Posted on by Nate Ryan

The latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast explored how Austin Cindric avoided a suspension for wrecking Ty Dillon at Circuit of The Americas.

Cindric was fined $50,000 and docked 50 points for spinning Dillon with right-rear contact after their cars collided in the March 2 race in Austin, Texas.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Video of Cindric-Dillon incident

For similar right-rear hook maneuvers, NASCAR had suspended Bubba Wallace (for wrecking Kyle Larson in the Oct. 16, 2022 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Chase Elliott (who crashed Denny Hamlin in the May 29, 2023 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway). But those wrecks happened on ovals, which NASCAR managing director of racing communications Mike Forde said was an important distinction from Cindric’s penalty on a road course.

“The reason we landed on the points and fine is we take every situation and every violation as its own unique incident, and I know fans probably don’t love hearing that, but it’s said because it’s true,” Forde said. “Sure, we do look at past instances to help educate ourselves on how we should handle each subsequent one, but each incident is very different.

“In this case, we did feel that it was significantly different than the previous two. And the reasons are it is at a road course with lower speeds to begin with, and the results didn’t even draw a caution flag. So those were really the reasons why we chose to err on the side of letting (Cindric) race this weekend in Phoenix with a fine and a significant driver points penalty. … When I hit social media after this penalty is announced, my guess is that there is going to be several people who feel this is the wrong call. And it may not be the popular call, but when we look at penalties, we do not really care how popular we are. We try to do the right thing here.”

Cindric falls from 11th to 35th in the standings despite a promising start to the season. The Team Penske driver was wrecked after leading late in the Daytona 500 and at Atlanta Motor Speedway before retaliating against Dillon at COTA.

Forde said the recent wrecks of Cindric were raised during the penalty discussion but didn’t necessarily influence the penalty.

“His frustration was at a boiling point,” Forde said. “Why he did it doesn’t make it right and didn’t come into our thought process of where we should land here. It was strictly because of the speeds and the venue. We didn’t view this the same as Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott incidents at mile-and-a-half tracks. So that’s really what the thinking was. But it was helpful to tell the story of what led into this whether that was brought up as food for thought or ‘Hey, if you’re wondering why someone who seems like a pretty level-headed dude in Austin Cindric would do something like that, this is probably why.’ ” …

The latest “Hauler Talk” guest was Goodyear senior technical project manager Mark Keto, who discussed the option tire that will be used at Phoenix Raceway in Sunday’s Cup race with an eye toward using it in the championship finale.

Keto confirmed the tire will be the same as the option tires used last year for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and the Aug. 11 race at Richmond Raceway, which drew positive reviews from drivers lobbying to use it at last year’s title race in Phoenix.

“There was some discussion leading into the (2024) championship about running an option tire, but everybody kind of talked, and we decided we don’t want to throw that into the championship weekend,” Keto said. “So then we decided to bring it for the spring race to try to something different. There’s no better test than put it in right in the competition.

“Long term, we don’t plan on utilizing option tires and having two tire choices in most race weekends. We’re going to see what we learn here.”

Goodyear also will hold a tire test Monday at Phoenix with Chevrolet’s Austin Dillon, Ford’s Josh Berry and Toyota’s Tyler Reddick.

Other topics covered during the fourth episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

— The confusion over why track limits never were called in the Turn 6 section of the COTA race weekend and why the TecPro Barriers (which originally were intended to serve as “natural” track limits) were removed after concerns from NASCAR and drivers.

— The penalty received by Kyle Larson’s team for a loose wheel during the race.

— The decision to approve Katherine Legge to make her Cup debut at Phoenix.

Click on the embed above to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.

Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the new “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.

Posted on by Staff Report

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel on Wednesday overturned the L2-level penalty levied against the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team stemming from the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

Chase Briscoe piloted the No. 19 JGR Toyota to a fourth-place finish in the 2025 Daytona 500 while claiming the Busch Light Pole Award for the race as well. However, further inspection at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, initially found the No. 19 in violation of Section 14.1 of the Rule Book, which pertains to overall assembled vehicles rules, and 14.5.8, which deals with the spoiler.

Specifically, the spoiler base was found to be modified on the No. 19 car. The spoiler base is a single-source part and cannot be modified.

In overturning the ruling, the three-member panel determined: “The panel believes that the elongation of some of the holes on the No. 19 Cup car spoiler base is caused by the process of attaching that specific spoiler base to the rear deck and not modification of the single source part.”

“We appreciate the process NASCAR has in place that allowed us the opportunity to present our explanation of what led to the penalty issued to our No. 19 team,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement. “We are thankful for the consideration and ruling by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. It is obviously great news for our 19 team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. We look forward to focusing on the remainder of our season starting this weekend in Phoenix.”

