The weird, wild, and interesting stats that defined NASCAR at Texas
It was one wild weekend of surprising outcomes and rather intriguing stats for NASCAR in Texas. Joey Logano broke a tie with Brad Keselowski on the all-time wins list, earning his 37th career victory. The two have been close in win total throughout their careers, but this is actually the first time Logano has edged ahead of […]
It was one wild weekend of surprising outcomes and rather intriguing stats for NASCAR in Texas. Joey Logano broke a tie with Brad Keselowski on the all-time wins list, earning his 37th career victory. The two have been close in win total throughout their careers, but this is actually the first time Logano has edged ahead of Keselowski. And with Kyle Larson’s Xfinity win, he maintains a 100% winning percentage with JR Motorsports. He has one previous start with the team at Watkins Glen in 2022 where he also won.
But if those stats probably aren’t catching your interest, but don’t worry, they’re only the appetizer. Things only get more fun and strange from here…
AAA Insurance files a claim on Victory Lane
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Joey Logano, Team Penske FordKenneth Richmond / Getty Images
Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images
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When Logano won Sunday’s Cup race, he was quick to shout out sponsor, AAA Insurance. It was the first win for Logano’s long-time sponsor since joining Penske back in 2013. It’s been quite the journey with several close calls, starting when Logano suffered a violent wreck at Kansas in his first race with AAA as the primary sponsor. But what is even more stunning is the fact that the company has been sponsoring Cup cars since 2005 without a single win until now.
Logano denies the Tootsies #1 yet again
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Joey Logano, Team Penske FordSean Gardner / Getty Images
Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Staying with the sponsor theme for now, we take a look at the runner-up finisher at Texas — Ross Chastain. Chastain was driving with the purple Tootsies Orchid Lounge car for just second time since joining Trackhouse. The last time he did so was at Las Vegas in 2022 where he also finished second. And believe it or not, but the winner that day was also Logano.
‘Seven’ is the key for Team Penske
Seven is the magic number for Team Penske, who have now won the last two Cup races with Austin Cindric at Talladega and Logano at Texas. In a strange coincidence, both drivers only led seven laps en route to their respective victories. Perhaps Blaney can continue the trend this weekend…
May the 4th be with drivers starting deep in the field
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Logano won the race from 27th in the starting lineup while Chastain drove from 31st to second on Sunday. Even Ryan Blaney came from 24th on the grid to ultimately finish third. This is the first time the top three finishers all came from outside the top-20 on the grid at a non-drafting track since New Hampshire in 2008. Shoutout to Joseph Srigley for bringing attention to this rare feat. And weirdly enough, the last time this happened at all was at Talladega in 2014…which also took place on May 4th. Denny Hamlin, who finished last at Texas, won that ‘Dega race.
Don’t start on the front row if you want to win
It would seem like starting up front and securing the first pit stall would be a good thing, but not so much in 2025. The drivers starting on the front row have failed to win every single race this year. The last time this happened was in the volatile 2022 season when the Next Gen car was first introduced. The bad luck streak was finally broken in Race #12 but with the way NASCAR has been going this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if this streak of winless pole-sitters lasts a bit longer.
Some curious caution stats
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports ChevroletJames Gilbert / Getty Images
James Gilbert / Getty Images
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The reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway is a tricky and treacherous place. Both the Xfinity and Truck Series races saw 11 caution flags while the Cup race reached 12. That alone is crazy enough, but it also means that the last three Xfinity and Truck races at Texas have been identical in terms of cautions — 12 in 2023, seven in 2024, and now 11 in 2025. But there’s more: This is now the fifth straight Cup race at Texas with double-digit cautions, which is something that no other track on the entire Cup schedule can say.
A good weekend to have a double-digit palindromic numbers
If you read Motorsport.com’s Daytona 500 ‘what’s in a number’ piece, then you know I’m a big fan of numerology. Well, at Texas this weekend, it was a very good time to be running double-digit palindromic numbers. The No. 22 won the Cup race with Logano, the No. 88 won the Xfinity race with Kyle Larson, and the No. 11 won the Truck race with Corey Heim.
