WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Bowman Gray Stadium is offering a little “Madhouse Education” for college students — for only $2.
This Saturday, June 21, the Market USA 100 will offer Fans’ Challenge money for the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series drivers, and college students can show their IDs at any ticket gate and get in to see the races for $2.
The Fans’ Challenge always adds an exciting challenge. The top-four time trial qualifiers will get a chance to take the Fans’ Challenge and win — or split — $6,000 by dropping to the rear and trying to get back into the top four when the checkered flag falls.
Two drivers who practically have doctorates in how to win at Bowman Gray Stadium are Burt Myers and Tim Brown, who come into the Market USA 100 tied atop the all-time wins list at 101 victories.
“I keep saying that it doesn’t matter if it’s 101, 102 (wins) — whatever,” Burt Myers said, “I’m just going to try and keep winning as many as I can.”
Added Brown: “I’m not really thinking about wins lists or any of that other stuff. Our team needs to get faster. Period.”
Burt Myers brother, Jason Myers, won the pole for the postponed Elite Underground Utility Twin 50s last week and was the only driver who took the Fans’ Challenge. His qualifying effort will stand for the Market USA 100, and he’ll get a chance to make his decision final or change his mind Saturday.
“My mother told me I should keep the pole, and that kind of made my decision to take the Fans’ Challenge,” Jason Myers chuckled.
Gates open at 6 p.m. ET Saturday night with racing action to start at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can get tickets online at www.bowmangrayracing.com. Tickets are $12 for adults and $2 for college students and kids ages 6 to 11.
NASCAR Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his debut as crew chief for the team’s No. 88 Chevrolet and driver Connor Zilisch in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway, JR Motorsports confirmed Wednesday on its X account.
Veteran Mardy Lindley is typically atop the pit box calling the shots for Zilisch. However, the No. 88 Chevrolet had two lug nuts left unsecured after finishing second in the May 31 race at Nashville Superspeedway, resulting in a $10,000 fine and one-race suspension for Lindley. NASCAR officials indicated that suspension was deferred one race, permitting Lindley to perform his normal duties at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City and sidelining him for Pocono.
A two-time Xfinity Series champion and 24-time series winner behind the wheel, Earnhardt has never called a race as crew chief in any of NASCAR’s three national series and saw this weekend’s circumstances as the right opportunity to team with Zilisch. Now broadcasting for Prime Video and TNT Sports’ Cup Series television coverage, Earnhardt made at least one Xfinity Series start per year from 2001-2024. Although he has no plans to step behind the wheel this season, Earnhardt will maintain his streak of appearances in a competitive role.
Zilisch, the 18-year-old rookie, will make his first appearance at the “Tricky Triangle” on Saturday. The Mooresville, North Carolina native won at Circuit of The Americas in March to secure his spot in the 2025 Xfinity Series Playoffs, collecting one win, four top fives and six top 10s through 14 starts this season. Zilisch missed the May 3 race at Texas Motor Speedway due to a lingering back injury after a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Kyle Larson substituted for Zilisch and scored the victory with Lindley as crew chief.
Earnhardt won two NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono, sweeping the track’s two events in 2014, totaling 11 top fives and 15 top 10s across 35 Cup starts at the 2.5-mile triangular track.
Zilisch enters the weekend fifth in the regular-season standings with a three-race streak of top-five finishes intact, placing second at both Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville before finishing fifth in Mexico City.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Prime Video will also air Cup Series qualifying at 1:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Though NASCAR has yet to confirm if the Cup Series will return to Mexico City next season, lessons from the inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez already are reverberating.
In a review of the first international Cup points race of the modern era, the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast revealed numerous takeaways, and some could be applied this season.
NASCAR managing director of racing communications Mike Forde said the tire packs installed throughout the 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course were effective in minimizing the track limits violations that have been a nuisance in recent road course races. There had been reluctance to use the tire packs because of potential race disruptions, but Forde said there was only one significant impact that moved a barrier a few feet without necessitating a caution flag.
“I think you’re going to see a lot more of it moving forward at road courses,” Forde said of the tire packs. “It seems like such a rudimentary solve, but it’s one that worked.”
The trip across the border wasn’t without issues as the arrivals of some Cup and Xfinity teams were delayed by two planes being grounded. Forde said NASCAR would consider arriving a day earlier for future international events or allowing teams autonomy in managing their travel (which was centralized for the Mexico City trip).