Briscoe was initially docked 100 driver points and 10 playoff points. JGR was fined $100,000 and deducted 100 owner points, as well as 10 playoff points. Crew chief James Small was suspended for four races. All of that is rescinded following the appeal.

With the ruling overturned, Briscoe is now 15th in the Cup Series standings with 72 points earned on the season. Before the panel’s decision, Briscoe was placed 40th in the Cup table.

“Biggest points day of my career! We’re back!” Briscoe posted on social media. “In all seriousness thank you to NASCAR for giving us the option to show our evidence and huge thank you to everyone at (Joe Gibbs Racing) who put in countless hours to put everything together.”

The three-member panel was comprised of Dixon Johnston, Hunter Nickell and Cathy Rice.

Briscoe and the No. 19 team will next compete at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Phoenix schedule

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR penalized Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, on Wednesday after an incident between him and Ty Dillon in last Sunday’s Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas. NASCAR also hit the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team with two pit crew suspensions after a lost wheel during the race.

Early in Sunday’s race, Cindric contacted the right rear of Dillon’s No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, sending Dillon spinning down the frontstretch. NASCAR deemed Cindric’s move to fall into the category of intentionally wrecking another vehicle under Sections 4.4 B&D: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines.

RELATED: Cup standings | Phoenix schedule

As a result, Cindric lost 50 driver points and was fined $50,000, dropping him from 11th to 35th in the standings. NASCAR stopped short of giving him a 1-race suspension, something it did previously for drivers who intentionally wrecked other vehicles, most recently with Bubba Wallace on Kyle Larson in 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and with Chase Elliott on Denny Hamlin in 2023 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Mike Forde, NASCAR managing director of racing communications, said in today’s episode of “Hauler Talk” the reasoning Cindric wasn’t suspended included the race being on a road course, with lower speeds and tighter confines already, and that the incident didn’t lead to a caution flag. The previous two incidents that led to those suspensions occurred on 1.5-mile speedways.

In addition to the No. 2 team’s penalties, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team will be without jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson after they were suspended for two races as part of the safety violation penalty noted in Sections 8.8.10.4.A&C: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR Rule Book.

Toward the end of Stage 2, No. 5 driver Kyle Larson lost a right-front wheel on-track shortly after a pit stop.

Due to the incident, Larson was immediately penalized two laps, leading to a 32nd-place finish for the 2021 series titleholder.

Hendrick brings on jackman Eric Ludwig and front tire changer Jafar Hall to the No. 5 team for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). They are Hendrick crew members who were previously assigned to Spire Motorsports cars.

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 3, 2025) – The calendar notifications on Rick Ware’s mobile phone are incessant. The frequent buzzes and constant dings are ever-present reminders that the sun never sets at Rick Ware Racing (RWR).

This weekend highlights the scope of RWR’s motorsports footprint. The No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang Dark Horse RWR fields for Cody Ware in the NASCAR Cup Series is at Phoenix Raceway for Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500. Two thousand miles and two time zones east in Gainesville, Florida, the 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster that Clay Millican pilots for RWR in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series kicks off its season with the 56th annual Gatornationals. One hundred miles southeast of Gainesville at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) begins its 2025 campaign with rider Chase Saathoff representing RWR in the 450 Singles class and RWR rider Briar Bauman in the SuperTwins division.

Sure, Ware is not the only team owner to field entries in multiple series. Penske, Trackhouse and McLaren immediately come to mind. But RWR is the most diverse. NASCAR tracks. NHRA dragstrips. Dirt ovals lined with hay bales. Four wheels. Two wheels. RWR is there, domestically and internationally, as its FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) team doesn’t begin its season until October at iconic London Stadium, home of West Ham United Football Club.

 RELATED: Phoenix schedule | Rick Ware Racing team page

“It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s a seven-day-a-week, 52-week endeavor, so you have to love it,” said Ware, a native of Los Angeles who relocated to North Carolina in the mid-1990s. “I’m going to be in Florida this weekend, splitting my time between AFT in Daytona and NHRA in Gainesville. I don’t get to as many AFT and Top Fuel races as I would like, so with each being in the same state and relatively close, I need to make the most of the schedule.”

At any one time, stock cars, dragsters, motorcycles and the sportscars from RWR’s 2019-2020 LMP2 championship in the Asian Le Mans Series and podium finish last January in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 class at Daytona are all under one roof.

rick ware drag racing vehicle
Courtesy of Rick Ware Racing

“This is a very addictive sport. To be on podiums and to hoist trophies, and to high-five for top-10s and even top-20s in NASCAR, is really something else,” Ware said. “That being said, we’re in the business of trying to win races, so you need to make a business case to justify why you do it. This platform allows us to have a diverse volume of events, from coast to coast, where we can deliver for our partners.”

