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 in 1960 at Bowman Gray Stadium 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 week’s content looks at the third generation of the Wood Brothers family, as well as their victory in 2025 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Former Wood Brothers driver Kyle Petty hosts “The Next Lap | A Roundtable discussion with Wood Brothers Racing’s Third Generation.” Petty sits down with the next generation of the Wood Brothers family, Jon, Keven and Jordan Wood, to talk about their lives in racing, some of their favorite moments and the past, present and future of the team.
The NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025 will be on the schedule. This race saw Josh Berry capture the first victory of his Cup Series career, which was the 101st victory of the Wood Brothers Racing team. Berry’s victory early in the season helped kick off the Wood Brothers’ 75th anniversary celebration.
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NASCAR officials have granted a waiver to Austin Hill, officials confirmed to NASCAR.com Tuesday night, allowing the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver to remain eligible for the Xfinity Series Playoffs despite missing last weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway.
Hill, a three-time winner in 2025, was suspended from Saturday’s Hy-Vee Perks 250 at Iowa for his actions in the July 26 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where officials viewed Hill intentionally crashed Aric Almirola in the waning laps of the event. Hill was also issued a five-lap penalty for reckless driving immediately after the incident.
By receiving the playoff waiver, Hill remains eligible for the postseason despite missing one of the Xfinity Series’ 33 races this year. However, as the result of a rule change established ahead of the 2025 campaign, Hill will forfeit the 21 playoff points he had earned through the opening 21 races and will be ineligible to receive any additional playoff points through the Xfinity Series’ regular-season finale at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sept. 6.
Hill will return to competition Saturday at Watkins Glen International (3 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has one top-20 finish in three starts. The 31-year-old Georgia native sits fifth in the regular-season standings, 122 points behind series co-leaders Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch after Saturday’s race at Iowa.
Austin Dillon, winner of the 2018 Daytona 500 and 2017 Coca-Cola 600, replaced Hill in the No. 21 Chevrolet at Iowa and finished 14th in his second Xfinity start of the season. Dillon, the full-time racer of the No. 3 Chevrolet for RCR in the NASCAR Cup Series, also piloted the No. 3 car in the Xfinity Series to a 13th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
Halmar Friesen Racing announced Tuesday that Kaden Honeycutt will substitute as the driver of the team’s No. 52 Toyota for the final eight races of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
The move comes as HFR’s primary driver, Stewart Friesen, recovers from serious injuries suffered July 28 in a crash at a Super DIRTcar Series event in Canada. Friesen, who will miss the rest of the season, has undergone multiple surgeries to treat pelvic and leg fractures.
“While I continue to recover, it was important for us to put someone in our truck that can help us compete at the highest level,” Friesen said in a team release. “I know Kaden will deliver strong performance in our truck and allow us to continue to run for the owner’s championship.”
Honeycutt’s appointment comes one day after his release by Niece Motorsports. The Al Niece-owned organization severed those ties Monday, saying the 22-year-old driver had signed with a different team and manufacturer for the 2026 season.
Honeycutt released a statement later Monday, indicating he intended to keep his eligibility for the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs intact. Honeycutt ranks sixth in the series standings, and he sits ninth in the provisional playoff picture with a 73-point cushion above the elimination line.
“It’s an honor to be able to fill in for Stewart for the rest of the season and help give his team a chance at the owner’s championship, which they earned,” Honeycutt said. “I’m excited to compete in contending, race-winning equipment as I pursue a title this season. We are going to work hard to have a solid final eight races of the season and continue to deliver great results for Stewart, his family and this organization.”
Cup Series regular Christopher Bell has been tapped to drive Halmar Friesen’s No. 52 Toyota in Friday’s Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International (5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Honeycutt’s tenure with the No. 52 team is scheduled to begin Aug. 15 in the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway. He will take the wheel of the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen, an opportunity that will allow him to meet the requirement of competing in every event to remain championship-eligible.
