The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads out into the heart of racing country to visit the famed 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 21st race of the 2025 season on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson returns to the No. 17 Chevrolet in a double-duty effort as he aims to defend his Brickyard 400 win on Sunday. Katherine Legge will also be back in the saddle of the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Katherine Legge is set to become the 21st driver to compete in both the Brickyard 400 and the Indianapolis 500, driving the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet this week. NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Jesse Love returns to the No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on Sunday. Josh Bilicki will also return to the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford for MBM Motorsports.
See the full entry list for Sunday’s crown-jewel race:
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Saturday night’s Truliant Night of Destruction at Bowman Gray Stadium proved to be a battle to get through the rain.
After five different rain showers most of the schedule went on as scheduled. But the big winner turned out to be Tim Brown.
Brown, who is a 12-time champion in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, won the second 25-lap Modified race for his first win of the season. It was his first win since July 27 of last year.
“It’s mixed, right?,” Brown said. “You never want to win that second race. I don’t want to win the second race, but with the season we’ve had this year I needed that, right?”
Brown started second the second 25-lap race after Brandon Ward, the points leader, won the first 25-lap race.
“My needed it, My sponsors needed it. We all needed it,” Brown said. “So, we’ll take it. You know, we sat on the pole last week. And we finally got the car where I like it, and it’s got speed, and I can drive it.”
It was a relief for Brown.
“Hats off to this team” Brown said. “They’ve worked their guts out, and I’m just blessed that I can get them a victory. And so proud ny wide and kids were here. To get to share that with them is special. Like, I said, I’m not proud that this is the second 25-lapper. We’ll come back next week, set on the pole and win. I’ll be happy.”
Brown took the lead on the second turn of the first lap after passing Randy Butner, who sat on the pole after the Madhouse Scramble following Brandon Ward’s win in the first race.
“Our car was super-good,” Brown said. “I was able to pass Randy in the first race on the outside and then drive away from him. So, I knew, me and Randy’s big buddies. And I knew he’d race me clean and I’d race him clean, and that Rahmoc power just pulled him.
“And like I said, he raced me clean and I was able to clear him off of 2 there and just won my race from then on.”
According to race stats this season, Brown had not led a lap this season. That obviously changed Saturday night by leading all 25 laps in the second race.
“It’s been super-frustrating,” Brown said. “But we’ve tried a bunch of new setup stuff this year, like new-wave technology stuff, that just didn’t work out for us. We went went back to old-school stuff last week and here we win this week.”
Ryan Flores finished runner-up to Brown, followed by Butner, John Smith, and Daniel Beeson.
“So, we’re back where we need to be and things are good,” Brown said. “We just keep this momentum going and have a good last half of the season here.”
Saturday’s win also gave Brown 102 for his career, breaking the tie he had with Burt Myers, who has 101.
“It’s OK,” Brown said. “Like I said, I don’t even look at that because I ain’t nowhere near done.”
Brandon Ward after winning Saturday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. (Photo: Erick Messer/Bowman Gray Stadium
As for Brandon Ward, he just continued his winning ways.
He picked up his third win of the season and 15th of his career. Lee Jeffreys finished runner-up, followed by Burt Myers, Chris Fleming, and Jason Myers.
“It always feels good to win,” Brandon Ward said. “I mean, these twin-25s, man, it’s sort of a, you want to win them, but we lost some points tonight by winning that first one and having to start behind everybody in the second one.”
Brandon Ward finished 13th in the second race, and Bowman Gray officials do the average finish when a series has two races in one night.
“It’s good to win,” he said. We felt like we didn’t have a terrible night points-wise, We just didn’t gain anything. Lost just a little bit there, but to get a win’s always good.”
One of key moments of the first 25-lap Modified race happened on the second lap. Mike Speeney, who is second in points, was just ahead of Burt Myers, who is third in points. Burt Myers bumped Speeney, which wrecked Speeney’s car and kept him out of the second race.
“We pick up our third win of the season,” Brandon Ward said. We’re going to try to get a couple more if we can by the end of the year.”
There was no qualifying because of the rain before the race start. Starting positions for the first 25-lap Modified Series were determined by points standings. That meant that Brandon Ward, who is the points leader, started on the pole.
“Well, it’s definitely been different,” Brandon Ward said. “I’ve never had a night quite go like this with no practice, no qualifying, no anything. So, it was definitely different. Kind of shocked we got it in, you know. Most of the time it rains enough to where we don’t get them in.
