SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — The 19th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, June 28 is a special race for a number of reasons, but it is particularly special for Brandon Pierce.
For one, South Boston Speedway is where he cut his racing teeth in the Late Model Stock Car division.
“It’s always great to race at the track I call home,” Pierce said. “I started my Late Model Stock Car racing career there in 2016, and I raced at South Boston full-time in 2016, 2017 and the greater part of 2018, even though that was my first season racing on the CARS Tour full time.”
In addition, the race is sponsored by his family’s business, Thunder Road Harley-Davidson, which he carries on his car.
“This race holds a special place in my heart,” Pierce said. “Thunder Road Harley-Davidson was sponsoring this race long before I started racing Late Model Stocks, so it’s always been a very special race to my family, to our company and our business. It’s something we take a lot of pride in representing. That’s why we have done it for so long.”
Pierce takes a lot of pride in being part of the event.
“I have a lot of pride to be able to do this, represent Thunder Road Harley-Davidson in a great manner, and also be a part of the weekend in any way I can because it is a family business for us,” Pierce said.
“I try to make sure everything is running smoothly and everything that is needed for the event is able to happen. There is also a lot of pride to be able to carry the (Thunder Road Harley-Davidson) colors on our car.”
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 is the biggest race of the season for Pierce.
Brandon Pierce speeds down the track during practice prior to the start of one of this season’s zMAX CARS Tour events. Pierce is looking for a good outing when he returns to South Boston Speedway for the 19th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on Saturday night, June 28. (Photo: zMAX CARS Tour)
“It’s a race I always have circled on the calendar every year,” he pointed out. “It’s a race I put a lot of emphasis on every year. If I could ever pull it off and win the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 it would be the biggest win of my career and the most special win. It’s something I strive toward trying to accomplish every time it comes up on the calendar.”
Pierce races as part of a two-car team fielded by Carroll Speedshop, which also features veteran racer Landon Huffman. The team has exhibited consistency through the first half of the season and has shown a great deal of improvement from last season.
“Our group at Carroll Speedshop has shown a lot of speed this year,” Pierce noted. “I think we’re leaps and bounds better than we were last year, not that we weren’t good, we just had some inconsistency. One thing that has been great to see this year is we’ve had consistency. Unfortunately, like this past weekend (in the zMAX CARS Tour race at Dominion Raceway), our finishes might not show it. For the most part, we’ve been running inside the top 10 pretty much every race and would be able to finish there if we wouldn’t have had bad luck. This past weekend I blew a right front tire while running eighth, and that took us out of contention for a top-10 finish. We’re going to put our best foot forward with the two cars, and hopefully myself and Landon can pull it off and keep the trophy close to home for Thunder Road.”
Pierce, who has two career top-five finishes in the event, pointed out the competition in the June 28 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 is going to be very tough and that South Boston Speedway’s “regulars” will be tough to beat on their home track.
“The Late Model Stock class is strong at South Boston Speedway every year,” Pierce said. “Regardless of the quantity of cars, the quality of the cars is top notch. I know Trevor (Ward) and Peyton (Sellers) will be very tough to beat. Peyton is always very tough to beat in that race, and Trevor has shown this year he is very strong. Landon Pembelton has been strong as well, especially over the course of the last couple of races up there. I think it’s safe to say those three have a little bit of an edge.
“I know those three are going to be very hard to beat,” he added, “but I also know there is going to be a handful of others that will be tough to beat as well.”
A four-race card will be featured as part of the 19th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway. Along with the 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, there will be a 40-lap race for Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division. A colorful patriotic Fourth of July fireworks show will follow the last race of the night.
Advance adult tickets for the June 28 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 event are priced at $20 each. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate only on the day of the event.
The Saturday, June 28 event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 10 a.m. and frontstretch spectator gates opening at 10 a.m. Rotating practice sessions for the four divisions will run from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Backstretch and Turn 4 tailgate gates open at 3:30 p.m.
Go Halifax Late Model Stock Car group qualifying starts at 4:15 p.m. A driver autograph session is slated from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies will start at 6:30 p.m. and the first race of the night will start at 7 p.m.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and White Mountain Motorsports Park have postponed Saturday’s scheduled NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event one day to Sunday as a forecast for inclement weather impacts the area.
The race will now begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 29.
