Posted on by Neil Paine

We’ve reached the point in the Cup Series schedule when a single victory can change the entire complexion of the season — both for the winning driver, and for every other name on the bubble with their eye on that ever-shifting elimination line.

After last Sunday’s race at Iowa, there are now just three dates left on the regular-season calendar: Watkins Glen (road course), Richmond (short track) and Daytona (superspeedway). Each has its own specialists — hello, SVG — and those who show up more at one track type than the others. But the common thread is must-win pressure, as a mere three playoff spots remain unfilled, and no one wants to leave their championship fate up to the point standings on the night of the final cutoff.

In other words, anybody who hasn’t won a race yet this year (and that’s all but 13 drivers) has their sights set on a checkered flag in these last three regular-season races. So let’s fire up our race forecast model — which uses rolling projected driver ratings by track type to simulate each race thousands of times — and track which currently winless drivers have the best chance to barge their way into the playoffs the not-so-easy way.

Because in roughly 70% of our simulations, at least one new winner emerged from below the playoff elimination line over the next three races — throwing the postseason picture we thought we knew into complete disarray.

Tyler Reddick (12.1% chance to win at least one remaining race)

Standings situation: 14th, +122 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 4.8% Watkins Glen | 3% Richmond | 5% Daytona

No driver can ever feel fully safe without grabbing a W to secure their playoff berth, but Reddick can sleep easier than others on the bubble. Not only does he have a healthy 122-point margin over No. 17 Ryan Preece in the standings if it comes to that, but he’s also going into a situation with as good a chance to win his way in as anyone. While he’s no Shane van Gisbergen, Reddick is among the best road racers in the sport, with an average Driver Rating of 92.7 (seventh-best) on those tracks this season, his fourth straight year with a rating above 90. Even with the spectre of SVG hanging over the field, The Glen is arguably Reddick’s best shot at the playoff-clinching win. If not, he heads to a short track — a type where he’s usually merely good, not great, though he has finished top 10 in consecutive races at Richmond. And finally, it might be down to rolling the dice at Daytona, where Reddick has either finished top five or outside the top 24 in all 12 races he’s run. (Talk about high variance!)

Alex Bowman (11.7% chance)

Standings situation: 15th, +63 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 3.8% Watkins Glen | 3.9% Richmond | 4.5% Daytona

It feels like the winning breakthrough is coming soon for Bowman, who’s finished 11th or better in seven of his past eight races, including three straight top 10s. And why not this week? Similar to Reddick, the driver of the No. 48 car is among the better road-course drivers in Cup, with the eighth-best average Driver Rating (86.4) on that type of circuit in 2025. That boosts his odds to win on Sunday — even though Watkins Glen hasn’t necessarily contributed as much to Bowman’s record in that regard as other tracks. If not, Bowman is merely OK at short tracks, though he is a former Richmond winner. And for whatever it’s worth, he is consistently competitive on drafting tracks, even if he’d prefer not to rely on that path to the playoffs. In roughly 30% of the simulations, Bowman gets at least two more top 10s, which would improve his chances to get in on points, but the win is a safer option.

Ty Gibbs (11.2% chance)

Standings situation: 19th, -87 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 5.3% Watkins Glen | 3.4% Richmond | 3% Daytona

Gibbs benefits from a couple of factors here. First, he’s been in his best form of the season recently — as evidenced by his win in the In-Season Challenge two weeks ago at Indianapolis. While merely average the past few weeks, Gibbs had a Driver Rating in the triple-digits four times in six races before that, after breaking that barrier only once in the preceding 15 races. Second, Gibbs is on the short list of drivers who could actually win over SVG at a road course; his average rating on the twisty tracks is 93.5 this season, fourth-best in Cup. Gibbs finished fifth at Watkins Glen two years ago, so this weekend will be his best shot at winning his way into the playoffs — otherwise, he’ll be relying on Richmond (where his record is nothing special) and Daytona (where his plate-racing skills are mediocre). Look for him to have it all ride on The Glen.