In addition to that Asian Le Mans Series championship, RWR has delivered championships on the two-wheeled front. It won the 2022 WSX 250cc class title with rider Shane McElrath, and a second motorcycle crown was earned last year when rider Kody Kopp delivered the AFT 450 Singles class title to RWR.

Among those championships are wins. Millican has four Top Fuel event victories since joining RWR in late 2022, including last year’s U.S. Nationals, drag racing’s equivalent of the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. And AFT rider Bauman, now in his third season with RWR, has earned four of his 26 career SuperTwins wins with RWR. 

“We want to win in every series where we compete, but that’s tough to do in these disciplines. By fielding entries in different series, we’re able to provide a broader reach to our partners,” Ware said. “When we earn success in one discipline, it’s every partners’ success too. This also allows our partners to reach a variety of demographics.

“For instance, motorcycle racing skews younger, while NASCAR has a little bit older audience. With the cross-promotion we’re able to do with all of these different racing series, what we offer is financially beneficial for brands. They can engage more of their customers and VIP guests with more opportunities and different experiences. It’s allowed us to really bring added value to all of our partners.” 

Arby’s is RWR’s most recent example. When Millican won the U.S. Nationals, he did it with Arby’s adorned on his nitro-powered Top Fuel dragster. The victory fueled a partnership that in 2025 extends to the NASCAR Cup Series. Arby’s is the primary partner on the No. 51 Ford Mustang for 12 races, all while remaining with Millican’s Top Fuel ride, including a return to the U.S. Nationals. 

“I love motorsports, and I don’t care if it’s two-wheel, four-wheel, it doesn’t matter to me, I love it and I keep up with it,” Millican said. “That’s the way we’re all wired at RWR. We’re committed to performing and, even before that, we’re committed to putting in the prep work to perform. And that’s not just on the track. We know we need to deliver off the track, and whatever we have to do to make that happen, we do it. That’s a racer’s mentality. You just find a way.”

The brands visible on one RWR entry are typically seen on the multiple entries in the various disciplines where RWR competes.  

“We’ve had partners who had traditionally been active in the NHRA, but we exposed them to NASCAR and American Flat Track, and now they’re activating across all three of these series,” Ware said. “When you deliver that kind of return, where what you’re able to provide is unique from everyone else, that’s how you continue to grow.”  

Cody Ware has had a front-row seat to the time, energy and effort his father has put into RWR.

cody ware drives at phoenix
Courtesy of Rick Ware Racing

“When I see where we are now compared to where we were five years ago, you can’t even compare. It’s a whole different race team now,” Cody said. “With what we’ve accomplished on the AFT and NHRA side, I think it’s helped us gain respect in NASCAR and motorsports as a whole. To win NHRA’s crown jewel in the U.S. Nationals with Clay Millican, and to win last year’s AFT 450 Singles championship with Kody Klopp, and the 2022 WSX 250 class title with Shane McElrath, I mean, that doesn’t just magically happen. The organization put in a lot of work to earn those wins and championships, and I think that’s given dad the confidence to continue to build the NASCAR program. 

“NASCAR takes a lot more manpower and engineering resources and, quite frankly, dollars, compared to some of the other series, but it’s still an upward trajectory.” 

It’s that grind to constantly improve, to be better than the last finish, to go quicker than the last pass, which drives Ware.

“I haven’t been able to always stop and smell the roses, like I should,” Ware said. “That’s one of the goals I’m going to try to achieve this year, because it is pretty cool and I’m proud of the people I have around me. They’ve worked so hard to make all of this happen. It’s cool to see people happy and excited about the success we’ve earned, and that’s really important to me.” 

So, what does success look like this weekend?

Millican: “It’s leaving Gainesville with a Wally. That’s what our trophy is called, after NHRA founder Wally Parks, and that’s what we want. We know we’re capable of doing it – we’ve done it with RWR multiple times now – so winning is the bar for success.”

Saathoff, who takes over the reigning championship-winning ride in AFT’s 450 Singles class: “I’m shooting for the podium. I want to win every weekend, but the competition is tough. I was a privateer last year, so to be with a team of this caliber, I want to be smart and make the most of it.” 

Bauman: “We’ve gotten a couple days of testing, and my goal is to get on the podium and win. I’m back with my crew chief and my mechanic from about eight years prior. We’ve all won together before, and we aim to do that again this year.” 

