Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin became the first NASCAR Cup Series driver to win four races in 2025 with his victory in Sunday afternoon’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, breaking a tie with teammate Christopher Bell, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, and Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

He also took the series lead in playoff points, as he now has 24. Larson had been leading in that category with 23, and if the playoffs started now, they’d be tied for the series lead with 31 apiece.

But for the first time in more than two months, the Cup Series has a new points leader, and no, it’s not the driver of the No. 11 Toyota.

Chase Elliott takes points lead from William Byron

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron has been the points leader for much of the 2025 season, despite the fact that his only win is still his season-opening Daytona 500 victory. Now teammate Chase Elliott is on top.

Elliott has been notoriously elite at simply flying under the radar and avoiding bad finishes all year long, despite not being a contender nearly as much as some of the series’ other top drivers. In fact, more than half of his laps led this entire season came on Sunday at Dover en route to a sixth place finish.

Through 21 races, he has yet to finish outside of the top 20, and now that consistency has elevated him to the top spot, 16 points ahead of Byron after Byron was taken out of a potential top five finish with a late crash on Sunday.

Hendrick Motorsports currently occupy the top three spots, with Larson in third place, 22 points behind Byron. Hamlin is fourth, just one point behind Larson, meaning that his missed Mexico start is currently costing him a position.

Byron had held the points lead since retaking it from Larson after the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May. He has been the points leader after 17 of 21 races this season, and he has never been lower than second place.

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is the series’ only other points leader in 2025, ironically leading after the first two races despite the fact that Byron won the Daytona 500.

Elliott has only racked up six playoff points so far this year, five for his lone win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and one more for his first stage win of the year at Dover on Sunday. But the regular season champion is awarded 15 bonus playoff points, meaning that the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet would have 21 if the playoffs started today.

Motul has partnered with Road America to become the title sponsor of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend, starting in 2025. This multi-year agreement will showcase the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix from July 31 to August 3 and will feature a new endurance race format beginning in 2026. The partnership not only emphasizes Motul’s commitment to endurance racing but also aims to enhance fan experiences and visibility at the iconic 4.048-mile circuit. As part of the sponsorship, Motul will also take over sponsorship of the Turn 9 bridge. This collaboration marks a significant development in Road America’s racing calendar.

By the Numbers

• The newly titled Motul SportsCar Grand Prix will run from July 31 to August 3, 2025.
• Starting in 2026, the event will evolve into a six-hour endurance race, aligning with IMSA’s Michelin Endurance Cup.

State of Play

• Road America is embracing a new endurance racing format, drawing more fans and attention.
• Last year’s events saw significant attendance, with expectations for even larger crowds this year.

What’s Next

Fans can anticipate expanded programming for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix, with an emphasis on endurance racing drama and excitement. Future events will likely deepen the integration of Motul’s branding within IMSA events, increasing engagement with fans and participants alike.

Bottom Line

This partnership signals a new chapter for both Motul and Road America, promising enhanced racing experiences and solidifying Road America’s status in the endurance racing community. Stakeholders and fans should be prepared for an exciting evolution in motorsports at this renowned track.

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MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Lottery is reminding players there is still time to redeem their winning tickets for the June 23, 2025, NASCAR Powerball Playoff Bonus Draw. 

Check your tickets

What we know:

Winning tickets from the Bonus Draw must be redeemed at a Wisconsin Lottery Validations Office by July 31, 2025, or the prize is forfeited. 

This is to ensure the Wisconsin Lottery winners can be entered into a multi-jurisdictional drawing.

Thirty winning numbers were drawn on June 23, 2025. As of July 21, 2025, 19 of the 30 winning tickets have been claimed.

Each winning ticket includes a $1,000 prize and the opportunity to be entered into a series of multi-jurisdictional, elimination-style drawings where 16 semi-finalists from around the country will get the chance to win additional cash prizes or a trip to the 2025 NASCAR Championship Weekend™ at Phoenix Raceway® October 31 to November 3, 2025. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

There is no guarantee a Wisconsin Bonus Draw winner will be one of the 16 semi-finalists. During the NASCAR Cup Series Championship™ Race on Sunday, Nov. 2, the final multi-jurisdictional drawing winner will win $1 million.

Winning numbers can be viewed here. 

About Wisconsin Lottery

What we know:

The Wisconsin Lottery enriches communities statewide by giving back 93 percent of its revenue to winners, retailers, and Wisconsin homeowners. Since 1988, the Wisconsin Lottery has generated:

• More than $20.1 billion in total revenue
• Over $11.4 billion in prizes paid
• More than $6.1 billion in funding for property tax credits to eligible Wisconsin homeowners

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend with one driver looking to claim the In-Season Challenge championship and another driver seeking to complete a career grand slam.

Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday’s race.

23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick won the pole, led 40 laps and finished second at Indianapolis last year. … Reddick has an average finish of 5.0 at Indy in both of his starts on the Indy oval. … Reddick has three top-10 finishes in the last four races this season. … Bubba Wallace placed fifth and won a stage last year at Indianapolis. … Wallace has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts on the Indy oval. … Riley Herbst won last year’s Xfinity race at Indianapolis. Bad news: The organization remains winless this season (it had one victory at this point last year). … The organization has had fewer top-five finishes, fewer top 10s and led fewer laps compared to this time a year ago.

Bubba Wallace leads Ryan Preece by 16 points for the final playoff spot.

Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland finished sixth at Indianapolis last year. … Noah Gragson finished ninth at Indy last year. … Zane Smith placed 17th last year at Indy. Bad news: Gilliland has place outside the top 20 in eight consecutive races. … Gragson has one finish in the top 25 in the last eight races.

Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer finished fifth in his only Cup start on the Indy oval in 2020. Bad News: Custer has been no higher than 34th in the points since the second race of the season.

Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: For the second year in a row, Chase Elliott is the points leader heading to Indianapolis. … Elliott took the points lead from William Byron last weekend at Dover. … In the last five races, Elliott went from being 104 points out of the lead to holding a 16-point advantage. … Kyle Larson won last year’s Indianapolis race in double overtime. Bad news: Byron has an average finish of 25.3 in the last six races, ranking 31st among the 36 full-time drivers. … Byron has finished 27th or worse in his last two starts on the Indy oval. … Alex Bowman has never finished better than 21st in six Indy starts on the oval. … Bowman has finished on the lead lap once on the oval at Indy.

Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 11th on the oval at Indy last year, the second-best result for the organization at that track (Chris Buescher placed ninth there in 2017). Bad news: Stenhouse has two top-20 finishes in the last eight races this season.

Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Ty Gibbs will race Ty Dillon for $1 million in the final of the In-Season Challenge at Indianapolis. … Gibbs has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races. … Chase Briscoe won and Denny Hamlin was second at Pocono, a track that has some similarities to Indianapolis. … Hamlin has a series-high four wins this season after his victory last weekend at Dover. … A win at Indy would make Hamlin the fifth driver to ever win the sport’s four crown jewels (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500), joining a list that has Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. … Briscoe has finished second in each of the last two races. … Briscoe has placed either first or second in three of the last five races. … Briscoe’s eight top-five finishes this season are a career-high. … Christopher Bell finished fourth at Indy last year. Bad news: Bell has finished 16th or worse in five of the last seven races.

Denny Hamlin wasn’t the only one who left Dover feeling good.

Kaulig Racing — Good news: Ty Dillon’s Cinderella run through the In-Season Challenge continues with him racing Ty Gibbs for the $1 million prize Sunday at Indianapolis. … Dillon finished 19th in last year’s race at Indy, while Gibbs placed 23rd. … Dillon has scored four consecutive top-20 Cup finishes for the first time since 2022. … Dillon’s only Xfinity win came at Indy in 2014. Bad news: AJ Allmendinger is coming of a 37th-place finish at Dover after a suspension issue, snapping a streak of three consecutive top-20 finishes.

Legacy Motor Club — Good news: The organization has four top-five finishes (it had none at this time last year) and 10 top 10s (compared to four at this time last year). Bad news: Erik Jones’ average finish of 26.6 at Indianapolis is his worst among tracks he has made multiple starts. … John Hunter Nemechek has placed outside the top 20 in three of the last four races this season.

Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Austin Dillon’s 15th-place result at Dover was his best finish since Texas in May. … Kyle Busch has finished 11th or better in the last three races. … RCR Xfinity driver Jesse Love will make his fourth career Cup start, driving the No. 62 for Beard Motorsports this weekend. Bad news: Busch has not led a lap in the last nine races, tied for the longest streak in his career.

Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware finished 18th at Indy last year, one of his best finishes in a limited Cup schedule in 2024. Bad news: Ware is coming off a 36th-place finish at Dover, his worst finish since Bristol in April.

RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski has five top-10 finishes in the last nine races after having no top 10s in the season’s first 12 races. … Keselowski is one of three former winners on the Indy oval entered this week (Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson are the others). … Chris Buescher has six top-10 finishes in the last 10 races. Bad news: Ryan Preece has an average finish of 27.3 at Indianapolis, his worst among active tracks. … Preece lost 13 points to the playoff cutline at Dover and is now 16 points out of the final playoff spot.