Chris Buescher (9.7% chance)

Standings situation: 16th, +23 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 4.2% Watkins Glen | 2.2% Richmond | 3.5% Daytona

Buescher is an interesting comparison for Gibbs, because the former is ahead of the latter in the standings (well ahead, in fact), but both are relying heavily on a road-course victory if they’re going to win their way into the playoffs instead of sweating out the bubble. As the defending winner here, Buescher can absolutely do it again — we’ve seen him do the incredible and pass SVG on the final lap at a road course, and he remains a solid road racer this season (even if his rating on those circuits is down to 10th-best in the series). But Buescher is not as strong on short tracks and superspeedways in general, which cuts into his chances in the statistical model. One note, however, is that in Buescher’s career year of 2023, he won both the Richmond and Daytona summer races, so the general data may be underrating the magic he’s hoping to pull off again this year.

Ryan Preece (9.2% chance)

Standings situation: 17th, -23 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 3.5% Watkins Glen | 2.8% Richmond | 3.2% Daytona

Speaking of career years driving for RFK Racing, Preece is having one of those this season — and if the racing gods are feeling generous, they’ll help him add to it with a checkered flag before the final cutoff at Daytona. Back-to-back top fives at Indy and Iowa have capped off a recent stretch of consistency for Preece that’s seen him finish 15th or better 10 times in the past 12 races, a big part of why he’s close on Buescher’s tail in the points. But the reason he’s not higher here is that he has been less dominant than those finishes would lead us to think (he’s cracked a 90 Driver Rating just twice in that period), lowering his ceiling for that breakthrough first career win. At the remaining three regular-season tracks, Preece has just five career top 10s and two top fives in 24 starts, so he’ll need to improve his upside there in order to claim victory.

Brad Keselowski (8.7% chance)

Standings situation: 21st, -121 points to the elimination line

Simulated odds to win: 1.7% Watkins Glen | 4.1% Richmond | 3% Daytona

Of all the drivers who feel a desperate need for a win to extend their playoff chances and have driven well enough to get one, Keselowski tops the list. Unlike Bowman, who could still get in on points even if one new winner emerges from below him, Brad K. has essentially no chance to make up his 121-point deficit — and leapfrog five drivers (including two teammates) on points — over the next three races. So it’s down to a must-win string of races for the 2012 Cup Series champ, who started the year miserably but has shown outstanding progress in recent weeks. Going back to Pocono on June 22, Keselowski has finished top 11 or better in six of his past seven races, and his current rolling projected Driver Rating is the highest it’s been in more than a calendar year. (That includes a 124.4 at Iowa in a race he could have won.) He’s still probably not in good enough road-racing form to win at The Glen, but Brad K. is good on short tracks as a multi-time Richmond winner, and has a Daytona night race win in his resume as well. A playoff-clinching win would seal one of the greatest in-season turnarounds of the playoff era.

Best of the rest: Michael McDowell (7%), Carson Hocevar (6.7%), A.J. Allmendinger (6.1%), Kyle Busch (5.3%), John Hunter Nemechek (4%).

Posted on by Holly Cain

For the first time in five years and only the third time since 2000, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete at Watkins Glen International with the Mission 176 at The Glen (Fri., 5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to start NASCAR’s tripleheader weekend.

Current Xfinity Series championship contender Austin Hill won the previous truck race at the iconic New York road course in 2021, fending off now-Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek and Hill’s fellow Xfinity Series regular Sheldon Creed for the trophy. You have to rewind the clocks to 2000 for the previous Truck Series race at The Glen, won from pole position by Greg Biffle.

RELATED: Watkins Glen weekend schedule | Paint schemes racing at Watkins Glen

Returning from a week off, the Truck Series has only two races remaining to set the 10-driver playoff field. Seven drivers have already secured their championship opportunity through victories this season, leaving three positions open to points heading into the weekend.

Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim holds a commanding 143-point lead on Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith for the Regular Season Championship. Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt and reigning series champion Ty Majeski currently hold the three points positions inside the playoff grid. Majeski is 61 points above Jake Garcia for that 10th playoff entry. A new winner this weekend could certainly dramatically change the playoff outlook.

Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs is coming off his second win in the series’ last three races, claiming the trophy at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park two weeks ago. Heim won the only previous road-course race of the season at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park.

Four Cup Series drivers are entered this weekend, including Christopher Bell, who will drive the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota for the injured Stewart Friesen. Kyle Busch will pilot the No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, with Ross Chastain wheeling the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Chris Buescher, meanwhile, will make his Craftsman Truck Series debut, driving the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford.

MORE: Truck Series standings | Truck Series schedule

Kaden Honeycutt, who has driven for Niece this season, will drive the remainder of the season’s races for the Halmar Friesen team, beginning at Richmond Raceway Aug. 15. Honeycutt and Niece parted ways Aug. 4; Connor Zilisch will fill in for the No. 45 Chevrolet this weekend. Zilisch will do triple duty for the first time in his NASCAR career this weekend.

Practice is at 11:35 a.m. ET Friday, followed immediately by qualifying. FS2 will televise both sessions.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Located 30 minutes north of Denver, just off Interstate 25, rests the last asphalt short track in the state of Colorado.

The facility, Colorado National Speedway, has taken many forms since Gene and Gerta Heffley first conceived the idea of building a race track on what once was 80 acres of farmland at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

Located in Dacono, Colorado, the track opened for business in 1965 as a one-mile dirt oval and was later reconfigured into a high-banked, half-mile dirt track. Colorado National Speedway took its current form in 1989, when the racing surface was again reconfigured and paved to create the current 0.375-mile asphalt oval.

Brian Laurence, who has served as general manager of Colorado National Speedway since 2014, knows better than anyone the challenges that come with running a race track.

One is the constant questioning of the future of the venue, which is the only NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track in the state.

“Having been here as long as I have, I got used to the fact that at least once a month someone would knock on the door and ask if the property was for sale,” Laurence said. “Our former owners (Jim and Sue Nordhougen) would always ask the exact same question: What do you want to do with it? Sometimes it’s condos, sometimes it’s warehouses, sometimes they’re going to store garbage trucks. You never knew what the answer was really going to be.

“The owners’ response was always, ‘Sorry, it’s only for sale to someone who wants to run a race track.’ It’s been here too long, and it’s got too much tradition behind it to just bulldoze it and say goodbye.”

Enter Chad Andersen and Stacy Bivona-Andersen, who took ownership of the facility in 2025 and gave it a much-needed refresh.

Colorado National Speedway
Colorado National Speedway opened in 1965 as a one-mile dirt track. It wasn’t paved until 1989. (Photo: Chet Strange/ARCA Racing)

“They have infused some cash into the place, which has allowed us to put in some new bleachers and some new concrete all through the pits and dress that up,” Laurence said. “Everything out here has gotten a coat of paint. Sanded down, primed up and painted up. I don’t want to say it looks brand new, because one of the things they focused on was not destroying the nostalgic value of the place.

“They came to understand no one wants the place to be completely reinvented. What they’re looking for is the same old place they’ve always come to, just fixed up a little bit. That’s been their focus, to bring things back to a level where you go, ‘Boy, they’ve really put some effort into this.’”

The efforts by the new ownership group haven’t gone unnoticed by competitors. Dan Alamaa, who competes in the Late Model class, was once a regular at I-25 Speedway in nearby Pueblo, Colorado.

That track, like all the other asphalt short tracks in the state beyond Colorado National, has closed.

“There are times you want to complain about calls or officiating or this or that, but at the end of the day, this is the only asphalt track in the state now, and you have to embrace it,” Alamaa said. “It’s the only place to be if you’re into this. You’ve got to love it.”

From a driver’s perspective, Alamaa said there is everything to love and nothing to hate about Colorado National Speedway.

“It’s wide enough to pass and race without tearing each other up,” Alamaa said. “They say if you can win up here you can pretty much run anywhere, and I think a lot of guys have really proved that. (Jace) Hansen, (Jerry) Robertson, those kinds of guys that go to different race tracks and they’re a threat.”