“But it was nice to get started and get this one in. You know, it was definitely a different scenario kind of rolling out there in that first race not knowing what to expect.”
But a win’s a win.
“We’ve all raced enough over here this year,” Brandon Ward said. “We’ve all got laps on these cars, so it wasn’t like we were totally blind. (The) race track’s been slick all night. It’s just green from where it’s rained on it all week. And no practice this afternoon, so no rubber put down on it.
“So, definitely the race track was off tonight, but it was off for everybody. So, five more week, and like I said, try to get a few more wins.”
In the first 20-lap race on Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series, Nate Gregg came from starting eighth to win.
Gregg was in second just behind leader Mitch Gales after the final restart on lap 18, but Gregg took the lead shortly thereafter.
Zack Ore finished third, Dylan Ward was fourth, and Kirk Sheets was fifth.
In the 15-lap Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series race, A.J. Sanders defeated runner-up Chuck Wall.
“It feels good,” Sanders said. “…There’s just to many (good drivers) out here.”
Sterling Plemmons was able to fend off Justin Taylor to win the second 20-lap Sportsman Series race.
“You know, it’s Justin and me,” Plemmons said. “So, it’s always magnets to each other. And he wanted to play games. He seemed upset. I don’t know what he’s upset over. I’ve had a terrible night. The transmission hung in gear the first race. I probably should’ve won that one. We rallied back to come get the second one. I don’t how to race any better than that. And, I don’t know, that’s it.”
Tommy Neal was third, Chase Robertson was fourth, and Zack Ore was fifth.
There were three cautions.
Isaac Harris finished third, Brandon Brendle was fourth, and Levi Holt was fifth.
The 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Series was the only event that was postponed Saturday night because of weather. Just as the cars rolled in the track to start the Street Stock race it started raining for the fifth time. The demolition derby went on as scheduled because it wasn’t affected by the rain.
Next week’s racing is highlighted by the Colors Edge 100, which will be a 100-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman series.
In addition there will be twin 25-lap races in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, a 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series, and either one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
In between managing the stifling heat, endless restarts and a nearly hourlong rain delay, Denny Hamlin peeked at the Dover Motor Speedway running order during his victory Sunday.
The scoring pylon told the story of two teams and a 2025 Cup Series title that increasingly seems destined to be determined between two reigning powerhouses of NASCAR.
“It was all JGR and Hendrick (Motorsports) there at one point; I think it was top eight,” Hamlin said, adding with a smile. “Resources goes a long way, apparently.”
The balance of power at the 1-mile concrete oval has tipped decidedly in favor of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, which now have combined to win 15 of the past 20 races at Dover (and 12 of 17 oval races during the 2025 season).
The Monster Mile is living up to its nickname as a championship measuring stick that is not for the faint of heart or the weak of the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hamlin led a top six exclusively of Hendrick and JGR drivers, but it easily could have been a clean sweep of the top eight for the four-car squads.
William Byron ran in the top five throughout before being caught in a late crash with his No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet. Christopher Bell led 67 laps but lost control of his No. 20 JGR Toyota twice while racing hard for first on restarts.
“Dover and spinning out, I’ve got a problem with that,” Bell later joked.
There is no shame in that at Dover, particularly under extreme conditions rarely seen at the track. This season marked the first Cup race held in July at Dover since its 1969 debut, and the field was subjected to withering temperatures with triple-digit intensity while navigating the track’s nauseatingly steep banking.
“This is one of the more physical, demanding race tracks that we go to anyway,” Hamlin said. “It’s certainly in the top three just simply because of the G-forces it has. You don’t have long straightaways to take breaks. Typically, drivers like to relax their bodies on the straightaways to not fatigue all your muscles during the course of a three-and-a-half-hour race.
“There’s not a lot of time to do that at this track.”
The Dover victory roster underscores that only a select list of stars reach Victory Lane there.
In the past two decades, there have been 16 winners of Cup races at Dover. Six are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, two were on this year’s ballot, and two (Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.) will be surefire locks for induction in the next two years.
Of the remaining six, four are active Cup champions. The other two are Alex Bowman and Hamlin, who needed 14 years — and hours of studying the driving styles of Jimmie Johnson and Truex — to earn his first win at Dover.
“This is an oval race track, but this is the most unorthodox that you drive a track like this,” Hamlin said on the TNT post-race show. “You cannot drive it like a normal oval, like any other track on the circuit. You have to approach it differently, and it just took me a long time to figure that out.”