Two-time defending Daytona 500 winner William Byron and No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Rudy Fugle deployed a brilliant fuel strategy Sunday at Iowa Speedway to corral win No. 2 and reclaim the NASCAR Cup Series points lead. Byron’s playoff spot was locked down in February, but defending Watkins Glen winner Chris Buescher holds onto the final provisional playoff spot — and is anything but secure. Will he go back-to-back and nail down his postseason status?
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway and before Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Analysis: Sunday felt like a significant shift (or even a correction) in the hierarchy of power in the Cup Series, with the best driver of 2025 finally re-establishing his title-favorite status and winning his first race since February. Iowa provided an oddly necessary sigh of relief for an exceptional No. 24 group, which honestly might just go out and rip off two in a row on Sunday at Watkins Glen.
Analysis: Elliott didn’t have an awful Iowa race, leading 11 laps and still finishing inside the top 15, but No. 9 did walk out of the “Hawkeye State” without the points lead that he walked in with. This weekend would be a great time for the 2020 champ to finally add an eighth road-course win, and if he does, it’ll be his third overall at the New York facility.
Analysis: The frustration of Iowa more fit the trend of Larson’s summer as a whole rather than his brief respite of top fives in the two weeks leading in, and it’s a bit concerning given the team’s emphasis on the track and its similarity to the championship site at Phoenix. That said, all of those frustrations could be washed away in quick order by the end of the weekend, as the two-time WGI winner should be up for the checkered again this Sunday.
Analysis: The short-track master Hamlin had high hopes for his return to Iowa Speedway after leading 81 laps before finishing 34th in the inaugural event last year, but those hopes were squandered with a 24th-place finish. Watkins Glen is an odd track for him, with just 21 laps led across the veteran’s 18 career starts there, and yet he’s got a win and five top fives in the last eight races at the track.
Analysis: Blaney was certainly in contention for a second straight Iowa win, which also certainly bodes well for Team Penske’s title hopes later this season at Phoenix, a track it seems to have mastered and shares similarities with the Newton facility. A track Blaney is still working on, however, is Watkins Glen, where No. 12 has led just a pair of laps in his career and just one top 10 this decade.
Analysis: Bell has three wins in the books, so he didn’t necessarily need a strong run, but Iowa, on paper, looked like a spot he could potentially bolster his positioning with and he instead scored his fewest points in a month. The three-time road-course winner surprisingly has yet to lead a lap at Watkins Glen despite three top-10 finishes in four starts there, but he could change that Sunday.
Analysis: Briscoe just continues to get stronger and stronger as he gets more familiar with his new surroundings and builds his relationship with crew chief James Small. Past No. 19 Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. had plenty of success at the two upcoming tracks, and it feels like Briscoe could win multiple races the rest of the way. Perhaps one of them comes soon.
Analysis: Bowman, by now, is used to being the Hendrick Motorsports driver that flies under the radar, but his 8.0 average finish across the past eight races is just as elite as the trio atop the standings. He’ll put that to the test this weekend, though, as Bowman — who has shown he’s capable of winning on road courses — has yet to even crack the top 10 in his eight Watkins Glen appearances.
Analysis: Byron won the race, but Wallace might’ve had the most impressive afternoon after being two laps down with 80 to go on Sunday before clawing back to finish a mesmerizing sixth. He’s on quite a roll and will get a heat check at The Glen as well, where, like Bowman, he also hasn’t landed a top 10 yet.
Analysis: It’s hard to believe we’re three races away from the end of the 2025 regular season and the reigning Regular Season Champion is still winless. He’s on a three-race skid outside the top 10, but Reddick’s first three Watkins Glen starts all yielded finishes inside of it, so that could be halted on Sunday.
Analysis: It’s also surprising to see the reigning Cup Series champion turning in his worst average finish to date at Team Penske, but that’s where we’re at with Logano, who’s posted a 17.3 average through 23 races in 2025. Iowa was a step in the right direction, however, and Logano is a former winner at The Glen; perhaps the reversal has begun.
