CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nobody cheered Ryan Blaney louder to win NASCAR’s regular-season finale than Alex Bowman, who vowed to buy Blaney 7 million beers for the Daytona victory that saved Bowman’s spot in the playoffs.

Bowman had wrecked out at Daytona very early Saturday night and had to watch on television as Blaney won a four-wide race across the finish line to stop a gaggle of long shot drivers from snagging Bowman’s spot in the 16-driver field.

His relief was a contrast to the frustration shown by Tyler Reddick, last year’s regular-season champion, who limped into the playoffs this year. Like Bowman, he also wrecked early, but his points total was better, so once Bowman was out of the race, Reddick was locked in.

But his 23XI team heads into the playoffs in a slump, a year after making it all the way to NASCAR’s championship-deciding season finale, and Reddick hasn’t had the consistency it will take to race again for the Cup title. Who has?

Well, no single team has emerged as the favorite as NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s playoff opener. Kyle Larson is the top seed, just ahead of regular-season champion William Byron.

Lurking right behind the Hendrick Motorsports teammates is Denny Hamlin, one of only two drivers with a Cup Series-high four wins this season. There are two first-time playoff participants in the field, including rookie Shane van Gisbergen, who dominated street and road courses to match Hamlin with four wins.

The front of the pack

Larson is the top seed but hasn’t won a race since early May, before he ran the Indianapolis 500, when his Kansas victory gave him three wins in seven races.

It’s been up and down since, but Larson starts the playoffs coming off back-to-back six-place finishes.

Byron has two wins, including the Daytona 500, and hasn’t ranked lower than second the entire season. He is trying to make it to the championship race for a fourth consecutive year.

Hamlin does have four wins but is coming off a bad night in Daytona: His car was damaged in an early crash and he finished 25th, dropping from third to sixth in the season standings — which cost him five playoff points, the equivalent of a victory.

Hamlin has never won a Cup title and hasn’t even made it to the championship four since 2021. He’ll try to get there this year at the same time as 23XI Racing, the team he co-owns with Michael Jordan, fights NASCAR in federal court over antitrust claims. The two sides are due in court Thursday, four days before the playoff opener.

Blaney’s victory at Daytona boosted him to fourth in the playoff seedings and gave him the momentum to potentially be considered the favorite. Team Penske gets hot this time of year and has won three consecutive championships with Blaney’s title in 2023 sandwiched between a pair of Joey Logano triumphs.

Logano is seeded a distant 12th, but as NASCAR’s only active three-time champion, he can’t be counted out.

Drivers in the middle

Christopher Bell is the fifth seed and his three wins are tied with Larson, but he won three straight after the season-opening Daytona 500 and hasn’t been to victory lane since March 9 at Phoenix.

Van Gisbergen is seeded sixth for his playoff debut based on four victories, all on street or road courses. If he can make it out of the first round, the New Zealander could be a spoiler — the hybrid road course/oval Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway is in the second round and a win there would vault van Gisbergen into the final eight.

Chase Elliott is the seventh seed, but the 2020 champion needs to start winning. His victory at home track Atlanta is his lone win this season and only one of two victories since 2022 — the last time he made it to the championship four.

One win club

Elliott is the highest-seeded driver among eight who made it into the playoffs with a single victory this season. The group includes Bubba Wallace, who won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to make the playoffs for just the second time in his career.

Austin Dillon earned a berth with his victory at Richmond this month, but Richard Childress Racing hasn’t shown to be a consistent contender and he enters the playoffs as the 15th seed.

Austin Cindric won at Talladega Superspeedway to put all three Team Penske cars in the playoffs, but Cindric has only one top-five finish since that victory 16 races ago.

Ross Chastain joins teammate van Gisbergen in the playoffs to put two Trackhouse Racing entries in the field. He won the Coca-Cola 600 in May but has just three top-10 finishes since.

Josh Berry makes his playoff debut with Wood Brothers Racing because of his early season victory at Las Vegas. His performance picked up in the final two weeks of the regular season, and he heads into the playoffs with consecutive top-10 finishes. He’s the 13th seed.

Reddick and Bowman are the only two drivers in the playoff field without a win this season.

