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 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 Wednesday’s content will feature two pieces of NASCAR original content, including “Untold Stories with Leonard Wood.”
With the NASCAR Cup Series visiting Dover Motor Speedway this weekend, the team’s history at the “Monster Mile” will be on the schedule, with “Survival of the Fastest: Wood Brothers Racing — Dover” airing.
The team has made 87 total starts at the track, and its success there was imminent with David Pearson behind the wheel. Pearson won three consecutive races at the track between 1972 and 1973. His dominance included leading 1,011 of the 1,500 total laps raced. He also won again in 1975 and 1978.
Neil Bonnett took over the No. 21 car and promptly won his first start with the team at Dover in 1979. Bonnett triumphed at the track once again in 1981 for the team.
The team’s first 14 races at the track resulted in six victories, four runner-up finishes, a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish. Wood Brothers Racing’s only two finishes outside of the top four over that span occurred after mechanical failures, both in races where Pearson started third or better and led laps (September 1974, September 1975).
Overall, the Wood Brothers team has led over 297 laps at Dover six different times.
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The short-track mentality instilled in Carson Kvapil lives on through his 2025 rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. It has made for some adjustments.
Before Kvapil’s first stab as a full-time NASCAR competitor, he was accustomed to working a full 40-hour week at the JRM late model shop. His free time was spent at the shop of his father — 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil — to prepare his brother Caden’s cars. That was the way of life for the two-time CARS Tour Late Model Stock champion.
“The biggest change for me is not working on the race car,” Kvapil said of his rookie season, though he made it clear that he still gets his hands dirty on Caden’s cars. “These Xfinity cars are similar to the late model stuff but have different components. Short tracks are Saturday night fun racing; this NASCAR stuff is awesome, but I treat it more like a job.”
That job entails learning on the fly. While competing in nine races throughout 2024 to prepare for 2025, Kvapil learned how to use the air to his advantage. Navigating intermediate tracks was a new challenge, one that is still daunting more than halfway through his rookie campaign.
As a resident short-track competitor, the 22-year-old Kvapil has shone on short tracks in 2025, with a runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway to prove it. Bigger tracks, however, have given Kvapil the most hurdles.
“They are so big that, for me, I almost don’t know where to go,” Kvapil admitted about competing at larger venues. “There is so much room to work with. I don’t really have it scientifically figured out why I’m struggling, but I don’t feel as confident going to the mile-and-a-half or two-mile tracks.
“As the season has gone on, I feel like I’ve learned a lot. As we click off more races like those, I’m going to get more comfortable.”
One voice of reason is Andrew Overstreet, Kvapil’s crew chief. When Kvapil made his national series debut at Bristol in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2023, it was Overstreet who helped with Spire Motorsports. The duo already formed chemistry in 2024, making it a natural pairing for 2025.
“They have to know that you have 110% confidence in their ability,” Overstreet said of his role. “I feel like a lot of these guys, when they come in and don’t have the results, they start questioning if these guys believe in me. There has never been a time that I didn’t believe Carson wasn’t capable of doing great things. I knew in 2023 that he was going to be good, I knew it last year and I still believe it this year.”
Overstreet believes Kvapil has progressed rapidly in short order. He took an unconventional route to the Xfinity Series, bypassing the Truck and ARCA Menards series almost entirely.
“That’s one of the struggles that I feel like I have: I come to a lot of these race tracks and I’ve never been here,” Kvapil said. “I am racing against guys who came from the Truck Series, and they have been at these race tracks — it’s in a truck — but still laps on the track.”
One shining light through 19 races is that Kvapil believes the No. 1 team meshed instantly. Together, they’ve earned eight top-10 finishes, including three of the last four races, highlighted by a runner-up at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). Kvapil ranks sixth in the regular-season championship battle, trailing only one rookie: JRM teammate Connor Zilisch.
Krista Jasso | Getty Images
“I would say the finishing results have been a little rough for us,” Kvapil said. “90% of them haven’t been from crashing out or doing nonsense moves, it’s more so bad luck.”
Atop the pit box, Overstreet believes he needs to clean up the way he calls races. But he’s also learning how to manage people for the first time, as this season is his first being a full-time crew chief.
“We’ve challenged Carson to do some things a little bit more aggressively, and everything he’s doing, he keeps getting better,” Overstreet said. “He is a smart racer and has a good race craft, and he doesn’t tear up his stuff. As a group, we’re trying to be more aggressive so we can get that first win and be ready once the playoffs begin, so we can make a good run at it.”