Analysis: Chastain had a perfectly fine race at Iowa with an 11th-place run, but failed to capitalize on what appeared to be a spot he could win. Last year’s Watkins Glen pole winner led the field for 51 laps there — so, maybe this is going to be his weekend, instead.
Analysis: Preece’s long-talked-about talent is finally starting to shine through on a weekly basis as his first career playoff appearance becomes more and more of a potential reality. Watkins Glen marked the site of one of his five top 10s last year, and he now drives for the team that won the race, so he should keep it rolling on Sunday.
Analysis: Of course, Buescher is the driver who actually won that race last year, and this weekend sparks the start of a crucial three-race stretch for him. The No. 17 driver has won at every remaining regular-season track and has been excellent at The Glen the past three years. Now’s his shot.
Analysis: Cindric wound up just outside the top 10 at Iowa in 12th but has now led a combined 60 laps the past two weeks after a combined 25 in the previous 10. It does feel like he’s got a Cup Series road-course win in him at some point, so why not now, when he’s running well and the pressure’s off?
Analysis: Busch seems to be able to do just enough to hang around and get to the finish of races these days, but the opportunities to find the front of the field are few and far between — No. 8 has just seven laps led since Circuit of The Americas in March. The two-time Watkins Glen winner and two-time champion, however, should never be counted out, especially with a playoff spot on the line.
Analysis: Berry appeared set to contend for his first top 10 since early May, but it never quite materialized for the short-track ace in the Midwest. His lone start at The Glen wasn’t a favorable one, either, and this weekend might not be one where he picks up a lot of momentum heading into his first Cup playoff run.
Analysis: Gibbs thus far has the exact same average finish (17.4) as last year, but nearly all of his other top-level stats are trailing down from his sophomore campaign. He could use a boost as he still looks for his first Cup win, and, notably, he did turn in a top five at The Glen in 2023.
Analysis: Iowa is not a simple track, but SVG hung in there for a good portion of the race before things unraveled for him while running eighth. Obviously, he will be the favorite this weekend after his torrid pace on road courses this year and his very near win at The Glen a season ago.
Analysis: Keselowski is back in a big way, leaping a whopping five spots in the standings as he’s suddenly points-relevant again. It’s almost certainly too little, too late in that department, and a win is likely needed to make the playoffs, but he’s clearly capable of doing so right now. It’s never happened before, but he’s looked quite capable of winning at Watkins Glen in the past as well. Now would be the most fitting time for No. 1 to happen.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back in action after a brief off week with a return to the road course at Watkins Glen on Friday (5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
A slew of Cup Series regulars will be in Friday’s race, including RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, who will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch will return to drive the No. 07 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will be back in No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Christopher Bell will also fill in for Stewart Friesen in the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota as Friesen recovers from injuries sustained from a Super DIRTcar Series race.
Brent Crews Motorsports will make its series debut this weekend at Watkins Glen with owner/driver Brent Crews behind the wheel of the newly formed No. 70 Toyota team. While William Sawalich returns to No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota for his fifth start of 2025.
See the full entry list for the Mission 176 at The Glen:
The NASCAR Cup Series makes its way to Upstate New York for road-course racing on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Forty cars mark the entry list for this week’s Go Bowling at The Glen. A notable addition to the starting grid will be up-and-comer Connor Zilisch, who will pilot the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing for the fourth time this season. The 19-year-old’s most recent appearance in the Cup Series came at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta on June 28, earning his best career finish to date in 11th place. Zilisch made his Xfinity Series debut last fall at Watkins Glen and did so with a splash, winning the pole position and leading 45 of 90 laps to score the win. He is currently tied with JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier for the Xfinity Series points lead.
Additional part-time entries include Katherine Legge in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, J.J. Yeley in the No. 44 NY Yacing Team Chevrolet and Josh Bilicki in the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford.
RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher is the defending winner at The Glen and enters 23 points above the provisional elimination line in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs standings with just three races remaining in the regular season.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series transitions from short-track racing at Iowa Speedway to road-course competition at Watkins Glen International, with the Mission 200 at The Glen on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Connor Zilisch returns to the site of his debut and first Xfinity Series victory, driving the No. 88 once again for JR Motorsports and seeking his sixth triumph of the 2025 season.
Austin Hill returns to wheel the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after a one-race suspension was levied following an on-track incident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Full-time Cup Series regular Michael McDowell, meanwhile, will race in Xfinity competition for the first time since 2016 as pilot of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Cup full-timer Shane van Gisbergen will additionally race in the event, driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Niece Motorsports announced Monday that Kaden Honeycutt has been released as the driver of its No. 45 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, saying that the driver had signed with a different team and manufacturer for 2026.
In a statement, the Al Niece-owned organization indicated that Xfinity Series regular Connor Zilisch will drive the No. 45 Chevy in Friday’s Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International (5 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The team also said that Bayley Currey will pick up driving duties in the No. 45 entry for the final eight Truck Series races of the season.
The dismissal is a jarring personnel move considering Honeycutt’s stature in the Craftsman Truck Series standings with just two races left in the regular season. The 22-year-old driver ranks sixth in the points, and he holds ninth place in the provisional playoff picture — 73 points above the elimination line and in prime position to secure one of the series’ 10 postseason berths.
Honeycutt released his own statement later Monday, expressing his appreciation to the Niece team for their time together and saying that he intended to keep his bid for playoff eligibility alive.
“I would like to thank Niece Motorsports, specifically Al Niece, Cody Efaw and Phil Gould, as well as Josh Morris with DQS and Jason Wilson with Precision Vehicle Logistics, for the opportunity to drive the No. 45 Chevrolet in 2025,” Honeycutt’s statement read. “My plan is to continue to contend for race wins and position myself to make the playoffs this season. I look forward to sharing my plans for the remainder of 2025 and beyond in the near future.”
In its statement, Niece did not specify Honeycutt’s destination for next season, but said that “making this change allows our team the opportunity to begin building for next year.”
Honeycutt had recorded two top-five finishes and nine top-10 results this season. He had also made starts for Niece Motorsports in partial Truck Series campaigns the last two years.
Niece Motorsports said that Phil Gould will remain crew chief for the No. 45 team, indicating that no other personnel changes had occurred.
Honeycutt is a multiple-time winner in CARS Tour competition, claiming the Pro Late Model championship last season for the first time. He also scored a prestigious Super Late Model triumph in the Snowball Derby last December.
With the substitution, Zilisch will run triple duty this weekend at Watkins Glen. In six career Truck Series starts (all coming in 2024), Zilisch has logged one top-five finish. Currey, meanwhile, has tallied eight Truck Series starts this season in the No. 44 Niece Chevrolet, logging one top five and three top-10 finishes.
A historic venue awaits a historic NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race Wednesday when Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park hosts the 750th race in series history with the running of the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com. (7:45 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
In addition to being the 750th race in series history, the race will also serve as the 157th Modified Tour event held at Thompson since the creation of the modern series in 1985.
Through the years, some of the best the Modified Tour has to offer have scored victories at Thompson. Leading that list is Mike Stefanik, who won a record 15 times in Modified Tour competition at the track. Other notable winners at Thompson include Justin Bonsignore, who has won there 14 times, as well as Ted Christopher, Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller, Tony Hirschman, Ron Silk, Doug Coby, Steve Park, Reggie Ruggiero, Mike McLaughlin, Richie Evans and Bobby Santos III, among others.
Tickets for the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the 10th race of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Action from the IceBreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park earlier this season. (Photo: Rob Branning/NASCAR)
Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Seven races remain on the 2025 Modified Tour schedule, and the battle for the series championship is coming into focus.
Austin Beers holds a four-point advantage on reigning Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore going into Wednesday’s race at Thompson, a place where Bonsignore has enjoyed ample success over the last decade.
