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.
Rudd signed a three-year deal with the team in August 2002 and replaced Elliott Sadler behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford; Sadler left the team to replace Rudd with the Yates organization, leaving Rudd without a seat. When the musical chairs stopped, Rudd found intrigue in Sadler’s open seat.
Rudd’s longtime partnership with Ford helped seal the deal. He eventually raced with the team for three seasons through the end of the 2005 Cup campaign, compiling seven top fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 108 total races.
In addition to the Rudd content, the 2011 Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway will be broadcast, as well as “Memory Lane: Reliving the 2011 Daytona 500.”
That race famously saw Trevor Bayne, who turned 20 years old the day before the 500-mile event, hold off the field and shock the world to win the Daytona 500. It was just the second start of Bayne’s Cup Series career.
The victory was the 98th for Wood Brothers Racing, as well as the team’s first triumph in the “Great American Race” since David Pearson was victorious with the No. 21 in 1976.
The NASCAR Channel delivers 24/7, always-on content featuring the latest news and information from around the sport, original programming and race replays.
It is a FAST channel (Free Ad-Supported Television) and can be watched on your TV or mobile device via one of the streaming partners, such as Tubi or Xumo Play.
Less than three years ago, Brennan Poole wasn’t sure if he’d ever race competitively again. Now, he’s thriving with Alpha Prime Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Poole returned to Alpha Prime in 2025 after a successful 2024, finishing 16th in the championship standings. He nearly redeemed himself at Talladega Superspeedway last season, battling for the victory some eight years after thinking he picked up his first triumph, only to get it pulled in favor of Elliott Sadler in 2016.
The first-year success with veteran crew chief Frank Kerr was enough for Poole to run it back in 2025.
“We’re coming off the truck every single weekend, and our cars are driving good,” Poole told NASCAR.com. “We lack some raw pace and don’t have leased engines or sim, and we’re lacking some things, but we make up for it in really good driving and handling race cars and have been able to execute and not make mistakes.”
That was most recently on display last weekend at the Chicago Street Course, where Poole tallied a top 10. Earlier in the season, he earned a pair of top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway and Rockingham Speedway. With 15 races remaining, he already has a trio of top 10s, the most in a season for a driver in Alpha Prime’s young history.
“We already have two top fives this year, which has been huge,” Poole said. “We’ve had a couple instances that have been out of our control that I wish didn’t happen because we would have more points stacked. It’s been a competitive year.”
Poole ranks 18th in the regular-season standings, ahead of one Kaulig Racing entry and a full-time Joe Gibbs Racing competitor. Many teams behind the No. 44 Chevrolet have full-leased engine deals, including teammate Parker Retzlaff in the No. 4 machine.
Given the financial dynamics, the No. 44 team, led by Poole, is setting a new precedent.
“You probably have to look at it and say there are [38] teams out there, and I’ll tell you that the 44 budget is probably like 33rd or 34th in the budget rankings,” Tommy Joe Martins, co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, said. “You look at that and see that they are 18th in points, it’s hard not to look at that and say that it’s not impressive. They consistently punch above their weight class, more than any other team we’ve ever had.”
No matter the resources, Alpha Prime has never used that as an excuse to perform poorly. Another key factor, Martins believes, is that the 34-year-old Poole is appreciative of the opportunity to rebuild his career.
“We prepare every single week as if we’re here to win the race because we are to get the best possible result that we can,” Poole said. “If you can continue to do that and stay motivated and stay excited and are proud of the work that you’re putting in and doing, then that continues to raise everybody up.”
James Gilbert | Getty Images
The morale wins are weekends like Chicago, where Poole wrestled his No. 44 Chevy around the city streets to a 10th-place result. His average finish is 18.8, on pace to be his best since competing at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017 (13.5).
“I think there’s a real competitiveness to him and a real chip on the shoulder that I see that probably fits a little bit of the same with me,” Martins noted of why the pairing clicked immediately. “I’ve always had to figure out how to do it with a little bit less. Brennan was in a spot where he had a great opportunity that was taken away and basically had to take whatever he could get and never gave up. That fits well with our team and the mindset and mentality.
