Posted on by Holly Cain

MEXICO CITY — This is not the pina colada Cancun of your cruise ships, but a vibrant, sprawling, city center full of busy international vibes; welcoming and interesting. Smiling friendly people with places to be.

Beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks loom over Mexico City. Small, colorful taco stands decorate every corner, busy with lunch regulars. The sidewalks are filled with people and the traffic lanes are filled with mopeds and cars, door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper. Car horns and dog barks fill the air. It is a full sensory experience.

And the first big billboard rising out of the Mexico City airport? It advertises Chevrolets.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Mexico City race | Shots from Mexico City

It all speaks to the warm reception NASCAR has already received and is sure to get again for the June Cup Series race in Mexico. The warm-hearted locals cannot wait for stock car’s summer arrival. Race organizers expect three days of sell-out crowds, eager to see this brand of racing at one of the world’s great road course venues: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

“I feel like you are coming to my house for the very first time,” a smiling Mexico-native Daniel Suárez said Tuesday as he joined three other NASCAR Cup Series stars — Sunday’s Atlanta race winner, Christopher Bell, and series champions Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott for a tour of the course and the city and its offerings.

“I love racing in the United States and it feels like home to me now, but there is no one race track I can call home — Texas, Miami, Phoenix, California are all like home because there are a lot of my fans – but it is not home. I grew up racing here. I have won races here.

“For me, this is a very special place. My very first win in the NASCAR Mexico [Series] came here at this track on the oval [configuration].

“It’s fun having people here,” the Trackhouse Racing driver added. “It’s a different culture but they are very excited for the race track and for NASCAR.”

Each of the four drivers joined track management and other local dignitaries for a golf cart ride around the course, stopping at various points to look specifically at the layout.

They saw the slight variations NASCAR will use in its races, eliminating a series of turns that Formula One uses — one of several changes to the course since the last time NASCAR was here in 2005-08 for Xfinity Series races. Kyle Busch (2008) and Denny Hamlin (2006) are the only current drivers to have hoisted trophies here — each with a win on the former circuit configuration.

On Tuesday, the drivers were noticeably impressed by the paddock and famous massive grandstands that border Turns 11-14 — just a single portion of the track where 30,000 fans will sit. The facility expects upwards of 80,000 people a day in full, for the three-day event.

The track is in a green space in the middle of the busy city but inside the gates sit those massive permanent grandstands, a huge staging area used for concerts — Paul McCartney just last week — that will serve as Victory Lane. There’s even a baseball stadium adjacent to the actual track.

“Honestly, I’ve been really impressed,” said 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “My initial thoughts are that is a pretty incredible property as a whole for the way they are able to rotate through events.”

MORE: Suárez on historic Cup event to show off ‘universal language’ of racing 

“There’s the stadium section hosting concerts in an intimate way and the park section for bike riders. It’s really unique and the track I think is a pretty cool layout too. I feel like it’s got a little bit of everything and it’s been a fun experience so far. I’d never been to Mexico City and this is pretty neat.”

The response and embrace since NASCAR announced its return to the city has been nothing short of overwhelming. Nearly 200 of the country’s media outlets are expected for a press conference with the four drivers and track officials on Wednesday.

After a day of karting around the track, topped by a special taco stop at one of the city’s most renowned eateries, Atarantados, the four drivers were headed to a Lucha Libre show after dinner.

The city, the venue and the people all seem enthusiastic to welcome NASCAR. And judging by the smiles and energy from this visit, the feel-good attitude is reciprocated.

“First time at the track, first time in Mexico City,” said Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. “I had super high hopes before we even got here and being here and seeing it all and hearing the plan got me even more excited to come here [and race]. I think they are going to do a great job and I hope everyone’s going to really enjoy it from a fan perspective.

“I know all the teams are excited to come down and it was a nice little treat today to be able to come and see the plan. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back here in the summer to race.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

As Harrison Burton explains, when a race car driver gets the opportunity to jump to the NASCAR Cup Series, they take the risk because that chance might not come again.

For the last three seasons, Burton experienced the waves of emotions that come with being a Cup competitor. The pinnacle was scoring Wood Brothers Racing’s 100th victory last summer at Daytona International Speedway. The pit was having an average finishing position south of 24th in a Team Penske-affiliated ride.

RELATED: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

Burton doesn’t regret moving to Cup at 21 years old. He knew it would have its peaks and valleys.

