The wagering public is betting that Kyle Larson has turned the page.

Rajah Caruth has won his second career race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series winning at Nashville Motor Speedway on Friday night. The HBCU graduate from Winston-Salem State University snapped a 32-race winless streak dating back to Las Vegas in the spring of 2024. With the win, Caruth automatically qualifies for the NASCAR playoffs and will be eligible to compete for the championship at the end of the season.

Caruth came out of the pits in first place after the second stage of the race thanks to quick work by his pit crew. He entered the pits in third place, and after gaining those two crucial spots he never relinquished the lead. But it was close and drama-filled as the laps unfolded.

In a race where Chevrolet’s “Bowtie” looms large atop GM’s Renaissance Center situated in the middle of the downtown street circuit, crosstown rivals Ford’s “Blue Oval” have the best Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) starting positions for Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. The pair of Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3s swept the front row in qualifying for the fourth round of the 2025 GTD PRO season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the only 100-minute street course sprint race for the class.

Seb Priaulx fired his No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 around Detroit’s tricky but short 1.654-mile street course with a best time of 1 minute, 10.922 seconds (83.500 mph). Priaulx led teammate Christopher Mies by 0.329 of a second as times began to tumble in the 15-minute qualifying session, with most of the 10-car field steadily improving every lap.

However, the gains came to an end for most following an incident for the No. 81 car that lost control exiting Turn 3, hitting the Turn 4 concrete barrier. IMSA officials red-flagged the session with less than one minute remaining of the 10-minute guaranteed green flag time, bringing the field to the pits before an ultimate restart for a singular lap to fulfill that time. With no one able to improve, the grid was essentially set by what occurred before the red flag.

Pole and a front-row lockout for Ford – their second of the season after also doing so at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, also with the No. 64 car on pole – was particularly important to Priaulx and the Dearborn-based manufacturer. Priaulx will share his car with Mike Rockenfeller.

“For sure, you know Flat Rock (Michigan, where the Mustang assembly plant is located) is just down the road so it feels like I’m on my home soil here,” said Priaulx, who won his second career WeatherTech Championship pole (2024 Rolex 24, also in GTD PRO) and was part of the winning GTD PRO entry in Detroit last year (aboard the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R).

“It’s amazing. I’m really happy, the team gave me a great car today. It’s a great start to hopefully a great weekend. I know around here, a street track, you have to be aware that it’s going to go red at some point. I was really pushing hard. I knew I had to get past the Ferrari. That lap, I felt like I had to get it in.

“I mean ‘round here, we have a big car so hopefully we can keep our doors wide open. I felt like our race pace was really strong, so it’s just head down and look forward and we’re in the best space to win. We just need to get the flag now.”

Mies and co-driver Frederic Vervisch will roll off second in the No. 65 Mustang. Entering the weekend, the No. 65 pair sat fourth in the GTD PRO championship standings (107 points behind leading entry) and the No. 64 duo were seventh (156 points back).

The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 qualified third, but will be moved to the rear of the field following post-qualifying technical inspection which found the car to have ground clearance less than the minimum allowed. That brings the pair of Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVOs – the No. 1 of Neil Verhagen qualifying ahead of the No. 48 of Dan Harper – up to third and fourth, with the best of the Corvettes, Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R, in fifth.

The championship-leading No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, qualified by Klaus Bachler, will start seventh – one spot ahead of their closest championship rivals, the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia, in eighth. The AO Porsche, the defending Detroit winners and winners of three straight WeatherTech Championship races across both GT classes, leads the No. 3 Corvette by 70 points entering the weekend.

Teams have a 20-minute final practice session at 10:35 a.m. ET Saturday before flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic begins at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock (internationally via IMSA.TV and IMSA Official YouTube channel).

Teams have a 20-minute Practice 3 at 10:35 a.m. ET Saturday before flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic begins at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock (internationally via IMSA.TV and IMSA Official YouTube channel).

IMSA Wire Service PR

Rajah Caruth has earned his first victory of the 2025 season and just the second of his career, fending off both Corey Heim and Layne Riggs in the closing laps at Nashville.

Driving the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Caruth grabbed the lead on pit road at the end of the second stage. The driver made the most of what his pit crew did for him, never surrendering the race lead. 

“I didn’t expect that at all,” said Caruth. “Those guys were breathing down my neck the whole run. My pit crew won that race — Jarius, Zico, Dawson, Josh, Cody — they won that race for us. Thanks to them, thanks to everyone at HendrickCars.com, the men and women at Spire Motorsports. We’ve been off this year but good to get a dub tonight, man. I’m out of breath.”

