Motorsports
Reaction to Monaco GP’s move away from Indy 500 date: ‘Motorsports Christmas’ is canceled
Santa Claus is not coming to town. After this year, race fans will find themselves on the permanent naughty list as the tripleheader Memorial Day Weekend tradition affectionately known by some as “Motorsports Christmas” will end. Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix is moving to June, separating it from the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 […]

Santa Claus is not coming to town.
After this year, race fans will find themselves on the permanent naughty list as the tripleheader Memorial Day Weekend tradition affectionately known by some as “Motorsports Christmas” will end.
Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix is moving to June, separating it from the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 — all of which are typically contested on the same Sunday. American motorsports fans are fond of getting up early to watch Monaco with a cup of coffee, gluing themselves to the Indy 500 while grilling and settling in for NASCAR’s longest race at night with an adult beverage or two.
But after Sunday, our “Motorsports Christmas” stockings will be filled with coal.
Before we bid farewell to the greatest day in racing, here’s a group discussion among our four motorsports writers, all covering one of the races in question: Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman (both in Monaco this week), Jeff Gluck (Indy 500) and Jordan Bianchi (Coke 600).
For anyone new to the idea, what makes Monaco, Indy and the Coca‑Cola 600 sharing one Sunday so special?
Coleman: The Monaco Grand Prix embodies what F1 represents, capturing the glitz, glamour and history of the sport. Meanwhile, the Indy 500 showcases the capabilities of IndyCar, illustrating the fine line of where the limits lie. The Coca-Cola 600 serves as NASCAR’s Memorial Day tribute and holds a significant place for me, as it was my first NASCAR race in person (and the first motorsport race I ever covered). With a full day of racing, motorsport fans can experience a variety of driving disciplines and strategies, including Kyle Larson attempting to do the “Double” by racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
Gluck: It depends on whether you’re an American reading this or someone overseas. I’m guessing the NASCAR part of the tripleheader is not at all special to fans outside the U.S., but many NASCAR fans I know will watch all three as part of the tradition. In some ways, it’s been a gift to expose other forms of racing to an often-insular group (everyone thinks their series is the best, after all). As mentioned above, Monaco and the Indy 500 may be the only non-NASCAR races some stock car fans watch all year.
Smith: Any of these races would be a significant event. The fact they all fall on the same day, allowing fans to enjoy back-to-back racing, is exciting. Monaco and the Indy 500 are crown jewel events in the F1 and IndyCar seasons, respectively, forming two-thirds of the “Triple Crown of Motorsport’ alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both events feature a level of pomp and ceremony not found in other races. To immerse yourself in motorsport history in just 12 hours, there’s no better way than these three events.
Bianchi: These are races that are proudly noted by the winning driver when looking back at their career. So when you have all three held on the same day, consecutively, it creates a sense of celebration where instead of fans of each series throwing their noses up at the other, they take an increased interest in what is happening that they otherwise wouldn’t.
For those who might not be as familiar with the intricacies of each series, why is it so hard for someone in today’s era to be successful in multiple disciplines? After all, isn’t racing just racing?
Coleman: Something I thoroughly enjoy about working in motorsports is talking about this topic with drivers and team personnel because these disciplines are so different, from the cars to the tracks to training to the technology and data. It isn’t simple. Plus, as Jenson Button told me last year, “I don’t think you can class yourself as the best driver in the world unless you’ve raced in other categories and been competitive. Driving an F1 car is very specific compared to driving a rally car, compared to driving even a GT car.”
Gluck: It’s all so specialized in the modern era, and it’s borderline impossible to jump from one series to another and expect success. The cars drive differently, the racing standards are different, the race procedures are different. An F1 driver simply isn’t going to jump into an oval race and expect to win, just like a NASCAR driver would never be up to speed in an F1 car without extensive seat time. What Larson is doing with the “Double” on Sunday has captured so many imaginations because being successful in two different cars is extremely challenging.

Monaco will move dates in 2026 (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Smith: It’s very, very different, being able to race around a street circuit like Monaco versus a superspeedway like Indianapolis in an Indy car versus Charlotte in a stock car. Each requires a very different set of skills, but the common theme is bravery. It’s why seeing Robert Shwartzman score pole for his debut in the Indy 500 is such a big deal, given he’s spent the entirety of his career racing in single-seaters on road and street courses — and never before on an oval. The skills are completely different. The other big limiting factor is time: The hectic schedule for each series makes it impossible to prepare for a shot at any other discipline properly.
Bianchi: There is also the issue of manufacturer and sponsor conflicts that often interfere with a driver from jumping to a different series. This wasn’t such a hurdle decades ago — at least not insurmountable, but it too frequently acts as a blockade. The sponsorship money required to support top-flight racing has increased to such a level that many teams don’t feel the financial risk is worth allowing their drivers to go “play” elsewhere.
Based on their comments, it sounds like most F1 drivers have no interest in running the Indy 500. What’s your take on why that is?