“It was frustrating and not what I wanted it to be,” Burton told NASCAR.com. “I made great, lifelong friendships and got a lot of good out of it. Got to be a much better race car driver from it. It just didn’t go as well as it needed to soon enough.”

Now, Burton is back in the Xfinity Series with AM Racing and trying to work his way back up to the Cup ranks. He’s off to a fast start early in the season, being the only Xfinity driver to have consecutive top-10 finishes to start 2025. Burton sits sixth in the standings.

“I’m really motivated. I know that I can do it; I know I can be a Cup driver,” Burton said. “That’s still my goal. I’ve got to rework my way up there, get an opportunity and go take advantage of it.”

Having been around racing since he was born and watching his father Jeff Burton have success, Burton knows the demands it takes to be a high-level driver. However, he didn’t realize how much of a challenge it would be jumping from Xfinity to Cup.

And when the results aren’t there, it weighs on drivers. Burton had six top-10 finishes in 108 starts as a full-time Cup competitor.

“It’s hard because drivers are egomaniacs,” Burton said. “You want to be the fastest guy, walk in with your chest poked out. When that doesn’t happen immediately, it’s easy to let doubts creep into your head. For me, as time progressed, I got better about that and got more confident. It took some time for me to get there and feel like I belonged. Winning helped with that feeling, and I think it will carry into this season with AM Racing.”

When AM Racing got wind that Burton would be a free agent for 2025, Wade Moore, president of AM, reached out directly to Jon Wood, president and co-owner of the Wood Brothers. Having been a tire carrier for years in the Penske pipeline, Moore had a relationship with Wood as he helped deliver the team its 99th victory in 2017 at Pocono Raceway with Ryan Blaney.

Moore sent a text to Wood, who was mowing his lawn but still fired back immediately. Within five minutes, Wood started a group chat with himself, Moore and Burton. Within 25 minutes of the initial text, Moore was on the phone with Burton for 45 minutes. An hour-long phone call with both Harrison and Jeff came after.

AM had its new driver.

“It’s strange how these things happened, but it’s a full-circle deal for us because I spent a lot of time with the Wood Brothers and absolutely loved working for that family and being a part of that race team,” Moore said. “Now, being able to work with them again and bring Harrison over here to our program, it’s pretty gratifying.”

RELATED: Harrison Burton driver page | COTA entry list

To sign a driver of Burton’s caliber was important for AM. The single-car team was coming off a year in which Hailie Deegan departed the organization halfway through the season. The second half of 2024 was split among six drivers.

“You hear the word ‘rebuilding’ a lot, more so in stick-and-ball sports, but essentially, that’s what we’ve done,” Moore said of his 2025 outlook. “We took an opportunity that wasn’t fun in the middle of the year last year to begin that reset. When we decided to do that, we wanted to focus on talent and chemistry.”

But the opportunity with AM also presented a new challenge for Burton, where he would become a key element in building a team. Ultimately, he believes that can raise his value.

“We’re not Joe Gibbs Racing, but I think we have what you need to run well,” Burton stated. “As a driver, if you put me in a position where I’m running well at the end of the race, I feel like I can capitalize on that. Going somewhere where I was actually wanted and it wasn’t, ‘We would love to have you, but how much money can you bring?’ It was, ‘We can hire you and figure out the rest.’

“All of those things put together, along with me being able to build something from scratch with this group, is something I’m excited about. It’s an interesting opportunity for me to find out about myself and how I can help lead this team and grow into a better driver.”

With a technical alliance with Haas Factory Team, expectations are high for AM Racing in 2025. Burton is a four-time winner at the Xfinity Series level and has proven he can get it done.

“My expectations are we’re going to perform well, win races and make the playoffs,” he said. “That’s my goal and the mindset we all have to have. It is a very deep driver class, there are a lot of great teams with a lot of cars. It’s going to be a challenge, but that’s what it’s supposed to be; it’s supposed to be hard. That’s what makes racing special to me.”

Posted on by Chris Murdock

CONCORD, N.C. — Carson Hocevar has been the talk of the week following his runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was met with criticism from several veteran drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Aggression played a considerable role in the outcome of Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 as Christopher Bell crossed the start/finish line for the victory with checkered and yellow flags waving following a multicar crash on the backstretch.