Forde also addressed multiple incidents involving Carson Hocevar during the weekend. NASCAR took no action after the Spire Motorsports driver was involved in an altercation with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but Forde said there would be “extra eyes for sure in Pocono” on the two drivers who also tangled at Nashville Superspeedway. “I don’t think we plan to sit either of them down before the race (in Pocono), but we’ll be on the lookout,” Forde said.
After questions about whether Hocevar intentionally caused the final caution of the Mexico City race by stalling after a spin, Forde said NASCAR determined no foul play (noting the driver lost a lap under the yellow).
Other topics covered during the 19th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— Why Zane Smith had to serve a penalty after his No. 38 Ford was repaired from crash damage.
— Kyle Larson earning a point for the race’s fastest lap despite finishing 36th after his No. 5 Chevrolet was damaged in an early wreck. Forde said there would be no changes to the rule, but NASCAR intended to be rigorous with inspections to ensure the legality of damaged cars that set the fastest lap in a race.
— The waiver policy that allowed Denny Hamlin to miss the race for his newborn son without having an impact on his playoff points. Forde said childbirth had been codified in the rulebook before the season as a medical reason for being granted a playoff waiver.
— How Alex Bowman was able to receive clearance to race despite lingering injuries from his crash at Michigan International Speedway.
— The timeline and criteria for determining if Mexico City would return to the 2026 schedule.
Click on the embed above to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series hits Pocono Raceway for the Pocono Mountains 250 on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The CW App will air Xfinity Series qualifying at 11:05 a.m. ET Saturday.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back in action at Pocono Raceway for the MillerTech Battery 200 on Friday (5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). FS2 will air Truck Series qualifying at 1:40 p.m. ET Friday.
After years of being a NASCAR sponsor, SciAps CEO and co-founder Don Sackett wanted to make more of an impact. His vision was Viking Motorsports, a competitive and non-affiliated NASCAR Xfinity Series team.
Sackett had a trial run in 2024, fielding the No. 38 car, which was prepared by RSS Racing in Georgia. Over the offseason, the team became its own entity and relocated to NASCAR’s Charlotte hub, leasing space from BJ McLeod.
Matt DiBenedetto, who believed in Sackett’s vision from the start, returned as the team’s driver as it switched manufacturers, crew chiefs and car numbers; the only returning pieces of the team from 2024 were DiBenedetto, Sackett and spotter Doug Campbell.
“The main goal last year was to get this thing off the ground, and that situation with the Siegs helping us was great for getting Viking Motorsports off the ground,” DiBenedetto told NASCAR.com. “The main goal was for us to truly become our own self-sufficient team.”
Ultimately, Sackett wanted his fingerprints in operating a team and creating a unique culture. With an established driver in DiBenedetto, the veteran racer streamlines the process, having built various teams in the past. That was important for both parties as it also attracts employees.
“Having a driver like Matt takes a lot of the unknown out of the equation,” Jeremy Lange, general manager of Viking Motorsports and formerly with Leavine Family Racing, said. “I know we have a talented driver behind the wheel. If we can build race cars that can race, we know we have a guy that can drive them versus an unknown or a kid who has money. We wanted to build it around a driver that we know can drive.”
DiBenedetto has made a living by overdelivering for smaller race teams. But even he thinks this was a different setting, given the team’s from-the-ground-up start.
“We have erratically improved and helped grow and build teams in the past,” DiBenedetto said. “But this one was different because it was starting from absolute scratch, completely nothing. That is what is probably more rewarding about it because it feels like building a business.
“We’ve had great people put in our path and a lot of tools for success that’s grown so much from looking back a year ago to where we are today and where we’re heading for the rest of the season.”
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Constant change led to a busy offseason for the small race team. The first full-time employee was hired in November, shortly after the 2024 campaign concluded. Veteran crew chief Pat Tryson was a pivotal acquisition, and Viking now has more than a dozen full-time employees.
To prepare for 2025, employees juggled working seven days per week over the offseason. It helped that everyone pulled rope in the same direction, knowing the beast of an opening three months of the schedule with no weeks off until early May.
Entering 2025, Viking established that cracking the top 15 would be a morale boost. Even then, the No. 99 team would be battling some of the series’ Goliaths.
“Our goal was to build our notebook of what we can do from our end,” Lange said. “You also have to put your flag in the ground and say, ‘we’re here.’ But you need to put your best foot forward every weekend, so people recognize that you are wanting to improve.