Bonsignore has won 14 times at Thompson, whereas Beers has never been to the track’s Victory Lane. In eight previous Thompson starts, Beers’ best finish is fourth on three occasions. The ball is distinctly in Bonsignore’s court this week, but Beers should not be counted out based on his consistency throughout the first nine races of the year.
Wednesday’s race also serves as Round 2 of the FloRacing Connecticut Challenge, a three-race miniseries exclusive to new teams competing in all three Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park events. Matt Swanson’s team owner Gary Casella, based on Swanson’s ninth-place finish at Thompson in April, leads the FloRacing Connecticut Challenge standings entering Wednesday’s race.
Other eligible FloRacing Connecticut Challenge competitors include Teddy Hodgdon, Eric Berndt, Jake Johnson, Max Zachem, Brian Sones and Dylan Slepian.
Ron Silk, who enters Wednesday’s race as the most recent Modified Tour winner at Monadnock Speedway, is also the most recent winner at Thompson following his victory in the Icebreaker 150 in April. He’s won at Thompson eight times during his career, second among active drivers.
Patrick Emerling, who led more laps than anyone during the doubleheader at Monadnock Speedway a few weeks ago, is the defending winner of the Thompson 150 and will look to get his championship run back on track Wednesday. Other notable entrants include Matt Hirschman, Jon McKennedy, Luke Baldwin, Jake Lutz, Tommy and Trevor Catalano, Stephen Kopcik and Chase Dowling, among others.
The complete entry list for Wednesday’s Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com is available here.
Luke Baldwin during practice for the IceBreaker 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 16, 2025 in Thompson, Connecticut. (Photo: Rob Branning/NASCAR)
SCHEDULE: Wednesday, Aug. 6: Practice from 3:40 – 4:10 p.m. … Final practice from 4:20 to 4:50 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6:20 p.m. ET … Start of the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com at 7:45 p.m. ET.
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. (EIRI) Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com is limited to 30 starters including Provisional Positions.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. Maximum of nine (9) tires may be used for the race, not including Emergency Change Tires. Teams will declare to NASCAR Officials at the conclusion of practice the tires they will use during the race. The tire change rule is two (2) tires per stop.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Danny Bohn won a race for the first time in more than a year Saturday night by winning what proved to be a 103-lap race in the FOX8 100 in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Bohn, the 2014 Modified champion who races part-time at Bowman Gray, picked up the checkered flag for the first time since June 1, 2024.
“We were struggling over here this year,” Bohn said. “We started off really good in the (CookOut) Clash (in February) and ran decent in teh 200 (season opener in April), and it’s just been, we’ve been off. We had to change the car, honestly. We’ve run the same thing over here for so long and it’s just not working anymore, so (we) spent a lot of time in the shop this week setting some things up, changing some things and came over here this morning and put some tires on.”
It was Bohn’s 19th career win, tying him with Don Smith and Chris Fleming for 31st place in the Modified Series.
“I thought we’d be better, but I didn’t know if we had enough to win,” Bohn said. “But the car was really good in the race.”
Bohn started 15th Saturday night after a full-field redraw after qualifying.
“We got a really good start point for the next, for the 150 (season finale, scheduled for Aug. 23) when we come back,” Bohn said. “It could be a little better, but definitely made huge gains on it this week. So, glad ot be back in Victory Lane.”
It didn’t take Bohn long to weave through a crowded field. He took the lead on lap 61 after sliding by the previous leader, Brandon Ward, who is also the points leader.
“I could up on (Ward),” Bohn said. “I didn’t know how hard he was running. I could run up on him and then I kind of wanted to save my stuff, so I backed off.”
Even with the cautions Bohn was able to maintain his lead.
“And then, I figured I’d wait for a restart and then we had a restart and he run over my left front. And then after that, i was kind of like, ‘Whatever.’ I get it, but it seems like anytime I’m by him he’s bouncing off me. So, after that I was going to win the race however I had to. You know, I moved him up. And I knew we had a little bit better of a car there and it paid off.””
Ward praised Bohn for the move to take the lead.
