Max Verstappen has emerged as the best Formula 1 driver from the 2025 season, according to team principals, drivers themselves, as well as Motorsport, Autosport and their readers.

All current team bosses and racers were asked by F1 to submit their top 10s, applying the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 points system to create separate standings. No representative from Red Bull and Ferrari took part in the vote, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll also skipping it.

Advertisement

Motorsport’s sister publication Autosport and its F1 writers Stuart Codling and Jake Boxall-Legge established our own ranking, while Autosport readers’ race-by-race average ratings were aggregated into a top 10.

In all four instances, Verstappen was placed at the top, but behind him it was quite tight between Lando Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. The new world champion was slightly more successful than Mercedes’ lead driver, his McLaren team-mate, and Ferrari’s top performer.

Those five were widely considered as the best five drivers of the season, though team principals ranked Leclerc lower than Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on average. The Spaniards were part of numerous midfield contenders for the top six, where Hulkenberg featured twice too; Isack Hadjar was the only midfielder to be included in all top 10s.

Advertisement

Read Also:

F1 2025 recap: Strong rookie year earns Isack Hadjar a podium and Red Bull seat

F1 2025 recap: Life at Ferrari becomes a “nightmare” for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Stroll, Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto failed to feature in any top 10 – as did part-timers Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto.

Top 10 2025 F1 drivers

Applying the current points system when aggregating those four rankings, one can then look at a global top 10 inclusive of team bosses, drivers, journalists and fans alike.

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

The SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, buzzed with anticipation on Championship Saturday, January 3, 2026, as the 41st annual Tulsa Shootout reached its climax. The spotlight shone brightest on the Winged Outlaw A-Main, a 30-lap battle for the coveted Golden Driller trophy.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Daison Pursley, the hardworking Oklahoma native who’d chased this moment for 15 years, rolled off the pole in his No. 86 machine. He’d earned that spot through sheer dominance all week—highlighted by a perfect 10th-to-1st charge in his heat race that left everyone talking.

Fresh off a grueling flight from Australia, where he’d just won the High Limit International finale, Kyle Larson—the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and reigning Winged Outlaw Golden Driller holder—started sixth in his No. 83K. Larson wasted no time slicing through the field, showing why he’s one of the best wheelmen in motorsports. By mid-race, he was glued to Pursley’s bumper, pressuring the leader lap after lap.

The crowd erupted as the two traded paint coming out of turns 3 and 4—Larson diving low, Pursley holding the high line. Contact was made, but Pursley stayed composed, refusing to yield. As the laps wound down, Larson mounted one final charge, pulling alongside in the closing stages. But in turn one, with just a handful of laps left, Larson ran out of talent, got loose, slid up the track, and nearly spun. He saved it masterfully, but the mistake cost him momentum.

Pursley pounced, pulling away to lead every single one of the 30 laps and cross the finish line first. It was his maiden Tulsa Shootout victory—a long-awaited breakthrough after years of near-misses and podiums that always seemed just out of reach.

🏆 @DaisonPursley gets his first Golden Driller!! He wins Winged Outlaw over a hard charging Steven Snyder Jr!

This @HyperRacing44 #TulsaShootout broadcast is powered by @NosEnergyDrink pic.twitter.com/BUjwfKPrte

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 4, 2026

Behind him, Steven Snyder Jr. charged from 12th to second, while Jeffrey Newell rounded out the podium. Larson recovered to finish a hard-fought fourth, a testament to his skill but a reminder that he was not good enough to overcome Pursley’s flawless run on this night.

In Victory Lane, Pursley hoisted the Golden Driller high, tears in his eyes, as the Tulsa faithful cheered the local hero who’d finally schooled the NASCAR superstar on dirt’s biggest micro sprint stage.

Winged Outlaw A-Main Results (January 3, 2026)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked so different in a resurfaced throwback NASCAR photo that motorsports fans needed context from the legend himself to believe it was him.

The image shared from a Reddit post captioned “If party like it’s 1999 were a picture,” showed Earnhardt Jr. shoulder to shoulder with NASCAR rivals from yesteryear. He appeared beardless, unstyled, and almost anonymous from the man who is teaming up with Arby’s next season.