Despite being an outlier that was cut to one annual race four years ago, Dover is emerging as a barometer for the best teams in the Cup Series.
That designation once belonged to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the winner of the Brickyard 400 went on to win the Cup title eight times in 12 seasons from 1998-2009. That trend then shifted toward 1.5-mile speedways, which once comprised half of the 10-race playoffs.
But during the Next Gen era, competitive parity has become a popular story line on the 1.5-mile ovals, which also no longer weigh so heavily into the championship.
When this year’s Championship 4 field is set, and particularly if Hamlin finally manages to break through for his first championship, Sunday’s Dover results will be worth revisiting.
A monster day on the “Monster Mile” might have more meaning than ever.
DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team knew from the jump that Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was going to be contested one.
Mother Nature at the “Monster Mile” certainly proved as such. With on-track activity Saturday rained out, Elliott — despite being awarded the pole — had to contend with not only a competitive Cup field but also a new tire compound on the fly. While he didn’t find Victory Lane at the concrete 1-miler, Elliott overcame late-race cautions, weather delays and strategy jumbles to collect a sixth-place finish and claim possession of the top spot in the regular-season championship table.
It’s just the fourth race all year that teammate William Byron hasn’t paced the series standings, and Elliott’s first time leading the Cup field since last July.
“Been really proud of the effort all day,” Chase Elliott said to TNT Sports during a weather delay in the final stage. “Couple little hiccups here and there, but had a nice recovery to get back to the lead and didn’t want to see that caution. I was hoping I was settling in for the last run of the day, but it’s part of it. It can change really fast.”
Despite a lack of on-track time, Elliott quickly illustrated the No. 9’s brisk speed during the opening portions of Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, leading 171 of the first 184 circuits and winning Stage 1 over Christopher Bell and eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. Trouble, however, arose during a Stage 2 pit visit after a jack issue resulted in a 15-second stop and loss of the race lead.
“The jack post wasn’t as deep on the jack plate as you typically would like, and just the amount of force we’re applying to the end of those handles, sometimes it’ll pop out of there,” No. 9 jackman TJ Semke told NASCAR.com. “That was obviously unfortunate. You never want to be leading the race and make a mistake, regardless of where you’re running, but especially not leading the race. But fortunately, it didn’t hinder us too much, and we were able to bounce back and gain a couple spots. Good restart by Chase, fighting the 20 (Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing) there and ended up back in the lead. So, fortunately, didn’t kill us too bad, but that’s always frustrating when it happens.”
The mistake didn’t shake Elliott, either.
“You know you’re still early enough in the event at that point that there’s still a lot of time to recover,” Elliott said. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows all the time, so you just have to deal with whatever comes your way, and we had an issue come our way and I felt like we’ve dealt with it well.”
And recover Elliott did, finishing Stage 2 in fourth and regaining the race lead before settling inside the top three as the final stage waned. Adversity again reared its head, though, when the yellow flag waved on Lap 337 due to weather and again on Lap 384 due to a Ross Chastain spin, with the red flag subsequently flying on Lap 387 for a downpour, just 13 laps from the race’s conclusion.
In addition to a two-tire call, strategy then came into play even more. Elliott, who pitted 10 laps before the Lap 337 yellow, had to decide on a plan coming out of the 56-minute red flag when it came to pitting again once the race resumed. The No. 9 team stayed out, and while Elliott faltered from a top-three racing position, the 2020 Cup Series champion had enough speed to wheel a sixth-place finish, his ninth result of sixth or better in 2025.
“It’s tough to call these races,” Semke said. “We’re just sitting there fighting, trying to figure out what’s going on. I think the biggest challenge during a rain delay is keeping your body and your mind in it. You’re fatigued, you’re tired. It rains, you’re soaking wet. It gets steamy outside, so your fire suit gains about 20 more pounds, and it’s really difficult, but ultimately, Alan (Gustafson, No. 9 crew chief) did a great job today. Chase did a great job, and I think us as a pit crew did a great job bouncing back from my mistake.”
Elliott’s 48 points at Dover were the third-most out of any driver (Hamlin 57, Alex Bowman 49). Elliott’s 238 laps led during the race, meanwhile, were the most for the No. 9 pilot in any Cup contest since leading 289 circuits at Martinsville Speedway in October 2021.
