Inside the tracks of NASCAR’s five-race In-Season Challenge

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Alex Cadavid

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.

Posted on June 25, 2025June 25, 2025 by Dustin Albino

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.”

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

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.”

Posted on June 25, 2025June 25, 2025 by Press Release

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.

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

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Bowman Gray Stadium will have a new “Iron Man” this Saturday night.

Randy Butner will officially hold the all-time starts record at 756 when he takes the green flag for Saturday night’s first Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series Twin 25 race.

On June 21, Butner tied Junior Miller’s BGS starts record at 755, and he says he appreciates all the great memories he’s made at the track–memories that include 22 career Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series victories.

“Been a long ride with some good and bad times,” Butner says, “but I wouldn’t trade these last 38 years for anything.”

Ironically, Butner’s 22 career wins place him in a tie for 22nd all-time with Johnny Bryant and Billy Myers.

He says the fans, the excitement for racing, and camaraderie with his fellow competitors are who–and what–keep him coming back to Bowman Gray to compete in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series.

“You gotta love it. It takes money, time, and labor, but you gotta love it to be here for 38 years.”

Butner also has an academic background. He’s a professor in the Engineering department at Forsyth Technical Community College, where he also serves as coordinator for the race car technology program.

He says his students think it’s cool to have a teacher who also drives race cars.

“A lot of my students are actually in the racing industry right now,” Butner adds.

Butner says he’s still trying to adjust to how much the track has changed since it hosted The NASCAR Cup Series Clash in February, but he’s confident he can win a race before the season’s over.

“We’ve definitely been trying, and – God-willing – we’ll keep trying as long as we’re healthy and happy being in the race car.”

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Staff Report

The yo-yo effect of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race can have even the steadiest person’s stomach tied up in knots on a weekly basis. And for the second straight week, a new winner shook up the field to give the standings a fresh look.

This time, it was Chase Briscoe with his fuel-mileage masterclass to hold off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin for the win at Pocono Raceway. Known for being one of the most even-keeled drivers in the garage, Briscoe showed steely nerves in the last 30-plus laps as he tried to maintain enough speed, yet save enough fuel, to get to the finish first.

Briscoe, who was just 39 points above the elimination line after Mexico City, is now safely out of danger and jumped all the way up to eighth place in the playoffs standings following the win. It’s quite the turnaround for a driver who was hit with a 100-point infraction for a spoiler modification (later rescinded upon appeal) to start the season at Daytona International Speedway. Again, it’s that yo-yo effect.

Not everyone is feeling as good as Briscoe, though, as another new winner has put a vise-like grip on those still looking for their first win. Add in the extra element of NASCAR’s first In-Season Challenge, and it could be another wild weekend ahead.

Let’s take a look at the playoff bubble entering Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Stats courtesy of Racing Insights.

Drivers provisionally qualified for playoffs with a win (11): Kyle Larson (three wins), Denny Hamlin (three wins), Christopher Bell (three wins), William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain.

Winless drivers more than 100 points above the elimination line (two): Chase Elliott (+160) and Tyler Reddick (+107).

With 13 spots projected to be filled by the above drivers, there are three spots open for the rest of the field to fight over, including these drivers closest to the elimination line:

Rank	Driver	Cutoff
13	Tyler Reddick	+107
14	Chris Buescher	+38
15	Bubba Wallace	+29
16	Alex Bowman	+20
	ELIMINATION LINE
17	Ryan Preece	-20
18	AJ Allmendinger	-59
19	Erik Jones	-62
20	Kyle Busch	-63

Bubble analysis: Coming out of Michigan, Bubba Wallace was 61 points above the elimination line and perhaps feeling at least somewhat comfortable. Two races later, including a DNF at Pocono, and the No. 23 Toyota driver now sits just 29 points to the good. For a driver who has had some of his best moments on superspeedways, perhaps EchoPark Speedway will be just what the doctor ordered. Wallace has two top-10 finishes in the last three races there, including a ninth-place performance this spring.

Chris Buescher was the biggest gainer against the elimination line at plus-19 after Pocono and now sits 38 points above the elimination line, which is still not comfortable but a lot better than he was following a 60-point penalty after Kansas (later amended to a 30-point loss after appeal). Buescher seems to have a knack for heating up at this time of the year, too, so if he can get past Atlanta (where he’s finished 30th or worse the last two times out), he could go on a run on the road courses at the Chicago Street Course and Sonoma Raceway.

Off the charts: It’s getting a little scary for anyone not named Ryan Preece (minus-20) beneath the elimination line. After Preece, the margin drops all the way to minus-59 at AJ Allmendinger, minus-62 for Erik Jones and minus-63 for Kyle Busch. These guys are all starting to lose contact with the elimination line, which means they are falling into must-win territory, if they aren’t there already.