Coleman: Part of it likely is the risk versus reward aspect as well as the speed. Racing in the Indy 500 takes a lot of preparation because ovals are dangerous and require focus and skill. That is significant banking, the walls are fairly close, and the speeds are quicker than F1’s top speeds. Yes, one may argue that street circuits could prepare F1 drivers for close proximity, but there’s a reason F1 doesn’t have a lot of banking anymore. They respect the race; however, many don’t sound like they want to try it. Oscar Piastri recently discussed it, ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Gluck: From what I’ve read, it’s a safety concern. The F1 guys think Indy 500 drivers are nuts. But let’s have IndyCar driver Colton Herta chime in on this one: “It’s more dangerous than most stuff that they do (in F1). There’s no doubt about that. … But it’s not that much worse than crashing at some other places in an IndyCar. So I think they have a bit of a misunderstanding. And I bet they have never been here in person and just don’t understand it, because I think if they saw everything (with 350,000 people in attendance), they’d be willing to give up their gripe with it being unsafe.”
Smith: If you ask the majority of the F1 grid, they’ll admit that even watching the Indy 500 is a scary experience for them, given the speeds and impacts involved. Daniel Ricciardo was always pretty clear in saying it was a step too far for him to consider trying his hand at it for that reason. It’s often only when drivers make the switch from F1 to IndyCar that they start to get a better understanding of it. Alexander Rossi and Marcus Ericsson are two drivers who have both gone on to win at the Brickyard post-F1, but neither would have likely given thought to doing the Indy 500 while still part of the grand prix racing world.
Bianchi: If someone who’s never previously raced on an oval, let alone at such high speeds with other cars close, doesn’t feel comfortable doing so, it’s hard to criticize their decision.
If an F1 driver did cross over next year and run Indy, who would you be most excited to see try it?
Coleman: I’d like to see Max Verstappen or Valtteri Bottas, the latter of whom I think would be most likely to try. Verstappen’s skill level and adaptability are arguably unmatched, and if he were ever open to trying ovals, it would be interesting to see how he’d adjust to IndyCar. It’s highly unlikely, but it would be exciting. Meanwhile, Bottas has had conversations with IndyCar teams before, and he’s admitted to having his eye on the Indy 500 before.
Gluck: I’d want to see someone with a chance of adapting quickly and winning, so definitely Verstappen. You’d think the adaptability of Verstappen and his sim-racing experience would help him get up to speed quickly. But three years ago, he was among those who said Indy is too dangerous, and he had no desire to do it, so that probably will never happen.
Smith: I want to see Alonso go back to the Indy 500. Back in 2017, Alonso got permission to miss Monaco and race at Indianapolis, famously leading a big chunk of the race before an engine failure forced him to retire late on. He failed to qualify in 2019 and barely registered on the radar in 2020. Alonso is the closest active driver to completing the “triple crown,” having won at Monaco and Le Mans. I’d love to see him take a shot at achieving racing history.
Bianchi: Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen are the obvious choices. Especially Hamilton, just because an Indy 500 win would elevate him to an even higher plane, which is hard to fathom considering he already has a case for being F1’s greatest driver. Imagine the build-up to the month of May and race day itself if Hamilton or Verstappen filed an entry.
Juan Pablo Montoya is the only driver who has raced all three in his career. Do you ever see another driver doing that?
Coleman: One day, someone will race all three again. There are barriers to consider — reaching F1 means eventually joining the European ladder. Multiple IndyCar drivers are ex-F1 drivers, and some F1 drivers have crossed over into the NASCAR world, such as Kimi Räikkönen with Trackhouse’s Project 91. So it’s not impossible to do all three.
Gluck: I don’t see any viable candidates, but it’ll happen again someday. We have to rule out NASCAR drivers, because they’d never get a superlicense to race F1, so it would have to be an F1 castoff who ended up in IndyCar for a few years and then decided to try NASCAR. Maybe if someone like a Logan Sargeant rediscovers his passion for racing and runs IndyCar for a bit, then gets curious about NASCAR and tries to run a couple of seasons there. It’s possible, just not anytime soon.

Our writers agree: Every driver will be watching the Indy 500 on Sunday (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Smith: It’ll take a very special type of driver and a unique career path for that to happen again. My best bet is that it would be a driver who makes it to F1, races in Monaco, doesn’t hang around too long, makes the move over to IndyCar, spends time in the U.S., and then thinks, “Hey, let’s give NASCAR a go.” Nowadays, multidisciplinarians are rare, especially when considering the demands of the F1 schedule. So for now, I don’t see it happening again.
Bianchi: It will definitely happen again. The likeliest scenario is a driver whose opportunity in F1 has concluded, who then comes to the United States to continue their racing career. Maybe Kimi Räikkönen will get bored in retirement and give it a go; after all, he does have experience racing a stock car at Charlotte.
Can you tell us how much the drivers in the series you cover care about or follow the other races on this day?
