Motorsports

Speedway executive on any schedule changes: ‘Interesting to see what happens going forward’

LEBANON, Tenn. — Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, told NBC Sports Saturday that “we’re always working on ways to make a positive impact on the schedule and sport” but was noncommittal about the status of the Charlotte Roval and if North Wilkesboro Speedway will host a points race next season. Former Cup champion Brad […]

Published

2 months ago

June 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Former Cup champion Brad Keselowski said a couple of weeks ago that NASCAR should move the All-Star Race from North Wilkesboro and give that track a points race. Keselowski also said that NASCAR should move the All-Star Race back to Charlotte Motor Speedway and that the race on the track’s Roval should go away.

Ryan Blaney said he liked Keselowski’s idea. Kyle Busch said the All-Star Race should stay at North Wilkesboro.

When asked about the Roval, Smith said: “I think that we’ve got a great schedule this year and there’s a lot of other talk about the schedule and that sort of thing, but I think that the focus (is) on all the great events we have this year. … As we look at next year, years going forward, we’re always working on ways to make a positive impact on the schedule and the sport.”

Chase Briscoe will be joined on the front row by JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.

Speedway Motorsports operates both North Wilkesboro Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway among its 10 tracks that hold Cup races. Nashville Superspeedway, which is hosting Sunday’s Cup race, also is a Speedway Motorsports track.

“I’m really glad that the race in North Wilkesboro was so exciting and the (Coca-Cola) 600 (at Charlotte) was so exciting,” Smith told NBC Sports, for instance, to be such an exciting race. You never know what might happen.”

NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race - Qualifying Heat

Denny Hamlin’s fiancee is due to deliver the couple’s third child Sunday.

Asked about North Wilkesboro hosting a points race instead of the All-Star Race, Smith told NBC Sports: “Interesting to see what happens going forward. I don’t know. We’re certainly looking at ideas but still pretty excited about the last couple of weeks that we’ve had.”

This was the third year that the All-Star Race has been held at North Wilkesboro. Kyle Larson won the event in 2023, Joey Logano won it in 2024, and Christopher Bell won the race this season.

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s playoff race has been held on its Roval since 2018. The track’s fall race was moved off the oval and put on the Roval, which combines elements of the track’s road course and oval when the racing on intermediate tracks was not as entertaining.

With racing on intermediate tracks like Charlotte Motor Speedway arguably the best in the series, it’s led to some calls about Charlotte Motor Speedway moving its playoff race back to the oval.

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Motorsports

Kris Wright Signs Multi-Race Deal With Top ARCA Team

What’s Happening? Former Xfinity Series driver Kris Wright has found a home for the rest of the 2025 racing season. He has signed a three-race ARCA Menards Series contract to drive a car “prepared” by Venturini Motorsports. Wright’s return to Venturini begins this weekend at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway on Friday evening. He will get […]

Published

12 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

What’s Happening?

Former Xfinity Series driver Kris Wright has found a home for the rest of the 2025 racing season. He has signed a three-race ARCA Menards Series contract to drive a car “prepared” by Venturini Motorsports.

Wright’s return to Venturini begins this weekend at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway on Friday evening. He will get back behind the wheel on Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen, then round out his duties on Sept. 26 at Kansas Speedway for the series season finale.
Wright returns to the ARCA Menards Series after a short stint driving full-time for the now-shuttered Our Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season. During his starts, Wright had a best finish of ninth at Martinsville and a 27.4 average finish. Despite his poor on-track performance with the Chevrolet team, the news managed to find Wright throughout his 18-race schedule, including run-ins with Josh Bilicki and Justin Allgaier.
His season came to an early end after the Sonoma race weekend, when Our removed him from the entry list for Dover, replacing him with Kaz Grala. The team announced later that week that all operations would cease after the race weekend at Dover. At the time, Wright claimed that the two parties had agreed to part ways.
Wright has 35 career starts in the AMS, including 22 starts under the Venturini banner. In those starts with Venturini, Wright has 13 of his career 21 top-ten finishes and all eight of his career top-five finishes. In 2024, racing full-time with the Toyota outfit, Wright finished third of eight competitors to enter all 20 races.