The weather delays the Modified Tour’s return to White Mountain following a five-year absence by a day. The Tour ran a pair of races at the track in 2020, won by Justin Bonsignore and Doug Coby.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) for the Quaker State 400 available at Walmart on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). truTV will also air Cup Series qualifying at 5:05 p.m. ET on Friday.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series hits EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) Friday for the Focused Health 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The CW App will air Xfinity Series qualifying at 3 p.m. ET earlier in the day.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series makes its first-ever stop at Lime Rock Park on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, FOX, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the LIUNA 150. FS1 will air Truck Series qualifying at 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday after teams participate in a 50-minute practice session Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET on FS2.
The sun that rose over Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 21, 2012 brought different expectations and trepidations for C.E. Falk III compared to his previous visits to the half-mile paperclip.
Falk’s focus was earning a grandfather clock, as usual. But another prize was on the line that day in the inaugural Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. Falk’s pair of excellent runs at South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway earlier that year put him in an ideal position to become the miniseries’ champion.
Yet making history was never on Falk’s mind throughout the three legs of the Virginia Triple Crown in 2012. Already a hardened competitor against the elites of the Late Model Stock Car discipline, all he wanted was to secure three crown-jewel victories and continue to prove he could one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series.
Falk had no idea the tradition he started when he climbed out of his No. 40 Late Model Stock at Martinsville as Triple Crown champion.
“It was kind of a shock,” he said. “There wasn’t really a lot of talk about [the Virginia Triple Crown]; it just kind of happened. You always had Langley in the summer, and South Boston at the time had their 300-lapper after Martinsville, so the fact that they switched it around to have the 300-lapper at the beginning of the year was really cool.
“It came out of nowhere, but it was something exciting.”
When the Virginia Triple Crown was created, C.E. Falk III was already a proven Late Model Stock winner with three straight titles at his home track of Langley Speedway. (Photo: NASCAR)
What Falk did not know at the time: The idea of the Virginia Triple Crown had been manifesting for years.
Cathy Rice, who served as South Boston’s general manager until 2021, deliberated with Langley owner Bill Mullis and Martinsville president Clay Campbell on how to bring more notoriety to Late Model Stock racing in Virginia. Rice spearheaded the idea of bringing all their crown-jewel events together for their own championship.
Campbell and Mullis agreed, leading to the advent of the Triple Crown for the 2012 season. The existing prestige of each event, combined with the vibrant Late Model Stock culture in Virginia, left Campbell optimistic the Triple Crown would be a hit.
“If you look at the three tracks, it makes perfect sense,” Campbell said. “You’re looking at three historic tracks, South Boston, Langley and [Martinsville]. You’re covering from one side of the state to the other, and they are important races at all three tracks, which were and still are important staples in the Weekly Series.”
Clay Campbell (Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Falk was eager to embrace the new challenge that was the Virginia Triple Crown, especially since he already had proven himself as one of the best Late Model Stock competitors in a state filled with so many notables.
Among the accomplishments Falk amassed during the late 2000s and early 2010s were three consecutive track championships at Langley to go along with two straight Hampton Heat victories. Falk also garnered notoriety in 2010 when he won the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Southside Speedway after passing Hamlin on the last lap.
Hamlin was one of several drivers Falk regularly battled during his formative years in a Late Model Stock around the southeast. As Falk and his brother Wes continued to gain experience, their father Eddie, the son of former Cup Series team owner Joe Falk, purchased his own equipment to help the boys advance their careers.
Eddie also brought in multi-time Langley track champion Phil Warren to advise his two sons on what they needed to excel behind the wheel.
Competing against names like Hamlin, Philip Morris, Adam Barker, Wayne Ramsey, Eddie Johnson and others was a humbling experience for Falk. He said the discipline was an outlet for drivers without significant funding to showcase their talent and build their own identities.
“[Virginia] is really the birthplace of [Late Model Stocks],” Falk said. “It was an affordable class for the guys who didn’t want to run a Street Stock but couldn’t afford to go [Xfinity Series] racing. It’s obviously turned into a monster now with full-fledged driver development programs, and you have those who do this for a full-time living.
“A lot of heroes were made on Saturday nights at South Boston, Langley, Southside and [Old Dominion Speedway]. They didn’t make it to Sundays, but they’d probably give the guys who run on Sundays a run for their money.”
Falk became a hero in the eyes of many who watched him dominate at tracks around the region. He still had milestones to check off by the time 2012 arrived, but he felt confident his program’s overall speed could keep him competitive — even as the industry began to change.
The onset of the Virginia Triple Crown was another chance for Falk to add to his legacy.