Coleman: It is probably more likely that F1 drivers will tune in for the Indy 500, at least some of them. The time zones don’t help, considering Monaco is six hours ahead of the East Coast. It’ll be midnight when the Coca-Cola 600 begins. Verstappen has stayed up to watch a NASCAR race before (when Shane van Gisbergen competed), but I believe the Indy 500 is more likely.
Gluck: Most NASCAR drivers will keep an eye on Monaco and watch as much of the Indy 500 as they can while going through their pre-race appearances and obligations at the Coke 600. IndyCar drivers will be getting busy around Monaco time, but might watch a bit of it during breakfast. Anyway, go ahead, Madeline and Luke, hurt the NASCAR drivers’ feelings by telling them no one in F1 watches the 600.

The Coca-Cola 600 rounds out the day (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Smith: Sorry, Jeff, but I don’t think many F1 drivers will be watching the 600 — partly because it won’t start until midnight in Monaco! A lot of them will tune in to the Indy 500 once they’re through everything in Monaco after the race. McLaren has a natural interest given its involvement there and how much it emphasises the crossover between its teams, but others will also be trying to find somewhere to watch it.
Bianchi: Although F1 drivers may not watch NASCAR’s longest race, the reality is that of the three races, the Coca-Cola 600 may be the most competitive from green flag to checkered flag than any of the three races on Sunday.
If you were a race fan with an unlimited budget and could only do one of these races on Sunday, which would you pick?
Coleman: I’d pick Monaco every time. Legends have raced the same streets locals take to work and school, and Monaco has become synonymous with F1. The racing product is an issue, and I am intrigued to learn how this year’s changes will impact it. It’s not a given that Monaco will always be on the F1 calendar, a question that the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 do not face. It’s best to enjoy the moment while it lasts.
Gluck: This is so tough, because Monaco is absolutely on my bucket list just for the glamorous and gorgeous setting. Still, there’s nothing like the Indy 500. I truly believe it’s the world’s greatest race, as do every one of its competitors. It’s the largest single-day attendance on the planet (a sold-out crowd of 350,000), and if it were up to me, I’d never miss another one for the rest of my life.
Smith: A bit like Alonso is out to complete his “Triple Crown” of Le Mans, Monaco and Indy, I’m also just one race shy of having covered those three events — and it’s the Indy 500 that’s missing. When F1 announced earlier this year that Monaco would be moving date to try and help the calendar make more sense, my first thought was, “Does this mean I can do the 500!?” I love how much ceremony goes into the race, the traditions involved, and how it stands as so much more than just another round of the season. I adore Monaco, and I really want to cover a NASCAR race someday. But the Indy 500 would be a bucket list event for me.
Bianchi: Sitting on a yacht docked alongside Monaco’s famed circuit while sipping overly expensive champagne sounds absolutely delightful. Yes, please.
Top photo of Charles Leclerc and the 2024 Indianapolis 500: Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula, Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Motorsports
Corey Heim leads 99 of 100 laps to win inaugural NASCAR Truck race at Lime Rock
When it comes to a perfect race, they don’t get much better than what Corey Heim did on Saturday in the inaugural NASCAR Truck race at Lime Rock Park. He started from pole, posted the fastest lap, won both stages, and led 99 of 100 laps on his way to capturing the checkered flag. Layne […]

When it comes to a perfect race, they don’t get much better than what Corey Heim did on Saturday in the inaugural NASCAR Truck race at Lime Rock Park. He started from pole, posted the fastest lap, won both stages, and led 99 of 100 laps on his way to capturing the checkered flag. Layne Riggs led one lap as he nosed ahead of Heim (briefly) on a restart.
Heim now has 16 career wins in the Truck Series, which is tenth on the all-time wins list.
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“It was nothing short of incredible, man,” said Heim. “These are the races I really look forward to. I prepare pretty hard for them and to see that all pay off is super special. The truck was so good today. I can’t complain one bit about that. Flawless day. We’ll take that and move forward.”
Ty Majeski finished second, Gio Ruggiero third, Ben Rhodes fourth, and Australian Supercars star Cam Waters rounded out the top five. Chandler Smith was sixth, Josh Bilicki seventh, Brent Crews eighth, Daniel Hemric ninth, and Tyler Ankrum tenth.
The final stage was delayed due to one truck leaking fluid, forcing a brief red flag. Once things got back rolling, Heim remained fully in control with Riggs second and Mosack moving up to third as Taylor slipped back.
Matt Crafton went off track and made an unscheduled pit stop as a result but again, there was no need for a full-course yellow. Dawson Sutton was also forced to limp back to the pits after suffering a cut tire.
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It looked like the race might go caution-free, but Matt Mills got stuck off-track with just 11 laps to go, causing the first natural yellow of the race.
That restart ended up being the most hectic as Jordan Taylor lost control and spun from inside the top five. A couple other trucks were collected including his teammate Rajah Caruth, but the race remained green and Heim escaped the chaos unscathed. Taylor, who had run inside the top five all day, ended up 20th due to the late-race spin.
Stages 1 and 2
Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
The race was remarkably clean with Heim leading the way from the very start. The No. 11 TRICON Toyota was unstoppable, never truly relinquishing control of the race.