Winning is important to Kvapil as six drivers have already won with JRM in 2025, a series record. The No. 1 team has had close defeats, not to mention a hard-fought battle with Zilisch at Circuit of The Americas.
Kvapil remains steadfast on gaining experience in Xfinity before hopefully one day moving to the Cup Series, with multiple organizations taking notice of his upside.
“Every race weekend is a race weekend, and you can’t jump too far ahead or try to get expectations for what’s coming in the next year,” Kvapil added. “Every opportunity that comes, we’re going to be looking into it. I’m OK running the Xfinity Series for the next few years and hopefully, we work out a Cup deal at some point.”
By scoring 43 points last weekend at Sonoma Raceway – tied for the second-most in the event – Kvapil increased his buffer to 90 points over the elimination line. The series visits Dover Motor Speedway this Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Kvapil narrowly missed out on victory last year in his second career Xfinity start.
“I’ve learned so much from that time; I’ve ran so many more races since my second race,” Kvapil said of his “Monster Mile” return. “I feel like if I were able to do it all over again, we would have been in Victory Lane. Just part of the learning curve, and we’ve got to take it week-to-week. We’re looking at Dover and circling it on our radar.”
NASCAR officials issued penalties on Tuesday to teams in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series for violations stemming from last weekend’s events at Sonoma Raceway.
In the Cup Series, the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford team was cited during Sunday’s race for a safety violation involving the loss or separation of an improperly installed tire or wheel. This infraction falls under Section 8.8.10.4.C (Tires and Wheels) in the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, crew members Marquill Osborne and De’Quan Hampton were suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series Championship points events, through Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.
Three Xfinity Series teams were also penalized following post-race inspections for violations of Section 8.8.10.4a (Tires and Wheels) after their cars were found with improperly installed lug nuts. The No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota and No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet were each fined $5,000.
Both series are back in action this weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, with the Xfinity Series racing Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET (The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and Cup wrapping up the “Monster Mile” weekend on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
For the first time since 1999, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race on consecutive days this Saturday and Sunday when the series heads to New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway for rounds two and three of JDV Productions’ Whelen Short Track Cup.
On-track action begins Saturday with the Duel at the Dog 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing) and will conclude Sunday with the previously postponed Cheshire County Clash 200 (3:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing). The Monadnock doubleheader is only the fourth occurrence in which the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has hosted championship events on back-to-back days.
Saturday and Sunday’s races are the 20th and 21st for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock. Drivers who have visited Victory Lane at the venue include Ken Bouchard, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero, Jamie Tomaino, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy, Ryan Preece, Justin Bonsignore, Doug Coby, Timmy Solomito, Jake Johnson, Trevor Catalano and the most recent winner, Patrick Emerling.
Tickets to both events are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the eighth and ninth races of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Cars in action during the Winchester Fair for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire on September 21, 2024. (Photo: Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
Duel at the Dog 200 and the Cheshire County Clash 200 at Monadnock Speedway
If you’re looking for storylines, the first doubleheader weekend for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in more than 25 years is chock full of them.
Going into Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 200, the series has seen seven different winners in the first seven races of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. That ties a record set in 1999, when Mike Ewanitsko, Ed Flemke Jr., Rick Fuller, Ted Christopher, Tim Connolly, John Blewett III and Tony Hirschman won the first seven events of the season.
An eighth different winner in as many races is not out of the question. Drivers like Luke Baldwin, Tommy Catalano, Stephen Kopcik, Trevor Catalano, Anthony Nocella and Tyler Rypkema are among those seeking their first victories of the season during Saturday’s race.
The Monadnock doubleheader also comprises the final two races of the 2025 JDV Productions’ Whelen Short Track Cup. More than $10,000 in bonus funds to drivers who compete in all three races, with the champion of the Whelen Short Track Cup taking home $3,500.
Matt Hirschman leads the Whelen Short Track Cup standings after winning the opening race at Seekonk Speedway on June 1. Kopcik sits second in the standings followed closely by Lancaster victor Austin Beers, Jake Johnson, Trevor Catalano, Kyle Bonsignore, Tyler Barry, Chase Dowling, Kyle Ebersole and Eric Goodale. Of the above, Johnson, Dowling and Goodale are not entered this weekend at Monadnock.
Beers, fresh off his victory last Saturday night at New York’s Lancaster Motorplex, enters the weekend with a 10-point advantage on Justin Bonsignore in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. Bonsignore is a multi-time winner at Monadnock, which could work to his favor as he looks to make up ground in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle.
