With Ryan Blaney’s victory last week at Nashville, Team Penske became the first team to land all drivers – including their partner team Wood Brothers Racing – into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

But it’s Hendrick Motorsports that remains atop the championship standings heading into Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – and one of the former series champs in the four-driver Hendrick lineup is hoping to finally secure his place in the upcoming Playoffs with a win.

Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASAR Cup Series champion, had a tremendously good start to his career on the two-mile Michigan high-banks scoring runner-up finishes in the first three races he ran there (2016-18). And surprisingly considering that start, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has never won at the track. He finds himself, however, primed for a trophy-hoist this weekend.

Elliott is the highest ranked driver without a victory this season – fifth in the championship standings with top-10 finishes in half the races (seven). At Michigan International Speedway, he earned an amazing 10 top-10 finishes in his first 11 starts. But he hasn’t had any in the three races afterward – his worst showing 36th in 2023 was a result of being collected in a crash only 34 laps into the race.

Mention Michigan to Elliott and his face lights up. It’s absolutely a track where he feels legitimately optimistic to score that first victory of 2025. He is the only driver to finish among the top-20 in all 14 races this season and has the third best average finish (11.5) in the series.

“It’s always good to go to Michigan and have a good run,” Elliott said. “It’s certainly changed a lot over the years, just with how the cars have changed. But the race track itself is the most consistent place I’ve ever seen for a racetrack that has those hard winters.”

Elliott’s teammate, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, William Byron remains atop the championship standings, extending his lead over teammate Kyle Larson to 48 points. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team to have at least one of their four cars finish in the top-five in all 14 races this year.

Larson is tied with Team Penske’s Joey Logano for most wins (three) at Michigan among active drivers, but his last was in 2017.

The last four Michigan races have been won by different drivers – three of them in Fords (Chris Buescher, Kevin Harvick and Blaney). The exception is defending race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in a Toyota. He too is looking for his first victory of the year, after claiming the 2024 regular season title.

To that point, the intensity is certainly picking up now that the regular season is more than half-way over. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch – the 2011 Michigan winner – sits on the Playoff cutoff line in 16th place with five drivers within 13 points of him heading into the weekend.

Interesting to note, no Michigan native has ever won at his “home track.” RFK Racing owner/driver Brad Keselowski has three runner-up finishes. Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, who earned his second top-10 of the season last week, has claimed top-10 finishes at Michigan in two of the last three races.

Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar is coming off his second runner-up finish this year – tying a career best. He led three laps and finished 10th in his Michigan NASCAR Cup Series debut last year.

The top-32 drivers in the standings have qualified for the inaugural “In-Season Challenge” program and the next three races – at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono – will seed the brackets. The first of five races for the In-Season Challenge is June 28 at Atlanta’s newly renamed, EchoPark Speedway.

Practice followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying gets underway at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR in the antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one owned by Michael Jordan, and vacated an injunction that required 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to be recognized as chartered teams as their case snakes through the legal system.

Both race teams sued NASCAR late last year after refusing to sign new agreements on charter renewals. The charter system is similar to franchises in other sports, but the charters are revocable by NASCAR and have expiration dates. 23XI, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, allied with Front Row in suing NASCAR after 13 other organizations signed the renewals last September and those two organization refused.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps,” said Jeffery Kessler, attorney for 23XI and Front Row. “This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for Dec. 1.

“We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

The two teams sued and asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as chartered teams for this season. The antitrust case isn’t scheduled to be heard until December.

The teams said they needed the injunction because the current charter agreement prohibits them from suing NASCAR. 23XI also argued it would be harmed because Tyler Reddick’s contract would have made him a free agent if the team could not guarantee him a charter-protected car.

The original judge ruled that NASCAR’s charter agreement likely violated antitrust law in granting the injunction. But when they heard arguments last month, the three judges at the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, indicated they were skeptical of that decision.

The judges said in Thursday’s ruling they were not aware of any case that supports the lower court’s theory of antitrust law, so they vacated the injunction.

“In short, because we have found no support for the proposition that a business entity or person violates the antitrust laws by requiring a prospective participant to give a release for past conduct as a condition for doing business, we cannot conclude that the plaintiffs made a clear showing that they were likely to succeed on the merits of that theory,” the court said. “And without satisfaction of the likelihood-of-success element, the plaintiffs were not entitled to a preliminary injunction.”

The teams have 14 days to appeal to the full court. The injunction also has no bearings on the merits of the case, and the earliest NASCAR can treat the teams as unchartered — a charter guarantees their organizations a starting spot each week and prize money — is one week after the deadline to appeal, provided there is no pending appeal.

NASCAR has not said what it would do with the six charters held by the two organizations if they are returned to the sanctioning body. There are only 36 chartered cars for a 40-car field. If the teams do not appeal, the six entries would have to compete as “open” cars — which means they’d have to qualify on speed each week to make the race and they would receive a fraction of the money.

It’s not clear what would happen to Reddick’s contract. He goes to Michigan this weekend ranked sixth in the Cup Series standings. Both organizations are still seeking a win this season — Hamlin’s three victories are with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team he drives for.