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Motorsports

Indianapolis a ‘bittersweet’ victory for Hamlin

Denny Hamlin, the driver, finished third in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. Denny Hamlin, the owner, however, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis with 23XI Racing. The moment was undoubtedly bittersweet for Hamlin, who has yet to win the crown jewel event himself. It is the only crown jewel on the NASCAR schedule that Hamlin, […]

Published

13 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Denny Hamlin, the driver, finished third in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. Denny Hamlin, the owner, however, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis with 23XI Racing.

The moment was undoubtedly bittersweet for Hamlin, who has yet to win the crown jewel event himself. It is the only crown jewel on the NASCAR schedule that Hamlin, 44, has not laid claim to, and Sunday was his 17th attempt.

He admitted as much – about it being bittersweet – as he fulfilled his obligations as the winning car owner. One of those obligations was having to address the media, putting into perspective what the win means for his driver, Bubba Wallace, and the organization, even though it’s not something he’s ever experienced.

“Yeah [it’s bittersweet] because I had a role in it,” Hamlin said. “I help mentor these guys, and they’re in my brain every single Monday and Tuesday. I’m trying everything I can to teach them all the tricks in the book that I have, and so I know there is a part of me out there. Yeah, it’s not my car number and it sucks that it’s not my team, team No. 11 out there, but I’m still very gratified because truthfully, I took our chances of winning out yesterday.”

Saturday at the Speedway was a tough pill to swallow for Hamlin. His Toyota was the fastest in Cup Series practice, having arrived at Indianapolis off his fourth win of the season a week ago at Dover Motor Speedway. But as the last driver to attempt a qualifying run, he pushed too hard and crashed.

With the primary car destroyed, his team had to go to a backup. It was all hands on deck to prepare for Sunday’s race, with Hamlin having to come from the rear of the field in a track position race.

“I knew that the possibility of winning from the back here was so small,” Hamlin said. “Not only that, I knew the car we had was not going to be nearly as fast as what we had yesterday, so I was content with getting a good finish, and then I hope that one of the 23XI cars that qualified up front could execute a good day. It looked like the No. 23 and No. 45 executed a good day. The No. 35 looked like he had speed, just couldn’t get over the hump.

“So, I’m still very gratified just because of the weekend. I’m sitting back there after qualifying, in the car, thinking, ‘Well, I’ve only got two more chances.’ I knew I had blown this chance for this weekend because of all the obstacles to try to win from the back. Without luck, it’s nearly impossible, so this was the next best result.”

Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, which was announced on Friday. It is, according to Hamlin, “probably, most likely” his last contract extension in Cup Series racing.

Indianapolis is not a traditional race victory as it comes with many spoils. Wallace and the No. 23 team celebrated in victory lane, received a trophy and a ring, and then went to the frontstretch to kiss the bricks. Hamlin was there for all of it, the kiss included.

There was no hesitation to participate in the tradition over hoping to do it as a driver one day.

“I’ll take every opportunity that I can,” Hamlin said. “When those guys go out there and get trophies, I make sure I get my own and treat it as my own, because I can assure you, it’s much harder to win as a team owner than it is as a driver. Joe Gibbs and that whole team do all the work. All I have to do out here each weekend is drive it to the best of my ability, and I have to send them in the right direction to make the car go faster.

“Building a team from scratch is a huge undertaking, so you feel more gratification because I had my hand in every little piece of that race, from the branding to the sponsorship to the competition to everything. Parents always feel much prouder when their kids accomplish something more than they do.”

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Motorsports

Camrie Caruso Motorsports Partners with Green Genie of NY for Final Three IHRA Events of 2025

Camrie Caruso Motorsports is proud to unveil a brand-new partnership with Green Genie of New York, set to debut at the final three IHRA events of the 2025 season. The collaboration features the launch of the bold, vibrant Green Genie Chevy Cobalt, adding serious flair and firepower to the Mountain Motor Pro Stock class. The striking new […]

Published

30 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The striking new Chevy Cobalt Pro Stocker will make its first appearance at IHRA Columbus (Sept. 3–6), followed by West Salem, OH (Sept. 24–27), and the season finale in Dunn, NC (Nov. 5–8).

“I’m beyond excited to partner with a company from East Rochester, NY – where my mom grew up,” said Camrie Caruso. “This deal hits close to home for me, and bringing it to life with such a unique and eye-catching car makes it even more special. The Green Genie Cobalt is going to turn heads, and we’re showing up to win.”

Green Genie – known for their bold branding and tagline, “We make incredible edibles for people who know the difference!” – is bringing its high-energy style to the drag strip, teaming up with one of the sport’s standout female drivers to close out the 2025 season in unforgettable fashion.