The photo featured drivers Mike McLaughlin, Earnhardt Jr., Randy LaJoie, and Matt Kenseth, a group that once defined the Busch Series landscape. All four finished first through fourth in the 1998 Busch Series standings, with Earnhardt Jr. taking first place and a modest $836,425 in prize money.

Earnhardt Jr. interacted with the post in the comment section and later confirmed that it was a banquet afterparty on the West Coast. That year’s season resulted in Jeff Gordon’s third Driver’s Championship and Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the Daytona 500.

At the time, Dale Jr. was 25 years old, clean-shaven, and wearing a plain dark crewneck with dark brown hair. There were no accessories, no JR Motorsports in existance, and signs of where his life would eventually land.

At 51 years old, Earnhardt Jr. now has visibly gray hair, black-framed glasses, and is often seen in a team button-down shirt and a broadcast headset. Outside of being a Hall of Fame driver with two championships and 24 Cup Series victories, the veteran driver now operates his own O’Reilly Auto Parts team and has become one of NASCAR’s most vocal critics.

Dale Jr. has expressed concerns as the sport continues to change its postseason format, along with gripes about NextGen cars.”I love being a broadcaster in this sport. I am a big fan of NASCAR, I’m a big believer in NASCAR, and I read a lot of the dialogue online.”

“I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here,” he said. I don’t love the Next Gen car. It’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes.”

“It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There are millions of dollars already way down the road, and the car is here.”

Dale Jr. will head JR Motorsports with a skilled lineup targeting the championship next season. Justin Allgaier will come back to drive the No. 7 car in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, alongside Sammy Smith, now in his third year with the team.

After a close call last year, where three drivers, including Conor Zilisch, vied for the title but were edged out by Jesse Love, the team is determined to claim the crown this year.

• NASCAR racing has been absent from Kentucky Speedway for more than five years.
• Once a host of the top three NASCAR series, Kentucky Speedway now sits as a multi-purpose facility.

What started in 1997 as a vision to bring top-tier racing in America to Northern Kentucky now sits just off I-71 having not hosted live racing in front of fans for more than five years. Kentucky Speedway, founded by Jerry Carroll and now owned by Speedway Motorsports, is part of a cohort of race tracks around the United States that still exist, but haven’t hosted race weekends in years.

There are plenty of reasons Kentucky Speedway is effectively closed − the COVID-19 pandemic impact on live, in-person sports, NASCAR scheduling and Speedway Motorsports’ allotment of race weekends on the NASCAR schedule being chief among them.

Speedway Motorsports owns Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Echopark Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, North Wilksboro Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

“I’ve been thinking about this race since we left last year,” summed up the focus at the front of the field by Jax Wittmer, who captured his first career golden Driller in the 41st annual Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink.

Leading all 20 laps in the Flying A-Motorsports Junior Sprint A-Feature, Wittmer’s determination was apparent after settling for second one year ago. Perfect laps by the Pennsylvania driver, the difference at the line was 1.762-seconds over Grayson Graham, with Stetson Stoup working from seventh to the final podium step.

Gage Pio and Levi Ballard from 15th completed the top five. Hudson Andrews, Jaxson Evett, Bryton Buoy, Beau Wyatt, and Ryker Sumner made up the top ten.

The Flying A-Motorsports Junior Sprint field consisted of 130 drivers.

The 42nd annual Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink takes place December 29, 2026, through January 2, 2027, at the Tulsa Expo Raceway, located inside the SageNet Center at Expo Square.

All official rules, event information, and dates are online at http://www.tulsashootout.com. Fans can also follow the Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink at https://www.facebook.com/TulsaShootout and on Twitter (@TulsaShootout).

RACE RESULTS:

Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink

Tulsa Expo Raceway (Tulsa, Okla.)

