Austin Cindric responds to Team Penske IndyCar personnel changes

Posted on May 24, 2025May 25, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. — After two of Team Penske’s IndyCar teams were penalized for illegal parts modifications during last weekend’s Indianapolis 500 qualifying, the team announced it had parted ways with IndyCar team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer on Wednesday.

Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric addressed the fallout of a situation that ultimately cost his father, Tim, his job.

MORE: Charlotte schedule | Starting lineup

“When family’s involved, you’ve got to understand it from both sides,” Cindric told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “And I feel like from every step of the way, since I started racing for the team in 2018, I feel like between myself, my pops and (team owner) Roger (Penske) and most involved, I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job at separating personal life and professional life. And I see this as no different.

“Racing can be a cool industry. It can be an incredibly rewarding industry. And past that, it’s not something that I have weighing on me heavily for this weekend and for my pops. I love my dad, and that’s kind of about all I have to say.”

Tim Cindric served as the president of all of Team Penske’s racing efforts from 2005 through 2024. In February, Cindric stepped back from that role to focus solely on the organization’s IndyCar program. His son, Austin, is the 2022 winner of the Daytona 500 and 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series, has already won in 2025 to lock his way into the playoffs, thanks to an April win at Talladega Superspeedway, the third of his career. The fourth-year racer — now a veteran at 26 years old — said his job security remains unchanged at the company.

“Professionally, I’m in a no different place than I was a week ago,” Cindric said. “You know, I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now on the 2 car. I’ve never felt better. I’ve never had a better start to a season. So for me, I’m just more focused on execution, really. I feel like we’ve had some really fast race cars and some good opportunities.

“The interesting thing for me about my first three years in Cup was the first time I actually was in meetings with my dad. And that ended at the beginning of this year, so I feel like there really is only a personal connection to any of the news from this week.”

Joey Logano, teammate to Cindric and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, shared in expressing unity for the whole of Team Penske. While no immediate impacts will be felt on the organization’s NASCAR program, there is overlap between it and the group’s IndyCar outfit.

“We’re all one team. That’s the way I’ve always viewed it,” Logano said. “That’s why we love to support what the IndyCar guys are doing every week, and vice versa. And we’re in the same building, so there are some shared pieces there when we go to whatever manufacturer or engineering, those type of things, there are shared people there. So when we see something like that, yeah, does it impact us? Obviously, it’s going to.

“I think Roger’s comments in his sit-down with Jamie (Little, FOX Sports) was everything we needed to hear. Roger came down and visited all of us — visited drivers and crew chiefs, but then visited the whole team in a Roger-type way, as you would expect. And yeah, at this point, it’s unfortunate, right? But we’ve got to move forward. It’s something that happened and we’ve got to stay out the windshield, as Roger always says.”

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion for Team Penske, had a close connection to Tim Cindric as well. So while the impact wasn’t quite as close to home as it was for Austin Cindric, Tim Cindric’s departure did strike Blaney as well.

“Tim was one of the first guys I met over at Team Penske, and he was in the very first meetings with me and my dad,” Blaney said. “He had a huge impact on my career and my life, and he’s been a friend of mine ever since I walked in the door that day. And so he definitely means a lot.”

Blaney echoed Logano’s sentiment of viewing Team Penske as “one team” but believes the NASCAR side of the team’s efforts will go on as intended.

“It’s definitely tough to see a few guys go that have met a lot,” he said. “Tim meant a lot to me in my early parts of my career and things like that. Roger said it very well. I’m not really concerned that it’s going to bleed over into our deal. Just kind of move forward from it.”

In Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Austin Cindric will start 14th, with Logano 16th and Blaney 21st.

Posted on May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 by Holly Cain

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Callum Illott and Louis Foster sat on stage in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center Thursday morning, one open chair alongside them. The two British drivers joked that they better answer any questions from the gathering group of reporters immediately.

“We agreed that we would start before Kyle gets here,” Illott said with a smile. “You can ask us some questions before the star arrives.”

Moments later “Kyle” arrived. NASCAR champion Kyle Larson took a seat alongside his fellow seventh row starters for Sunday’s 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. And sure enough, the questions came fast and often for the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader who — for the second straight year — is attempting motorsports’ Memorial Day weekend “Double,” the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Just back from a day of national media appearances in New York City, Larson could only smile receiving more questions about his “busy weekend.’’ But honestly, this once-a-generation talent doesn’t know any other way of operating.