“If you look at the series over the last couple of years, if he’s not doing the best job, he’s probably in the running of the top five of guys that are doing the best job with what they have.”
Poole believes his stock within the industry has risen. He’s aware that other team owners know how much he’s exceeded expectations given the tools the No. 44 team is working with. He’s at ease competing for Alpha Prime but wouldn’t shy away from an opportunity with a bigger team.
“I love it because there’s nothing better than when you can go out and beat guys who are on full alliances with a big team,” Poole said. “When I pass them and beat them in a race – our hard work as a team – that part of it is so fun. It’s sort of like an exclamation point to all the other owners of like, ‘Hey, I’m here, I’m doing this.’ I want an opportunity to race in a top car again to race for championships and win races because I know that I can do it.
“I’m hopeful that there will be a team owner out there that has some sponsorship money or something already so that we can work together, and I could get that opportunity. I’ve really enjoyed being [at Alpha Prime], and if I’m still here another year, that’s OK too. I just want to keep racing and being competitive. I’m having a lot of fun right now. I’m definitely overachieving, and if we have to do it another year to get noticed, then it is what it is.”
With Silly Season quickly approaching, Martins admitted that Poole is having preliminary conversations and will likely lock down a ride earlier than he ever has throughout his career.
Poole and the No. 44 team will next do battle at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
For just the fourth time in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history, New York’s Lancaster Motorplex will welcome the series Saturday night for the running of the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 (8:15 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
Saturday’s race marks the seventh of 16 races on the 2025 Modified Tour schedule. Through the first six events of the year, the series has seen six different winners. Not among them is Austin Beers, the two-time and defending winner in Modified Tour competition at Lancaster.
A unique, half-mile oval on the outskirts of Buffalo and a track that features a drag strip on the frontstretch, Lancaster welcomed the Modified Tour for the first time in 2021. On that evening it was Patrick Emerling who visited Victory Lane after an intense late-race battle with Justin Bonsignore.
Tickets to the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 are available here. Below is everything you need to know before Saturday’s race.
Cars lined up prior to the start of the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster Motorplex on Aug. 3, 2024. (Photo: Jeffrey Barnes/NASCAR)
Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster Motorplex
For the last two years, Austin Beers has owned Lancaster Motorplex on the Modified Tour.
The driver from Northampton, Pennsylvania has won the last two Tour races held at Lancaster, and in both instances, he led the most laps aboard the KLM Motorsports No. 64. The wins, the second and third of his career, make him the obvious favorite for Saturday’s race.
Should Beers win at Lancaster for the third time in as many years, he’d become the seventh different winner in as many races so far in 2025. That would tie the all-time Modified Tour record for consecutive different winners to start a season, which was set in 1999.
There are plenty of drivers who will be looking to deny Beers his third win at Lancaster. Leading that charge is Justin Bonsignore, the current Modified Tour points leader who scored his lone win of the season in June at New York’s Riverhead Raceway. Bonsignore has not won at Lancaster, but he would love to add a victory at the unique half-mile to his list of accolades.
His cousin, Kyle Bonsignore, is the most recent Modified Tour winner following a dominant victory two weeks ago at White Mountain Motorsports Park. Based on that performance, he could also be a serious contender at Lancaster, too.
Also on the list of contenders is Ryan Newman, who is back in Tim Connolly’s No. 4 Mystic Missile Modified after making his most recent series start at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Craig Lutz and Matt Hirschman, both of whom have found Victory Lane this year, could also be threats to win Saturday night.
Stephen Kopcik and Luke Baldwin, fourth and fifth in the series standings, respectively, are pursing their first Modified Tour wins and could be contenders Saturday night if things work in their favor.