Colorado National Speedway typically hosts NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition from May through October, with Super Late Models serving as the headlining division alongside a variety of other classes including Late Models, Pro Trucks, Super Stocks, Legends, Bandoleros and more. The track also hosts other events such as annual visits by the ARCA Menards Series West and CARS Tour West, Figure 8 racing and car meets.

A major focus for the team at Colorado National Speedway is to make sure the track and amenities are always family friendly. That includes everything from the cost of concessions to making sure there is a family section in the grandstands.

The goal is simple: Make sure the entire family has fun, and if they all do, they’ll be more inclined to come back.

David Smith
The ARCA Menards Series West is one of several touring divisions that visit Colorado National Speedway each season to compliment a full schedule of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing. (Photo: Chet Strange/ARCA Racing)

“At the very basic level, my statement to everybody and anybody who has never been here before is this is still a place where a family of four can drive in, park, get in the gate and feed the family of four for $100 or less,” Laurence said. “That’s to get them in the door. Once you’re here, the thing that seems to surprise most people is that it is so family centric. We have a family section that is no alcohol and no smoking.

“My security team feels unnecessarily small until you realize the crowd basically polices itself. The moms and dads all know each other. They all sit in the same seats every weekend. Typically, people that get out of line are basically scolded and put in their place by some of our race moms long before security ever even gets there.”

Despite the challenges that come with operating a race track, Laurence says Colorado National Speedway continues to thrive. There were challenging times, like during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the facility continues to thrill fans and competitors alike on a weekly basis.

The track was repaved in 2019 shortly before the pandemic. That, combined with the upgrades being made by the new ownership group, has Laurence excited to find out what the future holds for the last asphalt short track in Colorado.

“We’re thrilled to be where we are and with where things are going,” Laurence said. “We read the news. We see unfortunately a lot of our sister tracks shutting down. We’re the last ones here in Colorado.

“People need a place to get away from the real world and enjoy a hobby. So, we’re committed to working like hell to keeping this place here, keep it open and continue making improvements.”

Colorado National Speedway will host its Advance Auto Parts Night at the Races on Saturday, Aug. 9. Full details and ticket information are available by visiting www.coloradospeedway.com.

Posted on by Brandon White

THOMPSON, Conn. — When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visited Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park last August, Patrick Emerling led every lap from the Hoosier Tire Pole.

Defending that victory Wednesday evening required Emerling to drive from the rear of the field.

RELATED: Complete results from Thompson Speedway

Piloting Geoff Bodine’s iconic No. 1 Big Red Modified scheme in the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com, Emerling emulated the legendary competitor by methodically carving his way through the field. With 26 laps remaining, Emerling utilized fresh tires to make the race-winning pass on Jake Johnson and score his second victory of 2025.

Being able to climb from dead last on the starting grid to Victory Lane carried plenty of catharsis for Emerling, especially since he got to celebrate the moment with Bodine himself.

“We battled some adversity there,” Emerling said. “We weren’t running right all day and were tinkering around in qualifying. We qualified really good but were lacking a little horsepower and had a little bit of a stumble. We made some adjustments, started last, came back through and got it done.”

Starting 27th out of 27 cars was not an auspicious scenario for Emerling, but it was also a familiar one.

Emerling was forced to start in the rear for the season-opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. With a record number of cautions befalling the event, Emerling used pit strategy to cycle his way toward the front of the field, which enabled him to overtake Craig Lutz late in the race and begin 2025 with a victory on his resume.

As was the case in New Smyrna, Emerling on Wednesday stayed patient and waited for the right moment to bring his car down pit lane. Staying on sequence with leaders Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore, the two stops from Emerling’s crew were quick enough for him to come out third within his group, though he would still need to negotiate his way around cars on older tires.

With the second half going caution-free, Emerling had all the time he needed to muscle his way around Bonsignore and Matt Hirschman, who were both on the same strategy, and power his way to the front. Even though he only ended up leading a fraction of the laps he led last year, Emerling’s car on Wednesday proved to be just as efficient.

