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University of Northwestern Ohio named an official educational partner of the American Rally Association | Allen County

June 13, 2025, Press Release from the University of Northwestern Ohio: LIMA, Ohio – The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) is proud to announce a new partnership with the American Rally Association (ARA). Beginning in 2025, UNOH will become an Official Educational Partner of the ARA. This collaboration opens a new lane of opportunities for […]

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June 13, 2025, Press Release from the University of Northwestern Ohio:

LIMA, Ohio – The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) is proud to announce a new partnership with the American Rally Association (ARA). Beginning in 2025, UNOH will become an Official Educational Partner of the ARA. This collaboration opens a new lane of opportunities for students, offering immersive, real-world experiences in one of the fastest-growing motorsports in the country.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with the American Rally Association,” said Dr. Jeffrey A. Jarvis, UNOH President. “Our students are passionate about motorsports, and this partnership provides them with unprecedented opportunities to engage in every facet of rally—from the service park to the podium, and everything in between.”

As part of the partnership, UNOH will gain access to digital and visual assets, including video, photography, and behind-the-scenes content, for use in student recruitment and marketing efforts. The university will also be prominently featured on the ARA website and across its social media platforms, further showcasing UNOH’s nationally recognized programs in High Performance Motorsports, Automotive, Diesel, and related fields.

The ARA is currently developing a nationwide volunteer recruitment and training platform designed to support its growing schedule of events. UNOH will play a key role in the platform’s launch, with student involvement anticipated at the 2025 Southern Ohio Forest Rally in mid-June. Students will collaborate with ARA officials, teams, and drivers, gaining hands-on experience in technical operations, logistics, business management, and IT systems used in competitive rallying.

“UNOH students have already shown incredible initiative and enthusiasm for the sport,” said ARA Series Manager, Preston Osborn. “This partnership allows us to build a stronger, more skilled rally workforce and gives students the tools to turn their passion into a profession. It’s a partnership that fully aligns with our mission to grow the sport of stage rally in America.”

The partnership is a direct result of student-driven interest. In 2024, UNOH formally launched the UNOH Rally Club after students expressed a desire to connect more deeply with the rally racing community. Throughout the 2024 ARA season, club members volunteered as crew members for a variety of teams, and their ranks have only increased during the first half of the 2025 season. The new agreement formalizes and expands those efforts, laying the foundation for long-term collaboration.

With rally events taking place in diverse and challenging environments across the country, UNOH students will have the opportunity to travel, train, and contribute at both grassroots and professional levels.

“This is more than just motorsports—it’s an educational experience that touches engineering, event production, digital media, marketing, business management, and more,” said Osborn. “UNOH is the perfect partner to help us shape the future of American Rally.”

For more information about the partnership and how students can get involved, visit www.unoh.edu or www.americanrallyassociation.org


 

About ARA: The American Rally Association (ARA) is the largest rally organization in the United States and promotes the country’s only cohesive, nationwide competition for the sport of stage rally: The ARA National Championship Presented by Kubota. Synonymous with extreme-sports-stars-turned-rally-champions—such as Ken Block, Travis Pastrana and Brandon Semenuk—ARA rally, sanctioned by USAC, provides a direct link to pure automotive adventure: a top-speed race against the clock on real roads specifically chosen to challenge production-based cars and world-class drivers on diverse surfaces that include snow, sand, gravel, dirt and tarmac. To learn more about the ARA and its partners, go to www.AmericanRallyAssociation.org

About UNOH:  Founded in 1920, the University of Northwestern Ohio is an entrepreneurial, not-for-profit, university located in Lima, Ohio. The university is comprised of five colleges: the College of Applied Technologies, the College of Business, the College of Health Professions, the College of Occupational Professions, and the Graduate College.  The University is recognized worldwide as a leader in Automotive, Diesel, and High Performance Motorsports Technology education.  UNOH also offers world-class degree programs in Business, Health, Marketing, Information Technology, Robotics, and many other fields of study.  UNOH has educated students from all 50 states and 81 countries, and currently has nearly 3,000 students enrolled from 48 states and 40 countries. The University of Northwestern Ohio also offers a variety of athletics, including men’s and women’s basketball, golf, bowling, soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, and six co-ed motorsports teams.   For more information, visit www.unoh.edu 



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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Explains Why Chase Elliott Can Afford to Be More Selfish Than Alex Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports

Chase Elliott won the Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway last Saturday, thanks to a timely push from teammate Alex Bowman. Though Bowman could have gone for the win himself, he chose to help Elliott — a selfless move that earned widespread praise. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained in a recent conversation with TJ Majors […]

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Chase Elliott won the Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway last Saturday, thanks to a timely push from teammate Alex Bowman. Though Bowman could have gone for the win himself, he chose to help Elliott — a selfless move that earned widespread praise. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained in a recent conversation with TJ Majors why Bowman had no choice but to be so giving in the moment.