Mike Christopher Jr., who hasn’t raced with the Modified Tour since he finished second at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2022, is making his return to the series aboard the No. 77 for Mike Curb and Gary Putnam. Also entered is local competitor George Skora III, who will be making his Modified Tour debut.
The full entry list for Saturday’s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 will be released later this week.
Austin Beers in action during the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster Motorplex on Aug. 3, 2024. (Photo: Jeffrey Barnes/NASCAR)
SCHEDULE: Saturday, July 12 … Practice from 5 to 5:30 p.m. ET … Final practice from 5:40 to 6 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 7:10 p.m. ET … Start of the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 (150 Laps / 75 Miles) at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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 Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 is limited to 24 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.
Road-course stalwart Shane van Gisbergen looks unstoppable right now on tracks where NASCAR Cup Series drivers turn left and right, securing a second Chicago Street Race victory and second win of 2025 in the past month to significantly bolster his playoff positioning.
With only a handful of races left in the regular season, will fellow road-course standout AJ Allmendinger jumble the postseason picture even further this weekend in California?
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the Chicago Street Race and before Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Analysis: Elliott’s 16th-place finish in Chicago was a case of damage control after starting at the tail of the field and battling through traffic, but he inches closer to the points lead — which is suddenly within reach. Sonoma has been a happy hunting ground for Elliott with six top 10s in eight starts, but the strong road racer has yet to win there.
Analysis: Larson brought the No. 5 home with a mediocre 13th-place finish in Chicago, but he remains in the mix for the all-important Regular Season Championship. Returning to his home track, the 2021 and 2024 Sonoma winner is always a threat on road courses, especially given his ability to qualify up front and control the race’s rhythm.
Analysis: Hamlin powered from the rear to fourth in Chicago, notching his ninth top five of the year and staying fourth in points. While Sonoma is one of the few major tracks he’s never conquered, four career top fives and recent momentum make him a prime candidate to finally break through.
Analysis: Byron’s day in Chicago ended on Lap 1, relegating him to 40th on the results sheet amid a tough stretch for No. 24. Despite a 30th-place finish at Sonoma last year, he’ll be looking to rebound on a track that rewards precision, and his smooth, methodical style suits the California road course well.
Analysis: Reddick surged to a podium finish in Chicago, his best since Circuit of The Americas, as he continues to shine on road courses. With three Cup road-course wins and a P8 at Sonoma last year, his aggressive approach and exceptional braking skill make him a legitimate threat to officially join the playoff party this weekend.
Analysis: A late-race tangle dropped Bell to 24th at Chicago, but he’s been one of the most improved road racers in the series over the past several years and gets another crack this weekend. After his first two Sonoma starts saw him finish outside the top 20, his past two each yielded a top 10.
Analysis: Blaney’s 12th-place effort in Chicago was a steady points day (as many earned as runner-up Ty Gibbs) as he looks to build momentum heading west. While he’s only finished in the top five once at Sonoma, his road-course form has improved and he shouldn’t be counted out this weekend.
Analysis: Chastain grabbed his ninth top 10 of the season with a gritty P10 at Chicago, continuing his trend of aggressive, race-shaping performances that often end in post-race peril. Riding four straight Sonoma top 10s and culminating in his first top five there last year, No. 1 may be primed for win No. 2 of the season.
Analysis: Bowman delivered a strong eighth-place result in Chicago — after a brief run-in with ISC competitor Bubba Wallace — marking his 10th top-10 this year as he continues building quiet momentum. He’s proven capable on road courses, obviously, but Sonoma has been a bit of a struggle for No. 48, who averages a finish of 17.3 there with just a pair of top 10s over the past decade.
Analysis: Briscoe started fifth in Chicago but faded to 23rd after late contact, continuing a streak of up-and-down results. Still searching for his first Sonoma top-10 result, No. 19’s qualifying speed and flashes of road-course ability suggest a Wine Country breakthrough could be near.
Analysis: Buescher’s 18th-place run at Chicago was a rare dip in an otherwise consistent season, especially coming on a road course. A Sonoma win, however, feels imminent for No. 17, who led 32 laps there last year amid three straight finishes of fourth or better.