Flying A Motorsports Junior Sprints

Heat Races (Top 72 in points to 6 Qualifying Races)

FuelTech Race 49 (8 Laps): 1. 21G-Giselle Hicks[3]; 2. 12A-Brady Ayres[6]; 3. 21E-Miles Enfinger[4]; 4. 17P-Evan Phillips[8]; 5. 7A-William Wright[5]; 6. 55Z-Levi Mitchell[2]; 7. 23R-Rylan Short[7]; 8. 22F-Evan Frantz[1]

FuelTech Race 50 (8 Laps): 1. 66-Breck Buoy[2]; 2. 93W-Wyatt Parsley[5]; 3. 52L-Lucas Coulter[8]; 4. 99K-Karter Bates[4]; 5. 9-Estela Stillwell[1]; 6. 09K-Weston Kesner[6]; 7. 23K-Kasten Short[3]; 8. 8B-Addisyn Burck[7]

FuelTech Race 51 (8 Laps): 1. 51-Easton Cambensy[2]; 2. 17G-Grayson Logan[4]; 3. 1-Paxton Perry[5]; 4. 84-Chase Bohanon[3]; 5. 26B-Brighton Hazelwood[1]; 6. 45T-Wyatt Tyre[7]; 7. 52K-Dawson Kreutter[8]; 8. 4C-Gus Hess[6]

FuelTech Race 52 (8 Laps): 1. 17B-Aj Barber[4]; 2. 1P-Paxton Belchik[3]; 3. 57-Andrew Lawson[2]; 4. 45W-Dakota Warhurst[1]; 5. 7W-Willard Ballard[5]; 6. 95-Landen Edsall[7]; 7. 28B-Brex Woods[6]; 8. 37K-Kacie Pittman[8]

FuelTech Race 53 (8 Laps): 1. 7G-Grayson Graham[4]; 2. 7R-Ashlyn Wittmer[5]; 3. 3T-Bentley Thompson[3]; 4. 56L-Giovanni Lucito[1]; 5. 20-Preston Trautschold[8]; 6. 98-Mason McBride[7]; 7. 55P-Preston Caskey[6]; 8. 24Z-Julian Zayas[2]

FuelTech Race 54 (8 Laps): 1. 83-Audrey Larson[2]; 2. 47-Stetson Stroup[7]; 3. 37J-Jayden Ferneau[1]; 4. 9B-Weston Foster[6]; 5. 16-Jett Swindoll[4]; 6. 14B-Chase Buntin[8]; 7. 21B-Brantley Lewis[5]; 8. (DNF) 25K-Kaysen Keeney[3]

FuelTech Race 55 (8 Laps): 1. 5-Gage Pio[5]; 2. 707-Jax Wittmer[8]; 3. 41-Beau Wyatt[3]; 4. 14K-Kaseton Morris[6]; 5. 7B-RJ Bellbowen[1]; 6. 57B-Lowry Bacon[2]; 7. 77-Wesson Whitaker[7]; 8. (DNF) 14A-Brycen Austin[4]

FuelTech Race 56 (8 Laps): 1. 1T-Ryder Morris[1]; 2. 14E-Jaxson Evett[4]; 3. 54-Luke Coates[7]; 4. 1Z-Zander LaRose[3]; 5. 12-Hudson Jordan[5]; 6. 52C-bostynn coleman[6]; 7. 45R-Aiden Rupa[8]; 8. 6T-Wyatt Turner[2]

FuelTech Race 57 (8 Laps): 1. 21-Ryker Toops[3]; 2. 52-Carson Brazeal[4]; 3. 17M-Garrett Mohrfeld[5]; 4. 21T-TomTom Hernly[7]; 5. 28-Archer Jumper[6]; 6. 97-Trigg Hazelwood[2]; 7. 40C-Koen Coleman[1]; 8. (DNS) 11-Axel Frisell

FuelTech Race 58 (8 Laps): 1. 82-Frank Jirik[1]; 2. 40-Tigh Shaffer[3]; 3. 87-Levi Ballard[6]; 4. 11E-Easton Wright[4]; 5. 15G-Giovanni Anderlini[8]; 6. 25D-Samantha Dozier[2]; 7. 32-Cash Wright[5]; 8. 86B-Elliott Murray[7]

FuelTech Race 59 (8 Laps): 1. 7-Hudson Andrews[6]; 2. 65-Bryton Buoy[7]; 3. 23P-Micah Porter[5]; 4. 379-Kendyl Leal[2]; 5. 14-Lane White[1]; 6. 8-Trace Latour[4]; 7. 3G-Everett Geiger[3]; 8. (DNF) 4U-Lee Uzzell[8]