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Spencer Boyd was the first incident of the 100-lapper, spinning off into the grass before carrying on. Heim earned the Stage 1 win with over seven seconds between himself and Layne Riggs with IMSA star Jordan Taylor in third.
The second stage was much of the same with no notable incidents and Heim again driving off with the stage win. Riggs remained second and Taylor third. Passing appeared to be very difficult around the small road course.
Read Also:
Jordan Taylor returns to NASCAR – along with alter ego ‘Rodney Sandstorm’
Nick Sanchez spun, then won in frantic NASCAR Xfinity race at Atlanta
Shocking restart pileup collects ten NASCAR Xfinity cars after weather delay
Joey Logano earns NASCAR Cup pole in a tie as Ford dominates Atlanta qualifying
1 |
TRICON Garage |
11 |
|
Toyota |
100 |
1:50’28.259 |
|
4 |
61 |
2 |
98 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+1.381 1:50’29.640 |
1.381 |
5 |
41 |
|
3 |
TRICON Garage |
17 |
|
Toyota |
100 |
+2.476 1:50’30.735 |
1.095 |
5 |
34 |
4 |
99 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+3.336 1:50’31.595 |
0.860 |
5 |
33 |
|
5 |
66 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+7.326 1:50’35.585 |
3.990 |
5 |
32 |
|
6 |
Front Row Motorsports |
38 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+8.070 1:50’36.329 |
0.744 |
5 |
41 |
7 |
44 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+8.293 1:50’36.552 |
0.223 |
6 |
|
|
8 |
TRICON Garage |
1 |
|
Toyota |
100 |
+9.217 1:50’37.476 |
0.924 |
5 |
36 |
9 |
19 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+9.262 1:50’37.521 |
0.045 |
6 |
28 |
|
10 |
18 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+10.231 1:50’38.490 |
0.969 |
5 |
27 |
|
11 |
9 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+10.494 1:50’38.753 |
0.263 |
5 |
27 |
|
12 |
Niece Motorsports |
45 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+10.996 1:50’39.255 |
0.502 |
5 |
35 |
13 |
Front Row Motorsports |
34 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+11.685 1:50’39.944 |
0.689 |
5 |
42 |
14 |
15 |
|
Toyota |
100 |
+11.972 1:50’40.231 |
0.287 |
6 |
23 |
|
15 |
Spire Motorsports |
07 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+14.545 1:50’42.804 |
2.573 |
5 |
|
16 |
McAnally Hilgemann Racing |
81 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+17.326 1:50’45.585 |
2.781 |
5 |
|
17 |
Spire Motorsports |
77 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+17.462 1:50’45.721 |
0.136 |
5 |
20 |
18 |
Young’s Motorsports |
02 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+17.706 1:50’45.965 |
0.244 |
5 |
19 |
19 |
88 |
|
Ford |
100 |
+17.717 1:50’45.976 |
0.011 |
7 |
18 |
|
20 |
7 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+19.395 1:50’47.654 |
1.678 |
5 |
33 |
|
21 |
Spire Motorsports |
71 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+28.863 1:50’57.122 |
9.468 |
5 |
21 |
22 |
McAnally Hilgemann Racing |
91 |
|
Chevrolet |
100 |
+29.796 1:50’58.055 |
0.933 |
5 |
15 |
23 |
52 |
|
Toyota |
100 |
+1’01.549 1:51’29.808 |
31.753 |
6 |
14 |
|
24 |
ThorSport Racing |
13 |
|
Ford |
99 |
+1 Lap 1:49’57.767 |
1 Lap |
6 |
13 |
25 |
56 |
|
Toyota |
98 |
+2 Laps 1:50’46.576 |
1 Lap |
7 |
12 |
|
26 |
42 |
|
Chevrolet |
98 |
+2 Laps 1:50’46.738 |
0.162 |
6 |
11 |
|
27 |
Reaume Brothers Racing |
2 |
|
Ford |
98 |
+2 Laps 1:50’47.314 |
0.576 |
5 |
10 |
28 |
Reaume Brothers Racing |
33 |
|
Ford |
98 |
+2 Laps 1:50’49.297 |
1.983 |
5 |
9 |
29 |
TRICON Garage |
5 |
|
Toyota |
98 |
+2 Laps 1:50’55.628 |
6.331 |
5 |
8 |
30 |
Rackley W.A.R. |
26 |
|
Chevrolet |
96 |
+4 Laps 1:50’50.016 |
2 Laps |
7 |
7 |
31 |
76 |
|
Chevrolet |
92 |
+8 Laps 1:50’54.293 |
4 Laps |
7 |
6 |
|
32 |
NDS Motorsports |
32 |
|
Chevrolet |
91 |
+9 Laps 1:42’38.069 |
1 Lap |
5 |
5 |
33 |
Halmar Friesen Racing |
62 |
|
Toyota |
90 |
+10 Laps 1:48’22.920 |
1 Lap |
5 |
4 |
34 |
22 |
|
Ford |
34 |
+66 Laps 1:10’18.683 |
56 Laps |
4 |
|
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Motorsports
Corey LaJoie’s Amazon Prime gig may have put him on new NASCAR path
Dale Earnhardt Jr. debuts as NASCAR crew chief, turns to TNT on TV The guys break down Chase Briscoe’s win and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief debut at Pocono. They also review the five-week Amazon Prime Video stint. Corey LaJoie, a NASCAR Cup Series driver, recently finished a stint as a broadcaster for Amazon Prime’s […]


Dale Earnhardt Jr. debuts as NASCAR crew chief, turns to TNT on TV
The guys break down Chase Briscoe’s win and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief debut at Pocono. They also review the five-week Amazon Prime Video stint.