Elliott is a Cup Series champion and arguably the most popular NASCAR driver on the planet. His standing within Hendrick Motorsports is higher than that of Bowman. This allows him to carry a slight tinge of selfishness on the race track.

On the other hand, a driver like Bowman, who doesn’t have his future as secure, doesn’t have that luxury. He would likely have drawn heavy criticism from fans and the suits at Hendrick Motorsports had he attempted to win the race and failed. Junior detailed this vividly.

“Chase can be Chase. Chase can go out there and be selfish and do what he wants for himself, and he should. Alex isn’t really afforded that same leeway because he’s not won enough races or a championship,” Dale Jr. said.

“They’ve won the same number of races, honestly, in the last couple of years. But Chase is the most popular driver and also the champion. He’s got long-term equity built up in that team,” Junior added.

As unfair as this may sound, it is the harsh reality of invisible hierarchies in motorsports. Notably, there have also been rumors about Bowman’s seat at Hendrick Motorsports being in trouble over the last few years.

Elliott feels for Bowman and his team

The final push that Bowman gave Elliott in the last lap is what led him to cruise past Brad Keselowski and win. Elliott admitted this and appreciated his teammate in his post-race interviews.

Elliott said, “He and I both knew that the only shot we as a company had at that juncture was to line up and push and hope that something worked out good in our favor because at that point it was two on one. Whether it was he or I — obviously we both wanted to win — I recognize that he gave me a great shove.”

Bowman finished the race in third place. Elliott continued to express hope that the No. 48 team can reach Victory Lane soon, since they have been really fast.



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Grillo Pickles is Hosting the Ultimate NASCAR Weekend Pop-Up

Grillo’s Hot Pickle Car Garage pop-up will feature a Chicago-style cookout, meet and greets with NASCAR stars, and fan giveaways. Photo/Shutterstock and Grillo Pickles NASCAR Weekend is almost here and Grillo Pickles is celebrating with the ultimate Chicago Street Race pop-up! The Boston-based pickles brand is bringing its signature flavors to the Midwest from July […]

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Grillo’s Hot Pickle Car Garage pop-up will feature a Chicago-style cookout, meet and greets with NASCAR stars, and fan giveaways.

NASCAR Weekend is almost here and Grillo Pickles is celebrating with the ultimate Chicago Street Race pop-up!

The Boston-based pickles brand is bringing its signature flavors to the Midwest from July 3-5 with the launch of the Grillo’s Hot Pickle Car Garage.

Grillo X NASCAR

Grillo Garage poster
Photo/Grillo Pickles

The pop-up will take over Vault Gallerie in Pilsen (2015 S. Laflin Street) for three full days of fun-filled activations and delicious eats.

  • Thursday, July 3 – opening giveaway in which the first 100 visitors will receive NASCAR swag signed by racing star Todd Gilliland.
  • Friday, July 4 – Grillo is turning up the heat on Independence Day with a Chicago-style cookout, featuring free hot dogs and brats.
  • Saturday, July 5 – On July 5, NASCAR fans will enjoy a live art installation (1 – 4 p.m.), followed by a meet and greet with drivers Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, and Zane Smith (5 – 6P.M.)

Food & Drink Things To Do





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Reeves to front Cadillac F1 documentary series

Keanu Reeves will host a new multi-part documentary series following the Cadillac Formula 1 team’s journey to the grid in 2026. The filmmaker and actor recently produced a documentary telling the remarkable story of Brawn GP – Ross Brawn’s eponymous team that was borne out of the withdrawal of the Honda works team and duly […]

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Keanu Reeves will host a new multi-part documentary series following the Cadillac Formula 1 team’s journey to the grid in 2026.

The filmmaker and actor recently produced a documentary telling the remarkable story of Brawn GP – Ross Brawn’s eponymous team that was borne out of the withdrawal of the Honda works team and duly won both championships in 2009 – and will now turn his attentions to the newest team on the grid.

In partnership with North One, the unscripted series will explore behind-the-scenes of Cadillac’s journey as the team is built from scratch as a new constructor.