FuelTech Race 60 (8 Laps): 1. 24K-Kasen Kalkwarf[1]; 2. 19-Liam Barton[3]; 3. 12M-Braycen Morris[4]; 4. 49-Brooks White[6]; 5. 9E-Connor Edsall[8]; 6. (DNF) 23D-Wally Duros[2]; 7. (DNF) 89-Easton Loomis[7]; 8. (DNS) 15A-Athena Webster

FuelTech Race 61 (8 Laps): 1. 28K-McKenna Kren[1]; 2. 23-EJ Hatch[3]; 3. 47M-Maggie Stroup[7]; 4. 17H-Huxcen Roush[8]; 5. 26C-Camden McGaha[4]; 6. 17C-Caleb Johannesen[5]; 7. 64B-Barrett Bressler[6]; 8. 25P-Presley Hall[2]

FuelTech Race 62 (8 Laps): 1. 14P-Kruize Parson[2]; 2. 15-Braylon Morris[4]; 3. 74C-Cale Martin[1]; 4. 45-Colt Crisp[5]; 5. 36W-Wheelen Schuerenberg[6]; 6. 45X-Gunner Hudson[7]; 7. (DNF) 62B-Braelyn Wentz[3]

FuelTech Race 63 (8 Laps): 1. 3P-Ryker Sumner[2]; 2. 51K-Kase Martin[1]; 3. 2-Brody Sullivan[7]; 4. 36J-Jaxson Payero[5]; 5. 10-Easton Gardner[3]; 6. 17-Thatcher Parker[6]; 7. (DNF) 33-Luke Spring[4]

FuelTech Race 64 (8 Laps): 1. 5B-Evan Boyd[2]; 2. 1L-Axten Larsen[1]; 3. 99E-Emeryn Fenton[5]; 4. 81-Liam Lofton[4]; 5. 27-Brody Lewis[6]; 6. (DNF) 33F-Fisher Kelsey[3]; 7. (DNF) 25Z-Bentlee Zimmerman[7]

Qualifiers (Top 12 in combined Heat/Qualifier Passing Points lock into the A-Feature)

Race 250 | Qualifier 1 (10 Laps): 1. 7G-Grayson Graham[3]; 2. 83-Audrey Larson[1]; 3. 7-Hudson Andrews[4]; 4. 28K-McKenna Kren[6]; 5. 7R-Ashlyn Wittmer[2]; 6. 52-Carson Brazeal[5]; 7. 23-EJ Hatch[7]; 8. 45-Colt Crisp[10]; 9. 11E-Easton Wright[11]; 10. 49-Brooks White[9]; 11. 379-Kendyl Leal[12]; 12. 1L-Axten Larsen[8]

Race 251 | Qualifier 2 (10 Laps): 1. 54-Luke Coates[2]; 2. 707-Jax Wittmer[4]; 3. 14P-Kruize Parson[1]; 4. 20-Preston Trautschold[9]; 5. 14B-Chase Buntin[12]; 6. 1-Paxton Perry[7]; 7. 15-Braylon Morris[5]; 8. 84-Chase Bohanon[11]; 9. 12A-Brady Ayres[3]; 10. 17P-Evan Phillips[6]; 11. 21E-Miles Enfinger[8]; 12. 36J-Jaxson Payero[10]

Race 252 | Qualifier 3 (10 Laps): 1. 3P-Ryker Sumner[1]; 2. 5-Gage Pio[4]; 3. 47M-Maggie Stroup[2]; 4. 87-Levi Ballard[5]; 5. 52L-Lucas Coulter[3]; 6. 37J-Jayden Ferneau[10]; 7. 17H-Huxcen Roush[6]; 8. 45W-Dakota Warhurst[11]; 9. 17M-Garrett Mohrfeld[7]; 10. 12M-Braycen Morris[8]; 11. 1Z-Zander LaRose[9]; 12. (DNS) 15G-Giovanni Anderlini