A typical week for him during the season includes a dirt-track race — or two — at various locales in small-town America in addition to his duties competing — and winning — in NASCAR’s premier series.

The difference this week, of course, is Larson’s “extra” takes place at one of the most iconic racing venues in the world, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which will be filled to capacity — approximately 350,000 people expected to watch 33 of the most talented open-wheel drivers in the world contend for a long, sweet swig of Indy 500 winner’s milk.

Immediately after the checkered flag, Larson will fly via helicopter and plane to Charlotte Motor Speedway where he’ll climb into the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; attempting to be the fifth driver in motorsports history to compete in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day — the first since newly named NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch did so in 2018.

And it’s all in a day’s work for Larson.

“I travel around so much and race and fly in last minute for sprint car races and jump straight in and I think that will help the mindset of what it will be like for the 600,” Larson said.

“I think for sure, for me it’s not like a culture shock at all to be here and then traveling around to race. It’s what I do every week. Time windows are tight so often, so it doesn’t seem any different than a normal weekend for me.”

Larson has established himself among that elite group of racers who can drive anything, win anywhere.

In addition to countless wins at short tracks around the world, Larson won the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series. He has wins in all three of NASCAR’s major series with 32 Cup Series victories — including three through this season’s first 12 races. He hoisted the 2021 championship trophy and leads the standings this year by 35 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.

So it was of little surprise that last May, Larson secured a fifth-place starting position in his first Indianapolis 500 attempt and ran up front in the race, ultimately finishing 18thafter a pit road speeding penalty.

However, because that 2024 Indianapolis 500 green flag was delayed due to weather, Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Coca-Cola 600 had started and stopped with its own rain delay. The race was called “official” before Larson got a chance to climb into his No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet.

This year, Larson has high hopes of completing all 1,100 miles — something only three-time NASCAR cup Series champion Tony Stewart has done among previous drivers to run the “Double.”

Weather in Indianapolis is expected to be cool Sunday, but showers forecast earlier in the week are now supposed to stay south of The Speedway. Larson joked during Saturday’s drivers meeting that last year he looked at the weather and it rained race day, so this year, he isn’t monitoring the forecasts.

Larson completed 65 laps in final practice, his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet placing 26th overall, but firmly among the six fastest in 10-lap and 20-lap runs. And all of Friday’s action took place in front of his NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports team that flew up for the day.

“Our whole team is here, everybody, it’s just a big camaraderie thing for us and for Kyle just to be a part of it and show him support,’’ said Eric Ludwig, the jackman on Larson’s NASCAR crew. “We’ve got his back whenever we have the opportunity, and he does the same for us. It’s a really cool experience. Not everybody gets a chance to do it.”

“We see all the people wearing the HendrickCars.com hats and shirt out here. And it’s awesome to see how big a following he has outside of stock car racing.”

That No. 5 team was immersed in a sea of fans Friday donning Larson’s orange and blue, the colors on his No. 17 IndyCar. For a driver only competing once this year, the popularity, love and respect has been unmistakable at the Speedway.

Tyler Howard of nearby Noblesville, Indiana, was one of about 50 people waiting outside a McLaren Racing trackside meeting room Friday after practice. All the fans hoping for a glimpse, autograph, smile or a few words when Larson emerged after a meeting.

“I think he’s one of the faster cars in the field, even though he’s starting 19th,” Howard, 25, insisted as he stood alongside his full-size cardboard cutout of Larson outside the McLaren offices.

And the warmth and support shown him again in Indianapolis has not gone unnoticed, nor under-appreciated. He and his Arrow McLaren Racing teammate Pato O’Ward got the loudest cheers during the traditional public driver meeting trackside Saturday morning race-eve.

“I think everybody can respect somebody doing the double, I notice the support, and from the fans especially probably more than anything,” Larson said.

“It always makes you feel good that you feel like there’s a large amount of people cheering you on. So yeah, hopefully we can just make everybody proud this weekend and do a good job in both races and just try our best.”

As with the fans, the NASCAR community has shown its support. Competitors say they will be watching the race even more closely than usual. A victory — even a good showing — from Larson is a positive reflection on the entire sport.