The first race for C.E. Falk III in his pursuit of a Virginia Triple Crown was the 300-lap feature at South Boston Speedway. (Photo: NASCAR)
Before Falk’s first pursuit of the Triple Crown commenced, his team made a change at crew chief with the hiring of veteran Sammy Houston. At the time, Houston previously had worked with Morris, Tommy Ellis, Jeff Burton, Steve Grissom and Mark Martin, among others.
Houston acquainted himself with the Falk family when Eddie began competing in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman class, a predecessor to the Xfinity Series, during the 1980s. When Houston returned to Late Model Stocks at the turn of the century, he took note of the success Eddie’s eldest son was enjoying, particularly at Langley.
Of all the tracks Houston has visited, he considers Langley one of the toughest to drive, especially for young competitors. Houston said Falk’s ability to beat the Langley regulars while balancing college was a testament to his commitment in every regard.
“The best thing about C.E. Falk is that he’s gutsy,” Houston said. “He can make things happen, but he can think ahead. He can see 10-20 laps from now what’s going to go on. It really surprised me how well and how quick he got fast at Langley. For him to get it that quick up against guys who had been racing there 10-15 years was really surprising.”
As soon as Houston joined Falk’s Late Model Stock team, the two partnered with Bobby Creech to build a new car. No expense was spared as Falk and Houston crafted a chassis they believed could set a commanding tone in the opening leg of the Virginia Triple Crown at South Boston.
The result of their efforts was a dominant performance. Falk won after leading 154 of 300 laps.
Falk said that car was the best he ever drove at South Boston, comparing it to a go-kart in terms of drivability. He admitted the Triple Crown implications were an afterthought; he was ecstatic about a pivotal victory for his personal list of accomplishments.
“They gave us a check for $10,000, which was awesome,” Falk said. “I was really excited about winning the 300-lapper because I knew how hard it was to win that race. It was the last 300-lapper [South Boston] had, so that really means a lot to me, too. We wanted to do well, but we didn’t understand how the points were going to work or if there were bonus points for winning.
“We were just more excited about winning the race than anything.”
While he didn’t completely grasp the concept of the Triple Crown points, Falk did benefit from a confidence boost for the miniseries’ next race. Having led a combined total of 388 laps across his previous two Hampton Heat triumphs, Falk appeared poised to consolidate his Triple Crown advantage at his home track. He anticipated another Langley regular in Greg Edwards would be the primary obstacle.
When the green flag waved, Falk found himself in a tough battle with not just with Edwards, but with his own car.
Falk was puzzled as to why the rear of his car was moving so much. During an early pit stop, he and Houston discovered an eccentric bolt had come loose — an easy fix. The repaired rear end restored Falk’s speed just in time for him to encounter another problem.
As Falk made his move for the lead on a restart, he contacted Edwards and turned him around. Falk was penalized and moved to the rear of the field, leaving him fewer than 100 laps to fight his way back to the front.
Falk picked off his competition while hoping for several yellow flags to expedite his charge. Instead, the second half of the 2012 Hampton Heat featured mostly green-flag laps, causing Falk to exhaust his tires by the time he reached second and preventing him from mounting a challenge against winner Matt Bowling.
After the 2012 Hampton Heat, Matt Bowling (pictured) established himself as the primary obstacle standing in the way of a Virginia Triple Crown title for C.E. Falk III (Photo: NASCAR)
Bowling’s victory at Langley after his fourth-place run at South Boston made him Falk’s primary adversary in Triple Crown points heading into Martinsville. Yet Falk appreciated the way Bowling raced and knew the fight for the Triple Crown — and a grandfather clock — would be intense but fair.
“Matt is a super great guy and super nice,” Falk said. “He was always really fast at South Boston, but Matt was really coming into his own. He was a super clean driver from what I remember, and I never had many run-ins with him ever. Matt probably caught onto Langley better than Peyton Sellers in the beginning. Just a great racer.”
Falk had plenty of time — almost three months, to be exact — to devise a plan with Houston, Wes and the rest of his team on how to attack Martinsville. The wait allowed Falk to devote attention to weekly racing, where he racked up several victories at Langley.
When the time came to load up for Martinsville, Falk was confident he had a race-winning car but knew it would take more than efficiency to win. More than 75 drivers packed into Martinsville’s infield for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, meaning everything within and outside of Falk’s control would need to be perfect just to qualify.
The weekend was anything but perfect.