- Corey LaJoie, a NASCAR Cup Series driver, recently finished a stint as a broadcaster for Amazon Prime’s NASCAR coverage.
- He reflects on a near-win at Atlanta in 2022 and a missed opportunity driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
- LaJoie is content with his broadcasting role and selectively pursuing racing opportunities in the Truck Series.
Corey LaJoie is a race-car driver again.
For a while there, he traded in the firesuit for TV duds and joined the maiden NASCAR voyage of Amazon Prime Video, which ended its five-week midseason run last weekend at Pocono.
He’s a good talker and the camera likes him, so maybe his NASCAR destiny will include a microphone instead of a steering wheel. After some 25 years of sawing on that wheel and climbing the ladder, only to reach the upper rungs and stall, he seems fine with the possibility.
LaJoie started racing karts at age 5 and progressed through the normal types of cars and tracks, winning often enough along the way to keep the dream alive.
Unlike some young racers, LaJoie was always comfortable and familiar with the landscape atop the stock-car world. His dad, Randy, was a two-time champion (1996-97) in the Busch Series (now Xfinity) and a 15-time winner on that circuit.
Ironically, the second-generation LaJoie spent almost no time in the Xfinity Series, instead landing a job at the Cup level in 2017. He spent four seasons with three different teams that were going nowhere fast, before moving to upstart Spire Motorsports in 2021 and seeing some glimmers of hope with that upstart team, particularly at Daytona and Talladega.
The closest he came to a breakthrough was the 2022 summer race at Atlanta, where he lost the lead to Chase Elliott on the next-to-last lap, then got into the wall while attempting to retake the lead on the final lap.
The Spire relationship ended late last season when the team basically “traded” LaJoie to Rick Ware Racing for Justin Haley. LaJoie played out the season and, along the way, started meeting with officials from Amazon Prime’s new NASCAR broadcast team.
He was part of the pre-race and post-race shows alongside Carl Edwards and Danielle Trotta. But he hasn’t sold the helmet and has cobbled together a limited racing schedule this year, including several late-season Truck Series races.
LaJoie and wife Kelly live outside Charlotte, in Davidson, N.C. They have three sons, ages 1 to 5.
Here, LaJoie covers a lot of ground, particularly on the topic of reaching one goal (the Cup Series) but not another (doing well at that level), and how bittersweet it can be. Also, he tells us about the one phone call every driver wants to receive sometime in their career — the call that led to his very short-lived career on the other side of the tracks.
Corey LaJoie on his new NASCAR job with Amazon Prime Video
News-Journal: When and how did the deal come about with Amazon Prime Video?
Corey LaJoie: “I think it was around last October. My career was going through some transitions, and I wasn’t really happy with how things were shaping up. I was just kinda burned out on chasing the ghost and trying to be a race-car driver. They offered me a really enticing deal, and I think anything the Prime group touches … they do it at a high level. Getting in on the front side of that was important to me.
“Talking to my wife, she was the one forcing me into that open door when I was probably a little too stubborn to walk through it myself. But it’s ultimately become one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”
Corey LaJoie on what he remembers from his dad’s racing career
N-J: How much do you remember of your dad’s racing career?
LaJoie: “Some of my favorite memories were probably on the back side of my dad’s career — I was 9, 10, 11 — it was when dad’s good driving opportunities started to dry up. My favorite memories were going on motorhome trips, seeing the country. We’d just load up in the motorhome and be gone for two months.”
N-J: Were you old enough to remember your dad’s Buckshot Jones feud in the late-’90s?
LaJoie: “Oh yeah. I think it was around ’97 or ’98, I was about 6. They got into it at Bristol. I remember us being escorted out in a police golf cart, and fans were throwing beers at us. I was thinking, ‘Man, this is wild. Why are they throwing (stuff) at my dad.’
“People would send some Buckshot stuff to him every now and then, and my dad would throw it right in the trash. My dad isn’t one to hold a grudge, but there’s one person on Earth he does not like, nor does he ever care to put any work into a working relationship, and that’s Buckshot Jones.”
Corey LaJoie on his own NASCAR Cup Series career
N-J: During your Cup career, how difficult was it to keep showing up every week knowing your car was outclassed by the cars from Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, etc.?