Stewart holds the best mark among the five — also including the late John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch — that have competed in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Stewart is the only one to finish all 1,100 miles and finish on the lead lap, doing so in 2001 when he posted the best “Double” finish of sixth in the Indy 500 (he led 13 laps) and third later at Charlotte.

Stewart, who will be part of the FOX Sports Indianapolis 500 broadcast team on Sunday, said on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast that “Every generation has that one guy that stands out above the rest. Kyle Larson is that guy.”

Fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also has high expectations for Larson on Sunday.

“He’s a natural that understands four tires and momentum and point it in the right direction, no matter what kind of vehicle it is, no matter what the power, the weight or anything,” Earnhardt said of Larson. “He’s very adaptable, and we have a very small list of names that fit into that sort of mold between A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart, Mario Andretti, maybe a few other drivers that were that dynamic and complex.

“I feel like much like when Jimmie Johnson was winning five championships in a row, and ultimately seven, I said this back then when he was on that little five-championship stretch, I said we ought to enjoy this while we have it, while it’s here, because you don’t see stuff like this very often, and I feel like that’s the same way we should be with Kyle Larson is to celebrate him.”

Larson smiles at the well wishes and acknowledges all the preparation is now complete.

“I’m as ready as I can be,” he said.

Posted on May 24, 2025May 25, 2025 by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Briscoe proved that practice does make perfect … or close enough to perfect, in his estimation.

Benefiting from experience gained during a Goodyear tire test on March 18-19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Briscoe put his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Briscoe toured the challenging 1.5-mile intermediate track in 29.532 seconds (182.852 mph) during Saturday’s time trials to edge Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (182.729 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.02 seconds.

The Busch Light Pole Award is Briscoe’s first at Charlotte, his second of the season and fourth of his career. It’s also his second pole of the season for a crown-jewel race, following his top qualifying effort for the season-opening Daytona 500.

Larson, of course, hopes to complete the Indianapolis 500 before taking the green flag from the front row at Charlotte. (Update: Larson’s Indy 500 day came to an end on the 92nd lap following a wreck.)

The qualifying triumph is an improvement in Briscoe’s average starting position, who enters the weekend with a 15.8 mark in that category.

“It was not the most perfect lap, by any means, but it was good enough,” said Briscoe, who joined the JGR roster this season. “Yeah, I’m super excited to finally get the results on Saturday that I think we deserve.

“This is also a great opportunity to lead the field to green for 600 miles … So I look forward to (Sunday) and see if we can keep it there.”

William Byron, who represented Chevrolet in the tire test, qualified third at 182.642 mph, followed by Chris Buescher (182.063 mph in the fastest Ford) and AJ Allmendinger (181.916 mph). John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and defending race winner Christopher Bell claimed the respective sixth through 10th positions on the starting grid.

Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, making his second start of the season and the 700th of his career, qualified 17th at 180.445 mph.

“Fun day of learning,” Johnson said. “Practice, I just kind of took my time getting up to speed, getting reaccustomed to the car and the track. I felt pretty comfortable at the end of practice and getting a feel for things, and then had a few minutes to think about it, and send it in qualifying.

“Qualifying went well. I kept getting stronger and stronger each corner I made. Sadly, I was just a little under-committed for Turns 1 and 2, but had the balance right, or the commitment right for Turns 3 and 4 and had a respectable lap. I do think we have potential in the car and can get up there with John Hunter (Nemechek), but I’m very happy to start kind of mid-pack there and have a good pit road pick as well.”

Ross Chastain wrecked during practice, backing into the Turn 4 wall. He did not make a qualifying run and will start the Coca-Cola 600 from the rear in a backup car. Chastain was fastest in a consecutive 10-lap averages before the accident.

Carson Hocevar, who posted the fastest single lap in final Cup practice on Saturday, spun off Turn 4 during his qualifying run and will start 39th in the 40-car field.

Kyle Busch, who did not turn a lap in practice because of power steering issues, was 24th fastest in time trials. Busch and Richard Childress Racing announced on Saturday that the two-time Cup champion will continue with the team in 2026.

Xfinity Series regular Connor Zilisch qualified 33rd in his return to action after being sidelined by a lower back injury sustained at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Zilisch is competing in a Cup race on an oval for the first time.

Hocevar fastest in practice

Saturday began with an hour-long practice split into two 25-minute group sessions with a 10-minute break in between. Hocevar led Group 1 with a speed of 180.445 mph, while Tyler Reddick led Group 2 at 178.897 mph.