Reddick is last year’s regular-season champion and competed for the Cup title last November.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is one of the most recognized names in NASCAR. Here’s what you need to know.

A three-judge panel from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously vacated a preliminary injection order Thursday that had allowed 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to compete as chartered teams — and receive the financial benefits as a chartered team.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps,” said Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. “This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for December 1.

“We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

The 2-mile oval in Brooklyn, Michigan, returns to June for its annual event weekend.

There will be no impact to the teams this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, may file a petition for rehearing before the entire Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals within 14 calendar days. That would be June 19.

Thursday’s decision by the three judges does not go into effect until seven days after the expiration of time period for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to file a petition for rehearing. That would be June 26.

This matter is only a part of the lawsuit 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed against NASCAR last year. The case is still scheduled to go to trial in December.

The teams sought the injunction last year, stating that a clause in the charter agreement prohibited teams from suing NASCAR. The teams stated that if they did not run as chartered teams they faced the possiblity of losing sponsors and drivers.

A U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell granted the preliminary injunction on Dec. 18, stating in his opinion that “NASCAR fans (and members of the public who may become fans) have an interest in watching all the teams compete with their best drivers and most competitive teams.”

The three-judge federal appellate panel gave an indication that Thursday’s decision was likely during a May 9 hearing. One of the judges stated in the hearing: “If you don’t want the contract, you don’t enter into it and you sue. Of if you want the contract, you enter into it and you’ve given up past releases. But … you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of its fastest tracks this weekend with a trip to Michigan International Speedway.

The panel stated its opinion Thursday.

“In entering a preliminary injunction in this case, the district court held that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their antitrust action against the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR), and its CEO, James France, because NASCAR, as an alleged monopolist, required the plaintiffs, as a condition of doing business with them, to enter into a release for past conduct.

“Because that theory of antitrust law is not supported by any case of which we are aware, we conclude that it was not a likely basis for success on the merits and vacate the injunction.”

The three-judge panel also stated in its opinion:

“While the plaintiffs’ complaint (by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports) alleged years of conduct and contract provisions that they claimed were anticompetitive, thus attacking NASCAR’s entire business model, they requested at the same time that the district court order that they “be permitted to participate in NASCAR Cup Series events under the terms of the 2025 Charter Agreement (with the exception of the Release).” The plaintiffs therefore requested to participate in the very business that they sought to dismantle. The district court accommodated the plaintiffs’ request, explaining that, while the plaintiffs alleged broader monopolistic conduct, it was relying on only one basis to grant the preliminary injunction.

“It stated, “Plaintiffs have a likelihood of success on their allegation that the Release is unlawful. The Court emphasizes that it does not reach and expresses no opinion as to Plaintiffs’ likelihood of success on their other Sherman Act claims . . . .”

23XI Racing has three Cup teams with drivers Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst. Corey Heim is a development driver for the team and has run select races for the organization.

Front Row Motorsports has three Cup teams with drivers Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in North Carolina ruled against the preliminary injunction granting 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (FRM) the right to operate as chartered entities on Thursday morning, leaving the organizations on uncertain footing heading into NASCAR’s summer stretch.

After electing not to sign new Cup Series charter agreements for 2025 in September, 23XI and FRM filed a lawsuit in federal court in Charlotte on Oct. 2, 2024, claiming that its actions over the process violated antitrust laws. The teams requested a preliminary injunction with the district court to allow them to participant under the terms of the Charter Agreement for 2025, excising the release forbidding them to sue the sanctioning body. It initially failed but was ultimately approved by Judge Kenneth D. Bell in December.

Judges Paul V. Neimeyer, Steven Agee and Stephanie D. Thacker presided over the appeal. In the opinion accompanying Thursday’s ruling, Niemeyer said the injunction granted had no legal basis.

“In short, because we have found no support for the proposition that a business entity or person violates the antitrust laws by requiring a prospective participant to give a release for past conduct as a condition for doing business, we cannot conclude that the plaintiffs made a clear showing that they were likely to succeed on the merits of that theory,” Niemeyer wrote. “And without satisfaction of the likelihood-of-success element, the plaintiffs were not entitled to a preliminary injunction.”

In the time since the Judge Bell’s decision, both companies have operated as chartered teams, fielding three full-time cars apiece after acquiring an additional charter each from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. NASCAR filed its appeal brief on Feb. 12, FRM and 23XI filed their response on March 14 and the appeal was heard on May 9 by a three-judge panel in Richmond, Va.

With Thursday’s ruling, the teams could now lose both their pre-existing four charters and the two they acquired from SHR, requiring them to race as open teams through the remainder of the court process. FRM and 23XI will get 14 days to petition for a rehearing, with the mandate enforcing the judgment coming seven days after that deadline passes. If that were all to pass, FRM and 23XI could be forced to operate as open entries in three weeks, starting with the race weekend at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.