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Despite showing speed in practice, Falk’s lap of record in time trials was not good enough to crack the top 30. This relegated him to a mid-pack starting position in his heat race, placing him in an inauspicious position where one mistake from another driver could end his Triple Crown bid before the green flag waved for the main event.
Falk not only survived his heat, but he managed to climb all the way to third. The valiant effort garnered him a 10th place starting position on the 42-car grid, just four spots behind Bowling.
Just like in the Hampton Heat, Falk’s issues were only just beginning.
An early spin immediately put Falk at the back of the field and deterred the optimism he possessed. The Virginia Triple Crown was once again an afterthought to Falk, who shifted his mindset to making sure his No. 40 Toyota departed Martinsville in one piece.
While Bowling assumed control of the lead on Lap 76, Falk was occupied with erasing his deficit. He avoided significant trouble and found himself on the cusp of salvaging a long, disappointing day at Martinsville with a decent finish.
A grandfather clock would have to wait another year. But Falk realized a Triple Crown title might not have to wait at all.
“We got close to the top 10, and I saw Matt with like 20-something to go,” Falk said. “Sammy came on the radio and said, ‘Remember the Triple Crown is still out there.’ Matt was having a really good race, but I think he was starting to have some carburetor issues or something like that. We drove up there and got in position on that final restart.”
Bowling had to fight for his Triple Crown hopes from third on the inside of the second row. Falk’s decision to take the high line from the third row was one he admitted was a mistake in retrospect, but he was determined to make the most of his circumstances and figure out how to overtake Bowling.
When the checkered flag waved, Falk was still sixth, but Bowling had faded to seventh. Falk’s persistence was enough to claim the inaugural Virginia Late Model Triple Crown title over Bowling by six points.
Oblivious to the points, Falk, Houston and the rest of the team went through their routine post-race procedures. Just a few minutes later, they found themselves hustling to push Falk’s car to Martinsville’s frontstretch to be formally recognized as the maiden Triple Crown champion.
By persevering through an early spin and capitalizing on Matt Bowling’s late issues, C.E. Falk III (left) became a Virginia Triple Crown champion at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Ken Childs)
“We didn’t know we won the thing until they came over and told us,” Houston said. “The race was over, and they said they needed us up on the stage with Philip [Morris], who won the race. Nobody’s thinking about the Triple Crown in the moment. Not winning the race and coming from the back, all that went to the wayside when they said we won [the Triple Crown].
“There aren’t many chances to get the first of something, so that was the coolest part about it.”
Falk received a plastic crown in addition to the official Virginia Triple Crown trophy, one he still considers among the most immaculate he has received.
“It really didn’t hit [right away],” Falk said. “Finishing sixth at Martinsville is nothing to shake a stick at. You go in there really wanting to win and to be the best. To finish sixth and have the car basically in one piece is a victory in of itself.
“All these years later, it really means something special to always be the first Triple Crown winner.”
As Campbell observed Falk celebrate the Virginia Triple Crown title, he found himself grateful knowing the plan started on a proper note.
Each leg of the Virginia Triple Crown tested the resolve of both man and machine. Falk was tasked with assembling comeback performances at Langley and Martinsville, and Bowling needed to play defense in the waning moments at Martinsville in what proved to be a fruitless effort. Two other potential Triple Crown contenders in Sellers and Nick Smith did not even qualify for Martinsville’s 150-lap feature.
Campbell said the Virginia Triple Crown accomplished everything it was supposed to in Year 1. The three-race stretch highlighted the unique characteristics that define each track, and it rewarded the most consistent driver — all while showing the rest of the Late Model Stock community just how prestigious it could become.
“I know C.E. Falk and his team were elated to get that [championship],” Campbell said. “It takes a lot to win at South Boston, Langley and [Martinsville]. To have the [finishes] at the end of the year to win it is a pretty great achievement. That’s what turns drivers on; it’s not a cakewalk.
“If you win it, you have a lot of bragging rights, because you and your team put forth a great effort to come away with that win.”
The fight for the inaugural Virginia Triple Crown title in 2012 between C.E. Falk III (left) and Matt Bowling (83) came down to the last race. (Photo: NASCAR)
The Virginia Triple Crown has only grown in both prestige and notoriety, just like Rice, Campbell and Mullis envisioned.
Many of the top Late Model Stock competitors are now Virginia Triple Crown winners. Sellers rebounded from his disappointment in 2012 to earn five Virginia Triple Crown titles, the most of any driver. Other champions include Lee Pulliam, Bobby McCarty, Trevor Ward and former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Timothy Peters.