The top 10 overall were Hocevar, Ty Gibbs, Allmendinger, Denny Hamlin, Reddick, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Byron, Chastain and Michael McDowell.

MORE: Practice results | Full Charlotte schedule

Chastain led the groups in consecutive 10-lap averages. Allmendinger, Gibbs, Hocevar and Keselowski completed the top five.

Posted on May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. — By Saturday night, Kyle Larson will be back in Indianapolis, ready for a full night’s rest before what he hopes are his most racing miles logged in one day.

On Sunday, he’ll compete in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, then fly to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he’ll drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’s a redo of last year’s first attempt at the Memorial Day Weekend Double, an 1,100-mile endeavor of racing that went awry in 2024 when weather both in Indy and Charlotte prohibited Larson from ever turning a Sunday lap in his NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet — his day job.

MORE: Larson’s Double in photos | Larson ‘confident’ after Carb Day

With a second chance comes less uncertainty. The weather is still a variable, but the logistics laid in place to help Larson, Hendrick Motorsports and IndyCar team Arrow McLaren accomplish their goals naturally have less bugs in the system, so to speak, heading into Year 2.

“Any chance you get an opportunity to have those experiences, good or bad, there’s always a lot to learn and a lot to take away, and we certainly did from last year,” Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “This year, having been through the motions last year, this year is more straightforward, I would say. To your point, there’s less questions and a lot more answers.

“Still, every year is different. Every experience is different. So there’s a few things we’ve had to adapt to. But overall, we have a great team of people behind the logistics of getting Kyle back and forth. Our team has been through it. So just a lot of really good preparation from everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Arrow McLaren and the 5 team that hopefully we’re in a good spot.”

Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Digital Media

Like 2024, Larson was in Charlotte Saturday to practice and qualify his Cup car, slotting 20th in practice and qualifying on the front row in second place, with reserve driver Justin Allgaier waiting in the wings if and as needed. Certain unknowns from last year though included when exactly Larson needed to be en route to Charlotte from Indianapolis and how to achieve all the objectives necessary to make that happen seamlessly.

“Last year was just slightly different, you know?” Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman, said Saturday. “And I say that because we were going into it with (the mindset of), ‘This is probably the one and only time that we’re going to do this. This is Kyle’s first time. This is (team owner) Rick Hendrick’s first time.’ And so it was not as easy and clear-cut of a decision as to when we leave Indianapolis. That’s not the case this time. This time, he’ll be here — our goal is driver introductions, which I think is 5:25 (p.m. ET). That is our goal. … It’s a very tight window, but we have a concrete plan in place.”

Through preparing for the 2025 edition of the Double, Larson has crashed twice in the buildup to the Indianapolis 500 but will start 19th Sunday before bolting back to Charlotte. With more repetitions comes more confidence — both behind the wheel and in planning how to put together a cohesive effort.

“I feel like it’s been much smoother,” Gordon said. “I know (IndyCar) practice prior to qualifying didn’t go quite as well from Kyle’s perspective. But otherwise, I think everything has been much smoother and easier just because of what we already know, based on what we did last year.”

Posted on May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 by Cameron Richardson

CONCORD, N.C. — As another Coca-Cola 600 approaches Sunday evening (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it sparks all the fond memories for Ryan Blaney’s return to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he was victorious in the 2023 edition of NASCAR’s longest race.

Not only was it the first crown-jewel triumph checked off for the No. 12 Team Penske driver, but it snapped a 59-race winless drought for Blaney that included a zero in the 2022 Cup Series season.

“There was multiple special feelings going on,” Blaney said Saturday ahead of Coca-Cola 600 practice. “We only won the All-Star Race in ’22, so it was a little while since I last won. So that meant a lot finally getting back in Victory Lane. Winning the 600 was obviously a huge milestone. I grew up coming to this race watching dad [Dave] run and Memorial Day weekend always meant a lot to me.”

Reaching the start/finish line after the cooldown lap to begin his familiar no-burnout celebration, Blaney was met with a heavy roar from the crowd that made it to the 1.5-mile facility on a Monday evening after weather hampered the weekend.

With chants of “Blaney, Blaney, Blaney!” ringing from thousands, the then 29-year-old took a page from organizational teammate Josef Newgarden, who won the Indianapolis 500 the day before, to run into the grandstands and greet the fans.