RELATED: Behind the scenes at Cadillac F1’s UK base

“I’m very honored and excited to be a part of telling the remarkable Cadillac Formula 1 team story and its incredible journey into the world of Formula 1 racing,” Reeves said. “Our goal with the docuseries is to bring audiences into the heart of this journey and showcase what it takes to participate in one of the most exclusive sports arenas in the world.”

The project will receive exclusive access from Cadillac, TWG Motorsports and General Motors (GM), to document how it goes about establishing a competitive team with an American foundation to compete in F1.

“This is a story of bold ambition and relentless drive,” Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and the Cadillac F1 team, said. “We’re honored to work with Keanu, whose passion and knowledge of racing runs deep, and proud to partner with GM on this incredible story. We have an opportunity to welcome a new generation of fans to Formula 1 and Keanu’s creativity is the perfect spark to ignite that journey.’’

The producers say the series will air prior to Cadillac’s first race in F1, with the 2026 season kicking off on March 8 in Melbourne, Australia.

“General Motors and TWG Motorsports joined forces on a bold mission – to build a uniquely American Formula 1 team,” added GM president Mark Reuss. “It’s a thrill to have Keanu Reeves document the Cadillac Formula 1 team’s journey to our first season in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”



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Craftsman, Ace Hardware, JGR Launch Racing for a Miracle Program

Craftsman announced its partnership with the Ace Hardware Foundation and NASCAR driver Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing for the 19th Annual Racing for a Miracle program, supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals). This year, Craftsman is donating $100,000 to the Ace Hardware Foundation for CMN Hospitals. The Racing for a Miracle program provides […]

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Craftsman announced its partnership with the Ace Hardware Foundation and NASCAR driver Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing for the 19th Annual Racing for a Miracle program, supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals).

This year, Craftsman is donating $100,000 to the Ace Hardware Foundation for CMN Hospitals. The Racing for a Miracle program provides funding for vital treatments and healthcare services for children and their families at 170 CMN Hospitals across the U.S. and Canada.

“For nearly 20 years, we have seen firsthand the impact Racing for a Miracle, and our partnership with Ace Hardware Foundation and CMN Hospitals, has had for children and their families. We’re always so inspired by their stories, and their strength and perseverance,” says Tony Merritt, vice president of sponsorships for Stanley Black & Decker. “We’re proud to be part of this legacy and happy to celebrate the incredible impact this program has made.”

The donation to the Ace Hardware Foundation will take place during a tailgate at Ace Hardware corporate headquarters. At the tailgate, Craftsman, Ace Hardware and Christopher Bell will unveil the design for 2025 Craftsman Racing for a Miracle car with the help of ten children from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.





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Suarez to lose ride at end of season | News, Sports, Jobs

CONCORD, N.C. — Daniel Suarez, the only Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, is out at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the 2025 season. Trackhouse and Suarez officially called the parting a “mutual decision” that allows the driver an earlier opportunity to pursue a new ride for next season. While Trackhouse […]

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CONCORD, N.C. — Daniel Suarez, the only Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, is out at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the 2025 season.

Trackhouse and Suarez officially called the parting a “mutual decision” that allows the driver an earlier opportunity to pursue a new ride for next season.

While Trackhouse did not name a replacement in the No. 99 Chevrolet, Suarez’s departure opened the door for the team to promote teen sensation Connor Zilisch into the ride. Zilisch, who drives in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, has run three Cup races for Trackhouse this season, including Saturday night at Atlanta.

Suarez has just two wins in 305 career Cup starts, and is a distant 29th in the points standings this season. The 33-year-old Suarez is in his fifth season with Trackhouse Racing and was the team’s first driver in 2021. He made NASCAR’s playoffs two times with Trackhouse.

“We took a team nobody had even heard of in 2021 and in just a couple of years we were winning races and running upfront on a weekly basis,” Suarez wrote on social media. “Just like the seasons in a year, sometimes things change and we have agreed to each go in our own direction.”

Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks thanked Suarez for his contributions.

“The role Daniel has played in the Trackhouse origin story and its first five years will remain a valued part of the company’s history forever,” Marks said. “His commitment, work ethic and dedication to the effort is one of the most impressive things I personally have seen in my career.”

Trackhouse Racing also has Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen under contract, along with Zilisch is its development driver. Chastain has six career wins and was the 2022 Cup Series runner-up while van Gisbergen has a win this year and is in the playoffs.

