NASCAR will allow two additional entries for the Xfinity race at Mexico City, expanding the field to as many as 40 cars for the June 14 race.

All other Xfinity races are capped at 38 cars.

Any teams using what is being called an International Provisional for the Mexico City Xfinity race will start 39th and 40th in the race.

Xfinity teams using an International Provisional also will …

– Not be eligible for prize money regardless of finishing position.

– Not receive driver or team owner points for the race. All other vehicles will be elevated in the standings and receive points accordingly.

– Not receive driver or team owner points for stages. All other vehicles will be elevated in the standings and receive points accordingly.

– Not receive credit for the win or any playoff benefits associated with the victory. The second-place vehicle will receive first-place points but not receive the benefits associated with the win, including eligibility for the playoffs.

– Not receive playoff points associated with stage or a race win. The second place vehicle in the stage and/or race will not receive the playoff points.

Welcome to the party, Ross Chastain—and to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, for that matter.

Starting from the rear of the field in a backup car his team needed all night to prepare, Chastain ran down the dominant car of William Byron to win Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Byron led 283 of 400 laps and swept the first three stages of NASCAR’s longest race. Chastain led the final six after diving below Byron’s Chevrolet entering Turn 1 on Lap 395 and sliding up in Turn 2 to clear Byron off the corner.

Chastain crossed the finish line 0.673 seconds ahead of the Hendrick Motorsports driver to win for the first time this season, the first time at Charlotte and the sixth time in his career.

It was a far cry from Saturday’s practice, when Chastain blew a tire on his No. 1 Chevrolet and crashed into the outside wall between Turns 3 and 4, ultimately forcing his Trackhouse Racing team to build a backup car.

Unable to make a qualifying run, Chastain took the green flag in 40th and spent the rest of the race methodically working his way toward the front.

Chastain had nothing but admiration for his Trackhouse organization.

“When I left the shop last night, I went over and sat in this car for the first time,” Chastain said. “It was about 10 o’clock when I left. They worked until 2:30. They were back at 5:30 this morning. Most of them drive 30, 45 minutes home. A little shower, I think.

…

“I don’t even know if they slept. Back there at 5:30. They get this thing ready, and that’s the dedication it takes from Trackhouse. There were people there that had their Saturdays off yesterday, and they came in.

“To drive on that final run in the (Coke) 600 and pass two cars that had been way better all night … (Crew chief) Phil Surgen wanted me to pit two laps earlier (in the final stage). I went two laps longer (to Lap 350) just out of a little bit of confusion. Man, that paid off at the end. These Goodyear Eagles held on longer because they were a little bit fresher.

“Holy cow, we just won the 600!”

Winner of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte, Byron was understandably disappointed at his failure to complete the sweep.

“He was catching me, and I was trying to just defend,” Byron said of the decisive final run. “I was getting a little bit tight. Then the scenario there with the cars we were around (Hamlin after his unscheduled stop and Joey Logano), it was tough.

“So, yeah, he got a run on me and was able to get to the bottom and clear me off of (Turn) 2. Disappointing just to lead that many laps and such a great effort by our whole team. Yeah, I guess just could have anticipated that last run a little better. I ran in dirty air for a long time and heated my tires up. Then we lost a chunk of time, and the 45 (Tyler Reddick) about crashed in front of us. Yeah, sucks.

“We’ll just keep going and keep trying to put races together like that.”

Chastain, however, wasn’t a factor for the lead as Byron and Denny Hamlin battled for the top spot in a thrilling third stage that saw them swap the lead nine times.

After the halfway break, when the cars stopped on pit road to honor America’s fallen heroes with a moment of silence, Byron was not as dominant as he had been in the first two stages. Hamlin hounded him mercilessly until Zane Smith spun off Turn 2 to cause the fifth caution on Lap 237.

A five-car wreck in Turn 4 nine laps later eliminated the Ford of Ryan Blaney and the Chevrolets of Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez. Hamlin ran down Byron after the subsequent restart and passed him for the lead on Lap 262.

Stronger on the long run, however, Byron reclaimed the top spot on Lap 291 and held off Hamlin and Carson Hocevar to complete a sweep of the first three stages. Hocevar was a contender for at least a top-five finish until an engine failure ended his race after 307 laps.

Hamlin continued to challenge in the final 100 laps, until a mistake on pit road foiled his winning chances. During the final green-flag pit stop on Lap 348 Hamlin’s crew failed to get the second can of fuel in the car, and Hamlin bowed out of contention with an unplanned pit stop on Lap 388.

“I’m not a pit guy, but I tried to do everything I could for the National Debt Relief Toyota team,” Hamlin said. “We had a great car, and it was fun battling up front. It was a heck of a battle there.

