Motorsports

Pagenaud easing back into motorsports after serious injury in 2023. Finding a new career outside car

INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud’s career was cut short eight races into the 2023 season when he was badly injured in a crash that caused concussion-related symptoms he’s still battling nearly two years later. He wants no sympathy, no pity, and looks back fondly on a career in which he won the Indianapolis 500, an IndyCar […]

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3 weeks ago

May 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud’s career was cut short eight races into the 2023 season when he was badly injured in a crash that caused concussion-related symptoms he’s still battling nearly two years later.

He wants no sympathy, no pity, and looks back fondly on a career in which he won the Indianapolis 500, an IndyCar championship, 15 races and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

He also doesn’t want to dwell on his personal health, which has been a frustrating rollercoaster of improvements, setbacks, and constant rehabilitation to return to some normalcy and enjoy life with his wife and two young children.

But the Frenchman will never be able to shake the motorsports bug — and he has a goal of one day returning to some form of racing because without goals, what does a racer even have?

For now, though, he’s adjusting to a slow comeback that began last year when Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin asked Pagenaud to be his driver coach at the Indianapolis 500. It wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped because everything from his vision to the noise at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the vibration he felt as cars whizzed past the Team Penske timing stand disrupted his recovery.

Even so, McLaughlin has him back this year as Pagenaud attempts to find a career outside the racecar.

“Last year he didn’t know how he was going to feel with the noises, but he definitely feels a lot better,” McLaughlin said. “I really enjoy working with him and bringing him back to the speedway, brought him back to something he loves. He’s really intense, too. His preparation is next level.”

It’s just the start for Pagenaud’s transition: Théo Pourchaire, a fellow Frenchman, announced Tuesday that Pagenaud will be his representation as Pourchaire tries to make a full-time move to racing in the United States.

“I don’t want to be involved with the management of 30 drivers, but I want to be involved with the best,” Pagenaud said. “I want to go to teams with a guy I know can perform. I don’t want to put my name on someone and then have a team come back to me and say he didn’t perform, the guy wasn’t good enough. I’ve got to be selective and to me, I think Theo can be one of the best.”

But that’s not all for Pagenaud, who was contacted by Chevrolet and asked to help do simulator work for the manufacturer in a true case of “just what the doctor ordered.”

“I had no idea if I was going to be of use, but I was very attracted by the idea and my doctors were very enthused by the chance to test myself on a moving simulator,” he said. ”I’m not going to lie — it was a big challenge personally — but it was awesome to have a reference, a new reference, of where I was at and how much I was struggling for different things.

“And we decided that we would do this a bit more frequently. It was very useful for my recovery. It’s probably been the most useful therapy I’ve had, and when I’m talking about therapies, physical therapy, eye coordination, reconnecting the bridges in the brain, things that were not as seamless as they used to be.”

Pagenaud is also open to a more formal role with former team Team Penske, where he spent seven seasons and time with their sports car program. Team President Tim Cindric didn’t rule out a role within the organization for the driver who contributed one of Roger Penske’s record 20 Indy 500 wins.

McLaughlin has raved about what Pagenaud has brought him at Indy.

“I’m probably a detriment to my own career throughout the years — I haven’t been as intricate with looking at little details, and I think Simon is the professor in that regard,” McLaughlin said. “He strives for perfection in a lot of ways in how he sets up his car and what he feels. He’s probably allowing me to look into more details and just the way I look at myself and the driving, the lines and what I’m doing with weight jacker and bars. It’s really helped sort of accelerate my progress here, and really am enjoying working with a friend, as well.”

That knowledge could be welcome inside Team Penske as a whole at some point, Cindric said.

“Simon is always welcome within our team,” Cindric said. “But Simon has a lot going on on his own, beyond our team. I know Simon has been offered some really good things to do, but there’s only so much that Simon really wants to do.

“I think he can be a benefit for anybody around this place. I don’t think there’s any limit in terms of what he does, but at the same time, he wants to be productive. Just hanging around probably isn’t what he wants to do, either. I think we have a pretty good balance, and we’re always open to him within our team.”

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

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Motorsports

Stewart tops Top Fuel field at Thunder Valley Nationals | Motor Sports

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24 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

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Stewart Friesen Wins Thrilling Triple-Overtime NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race at Michigan

Stewart Friesen hoisted his first trophy of the season in Saturday afternoon’s triple overtime DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 at Michigan International Speedway – a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race that didn’t want to end, ultimately featuring 24 extra laps. The victory snapped a 72-race winless streak for the popular Canadian driver Friesen who had […]

Published

44 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The victory snapped a 72-race winless streak for the popular Canadian driver Friesen who had not been among the race’s frontrunners all day but was where he needed to be when it counted, collecting his first trophy since winning at Texas Motor Speedway back in 2022. His No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota beat Grant Enfinger’s Chevy by a slight .111-second – both drivers benefitting from a rash of late-race caution flags.