Race 253 | Qualifier 4 (10 Laps): 1. 5B-Evan Boyd[1]; 2. 21G-Giselle Hicks[3]; 3. 47-Stetson Stroup[4]; 4. 1P-Paxton Belchik[6]; 5. 1T-Ryder Morris[5]; 6. 3T-Bentley Thompson[9]; 7. 2-Brody Sullivan[2]; 8. 81-Liam Lofton[11]; 9. 56L-Giovanni Lucito[12]; 10. 74C-Cale Martin[10]; 11. 23P-Micah Porter[7]; 12. 99E-Emeryn Fenton[8]

Race 254 | Qualifier 5 (10 Laps): 1. 66-Breck Buoy[2]; 2. 17G-Grayson Logan[1]; 3. 65-Bryton Buoy[4]; 4. 21-Ryker Toops[3]; 5. 41-Beau Wyatt[9]; 6. 82-Frank Jirik[5]; 7. 40-Tigh Shaffer[6]; 8. 28-Archer Jumper[11]; 9. 21T-TomTom Hernly[7]; 10. 9B-Weston Foster[8]; 11. 9E-Connor Edsall[10]; 12. 7A-William Wright[12]

Race 255 | Qualifier 6 (10 Laps): 1. 14E-Jaxson Evett[1]; 2. 51-Easton Cambensy[2]; 3. 17B-Aj Barber[4]; 4. 24K-Kasen Kalkwarf[5]; 5. 51K-Kase Martin[7]; 6. 99K-Karter Bates[10]; 7. 7W-Willard Ballard[12]; 8. 19-Liam Barton[6]; 9. 57-Andrew Lawson[9]; 10. 93W-Wyatt Parsley[3]; 11. 36W-Wheelen Schuerenberg[11]; 12. 14K-Kaseton Morris[8]

C-Features (Top 2 advance B-Features)

Race 332 | C1 (10 Laps): 1. 95-Landen Edsall[2]; 2. 86B-Elliott Murray[9]; 3. 23R-Rylan Short[4]; 4. 26B-Brighton Hazelwood[3]; 5. 12-Hudson Jordan[1]; 6. (DNF) 3G-Everett Geiger[6]; 7. (DNF) 55Z-Levi Mitchell[5]; 8. (DNF) 24Z-Julian Zayas[8]; 9. (DNF) 21B-Brantley Lewis[7]; 10. (DNS) 11-Axel Frisell; 11. (DQ) 17-Thatcher Parker[11]

Race 333 | C2 (10 Laps): 1. 17C-Caleb Johannesen[4]; 2. 98-Mason McBride[2]; 3. 7B-RJ Bellbowen[3]; 4. 15A-Athena Webster[11]; 5. 27-Brody Lewis[1]; 6. 77-Wesson Whitaker[6]; 7. 32-Cash Wright[7]; 8. 62B-Braelyn Wentz[8]; 9. 57B-Lowry Bacon[5]; 10. 6T-Wyatt Turner[10]; 11. (DNF) 40C-Koen Coleman[9]

Race 334 | C3 (10 Laps): 1. 14-Lane White[3]; 2. 28B-Brex Woods[6]; 3. 89-Easton Loomis[7]; 4. 37K-Kacie Pittman[8]; 5. 97-Trigg Hazelwood[5]; 6. 25P-Presley Hall[10]; 7. 16-Jett Swindoll[1]; 8. 52K-Dawson Kreutter[4]; 9. 4C-Gus Hess[9]; 10. (DNF) 33F-Fisher Kelsey[11]; 11. (DNF) 45X-Gunner Hudson[2]

Race 335 | C4 (10 Laps): 1. 4U-Lee Uzzell[6]; 2. 09K-Weston Kesner[3]; 3. 26C-Camden McGaha[1]; 4. 25D-Samantha Dozier[5]; 5. 55P-Preston Caskey[4]; 6. 22F-Evan Frantz[8]; 7. 14A-Brycen Austin[9]; 8. (DNF) 45R-Aiden Rupa[2]; 9. (DNF) 33-Luke Spring[7]; 10. (DNS) 10-Easton Gardner