“I would have liked to see it through, but unfortunately, just didn’t get enough gas in it and had to come back in.”

Pole winner Chase Briscoe overcame a tire violation on his first pit stop to finish third. AJ Allmendinger ran fourth and Brad Keselowski came home fifth, posting his first top-10 result of the season.

Chase Elliott, Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson completed the top 10.

It’s a good thing Larson has a self-professed short memory, because Sunday was a day to forget for the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. After spinning in Takuma Sato’s wake on Lap 92 of the Indianapolis 500 and falling out of the race, Larson flew to Charlotte to start on the front row for the Coke 600.

For a short while, Larson’s fortunes improved. He passed Byron for the lead on Lap 9 and stayed out front for 33 circuits. During that run, however, Larson slapped the outside wall. On Lap 42, he spun off Turn 4 and slid sideways through the turf in the tri-oval

“The toe might be barely off,” Larson radioed to crew chief Cliff Daniels. “I hit the wall pretty hard, and not square. Check it please.”

The toe (tire angle) was more than barely off, and repeated pit stops couldn’t make it right. Larson’s forgettable day ended in the five-car accident on Lap 246 when the spinning car of Daniel Suarez applied the coup de grace to the suspension of Larson’s Chevrolet.

“Just too many mistakes on my end tonight, and it got me behind,” Larson said after a trip to the infield care center. “I got loose in (while) leading early and smacked the wall and just kind of got us behind, but I thought our team got the car back in better shape there.

“I hate the way that the day went. I wish I could just reset and try again tomorrow.”

Jimmie Johnson’s 700th Cup Series start came to an end just as suddenly. In Turn 4 on Lap 112, Johnson’s No. 84 Toyota broke loose and collected the cars of Cole Custer and Connor Zilisch, the Xfinity Series phenom who was making his first Cup start on an oval track.

Johnson retired from the race in 40th. Zilisch persevered to come home 23rd.

All three of NASCAR’s national series will be in action this weekend as they head to Music City to take on Nashville Superspeedway.

Here’s who’s on the entry lists for this weekend across the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The NASCAR Cup Series will run the Cracker Barrel 400 on Sunday, June 1, at 7 p.m. ET. The race will be streamed on Amazon Prime.

There are 39 entries listed, meaning every car will make the field for Sunday’s race, barring any changes to the entry list.

JJ Yeley will make his fifth Cup start of 2025 this weekend in the No. 44 for NY Racing Team.

Chad Finchum is back in Cup action this weekend in Garage 66’s No. 66.

Truck points leader Corey Heim will make his second scheduled Cup start of 2025 in the No. 67 for 23XI Racing.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will contest the Tennessee Lottery 250 on Saturday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcasted on The CW.

Forty teams are entered for Saturday’s race, meaning that two teams will not make the field following qualifying, barring any changes to the entry list.

Full-time Cup Series driver Ross Chastain will be pulling double duty this weekend, as he will be in the No. 9 JR Motorsports car for Saturday’s race.

Logan Bearden will attempt his first Xfinity Series start of 2025 in the No. 14 for SS-Green Light Racing. Garrett Smithley‘s is the car’s usual driver.

Corey Day is back in the No. 17 for Hendrick Motorsports this weekend for an attempt at his third Xfinity start of 2025.

Aric Almirola continues his part-time Xfinity schedule for 2025 as he returns to the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing car.

Jeffrey Earnhardt will attempt to qualify for this weekend’s race in the No. 24 for Sam Hunt Racing.

Mason Massey is back in action this weekend in the No. 45 for Alpha Prime Racing.

Mason Maggio returns this weekend in the No. 53 for Joey Gase Racing. JGR’s No. 35 is entered without a driver.

Thomas Annunziata will return to the Xfinity Series this weekend in the No. 70 Cope Family Racing car.

Myatt Snider is back in DGM Racing’s No. 91.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will race at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday, May 30, at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

Thirty-two trucks are entered for the race, meaning that all teams will make the field for the race, barring any changes.

Full-time Xfinity driver William Sawalich will drive the No. 1 for TRICON Garage.

After two races away, Nathan Byrd returns to the Truck Series this weekend in the No. 02 for Young’s Motorsports.

Clay Green will make his first Truck start of 2025 this weekend in the No. 2 for Reaume Brothers Racing, while Tyler Tomassi’s in RBR’s No. 22.

Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch will make his fourth Truck start of 2025 in the No. 07 for Spire Motorsports, while Corey Day is in the team’s No. 7.

Luke Fenhaus returns to Truck action this weekend in the No. 66 for ThorSport Racing.

Akinori Ogata will make his second start of the season in his self-owned No. 63.

Logan Kendall joined the Frontstretch team in 2025 as the Tuesday News Writer and fills in other roles as needed. He resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spends his free time writing as a hobby creatively and is a self published author.