Hirschman could only watch as Emerling’s Big Red Modified carved through lapped traffic with ease. A stack-up between the leaders caused Hirschman to surrender a pivotal spot to Emerling, but he departed Thompson confident that his team had made significant progress toward one day securing a victory at the historic track.

“Only a win is a win, but for this team and our past history at Thompson, this was by far our best performance,” Hirschman said. “We had good long run speed once last October here, but that was the only time. I was going forward, and that got us all the way here to second.

“We’re a work-in progress, but we took a big jump.”

Hirschman did not even place inside the top 10 in the Modified Tour’s first visit to Thompson this year in April, a race that saw Emerling place second to Silk.

Emerling, who had Bodine’s Big Red Modified scheme adorned on his car for that race, as well, knew he was strong enough to win at Thompson that night but was unable to do so. Bringing Bodine’s iconic colors to Thompson’s Victory Lane in the Modified Tour’s 750th race proved to be a more fitting outcome.

After Emerling climbed out of his car, Bodine climbed on top of it like he had done so many times during his own Modified career. Bodine extended his praise toward Emerling for the poise he displayed with turning a poor start into a victory celebration.

“It looked like the old days with the Big Red No. 1 going from the back to the front,” an exuberant Bodine said in Victory Lane. “I don’t know what they did on the pit stop, but they tuned [Emerling] up, and [he] was gone.

“That was awesome. I’ve got to come to more of these.”

During the final laps, Emerling started to wonder whether extraneous circumstances would prevent him from winning in the Big Red Modified. Emerling entered Thompson with the second most laps led of any Modified Tour competitor in 2025 but only had the New Smyrna victory to show for that efficiency.

Nothing stood in the way of a win for Emerling on Wednesday. He continued the legacy of one of Modified racing’s most iconic rides, all while adding onto his own.

“This is a beautiful car,” Emerling said. “I’ve got to thank everyone involved. I was tearing up on that victory lap. We’ve had the best car the past five races or so, but had a lot of inopportune cautions. We got bounced around, but here there wasn’t any caution and not a chance for anything to happen.”

Following Emerling and Hirschman in third was Kyle Bonsignore, with Johson and Eric Goodale completing the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers were Matt Swanson, Austin Beers, Justin Bonsignore, Silk and Jacob Lutz.

Next up for the Modified Tour is another midweek showing with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 14. The green flag for next Thursday’s race will wave at 7:30 p.m. ET with FloRacing providing live coverage of the on-track action.

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

  • Race results:
Pos. No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 150  –
2 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 150 2.584
3 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 150 4.448
4 7 Jake  Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane/Island Int. Ind./Axis Wealth/Nantucket Pavers 150 7.308
5 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 150 8.869
6 25 Matt Swanson Ceravolo’s Auto/Mully’s Auto Repair/Casella Snowplows/Arco Welding Supply 150 13.002
7 64 Austin Beers Fastrack Electric/AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew J 150 15.954
8 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 150 16.609
9 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 150 16.828
10 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronic’s/Anastasi Trucking 150 17.036
11 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 150 20.423
12 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 149 1 Lap
13 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/Northeast Drilling 149 1 Lap
14 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 149 1 Lap
15 20 Max Zachem USNE/Lu-Mac’s 149 1 Lap
16 44 Chase  Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 149 1 Lap
17 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 149 1 Lap
18 55 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Montanari Fuel/Business Time Motorsports 149 1 Lap
19 24 Andrew  Krause Supreme Mfg. Co 148 2 Laps
20 59 Tyler Barry* Pro Systems/BNP Machine 148 2 Laps
21 18 Ken Heagy Hunter Mechanical 138 12 Laps
22 29 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 138 12 Laps
23 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Automotive/Levasseur HVAC/Hillsboro Ent./Christophers Towing 121 29 Laps
24 12 Brian Sones* DW Machine & Fabricating Co./Bergen Industries 93 57 Laps
25 7 Luke Baldwin* Baldwin Automotive 66 84 Laps
26 63 Dylan  Slepian Eastport Feeds 35 115 Laps
27 11 Eric Berndt Ferguson Motorsports 14 136 Laps