With most drivers opting for the outside row on the final restart, Friesen was able to move up and take that inside position on the front row alongside Enfinger. The two of them dueled it out over the next two overtime laps to settle the trophy. Neither had a win coming into the race.

“I don’t know what to say, thank you to Chris Halmar and all these sponsors and all these race fans, I know there’s a lot of Canadians and a lot of Americans,’’ Friesen said as the crowd began a huge roar of approval for the 41-year-old Ontario native as he celebrated his fourth career win.

While not a victory, the runner-up effort equaled a season-best (also at Las Vegas) for Enfinger and the CR7 Motorsports team.

“I don’t know,’’ he said when asked if there was anything he possibly could have done differently.

“We weren’t as good as we thought we were in practice, but man, Jeff kept swinging stuff at it and got gutsy with both calls, the call to stay out and the call to come in. …Feel like all in all, we executed to the best of our ability, but it just wasn’t meant to be.’’

ThorSport Racing’s Luke Fenhaus, who won his first career pole position for the race, finished third, followed by his teammate, two-time series champion Ben Rhodes and Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie making only his sixth truck series start.

The opening two stages of the event went caution-free except for the stage breaks, but the final stage featured seven caution flags. The overtime periods put a dramatic spin on the win.

A big wreck on a restart with five laps remaining eliminated several of the day’s strongest competitors – Ross Chastain, who was leading at the time and championship leader Corey Heim, who swept both stages and led 29 laps running top five most of the day.

It all created a seemingly dream scenario for another of the race’s best – NASCAR Cup Series regular and Michigan native, Carson Hocevar, who was trying to win his first national series race at his home track. He survived much of the late race melee only to get a penalty following the second overtime green flag for pulling out of line too early on the restart.

He led a race 56 laps but ultimately finished 11th.

Matt Crafton, Jake Garcia, Chandler Smith, rookie Andres Perez De Lara and Layne Riggs rounded out the top-10 in the first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at the track since 2020. Actor Frankie Muniz finished 14th – his best finish since a 10th place in the Daytona season-opener.

Despite his 18th place finish, Heim stretched out his championship lead and now holds a 133-point advantage over Chandler Smith.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes a week off while the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series race in Mexico City next weekend. The trucks resume competition on June 20 in the Miller Tech Battery 200 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Heim is the defending race winner.

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Motorsports

Michigan FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR 10,15,20 and 25 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet

KEY: “1” besides a driver indicates they are from Group 1 Related Ryan Rantz President, founder and visionary of “ifantasyrace.com, the way you fantasy race”. Follow me on Twitter and LIKE my Facebook page. Truck Series Michigan NASCAR Qualifying Results/ Starting Lineup Michigan FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Practice 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat […]

Published

45 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

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KEY: “1” besides a driver indicates they are from Group 1

Ryan Rantz

President, founder and visionary of “ifantasyrace.com, the way you fantasy race”. Follow me on Twitter and LIKE my Facebook page.

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Motorsports

Carson Hocevar vs Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Does the Spire Motorsports Driver Expect Payback from the Daytona 500 Winner?

Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. emerged as the most talked-about names following the Nashville race, overshadowing even race winner Ryan Blaney. But as tempers cool, the drama appears to be losing steam. After a post-race conversation between the two, tensions seem to have eased, though Hocevar isn’t ruling out the possibility of payback. During […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

During media availability ahead of the Michigan race, Hocevar was asked about his exchange with Stenhouse Jr., who had confirmed that the No. 77 driver reached out. “Yeah, I mean it was productive,” Hocevar replied. He acknowledged that both he and Stenhouse Jr. carry reputations for aggressive driving.

That shared edge, he said, was at the heart of their discussion. Despite their hard-nosed styles, Hocevar pointed out that they’ve typically raced each other clean, and there had been no previous bad blood. “I thought it was productive and, based off his comments, I felt like it was received productive,” Hocevar said, suggesting mutual respect remains intact.

When pressed on whether he expects retaliation — be it a scuffle off-track or a bump on it — the 22-year-old dismissed the notion of a physical altercation. He said, “Number one, no! And number two, I mean, they both hurt in some aspect… one physically and one financially. So, I mean, ultimately, it’s fun for fans.”

Does Denny Hamlin think there would be a retaliation move from Ricky Stenhouse Jr.?

Although Hocevar doesn’t see a physical confrontation with Stenhouse Jr. on the horizon, the latter’s past dust-up with Kyle Busch suggests that another flare-up isn’t entirely off the table. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin seems convinced that if Stenhouse Jr. gets the chance, Hocevar’s car will feel the brunt of it.