Spire Motorsports — Good news: The organization has twice as many top-five finishes (four) and top-10 finishes (eight) as it did at this point last season. … Michael McDowell has had back-to-back top-20 finishes for the first time since March. … Justin Haley also has had back-to-back top-20 finishes for the first time since March. Bad news: Carson Hocevar has finished 29th or worse in five of the last seven races.

Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney finished third and Austin Cindric placed seventh in last year’s race at Indy. … Joey Logano has three consecutive top-15 finishes for the first time since April. Bad news: The organization has not had a top-five finish in the last four races, one short of its longest drought of the season. … Blaney has three top-10 finishes in the last nine races.

Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Daniel Suarez has an average finish of 12.8 on the Indy oval, his best among all tracks with multiple starts. Bad news: Saurez has finished outside the top 25 in three of the last four races. Ross Chastain has only three top-10 finishes in the last 10 races. … Chastain has never finished better than 15th in four starts on the Indy oval. … Shane van Gisbergen has one top-20 finish in his last five starts on oval tracks this season.

Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has started in the top 15 in three of the last four races on oval tracks this season. Bad news: Berry finished 35th last year at Indy in his only Cup start on the oval there. … Berry has failed to finish two of the last four races this season.

TEDSports Indianapolis has announced a partnership with Gainbridge to co-sponsor Justin Haley’s No. 7 Chevrolet for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2025. This marks the first time TED, a nonprofit focused on the transformative power of sports, will participate in the NASCAR Cup Series. The inaugural TEDSports event, themed “Game Changers,” will be held from September 9-11, 2025, in Indianapolis, bringing together diverse leaders from sports and other fields to discuss the intersection of sports with technology, health, and social impacts. With significant backing from Gainbridge and local initiatives, expects an impactful debut at this renowned racing event.

By the Numbers

• Justin Haley has made 165 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
• The Brickyard 400 is the 22nd of 36 points-paying races in 2025.

State of Play

• TEDSports Indianapolis aims to redefine engagement with sports through its inaugural event in September.
• The partnership signifies a novel sponsorship approach for NASCAR, highlighting local innovation.

What’s Next

The upcoming Brickyard 400 will spotlight TEDSports, potentially influencing future sponsorship dynamics in motorsports. The September event is expected to draw significant interest, showcasing innovative dialogues in the sports sector.

Bottom Line

This partnership not only enhances visibility for TEDSports at a premier NASCAR event but also emphasizes the synergy between sports and social impact, positioning Indianapolis as a hub for transformative discussions in the industry.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are no longer charter teams in the Cup Series as of Thursday, following a federal judge’s rejection to allow them to keep racing with charters amid a legal battle. However, NASCAR is reportedly going to do both teams a small favor.

As first reported by JaySki.com, NASCAR released an addition to its rulebook that allows it to limit the number of entries for a Cup Series race to 40 teams. The new rule allows NASCAR to fill open slots based on the team owner’s points standings

“Rule 5.1.F. –NASCAR, at its sole discretion, may elect to limit the number of entries for a race to 40. In such instances, Open Teams will be determined based on the Team Owner Points standings. Rule 7.9.1.1.C. –Up to six Open Teams will be eligible for starting grid positions based on the highest ranked Team Owner Points standings.”

NASCAR rule book on open teams allowed in Cup Series races

Related: Tyler Reddick Landing Spots if He Leaves 23XI Racing

Previously, under the original rulebook, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing drivers would be required to qualify among the top 40 to compete. This meant that if any drivers from 23XI (Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Riley Herbst) or FRM (Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson) failed to qualify within the top 40 in time trials, they would be ineligible to race that weekend.

On the one hand, this could be viewed as a gesture of good faith by the league to ensure that two of its prominent teams can compete in the remainder of the races on the NASCAR schedule. However, this could also be viewed as a legal strategy to avoid either team claiming that losing its charter status resulted in failing to qualify and thus costing the organizations financially.

Related: NASCAR Reporter Sheds Light on Tyler Reddick’s Future with 23XI Racing

Ultimately, this rule is unlikely to come into play. Since the Chicago Street Race, only the Daytona 500 has seen more than 40 entrants in qualifying this season. No other race is expected to have a full 40-car field, meaning 23XI and FRM drivers would likely qualify for races even without this change.

It’s worth noting that operating as open teams has already cost both organizations a significant amount of money, especially 23XI Racing. In Sunday’s Cup Series race at Dover, Bubba Wallace finished sixth and Tyler Reddick placed 12th. Because they are competing as open teams, they receive significantly less of the purse money than they would have if they were chartered and earned those same finishes.

NFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. … More about Matt Johnson