Read Also:
The winners and losers from a wreck-filled NASCAR Cup race at Texas
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Motorsport’s world governing body dials back driver cursing penalties after major outcry
(CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations. In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship […]
(CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations.
In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences.
Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver’s first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points.
But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers.
Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although “for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,” the governing body said.
The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it’s a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a “controlled” environment is defined as a press conferences and an “uncontrolled” environment is a “spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.”
The new guidelines also state that “abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.”
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues.
Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers’ committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing “further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”
“Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,” Morgan said.
NASCAR hammers driver Chris Buescher and his team for illegal modifications at Kansas
CONCORD, NC – NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway. The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. […]
CONCORD, NC – NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway.
The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. It also fined the team $75,000 and suspended crew chief Scott Graves from the next two races: the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.
The hefty penalties came three days after Buescher finished eighth at Kansas and dropped him from 12th in the Cup Series point standings to 24th, well out of playoff contention.
The violations were discovered when the car was inspected at the NASCAR R&D Center after the race.
Cup Series managing director Brad Moran said on the “Hauler Talk” podcast that the car exceeded the maximum 2 inches of reinforcement behind the front bumper foam.
There was no immediate word on whether RFK Racing would appeal the penalty.
Gainbridge, Spire Promoting WNBA All-Star Event at North Wilkesboro
Spire Motorsports and sponsor Gainbridge are partnering with the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee to field a special paint scheme in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, taking place on Sunday, May 18. The No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1, driven by second-year driver Carson Hocevar, will feature the “Indy25” logo, in recognition of AT&T […]
Spire Motorsports and sponsor Gainbridge are partnering with the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee to field a special paint scheme in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, taking place on Sunday, May 18.
The No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1, driven by second-year driver Carson Hocevar, will feature the “Indy25” logo, in recognition of AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025 taking place in Indianapolis.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Fever, will be the site of the 21st edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, as well as the WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest and WNBA Skills Challenge from July 18 to 19.
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) May 15, 2025
“Carson [Hocevar] driving a WNBA All-Star paint scheme is an opportunity to cross promote two properties in our sponsorship portfolio,” said Mike Nichols, Chief of Sponsorship Strategy and Activation at Gainbridge. “The scheme highlights our commitment to investing in women’s sports and we look forward to welcoming the best of the WNBA to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in two months.”
While Indianapolis is set to host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time ever, North Wilkesboro Speedway is the current site of NASCAR’s All-Star weekend after the division made its lauded return to the 0.625-mile track in 2023.
Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Gainbridge WNBA All-Star Game paint scheme for Sunday at North Wilkesboro / Photo: Gainbridge
“It’s really cool to showcase the WNBA All-Star Game on our car for the NASCAR All-Star Weekend,” said Hocevar. “I had the chance to visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse in January, and it’s definitely worthy of hosting the game. The Indiana Fever have a really dedicated fanbase and Indianapolis is such a big market for basketball.”
“We see it when we visit Indianapolis every year – the community is so welcoming, and they’re very proud of their sports teams. Gainbridge has been a great partner for Spire Motorsports and has done a lot to promote and expand women’s sports, so it’s exciting to see that support open new doors for those teams and athletes.”
Similar to the WNBA All-Star Game, the NASCAR All-Star Race has taken place at several venues since it first debuted in 1985. Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway have all hosted the non-points event.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Spire Motorsports and Gainbridge to highlight AT&T WNDA All-Star 2025 during NASCAR’s All-Star Race,” said WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee Founding Chair and Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines. “We hope to connect with new audiences and fans while continuing to build excitement for the much-anticipated WNBA All-Star weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this Summer.”