Falk said the Virginia Triple Crown’s long-term impact has been gradual but ubiquitous. The championship is now a cornerstone of Late Model Stock racing across the southeast, one that now offers a hefty award to the team that can stand tall after three grueling races.
“I had no idea people would be planning their whole schedule around [the Virginia Triple Crown],” Falk said. “It’s turned into something special. This sport costs a lot of money, and these tracks are doing everything they can to survive. Whether the economy is good or bad, to take that extra money and give it back to the racers is really great and needs to be applauded.”
C.E. Falk III continued winning after securing the inaugural Virginia Triple Crown title, with his accomplishments including a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory at Martinsville Speedway in 2018. (Photo: Ken Childs)
Although Falk did not win another Virginia Triple Crown after 2012, his success in Late Model Stocks continued. He earned his fourth Langley championship the following season before finally bringing home an illustrious grandfather clock in the 2018 ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Falk’s last major Late Model Stock race came in the Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2022. He still gets an urge to race every so often, but he enjoys life as a wholesaler while also being a father of two.
Houston left Falk’s team after their Triple Crown conquest to focus on his own ventures. He considers himself fortunate to have played a small-but-crucial role in Late Model Stock history.
For Houston, the Virginia Triple Crown continually attracting not only the elites of Late Model Stock competition but renowned competitors like Dale Earnhardt Jr. for one-off events highlights how prestigious the three-race stretch has become. No matter how big it gets, Houston will always remember what he and Falk did during the first season.
“Curtis Markham is the only first-time winner [of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300],” Houston said. “C.E. Falk, his parents, his brother and everyone on the team, we’re the first ones to win [the Virginia Triple Crown]. We were just hoping to get a good finish out of it. I think it’s really cool [we got that first one].”
Campbell said the Virginia Triple Crown’s influence is evident in the car counts. Martinsville continues to see around 80 drivers a year, but entry lists for South Boston and Langley now average more than 30 competitors compared to the 22 and 23 those tracks respectively saw in the first season.
What started as a bold idea has blossomed into a proud custom. And Campbell has every reason to believe the event will keep prospering.
“The first few years, we were kind of feeling our way through [the Virginia Triple Crown],” Campbell said. “You hope it’s going to work, and you think it’s going to work, but it worked better for us than we ever imagined. In the past several years, it’s taken on a life of its own. We wanted it to be something that everybody wanted to win.
“We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made, and I think it has a long future ahead.”
C.E. Falk III’s Virginia Triple Crown championship in 2012 kickstarted a proud short-track tradition that continues to grow. (Photo: Ken Childs)
All the success and iconic moments of the Virginia Triple Crown can be traced back to 2012 and Falk’s accomplishments that year, when he had no idea what was in store.
Time has allowed Falk to reflect and observe the Triple Crown’s growth.
“You don’t appreciate all that stuff when it’s happening,” he said. “You’re so focused on right then. At the time, you’re chasing a dream of racing on Sundays, and every win was one closer to getting that phone call from a Cup Series owner. It didn’t work out for me and a few others, but my son really likes all the [Late Model Stock] trophies.
“It’s great to go back in time, look at all those races and see how good we all really had it.”
Falk’s commitment and resolve did more than just garner him the first Virginia Triple Crown. Those qualities were instrumental toward ushering in a new era for Late Model Stock competition, one in which the Virginia Triple Crown is now a cherished tradition across the southeast.
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 the team’s car in 1960 at Bowman Gray Stadium and took Wood Brothers Racing to Victory Lane for the first time. The team scored its 101st NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2025, when Josh Berry earned 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 its storied history, one that is well worth celebrating.
This Wednesday’s content will feature two full races, both coming from EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).
The first full race of the week will be the 1993 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500. This race was originally delayed by a major snowstorm and was postponed from Sunday, March 14, to the following Saturday afternoon (March 20).
The snow arrived after cars had already hit the track for the first round of qualifying, leaving the field set by all of the drivers’ first-round speeds.
Morgan Shepherd, who was behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, started seventh. The 51-year-old driver entered the race with three career victories; two of them came at EchoPark.
The combination of Shepherd and the team’s previous success at the track paid off as Shepherd took the Wood Brothers team to Victory Lane. As the laps passed by, Shepherd heeded the advice from his crew and saved as much fuel as possible to stay out front.