LaJoie: “Ah man, that’s a good question. I spent legitimately six years … I couldn’t make the amount of money that I made doing anything else. But you trade money for stress. When you dedicate your life to something … I had grown up and been successful and won races in every series I did, then you get to Sundays and you’re handicapped by what you’re driving. It eats away at your soul, because you’re apparently a competitive guy who wants to go run good. But on the contrary, you’re in a situation where you can’t, within reason.
“But I also feel the Lord shuts doors that are meant to be shut, and vice versa. There were two distinct opportunities I turned down to stay loyal to Spire and continue to build. And there’s this weird situation as a race-car driver, when you commit to build something, you commit to knowing you’re going to be a guinea pig. The cars aren’t gonna be any good, people are gonna be in and out leapfrogging for jobs. So the performance isn’t going to be there.
“So you work … you’re starting to build this car to ultimately where you want it, then you run good enough to where it’s appealing for someone else to come buy your job.”
N-J: You ever consider how much that changed everything in your life?
LaJoie: “I haven’t lost a wink of sleep about it, because if that deal doesn’t dissolve, then this opportunity with Prime doesn’t come, you know, and doesn’t really open up what the next chapter of life might look like … More time at home with my kids, or just a little bit more peace and commitment, not banging your head against the wall, trying to chase whatever goal you have as a race-car driver that you’re never gonna be able to accomplish.”
N-J: You ever wonder how your career might’ve changed if you had won that Atlanta race in 2022?
LaJoie: “Yeah, who knows? I probably spend more time thinking about that opportunity with the 9 car, when I got to fill in for Chase (Elliott). We went to a place where I wasn’t very confident, at Gateway. We’d blown up there the year before and didn’t get to run many laps. Hendrick (Motorsports) was off all weekend, and it was just a bad weekend, and we ran 20th or 21st.
“You legitimately work your entire life as a race-car driver to get a call from Rick Hendrick, and I got it. I actually missed the call, but he left a voicemail, and I still get to listen to that every now and then, which is cool. If we go to Dover or Bristol or somewhere where I have a lot of confidence, I have no doubt we could’ve contended for the win.
“I’m a pretty religious guy. Sometimes the answer of ‘no’ is for your own protection. Who knows what direction life would’ve gone after that.”
N-J: You’re keeping your foot in the gas with the few Cup races and several Truck races. What’s that future look like to you?
Lajoie: “I’m trying to take it slow. I think it’s important to take good opportunities and be selective with who you work with, this season more than ever, so that’s what I’m doing. I can work my fingers to the bone trying to figure out what’s next … I don’t think that’s where I’m supposed to be at the moment.”
N-J: Why did you do just a one-year deal with Prime?
LaJoie: I wanted to see if I liked it, and I think they wanted to see if they like me. I think we checked both those boxes. I honestly enjoy it much more than I anticipated. I would love it if we could run it back next year.”
Motorsports
Chase Briscoe vs. Noah Gragson: A matchup between close friends – Speedway Digest
Before last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway, Chase Briscoe was part of a small minority of drivers keeping a close eye on potential seeding for the In-Season Challenge, which starts Saturday night with the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (7 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The standings […]

Before last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway, Chase Briscoe was part of a small minority of drivers keeping a close eye on potential seeding for the In-Season Challenge, which starts Saturday night with the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (7 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The standings before the Pocono race would have paired Briscoe against fellow Toyota driver Tyler Reddick, a matchup the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota said he would prefer to avoid.
“Right now, I’d go against Tyler if it started this weekend,” Briscoe said at the time. “I’m hoping that changes, because Tyler… I think he’s seeded like 22nd right now, and he’s one of the top five guys in the sport.
“So, it would be a tough Round 1, but honestly, the seeding is tough because at Atlanta anybody could be hard to beat. I feel like at Atlanta you don’t want to go against somebody in your manufacturer (group), because you’re all normally on the same strategy.”
Briscoe, of course, claimed his first victory of the season later that afternoon and dramatically altered his position in the In-Season Challenge bracket. With the win, he earned the second seed behind Michigan winner Denny Hamlin and will face Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson in the first round of the inaugural tournament.
Interestingly, Gragson is the favorite driver of Briscoe’s 3-year-old son Brooks.
He’s also one of Briscoe’s closest friends and may prove as formidable an opponent as Reddick would have been.
“Honestly, I feel like here at a superspeedway, we’ve seen how good the Fords are, and going against a Ford here is certainly a hard challenge,” Briscoe said. “This is one of those race tracks that, no matter what team you are with, you kind of have a shot to go and win.
“It’s no secret, right? Noah is not at one of the powerhouse teams, but when he comes here, he can be right here in the mix. Front Row (Motorsports) cars qualified on the front row here last year, so it will be a challenge.”
Motorsports
NASCAR Xfinity Focused Health 250 at Atlanta
Nick Sanchez took his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in a wild Focused Health 250 at Atlanta on Friday night, rather Saturday morning, after coming out on top of a late-race duel with fellow Rookie of the Year contender Carson Kvapil. Sanchez’s win is the second-ever win for the No. 48 Big Machine Racing […]

Nick Sanchez took his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in a wild Focused Health 250 at Atlanta on Friday night, rather Saturday morning, after coming out on top of a late-race duel with fellow Rookie of the Year contender Carson Kvapil.