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NASCAR appears ready to transfer ownership of one of the charters held by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, who lost their charters following their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.

As part of ongoing litigation requirements, NASCAR’s Sanctioning Body filed a legal notice that it plans to issue a charter to a new entity, the identity of which was redacted, if a district court judge does not rule against the proposed agreement.

A district court judge had previously ruled that NASCAR could not move the charters until a decision has been rendered from a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., and that NASCAR must notify all involved parties should they reach an agreement to transfer either of the disputed charters.

23XI Racing — whose owners include Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin — and Front Row Motorsports refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement NASCAR presented last September, while the other 13 organizations in the Cup Series proceeded to sign.

The two holdouts filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR the following month and have been going back and forth in court since.

–Field Level Media

Visiting a hospital or doctor’s office can be scary for kids, but the NASCAR Foundation brought a bit of comfort to kids at Health Partnership Clinic in Olathe on Monday.

The NASCAR Foundation and Kansas Speedway donated teddy bears to Health Partnership Clinic in Olathe as part of their Speedy Bear Brigade.

Over the last several months, NASCAR fans across the country have been donating to the NASCAR Foundation. Every $25 brings one speedy bear to a sick child in need, resulting in a bit of comfort during their hospital stay or medical visit.

Pat Warren, president of the Kansas Speedway, helped deliver the bears. Driver Erik Jones also chatted with the kids.

On top of the bears, a $10,000 check was gifted to the health center.

“The ‘Speediatric’ Bears, which we are delivering today as part of a nationwide effort, so we are doing this across the country for various tracks that NASCAR owns, and we are just delighted to do it here,” Warren said.

CEO of Health Partnership Clinic Amy Falk said the bears are a much-appreciated gift for the children in their care.

“We see kids who face a lot of challenges in their lives and may not actually have a teddy bear,” Falk said. “So, this is great for us to give back to the kids that are seeking care here.”

This is the NASCAR Foundation’s ninth Speedy Bear Brigade, and over time, they have delivered more than 15,000 Speedy Bears to hospitals around the country.

Forrest Lucas, the entrepreneur behind Lucas Oil Products and a longtime supporter of drag racing, has passed away on August 23 at the age of 83. Born in 1942 in rural Indiana, Lucas built his early career as a long-haul truck driver before co-founding Lucas Oil Products in 1989 with his wife, Charlotte. What began as a modest startup eventually grew into a globally recognized brand, known for its high-performance oils and additives that serve both professional motorsports and everyday automotive markets.

Lucas’ influence extended well beyond business. He became widely recognized for his support of motorsports, particularly drag racing, where his company forged some of the most enduring sponsorships in the sport’s history. For more than two decades, Lucas Oil sponsored the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, helping to fund grassroots racing and Sportsman-level competition across the United States. The brand also held naming rights for several prominent events and venues, including the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, home of the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

In addition to event sponsorship, Lucas provided direct support to individual drivers and championship teams. His backing ranged from Pro Stock Motorcycle racers Hector Arana Sr. and his son, Hector Jr., to drag racing legends such as John Force, Frank Manzo and Chris Karamesines. Lucas’ involvement often included lifetime sponsorships for drivers later in their careers, reflecting a commitment to sustaining talent across all levels of the sport. In recognition of his contributions, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NHRA in August 2024, honoring his decades-long dedication to motorsports.

Beyond racing, Lucas was known for his philanthropic work and community involvement. The Lucas family supported numerous charitable initiatives and local projects through the Lucas Oil brand and their estate in Missouri. In his later years, Lucas gradually passed day-to-day operations to his son, Morgan Lucas, a former NHRA Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Dragster competitor. Under Morgan’s leadership, Lucas Oil has continued to expand both in motorsports sponsorship and consumer markets while maintaining a focus on grassroots racing.

For more information, visit lucasoil.com.

Image of Forrest Lucas and Charlotte Lucas courtesy of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Oregon State goes NASCAR, sponsors stock car team for Portland race

Published 10:53 am Monday, August 25, 2025

Everyone is ready for Oregon State’s upcoming football season, even NASCAR.