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

  • Qualifying results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 18.999 118.427 2 2 –
2 44 Chase  Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 19.072 117.974 2 2 0.073
3 7 Luke Baldwin* Baldwin Automotive 19.09 117.863 2 2 0.091
4 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 19.115 117.709 2 2 0.116
5 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Automotive/Levasseur HVAC/Hillsboro Ent./Christophers Towing 19.119 117.684 2 2 0.12
6 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 19.126 117.641 2 2 0.127
7 64 Austin Beers Fastrack Electric/AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew J 19.13 117.616 2 2 0.131
8 25 Matt Swanson Ceravolo’s Auto/Mully’s Auto Repair/Casella Snowplows/Arco Welding Supply 19.145 117.524 2 2 0.146
9 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 19.15 117.493 2 2 0.151
10 11 Eric Berndt Ferguson Motorsports 19.164 117.408 2 2 0.165
11 07 Jake  Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane/Island Int. Ind./Axis Wealth/Nantucket Pavers 19.17 117.371 2 2 0.171
12 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 19.173 117.353 2 2 0.174
13 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 19.186 117.273 2 2 0.187
14 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 19.192 117.236 2 2 0.193
15 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 19.192 117.236 2 2 0.193
16 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.197 117.206 2 2 0.198
17 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronic’s/Anastasi Trucking 19.213 117.108 2 2 0.214
18 55 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Montanari Fuel/Business Time Motorsports 19.306 116.544 2 2 0.307
19 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/Northeast Drilling 19.334 116.375 2 2 0.335
20 63 Dylan  Slepian Eastport Feeds 19.397 115.997 2 2 0.398
21 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.401 115.973 2 2 0.402
22 24 Andrew  Krause Supreme Mfg. Co 19.489 115.45 2 2 0.49
23 59 Tyler Barry* Pro Systems/BNP Machine 19.54 115.148 2 2 0.541
24 20 Max Zachem USNE/Lu-Mac’s 19.562 115.019 2 2 0.563
25 18 Ken Heagy Hunter Mechanical 19.698 114.225 2 2 0.699
26 12 Brian Sones* DW Machine & Fabricating Co./Bergen Industries 19.865 113.265 1 2 0.866
27 29 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 20.229 111.226 2 2 1.23

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Update: Friesen has been released from the hospital and returned home after successful multihour surgery July 31 in New York to address his injured pelvis and compound leg fracture and is scheduled to meet with a physical therapist soon, announced on social media Wednesday evening. 

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen was injured in a heavy dirt modified racing crash on July 28.

According to a social media post made to his account and attributed to his wife Jessica, Friesen suffered fractures to his pelvis and right leg that will require surgery, and he was moved to a larger hospital for those procedures.

Friesen was competing in a Super DIRTcar Series race at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, when his No. 44 car jumped the cushion at the end of the backstretch.

The car tipped onto its right side and hit the end of the outside retaining wall, launching the car into a flip, the vehicle barrel-rolling over the barrier multiple times before erupting into flames. Friesen’s car nearly came to a rest on its roof, but was struck by an oncoming competitor who was unable to avoid the wreckage.

The series reported via social media that Friesen was alert and communicating with officials and EMT on site before safety officials aided Friesen from the car. He was then transported to an area hospital for further evaluation.

“Thank you to the manufacturers who have made dirt modifieds as safe as possible, and to the track crew for their patience and hard work getting Stew out of the car,” Jessica Friesen said in a social media post.

Friesen earned his 52nd Super DIRTcar Series win July 29 at Weedsport Speedway in New York and was scheduled to compete at Autodrome Drummond both July 28 and 29 Before his crash in the feature race, Friesen had set the quick time in qualifying and won his heat race.

Friesen has competed in the Craftsman Truck Series since 2016 and has run the full schedule every year since 2018. He has four career wins in NASCAR, including a victory on June 7 at Michigan International Speedway that provisionally locked him into the Truck Series Playoffs.