Sanchez’s win is the second-ever win for the No. 48 Big Machine Racing team.
Here are the complete race results for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Race 17 of 33.
Fin |
Car |
Driver |
Laps |
Diff |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
48 |
Nick Sanchez # |
163 |
— |
2 |
1 |
Carson Kvapil # |
163 |
0.104 |
3 |
41 |
Sam Mayer |
163 |
0.243 |
4 |
88 |
Connor Zilisch # |
163 |
0.361 |
5 |
54 |
Taylor Gray # (S1) |
163 |
0.642 |
6 |
2 |
Jesse Love |
163 |
0.851 |
7 |
19 |
Aric Almirola |
163 |
0.894 |
8 |
10 |
Daniel Dye # |
163 |
1.066 |
9 |
28 |
Kyle Sieg |
163 |
1.199 |
10 |
51 |
Jeremy Clements |
163 |
1.209 |
11 |
26 |
Dean Thompson # |
163 |
2.020 |
12 |
70 |
Leland Honeyman |
163 |
2.172 |
13 |
25 |
Harrison Burton |
163 |
2.382 |
14 |
20 |
Brandon Jones (S2) |
163 |
2.538 |
15 |
99 |
Matt DiBenedetto |
163 |
5.658 |
16 |
27 |
Jeb Burton |
163 |
5.668 |
17 |
44 |
Brennan Poole |
163 |
5.742 |
18 |
35 |
Joey Gase |
163 |
5.817 |
19 |
16 |
Christian Eckes # |
163 |
6.028 |
20 |
45 |
Mason Massey |
163 |
6.118 |
21 |
71 |
Ryan Ellis |
163 |
6.300 |
22 |
31 |
Blaine Perkins |
163 |
6.869 |
23 |
14 |
Garrett Smithley |
163 |
7.219 |
24 |
07 |
Nick Leitz |
163 |
9.403 |
25 |
5 |
Kris Wright |
163 |
9.815 |
26 |
21 |
Austin Hill (X) |
158 |
5 laps |
27 |
53 |
Mason Maggio |
153 |
10 laps |
28 |
91 |
CJ McLaughlin |
138 |
Out |
29 |
42 |
Anthony Alfredo |
53 |
Out |
30 |
39 |
Ryan Sieg |
46 |
Out |
31 |
7 |
Justin Allgaier |
42 |
Out |
32 |
00 |
Sheldon Creed |
41 |
Out |
33 |
8 |
Sammy Smith |
40 |
Out |
34 |
32 |
Katherine Legge (i) |
40 |
Out |
35 |
24 |
Patrick Staropoli |
40 |
Out |
36 |
18 |
William Sawalich # |
4 |
Out |
37 |
4 |
Parker Retzlaff |
3 |
Out |
38 |
11 |
Josh Williams |
3 |
Out |
# indicates Rookie of the Year contender
(i) indicates a driver ineligible to score points
(S1) indicates Stage 1 winner
(S2) indicates Stage 2 winner
(X) indicates Xfinity Fastest Lap
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Motorsports
Entry List: CARS Tour at Caraway
The zMAX CARS Tour heads to Caraway Speedway for round nine of the 2025 season, a mid-week showdown with both the Late Model Stock Cars and Pro Late Models in action. Twenty-three cars make up the LMSC entry list, so all cars will qualify. In 2024, Caraway put on arguably the race of the year, […]

The zMAX CARS Tour heads to Caraway Speedway for round nine of the 2025 season, a mid-week showdown with both the Late Model Stock Cars and Pro Late Models in action. Twenty-three cars make up the LMSC entry list, so all cars will qualify.
In 2024, Caraway put on arguably the race of the year, featuring a four-car battle to the finish that saw Brent Crews pick up the win over William Byron and Connor Hall.
After taking a race off at Dominion, Andrew Grady is back with the CARS Tour driving for TG Motorsports in the No. 1.
Dylan Ward will make his first CARS Tour start of the season, driving his own Dylan Ward Racing No. 7.
Modified racer Brandon Ward will make his first CARS Tour appearance of 2025, driving for KP Speed Motorsports in the No. 12.
Orange County winner Jared Fryar is back with the CARS Tour, driving the Jimmy Mooring owned No. 14.
Grant Davidson makes his first CARS start of the year, driving the No. 15 for Team 151 Inc.