The 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Indy 2025 is set to take place on Saturday, July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This weekend, the All-Star glory will be focused on the NASCAR Cup Series, though, with the main event beginning Sunday at 8:00 PM ET. However, the NASCAR All-Star Open, which Hocevar will compete in, will take place at 5:00 PM ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
‘It’s a ballet’: Inside the intricate choreography of a NASCAR Cup Series pit stop in the Next Gen era
Still, lost in the midst of a green flag run or buried amid a busy pit road during a caution flag, the individual movements and execution displayed by each crew member for each team can be lost. So, we gathered a Hendrick Motorsports crewman from each of the five positions and representing all four teams […]
Still, lost in the midst of a green flag run or buried amid a busy pit road during a caution flag, the individual movements and execution displayed by each crew member for each team can be lost.
So, we gathered a Hendrick Motorsports crewman from each of the five positions and representing all four teams to walk us through their thought processes and movements, step-by-step, from inside their helmets.
Spoiler alert: The amount of time it took them to explain far exceeded the amount of time of the stops themselves.
Without further ado:
RELATED: Know your Hendrick Motorsports pit crew – the No. 5 team
TJ Semke, jackman, No. 9 team
“First and foremost, practicing as much as we do throughout the week, really hoping to get the muscle memory down to where I’m not out there thinking, I’m just reacting. Before I jump off the wall, I like to know I had a great week of prep and I’m feeling confident jumping out onto pit road. The worst thing that hurts a lot of teams is when one guy is lacking confidence going over the wall. If you don’t have confidence, you’re already in a bad position.
“As I go out to the right side of the car I’m trying to get the car up as fast as I can, well under a second – about six tenths – that’s my goal from when the car stops to when the car is off the ground. Then, I want to help the tire changers get started sooner to pull the tires off faster. Then I’m trying to get to the right-front tire as fast as I can to get on the right-front hub and drop the jack. One thing with this top, there’s not a lot of time for a jackman. There’s no pauses. With the five lug, we had time before each movement. This is just a faster stop and so much more fluid. I don’t want to be the guy anyone is waiting on.
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“Dropping the car fast on the right side is always an important piece for me. I need to do it fast and accurately as soon as the guys are done putting the lug on then dropping the car and bolting to the left side as fast as possible to get the car up again so they’re not waiting for me to pull the tires off.
“As a jackman, we’re kind of managing the entire stop and kind of can make or break you. Ultimately, you’re the one that’s going to be the hero for dropping the car on time or the zero looking at a two-week suspension if a tire isn’t secured. It can’t be understated how difficult that is and how much pressure that is but it helps being alongside solid teammates and knowing what they’re doing and trusting in them.”
John Gianninoto, fueler, No. 9 team
“Our jackman, TJ, does a great job marking the box and making sure we have the sign where we need it depending on if there’s a car in front of us or behind us, whether we’re going to stop short or long, all that stuff. From there, it’s just communication with each other. We have a lot of hand gestures because it’s so loud at the track. Especially as a fueler, me and the rear changer, we have to communicate really well because he has to know what I’m doing fuel wise and that changes what his job is going to be. Am I going to be out of the way? Is he going to have to go underneath me? Is he going to have to check up? All that kind of stuff.
“The first thing we have to do is make sure our communication is checked off so we know what the stop is and from there, it’s a ballet we try to put together just making sure it’s cohesive and it runs well.”
PIT CREW CHALLENGE? For Hendrick Motorsports crewmen, every tenth is a test
Mike Moss, rear-tire changer, No. 5 team
“It starts with the crew chief; he’s giving the call that the car is 10 stalls away. From there, I take a deep breath, and you just feel light. As the car enters the next box, that’s when we can jump off the wall. I jump off the wall and I like touching the left side of the car, just feeling the speed of it and I try to get to the right side of the car within three seconds. I engage the lug nut and push the tire off. As I’m setting the tire, my tire carrier, Allen Stallings, is indexing the tire.
“And then my most important job is to make sure the lug nut is on there completely. As I see that – I have stripes on my gun that’s an indicator of how tight the nut is – I get up, approach the left side, do my runaround, engage the left-side lug nut and do the same thing over there but now the jackman is indexing the tire. Then, I just make sure the tire is tight.”