It was the fourth win of Shepherd’s career and the team’s 12th checkered flag at the track.
The 1981 Atlanta Journal 500 from EchoPark will be the second full race available to watch. This race, the 30th on the 31-race schedule, saw Neil Bonnett take the No. 21 machine to Victory Lane for the third time that season.
Bonnett dominated the event, leading a race-high 200 laps en route to victory. The team showed lots of speed over the final seven races of the season, notching three wins and a fourth-place finish along the way. Bonnett led 135 laps or more in four of those seven races.
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.
NASCAR is shaking up the summer stretch with a twist: Thirty-two drivers, five tracks, one bracket — and $1 million on the line. The new In-Season Challenge adds a layer to an already unpredictable portion of the Cup Series schedule.
Spanning everything from drafting duels at Atlanta to the tight turns of Chicago and Sonoma and capped off by tests at Dover and Indianapolis, some tracks will play right into a driver’s strengths, but others, not so much. Who climbs the bracket, and who gets bumped? That’s where things get interesting, and it all kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway)
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
Who does it favor?
Team Penske knows how to rise to the occasion in the playoffs, which gives good reason to think it’ll be buttoned up here for the In-Season Challenge. Joey Logano, defending champ and last year’s fall Atlanta winner, owns two wins at the Peach State track. Ryan Blaney may not have a win at the track in the Next Gen car, but his last seven races in Georgia have produced an average start of 3.1 and average finish of 6.7 — both marks that lead active full-time drivers. Add in Austin Cindric’s 14.3 average finish and 193 laps led over that same span, and all three drivers are threats to win.
Two more drivers to consider are Dawsonville, Georgia, native Chase Elliott and last year’s spring winner, Daniel Suárez. In Elliott’s case, he won at his home track in 2022, and his top-20 consistency this year will be hard to beat in head-to-head competition. As for Suárez, he may have crashed out of this season’s earlier tilt in Atlanta, but he finished first or second in the three previous races.
Who does it hinder?
Several big names could be ousted in the first round. Denny Hamlin, the In-Season Challenge No. 1 seed, has an average finish south of 18th in the last seven Atlanta races. Brad Keselowski is another drafting track master who could find trouble, with only two top 10s in the last seven Atlanta races.
One of the most intriguing matchups is Kyle Larson vs. Tyler Reddick. While both drivers have scored at least one top five at this track in their careers and have been heavyweights in the Next Gen car, each has an average finish just outside the top 20 at this track since 2022. One of them will advance, but it’s almost a toss-up on who it could be.
Chicago Street Course
Michael Reaves | Getty Images
Who does it favor?
Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch have navigated the tight 2.2-mile confines and weather to earn top 10s in both years around Grant Park. Gibbs is the only one out of the trio to lead laps (18 total), but McDowell is the only driver of the group to qualify in the top 10 each time. As for Busch, the No. 8 crew struck luck in terms of when it pitted and how the cautions fell in both races, allowing for a recovery from qualifying efforts of 18th and 19th. It may be a trying season, but don’t overlook Rowdy’s veteran experience.
Two more drivers that stick out are William Byron and Austin Cindric; in both races, they each started outside of the top 20 and wheeled top-15 finishes. Byron has two road-course wins in the Next Gen era, while Cindric made a name for himself as a road-course ringer before his NASCAR debut.
Who does it hinder?
Christopher Bell has led the most laps around the 12-turn circuit (51), but he has an average finish of 27.5. The shortened race in 2023 allowed cars that pitted earlier to jump the leaders after Bell swept the stages. He again looked to be on the way to victory in the Windy City last year, until he made contact with his teammate while charging back up the field after pitting late. He could be in the mix for the win, but it’s worth taking into account his bad luck.
It is also worth pointing out that fellow road-course winners AJ Allmendinger, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson have average finishes of 21.5 or worse in this event. Larson has a fourth-place finish from 2023, but his early crash last year is weighing him down. Allmendinger and Chastain have struggled, with neither driver cracking the top 15 in either race.
Sonoma Raceway
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Who does it favor?
Here’s a track that favors Allmendinger, Chastain and Larson very well as each has four career top 10s at the track. (Plus, Larson is the defending winner.) However, in the Next Gen era, Chris Buescher has an average finish of third at Sonoma as he is the only driver to net top fives in all three races at the track. McDowell, Elliott and Chastain have top 10s in each of those events, too, but Buescher has scored the most points at 124 and has done it all with an average start of 12th in that span.
Who does it hinder?