It’s unlikely that losing the charters would keep any of the teams’ six entrants from making the Cup Series field for any races moving forward in 2025, given that most races outside of the Daytona 500 fail to see more than 40 entrants. But the decision would be a substantial financial blow to both programs, costing them the larger share of purse and point fund money offered to chartered teams.

Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst currently compete for 23XI, while FRM fields Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith. Herbst and Smith both arrived with team expansions after the addition of third charters from SHR. It’s uncertain what would happen with those charters moving forward, though NASCAR could presumably take over their ownership.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps,” attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement on behalf of 23XI and FRM. “This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for December 1.

“We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

Phorm Energy has joined forces with 14-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning race team Hendrick Motorsports in a multi-year agreement, which covers several aspects of the race team.

The partnership with the game-changing energy drink (the result of a partnership between Anheuser-Busch, 1st Phorm, and Dana White) begins immediately and runs through 2027.

Hendrick Motorsports and Phorm Energy, in their partnership, will feature dynamic marketing integrations, including primary sponsorship of the No. 24 Chevrolet, branding with pit crew athletes, and a presence inside Hendrick Motorsports’ new athletic center.

“Launching Phorm Energy is a huge moment for our team, and partnering with Hendrick Motorsports is just another way we can continue to grow and deliver something truly special,” said Sal Frisella, CEO of 1st Phorm. “We have built this brand for people that embrace the grit and grind of their everyday lives, and that’s something that Hendrick Motorsports and their drivers inherently know and understand. We know we have found the right partner in Hendrick Motorsports, and together we have big plans.”

Starting in 2026, Phorm Energy will have a multi-race presence as the primary sponsor for William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports, starting with two events next season and four events in 2027. The energy drink will also serve as a full-season associate sponsor of the No. 5 (Kyle Larson), No. 24 (William Byron), and No. 48 (Alex Bowman) Chevrolet entries for the 2025, 2026, and 2027 NASCAR Cup Series campaigns.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to work with a powerhouse like Anheuser-Busch, as they launch Phorm Energy and build something new,” said Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. “As a brand grounded in shared values of dedication and hard work, we’re proud that the No. 24 team and our incredible athletes get to be part of their community. We’re making a major investment in our facilities to support our teammates with the best possible resources, and it’s exciting to have Phorm Energy involved from day one. We look forward to collaborating on a distinctive and authentic program.”

In addition, the collaboration will extend to Hendrick Motorsports’ new 35,000-square-foot athletic center and corporate meeting space, which broke ground in April and is scheduled to open before the 2026 season.

Located on the team’s campus in Concord, North Carolina, the state-of-the-art facility will feature Phorm Energy products and branding, while serving as a hib for training, recovery, and overall health for Hendrick Motorsports and its employees.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Light Beer Pro Stock team have their sights set on defending their 2024 victory at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. A back-to-back win would mean a fourth consecutive winner’s circle for Elite Motorsports. 

“It is always a treat to pull through the gates at Bristol Dragway and even more exciting as the returning champion,” Jeg Jr. said. “We’ve been fortunate to make many memories at Thunder Valley, and this year should be no exception.”

In addition to his 2024 victory, where he raced past teammates Troy Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders before taking down now reigning world champion Greg Anderson in the finals, Jeg Jr. had wins at Bristol Dragway in 2018 and 2007. He was also the No. 1 qualifier in 2017 and 2007.

Through the first six races of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Pro Stock season, Jeg Jr. is sitting 10th in the points standings. He started the season with a semifinal appearance at the NHRA Gatornationals and has had one quarterfinal exit. Uncharacteristic of the dominant Pro Stock team, Elite Motorsports is looking for its first NHRA victory of the season.

“We’ve had an unusually slow start to the 2025 season, but we appear to have turned the corner on performance. We’re looking to put up a fight and defend our win from one year ago,” Coughlin added. “It couldn’t come at a better time with all of our SCAG dealers and distributors that will be joining and cheering us on. We also have our JHG family in attendance; would love to share the winner’s circle with our great partners.”

Joining Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Bristol Dragway, teammate Erica Enders, a six-time Pro Stock world champion driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG machine, is eager secure her 50th national event title, 49th in Pro Stock, fourth at Bristol Dragway; she most recently won in 2023.

Aaron Stanfield, driving for JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers, is racing for his second win at the facility. He won in 2022; the year he joined Elite Motorsports and the start of their domination at Bristol Dragway.

Troy Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com hot rod, is looking for his first win at the unique facility and his second win of the year. He started 2025 with a victory at the specialty PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Florida.

In his first season with Elite Motorsports, Greg Stanfield, a veteran of the class, brings his wealth of experience as he chases his first win with the team.

After sitting out of the new England Nationals, the Cuadra Boys, Fernando Cuadra Jr., Cristian and David, are ready to showcase their growing prowess in their Cuadra Tequila / Cuadra Belts / Cuadra machines.

The Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals kicks off with four sessions of qualifying Friday at 6:00 and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., followed by eliminations on Sunday at noon. Fans can catch the action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET and live all weekend on the NHRA.tv streaming platform.

This story was originally published on June 5, 2025.