Short Track Weekly: Why This Year’s SoBo 200 Is More Important Than Ever
2025 Firecracker 265 Entry List
Late Model Stock
No. 00: Chase Burrow (Chase Burrow Motorsports)
No. 03: Lanie Buice (Lee Pulliam Performance)
No. 04: Ronnie Bassett Jr. (Bassett Racing)
No. 1: Andrew Grady (TG Motorsports)
No. 2P: Brandon Pierce (Carroll Speedshop)
No. 2: Ryan Wilson (Ryan Wilson Motorsports)
No. 4B: Kade Brown (R&S Race Cars)
No. 4: Donovan Strauss (Hettinger Racing)
No. 7: Tristan McKee (Matt Piercy Racing)
No. 7W: Dylan Ward (Dylan Ward Racing)
No. 12: Brandon Ward (KP Speed Motorsports)
No. 14: Jared Fryar (JM Racing)
No. 15: Grant Davidson (Team 151 Inc.)
No. 16: Chad McCumbee (McCumbee Elliott Racing)
No. 17: Kaden Honeycutt (Tom Usry Racing)
No. 22: Carson Loftin (Nelson Motorsports)
No. 29: Landen Lewis (KHI Racing)
No. 44: Conner Jones (Mike Darne Racing)
No. 57: Landon Huffman (Carroll Speedshop)
No. 71: Parker Eatmon (Hettinger Racing)
No. 81: Mini Tyrrell (Timmy Tyrrell Racing)
No. 88: Connor Hall (JR Motorsports)
No. 88B: Doug Barnes Jr. (Lee Pulliam Performance)
Pro Late Model
No. 4: Trey Burke (Hettinger Racing)
No. 6: Ben Maier (Setzer Racing)
No. 6L: Brandon Lopez (Bryson Lopez Racing)
No. 7: Tristan McKee (LowCountry Motorsports)
No. 15: Rodney Dowless (Walker Motorsports)
No. 25: Isaac Kitzmiller (Rackley WAR)
No. 44: Conner Jones (Conner Jones Racing)
No. 47: Tyler Reif (Bryson Lopez Racing)
No. 51: Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing)
No. 54: Seth Christensen (JC Motorsports)
No. 61: Mason Walters (Setzer Racing)
No. 62: Keelan Harvick (Rackley WAR)
No. 77: Darren Krantz Jr. (Chad Bryant Racing)
No. 97: Dylan Garner (Dylan Garner Racing)
No. 97K: Jason Kitzmiller (Rackley WAR)
You can watch the zMAX CARS Tour at Caraway on Wednesday, July 2, live on FloRacing. Racing starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, with LMSC action scheduled for approximately 9:00 p.m. ET.



Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com’s CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase’s other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.
Motorsports
Subaru Motorsports Rudely Teases Us With Street-Legal WRX Rally Car Mockup
These days, there is no shortage of talented artists dreaming up cars that don’t exist, but should, and sharing them online. That’s to say nothing of the folks who will punch fake vehicle names into AI image generators for predictably horrible results. But these renders of a Subaru WRX rally car in street clothes hit […]

These days, there is no shortage of talented artists dreaming up cars that don’t exist, but should, and sharing them online. That’s to say nothing of the folks who will punch fake vehicle names into AI image generators for predictably horrible results. But these renders of a Subaru WRX rally car in street clothes hit differently, because they came from Subaru Motorsports itself.
Earlier in the week, Subaru’s U.S. rally team, which is operated by the fine folks at Vermont SportsCar, shared images of its WRX ARA25 rally car in stark white and blue with no liveries and gold rims and the caption “What if the Subaru WRX ARA25 was sold as road car?” The resulting comments were predictable, from some people offering to donate their kidneys for the cause, to others predictably begging for a new STI. But this thought exercise is so much more extreme than just about any Impreza or WRX the company’s ever sold, including the vaunted 22B.
The era of homologation specials—race cars that had to be sold as road cars, to be eligible for competition—has long since passed. Three or four decades ago, we might’ve gotten something like these images. The 22B STI, though it shared many visual similarities to Subaru’s WRC car of the late ’90s, was really a Type R chassis with flared fenders and many mechanical changes. Subaru built it because it chose to, to celebrate its rallying success—not because it had to.
Similarly, anything like this pie-in-the-sky ARA25 road car would have to come about because Subaru wanted to build it. Like everyone else, we wish it did. The VB WRX’s design has warmed up on me since its initial unveiling, but I still don’t love it. There’s just too much cladding, and the rear end design is very narrow and cinched in an unflattering way. But flare those fenders, tuck in the body just behind the front wheels, bolt on a big-ass wing, and swap all that black plastic out for genuine carbon fiber and, suddenly, you’ve systematically dismantled every possible criticism I though I had with the current-gen sport sedan. Race cars just have a knack for doing that.
As much as I avoid getting caught up in daydreaming like this, it’s a different story when it’s the OEM itself (or, its racing team) inviting us to do it. The STI may have gone on a hiatus, but it’s clear that there is still an appetite for a true giant-killing WRX to battle the likes of the Civic Type R, GR Corolla, and Golf R. Commercially, Subaru is killing it these days thanks to its SUVs, and the optimist in me is hopeful that increases the chances the automaker simply decides to blow a whole lot of money on a flagship performance car again. That’s the glass-half-full take, anyway; the pessimist in me is wondering why the Subaru rally team chose violence with such a cruel tease.
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