The wait finally is over for Caio Collet.

Collet passed championship leader Dennis Hauger with less than five laps remaining and drove away to win the Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday, his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory this season. Collet’s No. 76 HMD Motorsports car crossed the finish line 1.7093 seconds ahead of Hauger’s No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global.

SEE: Race Results

2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet entered this event with three podium finishes in the first six races this season, including two runner-up finishes. His victory was the first this season for HMD Motorsports, as Hauger and fellow Andretti Global rookie teammate Lochie Hughes have combined to win every race.

“At the beginning of the season, we couldn’t match them, to be honest,” Collet said. “It was really frustrating. Every time we went on track, it was hard to be second or third. But we kept working hard, and we need to keep working because they are a great team with great drivers. We need to keep pushing.”

Hughes rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car after passing Josh Pierson in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine on the last of 20 laps around the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Pierson ended up tying his career-best finish of fourth.

Myles Rowe placed fifth in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car in the caution-free race.

Hauger led from the pole on an unseasonably hot day with air temperatures in the high 80s. Collet stayed close from the second starting position, keeping the gap around five- or six-tenths of a second as the duo marched away from the rest of the 19-car field.

Collet’s patience expired on Lap 16. He drove alongside Hauger on the long front straightway and made an outside pass in Turn 1 stick. Collet then eased away from Hauger over the last four laps.

“I kept up the pace, kept up the pressure,” Collet said. “Yesterday, I think I lost the pole to myself. Dennis did a phenomenal lap, but I think I left a bit in the tank and was very frustrated. Today I really wanted to give the win to the team.”

Said Hauger: “I think we’ve been on the back foot compared to Collet all weekend. We did everything right today, but they were just a bit stronger. I tried to do what I could, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Still a decent weekend.”

Hauger’s lead over second-place Hughes grew from 19 to 28 points with his fifth podium finish of the season. Collet is third, 70 points behind Hauger.

The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It’s good track for Collet, who earned his sole previous INDY NXT victory there in July 2024. 

IndyNXT PR

Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start. Weather, however, is threatening to delay the start of the race.

Pocono is currently asking fans to remain sheltered as the continued threat of a thunderstorm looms: “WEATHER UPDATE: There is a continued threat of a thunderstorm, including lightning, for this area. Please remain sheltered. Fan Stage and Victory Lane Stage Q&A Sessions are canceled. Stay tuned for more updates.”

According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, the rain would need to stop by 12:30 p.m. for NASCAR to have a shot at starting the race on time. Pocono does not have lights and rain tires aren’t available. Pockrass projects the rain would need to cease by 3:00 p.m. to be able to race.

Obviously, NASCAR will come back and likely race Monday afternoon if the weather persists. But there’s a sold out crowd on site, ready to see the 17th Cup Series race of the season. This, “The Tricky Triangle,” is a big one. Including Pocono, only nine regular season races remain.

NASCAR heads to Pocono as playoffs approach

Ten drivers have clinched a spot in the postseason. Six spots are up for grabs. Will there be another surprise winner at Pocono? We saw one last week, as Shane van Gisbergen dominated the field at Mexico City.

But this is Pocono — Denny Hamlin‘s track. No, it’s not his hometown, but nobody has been better than Hamlin at Pocono. He has seven career victories at Pocono and his performance has been consistent throughout the different generations of cars.

Wouldn’t you know it, he’s on the pole for Sunday’s race. Hamlin is looking for his Cup best fourth win of the 2025 season.

700 races, seven Cup Series championships, and 83 Victory Lane visits in 22 years. Jimmie Johnson’s journey with Hendrick Motorsports is the type of legend that little children go to sleep hearing with a wondrous glint in their eyes. But it ought not to be forgotten that his tale would not have become what it is if not for a loyal friend, companion, and crew chief in Chad Knaus.

When Johnson signed with Rick Hendrick’s organization, he was poised to be their fourth driver. He mentioned in a recent conversation with Before The Lights that the No. 48 team was already filled with the energy of young talent and ambition before he made it in. And once he walked through the doors, that energy only went up through the roof.

Johnson said, “Whatever energy or vibe was there, we created it. There was so much ownership in it, and man, we did so much in a short period of time.” He continued to explain that a core group of people had surrounded him throughout his career, and the continual relationship he had with them is the biggest reason for his success.

The most important of them all is Knaus. Knaus and Johnson worked together as driver and crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports. They won five consecutive championships from 2006 to 2010, and two more after that. Johnson looked back at their time together and could only be grateful to the man for everything he’d done.

“But there’s one man that really led the team for all that (time we were together),” he said, referring to Knaus. “17 of my 19 full-time years, and he’s like a — I guess I have two younger brothers — he’s like a fourth or third brother to me.” Despite their success together and Johnson’s tryst with continuity, he couldn’t end his career with Knaus as his crew chief.

He added, “Unfortunately, we got to a point where we spent more time fighting, and our team owner had to say, ‘Alright. Enough of you guys. I’m going to have to separate you.’ I wish we could have made it those final two years together before I moved on to IndyCar. But people and consistency have been the bottom line for my success.”