The thing is, all three of those drivers just mentioned are previous Cup winners who have the ability to make like Shane van Gisbergen and become the next to throw a haymaker uppercut from way down low. And they all have a track you can point to in the final nine regular-season races, including Watkins Glen International for Allmendinger, Richmond Raceway for Busch and Daytona for Jones.

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

Chase Elliott’s body language as he leaned against his car on pit road following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was unmistakable.

He was understandably spent after a physically demanding day in the heat and humidity, driving 160 laps around the iconic and super-demanding 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track. And the 2020 series champion climbed out of his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, simultaneously encouraged with his fifth-place showing, but also wanting more.

Although Elliott, 29, is the only driver in the series to have scored top-20 finishes in all 17 races to date, he is a former champion, a perpetual winner and is still frustrated every time he does not take home a trophy. And he remains racing for that first piece of hardware this season, hoping Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 (7 ET on TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta’s 1.5-mile EchoPark Speedway changes his trajectory.

Elliott is ranked fifth in the championship, 80 points behind his Hendrick teammate and standings leader William Byron, with nine races remaining to settle which 16 drivers advance to the 2025 NASCAR Playoffs. He is the highest-ranked driver without a win, which is both a testament to his work and a motivator to do even better.

“That is a good question,” he said when asked if he considers this a “good season.”

“Good? Sure, but it’s not where I want to be, no doubt. I think for us there have been some high spots and to be honest, there have been weeks where we have run well where we have had a good finish, and there have been weeks where we have not had a good finish and I can go home and be like, ‘man, we were in the mix, and we had good pace today.’ And those are the weeks where you just want to feel like you are in the ball game as it pertains to pace, doing the right things, and getting up in there and giving yourself a shot.

“Those days, I can go home and have something to be proud of,” he continued. “It’s the days and weekends where we are just not even relevant that I think are the most frustrating to me. We have had more of those than I would want to have, and that we would want to have as a team.

“So, I think it’s been good but not satisfactory for myself or to our team, but there is still a lot of racing left in the season, and I think we have ourselves in a position to make a mediocre day alright. We can build from it, and we still have a chance.”

Sunday’s Pocono showing marked the first time this season Elliott has had back-to-back top-five finishes after earning a season-best third place at the inaugural Mexico City road course a week ago.

And the next three races include a stop at the Georgia-native’s “home track” near Atlanta, followed by back-to-back road course races — on the Chicago Street Course and Sonoma Raceway. Elliott won from pole position at Atlanta in 2022 and has eight top-10 finishes in 13 starts there.

The road courses, however, have absolutely been Elliott’s talent palette. With seven career road course victories — on five different tracks — he is the best among active drivers on that style of track. Only a pair of NASCAR Hall of Famers — Tony Stewart with eight wins and Jeff Gordon with nine — have won more on road courses in NASCAR history.

“It’s, do you really have a legit shot at winning that day? I mean, just based on your pace and so on and so forth,” Elliott said of strategy for these next races. “It’s super circumstantial, the best way to answer that. The biggest circumstance that is going to dictate what you do in those moments is what kind of pace you have, and what kind of real shot you have to win the race when you just kind of sit back and look at the day so far and compare it to the guys that have had good air and are out front.

MORE: Elliott through the years | All of his Cup wins

“I have a pretty good idea when that is the case and when that is not the case, but certainly [crew chief] Alan [Gustafson] and everybody on the box on the team, they are the ones that are watching that much closer than I am able to. So, we will see, and I hope that we are fast, and I am down with giving up stage points to give ourselves a shot to win, all day long, for sure.”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe claimed another automatic playoff bid with his victory at Pocono on Sunday; six of the last eight race winners have been first-time race winners this season. Eleven of the 16 automatic bids have been claimed by race winners, with nine races remaining to settle the final five spots.

Notably, the TNT broadcast portion of the schedule begins this week and will feature an inaugural In-Season Challenge — a $1 million-to-win incentive program unfolding over the next five races.

ISC: Fill out your bracket for a shot at $1 million!

The top 32 drivers in the points standings following the Nashville race qualified for the bonus program, and the seeding was set based on how drivers fared in the Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono races.

Each week, two drivers are pitted against one another, with the lower finishing driver that day eliminated in a bracket-style competition. The final driver-to-driver round, based on the outcome of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will decide the champion and winner of that $1 million check.