With five regular-season races remaining, Elliott will aim to continue positive momentum and build on his 16-point lead over Byron in the regular-season championship standings. The Cup Series field heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“The last little little stretch here, whether it’s Chase, whether it’s a pit crew, anybody, I think we’re just doing a good job of building confidence,” Semke said, “and I think when you do get opportunities to start up front and you’re feeling confident, you’re in a rhythm, I think you can go out there and perform like that. Sometimes, things out of your control go against you, and it just feels like you’re just banging your head against the wall, but you could tell he’s obviously in a good rhythm.”
Cinderella’s glass slipper fit for at least one more week in the inaugural running of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
No. 32 seed Ty Dillon received the free pass ahead of the double overtime restart in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, allowing him to sneak past No. 12 seed John Hunter Nemechek for a spot in the Champions Round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dillon finished 20th, just one spot better than Nemechek, who was the first driver one lap down in 21st. The Kaulig Racing driver is just 160 laps away from a $1 million payout and the completion of an unlikely — and almost near-improbable — journey toward mid-season lore.
Here’s where we stand after Dover and before next Sunday’s Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Dover Motor Speedway winner: Denny Hamlin fended off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe on a pair of overtime restarts to notch his fourth win of the 2025 season and his second in a row at the “Monster Mile.” While the 44-year-old’s win didn’t affect the In-Season Challenge, it’s ironic because Hamlin, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, got knocked off by Dillon in the opening round at EchoPark Speedway (formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway).
Hamlin finished fourth at the Chicago Street Course, which, following the same path that Dillon did, would’ve propelled him past Brad Keselowski. To the same tune, Hamlin finished 20th at Sonoma Raceway last weekend while Alex Bowman finished 19th, meaning that under the right circumstances, we easily could’ve been discussing the now 58-time winner as a finalist come Indianapolis.
Who advances to the finals: (6) Ty Gibbs and (32) Ty Dillon.
Both semifinal matchups couldn’t have been much tighter. Ty Gibbs battled with fellow Toyota driver Tyler Reddick, who both ran inside the top 10 for much of the afternoon. On the other side of the coin, both Dillon and opponent Nemechek ran inside the 20s for a majority of the event, going a lap down early on and scampering for an opportunity to receive the free pass, which Dillon successfully did in the waning moments of the race.
While his run in the In-Season Challenge is over, Nemechek certainly made his mark. The Legacy Motor Club driver finished sixth in two of the three seeding races (Pocono and Mexico City), earning the No. 12 seed as the entire organization has continued to make strides in the summer months. He certainly didn’t dominate the first three rounds of the tournament, finishing no better than 15th, but showed that a survive-and-advance mentality (and maybe a little family trash talk) is the recipe for success.
So, who’s going to win the first edition of the In-Season Challenge? Safe to say it’ll be Ty.
Who’s up:
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Big picture, Ty Gibbs is more focused on making the Cup Series Playoffs and earning his first career victory, but it’s safe to say that the In-Season Challenge has helped turn his 2025 season around. Gibbs finished fifth and gained some late separation on Reddick in the closing laps — despite both pitting for tires at Lap 388 — to punch his championship ticket at “The Brickyard.” Since the seeding races began at Michigan International Speedway seven weeks ago, the 22-year-old hasn’t finished worse than 14th. With five races remaining in the regular season, Gibbs sits 52 points below the cutline.
JGR competition director and former Hamlin crew chief Chris Gabehart has helped guide the team in recent weeks (in addition to crew chief Tyler Allen), and since the calendar flipped to June, Gibbs has made up 11 spots in the championship standings (27th after Nashville to 16th after Dover).
Who’s down:
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Reddick did a nice job of wiping three difficult seeding races (best finish of 13th at Michigan) to finish no worse than sixth in the first three rounds of the In-Season Challenge. But lady luck ran out for the 29-year-old at Dover as Reddick faded to 12th in the closing laps despite spending much of the race inside the top 10. He beat Gibbs off pit road shortly after the red flag for rain at Lap 388 and restarted ninth, but ended up going the wrong way as Gibbs used the two overtime restarts to his advantage.
It’s not the In-Season Challenge that Reddick would’ve liked, but the No. 45 team is heading in the right direction on the doorstep of the playoffs.
DOVER, Del. — In Christopher Bell’s mind, it had been a distant memory since the last time the No. 20 team had speed capable of contending for a race victory. He had that in bunches during Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
“It’s refreshing to have speed again,” Bell said after the race. “We haven’t had pace and today we were able to lead laps, get stage points and won a stage.”