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Donnie Tasser, front-tire changer, No. 48 team
“It starts with your mindset. Breath-work I think is important, or however guys get into the zone so to speak. So, when the car gets one spot away, I take a slow, deep breath and that’s my trigger.”
The car is coming in. As the front-tire changer, the jackman and tire carrier are coming off the wall in front of me. I’m finding my own line of sight. I’m trying to get that right-front lug engagement as quick as possible so, as the car is coming up, I can be pulling the tire and sending it to the wall. Then zip it back up and get out of the way so that my jackman can haul around the car, enter the left front and do it again. As soon as we finish the left front, I’m looking at the jack because in some situations, I end up dropping that. Making sure that when the left-rear is done if (jackman Allen Holman) is not back at the jack yet, I’m moving toward it so we can save any amount of time that we can.”
RELATED: Check out Alex Bowman’s paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600!
Ryan Patton, tire carrier, No. 24 team
“So, for me as the tire carrier, and this has been instilled in me for years, I’m kind of like the voice of the team. I don’t want to say, ‘captain’, but that might be the best terminology. So, the car is on the track running and (driver) William (Byron) is giving feedback and relaying that to (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle. Rudy gets a plan of how we’re going to make this car run a little bit better – could be an adjustment, could be no adjustment – and then Tyler Jones, our car chief, relays that to me. We all hear it on the radio but I specifically go to every member of the team and tell them, ‘This is what we’re doing.’
“We hear the cue and (jackman) Spencer (Bishop) picks up the jack, I pick up the tires and we get ready to roll. Once the car approaches, we leave and kind of form a flying ‘V’ in front of the race car with Spencer and myself being the peak. I pick up my visuals out of the race car and out of my peripherals kind of get a feel of where Spencer is at, where (front-tire changer) Jeff (Cordero) is at so that way, when I drop off the right front, that’s not impeding their performance. Then go to the right rear, make sure I get a good hang for (rear-tire changer) Orane (Ossowski) so he can have a quick change.
RELATED: Check out William Byron’s paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600!
“If we make an adjustment, make sure we get that taken care of and then just haul to the left front. So, we kind of retrace our steps back around the front of the race car and then put the left-front tire on. So, once the right side is done, I don’t want to say you can take a breath, but you can kind of feel the pace of the stop. Like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good one going here. If we can just be clean on the left side, we should have a good one.’ And then, once the car drops, you kind of have a feel like, ‘Hey, that was pretty good.’”
NASCAR hammers Prosper’s Chris Buescher and his team for illegal modifications at Kansas
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway. The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. […]
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR penalized driver Chris Buescher and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for illegal modifications to the bumper of his No. 17 Ford at Kansas Speedway.
The sanctioning body docked the team 60 driver points, 60 owner points, five driver playoff points and five owner playoff points for the level one violation. It also fined the team $75,000 and suspended crew chief Scott Graves from the next two races: the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.
The hefty penalties came three days after Buescher, from Prosper, finished eighth at Kansas and dropped him from 12th in the Cup Series point standings to 24th, well out of playoff contention.
The violations were discovered when the car was inspected at the NASCAR R&D Center after the race.
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Cup Series managing director Brad Moran said on the “Hauler Talk” podcast that the car exceeded the maximum 2 inches of reinforcement behind the front bumper foam.
There was no immediate word on whether RFK Racing would appeal the penalty.
Find more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Motorsport’s world governing body dials back driver cursing penalties after major outcry
By Ben Morse, CNN (CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations. In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines […]
(CNN) — The FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations.
In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences.
Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver’s first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points.
But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers.
Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although “for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,” the governing body said.
The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it’s a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in “controlled” or “uncontrolled” environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a “controlled” environment is defined as a press conferences and an “uncontrolled” environment is a “spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.”
The new guidelines also state that “abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.”
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues.
Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers’ committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing “further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”
“Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,” Morgan said.