Posted on June 24, 2025June 25, 2025 by Adam Fenwick

For the first time in five seasons, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is returning to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, this Sunday for the running of the Thunder in the Mountains 200 (2:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

Sunday’s event, the sixth of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, marks just the third race for the series at the New Hampshire quarter-mile. The series first visited White Mountain during the 2020 season. Amid COVID-19 restrictions, Justin Bonsignore and Doug Coby each collected wins at the venue as race fans clamored for a return to normalcy.

Tickets to the Thunder in the Mountains 200 will be available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the sixth race of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Justin Bonsignore (51) leads the pack during the Independence Day 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire on Saturday, July 4, 2020. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Thunder in the Mountains 200 at White Mountain Motorsports Park

The 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season may only be five races old, but it’s becoming clear very quickly who the likely contenders for the series championship will be.

Chief among them is Justin Bonsignore, the four-time and defending series champion who is fresh off his first victory of the season two weekends ago at New York’s Riverhead Raceway. The victory at Riverhead moved Bonsignore to the top of the series standings for the first time this season, a place he’ll hope to remain as the season hits the summer stretch.

Bonsignore is one of only two drivers to win Modified Tour events at White Mountain, the next stop on the series schedule Sunday. His win came during the COVID-19 stricken campaign in 2020 that saw the series visit the track twice, making him the only active competitor to win with the series at the quarter-mile bullring.

Closely following Bonsignore in the series standings is Austin Beers, who is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in every Modified Tour event so far this season. Beers is still looking for his first victory of the 2025 campaign, and White Mountain would be the perfect place for him to get it.

Perhaps the hottest driver in the series is Matt Hirschman, who is coming off a win at Seekonk Speedway and a runner-up finish two weekends ago at Riverhead. Hirschman’s hot streak will be challenged at White Mountain as he attempts to close the gap on Bonsignore and the other drivers ahead of him in the series standings.

Ron Silk, Craig Lutz and Patrick Emerling, all of whom have won this season with the series, are scheduled to compete Sunday at White Mountain. In five races this season, five different drivers have visited Victory Lane. The all-time record for consecutive different winners to start a season is seven, set in 1999.

Other notable entrants include Stephen Kopcik, Luke Baldwin, Anthony Nocella, Tommy and Trevor Catalano, Eric Goodale, Jon McKennedy, Woody Pitkat and Jake Johnson, among others.

The full entry list for Sunday’s Thunder in the Mountains 200 is available here.

Cars line up for qualifying before the White Mountain Showdown 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Aug. 1, 2020. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACING REFERENCE:

RACE FACTS

Race	Thunder in the Mountains 200
Date	Sunday, June 29, 2025
Track	White Mountain Motorsports Park
Layout	0.25-mile asphalt oval
Location	North Woodstock, New Hampshire
Start time	2:30 p.m. ET
Laps	200
Posted Awards	$104,304
Tickets	Trackside
How To Watch	FloRacing

SCHEDULE: Sunday, June 29 … Practice from 11 to 11:25 a.m. ET … Final practice from 11:30 a.m. to noon ET … Qualifying at 1:20 p.m. ET … Start of the Thunder in the Mountains 200 (200 Laps / 50 Miles) at 2:30 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 Thunder in the Mountains 200 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this 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. Maximum of three (3) crew members are permitted in the car servicing area during a pit stop.