Cody Ware: “It’s been a rough start to our year on the NASCAR side. I just want a good, clean weekend where we come out with a solid finish and get our season pointed in the right direction.”

Perhaps the opinion that matters most is that of the team owner. 

“Most of all, I want to make sure all of our partners are happy and that we’ve helped them reach their goals. That’s job one,” Ware said. “I would really like to get a top-25 at Phoenix in the Cup race. I’m expecting to be on both podiums in Singles and SuperTwins in Flat Track and, man, I sure hope we get to the final round at the Gatornationals. We have the riders and drivers and the programs in place to do all of that. Obviously, there are a lot of variables – riders can get knocked down, we can blow stuff up in the Top Fuel car, and we can have issues at the mile at Phoenix, but that success is achievable, and it all just helps us grow our fan base, deliver for our partners, and add value to the series we’re competing in.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Sheldon Creed bet on himself by moving to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. He wanted to stay within the Toyota pipeline for years to come.

Though Creed didn’t win in 2024, he defined consistency in his one-year stint with JGR. His 23 top-10 finishes were tied for the series lead (Cole Custer), and he ranked second in top fives (16). Being a weekly contender was a trait that, admittedly, he needed to improve upon from his two years with Richard Childress Racing.

RELATED: Sheldon Creed driver page 

“I was hoping – maybe they knew it was a one-year deal – I didn’t know,” Creed told Jayski.com. “I was hoping to go back and then midyear, I saw how things were playing out for other guys and knew that it probably wasn’t going to work with money and what they need.”

With 2023 series champion Custer being promoted to the Cup Series with Haas Factory Team and Riley Herbst departing for an opportunity with 23XI Racing, Creed saw an opening. He had spoken to Haas in past years about potentially making the jump, and the stars finally aligned.

“It reminds me of GMS when we were a truck team,” Creed said.

Joe Custer, president of Haas Factory Team, needed to fill two slots for his Xfinity organization. He got the two drivers he wanted with Creed and Sam Mayer.

With the rebrand from Stewart-Haas Racing to Haas Factory Team, Custer found it fortuitous to get two drivers with loads of experience at the Xfinity level. Though Ford lacks the number of entries compared to Chevrolet, Custer didn’t want his team to be at a deficit at any style of race track. He found what he believes are two well-rounded individuals.

With Creed bouncing between three different teams, all with different manufacturers in a 15-month period, Custer knows the California native has something to prove in 2025 after going winless in his first 106 Xfinity Series starts.

“I think there’s an edge about him,” Custer said. “He’s a laid-back guy, but make no mistake, it gnaws at him (that Creed has yet to win), and that’s what I look for in a driver. Not somebody that is just out there riding, but somebody that is frustrated in a good way. We need to put him in a situation where he has the confidence that the car is there.”

Creed’s pairing with 2023 championship-winning crew chief Jonathan Toney was vital. The duo shares similar relaxed swaggers, allowing them to mesh at and away from the race track.

Creed knows that Toney and Cole had a special mix after competing against the No. 00 team for the previous two seasons. He plans on running the setups they did in the past to start the season before providing his input.

Away from the track, Custer said Creed has committed to his fitness and leadership. Haas believes Creed can reach his maximum potential.

“He was willing because of the fact that he had been in situations that I don’t think got the most out of him; we intend to get every bit out of him,” Custer added. “He embraced that discussion. It’s not just showing up with your helmet. You’ve got to show up on Monday at the shop and be on kill to get everything we can.”

Creed holds the series record of 13 runner-up finishes before winning his first race, and it’s not a record he bloats about. He knows he has to win.

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

“With the way it ended at RCR, I felt like I needed to have [2024],” Creed said. “I’ve proved that I can run top five all the time. Now, I need to show that I can go win races. That’s what I’m missing: winning races.

“I really enjoyed last year, but I feel like I’m really enjoying my time right now. I’m getting older, and there are a lot of kids — I guess I still am a kid, but an older version of them. So, I’m trying to enjoy it all. I don’t know where my mindset is at. I’m going to do the best that I can, and I think we will find ourselves in Victory Lane.”

Through the first three races of 2025, Creed ranks third in the championship standings with one top-10 finish (third, Daytona). Creed will next race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday in the GOVX 200 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 4, 2025) — Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and William Byron, a 14-time race winner in NASCAR’s premier division, will split time behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in a trifecta of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2025.