Bell led 67 laps, the most laps he’s led since dominating the spring event at Phoenix Raceway (105). He won Stage 2 at Dover by a country mile, putting multiple seconds on Alex Bowman. But a pair of restarts turned out to be costly for the three-time winner in 2025 during the final stage.
Restarting as the leader, Bell bottomed out entering Turn 3 — Bell had an incident in the same corner during qualifying last year at Dover — and spun in front of the entire field. The No. 20 car avoided contact, needing a fresh set of Goodyear rubber before resetting at the tail of the lead-lap cars. On the next restart, Bell charged to the lower teens but couldn’t motor through the field at an aerodynamic deficit.
Through a cycle of pit stops during the middle of the final stage, Adam Stevens, crew chief of the No. 20 Toyota, went off strategy, leaving Bell out on the track longer than the bulk of the field. A small rain cell hit the “Monster Mile” at Lap 336, with Bell scored as the leader. Austin Dillon was the only other lead-lap driver who had yet to pit.
Fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was the only lead-lap car that didn’t pit during the caution. A bigger rain cell hit the track during a caution brought out by Ross Chastain with 17 laps remaining. The race was red-flagged with 14 laps remaining, with Bell scored in second position.
After a 56-minute red flag, the race resumed with the JGR duo on the front row. Bell knew he needed to get the lead, or in his mind, he wasn’t going to be able to win. On Lap 392, the No. 20 car spun again, this time off Turn 4 while battling side-by-side with Hamlin for the lead. Noah Gragson and William Byron were innocent bystanders a few rows back.
“Denny was on my outside and we’re both pushing hard,” Bell stated. “You know, whoever gets clean air and wins that restart is going to win the race. I wasn’t going to let him go, that’s for sure.”
With another restart wreck, Bell jumped to 18th in the finishing order. He tallied 38 points for the afternoon, 19 of which were scored through the opening two stages. It’s his fourth finish outside the top 15 in the last five events. Bell scored only one stage point in the previous month of competition, dating back to Pocono Raceway.
“Made two mistakes,” Stevens said. “We were able to recover from one of them just with good fortune, more than anything, with the weather. Not the second one. That’s the way it is. We all make mistakes – I’ve had plenty of race-enders myself, so has the pit crew. It’s part of it.”
While the finishing position will tell a different story, Bell is pleased with the overall performance. It’s something he believes the No. 20 team can carry into upcoming events.
“If we keep bringing speed like that to the race track, then we’re going to be just fine,” Bell added. “It’s been a long time coming; I haven’t scored stage points in a long time, let alone win a stage.”
Denny Hamlin prevailed in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway – a race that featured a 56-minute red flag for rain, late-race strategy decisions, and involved a pair of overtime restarts before the trophy was ultimately settled between a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.
But the veteran Hamlin got it all right when it mattered most, getting a jump on the field in both overtime restarts and in the end holding off newest teammate Chase Briscoe, who was even on fresher tires. It marks back-to-back wins at the Dover concrete mile for Hamlin and a NASCAR Cup Series-best fourth victory of 2025.
“Things were going pretty well there before the rain and then obviously had to endure a few restarts there,’’ said a smiling Hamlin, 44, who collected his 58th career Cup victory and first trophy since the birth of his son, Jameson, last month. “It was tough, those guys gave me a run for it, no doubt about it. Winning here at Dover is super special to me. This is a place I had not been very good at the first half of my career and then to have back-to-back (wins) here the last couple years is amazing.”
Briscoe certainly pushed Hamlin on that final two-lap sprint to the checkered flag. The two ran door-to-door on the white-flag lap — their cars even making slight contact — before Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota Camry was able to pull around and clear Briscoe’s car, racing off to a 0.310-second victory to become the 13th driver in track history to win consecutive races.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson finished third and fourth with another JGR driver, Ty Gibbs, rounding out the top five.
For most of the day, it looked as if Hendrick’s Chase Elliott would continue a summer hot streak and claim his second race win in the last four weeks. He led a race-best 238 of the 407 laps — taking his first stage win of the season and overcoming an early pit road miscue, when his No. 9 Chevrolet fell off the jack during a swap of left-side tires. But he just wasn’t able to challenge Hamlin.