Logan can be found on X @LoganKendall48

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Logan Bearden announced he will compete in his first race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in the No.14 Chevrolet Camaro of SS-GreenLight Racing.

Bearden’s primary marketing partner will be T3 Vodka.

“T3 Vodka is thrilled to team up with Logan Bearden and SS-GreenLight Racing,” said Mark Lester, Founder and President of T3 Vodka. “Tennessee is our home – and it’s the heart of our identity. Partnering with Logan for Nashville just makes sense. NASCAR is built on passion and heritage, and we bring that same spirit to every bottle we make. We’re proud to bring a premium product to a fanbase that values quality, authenticity, and a damn good time.”

“Nashville is not just an iconic venue – it’s right in the middle of our target footprint,” Lester added. “This sponsorship helps us strengthen relationships with distributors and retailers while reaching NASCAR’s incredibly loyal and engaged fan base. It’s more than just branding — it’s a platform to grow our presence where it matters most.”

T3 Vodka is a Knoxville-based premium vodka brand known for its hand-crafted spirit and meticulous 10-step filtration process. The 80-proof, American-made vodka has earned international acclaim, including a Gold Medal at the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas and a Gold Medal at the 2024 SIP International Spirits Competition in San Diego. T3 Vodka is currently distributed across Middle and East Tennessee and is expanding into Virginia, Georgia, and Nevada. For more information, visit t3vodka.com.

“It’s an honor to carry T3 Vodka on the No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend,” said Bearden. “They’re a Tennessee-born brand with big goals, and I’m excited to help bring that story to life on and off the track. We’re going to give them a show to remember.”

The Tennessee Lottery 250 (188 laps | 250.4 miles) is the 14th of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. A pair of 25-minute practices will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 1:05 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow at 2:10 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 6:30 p.m., with live coverage on The CW Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).

For more information on Logan Bearden, visit https://www.loganbearden.com/ or follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/loganbeardenracing/), X (https://x.com/LoganBearden_) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/logan_bearden/).

For more information on T3 Vodka, visit https://t3vodka.com/ or follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/t3vodka/) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/t3vodka).

Snow Belt Mgmt PR

Purdue University and Dallara formalized a partnership announced last year that will provide new opportunities for students in the Indiana school’s motorsports engineering program.

The collaboration will see Purdue’s motorsports engineering program, the only undergraduate, ABET-accredited such program in the country, to be housed inside the U.S. headquarters of Dallara, the multinational Italian race car manufacturer. The facility, located just one mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will provide space for classrooms and hands-on training for Purdue students pursuing a career in motorsports while providing them unique opportunities to make early connections within the industry.

Purdue students will gain real-world knowledge from faculty like Chris Finch, director of the Purdue motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis and former INDYCAR race engineer with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, while training alongside Dallara.

Purdue Motorsports will begin operations at Dallara in time for the start of the fall semester in the 2025-26 academic year.

For more information, visit purdue.edu.com.

Will Brown, 26, is the defending champion of the Australian Supercars Series. He has eleven career wins and finished third in last year’s Bathurst 1000. In addition to his impressive Supercars career, Brown is also a two-time class winner of the Bathurst 12 Hours.

He already made his Cup debut last year, driving for Richard Childress Racing at Sonoma. He started 24th and finished 31st. Brown will return for the Chicago Street Course race, driving a third entry as a teammate to AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon, piloting the No. 13 Chevrolet. MobileX will back the effort and serve as the primary sponsor, as they did in his start with RCR.

There has been an influx of Supercars talent in NASCAR ever since Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) won in his Cup debut at the Chicago Street Course in 2023, ultimately choosing to leave Supercars behind to pursue a full-time career in NASCAR. Brown actually replaced SVG at Red Bull Ampol Racing (Triple Eight) after he journeyed stateside. 

Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Photo by: Edge Photographics

“After watching SVG win the 2023 Chicago NASCAR race and getting to drive myself at Sonoma last year, I’ve been really keen to have a go at the Grant Park 165,” said Brown. “The Supercars calendar aligned this year to give me time to get over to Charlotte early to prepare and give the race a crack! I have watched Kaulig Racing closely this season and I’m really excited to get behind the wheel of the MobileX and Shaw and Partners Financial Services No. 13!”

Added team owner Matt Kaulig: “This is an amazing opportunity for Kaulig Racing to compete for a win in one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. We are so excited to have Will (Brown) race with us and compete for the trophy.  The team is ready, and we know he has the talent.”

The event is set to take place on July 6th with Brown hoping to become the first Australian-born driver (SVG is from New Zealand) to win at the Cup level since fellow Supercars champion did it in 2012.