HOCEVAR: No. 77 driver ruffles feathers at Atlanta | Analyzing Hocevar’s performance

At the forefront of the post-race conversations was premier series sophomore Hocevar, who received visits from Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney, two drivers who deemed Hocevar went too far. The Michigan native took the talks in stride, hoping to one day emulate the success of his peers.

“There’s no better school of guys to talk to, right?” Hocevar told reporters during a media availability at the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, North Carolina. “You know, they’ve had the same progression as me. Ross especially, right? Of, you know, kind of had the same progression in trucks, even, right? So we’ve, you know, had a really good relationship from that point, and that’s why our economy, conversation was a lot longer than I think Ryan’s because we have that deep relationship.

“So, you know for sure, I apologize to (Blaney) for hitting him. There was no excuse for spinning anybody, intentional or not, and I wish I, you know, just made a different move and lifted just a little bit more and just didn’t see it panning out that way, obviously. But you know, there’s no better school to hear from them and want to have the same progression as them as they had when they were my age or at this point in their career.”

Hocevar largely attributes the success from the weekend to his aggressive tendencies, and the 22-year-old hasn’t let these hard conversations deter what was a solid performance for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team.

WATCH: Get in the middle of the action with Carson Hocevar

“I had to be aggressive and make some drivers uncomfortable,” Hocevar said. “But at the same time, besides (Blaney), I’m not sure who we 100% hit, other than just, you know, just filling really tight holes and pinch and aero-block and play offense and defense, right? And this car rewards being aggressive. I mean, obviously, we had a shot to win the race, and I was, I think, the most aggressive. So the end result means, you know, if you play aggressively and you have a really fast car, you can take advantage of being aggressive.”

As the young driver transitions from Atlanta to the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Hocevar is focused on staying confident and maintaining his aggressive style as he aims to make the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet a frontrunning car in 2025.

“I’ve never been intimidated or scared, right?” Hocevar said. “And I always felt like I belonged. And if I had speed, it would show, and it would come across, and everything takes time.”

RELATED: Weekend schedule for COTA  | Cup Series entry list

With a tale of two tracks on deck at the course in Austin, Texas, Hocevar imagines it will be difficult to ruffle any feathers on a 3-mile circuit.

“It’s just such a different world,” Hocevar continued. “I mean, we passed, I think it was, I think there were 10,500 passes (at Atlanta), green flag, right? You’ve seen everybody 10 different times in one stage. So at COTA, you’re going to, I think there was one natural yellow, if any, last year, and you get spread out. Maybe it’s a little different with them cutting the track in half, but it’s just such a different world that, you know, I’m still gonna be aggressive at times, but you can be a lot more patient, too.

“You might see you might even see one guy under a green flag cycle. Because, you know, obviously, tracks now smaller, but what it used to be, the 3-mile track you would barely see anybody during a great flight? I ran 20 or 30 laps almost on my own island. It’s hard to piss anybody off if I’m on my own island.”

Posted on by Chris Murdock

CONCORD, N.C. — Connor Zilisch is quickly climbing the NASCAR national series ranks, and he will knock off another milestone as he makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Weekend Schedule for COTA

Zilisch, who won in his Xfinity Series debut for JR Motorsports last year at Watkins Glen International, will get plenty of attention as he tries to do the unthinkable and win in his Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing in the No. 87 Chevy. For the 18-year-old, this weekend is one he has been looking forward to for quite some time, and he’s not backing down from the challenge.

“I want to try and become the youngest Cup Series winner, and to do that, I have to race as soon as possible and get it in before I turn 19,” Zilisch said to reporters at the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, North Carolina. “So, you know, I wanted to at least give myself a shot at that. So that was definitely part of my thinking. And honestly, I don’t feel like there’s anything that tells me that I’m not ready to race on a road course on Sunday.”

Whether he wins or not on Sunday, just being around JR Motorsports for his full-time Xfinity Series job and Trackhouse Racing before his Cup debut is exposing Zilisch to a wealth of racing knowledge. And he’s quickly been able to make friends and lean on veteran drivers for advice.

“Justin Allgaier, he’s a good example,” Zilisch said. “Even the last two races, I have gone to him and said, ‘Hey, you think what I did was, you know, wrong?’ And he’s a great person to lean on as a veteran of the sport and super talented. … But you know, at the end of the day, you just got to do it on the race track. And no matter what people tell you, if you don’t apply it, it doesn’t matter.”

MORE: Cup Series entry List for COTA

Like Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen also burst onto the NASCAR scene after winning his Cup Series debut in 2023 on the Chicago Street Course. He’s another veteran who helped Zilisch prepare for his looming Cup debut.