Larson, a native of Elk Grove, California, will race the No. 07 Chevy Silverado in the March 21 Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and return to the cockpit two races later for the April 11 Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Byron will thread the needle between Larson’s two stints and handle the driving chores for the Allen Hart-led program March 28 at Martinsville Speedway. Byron returns to the site of his most recent Craftsman Truck Series win, where, ironically, he collected Spire Motorsports’ inaugural victory in the division.

RELATED: 2025 Truck Series schedule

Both Hendrick Motorsports drivers have picked up checkered flags in Truck Series competition for the Mooresville, North Carolina, organization over the last three seasons.

“One of the coolest things of having a Craftsman Truck Series team is to have the crossover from Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “We’ve had all their drivers in our trucks from time to time, and to have two guys in William (Byron) and Kyle (Larson), who have won races with us back in the seat, certainly gives the team a little more pep in our step. It also raises the bar for those races to win or bust. You don’t show up with those guys to do anything else but win.”

Larson and Byron will be part of a HendrickCars.com trio of Spire Motorsports-prepared entries at all three events. In addition to the No. 07 machine, Rajah Caruth will sport his traditional HendrickCars.com paint scheme aboard his No. 71 Chevy, while Larson’s fellow Hendrick Motorsports stablemate Corey Day will pilot the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado, featuring an identical livery.

The 32-year-old Larson, often referred to as “Yung Money,” owns three Homestead Craftsman Truck Series starts where he tallied one pole and a pair of top fives, including a runner-up finish in the 2014 season finale.

Larson made his lone Bristol start in Truck Series competition in 2021 when the famed half-mile was covered in dirt. Regrettably, he was saddled with a 35th-place finish after being collected in an incident just past the halfway mark of the 150-lap event.

“I love racing at Homestead-Miami (Speedway) and Bristol (Motor Speedway), so I’m excited to add those Truck races to my schedule,” said Larson. “Hopefully, we can put on a great show with HendrickCars.com on board and battle for the victories in the Spire truck.”

MORE: Larson through the years | All of Byron’s national series wins

In addition to his success in the Cup Series, Byron was highly accomplished on the Craftsman Truck Series side of the sport and lays claim to eight victories across 29 starts — seven of which came during the 2016 season.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native owns two Martinsville wins on NASCAR’s grandest stage, where he secured the historic half-mile’s famed grandfather clock trophy in the spring of 2022 and 2024.

“I’m excited to get back to the Truck Series,” said Byron. “It’s been a couple years for me, so I’m ready to try it again. Plus, the last time I ran a truck at Martinsville, we won. Hopefully, we can do that again because it really paid off for us on the Cup side of things. Spire is a great group, and I’m excited to work with them again.”

The Baptist Health 200 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live on FOX Friday, March 21, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The fourth of 25 races on the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series schedule will also be broadcast live on the NASCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Christopher Bell outlasted some heavy hitters at Circuit of The Americas to earn his second consecutive victory in just the season’s third race.

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas and before Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: 2025 Cup Series schedule | Full Cup Series standings

Analysis: I mean, jeez. There’s no denying Bell was likely destined for greatness this season as he elevated into a more senior role among the JGR driver cohort and had plenty of motivation after how his season ended last year, but this is really something. Two wins in the books already and you get the sense many, many more are coming. As the most recent winner of this race — and laps-led leader in last fall’s championship — three in a row might not just be possible, it may be likely.

Analysis: Gosh, this guy is good, and it very nearly could’ve been him taking his second trip to Victory Lane this past weekend instead of Bell. As it is, Byron still holds the points lead and it’s clear he’s going to be a major player once again this year as his star continues to rise. Phoenix is already an exceptional track for him as well, and the 2023 spring winner has led double-digit laps in four of the past six races there.

Analysis: Reddick got his first taste of the Championship 4 last year … and was the only one of the four not to lead a lap in the championship race, finishing sixth behind eventual champ Joey Logano, his teammate Ryan Blaney and Byron. Needless to say, he’ll be itching to get back out west this weekend and erase the sour taste from his mouth and maybe replace it with some champagne. Arguably the best winless driver of 2025 so far may no longer hold that distinction by Sunday evening, because he may no longer qualify.

Analysis: Don’t sweat Blaney’s P19 at COTA as it came along with a strong 27 points — just nine fewer than his P4 run a week earlier at Atlanta — as No. 12 looks to be formidable this year once again. He might hold the distinction as the best driver at Phoenix to have never won there, averaging a 10.4 finish with 13 top 10s in 18 starts … including a truly ridiculous four runner-ups in the last five races. There has never been a driver more set to break through at a track than Ryan Blaney at Phoenix.