The pain of separation was healed when they were both inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame together as a part of the Class of 2024. It was the perfect culmination of their long and storied partnership in the Cup Series. They remain close friends to this day.

LONG POND, Pa. — (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. might already be NASCAR’s most popular crew chief.

He’s certainly an undefeated one.

Pressed into unexpected service, Earnhardt called the shots for 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Chevrolet and they landed in victory lane Saturday in the second-tier Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.

“It felt good to have some input and decision-making power,” Earnhardt said. “And then helping Connor understand what our plan was so he knew when to push and what he was expected to do.”

Earnhardt — who won NASCAR’s most-popular driver award 15 times — made a pit stop from his day job as team owner at JR Motorsports with normal crew chief Mardy Lindley suspended one race because of a lug nut infraction this month at Nashville.

Aside from his duties as team owner, Earnhardt also was at Pocono for his role on the Prime broadcast for the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.

“Lot of fun for me today,” Earnhardt said. “I missed the thrill of competition. I love broadcast, don’t get me wrong. But nothing compares to driving or just being part of the team. Being an owner doesn’t really deliver like this. This is a lot of fun.”

Earnhardt had his wife and two young daughters in tow with him as he made the celebratory walk to victory lane. Oldest daughter Isla Rose clutched the checkered flag while youngest Nicole Lorraine soaked in the scene from her dad’s arms.

“I love that they just get to experience things about NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “I had such a great time growing up as a kid in this sport, just running around here. I want them to have that opportunity and understand that this is a place where they could create opportunities for themselves down the road.”

The win continued a banner season for the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver — who swept two races at Pocono as a driver in 2014 — after JR Motorsports and reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier qualified for the season-opening Daytona 500 and secured their Cup Series debut.

Earnhardt won two Daytona 500s, in 2004 and 2014, and 26 races overall.

His side hustle Saturday was made a bit easier with Zilisch behind the wheel. Zilisch, who turns 19 in July, raced to his second Xfinity victory of the season and third of his young career. He won his Xfinity debut last year at Watkins Glen International.

Earnhardt even pitched in during the race and tossed tires over the wall during pit stops.

“Midway through the race man, I was feeling it,” Earnhardt said.

Zilisch took the win down to the wire and finally passed Jesse Love with five laps left in the race. Love finished second.

“Dale Junior, not too bad on the box,” Zilisch said. “Pretty cool to have him up there. Getting him a 1-for-1 win as crew chief is pretty awesome.”

Even with the victory, it just might be one-and-done on the pit box for Earnhardt.

“I don’t know that I see myself doing it again,” he said.

___

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NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar has revealed what prompted him to make a controversial comment about Mexico City on a live stream that led his team, Spire Motorsports, to hand him a $50,000 fine. This comes after Newsweek Sports reported his statement on X, where he shared his regret for his comment.

Hocevar came under fire after the race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez after he called Mexico City a “s**t hole” on a Twitch live stream. Following the action taken by his team, Hocevar has revealed that the comment did not reflect his own opinion but was reflective of what he had heard.

Acknowledging his mistake of not having done his homework, the 22-year-old driver spoke to Cup Scene during the pre-race presser at Pocono Raceway. He said:

“The issue wasn’t for the team having their kind of frustrations, not that I’m giving my opinion and putting it out there. It’s just the fact that, you know, my opinion wasn’t my opinion. It was just based off everybody else, you know, that I’ve heard or seen, right? I didn’t go do my own homework and voice my own opinion.

“I didn’t give it a shot, you know? I didn’t give it a chance – I didn’t go walk around, I didn’t go see. And when I did, you know, hindsight’s 20/20. Then I had my own opinion, but I had already put it out there.

“I think that was the biggest thing. I wasn’t doing what I pride myself on—having my own opinion, putting it out there, and being me. I just didn’t give it a fair shot. That’s where it all stems from.”

Newsweek Sports reported a statement posted by Spire Motorsports on X, announcing the action against Hocevar for his comment. It stated:

“After a thorough internal review of Carson Hocevar’s recent livestream remarks about Mexico City, and in close consultation with NASCAR, Spire Motorsports is issuing the following disciplinary measures:

“A $50,000 fine, which will be donated in equal portions to three organizations that serve Mexican communities:
– Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross) – providing humanitarian and medical relief across Mexico.
– Un Kilo de Ayuda – a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development in rural communities.
– Fondo Unido México (United Way Mexico) – funding local NGOs that improve education, health, and housing in 22 Mexican states.

“Mandatory cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training to be completed by Carson Hocevar.

“These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports’ core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel. Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk’ in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport.

“Carson Hocevar’s recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR. He has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud.

“Spire Motorsports has informed NASCAR of these penalties, and NASCAR has confirmed that our team-imposed discipline satisfies the sanctioning body’s requirements. Together we remain committed to showcasing NASCAR’s global growth, celebrating the passionate Mexican fanbase we experienced firsthand last weekend, and ensuring every member of our organization treats hosts, competitors, and communities with dignity.

“We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.”

NASCAR’s first international race in decades proved to be a dominant afternoon for Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.