In the most recent truck race — the 200th of his Truck Series career — Friesen was credited with a last-place finish at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park despite taking the checkered flag third. Friesen’s No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota was disqualified in post-race technical inspection after the front of the truck failed to meet the minimum height requirements.

Cup Series driver Christoper Bell will drive the No. 52 truck this weekend at Watkins Glen International before Kaden Honeycutt takes over for the remainder of the season.

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

  • Final practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 18.902 119.035 12 18 –
2 11 Eric Berndt Ferguson Motorsports 18.988 118.496 11 12 0.086
3 55 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Montanari Fuel/Business Time Motorsports 19.005 118.39 12 12 0.103
4 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronic’s/Anastasi Trucking 19.017 118.315 16 16 0.115
5 25 Matt Swanson Ceravolo’s Auto/Mully’s Auto Repair/Casella Snowplows/Arco Welding Supply 19.038 118.185 8 9 0.136
6 07 Jake  Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane/Island Int. Ind./Axis Wealth/Nantucket Pavers 19.046 118.135 3 3 0.144
7 64 Austin Beers Fastrack Electric/AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew J 19.049 118.116 4 19 0.147
8 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 19.089 117.869 15 15 0.187
9 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 19.093 117.844 14 16 0.191
10 44 Chase  Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 19.094 117.838 4 13 0.192
11 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Automotive/Levasseur HVAC/Hillsboro Ent./Christophers Towing 19.103 117.783 3 4 0.201
12 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 19.121 117.672 19 20 0.219
13 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 19.142 117.543 3 4 0.24
14 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.166 117.395 4 9 0.264
15 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 19.177 117.328 19 20 0.275
16 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 19.183 117.291 16 17 0.281
17 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 19.187 117.267 10 12 0.285
18 12 Brian Sones* DW Machine & Fabricating Co./Bergen Industries 19.198 117.2 11 13 0.296
19 7 Luke Baldwin* Baldwin Automotive 19.203 117.169 12 22 0.301
20 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/Northeast Drilling 19.238 116.956 11 17 0.336
21 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.254 116.859 9 15 0.352
22 63 Dylan  Slepian Eastport Feeds 19.363 116.201 13 20 0.461
23 59 Tyler Barry* Pro Systems/BNP Machine 19.456 115.646 3 20 0.554
24 20 Max Zachem USNE/Lu-Mac’s 19.469 115.568 4 6 0.567
25 18 Ken Heagy Hunter Mechanical 19.497 115.402 4 10 0.595
26 29 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 20.169 111.557 3 14 1.267
27 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Mfg. Co. 0.00 0.00 0 0 N/A

 

Posted on by Chris Murdock

CONCORD, N.C. — As if it were his own superhero origin story, everyone can recall the moment Shane van Gisbergen burst onto the scene and put the Cup Series field on notice with his victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Course race in 2023.

Fast-forward two years, and his road-course dominance has multiplied in his Cup Series rookie campaign as he stares down a potential fourth consecutive victory on the road this weekend at Watkins Glen International (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

SVG is one of four Cup Series drivers with three or more victories in 2025, but the difference between him and his heavyweight counterparts is that all of the Trackhouse Racing driver’s wins have come on road courses. Christopher Bell is the only other Cup driver to score a road course win this season, winning at COTA in March for his second of three victories.

Many have labeled the three-time Australian Supercars champion as the gold standard when it comes to turning left and right at NASCAR’s top level, a title van Gisbergen is grateful to hold when it comes to battling the series’ best.

“I really love the racing here,” van Gisbergen said during a media availability on Wednesday. “I don’t feel like anyone targets me on the track and tries to take me out or anything. But, yeah, I feel like we’re the benchmark, which is really awesome to be.

“It’s the best thing on the road course. I’ve never really raced the same guy. Every week, there’s someone different. Like, the spread of talent is quite high here, and whoever nails it on a weekend will be up front. It’s pretty cool.”

DRIVER PAGE: Shane van Gisbergen

But a return to Watkins Glen brings bitterness to the forefront of SVG’s mind after the way last year’s race in the Finger Lakes ended.