“Josef went in the stands when he won the Indy 500 that day before and I just thought that was awesome. That was so cool,” Blaney said. “I was super psyched for Josef and that group, for him to get his first Indy 500 and it just kind of, all of a sudden, I wanted to do and I think I said to myself when I saw him go in the stands on Sunday, I was like, ‘man, if we can win, I want to do that.’ That’d be cool. Yeah, that was such a fun night.”

Logan Riely | Getty Images

What made it even more special for Blaney was having the CEO of primary sponsor BodyArmor that night, Federico Muyshondt, at the track to celebrate.

“He and his family were in town, and since the race got delayed, he had to fly his family to the airport,” Blaney said. “He had to drive them to the airport and they were going to leave because they had to get back home, his kids had to go to school. He just had this feeling that we were going to win. So he turned around after he dropped his family off, he came back and watched like the last 40, 50 laps, and was able to celebrate in Victory Lane. Just his dedication to like, ‘man, I think we’re going to win this thing’, to come back, leave his family like, I’m staying. I’m not missing it and to share that moment with him was really cool since they were on the car for that race.”

The win didn’t just get Blaney back on the board in the win column — it also set up his run to the 2023 Cup Series Championship.

MORE: Relive 2023 Coke 600

The path wasn’t straightforward to hoist the Bill France Cup. However, Blaney secured a pair of clutch playoff wins at Talladega and Martinsville to ultimately finish the best of the Championship 4 when the checkered flag flew at Phoenix Raceway.

“I think it really set us up for that,” Blaney said. “We started off ’23 running OK, not great, and we were able to find a lot of good things at this race two years ago that kind of was like ‘OK, I think we’re on a good path right now … That was really the start I feel like of our group and our mentality and our performance kind of getting to where it needed to be, which is always neat to look back on those things, and like, where was the point that you kind of really knew you could make a charge of this thing? And really, I do think it started there.”

Posted on May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

See where your favorite NASCAR Xfinity Series driver will pit in Saturday’s BetMGM 300 (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

See where your favorite NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver will pit in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on May 24, 2025May 25, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series are all in action this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more.

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information is available.

Tires: 13 sets for the race, plus one set for practice and one set for qualifying. The qualifying set rolls over into the race.

Entry list
Qualifying order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Stage 3 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Race day: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information is available.

Tires: Six sets

Entry list
Qualifying order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information is available.

Tires: Five sets

Entry list
Qualifying order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch will continue to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet with Richard Childress Racing through the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, he and RCR announced Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The two-time Cup Series champion has piloted the No. 8 car since 2023, collecting three wins, 16 top fives and 31 top 10s in 84 starts since departing Joe Gibbs Racing after a 15-year stint. Team president Mike Verlander confirmed the team was picking up the option on Busch’s contract through 2026.

Announcing the news were team owner Richard Childress and Busch, both of whom remain encouraged by recent changes within the organization in efforts to snap what is currently a 69-race winless streak for Busch and the No. 8 team.

“This has extended our contract out another year, and we’re really excited,” Childress said. “You know, Kyle has been great to work with. Everybody had questions going in. I love a driver that (doesn’t) like to lose, and we’ve worked hard. We’ve got some exciting things coming up.

“He and I are both alike in one area that we don’t like to lose; we want to win races. I still think that Kyle will win him a championship, and we want it to happen at RCR and that’s our plans. We got a lot of new things coming. This car is a lot different. It’s so engineer-driven that we’re stepping our engineering up more, and I’m excited about the future.”

Winless since scoring three wins in the first 16 races of 2023, Busch has played an instrumental role in aiding RCR’s offseason retooling. Between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns came the promotion of Verlander to president of the company after he previously held the same role at Kyle Busch Motorsports and served as executive vice president at Stewart-Haas Racing. Other moves included Torrey Galida’s ascension from president to vice chairman, along with the addition of John Klausmeier as technical director and Richard Boswell as crew chief of the No. 3 team with driver Austin Dillon.

MORE: Rowdy at 40 years old

That RCR picked up the option on Busch’s career affirms its commitment to Busch and his ability to continue to drive the organization forward.