Analysis: Logano’s 11th-place finish in Chicago was a solid points day as he looks to regain midseason momentum to take with him into his title defense in the playoffs. He’s logged two top 10s at Sonoma in the past four years but led 16 laps from the pole last year before finishing 21st.
Analysis: Preece continued his mid-season surge with a seventh-place finish at Chicago — his fifth top-10 run in the past eight races. He’s yet to have one of those at Sonoma but has shown marked improvement on road courses this year and could surprise if the race turns unpredictable.
Analysis: Wallace’s day unraveled late in Chicago, leading to a 28th-place finish and a need for a rebound. Still seeking a finish better than 14th at Sonoma, the veteran could be aiming for a clean, points-paying day to steady his playoff hopes rather than shooting for the win.
Analysis: Allmendinger stormed to sixth at Chicago — his best finish since Charlotte — reminding the field of his road-course prowess after being shut out of the top 10 at COTA and Mexico City. A former Sonoma polesitter and three-time Cup road-course winner, he’s always a threat to steal the spotlight when the series turns right and could be next to shake up the playoff picture.
Analysis: SVG dominated the entire Chicago weekend, leading 26 laps on Sunday en route to his second Cup win in recent weeks and proving there’s nobody better on road courses at the moment. Making his Sonoma Cup debut, the three-time Supercars champion may just go back-to-back.
Analysis: Busch’s fifth-place finish at Chicago was a much-needed boost in a season filled with constant ups and downs. The two-time Sonoma winner (2008, 2015) has a long history of excelling on road courses and needs another strong run to solidify his playoff position as things start to get down to the wire.
Analysis: Gibbs scored a career-best second-place finish at Chicago, climbing in the standings and continuing his steady progression as he inches closer to his first Cup win. Sonoma has been a rough go for him in his first two trips out west (27.5 average finish), but he’s demonstrating to be a strong road racer and could actually turn some heads again.
Analysis: Cindric’s 27th at Chicago was another setback in a stretch that sees him with just one top 10 since winning at Talladega, but his road-course pedigree remains an asset. No. 2 opened his Sonoma Cup career with a P5 there in 2022 and hasn’t found the top 20 since, but there’s still little reason to believe he can’t contend this weekend given his background.
Analysis: Berry landed 34th at Chicago, finishing 30th or worse for the third time in six races — a stretch that also includes zero top 10s or laps led. A failed suspension sent him to P32 (after starting 32nd) last year at Sonoma, and a turnaround does not seem likely for him this weekend.
Race season is in full swing, which means more time spent outdoors at race tracks and ultimately more time in the sun. With increased sun exposure comes a need for responsible UV protection.1
One in five people will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70.1 When people hear about skin cancer, they often think of melanoma, yet non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), are two of the most common types of skin cancer in the U.S.2
NMSCs, such as BCC and CSCC, can be easier to treat when caught early,3 but some cases may progress to advanced stages and become serious.4
Who Is at Risk?
It is important to understand that anyone — including people with darker skin or people who spend less time in the sun — can get skin cancer. However, there are some factors that can increase one’s risk, including5,6:
— Light/fair skin — especially people with naturally blonde or red hair.
— Advanced age — the older you get, the higher the risks!
— More time in the sun — just like wear and tear on the tires, every hour on the track adds up! More sun exposure = more skin cancer risk.
— Geography — the sun’s rays are strongest the closer you get to the equator, so people in Southern states have higher skin cancer risk.
Catching Skin Cancer Early: Skin Checks!
Every good driver — and fan — needs a good spotter!
Catching skin cancer early — when it first becomes visible — makes it easier to to treat.3 Performing regular self-exams can help you with this early detection, and everyone should also have an annual exam performed by a skilled professional, like a dermatologist.
Image courtesy of Regeneron
When preparing for your dermatologist appointment, it’s important to do the following to make it easier for the doctor to identify potential areas of concern8:
— Take and share notes about anything you noticed from your self-exam.