Heim is the winningest driver of the 2025 season with four wins in the first 11 races, including last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Speaking on the runner-up finish at Nashville, he said, “I feel like clean air was the thing (we needed) tonight. With the third stage being so straightforward, and the lack of strategy going green there, it was tough to come back from not having the lead. I slid through my box in the last stop and didn’t do my guys any favors. Just something to reflect on — on my part.

“But big congrats to Rajah. He did an awesome job managing from the lead and I was really free behind him and he made pretty much the right choice every time as for where I was gonna go. It’s nice racing against people that aren’t going to wreck you, racing for the race lead.”

Layne Riggs finished a close third with Daniel Hemric fourth and Corey Day fifth. Kaden Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Bayley Currey, and Grant Enfinger filled out the remainder of the top ten. 

Kyle Busch, who had to fight back from a penalty for a restart violation, finished 15th.

A straightforward race

Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

The race itself got off to a slow start after Frankie Muniz’s #33 truck dumped oil all over the track, with Muniz forced to pull out of the race without completing a single lap under speed. The only on-track accident occurred on Lap 55 when Jack Wood and Akinori Ogata spun.

Riggs went on to win the opening stage while Heim claimed the Stage 2 win, adding another playoff point to his impressive total. 

While Caruth never lost the lead in the final 47-lap run, Heim certainly came close as he got to the outside of him with just six laps to go. Caruth ran him high and Heim chose to lift. From that point onward, he had his hands full with Riggs in the battle for second and never got back alongside Caruth.

Photos from Nashville – Race

Country music star and and former NASCAR pit crew member Chase Rice will take the wheel as the honorary pace car driver for the Cracker Barrel 400 this Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.

“A show like the Cracker Barrel 400 with this much horsepower deserves plenty of star power, too,” said Nashville Superspeedway general manager Matt Greci. “We are looking forward to welcoming Chase as our honorary pace car driver. His high-energy style and connection with fans make him the perfect fit to lead the field and kick off our celebration of ‘Guitars and Fast Cars.’”

With more than 2.8 million albums sold and over 2.9 billion total streams, plus a legion of passionate fans at his high-energy concerts across the globe, Rice has established himself as a powerful force in Nashville and beyond.

With independent album Go Down Singin’ available everywhere now as the follow-up to the critically acclaimed I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, and both brought together on the songwriter-focused Fireside Sessions, Rice’s sound continues to evolve to reflect the realities of his life; from emotional reckoning to an admiration of the American West. The new music serves as a follow up to his three-part project, The Album, which featured his latest Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and the Platinum-certified Top 10 hit “Lonely If You Are.”

This is the same gravelly-voiced Rice fans first fell in love with years ago – but better, freer; unbeholden and uninhibited. The new music builds upon the success of his sophomore album, Lambs & Lions, which featured the three-time Platinum, two-week chart topper “Eyes On You” – Rice’s first No. 1 as an artist and the most-streamed song of his career. Lambs & Lions followed Platinum-certified Ignite the Night, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and No. 3 on the all-genre chart, producing a pair of Top 5 hits; Platinum-certified “Gonna Wanna Tonight” and double Platinum “Ready Set Roll.”

In addition to guesting on sold-out stadium shows with Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks, Rice consistently sells out venues on his own headlining tours across the U.S. and beyond, with the Go Down Singin’ International Tour underway now.

College football career – Rice was a linebacker for the University of North Carolina, playing for the Tar Heels 2005-2008.

Racing background – Rice was a pit crew member for Hendrick Motorsports, specifically working as the rear tire carrier for Ryan Newman’s Nationwide Series car and also on Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup Series car. He also worked on Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup Series car and won two championships with the Lowe’s team.

Serving in Sunday’s role of honorary starter will be Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore.

Moore joined Cracker Barrel, Nashville Superspeedway’s NASCAR Cup Series race entitlement partner, in 2024 and is responsible for leading all activities in the company’s marketing function including culinary innovation, menu strategy, advertising and digital media, loyalty, creative development, marketing communications and guest relations.

For more information, visit ChaseRice.com and follow Rice on Facebook, X and TikTok @ChaseRiceMusic and on Instagram @ChaseRice.

The Cracker Barrel 400 anchors a triple-header race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, featuring NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series races from May 30 to June 1. A limited number of tickets are on sale now at NashvilleSuperspeedway.com or by calling 866-RACE-TIX.