“I didn’t know him six months ago, well, six to 12 months ago,” Zilisch said of SVG. “I didn’t even know who he was, and I feel like now we’re pretty good friends. … It’s really cool to have those guys that, you know, give me and show me respect. You know, I appreciate it a lot, and he’s a guy that I’ve definitely leaned on and hung out with and been able to get a friend out of it.”

Beyond Sunday, Zilisch will keep experiencing a world of “firsts” as he continues his development with his full-time job in the Xfinity Series. In 2024, Zilisch made four starts in the series, with only one finish outside of the top 10 coming at Homestead-Miami Speedway (12th). He’s started off the 2025 season with back-to-back DNFs at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

SHOP: Connor Zilisch gear

The challenge of experiencing new tracks for the first time is one met with excitement as the Rookie of the Year contender hopes to be winning regularly sooner rather than later.

“I’m just excited to go to new places and learn them and see which ones I like, which ones I don’t like,” Zilisch said. “There’s just a lot of question marks for me this year that I’m excited to kind of get to and learn. And you know, that’s the biggest thing for me, and the coolest part for me, you know, I’ve never been to these places, so, yeah, just trying to soak it all in, enjoy it.”

Posted on by Holly Cain
Alex Bowman No. 48 Ally paint scheme for Homestead-Miami Speedway
Hendrick Motorsports

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — American basketball superstar Breanna Stewart excitedly approached the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sitting on Homestead-Miami Speedway pit road. As she looked over the car’s brightly colored, specially detailed pink and teal paint scheme, the 6-foot-4, three-time Olympic gold medalist wondered aloud how drivers climbed in through the small window opening.

The excitement was palpable as she and some of her fellow Unrivaled League players — Dijonai Carrington and Marina Mabrey — looked over the car Alex Bowman will steer in the March 23 NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was the high-wattage result of sponsor Ally’s involvement in bringing together two popular sports worlds — stock car racing and women’s basketball.

The NASCAR race at Homestead will come a week after the Unrivaled League finishes its inaugural season of three-on-three women’s professional basketball that Stewart co-founded and of which Ally — which sponsors Bowman’s car — is a founding partner.

“My initial thoughts about coming here and being on the speedway and seeing the decked-out Ally car and getting into the pace car for a ride, I’m so excited,” the WNBA All-Star and two-time league MVP Stewart said.

Carrington, who plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, has never been to a NASCAR race but was also visibly impressed with the car — the three players sizing up the vehicle and taking note of the one-of-a-kind paint scheme, an ode to the Ally sports partnerships.

“It’s a lot more different than I thought,” Carrington said, smiling. “I never realized they didn’t open the door and instead go straight through the window. It’s completely different than what I thought. Those drivers are pretty nimble getting in and out of there.

“We took some hot laps, and I think I was just visually imagining 39 more cars out there at the same time and I was like, ‘no way.’ I couldn’t imagine even five more cars. And they’re going so fast. I have so much respect for them.

“We definitely want to come back (for the race).”

Unrivaled League court
Hendrick Motorsports

RELATED: Alex Bowman driver page | Homestead-Miami tickets

That evening, Bowman and several of his No. 48 Hendrick team members took in a pair of Unrivaled League games in nearby Miami and were similarly impressed with the basketball vibe.

Unrivaled is an important development for women’s basketball as it allows its top-shelf pro players to earn a living without having to go overseas to play in the WNBA offseason — as was the case for years.

All the games — which are televised on TNT and TruTV — are played three nights a week inside a specifically designed arena called Mediapro. From the moment you walk up to the venue, there are interactive games for fans, colorful displays, merchandise sales and an unmistakable “all in” feeling with loud music and friendly people who enjoy high-level sports in an energetic atmosphere.

“Getting to go to the game and seeing their world a little bit … anyone that operates at a high level in their profession is really cool for me, to see the different perspectives and different lives,” Bowman said. “But typically, people that operate at that level — at least in sports — I feel like we have a lot of similarities. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of cool people over the years.

“Any time you get to give people rides or introduce people to the sport that have never been around it, it’s really fun.”

That kind of synergy is what Ally had hoped. And it complements the company’s pledge to achieve a 50-50 balance of media spending in men’s and women’s sports — a bright example of a commitment to equality. In only three years pursuing that goal, Ally is almost completely equally invested.