Other notable entrants for both events this weekend include Ron Silk, Patrick Emerling, Craig Lutz, Sam Rameau, Dave Sapienza and Brian Robie, among others.
The full entry list for Saturday is available here and the full entry list for Sunday is available here.
Drivers in action during the Duel at the Dog 250 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire on July 20, 2024. (Photo: Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
SCHEDULE: Saturday, July 19 … Practice from 3:05 to 3:35 p.m. ET … Final practice from 3:40 to 4:10 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6:15 p.m. ET … Start of the Duel at the Dog 200 (200 Laps / 50 Miles) at 8:15 p.m. ET … Sunday, July 20 … Practice from 11:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. … Qualifying at 2 p.m. … Start of the Cheshire County Clash 200 (200 Laps / 50 Miles) at 3:30 p.m. ET.
RE-DRAW PROCEDURE: The fastest qualifier will draw a pill to determine the number of drivers that will re-draw for their starting positions: 4,6,8 or 10 positions will re-draw. Once the fastest qualifier draws the initial pill, NASCAR will have the various buckets ready to immediately start the re-draw procedure. Drivers will re-draw in their qualifying order after qualifying has been completed (1 through 10, or however many are applicable). The pole position and/or any bonus point(s), if applicable, will be awarded to the fastest qualifier and will be the pole of record. If, due to adverse conditions, qualifying is canceled, the field will be set in accordance with the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rule Book. The re-draw procedure will still take place regardless of how the field is set.
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. 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 both races is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for each event is eight (8) 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. The tire change rule is one (1) tire per caution period.
Darren Krantz Jr. set two goals for himself during the first leg of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown last month at South Boston Speedway. The first goal was run a clean race and the second was to gain experience against many elite short track competitors.
The 14-year-old did more than just complete all the laps during the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston. After qualifying 11th, Krantz showcased a veteran’s mindset by gradually fighting his way towards the front before crossing the line third behind race-winner Connor Hall. Matt Waltz, who was initially scored second, was later disqualified in post-race technical inspection and Krantz was elevated to the runner-up position.
By virtue of that performance, Krantz currently finds himself second in the Virginia Triple Crown standings.
The strong start to Krantz’ maiden Virginia Triple Crown pursuit has left the young racer with tremendous confidence ahead of Saturday’s Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway (4 p.m. ET on FloRacing). Krantz expects some of the same challenges at Langley that he faced at South Boston, but feels he has everything necessary to keep his Virginia Triple Crown momentum going.
“It really did mean a lot to me to get second in a big race like that,” Krantz said. “There were big teams like JR Motorsports I was racing against and I can’t wait to learn more with Chad Bryant Racing this year. They taught me a lot in that race on how to work the car, save my tires well and learn how to drive against these amazing veterans in the late model world.”
A native of Huntington, New York, Krantz first developed an interest in racing by watching his uncle Chad Churilla compete in Modified events around the Northeast.
Krantz’ father, Darren Sr., took notice of his son’s growing interest in motorsports and got him into go-kart racing at the age of seven. The first major go-kart event for the younger Krantz ended with a second-place finish, which only bolstered his motivation to improve and one day advance into the top ranks of NASCAR.
The talent Krantz displayed in go-karts manifested itself when he began participating in the Cook Out Summer Shootout. In 10 starts in the Bandit division in 2022, Krantz earned three victories and never finished outside the top five once, which allowed him to claim the championship.
Competing in the Summer Shootout was crucial to Krantz’ development and fueled his family’s decision to move from New York to North Carolina. It took time for Krantz to adjust to his new environment, but he said residing in North Carolina was a logical step towards finding sustainability in racing.
“That was the only way for me to become better in NASCAR,” Krantz said. “In New York, I had nowhere to go and there was nowhere to race to become better in my career. When we went to North Carolina, we raced at more places and made my name bigger. I was able to race Summer Shootout and really made a big name for myself.
“Now I’m in the Late Model Stock world.”
In only his second year in late models, Darren Krantz Jr. is quickly finding a rhythm against the seasoned veterans. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Krantz found himself behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock less than a year after his Bandit Division title in the Summer Shootout. He spent his first part-time season with Lee Faulk Racing before moving to Chad Bryant Racing in 2024. Bryant previously fielded cars in the for drivers like Connor Hall and Treyten Lapcevich.