In the opposite swing of things, Reddick has an average start of third in the last three Sonoma races but has two finishes outside the top 30. He finally cracked the top 10 for the first time at Sonoma last year (with an eighth-place finish), but his history at the track carries warning signs.
Other notable names that could find themselves in trouble are Chase Briscoe, Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace. Hamlin has the best shot to turn things around there, given he won the pole and led 33 laps in 2023 and has the most Sonoma experience of this group, but none of these drivers has scored a top-10 finish at the circuit since 2021.
Dover Motor Speedway
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Who does it favor?
The Monster Mile has been a great track for Hendrick Motorsports and Larson and Elliott, in particular; both drivers have won there and have 10 or more top 10s. Alex Bowman also has a Dover win and six top 10s in the last seven races at the track, with five of those being top fives. Byron hasn’t won there yet but has led 257 laps and owns three top fives.
As for non-Hendrick drivers, Blaney and Hamlin also stand out at this track, with the latter of the two being the defending winner and Blaney scoring two 10s in the last two Dover races. Busch has won the previous two poles here and led 162 laps en route to scoring two top 10s in the last three Dover races.
Who does it hinder?
A few stout vets have struggled at Dover recently. Logano has yet to lead a lap in the Next Gen car around this track and finish better than 16th in the last three races. Meanwhile, Keselowski has a best finish of eighth over that span, but it’s sandwiched by runs of 20th and 30th. Similarly, Allmendinger’s last three races at Dover have resulted in an average finish of 21.3.
It’s also worth mentioning that if McDowell can find himself on a “Cinderella run” after two road courses that play to his strength, the clock may strike midnight at Dover. In 24 starts, his best finish at the Monster Mile is 17th, and that came in 2022 with Front Row Motorsports.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Who does it favor?
Last year’s running of the Brickyard 400 was the first after a four-year break, meaning it’s tough to gauge who truly excels here. Plus, only 16 of the active full-time drivers have five or more starts on the 2.5-mile oval. Going off of last year’s race, defending winner Larson is surely one to be a factor. Same for Reddick, who was last year’s pole winner and runner-up finisher.
Three more drivers to consider are Blaney, Elliott and Wallace. That trio was also in the mix upfront last year as Elliott and Wallace each led laps, and Blaney finished third. Each of them has at least scored two top 10s in the last three 400-milers at Indy; Wallace owns two top fives and a ninth-place finish over that span.
Who does it hinder?
On the flip side, Hamlin has been involved in wrecks in two of the last three races. And three drivers with four or more starts and yet to score top 10s at Indy are Bowman, Chastain and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Austin Hill isn’t afraid to jump outside of his comfort zone. He also believes in giving people fresh opportunities to shine.
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season — when the No. 21 Chevrolet qualified for the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway — Richard Childress Racing split its three-year pairing of Hill and crew chief Andy Street. Street shifted to crew chief the organization’s part-time third Cup Series entry and has additionally provided competition direction and assistance to RCR’s alliance partners.
Hill won 10 races with Street as crew chief, but he wanted to weigh all his options after falling short of the Xfinity Series championship. RCR allowed him to help in the search for Street’s replacement.
“Andy and I had worked together for three years, and I was starting to not question his ability but question the 21 team in general as far as, ‘are we at the highest we can go with what we have going on right now, or is there still more to be gained?’ ” Hill told NASCAR.com. “I had more questions than anything of how it was going to go and if it was going to be good for the camaraderie within the team. Is the 21 team still going to stay together if the crew chief gets switched up? Or are the car chief and engineer going to get frustrated by it or be relieved to have a fresh face?”
Throughout the 2024 campaign, the No. 21 team had difficult conversations in the conference room in RCR’s headquarters. They called each other out, though never pointed a finger. Ultimately, Hill felt those discussions led to a championship run.
“We were brutally honest, which I thought was great and propelled us into having a shot at the championship and making it to the final four,” Hill said. “When we made it to the final four, that was a lot of relief off my shoulders.”
In early December, RCR tabbed industry veteran Chad Haney as the No. 21 team’s crew chief. Haney returned to RCR during the middle of the 2024 season as a liaison between RCR and its technical partners. He worked with Stewart-Haas Racing for the previous eight years, serving as car chief for Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Chase Briscoe. Before his stint with SHR, Haney was a longtime car chief at RCR with a plethora of drivers.
Hill wanted someone who was hungry and out to prove themselves. Haney fit the bill as he felt the new pairing had known each other for 10 years after their first conversation in late November.