Van Gisbergen took the lead entering Turn 1 on an overtime restart and looked to put the clamps down on Chris Buescher in the final two laps. But after a rare mistake in the bus stop on the final lap, Buescher got to the rear bumper of the then-Kaulig Racing driver and moved van Gisbergen up the track in Turn 5, creating one of the most memorable finishes at Watkins Glen — and one that got away for the Kiwi.

“I studied it a lot,” van Gisbergen said. “You know, that’s painful whenever you make a mistake that’s entirely your fault. I’m quite self-analytical. I was pretty pissed off about that, and even when I think of it now, you know, it’s just, it’s a mistake I made, and it frustrates me.

“It’s good knowing, like, we looked at all last year’s history on Monday, and all our sectors were good, apart from a couple, and it’s something to work on for this year. But yeah, had confidence knowing we were the fastest car by far last year, and we just need to keep building on that and keep getting better. But we had a good race last year. I remember [Buescher]. He’s a hard, clean racer, and I went and saw him in Victory Lane after, and he’s a nice guy, and, you know, I’m trying to get him back this year.”

But after Watkins Glen, the Cup Series Playoffs begin to crest the horizon with just Richmond and Daytona remaining in the regular season. His three wins have him safely locked in, and his collection of playoff points gives him a cushion to open the Round of 16, although no advantage is safe.

While he continues to adjust to ovals, returning to tracks he has raced before gives SVG confidence that he can show improvement and put together a first round worthy of advancing.

“I see the improvement,” SVG said. “And there’s still a long way to go, but it has been good putting in that work. And yeah, I think Darlington, we had our first top 20 of the year there earlier, and hopefully we just keep getting better, and it helps us in that first round, and hopefully, we can put together three weeks.

“I feel like if you just get through that first round, if you make no mistakes and have three good weeks, you’ll get through. That’s what normally seems to happen. There’s normally one or two big dogs that have had a couple of bad races and miss out, so you just got to be mistake-free.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 44 Chase  Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 19.013 118.34 5 16 –
2 11 Eric Berndt Ferguson Motorsports 19.027 118.253 12 15 0.014
3 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Automotive/Levasseur HVAC/Hillsboro Ent./Christophers Towing 19.031 118.228 9 25 0.018
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 19.035 118.203 5 13 0.022
5 7 Luke Baldwin* Baldwin Automotive 19.07 117.986 6 15 0.057
6 7 Jake  Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane/Island Int. Ind./Axis Wealth/Nantucket Pavers 19.096 117.826 5 10 0.083
7 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronic’s/Anastasi Trucking 19.104 117.776 7 18 0.091
8 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 19.123 117.659 5 8 0.11
9 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 19.143 117.536 5 14 0.13
10 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 19.16 117.432 4 11 0.147
11 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 19.189 117.255 5 13 0.176
12 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.194 117.224 15 17 0.181
13 55 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Montanari Fuel/Business Time Motorsports 19.199 117.194 7 17 0.186
14 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.205 117.157 4 8 0.192
15 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 19.208 117.139 3 15 0.195
16 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 19.218 117.078 4 5 0.205
17 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/Northeast Drilling 19.226 117.029 6 14 0.213
18 25 Matt Swanson Ceravolo’s Auto/Mully’s Auto Repair/Casella Snowplows/Arco Welding Supply 19.26 116.822 5 15 0.247
19 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 19.298 116.592 5 5 0.285
20 64 Austin Beers Fastrack Electric/AP Marquadt & Sons/G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew J 19.303 116.562 11 13 0.29
21 59 Tyler Barry* Pro Systems/BNP Machine 19.33 116.399 5 17 0.317
22 20 Max Zachem USNE/Lu-Mac’s 19.373 116.141 6 12 0.36
23 63 Dylan  Slepian Eastport Feeds 19.465 115.592 4 16 0.452
24 12 Brian Sones* DW Machine & Fabricating Co./Bergen Industries 19.704 114.19 6 13 0.691
25 29 Mike Marshall* MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 19.795 113.665 12 15 0.782
26 18 Ken Heagy Hunter Mechanical 19.85 113.35 6 6 0.837