May 30, 2025

• Tomy Drissi brought the #8 Drissi Motorsports Chevrolet to third place Monday’s Trans Am Memorial Day Classic

• Drissi came out on top of the most exciting battle of the race, defending the final podium spot after an early red flag before pulling away

• The 2009 Trans Am champion remains third in the TA championship

2009 Trans Am champion Tomy Drissi scored his second podium of the 2025 Trans Am by Pirelli season in Monday’s Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park. Drissi and the #8 Trench Shoring Company/Motul/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro team overcame a weekend of high attrition in the TA class to finish third, further strengthening their grip on third place in the championship.

After sporadic rains washed out much of Saturday’s testing and practice time, Monday’s qualifying and race sessions were dry and sunny. Drissi qualified fifth, but he roared into third with a spectacular start before settling back into fourth in the early laps. But after a major crash in the battle among the leaders led to a red flag, Drissi would inherit third place for the race’s only restart.

What came next was one of the most impressive drives of the Trans Am season. After the restart, Drissi fought tooth and nail to keep a hard-charging Amy Ruman from taking the final podium spot despite low tire pressures that hindered his pace. As the race wore on, the battle gave way to Drissi’s superior long-run speed, and he pulled away to secure the position while also matching the leaders’ late-race times during the 68-lap event.

“We were five pounds under pressure on our tires,” Drissi admitted from the podium. “I thought ‘did my sway bar break? What’s going on?’ But I just put my head down. We all make mistakes together and we all get podiums together. No more yellows came out, but we ran some good laps at the end. That was a lot of laps around here!

“I want to thank Trench Shoring and Motul for their support. Lacy, Jagger, Elin, I love you, and all these fans here at Lime Rock Park are amazing!”

The podium finish was Drissi’s first at Lime Rock Park in the TA class since 2021, and proved highly popular with the fans on-site as he took one of his famous podium selfies with fellow drivers Paul Menard and Adam Andretti. With four top-fives in the first five races of the season, Drissi remains third in the TA championship as he looks ahead to three races in four weeks at Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Watkins Glen in June and July.

To keep up with Tomy Drissi, follow @tomydrissi on Instagram and Facebook, and visit www.tomydrissi.com. Following Lime Rock, Drissi Motorsports returns to action on June 19-22 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

About Tomy Drissi

Tomy Drissi is an American racing driver, multi-time winning IMSA driver, and 2009 Trans Am champion. His driver experience includes ALMS, Trans Am, and NASCAR. He has won many of the most iconic racing events in the world, from the Petit Le Mans to the Long Beach Grand Prix. Tomy leads Drissi Motorsports, one of Trans Am’s most successful race teams, as owner-driver.

Born December 9th in Hollywood, California, Tomy also owns a motion picture creative advertising agency. Drissi’s first racing experience in motorsports was street racing on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills.

Tomy is married to Lacy Livingston Drissi, with two beautiful children, Elin and Jagger.

Follow Tomy Drissi on Social Media:

About Trench Shoring Company

Whether it’s for a current project – or your next project – Trench Shoring Company should be your 1st choice for shoring equipment, trench safety training and service. For decades, the California & Nevada construction industry has counted on Trench Shoring Company for our extensive construction knowledge, complete inventory and same-day service.

We know every job is different. Our experts are there to help guide your project, train your teams, and ensure your shoring equipment needs are met – starting with offering 13 standard and custom sizes of Steel Trench Plates, as well as Trench Shields™, Hydraulic Shoring, Slide Rail and additional underground equipment.

We know time is money – so we provide same-day service from our twelve convenient locations – Compton, Bakersfield, Banning, Corona, Fresno, Fullerton, Lake Forest, Moorpark, Sacramento, San Diego, San Leandro and Las Vegas, Nevada – all to provide you with what you need when you need it. Trench Shoring Company has consistently handled our customers’ toughest jobs and the most challenging job requirements – with safety, service and customer satisfaction – since our start in 1973.

About Motul

Motul is a world class European company specializing in the formulation, production and distribution of hightech engine lubricants (motorcycles, cars and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for industry via its MotulTech activity. Unanimously recognized for more than 170 years for the quality of its products, innovation capacity and involvement in the field of competition, Motul is also recognized as a specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines, the 300V lubricant, making use of Esters technology and issued from the aeronautical industry. Throughout the years, Motul has gained experience as an official supplier to many racing teams and manufacturers and contributes with them to further technological development in motorsports. Motul is supporting those teams in international competitions such as: 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), FIA World Endurance Championship, Super GT, Drift, Pikes Peak, Japanese championship Super Formula, Blancplan Endurance & Sprint Series, MotoGP, World Superbike, MXGP, Endurance World Championship, Supercross, IOM IT, Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship, F1 Boat and scores of others.