“I give a lot of credit to Richard and him believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be able to come over here and have a chance to drive his car,” Busch said. “So for me, rewarding him with that and having the success on the race track is paramount. Being able to continue on when I first joined, I feel like there were some things that we were doing within the rules at that time that got us some extra speed, and then, there was definitely some things that came down that they didn’t like us doing.

“So that’s sort of where we’ve lost a little bit if people are wondering, why have we not been able to win like we did in the first 16 races. It’s just a matter of being able to continue to work with the people that are there. It’s a great culture. I enjoy working there. I fit in well there. They enjoy having me there.”

Part of that culture is working alongside teammate Dillon, a past winner of the Coca-Cola 600 and Daytona 500.

“Austin’s been a fantastic teammate,” Busch said. “His demeanor and the way that we’re able to work together, we talk a lot about the same things and describe it in much of the same fashions. He’s been a really good resource to rely on as well. So it’s good to have a teammate factor that helps keep you there.”

With the organizational changes have come improvements for Dillon and the No. 3 team as well. In his 12th season of driving for RCR, his grandfather’s team, Dillon currently maintains an 18.4 average finish, over four positions better than his 2024 campaign. Working alongside a multi-time Cup champ like Busch has been a boon for Dillon.

“I feel like he (Busch) gives you what you expect, which is that he’s a hard worker,” Dillon said Friday. “He’s fiery. He wants the best for the cars. He wants to get to Victory Lane constantly and will push everyone to figure out how to make that happen, even himself on the track.

“But as far as being in the meetings with him after practice and on Mondays and the debriefs, he’s very helpful. He asks good questions at the right time about what your car is doing, and he provides information that you can make your car better off of. So from that standpoint, you couldn’t ask for a more helpful teammate when it comes to his knowledge of the game and what he is providing from an informational standpoint.”

While Busch’s victories have slowed, there remains an obvious optimism within Busch as he remains the pilot of the No. 8 Chevrolet.

“We have certainly had our battles,” Busch said. “It’s been fun yet challenging. Definitely isn’t easy. This sport is very, very tough, very, very close and challenging in being able to score those wins and compete for those each and every week. And we know those areas in which we can improve behind the wheel, on pit road, in the engineering, all of the above. So this is just the pinnacle of that and hope to continue to build on our successes that we’ve been working towards for the last two years.”

Busch is the 2018 winner of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The 2025 edition begins Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on May 23, 2025May 24, 2025 by Cameron Richardson

CONCORD, N.C. — An abnormally crisp late May evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway delivered a familiar result in the Craftsman Truck Series race as Corey Heim swept the stages en route to his fourth win of 2025.

However, Heim’s victory didn’t come without a contest as the Niece Motorsports pair of Ross Chastain and Kaden Honeycutt tested the No. 11 Tricon Garage driver all night long, with Honeycutt nabbing a career-best third-place finish in the No. 45 Chevrolet.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“Great night tonight for our company, second, third and seventh,” Honeycutt said. “I hate that we didn’t win the race. This team has been so dang good here. We were good here last year and I put a lot of pressure on myself winning, but that’s how bad I want to do it.”

Throughout the 134-lap showdown, Honeycutt had the speed and the pit crew to challenge for the lead. The No. 45 team opted for no tires at the end of Stage 2 to move into the lead ahead of Heim and was able to hold serve within the top five, collecting 16 stage points to complement a career-best evening.

Battling a murderer’s row of drivers in Heim and Cup veterans Kyle Busch and Chastain was going to be an uphill battle for the 21-year-old driver in his first full-time season. However, it was a valuable learning experience for the rising prospect as he continues to blossom at the national level.

“I definitely learned a lot,” Honeycutt said. “I hate that I didn’t keep the lead there when my pit crew did an amazing job. God, they were so dang good all night. They were awesome. I appreciate them. I just hit the splitter just trying to hold off Corey there to try to keep the lead in clean air. [Crew chief] Phil [Gould] had a great call pitting there to get us in front of some of these guys. The 7 [Busch] was one of them and I feel like we had a top-three truck … just needed a little bit more to fight with that 11. They’ve been really freaking good.”

David Jensen | Getty Images

Adding to his Charlotte schedule competing Friday evening, Chastain continues to serve in a mentor role for Niece Motorsports as the organization continues to develop up-and-coming drivers.

The Alva, Florida native still wants to chase trophies at the Truck level whenever he climbs into the No. 44 Chevy, and since team owner Al Niece told Chastain he was bringing on Honeycutt, he’s been impressed ever since.