Fans can expect not only fierce performance on the track, but also exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan-focused activations, and a deeper look into the creation of the Green Genie Chevy Cobalt.

This story was originally published on July 28, 2025. Drag Illustrated

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Motorsports

NASCAR Discloses Data Breach Linked to Medusa Ransomware Group

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has disclosed a data breach following a network intrusion that occurred between March 31 and April 3, 2025. Although the organization did not disclose many details about the breach, it may be connected to a broader ransomware incident earlier this year involving the notorious Medusa group. […]

Published

32 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR Discloses Data Breach Linked to Medusa Ransomware Group

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has disclosed a data breach following a network intrusion that occurred between March 31 and April 3, 2025.

Although the organization did not disclose many details about the breach, it may be connected to a broader ransomware incident earlier this year involving the notorious Medusa group.

NASCAR, headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, is the governing body for stock car racing in the United States and owns 16 major motorsport facilities nationwide. The organization employs over 8,700 people and plays a central role in American motorsports culture and business.

According to the breach notification submitted to the Maine Attorney General’s office, NASCAR detected unusual activity on April 3 and immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of a specialized cybersecurity firm. The company determined that threat actors had accessed and exfiltrated data files from their internal network during a three-day window. It wasn’t until June 24, 2025, that investigators confirmed these files contained personally identifiable information, specifically names and Social Security numbers.

The notice shared with the authorities does not list all the compromised data types, so it is unclear precisely what was exposed to the cybercriminals.

NASCAR began notifying affected individuals on July 24, offering them one year of free credit and identity monitoring services through Experian. The organization has also set up a toll-free call center to assist with inquiries related to the incident.

Although NASCAR has not disclosed the total number of individuals impacted, this disclosure follows a claim by the Medusa ransomware gang in April 2025 that they had breached the organization’s network. The gang claimed to have stolen over one terabyte (1,038.70 GB) of data and demanded a $4 million ransom. The entry, initially listed on Medusa’s leak site, has since been removed, an action that sometimes signals either negotiations, payment, or abandonment of the extortion attempt.

In its notification to affected individuals, NASCAR emphasized that it had taken immediate steps to secure its systems and was implementing additional security enhancements. While the company did not provide details on the nature of the compromised files or how many people were affected, the Medusa claim suggests that the scale may be far broader than officially acknowledged.

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Motorsports

Where All 36 Cup Drivers Stand After Indy

RACE RESULTS: Brickyard 400 Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI’s Toby Christie, Joseph Srigley, and Zach Evans, here’s where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway. Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes 1. Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin didn’t end up completing his grand slam this […]

Published

59 minutes ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

RACE RESULTS: Brickyard 400

Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI’s Toby Christie, Joseph Srigley, and Zach Evans, here’s where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

1. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin didn’t end up completing his grand slam this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but considering he started at the rear of the field in a backup car, a third-place result is mightily impressive for the No. 11 team. (Previously: 2nd)

2. Chase Elliott

Sunday’s race was one of Elliott’s worst in a while, which speaks volumes as to how competitive he and the No. 9 team have become as he finished 13th in the Brickyard 400. (Previously: 1st)

3. Alex Bowman

Interestingly, Bowman’s ninth-place finish in the Brickyard 400 marked his 12th top-10 finish of the season, which ties him with series point leader Chase Elliott, and he’s just two behind Kyle Larson, who leads the series with 14 top-10s this year. (Previously: 6th)

4. Kyle Larson

Speaking of Kyle Larson, he came up just shy of back-to-back wins in the Brickyard 400 as he finished runner-up to Bubba Wallace on Sunday. After three straight finishes outside the top-10, Larson now heads to Iowa on a two-race top-five finishing streak. (Previously: 8th)

5. Chase Briscoe

It wasn’t a Hoosier’s turn to be in Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, but after winning the pole, Chase Briscoe continued to have a great run. However, the No. 19 pitted late in the going and couldn’t make up much track position, finishing 18th. (Previously: 5th)

6. Ty Gibbs

Ty Gibbs is $1 million richer, beating Ty Dillon to win the inaugural In-Season Tournament. However, the performance in the Brickyard 400 wasn’t worth a million bucks, finishing 21st. It’s going to be win or nothing now, though, with Bubba Wallace locking into the postseason. (Previously: 3rd)

7. Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher continues to put in steady performances, which has kept him above the Playoff cutline, but with more and more winners stacking up (Bubba Wallace became the 13th on Sunday), Buescher finds himself as the last driver inside the cut line. (Previously: 7th)

8. Christopher Bell

It was a mostly quiet afternoon for Christopher Bell, until he clipped the rear-end of Zane Smith in NASCAR Overtime. However, the driver of the No. 20 still recorded a solid eighth-place finish. (Previously: 9th)

9. Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece continued his excellent first season with RFK Racing with an impressive fourth-place result in the Brickyard 400. Preece was fast, and his team utilized great strategy throughout the race to get the driver into position. (Previously: 13th)

10. Bubba Wallace

No more talking about the playoff cutline for Bubba Wallace. With his win in the Brickyard 400, Wallace punched his ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. It’s back-to-back top 10 finishes for Wallace heading into next Sunday’s race at Iowa. (Previously: 17th)

11. Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick pitted before overtime, relinquishing a top-10 running position. He was then collected in a multi-car incident on the first overtime attempt, finishing 29th. (Previously: 4th)

12. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney won the second stage, but pitted for fuel before the pits opened, sending him to the rear of the field. He rebounded for a seventh-place finish, but especially with the strength of his teammate Austin Cindric in the race, you can’t help but wonder what could have been. (Previously: 11th)

13. Brad Keselowski

Clocked in right behind Preece, his RFK Racing teammate, with a fifth-place finish. Keselowski now has three top-five finishes this season, which have all come in his last 10 starts. (Previously: 16th)

14. William Byron

If William Byron didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. The driver that led the regular-season championship standings for much of the season looked poised to reclaim the point lead until he sputtered out of gas on the final lap of the Brickyard 400. (Previously: 14th)

15. Joey Logano

A lot of things didn’t go Joey Logano’s way, including a flat tire and being collected in a late accident. Logano ultimately finished 32nd, with his second DNF in the last five races. (Previously: 10th)

16. Kyle Busch

Another head-shaking day for Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team as they finished 25th, two laps down. However, spotter Derek Kneeland posted on X that a win is around the corner. We’ll see. (Previously: 12th)

17. Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric finished the day with the most laps led in the Brickyard 400. However, a flat tire while leading the race dashed Cindric’s shot at a win, ultimately finishing 15th. (Previously: 23rd)

18. Shane van Gisbergen

Similar to last year’s Xfinity Series event at Indianapolis, Shane van Gisbergen had some strength on this particular oval racetrack, recording a top-20 result after running as high as 12th earlier in the event. Definitely another step in a positive direction for SVG. (Previously: 18th)

19. John Hunter Nemechek

With a 12th-place finish, it was another successful afternoon for John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. JHN is now averaging a 19.1 finish in 2025, which is the best of his NASCAR Cup Series career. (Previously: 21st)

20. Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell’s troubles started early, as he made contact with Ross Chastain on lap 17 and sent him into the outside wall. Later, McDowell suffered a flat tire, and he ultimately finished 30th. (Previously: 15th)

21. Justin Haley

Good news, Justin Haley finished 11th, continuing a quietly strong July run for the No. 7 team. Bad news, with Bubba Wallace’s win, Haley is the new owner of the longest winless drought among active NASCAR Cup Series competitors. (Previously: 25th)

22. Josh Berry

Josh Berry was on the verge of a strong finish after staying near the front of the field throughout the day, but ran out of fuel on the last lap. Instead, Berry finished 22nd, still seraching for his first top-10 finish since Kansas. (Previously: 27th)

23. AJ Allmendinger

After qualifying ninth and finishing 10th in the first stage, A.J. Allmendinger finished 23rd on Sunday, one lap down. Allmendinger finished ninth in the last short track race at Bristol, and hopes Iowa can bring that same level of success. (Previously: 22nd)

24. Ty Dillon

After five weeks, the NASCAR In-Season Challenge ended in a loss to Ty Gibbs in the finals for Ty Dillon. Dillon finished 28th, suffering nose damage early in the race that hampered his hopes of a strong finish. (Previously: 19th)

25. Todd Gilliland

This is exactly what the doctor ordered for Todd Gilliland and the entire No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. A sixth-place finish is destined to build some momentum for an organization that so badly needs it, right now. (Previously: 34th)