Race 336 | C5 (10 Laps): 1. 9-Estela Stillwell[2]; 2. 64B-Barrett Bressler[6]; 3. 23K-Kasten Short[7]; 4. 23D-Wally Duros[5]; 5. 25K-Kaysen Keeney[9]; 6. 8-Trace Latour[4]; 7. 45T-Wyatt Tyre[1]; 8. 52C-bostynn coleman[3]; 9. 8B-Addisyn Burck[8]; 10. (DNS) 25Z-Bentlee Zimmerman

B-Features (Top 3 advance to the LCQ)

Race 337 | B1 (10 Laps): 1. 14E-Jaxson Evett[1]; 2. 87-Levi Ballard[3]; 3. 1-Paxton Perry[5]; 4. 7R-Ashlyn Wittmer[4]; 5. 47M-Maggie Stroup[2]; 6. 56L-Giovanni Lucito[9]; 7. 28-Archer Jumper[8]; 8. 95-Landen Edsall[13]; 9. 12A-Brady Ayres[7]; 10. 2-Brody Sullivan[6]; 11. 49-Brooks White[10]; 12. 86B-Elliott Murray[14]; 13. 14K-Kaseton Morris[12]; 14. 379-Kendyl Leal[11]

Race 338 | B2 (10 Laps): 1. 51-Easton Cambensy[1]; 2. 24K-Kasen Kalkwarf[3]; 3. 19-Liam Barton[7]; 4. 23-EJ Hatch[6]; 5. 3T-Bentley Thompson[5]; 6. 11E-Easton Wright[9]; 7. 17C-Caleb Johannesen[12]; 8. 51K-Kase Martin[4]; 9. 98-Mason McBride[13]; 10. 9B-Weston Foster[10]; 11. 9E-Connor Edsall[11]; 12. (DNF) 45W-Dakota Warhurst[8]; 13. (DNF) 28K-McKenna Kren[2]; 14. (DNS) 15G-Giovanni Anderlini

Race 339 | B3 (10 Laps): 1. 14P-Kruize Parson[2]; 2. 14B-Chase Buntin[3]; 3. 83-Audrey Larson[1]; 4. 17H-Huxcen Roush[6]; 5. 45-Colt Crisp[7]; 6. 74C-Cale Martin[10]; 7. 99K-Karter Bates[5]; 8. 1Z-Zander LaRose[12]; 9. 14-Lane White[13]; 10. 17M-Garrett Mohrfeld[8]; 11. 28B-Brex Woods[14]; 12. 1L-Axten Larsen[11]; 13. 1T-Ryder Morris[4]; 14. 17P-Evan Phillips[9]

Race 340 | B4 (10 Laps): 1. 17G-Grayson Logan[1]; 2. 37J-Jayden Ferneau[4]; 3. 21-Ryker Toops[2]; 4. 82-Frank Jirik[5]; 5. 21T-TomTom Hernly[8]; 6. 4U-Lee Uzzell[13]; 7. 52L-Lucas Coulter[3]; 8. 23P-Micah Porter[10]; 9. 36J-Jaxson Payero[12]; 10. 09K-Weston Kesner[14]; 11. 57-Andrew Lawson[9]; 12. 84-Chase Bohanon[7]; 13. 7W-Willard Ballard[6]; 14. (DNF) 99E-Emeryn Fenton[11]

Race 341 | B5 (10 Laps): 1. 1P-Paxton Belchik[2]; 2. 41-Beau Wyatt[3]; 3. 20-Preston Trautschold[1]; 4. 52-Carson Brazeal[4]; 5. 15-Braylon Morris[5]; 6. 21E-Miles Enfinger[10]; 7. 64B-Barrett Bressler[14]; 8. 81-Liam Lofton[7]; 9. 40-Tigh Shaffer[6]; 10. 7A-William Wright[12]; 11. 93W-Wyatt Parsley[8]; 12. 9-Estela Stillwell[13]; 13. 12M-Braycen Morris[9]; 14. (DNF) 36W-Wheelen Schuerenberg[11]

LCQ (Top 8 advance to the A-Feature)