“We just got together on that restart there and Danny did exactly what I would’ve done,” Ward said. “He had a chance to get us back off the bottom, and I mean really that’s the race for the win right there even though it’s, you know, halfway or whatever or right around it. I would’ve done the same thing. We both have.
“We both race hard, I like racing with Danny. That’s a good team over there. All in all it’s a good night for us. He could get going on the restarts.”
The final caution of the night came on lap 96 and since there was less than five laps left of the scheduled 100, there was a single-file restart on lap 101, which was overtime.
“When we got within five to go I knew it’d be single-file from then on out,” Bohn said. “I was glad to see that, but anytime you can control the starts, you know, it’s an advantage. That’s why your leader starts the race and starts the restarts.”
Tim Brown finished third, followed by Mike Speeney, and Jason Myers.
“I really just didn’t want to see a caution,” Ward said. “I would’ve rather seen it go green and us to just race it out. But you predict what’s going to happen. You know, you’ll want the caution and won’t get one.”
Amber Lynn celebrates after winning a Sportsman feature Saturday night at Bowman Gray Stadium. (Photo: Erick Messer/Bowman Gray Stadium)
Amber Lynn made her return to Bowman Gray Stadium after missing the first three months of the season with a brain cyst, and not only did she race, she won the second 20-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series.
Lynn had previously said she was retiring from racing, however, the injury healed and her doctor approved of her coming back to racing.
The last time Lynn won a race was June 8 of last year after winning what turned out to be a 116-lap race that went to overtime.
“It’s great to be here,” Lynn said. “It was really hard being at the Stadium every weekend and not being able to drive.
The field was inverted in the second race at 8 after the Madhouse Scramble following the first 20-lap race, and to come here in my first weekend back and win the second race, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family, and my sponsors, and my crew guys that have stuck with me for years and years.”
Lynn started third in the second race, behind pole-sitter Tommy Neal and Sterling Plemmons. Lynn took the lead after an early caution and led 16 of the 20 laps.
Chase Robertson finished runner-up, followed by Zack Ore, Mitch Gales, and Robbie Brewer.
Ore picked up the win in the first 20-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series.
Austin Jones finished runner-up and Justin Taylor finished third.
“We had a rough last week,” Ore said. “I tried to race everybody as clean as I could. I got into Justin a little bit in the backstretch. We hooked bumpers. I didn’t need to wreck him at all. I hope he saved it.”
Gales finished fourth, Robertson was fourth, and Lynn finished sixth.
In the 20-lap QRC HVAC and Refrigeration race, Brad Lewis persevered through seven cautions to and defeated Christian Joyce for the win.
It is Lewis’ second win of the season and eighth overall.
“He’s tough,” Lewis said of Joyce. “You know, when he’s behind he’s going to run you clean. You don’t have to worry about it. I wouldn’t have cared if he had won the race. I love that guy that much.”
Bryan Sykes Jr. finished third, followed by Bryan Sykes Sr., and Bryan Robertson.
Blaze Sanders picked up his first career win after winning the first 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
Sanders, the son of A.J. Sanders, defeated runner-up Chris Allison.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Blaze Sanders said. “I probably started about three years ago and I’ve never won a race in my life. But I made a statement tonight, ‘I was going to win it.'”
Patrick Mullen finished third, followed by Tyler Rose, and Austin Cates.
In the second 15-lap Stadium Stock race, Tyler McDonald won his first race of the year and his eighth overall.
“It’s been a year,” McDonald said. “A lot of good shots at it, but just slipped from us every time. (This is the) first year we’ve had all these sponsors on the car. This is the first time we’ve got them to Victory Lane.”
Brandon Brendle finished runner-up, followed by Luke Smith, Chuck Wall, and Levi Holt.
Next week’s racing is highlighted by the Ortega Twin 50s in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series. In addition there will be two 25-lap races in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series, a 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC and Refrigeration Series, and either one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
Seven races remain on the 2025 Modified Tour schedule, and the battle for the series championship is coming into focus.