Posted on June 24, 2025June 29, 2025 by Staff Report

Thunder in the Mountains 200

White Mountain Motorsports Park

Entry list

Car No.	Driver	Organization	Crew Chief	Chassis Mfg	Sponsor
1	Patrick Emerling	KPL Racing LLC	Dale Hedquist	LFR	Fleetworks, Inc.
3	Tyler Rypkema	Boehler’s Racing Equipment	Greg Fournier	Boehler Racing	USNE; Northeast Drilling; J&R Pre-Cast
7	Luke Baldwin	Tommy Baldwin Racing LLC	Tommy Baldwin	PSR Products	Baldwin Automotive
16	Ron Silk	Haydt Yannone Racing	Phil Moran	FURY Race Cars	Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes
17	Anthony Nocella	Michele Davini	Chris Mctaggart	LFR	Xtreme Autobody; Sontag Motorsports; Bells Septic
18	Ken Heagy	Christopher Fleming	Greg Gorman	FURY Race Cars	Hunter Mechanical
21	Stephen Kopcik	Wanick Motorsports	Nick Kopcik	Troyer	Wanick Constructions, Inc.; Newtown Pools
22	Kyle Bonsignore	Kyle Bonsignore	Keith McDermott	FURY Race Cars	MTT; ChaLew Performance; Munns Auto
46	Craig Lutz	Goodie Racing	Douglas Ogiejko	FURY Race Cars	Riverhead Building Supply
51	Justin Bonsignore	Kenneth Massa Motorsports, LLC	Ryan Stone	FURY Race Cars	Phoenix Communications, Inc.
54	Tommy Catalano	Catalano Motorsports	Rick Kluth	Troyer	FX Caprara; USNE
56	Trevor Catalano	Catalano Motorsports	David Catalano	Troyer	USNE Power
59	Tyler Barry	Jody Lauzon	Billy Michael	Chevrolet	Pro Systems Integration; BNP Machine; West Wind Tree Farm
60	Matt Hirschman	Pee Dee/Elite Motorsports	Mike Stein	LFR	Elite Towing; Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
64	Austin Beers	KLM Motorsports	Ron Yuhas	Troyer	G&G Electrical Supply, Dell Electric, Fastrack Electrical, Lumiere Electrical, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons, Hu
79	Jonathan McKennedy	Jonathan McKennedy Racing	Patrick Walsh	FURY Race Cars	Stuart’s Automotive; Middlesex Interiors; Levasseur HVAC; Christopher’s Towing
82	Woody Pitkat	DWR Racing Corp.	Nick Walsh	LFR	USNEpower and Gunsmoke Stable Racing
107	Jake Johnson	JMA Motorsports	Justin Albernaz	FURY Race Cars	The Jack Bar & Grill; Platinum Fire Protection; Propane Plus; Lin’s Propane; Axis Wealth; Island International; Nantucket Pav
125	Brian Robie	Robie Motorsports LLC	Cody Rose	Troyer	Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
129	Mike Marshall	TLC Performance	Kevin Ledoux	Troyer	MLM Diagnostics; Jusczak Electric

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Zack Albert

Inching toward the NASCAR Cup Series midpoint of the season, just two drivers can claim single-digit rankings across all five categories in the year-to-date NASCAR Insights metrics. One is Denny Hamlin, who sits third in the standings with three victories in the bank. The other five-tool player (including pit-crew stats) is Tyler Reddick — Hamlin’s employee at 23XI Racing but a driver still thirsting for his first win of 2025 as he reaches a career milestone this weekend.

Reddick’s spot in the Cup Series Playoffs’ field of 16 drivers is not yet secure, though he holds a relatively comfortable 107-point margin over the provisional elimination line with nine races remaining in the regular season. That cushion has become a bit thinner in recent weeks as Reddick has gone nine races without a top-five finish, coming home a season-worst 32nd last weekend after battling brake issues at Pocono Raceway. During that stretch, the postseason field has swelled with six first-time winners clinching berths in the last eight races.

Reddick will make his 200th Cup Series start in Saturday’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). If the Georgia track doesn’t hold the key to a rebound, some positive indicators loom for the No. 45 Toyota team in the Chicago Street Race, where Reddick was last year’s runner-up.

Reddick will face a difficult matchup in the opening round of the In-Season Challenge bracket, squaring off against Kyle Larson at Atlanta. Larson is one of five drivers with single-digit ratings in four of the five NASCAR Insights metrics for the season to date. Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are the others.

Other notables from last weekend’s race:

Brad Keselowski was the only driver with single-digit ratings in all five categories last weekend at Pocono.
Pocono runner-up Denny Hamlin topped the charts in speed, restarts and defense.
The top-rated pit crew last weekend belonged to Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing crew. Top-ranked for the season overall is the 23XI No. 23 crew for Bubba Wallace.

Posted on June 24, 2025June 24, 2025 by Pat DeCola

Denny Hamlin nearly did something at Pocono Raceway that nobody in the history of NASCAR had ever done, almost becoming the first driver to win consecutive races — while missing a start in between them. It was his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, who held him to a runner-up finish, but No. 11 clinched the No. 1 seed in the inaugural In-Season Challenge with his strong result. Was it enough to propel him to the top spot here, though?

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway and before Saturday night’s race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Analysis: Larson finished seventh at Pocono, maintaining second in the standings (over a surging Denny Hamlin) and collecting his 12th top-10 of the season. Though he’s still searching for his first Atlanta win, Larson has been a factor there on both layouts. He’s looked strong in Georgia lately before hazard typically strikes, as No. 5 has led multiple laps in three of the last four races.

Analysis: Byron finished 27th at Pocono after a tough late pit cycle but remains the points leader with about a one-race cushion over Larson. With two Atlanta wins since the reconfiguration, plus a third-place at Talladega this spring, the back-to-back Daytona 500 winner may be the top threat at EchoPark.