The results for Krantz in Bryant’s equipment were almost instantaneous. He visited Victory Lane in Late Model Stocks and Limited Late Models at tracks like Florence Motor Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway, the latter of which was the site of Krantz’ first track championship.
Bryant’s guidance has been a crucial component towards Krantz finding a rhythm against his more experienced competition. There are numerous aspects about Late Model Stocks Krantz was unaware of prior to his first race, but he has a much broader comprehension of those concepts through Bryant’s hands-on approach to racing.
“Chad has been teaching me about my braking,” Krantz said. “He taught me how to make the car feel a certain way and told me about arching out. If I arch out and the car cannot arch out, that means our entry is loose. There’s so many things he’s helped me with and I couldn’t be happier that he taught me all this stuff.”
Krantz intends to lean heavily on Bryant’s advice as he prepares for 200 grueling laps at Langley Speedway in the sweltering heat Saturday evening. A portion of Krantz’ 2025 Late Model Stock schedule has seen him venture to Langley for weekly events, with his best showing at the track being a third-place effort on May 10.
Despite some decent results there, Krantz admitted he is still trying to figure out how to be consistent at Langley. Langley’s flat, unorthodox layout requires precision every lap to maintain track position, something Krantz believes will be more challenging for him with a longer distance and more than 30 cars sharing the racing surface.
“With Langley, it’s a very technical track,” Krantz said. “When I first raced there, I couldn’t figure it out because when you’re in the corner, the track is literally an illusion. It messes you up in the head pretty bad. You’re always turning in the car. At South Boston, you go straight for a while and figure things out.
“I really struggle with turn one and two, so all I can hope for is to learn how to get better at that track for the Hampton Heat when we practice there.”
Currently second in the Virginia Triple Crown points, Darren Krantz Jr. eyes a victory in the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway.
The strategy Krantz has for Langley is the same one he employed for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, be clean, be smart and gain experience.
A key difference between those two events is Krantz now feels he can compete for the victory in the Hampton Heat. Finishing second at South Boston validated Krantz’ faith in his ability to hold his own against seasoned Late Model Stock veterans, many of whom will be back at Langley chasing a crown jewel checkered flag.
Should Krantz prevail on Saturday, he would not only join an elite list of Hampton Heat winners that includes Hall, Josh Berry, Lee Pulliam, Philip Morris and Brenden Queen, but he would consolidate his status as a Virginia Triple Crown title contender. Such an idea was barely fathomable to Krantz only a few weeks ago.
One victory, or even another top five on Saturday evening, putz Krantz in a great spot when it comes time to chase both a grandfather clock and Virginia Triple Crown trophy at Martinsville Speedway in the fall.
“I’m only 14 years old, so that would be an amazing for me to do,” Krantz said. “Second place in the Triple Crown for a 14-year-old is pretty, pretty impressive in my book I think. I’ll have to maintain my spot at Langley. It’s definitely going to be difficult to beat Connor Hall at his home track, but I know it’s possible.”
Making a name for himself in racing was Krantz’ objective when he moved away from his hometown. Plenty of eyes will be on the young prospect Saturday evening at Langley, all of them curious to see if Krantz can back up his South Boston showing with a Hampton Heat victory.
INDIANAPOLIS — Katherine Legge will return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 26-27, entering both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series races with Live Fast Motorsports. Supported by Desnuda Organic Tequila and Indiana-based venture studio Droplight for the events, this marks Legge’s first appearance at the Brickyard since racing in the 2024 Indianapolis 500.
In 2025, Legge has competed in 10 stock-car races, highlighted by a top-20 finish in the Cup Series on the streets of Chicago behind the wheel of the No. 78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet. Following the Brickyard races, she’s slated to return to the Cup Series on Aug. 10 at Watkins Glen International and Oct. 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Legge is the only woman competing in both the Cup and Xfinity series, and in March became the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2018 to start a Cup Series race. The springboard to Legge’s professional racing career was winning on the streets of Long Beach in 2005, making her the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America with her victory in the “triple-A” Atlantic Championship (now Indy NXT). She turned professional in 2006 with a move to Champ Car (now IndyCar), where she became the first woman to lead laps. In 2012, she became the ninth woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, and in 2023 set a record as the fastest woman to ever qualify, posting a one-lap speed of 231.627 mph and a four-lap average of 231.070 mph.
Off the track, Legge hosts Throttle Therapy with Katherine Legge on the iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network, where she shares behind-the-scenes stories, inspiration and insight. New episodes drop on Tuesdays via the iHeartRadio app and all major podcast platforms. Additionally, she released, Kat’s Magic Helmet, a children’s book published by Red Racer earlier this year.