“We’re not satisfied finishing 20th; we’re not satisfied finishing 10th. We want to compete for victories, but we also have to be realistic in where we are and the lifespan of our race team. We’re racing teams on a weekly basis that have been doing this for a long time and have a lot more resources than we do. Not an excuse, just a fact.”
Through the opening 15 races of the season, the No. 99 team’s highlight was finishing fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. DiBenedetto narrowly missed out on top 10s in each of the first two races of the season, placing 11th and 12th, respectively. He has three additional top 20 finishes, including a 16th-place outing in NASCAR’s return to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last weekend.
DiBenedetto ranks 24th in the driver standings, and the No. 99 sits one spot lower in the owner points. The team’s next contest comes at Pocono Raceway this Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“We’ve had some hurdles to start the year, but I feel like we’re caught up and in a better spot,” DiBenedetto said. “We want to prove ourselves as a team, and it’s all about growing relationships with the manufacturer and gaining the respect of everybody in the sport, knowing this Viking Motorsports team is here to stay and long for the haul. We want to build a successful Xfinity Series team.”
DiBenedetto, who has been around the top three divisions for more than 15 years, is fully committed to Viking. He hopes to be the driver who can continue being in the trenches and build a competitive organization. He recalled telling Sackett: “I’ll run the rest of my career with you guys if that’s a possibility because I believed in them 1,000% just like they believed in me.”
As the team continues to learn from each other, Lange is happy with the swift progress of the No. 99 bunch, but he won’t be satisfied until the team is competing up front.
To celebrate 75 years worth of memories, the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team will be celebrated throughout the summer with “Wood Brothers Wednesdays” on The NASCAR Channel.
Wood Brothers Racing has been around since 1950, when Glen and Leonard Wood teamed up to pioneer a legacy that has transcended time.
Glen was behind the wheel of their car at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1960 and took the Wood Brothers Racing team to Victory Lane for the first time. The team scored its 101st NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2025, when Josh Berry took the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Bookending those victories were triumphs everywhere from Daytona to Darlington to Rockingham and everywhere in between. Twenty of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers have piloted a car for the team throughout their storied history, one that is well worth celebrating.
This weekend will celebrate memorable Wood Brothers moments throughout the 1980s. It also highlights some of their success at Pocono Raceway, the site of this weekend’s Cup Series race (Sun., 2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The thrilling 1986 Miller High Life 400 at Richmond Raceway will be the first full race on tap Wednesday. The race was won by Kyle Petty, marking his first victory in the Cup Series.
Ryan Blaney’s victory at Pocono in the 2017 Axalta Presents the Pocono 400 will be on the schedule. It was the first victory of Blaney’s Cup Series career, as well as the team’s first victory at the track since Neil Bonnett was victorious at the “Tricky Triangle” in 1980.
Bonnett’s victory in July 1980, as well as the 1983 Firecracker 400 from Daytona International Speedway, finish out the day’s races. That Daytona contest was won by Buddy Baker. It was the 19th and final victory of his Hall of Fame career.
The “Memory Lane” original content series will relive both the race from Richmond in 1986, as well as Blaney’s 2017 Pocono victory.
The NASCAR Channel delivers 24/7, always-on content, featuring the latest news and information from around the sport, original programming and race replays.
It is a FAST channel (Free-Ad Supported Television) and can be watched on your TV or mobile device via one of the streaming partners, such as Tubi or Xumo Play.
Spire Motorsports fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 for comments he made during a recent livestream, the organization announced Tuesday evening.
Hocevar disparaged Mexico City during a since-deleted stream on Twitch before traveling south for the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at the 2.42-mile Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. In a statement, Spire Motorsports addressed the comments, issuing a fine to its sophomore driver and mandating cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training “after a thorough internal review of Carson Hocevar’s recent livestream remarks about Mexico City, and in close consultation with NASCAR,” the statement said.
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) June 17, 2025
The fine will be donated in equal portions to three organizations that serve Mexican communities, the statement said:
— Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross) — providing humanitarian and medical relief across Mexico.
— Un Kilo de Ayuda — a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development in rural communities.
— Fondo Unido México (United Way Mexico) — funding local NGOs that improve education, health and housing in 22 Mexican states.
“These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports’ core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel,” the statement read. “Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk’ in how we speak, compete and serve the communities that welcome our sport.
“Carson’s recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR. Carson has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud.”
The 22-year-old driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet issued an apology on his social media accounts late Sunday evening following the event, in which he finished 34th, one lap down.
“Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan,” Hocevar said on his social media. “When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard about Mexico City from people who more than likely also had never been here. Now that I’ve actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I’ve ever seen, my opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments, by the race I ran, and I may have to move here to hide out from Ricky [Stenhouse Jr.] anyway.
“Count this as another lesson for me in a season I’ve learned so much. Don’t believe everything you hear without seeing it yourself. If anyone should give anyone or any place the benefit of the doubt it’s me. I’m sorry Mexico City. Consider me an ally going forward and an example of getting off Twitch and seeing things with my own two eyes.”
The team informed NASCAR of its penalties to Hocevar, the statement read.
“NASCAR has confirmed that our team-imposed discipline satisfies the sanctioning body’s requirements,” it continued. “Together we remain committed to showcasing NASCAR’s global growth, celebrating the passionate Mexican fanbase we experienced firsthand last weekend, and ensuring every member of our organization treats hosts, competitors, and communities with dignity.”
Hocevar also made contact with Stenhouse’s car during the Viva Mexico 250, the second time in three weeks his bumper has met that of Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet, leading to a post-race confrontation.
The NASCAR Cup Series resumes action this weekend at Pocono Raceway with the running of The Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
That rumbling you heard from Mexico City’s high elevations could have been the enthusiastic fans in the stadium section of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — or it just might have been Shane van Gisbergen shaking up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race with his dominant road course victory instead.
And while the battle along the elimination line went from zero to 19 points after the Viva Mexico 250, adding another winner to make it 10 this season has the playoff race still feeling tight with only 10 races remaining until the field is set.
Let’s check in on the bubble battle as we exit Mexico City and get ready to head to Pocono Raceway for Prime Video’s last race of the season (2 p.m. ET, Sunday, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Stats courtesy of Racing Insights.
Drivers provisionally qualified for playoffs with a win (10): Kyle Larson (three wins), Denny Hamlin (three wins), Christopher Bell (three wins), William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain.
Winless drivers more than 100 points above the elimination line (two): Chase Elliott (+146) and Tyler Reddick (+123).
With 12 spots filled by the above drivers, there are four spots open for the rest of the field to fight over, including these drivers closest to the elimination line:
Rank
Driver
Cutoff
13
Bubba Wallace
+57
14
Chase Briscoe
+39
15
Alex Bowman
+22
16
Chris Buescher
+19
ELIMINATION LINE
17
Ryan Preece
-19
18
Michael McDowell
-43
19
AJ Allmendinger
-45
20
Kyle Busch
-50
Bubble analysis: Besides race winner SVG, the only two drivers who gained points against the elimination line this week were the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Chase Elliott (who gained four points) and Alex Bowman (up nine points) after they finished third and fourth, respectively, at Mexico City.
Elliott is the active leader in road-course wins with seven but has yet to win on a road course in the Next Gen car, so Elliott showing signs of life at Mexico City could mean he will be a factor in upcoming road races at Chicago, Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Meanwhile, Bowman was the winner at Chicago last season, so those two could quickly make it 12 different winners.
Another driver who is adept at road-course racing is Michael McDowell, and although he lost six points against the elimination line and sits 43 points below after a fifth-place finish at Mexico City, he jumped five spots in the standings due to some other drivers like AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch and Carson Hocevar not taking advantage of the trip south of the border. Despite this development, McDowell still might need to win his way into the playoffs.
Off the charts: Finishing sixth at Mexico City, John Hunter Nemechek still lost 20 points to the elimination line, which is the perfect illustration of what a winner like SVG (coming from 130 points below the elimination line) can do to everyone else’s playoff chances. Ty Gibbs, who had a stronger car than his 11th-place finish indicated, lost 25 points against the elimination line and fell below Nemechek and into 25th place in the playoff standings.
With three road courses and two superspeedways — EchoPark (formerly Atlanta) and Daytona — on the schedule before the playoffs begin, there will be chances for more havoc to hit. However, it’s debatable whether Pocono will be one of those wild weeks.
Most of the former winners at Pocono are either already locked into the playoffs or reside above the elimination line, including Denny Hamlin (seven wins), Ryan Blaney (two wins) — and even one-time winners Elliott, Bowman, Chris Buescher and Joey Logano. However, the exceptions to the rule are Busch (four wins) and Brad Keselowski (one win), who are both in need of a big turnaround as they sit 50 and 140 points below the elimination line, respectively.