— Remove any nail polish and makeup, as cancer can even appear under fingernails.
— Wear your hair down so your scalp can be easily checked.
During the exam, you can expect to8:
— Change into a medical gown.
— Spend at least 10 minutes with the doctor looking over your skin, sometimes using tools like magnifiers to examine the skin more closely.
— Talk through next steps with the doctor such as scheduling follow-up exams or treatments, if needed.
Prepare to discuss the following with the dermatologist:
— Your skincare routine. Ask if they recommend any changes.
— Practices you can build into your daily routine to reduce your skin cancer risks.
— How to identify unusual spots in your self-exams.
Learn More Through Let’s Get Real About Skin Cancer
Let’s Get Real About Skin Cancer is an educational program aimed at raising awareness around advanced NMSCs, which was launched four years ago by Regeneron, a biotechnology company. Let’s Get Real About Skin Cancer had an informational booth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Regeneron will also interact with fans in our Fan Zone at two additional races throughout the season to spread awareness about advanced NMSCs, like BCC and CSCC, including risk factors, prevention and early detection:
6. Lukowiak TM, Aizman L, Perz A, et al. Association of Age, Sex, Race, and Geographic Region With Variation of the Ratio of Basal Cell to Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas in the United States. JAMA Dermatol. November 11, 2020. 2020;156(11):1192-1198. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.2571
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Sonoma Raceway for back-to-back weeks with a road-course showdown in wine country (Sat., 4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Fresh off a weekend sweep on the streets of Chicago, Shane van Gisbergen will return to the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst will also step back behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The NASCAR Cup Series will be back on the road course for the second consecutive week as the series heads west for Sonoma Raceway in Round 3 of the In-Season Challenge, where eight drivers will compete to keep in the fight for $1 million (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Shane van Gisbergen will attempt to go for his third road-course win of the year, fresh off his victory on the streets of Chicago, while Katherine Legge is back in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet after her first career top-20 finish.
CHICAGO — There’s a line about the pinball wizard in The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” that goes “What makes him so good?”
After Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course, race fans, pundits and competitors alike were asking the same thing about Shane van Gisbergen.
The statistics speak for themselves. On road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series, van Gisbergen has posted a win, two top fives and five top 10s. Most recently, he won the Mexico City race by an amazing 16.567 seconds over runner-up Christopher Bell.
On the Chicago Street Course (not included in road-course stats), he has two victories in three attempts. His numbers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series are even more daunting. In five road-course starts, he boasts two victories and four top fives.
SVG has won the two Xfinity races he has run on the Chicago Street Course, both from the pole. On Sunday, he completed a weekend sweep of the Xfinity and Cup races, having won the pole for each event.
Kyle Busch, who finished fifth in Chicago, is the only other driver to have swept an Xfinity/Cup weekend after winning the pole for both races, a feat he accomplished at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2016.
Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks, who fielded the No. 88 Chevrolet van Gisbergen drove to victory on Sunday, had his own ideas about the New Zealander’s superiority.
“For me, in my experience driving race cars for 20 years, it’s his racing IQ,” said Marks, an accomplished road racer himself. “It’s how strategic he can think while he’s on the limit of the race car.
“A lot of drivers, it takes all of your mental bandwidth to drive the car fast, and Shane is one of these guys that can drive the car at the limit but be thinking bigger picture stuff. He knows where he is in the race, and he knows how to… he’s great at managing his tires, his equipment, all that kind of stuff.”
Clearly, SVG’s talents are ideally suited to the streets of Chicago.
“I think for his talent profile specifically, street races are just… they come very, very naturally to him,” Marks said. “He’s got a lot of experience doing it in the V8 Supercars series, but I think in races like this, where everybody is working so hard just to get the apexes and get out of the corner in the right way and all of that, he does that just naturally while he’s thinking about bigger picture stuff, so he can really put the whole race together in a super impressive way.”