After finishing third in the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott secured his 20th consecutive top 20 in the 20th race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, in what’s been a year of remarkable consistency for the No. 9 team.
The last time Elliott finished outside of the top 20 was the 2024 Las Vegas fall race when issues with his car’s suspension resulted in a 33rd-place finish. Elliott’s strong, consistent performances, which include a win at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta), seven top fives, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 10.2, only have him 14 points behind teammate William Byron for the Regular Season Championship with six races to go until the postseason.
Elliott ranked in the top six in all five categories tracked by NASCAR Insights from Wine Country. After starting 13th, it was no surprise the 2020 Cup Series champion soared toward the front, placing second in Passer Rating behind race winner Shane van Gisbergen. The Hendrick driver also ranked third in Defense Rating, sixth in Speed Rating, third in Restart rating and fourth in Pit Crew rating.
When the caution came out with 14 laps remaining at Sonoma, due to Cody Ware losing a right-rear tire, crew chief Alan Gustafson decided to gamble and call Elliott down pit road for fresh tires. With van Gisbergen being the class of the field and staying out to maintain track position, the No. 9 team thought it was best to try something different and see if new Goodyear rubber could make a difference.
Elliott entered the pits from third place and restarted in 14th with 11 laps to go. However, his progress was slowed after two late-race cautions for incidents involving Noah Gragson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With two laps remaining in the 110-lap road-course race in Northern California, Elliott made his way back up to third and tried to track down Chase Briscoe in the runner-up spot. Unfortunately for the No. 9 Chevrolet driver, he dropped the left side tires off course, causing a loss of momentum and was forced to settle for third.
Still, the gamble was worth it since Elliott did not lose or gain any on-track positions in the end, as NASCAR Insights numbers showed the No. 9 team had every reason to bet on themselves against SVG, with no weaknesses making an appearance on the West Coast.
Other notables from last weekend’s race:
Shane van Gisbergen’s first-place ranking in Passing Rating, Speed Rating and Restart Rating allowed the driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to score a dominant Sonoma victory with ease, despite a few late-race restarts.
Alex Bowman’s first-place ranking in Defense Rating indicated he was good enough to maintain a top-20 finish, but he could not keep his In-Season Challenge hopes alive, as Ty Dillon moved the No. 48 Chevrolet out of the way on the last lap to advance to the next round at Dover and eliminate Bowman.
Joey Logano’s sixth-place ranking in Passing Rating helped him climb from 22nd to ninth, securing his fifth top 10 of the 2025 Cup Series season.
Shane van Gisbergen continued his path of dominating the NASCAR Cup Series on road courses on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, winning his third such race in the past five weeks — but the “Monster Mile” looms, and it should open the playing field back up considerably.
Past Dover Motor Speedway winner Kyle Larson has slipped over the past two months, starting with a P37 stumble at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the back half of his Memorial Day “Double,” averaging a 19.75 finish over the eight races from the Coca-Cola 600 to Sonoma. Will it all turn around for him this weekend in Delaware?
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway and before Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Analysis: Elliott’s third-place charge at Sonoma marked his seventh top five of 2025, further cementing his status as the field’s most consistent threat. He’s a two-time Dover winner (2018, ’22) and has three top-five runs in his last four starts at the “Monster Mile,” making him a clear favorite this weekend.
Analysis: Byron rebounded from a Chicago DNF with an eighth-place finish at Sonoma, keeping himself firmly atop the title hunt. No. 24 has three finishes of exactly fourth in the past five races there and is looking to recapture his early-season dominance.
Analysis: Reddick’s finish of sixth at Sonoma was his third straight top-six run, continuing a strong summer stretch as he still seeks win No. 1 of the year. Still searching for his first Dover win as well, he’s shown legitimate pace on concrete and is trending upward at the right time.
Analysis: A 20th-place result at Sonoma was a rare (but perhaps expected, based on track history) stumble for the steady Hamlin, but his Dover résumé is elite: two wins, nearly 1,000 laps led and he enters as the defending winner. He’s a perennial threat at the “Monster Mile” and very likely will battle for the win.
Analysis: Larson’s Sonoma race ended in 35th — a year after winning it — as his post-Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 stumble continues. With a pristine Dover history and a reputation for taming the high line, however, a threat to finally rebound in dominant fashion lies in wait this weekend.