Race 423 | LCQ (12 Laps): 1. 14E-Jaxson Evett[1]; 2. 14P-Kruize Parson[4]; 3. 87-Levi Ballard[6]; 4. 51-Easton Cambensy[2]; 5. 41-Beau Wyatt[9]; 6. 17G-Grayson Logan[3]; 7. 21-Ryker Toops[13]; 8. 14B-Chase Buntin[8]; 9. 37J-Jayden Ferneau[10]; 10. 19-Liam Barton[15]; 11. 24K-Kasen Kalkwarf[7]; 12. 20-Preston Trautschold[12]; 13. 1-Paxton Perry[14]; 14. 83-Audrey Larson[11]; 15. (DNF) 1P-Paxton Belchik[5]

A-Feature:

Race 429 | A Main (20 Laps): 1. 707-Jax Wittmer[1]; 2. 7G-Grayson Graham[2]; 3. 47-Stetson Stroup[7]; 4. 5-Gage Pio[3]; 5. 87-Levi Ballard[15]; 6. 7-Hudson Andrews[4]; 7. 14E-Jaxson Evett[13]; 8. 65-Bryton Buoy[8]; 9. 41-Beau Wyatt[17]; 10. 3P-Ryker Sumner[11]; 11. 21G-Giselle Hicks[9]; 12. 14B-Chase Buntin[20]; 13. 21-Ryker Toops[19]; 14. 17G-Grayson Logan[18]; 15. 54-Luke Coates[5]; 16. 66-Breck Buoy[6]; 17. 17B-Aj Barber[10]; 18. 5B-Evan Boyd[12]; 19. (DNF) 51-Easton Cambensy[16]; 20. (DNF) 14P-Kruize Parson[14]

Tulsa Shootout PR

CONCORD, NC, UNITED STATES, January 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Wheelhouse Motorsports today announced a new strategic partnership with Robert Noaker Racing (RNR), uniting two leading organizations known for their development of competitive Mustang racing programs. The collaboration brings together RNR’s championship-winning expertise with Wheelhouse’s operational strength, deep technical resources, and nationally recognized driver development capabilities.

Robert Noaker Racing enters the partnership following back-to-back Team and Driver Championships in 2024 and 2025, including a flawless 2025 Mustang Challenge season in which the Noaker-prepared car led every lap of every race. Wheelhouse Motorsports will integrate this proven technical knowledge with its own established infrastructure, including its GT4 Mustang program competing in the World Racing League (WRL).

Operations will be based at the Wheelhouse Motorsports facility located on the campus of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Wheelhouse team, including the manager, engineering staff, and technical crew, brings over 100 years of combined motorsports experience to the program. At the track, competitors will also recognize familiar faces, as the RNR crew, led by Bob Noaker, will collaborate with Wheelhouse personnel to support all Mustang Challenge efforts.
“As we continue to expand Wheelhouse Motorsports, this partnership represents a significant step forward,” said Dan McKeever, owner of Wheelhouse Motorsports. “Robert Noaker Racing has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in the Mustang Dark Horse R platform, and by combining that expertise with our operational systems and our long-standing commitment to driver development, we are well-positioned to deliver a next-level experience for our customers and competitors.”

The alliance leverages Wheelhouse’s roots in operating the Ford Performance Racing School, the nation’s premier performance driving school since 2006. The organization operates owner-experience programs for Ford and offers 1-day, 2-day, and Advanced high-performance driving courses, giving clients access to top-tier coaching and continuous development. Integrating this expertise with RNR’s race-winning preparation provides a comprehensive solution for drivers seeking a pathway into professional competition.

“This partnership allows both of our organizations to do what we do best,” said Robert Noaker, owner of Robert Noaker Racing. “Wheelhouse brings unmatched operational depth, driver training, and a world-class facility. When we combine that with the experience our team has developed running and winning with the Dark Horse R, we create a program built to elevate any driver who wants to compete at a higher level.”

Through this partnership, drivers have the following opportunities:
– Lease a Mustang Dark Horse R for the entire 2026 Mustang Challenge season.
– Contract Wheelhouse/RNR to maintain and operate their own cars.
– Compete with Wheelhouse Motorsports in the WRL series, piloting a GTO-class Mustang GT4.

Wheelhouse Motorsports and Robert Noaker Racing look forward to delivering a comprehensive, competitive, and professionally supported environment for drivers seeking championship-caliber performance in 2026 and beyond.

Bill Johnson
Wheelhouse
+1 910-658-1447
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.