“I always wanted to be a crew chief, but I thought I was past that,” Haney said. “You don’t get opportunities to work with this type of team. It’s a very experienced team; Austin is a very experienced driver, and you just don’t get handed a top-three Xfinity team to go crew chief.
“Through my years, I’ve turned down several opportunities to go crew chief, but I was never offered something like this. It made me think about it, and after talking to Austin, Richard and basically Danny Lawrence (vice president, alliance operations, director, NASCAR Xfinity Series program) was the one making the offer, it was a no-brainer for me to go do it.”
Logan Riely | Getty Images
When RCR turned its attention toward 2025, Hill realized the No. 21 team was in good hands. During that initial conversation, Haney asked Hill if he needed any changes from the past. Hill wanted to be more involved, knowing the setups underneath the car.
“That’s one thing that is a little different this year than years past, we don’t come with similar packages anymore,” Hill said. “We come to the race track with an open mind and we try all kinds of different stuff, for better or worse. We’re going to learn something.”
Haney thought the biggest obstacle would be calling races. As it turned out, that’s become one of the most enjoyable parts of the gig.
The duo is still learning from each other. The remainder of the No. 21 team from years past is still intact, making the change an easy transition.
Through 16 races, Hill has a trio of victories, with two coming on superspeedways (Atlanta, Talladega). He sits second in the regular-season championship battle, trailing defending series champion Justin Allgaier by 82 points. On a weekly basis, Allgaier is the only driver who Hill feels is ahead in speed.
“Overall assessment, I think we’re still one of the top teams,” Hill said, “but if we had to go strap in for Phoenix this weekend and go try to win a championship, I think we’re somewhere between second and fourth best.”
Saturday’s Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) presents a prime chance for the No. 21 team to collect additional playoff points (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hill is tied with Allgaier for a series-high 21 markers, but two of his three victories in 2025 have come at superspeedways. In the series’ most recent drafting race at Talladega, he tied NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart as the winningest driver on superspeedways (nine).
The Georgia native has celebrated in Victory Lane in five of the last six trips to his home venue.
“I’m not afraid to take chances,” Hill noted of his EchoPark success. “As soon as that top gets ripping around and I’m not the leader, it’s a single file choo-choo train up top, I’m the first one to pull out of line and try something where you might have some guys in front of me that are scared to pull out of line because they don’t want to go to the back.
“My mindset is like, ‘screw it, if I go to the back, I go to the back, I’ve got to try something because I’m not going to sit here and run 10th all day.’ For whatever reason, it’s worked for me.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and FloSports today announced that seven live events will be simulcast on the NASCAR Channel and FloRacing.
June 30 – Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway (INEX US Legend Cars)
July 1 – Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway (INEX US Legend Cars)
July 11 – ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 at Sonoma Raceway
Aug. 23 – Season Finale at Bowman Gray Stadium
Sept. 27 – ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 12 – NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Dec. 5 – Snowball Derby Qualifying Day at Five Flags Speedway
*Races and dates are subject to change
Earlier this month, FloSports and NASCAR contributed $50,000 to the purse for the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, which is capped off by the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway. The simulcasts continue their commitment to bolstering local short-track racing.
The field of Late Model Stock Cars awaits the start of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway on Sept. 28, 2024. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
“We are fully committed to building a great experience for our fans on the NASCAR Channel. While we already provide a lot of original and archival content, it’s really important to bring live events onto the platform,” said Dan Barker, NASCAR Managing Director, Media Strategy. “Fortunately, we have a great and innovative partner in FloSports who have worked closely with NASCAR to deliver these events. It’s a win for NASCAR fans and regional racing.”
Added Michael Rigsby, GM of FloRacing: “As our partnership with NASCAR continues to grow and develop, this is an excellent opportunity for us to match that growth and meet more fans in different places. We believe strongly that this is some of the best racing in America, so we’re working with NASCAR to expand distribution and bring in new fans, new audiences and have that excitement reach them wherever they are watching.”
The NASCAR Channel provides 24/7 programming and content to fans for free. It airs classic races, delayed broadcasts of this season’s races, select live coverage of races and events, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive, and NASCAR Studios original content and video podcasts. It is available on Tubi, Xumo Play, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video. No subscription or registration is needed.
Fans can watch all the listed events and more than 1,000 races annually live or on demand with a FloRacing subscription at www.floracing.com or via the FloRacing app.