Analysis: It’s a bit shocking to see just the two laps led next to Elliott’s name so far, as The Clash winner has felt much more competitive than that through the first month of on-track activity. With 553 laps led scattered across eight of his 17 Phoenix starts, there’s a strong chance we see No. 9 out front at some point on Sunday. And perhaps in Victory Lane, as well.

Analysis: Not a whole lot a driver can do with just three wheels on the car, even if that driver happens to be Kyle Larson, so we’ll just chalk that one up to bad luck and move on. Phoenix feels like a track he’s close to mastering, and despite just the one win there, No. 5 has led a strong 395 laps for an average finish of 11.0. He’ll be among the favorites entering the weekend and, seeing as he really has to play catchup now with rival Bell winning the past two races, there’s a strong chance he cracks open the win column on Sunday.

Analysis: Logano could’ve had a much better day at COTA before fading late; No. 22 was the Stage 1 runner-up, which helped him salvage a decent afternoon despite finishing 24th. We could start to see him turn on the jets from here, though — the three-time and defending champion obviously knows how to get it done at Phoenix, entering the weekend as the most recent winner with four total victories there. That said, he did crash out of this race last year for his second-worst Phoenix finish across 32 starts.

Analysis: Beyond the eventual P20 finish, Wallace had a pretty strong weekend out in Austin, landing a front-row starting spot alongside his teammate along with a stage win and 30 total points (to match seventh-place finisher Chris Buescher). We keep hearing about a “new” Bubba Wallace this year and so far it’s bearing out. Let’s see if this refreshed No. 23 driver can build off last fall’s seventh-place run at Phoenix — just his third top 10 there in 14 tries.

Analysis: Hamlin’s race got a little derailed at COTA after contact with Austin Dillon, and he could not rally to make it back-to-back top 10s after a strong Atlanta run. While he has just two wins in 29 starts — one of which was a couple of generations of car ago — No. 11 always seems to be a factor at Phoenix and it feels likely we’ll see him at the front of the field at some point, especially where he tends to qualify so well there.

Analysis: It’s early yet, but Bowman’s 13.7 average finish would stand as a career-best and he has already compiled 25% of the laps led that he had for the entire 2024 season in just three races, so you have to like what you’re seeing here so far. The Arizona native gets to test that out at his home track this weekend, however, as No. 48 has just a pair of top 10s in 19 starts there, with one of them coming all the way back in 2016 in fill-in duty for Dale Earnhardt Jr. That said, the other one came in this race in 2023 so it’s not like he can’t make it happen.

Analysis: Look, we’re just along for the ride here and have no idea if 2025 is going to really be “Rowdy” rounding back into form or if this hot start of his is just an oasis, but just enjoy it while it’s here. Busch has been dominant and then some for nearly his entire career, so it’s just felt … off? … seeing him go winless the past 60 races. It sure seemed like he was headed for Victory Lane this past Sunday, though, and it’s encouraging to see that kind of speed as he now heads to one of his best tracks. Surely, it’ll all be on display and he’ll be strong again at Phoenix, right?

Analysis: The first two races of the year Cindric looked like a force of nature, even if Atlanta wound up not quite going his way at the end and it resulted in a P28 after 47 laps led. You’d think, in Austin of all places, this would continue at COTA, but alas … not quite. His 2025 prowess will receive another solid test this weekend, however, with Phoenix so far shutting him out from the top 10 in six tries for an overall average finish of 24.0.

Analysis: Chastain isn’t lighting the world on fire by any means (though Elliott Nation might be another story) but we’d probably be looking at his season a little differently so far if he hadn’t wrecked out of the Daytona 500 and finished 40th; he’s been pretty good otherwise. He could start to enter the conversation a little more this weekend at Phoenix, where he won the 2023 finale and had a pair of top threes in 2022.

Analysis: The top 10 at COTA was littered with the typical assortment of names we’ve grown accustomed to on road courses, Buescher right up there among them in seventh, for his second top 10 of the year. Phoenix historically hasn’t been a great track for him, but he’s really turned it around there in recent years. All four of his top 10s have come from 2022-on and he enters this weekend as the defending runner-up. Could happen.

Analysis: The road courses will likely continue to be McDowell’s bread-and-butter and his best chances to win his way into the playoffs (along with superspeedways, of course) and he had a great day at COTA (34 points, three laps led) but ultimately fell short of his prize, landing 11th. The Arizona native certainly would’ve loved to return home already holding a playoff spot, because he has just a pair of top 10s at Phoenix in 28 starts there. That said, both of those came in the last three races there, and he should have a solid weekend ahead with former Phoenix master Rodney Childers now in-house and at his disposal.