“Years ago, we noticed that 90 percent of our budget was in men’s sports and 10 percent into women’s sports and felt intuitively, we needed to challenge ourselves to get better and that was really the idea behind the decision making,” said Ally’s Chief Marketing Officer Andrea Brimmer.

“This has never been a men versus women thing, and we thought they were both so important to us. … It’s the journey we’ve been on as part of this 50-50 pledge as women’s sports has seen just an incredible rise in popularity.

Jerseys for the six different teams in The Unrivaled League.
The Unrivaled League

“I think sometimes people make this assumption that NASCAR is primarily dominated by men, but if you look in the stands, there are a wide variety of demographics — male and female,” Brimmer continued. “I think bringing Unrivaled basketball into NASCAR is going to be really cool for the fans and the sports as well. It’s a really strong way to bring two things together that maybe others would have never thought would coexist together.

“You could get a lot of NASCAR fans interested in women’s basketball because of this and a bunch of fans who go to women’s basketball games interested in NASCAR and that’s a great outcome.”

It’s not only a great outcome but pioneering.

“I think with Ally, they walk the walk and talk the talk,” said Stewart, who plays for the multi-time WNBA champion New York Liberty. “The fact they are equally investing 50 percent in men’s and women’s sports is something that is incredibly special because it doesn’t always happen that way and it’s just amazing to be partnering with them.

“Ally’s reach in so many things — obviously, I’m in the basketball and women’s sports space — but the fact it continues on and now we’re going to have an Unrivaled themed race car is something that is really incredible and brings all the worlds together.”

Judging by the genuine excitement the basketball-NASCAR blend produced just with that dual day of on-track and in-gym mash, Ally’s efforts are working.

Bowman’s car design was purposeful. It features the Miami skyline with a woman basketball player dribbling a ball and phrases such as “Women’s Sports” and “Leaders” on the art deco-like pink and blue hood. The Unrivaled logo is on the door next to Bowman’s famous number 48. And a call to “Watch to Change” sits on the roof.

“A big part of my work, is storytelling, visually telling a story for all the different brands involved, so we have the Alex Bowman story, the NASCAR story, Unrivaled, women’s basketball, Ally and everything Ally is doing in sports and women’s sports specifically, so it’s about figuring out the perfect cocktail mix of being able to bridge all those worlds together,” said renowned California artist Sophia Chang, who designed the No. 48’s paint scheme.

Ally No. 48 Alex Bowman paint scheme for Homestead-Miami Speedway, overhead shot.
Hendrick Motorsports

It certainly got immediate rave reviews.

“She did a great job with the car,” Brimmer said, adding, “I just think it’s going to be a really fun one and I think it’s going to be one of the paint schemes where you look at it and say, ‘I’m going to get a diecast.’ ”

The vibe at track and at court was unmistakably positive — elite athletes in each sport learning about the other and providing support — all following the leadership and efforts of Ally. It seems like a simple concept — exposing one sport to the other — but the potential is groundbreaking. And only beginning.

“A big goal of ours at Unrivaled, in addition to elevating and amplifying basketball and women’s sports in general, is really trying to innovate and bring a different lens to the sport,” said Unrivaled’s Vice President of Partnerships, Jane Zorowitz, who was enjoying her day at the race track and first exposure to NASCAR.

“I think a big part of that is how we approach partnerships and collaborations like the one with Ally and NASCAR.

“Getting people, who maybe haven’t been historically part of the ecosystem in and seeing it and seeing the players that not only are some of the best athletes in the world but seeing their personality and their storytelling ability is really key for us as we think about how we can continue to grow the sport and grow women’s sports in general. So, getting them in a new environment [like NASCAR] is really key to bringing additional eyeballs to the sport.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Christopher Bell survived a wild overtime finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his first career win on a drafting track as the Georgia venue delivered yet another thriller.

NASCAR.com’s Zach Sturniolo ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and before the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: 2025 Cup Series schedule | Full Cup Series standings


Analysis: No. 1 in points, No. 1 in ranks. Blaney has been an absolute force to start the season, proving it again Sunday at Atlanta by charging to a fourth-place finish despite a late spin off the front bumper of Carson Hocevar. Results of seventh at Daytona and fourth at Atlanta have Blaney atop the standings, in part thanks to netting stage points in three of the opening four stages in 2025. COTA hasn’t been the best track for Blaney, but there’s no doubt he could stretch his early lead further over his charging competition.