The university and the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Sam Hunt Racing announced a one race partnership Monday. SHR driver Dean Thompson’s No. 26 car is distinctly orange for the upcoming Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on Saturday. The car features Oregon State’s iconic Beaver logo on its hood and wood grain on it’s doors for the fourth-annual Xfinity Series race in the Pacific Northwest.

Thompson’s trip around Portland International Raceway in the orange ride will be his first ever at the course. The 24-year-old stock car driver is in his second season in the Xfinity Series, the second-highest tier of the NACAR pyramid, and has recorded four top-10s for SHR.

“I’m excited to race at Portland for the first time and to give the hometown crowd someone to root for with the OSU Beavers on the hood of our GR Supra,” said Thompson said.”We’ve really advanced on road courses throughout the year, and I look forward to racing hard for the local fanbase and OSU supporters to bring home a great result. It’ll be a great experience visiting the university on Friday, bringing the NASCAR world to the doorstep of Beaver Nation.”

The partnership marks Oregon State’s on-track debut, joining schools like Liberty, Arkansas and James Madison in the world of motorsport sponsors.

“As Oregon’s statewide university, we’re proud to help welcome NASCAR back to Portland and share our pride with the many Beaver Nation NASCAR fans,” Rob Odom, Oregon State’s Vice President of University Relations & Marketing, said.

The Pacific Office Automation 147 begins at 4:30 p.m. at Portland International Raceway and will be broadcast on The CW.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The legal fight between NASCAR and two race teams, one owned by Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, heated up Monday ahead of a critical court hearing as both sides filed new motions over antitrust claims.

NASCAR said in its filing that it plans to issue one of the charters held by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to a team whose name is redacted in the document. It said it would do so ahead of the 2026 season.

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Front Row and 23XI counterclaimed that selling charters will put them out of business. Additionally, the teams say they will suffer irreparable harm because not being chartered will give drivers and sponsors the option to leave; Tyler Reddick of 23XI has such a clause in his contract.

Both sides are due in court Thursday before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell as 23XI and Front Row seek an injunction to prevent NASCAR from selling the charters until the case has been settled. It is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 1.

A charter is the equivalent of a franchise tag in other sports and having one guarantees an entry a spot in each 40-car field, as well as financial incentives. NASCAR and its teams went through more than two years of bitter negotiations on charter extensions, with the teams fighting to have them made permanent.

When a final offer was presented to the teams last year — days before the playoff-opening race — the deal was a seven-year extension with an additional seven-year option beyond that. NASCAR got 13 organizations to sign, but 23XI and Front Row did not and instead filed the federal antitrust suit.

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The two teams have six entries between them and initially won a temporary injunction to be recognized as chartered as the case heads to trial. That has since been overturned and the teams have appealed, but NASCAR has notified the court it plans to start issuing the six charters to others and wants back the money that 23XI and Front Row were paid when they were recognized as chartered earlier this season.

The playoffs begin Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Among the 16 championship contenders are 23XI Racing drivers Reddick and Bubba Wallace, as well as team co-owner Denny Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.

In Monday’s filing, the teams say they have “smoking-gun documents” that show NASCAR wants to force competitors to sign “one-sided” charter deals. The teams also allege NASCAR acted illegally in trying to exclude competition.

The teams also accused NASCAR of “bullying and retaliatory behavior” and said “teams were forced to accept below competitive market prices, and have the same standing as college athletes or UFC athletes who also were forced to accept below market prices.”

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Because the six charters held between 23XI and Front Row have been returned, NASCAR is arguing the teams never really had them, never signed charter agreements and that it has enough interest in them to begin reissuing them. NASCAR also says it cannot be forced to do business with parties it does not want to do business with.

The teams say selling the charters will put them out of business and contend NASCAR has so far done little to disprove the antitrust allegations.

“Much of NASCAR’s opposition is filled with personal attacks on plaintiffs, the racing teams, Curtis Polk and anyone else who has dared to challenge NASCAR’s monopoly,” the teams said. “None of these attacks have anything to do with the merits of plaintiff’s antitrust claims against NASCAR or plaintiff’s pressing need for a preliminary injunction.”

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