Suarez, who became an American citizen last year, also has three Xfinity Series wins and one Truck Series win. His 2016 championship in the second-tier Xfinity Series made him the only foreign-born driver to win a national series title.

He made a triumphant return last month to his home country when he won the Xfinity Series race in Mexico City driving for JR Motorsports at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Yet the balance of celebrating a homecoming with looming contract negotiations weighed on Suarez.

“It’s not the first time that I’ve been in this position. Definitely the first time with the Mexico race, but it’s not the first time that I’ve been in the position that we have to win or in the position that we have a contract negotiation in the middle of the season,” Suarez said. “It’s definitely a distraction. I won’t sit here and tell you that it doesn’t really matter. I’m trying to be as smart as possible and to put all this stuff on the side and just do my thing on the track.”

He’ll do his thing at the track in 2026 with yet another new team.

Suarez started his Cup career with Joe Gibbs Racing and has raced for Stewart-Haas Racing and Gaunt Brothers Racing. He has Cup wins in 2022 at Sonoma and last year in Atlanta.



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How changes before 2025 season are paying off halfway through the year

More than three-fourths of the 15 full-time Cup organizations had either a driver or crew chief change to one of their teams entering this season. With the NASCAR Cup Series hitting the halfway point in the 36-race schedule this past weekend at Atlanta, here is a look at the results of those changes so far. […]

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More than three-fourths of the 15 full-time Cup organizations had either a driver or crew chief change to one of their teams entering this season.

With the NASCAR Cup Series hitting the halfway point in the 36-race schedule this past weekend at Atlanta, here is a look at the results of those changes so far.

23XI Racing

Charles Denike joined the organization to be Bubba Wallace’s crew chief, taking the role over from Bootie Barker.

“I truly believe he’s going to be a game-changer for 23XI,” team owner Denny Hamlin said early in the season.

One of the focuses with Wallace was to have a better start to the season. He did. Wallace was seventh in the points after six races this season (last year Wallace was 18th in points after six races).

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying

Bubba Wallace leads Ryan Preece by 23 points for the final playoff spot heading into Sunday’s Chicago Street Race.

Wallace got off to quick start by often scoring stage points. His 61 stage points in the first six races ranked third in the series and were the most he had scored so early in the year.

Four accidents in the last eight races have dropped Wallace to the final playoff spot. He holds that position by 23 points with eight races left in the regular season.

Front Row Motorsports

Zane Smith and Noah Gragson joined the organization in the offseason, while Todd Gilliland was reunited with Chris Lawson, his former Truck crew chief.

Gilliland is 28th in points this season. He was 20th last year at this time. He has six top-15 finishes this year compared to seven at this time last year.

Gragson is 33rd in points this season. He was 25th at this time a year ago for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Smith has made a big jump.

Last year he was under contract to Trackhouse Racing but since there wasn’t room for him there, he ran for Spire Motorsports. He was 34th in points at the halfway point last year.

Coming off last weekend’s seventh-place finish at Atlanta — his second top 10 in the last four races — Smith is 25th in the standings. His best finish in the first half of last year was 13th. Smith has had six finishes better than that this year.

Haas Factory Team

Stewart-Haas Racing, a four-car operation, shut down after last season and Haas Factory Team emerged.

Haas Factory Team runs one car in Cup with Cole Custer, who returned to Cup after spending the previous two seasons in the Xfinity Series. Custer won the 2023 Xfinity title and finished second in the points last year.

Custer has been paired with first-year Cup crew chief Aaron Kramer.

Joe Gibbs Racing

This organization saw four major changes heading into this season.

Last year was Martin Truex Jr.’s final full-time season of racing. Joe Gibbs Racing hired Chase Briscoe to drive the No. 19 car with crew chief James Small.

Briscoe won at Pocono to give the No. 19 team its first victory since July 2023 at New Hampshire. Briscoe’s victory snapped a 68-race winless drought for the team. Briscoe also claimed the pole for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. He has four poles this season.

In another key move, Joe Gibbs Racing moved Chris Gabehart — who had won 22 Cup races with Denny Hamlin from 2019-24 — to competition director.

AUTO: APR 22 NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500

Chris Gabehart, competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing, served as the racing strategist for Ty Gibbs’ team at Atlanta and is expected to continue in that role.

That started a string of events. Chris Gayle moved from his role as Ty Gibbs’ crew chief to become Hamlin’s crew chief.

Tyler Allen, who won eight of 33 Xfinity races in 2024 while working with six different drivers, moved up to Cup to be Gibbs’ crew chief this season.