Analysis: The back-to-back Daytona 500 champ nearly went back-to-back to kick off 2025. Instead, as Byron was running third with three laps to go, Kyle Larson walled Austin Cindric, who bounced directly across Byron’s nose and sent both spinning into the inside wall. His 75 points through two races, though, is enough for second in the standings and, for now, second in the rankings — all while returning to Circuit of The Americas, where he won in 2024.

Analysis: And just like that, this guy figures out superspeedways too, huh? Larson was on the losing end of a three-way battle for the win when the caution flag waved on the final lap, with winner Bell and runner-up Hocevar just to Larson’s outside as the No. 5 Chevy finished third. In a surprise to no one, Larson is good everywhere. His results at COTA, however, were middling by his standards with three finishes of 14th or worse in four starts. New layout, new Larson?

Analysis: OK, Christopher. We are officially on notice. Bell has been a proven commodity for years, winning at road courses, flat 1-mile ovals, intermediates and short tracks. The one question mark remained superspeedways or drafting tracks … until he led a single lap — the final one — Sunday at Atlanta. His late wreck from the lead at Daytona left him with a finish outside the top 30, but if there was ever a way to bounce back, Bell showed it Sunday.

Analysis: Logano was also caught in the last-lap fracas at Atlanta, leaving him 12th on the final rundown. No one led more laps in Georgia than Logano’s 83 — and no one has led more this season, period. The No. 22 Ford has paced the field for 126 of 467 laps, or 27% of the 2025 season. But so far, his results don’t back the dominance after a Daytona DNF and another finish outside the top 10 Sunday.

Analysis: The Daytona 500 runner-up was caught up in the final-lap melee at Atlanta and ultimately sank to a 19th-place finish despite an average running position of 10.4 at Atlanta. Reddick and his 23XI Racing team are doing just fine, though, trailing points leader Blaney by just 15 points for the top spot in the standings. Reddick has also enjoyed great success on the Austin road course’s previous layout with a win, three top fives and four top 10s in four starts.

Analysis: A dismal qualifying run at Atlanta set Hamlin to start 37th. Turns out that was the right play. Joe Gibbs Racing built Hamlin’s Toyota to handle well, and it did just that as he maneuvered to a sixth-place finish Sunday. Hamlin has been consistent in four COTA starts, placing 14th (2021), 18th (2022), 16th (2023) and 14th (2024) on the old layout. But surely, he’d like to bump that final result into the top 10 this time around.

Analysis: Best average running position in the NASCAR Cup Series? All Cindric at 5.4. What a start to the year for the Penske No. 2 crew, which has led 106 of the 467 laps run so far in 2025 — second-most this season. The previous Circuit of The Americas configuration was a mixed bag results-wise for Cindric, with two top 10s and two finishes of 18th or worse. Cindric welcomes a good right turn though, so it’s fair to say leaving the draft in the past won’t cause concern for Cindric.

Analysis: Well, that wasn’t quite the hometown visit Elliott was anticipating. The 2020 Cup champ was riding just outside the top 10 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chase Briscoe got together, sending Elliott into the wall, and breaking a toe link. Though all of that triggered a crash, Elliott did bounce back nicely to a 20th-place finish. His 17.5 average finish isn’t great, but road courses have been quite good to Elliott, including COTA, where he won in 2021.

Analysis: Heck of a start for Wallace and new crew chief Charles Denike, who together have earned 64 points through the opening two races of 2025. Their 10-point collection from winning the first Duel at Daytona certainly did them a favor at Daytona after finishing the 500 in 29th, but his fifth-place standing in points is no fluke. Wallace’s 10.4 average running position through two races is fourth-best in the series, behind only Cindric, Blaney and Byron.

Analysis: Bowman is probably bummed to see the old COTA gone since he never finished worse than eighth (and holds a three-race streak of top fives there). But he is probably psyched to get away from these two drafting-style tracks to start the season. A steady sixth-place result at Daytona was met with a frustrating 26th-place run at Atlanta after his damage from crashing with Buescher. But hey, he’s ninth in points, so things could be worse.

Analysis: Though he was optimistic in his iRacing demonstration of the new COTA course, Chastain has to be sad to see the old 3.41-mile layout disappear from the schedule. Chastain scored his first career Cup win on that configuration and never finished worse than seventh in four starts, adding two more top fives to accompany his 2022 victory. He returns to Austin after a solid rebound at Atlanta, where he finished eighth on the heels of a 40th-place finish in the Daytona 500.