Analysis: Hamlin returned from a one-race absence to finish second at Pocono, leading 32 laps and winning Stage 1 as he remains arguably the driver to battle for the win for what seems like every week. He’s consistently one of the sport’s best drafters as well, and should be a good bet to advance from his No. 1 seed in the In-Season Challenge.

Analysis: Elliott landed fifth at Pocono to continue his stellar run of above-average finishes (this one being well above average), notching his ninth top-10 of the year. The 2022 Atlanta winner and Georgia native would love to add another at his home track, especially since he’s only visited Victory Lane in general three times since.

Analysis: Bell finished 17th at Pocono after a mid-race spin but sank to fourth in points. He won at Atlanta in February to spark his incredible three-race streak of wins, so perhaps a new string of victories begins anew for him this weekend.

Analysis: Blaney finished third at Pocono after starting from the rear of the field, showing his trademark long-run speed as he reeled in cars lap after lap. The 2021 Atlanta winner is always a top contender in the pack as well, and No. 12 should be strong on Saturday.

Analysis: Reddick cratered at Pocono, finishing 32nd to cap a nightmare day for 23XI Racing and drop him to seventh in the standings. And while he’s yet to win at Atlanta, he is a more than capable superspeedway-style racer, winning at Talladega last year.

Analysis: Briscoe scored his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing at Pocono, leading 72 laps in a career-defining drive for yet another big moment for the Hoosier. He’s still searching for his first win on a drafting-style track, but there’s no reason whatsoever to think he can’t make it two in a row.

Analysis: Buescher scored a P4 at Pocono, continuing his steady ascent toward looking like a deep playoff contender. He’s generally a good superspeedway racer, but Buescher surprisingly owns four finishes of 30th or worse at Atlanta since the reconfiguration.

Analysis: Chastain finished 26th at Pocono after early damage, but he’ll likely rebound pretty well over the next handful of weeks. It might even be this weekend, as No. 1 was No. 2 in both Atlanta races in 2022, notching a pair of runner-ups.

Analysis: The defending champ placed just outside the top 15 at Pocono in 16th, despite leading a handful of laps during pit cycles. The former EchoPark Speedway resident (literally) always seems to bring it just a degree more when the series races there, and the former winner feels ripe to make some noise again as soon as this weekend.

Analysis: A brake failure completely derailed Wallace’s otherwise potentially promising run at Pocono, now putting into question his postseason outlook. Still plenty of time to completely turn the ship around, though, and the drafting expert should be back in the mix on Saturday.

Analysis: Them RFK boys are coming, and Preece is starting to look more like a driver we expect to make the playoffs rather than one we’d be surprised to see in them. It hasn’t materialized in a win yet, but Preece has shown plenty of prowess on drafting tracks and it would not be a surprise to see him pull one out at EchoPark.

Analysis: No need for alarm bells just yet, but after briefly turning things around at Mexico City, Bowman was once again a finisher outside the top 10 for the fifth time in the past seven races. No. 48 did notch a top-five finish in this race last year, however, so another bounce-back could be in store.

Analysis: Cindric snuck in a quiet 10th-place run at Pocono, giving him the first such finish he’s had since winning at Talladega in April. He’s yet to win at Atlanta but has led double-digit laps there in each of the past four races, if you’re looking for a sleeper to win.

Analysis: Berry looked at one point like he’d contend for the Pocono win but faded to finish 12th. The No. 21 Wood Bros. driver has had a rough go at Atlanta in the results department — but don’t forget he was out front for 56 laps there this spring before finishing 25th.

Analysis: Jones just did what he does at Pocono — looked competitive enough to win — and only scored one fewer point than his sixth-place teammate, despite sinking to a 13th-place result. He had a decent handle on EchoPark in the first few races since the reconfig and should have a shot to keep things rolling with the speed he’s been showing.

Analysis: The veteran Allmendinger continues to put clean races together that result in finishes hovering around the top 20, which is enough to keep him afloat in the points conversation. A road course still remains his most likely path to playoff status, but don’t count out Atlanta, either — he was P3 in this race in 2023.

Analysis: Busch recovered nicely for a 20th-place run after a mid-race spin looked like it may end his day, but still … there’s plenty of room for improvement here. This is the weekend it could all come together, though — “Rowdy” has been excellent at Atlanta both at JGR and RCR, and on both the old and new layouts.

Analysis: SVG finished 31st at Pocono after a spin and multi-car incident, washing away all the pomp and circumstance from a crucial Mexico City win. He’s still adapting to NASCAR’s drafting tracks, too, and is seeking his first top 20 finish in Atlanta, but his raw talent and lack of pressure to make the playoffs do make him a threat this weekend.