Analysis: Things could certainly be going a little bit better for Briscoe in his maiden season with Joe Gibbs Racing, but it’s extremely early and more than likely you’re still looking at a playoff driver here. In fact, there’s a significant chance he and the No. 19 team turn things around in a big way this weekend, as Briscoe enters with Phoenix being one of his best tracks (one win and four top 10s in eight starts) and a place that JGR, in particular, excels at. Not impossible we see a literal-bottom-of-the-standings-to-third-driver-locked-into-playoffs glow up come Sunday.

Analysis: Coming into a road-course race with that much heat is a recipe for disaster for any driver hoping to actually finish said road-course race, but Hocevar managed to get out of COTA without ruffling too many feathers en route to a solid P13. It’ll be tight quarters once again this weekend at the 1-mile Phoenix, where No. 77 actually has a trio of Cup Series starts dating back to 2023, with no finishes worse than 19th. Sounds like he’ll be in the mix once again on Sunday.

Analysis: Van Gisbergen was exceptional, as expected, at COTA, turning in 23 laps led en route to a 45-point day, just one shy of Busch’s race-high 46. This catapulted him an eye-popping 16 spots up the standings and there’s actually a solid chance he could continue to climb. SVG obviously gets most of his attention on the road courses, but he fared reasonably well at Phoenix — a difficult track in both complexity and ability to pass — in the Xfinity Series last year in his first crack at it. No. 88 nearly turned in a top five in his first run and averaged a 9.0 finish for the year there.

Analysis: Stenhouse will have to wait for that elusive second career road-course top 10 to come in perhaps his next try — which will be his 42nd start on one — but he’s probably not too upset about a 19-point day to remain in the top 10 in points, all told. Unfortunately, his solid start is at risk of running afoul at Phoenix, where No. 47 has just straight up not been good over a solid decade-plus of racing there in the Cup Series. Stenhouse has just two top 10s in 24 starts — both of which came in 2017 — and has led just a pair of laps out front across the 7,424 circuits he’s run there.

Analysis: Gilliland proved that his recent improvements on road courses weren’t solely because he had a ringer constantly in his ear as a teammate, with McDowell now racing for Spire Motorsports and the new No. 34 driver — Gilliland — earning his first top 10 since Indianapolis last year this past weekend at COTA. His run here in Power Rankings could be short-lived, with so much talent in the field this year, but with a pair of top 20s at Phoenix last year — including leading 14 laps in this particular race — expect him to hang around for at least another week.

Posted on by Nate Ryan

Auto racing is a sport where the hyperbole often runs roughshod at 200 mph. So it’s always wise to temper conclusions when declaring a race as “the best ever.”

But Sunday at Circuit of The Americas spawned enough buzz to put the Austin, Texas, road course in its own special category.

How do we know this was the best road-course race of the Next Gen era?

Partly because the best drivers were running to the best of their ability while battling for the win. Three races into the 2025 season, there have been two winners — and they also were the top two finishers at COTA.

RELATED: Bell corrals COTA victory | Bell’s race-winning move

William Byron opened the year with his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, and the spotlight since has remained on Christopher Bell, the first back-to-back winner in the NASCAR Cup Series since Chris Buescher at Michigan and Richmond in 2023 (that 52-race stretch is the longest in series history without a consecutive winner).

Having combined for four championship race appearances since 2022, there’s little debate that Bell and Byron are the current class of NASCAR’s premier series. They ran nose to tail for the final five laps at COTA in a nail-biting cat-and-mouse game that featured everything but a lead change — which didn’t diminish the drama.

By that point, COTA already had produced 20 lead changes, tying the most for a road course in Cup Series history since the 1979-80 races at Riverside International Raceway that were an apropos marker.

Sunday’s thriller was a throwback to an era when Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt fought fiercely and respectfully on road courses.

Those Riverside races of nearly a half-century ago featured only two caution flags apiece. That kind of courtesy is anathema to modern-day road-course racing in NASCAR — when compelling action usually is the unwitting byproduct of uncomplimentary chaos.

The 2023 race at COTA featured three overtime restarts and four cautions in the last 15 laps amid an explosion of banzai dive bombs and unwarranted aggression. When Ross Chastain drove Chase Elliott into Turn 1 on the first lap Sunday, another afternoon of overexuberant and aggressive driving seemed in the offing.

But instead, it was the most skillful driving display yet of the 2025 season.

After using the Formula One layout for its first four Cup races, COTA reconfigured to a shorter course for NASCAR this year and yet still produced many of the deft moves and passing that you find in an elite European racing series. It wasn’t necessarily graceful — and shouldn’t be with 3,600-pound stock cars armed with fenders — but drivers notably used their heads with patience and precision.