Analysis: Yes, you read that right: Briscoe is currently 45th in points after he and his team incurred a 100-point penalty post-Daytona for spoiler modifications. A 21st-place finish at Atlanta didn’t do much to cut into that deficit, netting just 16 points out of the event. Briscoe’s COTA past has been decent, with top 15s in three of his four starts there.

Analysis: Buescher was a victim of circumstance at Atlanta when a slowing Briscoe forced him to evade, sending him spinning off Turn 4 and in front of Alex Bowman. The incident plummeted Buescher to a 30th-place finish, 26 laps down. Yet, provisionally — and again, just two races in — Buescher maintains a spot in the postseason picture. Last year’s Watkins Glen winner, Buescher is a near guarantee for top-10 finishes on road courses. Expect that trend to set him back in the right direction at COTA.

Analysis: Suárez’s return to the Peach State didn’t go nearly as well as his last spring visit to the 1.54-mile Atlanta oval. Instead of burning down tires in celebration, Suárez’s car was left a smoking heap of carbon fiber and steel after a hefty crash on the Atlanta frontstretch. Perhaps the new COTA layout will play to Suárez’s hand better than the previous one. In four COTA starts, Suárez hasn’t finished better than 24th.

Analysis: An A-Town rebound has Busch in decent positioning after two drafting-style race tracks. His involvement in a late Daytona crash left him 34th with a DNF, but Atlanta allowed Busch to lead 13 laps en route to a seventh-place result. Now, 23rd isn’t exactly where Busch wants to sit in the points standings, but the two-time Cup champ has done well on the previous layout of COTA with top 10s in three of his four starts. Will that continue on the new configuration?

Analysis: ‘Scuse him, pardon him. Hocevar bumped, pushed and shoved his way into this week’s rankings with a career-best second-place finish on Sunday … while making a couple of competitors mad and a few enemies madder. His aggression paid off in a big way — and nearly paid off more if the event finished under the green flag instead of a necessary yellow. Hocevar could find himself in jeopardy of some payback at COTA given the nature of its heavy braking zones. But he could also find himself leaving with another solid finish after placing third in last year’s Watkins Glen event.

Analysis: In NASCAR’s latest edition of, ‘how did they do that?!’ McDowell miraculously made up a six-lap deficit at Atlanta after going to the garage, getting his power steering fixed and receiving a record-tying six free passes under caution to finish 13th in the Ambetter Health 400. The outstanding effort from the Spire Motorsports group nets McDowell 14th in the way-too-early standings, but another test is next at COTA as McDowell has proven to be a top road-course racing threat in the Cup Series.

Analysis: Hyak Motorsports’ Stenhouse is making noise early in 2025. At Daytona, that noise was muted when he and Joey Logano triggered a crash with 15 laps to go in the “Great American Race” while running inside the top five. He rebounded at Atlanta, though, capitalizing on his good track position to net a fifth-place finish. COTA will produce a new challenge as the track’s layout has changed, but he did score a seventh-place finish there in 2023.

Analysis: Only two drivers have finished inside the top 10 in both races this season: Blaney and — you guessed it — Nemechek. The year is young, but finishes of fifth (Daytona 500) and 10th (Atlanta) have the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club driver seventh in NASCAR Cup Series points. With a road course ahead and drafting in the rearview mirror, the question remains whether Nemechek or his Legacy M.C. team will maintain their high standing. But there’s no question he’s off to a good start.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into Circuit of The Americas on Saturday for the Focused Health 250 (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the third race of the 2025 season.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Carson Hocevar and Riley Herbst will make their first Xfinity starts of 2025, as fellow NASCAR Cup Series regulars Ross Chastain and William Byron attempt to do the same. Forty-one cars will fight for 38 starting spots in qualifying.