There was some consolation in Elliott’s sixth-place finish, however, as it — combined with teammate William Byron’s accident with two laps remaining in regulation — now gives Elliott a 17-point championship lead over Byron with five races remaining in the regular season. It’s the first time he’s led the Cup Series standings this year.
Elliott led so many laps and essentially controlled the race pace, but it was a cycle of pit stops that gave Hamlin an opportunity out front. He cycled to the lead when Elliott pitted for tires during a caution, beating his JGR teammate Christopher Bell on a restart with 60 laps remaining. Hamlin held the lead position when the 56-minute red flag came out for rain with 14 laps to go.
After all that, Hamlin had to hold off Briscoe on consecutive overtime restarts — ultimately leading the final 67 laps.
“I thought I did everything I needed to and thought I had it there for a second,” Briscoe said. “I was so close to clearing him and just couldn’t do it. Obviously racing a teammate, I wanted to make sure at least a JGR car won. Honestly it was a great day. We weren’t probably a second-place race car, we were probably a fifth- to 10th-place car. Glad we were able to make a good finish out of it.”
Behind Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10.
While the top of the championship standings changed with Elliott taking the lead, the four drivers – Reddick, Bowman, Buescher and Wallace – still chasing a points-position in the 16-driver playoff grid remained the same. Wallace’s seventh-place finish gives him a 16-point edge on Ryan Preece for the 16th and final transfer position. Kyle Busch, who finished 11th Sunday, is now 39 points behind Wallace.
The race also set the In-Season Challenge championship matchup next week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Gibbs and longshot Ty Dillon advancing to the title round.
Gibbs was paired against Tyler Reddick at Dover, and Dillon had to beat John Hunter Nemechek in the other bracket to settle the final two positions for $1 million to win grand finale of the inaugural incentive program presented by TNT.
In both head-to-head battles, the two drivers ran near each other all afternoon. Gibbs got around Reddick in the closing laps, and Dillon was the free-pass beneficiary on the final caution period, finishing 20th as the last driver on the lead lap to Nemechek’s 21st, one lap down.
“Super cool today, I really appreciate my team,” Gibbs said smiling.
Dillon, who drives the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, was similarly ecstatic for the opportunity. He was seeded 32nd among the 32 drivers to qualify for the In-Season Challenge tournament and had to race past drivers like Hamlin in earlier rounds.
“All respect to John Hunter. We ran next to each other all day,’’ a thrilled Dillon said. “Just so grateful to have this opportunity and this is one of the greatest things to happen in my career.”
Shane van Gisbergen’s two-race win streak ended at Dover, where the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team was slowed by an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 11 because of a punctured right-front tire. Van Gisbergen — who won the last two weekends at Chicago and Sonoma — finished 3oth in the 37-car field.
The Cup Series resumes next Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Larson is the defending race winner.
Note: Post-race technical inspection in the Cup Series garage was completed without issue, confirming Hamlin as the Dover winner. No cars will return to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for any further inspection.
Denny Hamlin held on for victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, fending off teammate Chase Briscoe in double overtime at Dover Motor Speedway.
Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was ahead by an 0.310-second margin at the checkered flag, leading 67 of the 407 laps in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Hamlin’s series-best fourth win of the season was his third at the 1-mile Delaware track and the 58th of his Cup Series career.
Briscoe ended as the runner-up for the second straight week in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Alex Bowman claimed third place with Kyle Larson fourth and Ty Gibbs completing the top five.
Gibbs and Ty Dillon advanced as the last two drivers still alive in the In-Season Challenge tournament. Gibbs’ top-five day eliminated 12th-place Tyler Reddick, and Dillon (20th) dispatched John Hunter Nemechek — the first driver one lap down — by one spot to reach the final matchup in the contest for the $1 million prize.
Elliott and Bell divided the stage wins, but each driver faced setbacks after taking the green-checkered flag. Elliott started from the pole position and led 171 of the first 184 laps, but dropped four spots after his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet fell off the jack during a green-flag pit stop in the second stage. Bell led 67 laps but lost control of his No. 20 JGR Toyota in a Turn 3 contest for the lead with Elliott, just after the final stage went green.
A caution flag for rain on Lap 338 upended the strategies for several teams, and Hamlin vaulted to the top spot when his No. 11 team opted not to pit under the yellow. Another rain shower with 386 laps complete forced a red flag that lasted 56 minutes, 23 seconds, and the top eight stayed on the track during the pit exchange.