A general view of racing at COTA.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

Bell, Byron, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick all were within five car lengths of the lead with four laps to go but somehow never seemed out of control.

The high-quality racing could be attributed partly to the reimagined course (whose 2.4-mile length was more in line with Sonoma and Watkins Glen) and a softer tire that required good management.

But don’t forget the role of the car in elevating talent.

When the Next Gen was introduced in 2022 with better braking and turning capability than its predecessor, this was the type of action that had been envisioned. Maybe it took three full seasons for Cup drivers to get comfortable with a car that has some sports car DNA and a design that was inspired by Supercars.

Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time champion of that Australian-based series, finished sixth at COTA while looking less of a world-beater in the Next Gen than he had against the superstars of Cup when he won the Chicago Street Race in his premier series debut.

But the best example was Bell’s battle with Busch, who gamely hung on to lead a race-high 42 laps trying to end a 60-race winless streak in his No. 8 Chevrolet.

Bell’s No. 20 Toyota clearly was faster, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver declined to play rough despite many opportunities. Trying to outbrake Busch in Turn 1 on Lap 89, Bell locked his rear tires but still elected to swerve right around Busch rather than staying left and easily knocking aside the Richard Childress Racing driver — just as Bell had done to Busch last year at COTA.

MORE: Kyle Busch comes up short at COTA win | How Bell bested Busch at COTA

After eventually clearing Busch on a clean pass, Bell began struggling while in first. But while slipping and sliding all over the track in the final five laps, he got a fair shake from Byron.

“I pride myself on racing respectful, and I feel like my image around the garage is respected in that aspect, and people know that I race clean,” Bell said. “William repaid that today. He ran extremely hard but fair and clean. We saw a heck of a race out of it. I can’t reiterate enough how amazing it was to have such respectful, clean and hard racing. That was a beautiful ending to a race.”

And a lovely start to a critical West Coast swing at Phoenix Raceway (site of the Championship Race) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (the first 1.5-mile barometer). Bell, who won at Phoenix last year, will be a favorite to become the first with three consecutive Cup wins since Kyle Larson in 2021. Many conclusions will be drawn about potential championship contenders starting this weekend.

But a definitive message already was sent at COTA.

The best road-course race of the Next Gen era was the best of what NASCAR has to offer.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the desert to race in the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

ENTRY LIST: Xfinity Series

Katherine Legge is set to make her Cup Series debut this weekend as pilot of the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet. Legge will be the first female Cup entry since Danica Patrick in the 2018 Daytona 500.

Here’s a look at the full entry list for Sunday’s event:

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into Phoenix Raceway on Saturday for the GOVX 200 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the fourth race of the 2025 season.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Arizona native Alex Bowman makes his lone start in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 38 cars are entered for the race, meaning all will qualify for Saturday’s 200-lap showdown.

Here’s a look at the full entry list for Saturday’s event:

ENTRYVEH #DRIVERORGANIZATION
100Sheldon CreedHaas Factory Team
21Carson KvapilJR Motorsports
32Jesse LoveRichard Childress Racing
44Parker RetzlaffAlpha Prime Racing
55Kris WrightOur Motorsports
607Nick LeitzSS-Green Light Racing
77Justin AllgaierJR Motorsports
88Sammy SmithJR Motorsports
910Daniel DyeKaulig Racing
1011Josh WilliamsKaulig Racing
1114Garrett SmithleySS-Green Light Racing
1216Christian EckesKaulig Racing
1317Alex BowmanHendrick Motorsports
1418William SawalichJoe Gibbs Racing
1519Aric AlmirolaJoe Gibbs Racing
1620Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs Racing
1721Austin HillRichard Childress Racing
1825Harrison BurtonAM Racing
1926Dean ThompsonSam Hunt Racing
2027Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson Racing
2128Kyle SiegRSS Racing
2231Blaine PerkinsJordan Anderson Racing
2335Greg Van AlstJoey Gase Motorsports
2439Ryan SiegRSS Racing
2541Sam MayerHaas Factory Team
2642Anthony AlfredoYoung's Motorsports
2744Brennan PooleAlpha Prime Racing
2845Mason MasseyAlpha Prime Racing
2948Nicholas SanchezBig Machine Racing
3051Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements Racing
3153Joey GaseJoey Gase Motorsports
3254Taylor GrayJoe Gibbs Racing
3370Thomas AnnunziataCope Family Racing
3471Ryan EllisDGM Racing x JIM
3574Dawson CramMike Harmon Racing
3688Connor ZilischJR Motorsports
3791Josh BilickiDGM Racing x JIM
3899Matt DiBenedettoViking Motorsports