the top five. Jeff Trombley took the 25-lap CRSA Series race, topping Bobby Parrow and Dillon Paddock. Zach Sobotka and Darryl Ruggles filled the top five.

Last week, Stewart Friesen won his fourth tour event of 2025, taking Monday night’s 75-lap feature at Mohawk International. He passed Alex Yankowski in slower traffic on lap 29 and checked out. Mat Williamson moved to second later in the main; Peter Britten ran third ahead of Alex Yankowski and Matt Sheppard.

Mario Clair won the Super DIRTcar Series event at Cornwall Motor Speedway. It is his first Super DIRTcar Series win, coming in the 100-lap battle where fended off Dalton Slack and earned a guaranteed starting spot at Super DIRT Week 53. Mat Williamson was third ahead of Alex Yankowski and David Hebert.

The Super DIRTcar Series has four races to end July. The trail will head to Weedsport Speedway on July 26. The tour will host three straight nights in Canada, July 28-30, first visiting Autodrome Drummond for back to back nights, and finishing at Brockville Ontario Speedway.

SATURDAY

Bobby Parrow did it again at Land of Legends, winning the CRSA Sprint Series’ 25-lap feature over Lance Dusett and Dillon Paddock. Zach Sobotka was fourth, with Alysha Bay ranking fifth. Mat Williamson won the Modified feature over Dalton Slack; Justin Haers raced from deep in the order to take third ahead of Alex Payne and Matt Sheppard. Richard Murtaugh III picked up the 25-lap Sportsman feature win over Karl Comfort and Tyler Corcoran; Evan Nugent was fourth and Frank Guererri Jr. finished fifth. CJ Guererri was triumphant in the 20-lap Street Stock main. Rick Crego had another strong run to second ahead of Marc Minutolo, Mike Welch and Pat Hobbs. Justin Eldredge wheeled a former Jason Quigley machine to the win in the Hobby Stock main; the night was dedicated as a memorial to Quigley. Minutolo was second ahead of Nathan Peckham, Frank Burnell and Blane Smith.

Oswego Speedway hosted twin 40-lap features for the Super Modifieds. Josh Sokolic won the first with Otto Sitterly and Jeff Abold earning podium spots. Dave Shullick won the latter, holding off Tyler Thompson and Abold in the second 40-lapper. Kyle Perry won the 25-lap 350 Supers feature over Brendan Young and Rob Wirth. Greg O’Connor rang up a Small Block Supers win in their 30-lap feature, topping DJ Shuman and Matt Magner.

FRIDAY

At Outlaw Speedway, Matt Sheppard won the 30-lap Modified feature over Alex Payne, nosing out the win by a .109-seconds. Brady Fultz raced to third ahead of Ajay Potrzebowski and Mike Maresca. Donnie Lawson won the 20-lap Sportsman feature by more than a half-second over Blake Parsons and Chris Fisher. Quintin Buchanon and Dale Welty followed in the top five. Glenn Whritenour topped Shane Wolf and Gene Sharpsteen in the 20-lap Street Stock feature. Chris Woodard and Brett Crawford filled the top five. Daniel Kerrick tallied a win in the Hobby Stock main. Kerrick was first to the checkers after 20 laps, with Jared Hill, Marc Minutolo, Rich Sharpsteen and Jesse Ballance following. Jayson Smart delivered a win in the 20-lap Four-Cylinder feature, with Kenneth Evans, Mike Stone, Austyn Diaz and Zach Daugherty earning top fives.

Outlaw Speedway will welcome the Short Track Super Series Thursday, part of their Dave Machuga Memorial. In addition to the STSS stars, the card will include Sportsman, Street Stocks and Four-Cylinders. The Modified feature will pay $7,078.78 to the winner, while the American Racer Sportsman division will see the winner take a $2,078.78 prize. General admission is $30. Race time is 7 pm. Last Wednesday, Stewart Friesen won a Short Track Super Series event at Fonda Speedway, his 53rd STSS win. Sheppard ran second in the 50-lap Firecracker 50 feature.

Can-Am and Utica-Rome Speedway will be back in action on July 11 with their regular night and programs; they were off Friday after hosting action mid-week during the ESS CNY Speedweek.

Driver Alex Bowman (48) talks with people before in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Grant Park 165 , Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

CHICAGO (AP) — NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn’t know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race.

That might be about to change.

Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the mix for the $1 million prize that goes to the winner of the five-race, bracket-style competition. While Shane van Gisbergen was closing out his Cup victory in Chicago this weekend, some of the most compelling action on the downtown street course was at least connected to the inaugural In-Season Challenge.

Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace raced each other hard in the final laps after they tangled in Chicago last year. Bowman got the better of the head-to-head matchup, finishing eighth and eliminating Wallace from the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek was 15th, one spot better than his opponent, Chase Elliott. Gibbs had a strong day and finished second, good enough to beat AJ Allmendinger in sixth. Ty Dillon, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also moved on.

The 14th-seeded Smith upset No. 3 seed Chris Buescher by finishing 14th. He is matched up with Gibbs for Sunday’s road race at Sonoma.

“I hate we had to knock another Ford out, but it’s super cool to advance,” Smith said.

With the in-season tournament — part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT — NASCAR is following in the footsteps of the NBA and soccer leagues around the world. After Sonoma this weekend, it concludes with races at Dover and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Bowman said the tournament wasn’t on his mind as he battled with Wallace at the end in Chicago. Whatever the reason for the contact, their head-to-head matchup certainly added a bit of intrigue to the racing behind van Gisbergen’s victory.

With the money involved and the field trimmed to eight drivers, there could be more moments like the duel between Bowman and Wallace in the final weeks of the challenge.

“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging.”

It sure sounds as if Dillon is enjoying the competition. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Brad Keselowski on Sunday after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin at Atlanta on June 28.

There was absolutely no drama in Dillon’s win after Keselowski was collected in an early crash that began with Carson Hocevar hitting the wall and spinning out between Turns 10 and 11. Hocevar was eliminated by Reddick.

“I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team,” Dillon said. “I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.”

Dillon takes on Bowman and Preece faces Reddick in the next round. But the most interesting contest just might be Nemechek versus Jones in a matchup of Legacy Motor Club teammates.

“I felt like if we could have gotten through the first round, these next two rounds are really good for us,” Preece said. “Our road course program is pretty strong, and we keep making it better. So going into Sonoma, I think we’re up against Tyler Reddick, so he’s really good at road courses as well, but I like being the underdog.”

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