Stephen Doran is the crew chief who sets up the Cup cars to van Gisbergen’s liking.
“You watch him, and he’s like a machine out there,” Doran said. “He makes no mistakes, and he just waits until somebody misses an apex in front of him and he pounces on them. He just drives through the field. You saw it (Saturday) and (Sunday). His laps are so consistent, and that’s part of why he saves his tires so well.”
There’s more to it than that. SVG is a three-time champion in Australian Supercars, a gritty series where no quarter is given. That same series also honed the skills of Marcos Ambrose, who enjoyed significant success on road courses after coming to NASCAR racing in 2006.
Fellow competitors saw how van Gisbergen was willing to run JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch wide in Turn 1 after the decisive restart in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
Cup driver Tyler Reddick took note.
“Obviously, I saw what Shane was willing to do to win the race on Saturday, and for us needing a win to lock ourselves into the playoffs, I would have raced really hard, because I think he would have done the same,” said Reddick, who finished third after chasing van Gisbergen and runner-up Ty Gibbs over the closing laps on Sunday. “It didn’t happen, but we can all dream and speculate what it could have been.”
Remarkably, SVG has adapted almost instantly to the road-course versions of both the Gen 7 Cup car and the Xfinity car — two vastly different platforms. To rise to van Gisbergen’s level of excellence on road and street courses, competitors in both series not only have to sharpen their road racing skills but also must adopt a take-no-prisoners mentality to match his level of determination.
Otherwise, “What makes him so good?” will continue to be an often-asked question.
LANCASTER, N.Y. — Local standout George Skora III of Eden, NY, is set to make his debut in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday, July 12, when the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 takes center stage at Lancaster Motorplex.
The two-time and defending Sportsman track champion will pilot the No. 65 Modified — a brand-new Gen-2 LFR chassis powered by a Robert Yates spec engine — against some of the best in the business at the track he calls home.
Skora enters the race with confidence and grounded ambition.
“My realistic goal is to win the race—if we have the car, I know I’m capable of winning at my home track,” Skora said. “I’ll be happy with a top-five and satisfied with a top-10.”
With 16 career wins at Lancaster, including two in a tour-type Modified, Skora’s record speaks for itself.
“With this being the fourth Whelen event at the track and the frequency with which some of the more local guys have raced here, the home track advantage isn’t as big as it once was,” Skora explained. “But there’s nothing like racing in front of your home crowd.”
Not only Skora go head-to-head with NASCAR Tour veterans, but he’ll also be pulling double duty—also competing in the Sportsman feature as part of the local program. He’ll be joined by fellow Sportsman competitor Tyler Catalano, who is also entered in both events.
Skora’s debut is made possible thanks to the support of key partners, including ZAMKRO Homes, Paint Right, and Bob Spangler Snap-on Tools.
A second-generation racer, Skora cut his teeth at Lancaster and Holland Speedways, growing up watching local legends like Sege Fidanza and idolizing the late NASCAR star Davey Allison. But his true hero was always close to home.
“My dad George was my hero growing up,” Skora said. “He got me started in racing and has always been in my corner.”
Now, the younger Skora is ready to take the next step.
“I’m a track champion looking to broaden my horizons with the NASCAR Tour,” he said.
Race fans can catch George Skora III and a full field of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors when the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 rolls into Lancaster Motorplex this Saturday, July 12. A full racing card will also include Sportsman, Late Models, and Street Stocks. Fans unable to attend can watch the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 live on FloRacing starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
CHICAGO — Shane van Gisbergen’s victory in Sunday’s Chicago Street Race had all the trimmings of an effortless romp. The Kiwi road-racing ace completed a rare mega-sweep of the Cup Series and Xfinity Series events this doubleheader weekend, sealing poles and wins in each.
Another element of Sunday’s performance from the Trackhouse Racing No. 88 group might not have been as straightforward or smooth.