Speaking on Actions Detrimental, Hamlin didn’t mince words: “You can take this to the book. Ricky Stenhouse will absolutely wreck Carson Hocevar sometime in the near future. That’s just a fact. I put this week’s salary on it. I am not kidding. He ain’t going to punch him in the face. But he will absolutely wreck him.”

Hamlin characterized Stenhouse Jr. as a driver who listens to the noise and isn’t afraid to lean into it. In his view, Hocevar would be wise to brace for impact because, sooner or later, payback may come on four wheels.

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Motorsports

Chase Briscoe earns third consecutive NASCAR Cup pole, beating Kyle Busch

In NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Michigan, top speeds were reaching 200 mph with drivers running mostly wide open all around the two-mile speedway. But the best to do it was once again the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chase Briscoe. He has now earned pole position for three straight race weekends […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Michigan, top speeds were reaching 200 mph with drivers running mostly wide open all around the two-mile speedway.

But the best to do it was once again the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chase Briscoe. He has now earned pole position for three straight race weekends and four total this season, posting a fast lap of 195.514mph.

“Tried to run low,” Briscoe told NASCAR on Prime. “I felt like with all of us running wide open fairly easily, if you could just cut a lot of distance, it would be better. I ran low, but then I ended up way high on exit, and I felt like the guys that kind of opened up their entry would maybe beat me back to the line.”

Briscoe was surprised the lap was good enough for pole, but he’ll happily take it. Briscoe hasn’t won a race since joining JGR, and he hopes a strong Saturday can finally translate into a winning weekend.

“We’ve been able to do that three weeks in a row and we haven’t really been able to execute with it so hopefully you know, third time’s the charm and hopefully we can finally get one on Sunday.”

Busch joins Briscoe on the front row

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Ronda Churchill Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Joining Briscoe on the front row will be the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Kyle Busch. This is his second front row start of the year after qualifying second at Talladega. He is in the middle of the longest winless streak of his career with over 70 races since his last trip to Victory Lane.

‘It did (surprise me),” said Busch when asked about the lap, as he appeared to struggle in practice. “We were a little bit down on the board there in practice and just didn’t have a good feel for the race car early on the tires. It got a little bit better with laps, but still, I didn’t go faster. I just ran the same speed the whole time. We made a lot of adjustments on it, though. I wasn’t really feeling the right front tire.

“It felt a little sketch coming to the checkered off of Turn 4, using up a little more race track than I wanted to in our Chevrolet. But posted a good lap. So, happy with that. Start up front, we can see the front, get a good pit stall selection and track position is everything these days so let’s go hold that.”

Denny Hamlin qualified third, William Byron fourth, and Kyle Larson, who went for a wild ride in a World of Outlaws sprint car race last night, was fifth.

Chris Buescher, Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, and Zane Smith filled out the remainder of the top ten.

Tyler Reddick, who is the defending winner of this race, qualified 12th. Nashville winner Ryan Blaney qualified 13th as he tries to go back-to-back. Both of these drivers suffered cut tires in practice, but avoided damaging their cars.

Photos from Michigan – Practice & Qualifying

Motorsports

Former NFL star has vital role in NASCAR after injury forced retirement – Motorsport – Sports

Former Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Marshall McFadden had a three-year career in the NFL as a special teams ace, before retiring and moving into motorsports – now working with Trackhouse Racing with Ross Chastain’s team. A standout from South Carolina State, McFadden defied the odds to make to it […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A standout from South Carolina State, McFadden defied the odds to make to it to the NFL, playing for three teams before retiring early due to injuries.

After his football career was over, McFadden found a love for motorsports while wanting to get back into competitive action – eventually finding his way into a role in NASCAR.

McFadden is now a few years into his role as a jackman, playing a vital role for Chastain’s team in lifting the car during a pit stop, allowing for necessary changes to be made to his No. 1 Chevrolet ZL1 vehicle.

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Somewhat of a thankless role in NASCAR, McFadden was praised for his work at the Coca-Cola 600, where Chastain’s team were the quickest in the pit as he went on to win the race – his first win in the Cup Series since 2023.

Chastain’s crew consists of five members, a tire carrier, two tire changers, a fuler and a jackman (McFadden).

As well as working with Chastain, McFadden has also been in the pit crew for Shane von Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez – both who race for Trackhouse Racing.

Speaking on his transition from the NFL to NASCAR, McFadden had told the Winston-Salem Journal: “Being in the NFL you have to be the ultimate professional. You have to be ready to wake up and compete every day.

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“After being in the NFL and college football, it gave me the perfect ingredients to cross over to NASCAR. Here, that same professionalism and athleticism applies.

“The understanding of how things are done are similar, and that’s how I was able to work my way up to being a jackman.”

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