Gayle has helped Hamlin win three races. Hamlin has 19 playoff points — the same amount he had at this time last year.

Gibbs was 11th in points halfway through last year. He is 24th in points this season. Gibbs is the only JGR driver yet to claim a playoff spot this season.

Gabehart was on Gibbs’ pit box last weekend at Atlanta, serving as the race strategist. He was on the radio with Gibbs and orchestrated strategy with Allen in an effort to help get Gibbs into the playoffs.

Kaulig Racing

Ty Dillon, who ran five races with the team last year, joined Kaulig Racing full-time this season. He took over the ride Daniel Hemric had last year. Hemric was 31st in points at the halfway mark last year. Dillon is 31st. Dillon has scored 34 more points than Hemric had at this time last year.

Trent Owens, who had been Hemric’s crew chief, was moved to Allmendinger’s team this season with Allmendinger returning to Cup full-time.

Allmendinger had three top-10 finishes in six starts at this time last year. He has four top-10 finishes in 18 starts this year, including a season-best fourth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.

The last time Allmendinger ran the full series was 2023. He was 19th in points at the halfway mark. He is 17th in points this season.

Legacy Motor Club

The team brought in crew chief Travis Mack from Kaulig Racing to be paired with John Hunter Nemechek.

Nemechek has scored six top-10 finishes this season — his most in a Cup season. His passer ranking after the first 13 races was 29th but has improved to 16th in the last five races.

He was 27th in points last year at the halfway point and is 23rd this year. Nemechek is 10 points from 20th in the points. He is 20 points from 18th in the standings.

“I think Travis and I gelled really well from the very beginning, hold each other accountable when it comes to situations,” Nemechek said. “We spent quite a bit of time during the offseason communicating, looking at different races, talking about past races, simulation time, kind of just getting to know each other.”

Richard Childress Racing

After spending the past two years as Chase Briscoe’s crew chief at the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Boswell joined RCR to be Austin Dillon’s crew chief.

Dillon ranked 32nd in points at this time last year. He is 26th in points this season.

Dillon’s average finish this year is 20.1 — up five spots from last year.

Rick Ware Racing

After running select races last year, Cody Ware is running the full schedule for the team. Ware is coming off a season-best 13th-place finish at Atlanta.

Justin Haley was the team’s full-time driver last year before he moved to Spire Motorsports in a swap with seven races left that brought Corey LaJoie to RWR. LaJoie has run a limited schedule for the team this year.

RFK Racing

The organization expanded to three teams, adding the No. 60 car for Ryan Preece and pairing him with crew chief Derrick Finley.

Preece is the first driver outside a playoff spot, 23 points below the cutline. He already has a career-high seven top-10 finishes this season, including four in the last seven races.

“Last year, we put that team together and ran a partial schedule with Derrick Finley and we had a handful of different drivers and matured a lot of that team and a partial schedule, whether it be pit crew as well, and that team has fired off with putting Ryan in as the driver full-time and shown a lot of strength,” team owner Brad Keselowski said last weekend at Atlanta.

Spire Motorsports

This team had a few moves last season. With Stewart-Haas Racing closing, Rodney Childers moved from there to be Justin Haley’s crew chief.

That partnership lasted nine races before the two sides parted ways and Ryan Sparks, who had served as Haley’s crew chief for the final seven races of last season, returned.

Michael McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson left Front Row Motorsports to join Spire. A year ago, McDowell was 22nd in the points. His average finish this year is 19.1. Last year at this time it was 20.9.

Trackhouse Racing

The organization expanded to three teams this year, adding Shane van Gisbergen to the Cup lineup and pairing him with crew chief Stephen Doran.

While the Cup rookie continues to learn the ovals, van Gisbergen has been strong — as expected — on the road courses. He won at Mexico to claim a playoff spot and was sixth at Circuit of the Americas.

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying

Shane van Gisbergen won in Mexico in the most recent Cup road course race.

Wood Brothers Racing

Josh Berry joined the team after Stewart-Haas Racing closed last year. He replaced Harrison Burton. Crew chief Miles Stanley joined the team.

The pairing worked. Berry won at Las Vegas in his fifth race of the season with the team, putting the Wood Brothers back in the playoffs after making it last year through Burton’s victory at Daytona in August.

Berry has three top-10 finishes, which is one short of his career-best in Cup. He’s led 169 laps, his most in a season. Berry is 19th in points. That’s where he was a year ago. He has 363 points this season — six more than he had at this time last year.





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