Bell spun while racing Hamlin for the lead with seven laps remaining in regulation, collecting the cars of William Byron and Noah Gragson in his wake. That set up the first of two overtime sessions, where Hamlin held tough against the challenges of his teammates.
Shane van Gisbergen’s two-race win streak ended at Dover, where the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team was slowed by an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 11 because of a punctured right-front tire. Van Gisbergen — who won the last two weekends at Chicago and Sonoma — finished 3oth in the 37-car field.
The Cup Series resumes next Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Five races remain in the regular season before the 16-driver championship-eligible field in the Cup Series Playoffs is decided.
WINCHESTER, New Hampshire – After a series record eight different to open the year, Sunday’s Cheshire County Clash 200 at Monadnock Speedway yielded the first repeat winner of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Ron Silk would be the one to snap the streak, earning his first Monadnock victory with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the process. The triumph did not come without drama for Silk, who collided with race leader Patrick Emerling in Turn 3 with 30 laps remaining, sending the latter for a spin.
Silk attributed the collision to two drivers going for the win. Although he was disappointed to see Emerling spin after the contact, Silk was more than satisfied to finally visit Victory Lane at Monadnock in his 15th appearance.
“We were racing pretty hard,” Silk said. “I pulled out on the exit of Turn 2 and he didn’t give me a lot of room, but I don’t blame him. I feel like we both kind of got loose in and made some contact. I wish he could have held onto it, but that’s hard racing.”
Ron Silk and @PatrickEmerling collide battling for the #NWMT40 race lead and Emerling spins!
Prior to the doubleheader, Silk had enjoyed modest success at Monadnock but never managed to bring home a checkered flag. His Monadnock resume featured seven top five finishes, including two runner-up showings in 2020 and 2024.
A disappointing 15th in Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 200 fueled Silk’s motivation to rebound. Silk posted the fifth-best time in qualifying but started on pole by virtue of the redraw.
While Silk successfully maintained his track position at the front of the field, he faced constant pressure from Emerling, who was also eager to shake off a frustrating Saturday outcome that saw him lose a win to Tommy Catalano by .007 seconds. Emerling go to the lead during the closing stages, but Silk stayed within striking distance, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
Silk saw his opportunity with less than 40 laps left. He dove to the inside of Emerling in search of an open lane in Turn 3. The move sent Emerling around while Silk continued unscathed.
Being on the receiving end of contact to close out two consecutive races at Monadnock was irritating for Emerling. He was confused and frustrated by Silk’s dive bomb in Turn 3, especially after he believed the two had raced cordially earlier in the day.
“It’s really unfortunate,” Emerling said. “[Silk and I raced] like gentlemen and I passed him without touching him. He had a fresh tire on, we were better on the long run and he knew that. He was just good enough to maybe get to our bumper. He knew he wasn’t going to stay there long and that we would drive away.
“Then he decided to ship it into the corner like he wasn’t going to make it and just took us out.”
With Emerling out of contention, Silk still had to deal with two familiar foes in his rearview mirror, Justin Bonsignore and Matt Hirschman. Neither posed a significant challenge to Silk in the final 20 laps as he drove away to earn his second win of 2025.
Matt Hirschman celebrates after claiming the Whelen Short Track Cup for the second time during the Cheshire County Clash 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire on July 20, 2025. (Photo: Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
Bonsignore held on to finish second while Hirschman secured third, which enabled him to claim his second Whelen Short Track Cup. Hirschman endured an odyssey just to reach the top five, as a mistake in qualifying relegated him to 20th on the starting grid.
By utilizing strategy and persevering with a car not to his liking, Hirschman narrowly edged out his Mud Lane neighbor Austin Beers for the Whelen Short Track Cup and a $3,500 bonus courtesy of JDV Productions.
“I did not think this was possible,” Hirschman said. “I do think we gave it away last night, but we ended up with a third place finish with a car that felt like it was on six or seven cylinders. My guys worked hard, nobody knows what the problem is, but it’s nobody’s fault. The Cup wouldn’t have even been a contest if we finished remotely close to where we should have last night.
“I feel like I drove my rear end off today with what I had.”
Anthony Nocella and Trevor Catalano made up the rest of the top five. Rounding out the top 10 at Monadnock were Joey Cipriano III, Luke Baldwin, Emerling, Beers and Tommy Catalano.
The next stop for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be a midweek race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Aug. 6. The green flag for the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com will wave at 8 p.m. ET, with FloRacing providing live coverage.