Crew member JP Kealey was back at his post as the team’s rear tire changer, just two weeks after taking a flying tire to the chest in a wild pit-road incident at Pocono Raceway. The impact left him with a broken rib and a collapsed lung, but remarkably, he staggered back to his feet to complete the pit stop and get van Gisbergen back on track. The injury benched him for the remainder of the day plus the next race at Atlanta, but with a prime opportunity for SVG to excel on the streets of Chicago, Kealey set his course toward being there for it.
Maybe miraculous for some. To Kealey, no big deal.
“It was obviously kind of a scary moment, but like right now, it’s not really as bad as people think,” Kealey told NASCAR.com, taking a quick break from tearing down the No. 88 pit box after a well-savored celebration in Victory Lane. “I’m definitely sore and I feel it. I mean, the rib’s still broken, but I wasn’t really nervous about coming out here and having it affect my job or being a nuisance today. So I knew we had a good shot to win, and I wanted to be in the lineup so we give Shane the best chance to get in Victory Lane. So it all worked out at the end.”
A rock-solid day from the first pit stall on South Columbus Drive allowed van Gisbergen to do the rest. The New Zealander led 26 of the 75 laps in the Grant Park 165, winning Chicago for the second time — just two years after his dazzling drive in the inaugural event steered him to a second career phase in NASCAR.
Kealey had his own shape-shift to his sports career, bringing his athletic abilities over to stock-car racing after three years in the National Lacrosse League. He also brought some of the same grit that he carried through years of lacrosse and youth hockey. Van Gisbergen took special notice of that resilience post-race, lauding his crew’s approach and camaraderie with victory within reach.
“Just the atmosphere of the guys and how focused they are and on the grid or on the start line there after the race, seeing how much it means to everyone, that’s why we do it, how stoked everyone was,” SVG said, “and even having JP back, who hurt himself at Pocono, just such a valuable member of our team. I know that his body is pretty beat up, and to get in there and no complaints and say he’s not hurting, to do what he did on the tires there on the rear end was epic.”
No. 88 crew chief Stephen Doran was also among those left marveling. Doran admitted to a slight bit of concern when Kealey targeted a Chicago return, but his assurance level rose, though, in the days before the race weekend. Doctors providing medical clearance for the 31-year-old crew member’s return was one step. The next was resuming pit-stop practice, where Doran sat in to observe Kealey pulling tires, making certain that he was 100%.
“I don’t know how he came back so quick. He’s a freaking animal,” Doran told NASCAR.com. “He must have the highest pain tolerance of anybody I know. To come back in a week and a half with a broken rib, and you can’t even tell, like, if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t know. Like, his pit stops are flawless. He’s doing full workouts right now in the gym. Just an animal, and I appreciate him coming back for a race this important.”
The magnitude of the event was great for multiple reasons. Race officials finally bought a break on the weather, with the checkered flag falling before ominous clouds rolled in to obscure the highest building tops along the Windy City skyline. And though talk prevailed through the weekend that Sunday’s Chicago Street Race could be the final edition, the show still brought a buzz that drew in curious onlookers who perched atop subway stations to find a vantage point.
The No. 88 team may have some bias in their affection for the place, given their results, but they shared the perspectives of others curious about what the 2026 schedule might hold.
“I do like coming here, where we stay, and the area of the race track is amazing,” Doran said. “The backdrop for this race is cooler than any we have. So if we don’t come back, I’m going to be sad. It’s just a cool place with a lot of cool stuff to do outside of the race track. I think all the guys feel that way. Maybe we didn’t when we came the first time. We had some hesitations about how it would go, but now I think the whole industry has embraced this place and would be glad to come back, if that’s in the cards.”
Count Kealey among the Chicago faithful, especially after channeling some “Monsters of the Midway” spirit Sunday afternoon.
“I mean, it’s my second win here, so it’s kind of cool,” Kealey said. “I grew up a Bears fan, so I’m a big fan of the city.”
For the last two years, Austin Beers has owned Lancaster Motorplex on the Modified Tour.