Analysis: Bell’s fifth-place run at Sonoma was his eighth top five of the year, underscoring a quietly strong campaign that made a lot of noise early but has maintained a consistent hum. He’s yet to win at Dover but feels like he’s due to reclaim the series lead in 2025 wins sooner or later.
Analysis: Briscoe’s runner-up finish at Sonoma was his best ever at a road course in Cup, showcasing smart strategy and execution as he did anything and everything to try to catch SVG. While he’s still searching for a first Dover top 10, his recent momentum and improved long-run pace suggest that breakthrough may be close — especially at a track that has been kind to the No. 19 car in recent years.
Analysis: Blaney’s 36th-place result at Sonoma was a setback, and that’s now three finishes outside the top 10 for the second time this season. No. 12 has steadily improved at Dover over his career, but still holds just one top five there across 14 starts and this may not be the weekend he adds a second.
Analysis: Chastain won Stage 1 at Sonoma but faded to 24th after a rough final segment (not to mention a run-in with his teammate). He’s been among the elite at Dover the past few seasons and his elbows-out style will eventually pay off at the “Monster Mile,” perhaps as soon as Sunday.
Analysis: Logano’s ninth at Sonoma was a solid points day, but more importantly stopped a five-race skid outside the top 10. While he’s surprisingly never won a Cup points race at Dover, he holds a respectable 14.5 average finish despite just 41 laps led in a whopping 28 starts.
Analysis: There’s no other way to look at it — Sonoma was a miss for Buescher, who felt ready to crack through to Victory Lane there and secure his very tenuous playoff bid but instead landed just 16th. He’s clearly improved over time at Dover as well, however, so he could strike this weekend but No. 17 is running out of time.
Analysis: Bowman finished 19th at Sonoma with just 18 points to drop him out of the top 10 in the standings, but he’s a Cup winner at Dover (2021) and recent history deems it’s one of his best tracks. A top-five run this weekend is definitely possible and would go a long way to solidifying a shaky playoff outlook for him.
Analysis: Preece isn’t quite competing for wins just yet, but the steady New Englander has finished outside the top 15 just once since the first race in May at Texas as he builds an ever-stronger playoff case. That’ll be put to the test this weekend at Dover, where he’s literally never finished inside the top 15 in eight starts.
Analysis: Wallace is hanging onto the final playoff spot for dear life after a 26th-place (but ultimately reasonably productive, with 26 points) run at Sonoma. Dover has given him nothing but challenges his entire career — with no top 10s and just one lap led in 10 starts — and it’s entirely conceivable he’s not in the provisional playoff field come Monday morning.
Analysis: SVG is on the kind of tear right now that turns drivers into legends, but is it about to all come to a screeching halt? Dover tends to give every newcomer a hard time, and though he did fare reasonably well in his first Xfinity Series start there last year (started 31st, finished 18th), asking for even a top 10 in his first Cup try this weekend is a tall task, even as hot as he is.
Analysis: Nothing to hang his hat on just yet, but Sonoma’s 10th-place run did mark consecutive top 10s for Busch for the first time since the first handful of weeks of the season. The two-time Cup champ has a trio of Dover wins to his credit, and if his No. 8 team hits the setup right this weekend, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world if the drought ends in Dover. Just saying.
Analysis: As maligned as he’s been the first half of the year, Gibbs has absolutely turned things around in a big way over the past month-plus, with an 8.5 average finish over the past six races. He’s fared reasonably well at Dover in his early career as well, and landed in the top 10 there last year.
Analysis: McDowell’s fourth at Sonoma was another showcase of his road-course prowess, but ultimately doesn’t do a whole lot for his playoff hopes, as a win may be his most likely path. Expect that 70-point gap to the elimination line to grow larger this weekend, as Dover lines up as perhaps McDowell’s worst track — he’s yet to even land a top 15 there in 24 tries.
Analysis: Berry landed P13 on the charts when all was said at Sonoma, and perhaps finished even a spot higher in the running order by taking things into his own hands. He actually does own a top-10 finish among his three starts there, with one caveat — it came while subbing in for Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Analysis: Cindric’s road-course prowess seems to have all but disappeared at the Cup level, with a P30 run at Sonoma making it 0-for-4 on top-10 finishes on them in 2025. That said, he’s gained about 10 spots from year to year in each of his Dover finishes, so maybe he’s got a top-five run in him this weekend after landing P15 there last year (and 26th and 36th the two seasons before, respectively).
If you’re looking for storylines, the first doubleheader weekend for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in more than 25 years is chock full of them.