MORE: Coca-Cola 600 weekend schedule | Charlotte info hub

“I’ve seen first to trust Al Niece’s gut when he says ‘this is the guy,'” Chastain said. “He first told me about him. Texas kid, I’m thinking, ‘OK, just because he’s from Texas, he’s gonna be in the truck.’ Once I knew he was gonna be in one and I watched him in the other vehicles he was in, I’m like ‘OK yeah, he can drive.’ He’s with Phil Gould, so they’re coaching him. Got a good group around him, in the team and out, and he’s doing the little things right.”

Racing hard against Chastain inside the top five, Honeycutt credited Chastain with the contributions he’s made to Niece Motorsports.

“He’s been awesome,” Honeycutt said. “He’s what made this place what it is today and that’s amazing. So I’m very thankful to have a mentor like him and someone that I can lean on. I was really happy I even got to race with him and race side-by-side with him and do things tonight that I didn’t know I was capable of.”

Honeycutt leaves Charlotte seventh in the Truck Series standings, and while Heim owns a whopping 176-point lead over Honeycutt, the No. 45 driver sits just 76 points behind Chandler Smith for second.

Without any 1.5-mile circuits remaining on the Truck schedule this season, Honeycutt will be put to the test to deliver on tracks he’s never competed on, but with his strong start to the year, look for the young driver to continue to perform up to par.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I expect to win,” Honeycutt said. “When we don’t win, we try to scratch our heads and figure out what we need to do to be better and we were really good today as a company, I’m really happy for everyone. Just gonna move on next week and keep that momentum rolling.”

The Truck Series returns next Friday at Nashville Superspeedway for the Rackley Roofing 200 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on May 23, 2025May 24, 2025 by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. — This time, Corey Heim didn’t just slam the door on his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition — he nailed it shut.

Heim’s three previous 2025 wins notwithstanding, the driver of the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota has had difficulty closing out races with a dominant truck this season.

That was emphatically not the case on Friday night, when Heim led 98 of 134 laps and beat runner-up Ross Chastain to the finish line by 6.229 seconds in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Heim’s first victory at Charlotte and his fourth of the season was the 15th of his Truck Series career, tying him with Matt Crafton for 10th on the all-time career wins list. At age 22, he is the youngest to reach the 15-win milestone.

It was a perfect night. Heim swept the first two stages of the race and set the fastest lap, scoring a maximum 61 points to widen his series lead to a massive 100 points over second-place Chandler Smith. His margin of victory was the largest ever in the series at Charlotte.

“I felt like we’ve had the speed the last couple years here, but circumstances haven’t let us get it done,” said Heim, who has won five of the last nine Truck Series races on intermediate speedways.

“Obviously, it was such a good truck. I had to execute on my part. The pit crew did a great job. Just a really nice clean day. … It feels great. It feels like we’ve had a lot of opportunities to do that this year, really. Just can’t say enough about these guys. My team gave me a great Tundra, and we just really checked all of the boxes tonight. It feels great.”

Chastain was the best of the three Niece Motorsports Chevrolet drivers in the top seven. Kaden Honeycutt ran third, and Matt Mills was seventh. But none of the Niece trucks could mount a challenge to the race winner, particularly on longer runs.

“Best in class,” Chastain said of his own effort. “The 11 (Heim) is the best in the field right now, and none of us had anything for him. The 7 (Kyle Busch), the 38 (Smith), the 34 (Layne Riggs) — it was a heck of a race (for second) back there between us, but we’ve got to make it last longer.”

Riggs and Busch came home fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Grant Enfinger, Mills, Daniel Hemric, Rajah Caruth and Brandon Jones.

Smith fell victim to a Lap 71 wreck involving polesitter Gio Ruggiero, reigning series champion Ty Majeski and Connor Mosack. The winner last week at North Wilkesboro, Smith, was the first driver eliminated from the race and finished 34th.

WATCH: Smith, Majeski go spinning to start final stage

There were three cautions for 20 laps, two of the yellows for stage breaks.

The only negative for Heim is that no more 1.5-mile intermediate speedways are remaining on this season’s Truck Series schedule.

Next up for the Truck Series is the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway at 8 p.m. ET on May 30 (FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Craftsman Truck Series garage was complete with no issues, confirming Heim as the winner.