26. Carson Hocevar

After a hard-fought day, Carson Hocevar finished 10th at Indianapolis. That gets him back into the top 10 after three straight finishes outside the top 30. (Previously: 32nd)

27. Ross Chastain

Things just keep getting worse and worse for Ross Chastain. An already poor streak got even worse Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with a wreck and a destroyed racecar in the race’s first 20 laps. Chastain has one finish better than 24th in the last six races. (Previously: 20th)

28. Erik Jones

Roush luck for Erik Jones, who had a really fast car in Indianapolis. He was so fast, he literally drove the right front wheel off of the thing. A hard crash led to a 36th-place finish for Jones. (Previously: 24th)

29. Zane Smith

Zane Smith had a shot for a top-10 finish on Sunday, until he was hooked on the back straightaway by Christopher Bell. That ruined any shot at a good finish and continued a difficult summer for FRM, both on and off the track. (Previously: 26th)

30. Daniel Suarez

The damage to the front-end of the No. 99 really hindered any chance at a decent day for Daniel Suarez. However, these kinds of finishes are not going to help him find a new NASCAR Cup Series seat for 2026. It’s time for Suarez to show what we know he’s truly made of. (Previously: 30th)

31. Austin Dillon

The only good thing about a 38th-place finish is that there’s little chance it could be worse next weekend for Austin Dillon, who dropped out of the race after suffering radiator damage in a stack up on a Lap 55 restart. (Previously: 28th)

32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The summer backslide continues for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who had his No. 47 Chevrolet critically damaged in a restart stack-up early in the race. A 35th-place finish was certainly not what HYAK had in mind for this weekend. (Previously: 29th)

33. Riley Herbst

Riley Herbst finished 26th, two laps down, in his battered and bruised No. 35 on a long and difficult day at Indianapolis. The series’ last trip to the Midwest ended with a 17th-place finish at Chicago for Herbst, and he’ll hope for similar improvement at Iowa. (Previously: 31st)

34. Cole Custer

Nothing flashy, but a solid top-20 in the Brickyard 400 is exactly what Cole Custer and Haas Factory Team need to continue doing. It’s going to take some time to build this program, but surely this is a step in the right direction. (Previously: 33rd)

35. Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports just cannot catch a break. The No. 4 team has been free-falling down the standings, and that continues with Indianapolis, after another poor finish due to a mechanical issue. There’s been some bright spots, but darkness has crowded them recently, for sure. (Previously: 35th)

36. Cody Ware

Sigh. Another rough day for Cody Ware and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team. Ware was credited with a 37th-place finish after he dropped out of the race after completing just 58 laps. (Previously: 36th)

Motorsports

Why Austin Hill will likely face more penalties

In the closing laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aric Almirola was trying to take fourth position away from Austin Hill, ultimately making some contact with the Richard Childress Racing driver. Hill managed to save the car, but he then appeared to abruptly turn back down the track, hooking Almirola’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hill managed to save the car, but he then appeared to abruptly turn back down the track, hooking Almirola’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota directly into the outside wall. Almirola impacted a section of the wall that is not protected by SAFER Barrier nearly head-on, but thankfully walked away without injury.

NASCAR held Hill for five laps for “reckless driving,” and he was furious over the radio. Hill denied that the move was intentional, claiming he was still trying to gather up the car. He also threw several expletives at the sanctioning body, which certainly didn’t help his case.

Will Hill be suspended?

The new playoff waiver rules

Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

In 2025, a suspension would be even more impactful due to new playoff waiver rules implemented ahead of the new season. Should a driver miss a race due to a suspension, they can remain eligible for the playoffs via a waiver, but will lose all of their playoff bonus points and forfeit any future playoff points they collect leading up to the playoffs.

All signs seem to point to a one-week suspension for Hill, but the new playoff waiver rules could sway them towards a points penalty and a fine. However, the incident looks plenty severe enough to warrant a forced vacation, regardless of the new waiver policy. His radio communication may also play a factor, as NASCAR does not tolerate being spoken to in such a way. Kyle Busch once decided to flip off a NASCAR official while serving a penalty he disagreed with, which resulted in additional in-race penalties for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Hill is already locked into the NASCAR Xfinity playoffs via three race wins, and he currently holds 21 playoff points. He’s also fifth in the regular season standings, which brings with it more bonus points once the playoffs begin. But no matter what decision NASCAR makes this week, taking no action is extremely unlikely, and the punishment is likely to adversely impact his title hopes in some form.