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
607Alex LabbeSS-Green Light Racing
77Justin AllgaierJR Motorsports
88Sammy SmithJR Motorsports
99Ross Chastian (i)JR Motorsports
1010Daniel DyeKaulig Racing
1111Josh WilliamsKaulig Racing
1214Carson Hocevar (i)SS-Green Light Racing
1316Christian EckesKaulig Racing
1417William Byron (i)Hendrick Motorsports
1518William SawalichJoe Gibbs Racing
1619Riley Herbst (i)Joe Gibbs Racing
1720Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs Racing
1821Austin HillRichard Childress Racing
1924Corey Heim (i)Sam Hunt Racing
2025Harrison BurtonAM Racing
2126Dean ThompsonSam Hunt Racing
2227Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson Racing
2328Kyle SiegRSS Racing
2431Blaine PerkinsJordan Anderson Racing
2532Austin GreenJordan Anderson Racing
2635Baltazar LeguizamónJoey Gase Motorsports
2739Ryan SiegRSS Racing
2841Sam MayerHaas Factory Team
2942Anthony AlfredoYoung's Motorsports
3044Brennan PooleAlpha Prime Racing
3145Brad PerezAlpha Prime Racing
3248Nick SanchezBig Machine Racing
3350 Preston PardusPardus Racing, Inc
3451Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements Racing
3553Sage KaramJoey Gase Motorsports
3654Taylor GrayJoe Gibbs Racing
3770Thomas AnnunziataCope Family Racing
3871Ryan EllisDGM Racing
3988Connor ZilischJR Motorsports
4091Josh BilickiDGM Racing
4199Matt DiBenedettoViking Motorsports
Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Circuit of The Americas to compete in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing’s 18-year-old phenom, is set to make his Cup Series debut at the 2.3-mile road course in the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet, an Open entry for Trackhouse.

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

EntryVeh #DriverOrganization
11Ross ChastainTrackhouse Racing
22Austin CindricTeam Penske
33Austin DillonRichard Childress Racing
44Noah GragsonFront Row Motorsports
55Kyle LarsonHendrick Motorsports
66Brad KeselowskiRFK Racing
77Justin HaleySpire Motorsports
88Kyle BuschRichard Childress Racing
99Chase ElliottHendrick Motorsports
1010Ty DillonKaulig Racing
1111Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing
1212Ryan BlaneyTeam Penske
1316AJ AllmendingerKaulig Racing
1417Chris BuescherRFK Racing
1519Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing
1620Christopher BellJoe Gibbs Racing
1721Josh BerryWood Brothers Racing
1822Joey LoganoTeam Penske
1923Bubba Wallace23XI Racing
2024William ByronHendrick Motorsports
2134Todd GillilandFront Row Motorsports
2235Riley Herbst23XI Racing
2338Zane SmithFront Row Motorsports
2441Cole CusterHaas Factory Team
2542John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor Club
2643Erik JonesLegacy Motor Club
2745Tyler Reddick23XI Racing
2847Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Hyak Motorsports
2948Alex BowmanHendrick Motorsports
3051Cody WareRick Ware Racing
3154Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing
3260Ryan PreeceRFK Racing
3371Michael McDowellSpire Motorsports
3477Carson HocevarSpire Motorsports
3587Connor Zilisch (i)Trackhouse Racing
3688Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse Racing
3799Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on by Nate Ryan

He was chided primarily by Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney, but the receiving line of disgruntled drivers waiting for Carson Hocevar could have been so much longer.

After the latest thriller at Atlanta Motor Speedway, at least a dozen more probably would take issue with how Hocevar took no prisoners while dazzling through the draft. In an expletive-filled radio rant after Stage 1, Kyle Busch angrily vowed to wreck Hocevar.

RELATED: Blaney blasts Hocevar on radio | Hocevar: I need to clean up some things

Many others would have been eager to scold the 22-year-old upstart from Spire Motorsports about how he did so many things “wrong” in posting a career-best second-place finish at Atlanta.

And many of those aggrieved would have their own memories of being treated the same way for upsetting the establishment in the Cup Series.

“It’s so funny to see a bunch of veteran drivers pissed at a young and aggressive rookie going for his first win,” Landon Cassill posted on social media Monday. “A tale as old as time. I love it.”

Indeed, the first driver to raise post-race qualms Sunday is familiar with justifying bold and daring moves to older veterans who have started families and slammed into more walls in their careers.

Chastain, who pulled Hocevar aside for an amiable but still occasionally animated chat in the infield grass, was the youthful scourge of NASCAR two years ago after having angered Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Blaney (to name a few).

Once the youngest winner in Cup history, Busch regularly feuded with his elders 20 years ago. Joey Logano routinely was bullied early in a Cup career he started as a teenager.

Even the mild-mannered Blaney once got sideways with Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.

It’s a rite of passage for virtually any driver who wants to be a Cup winner and title contender: You will be told that you are “doing things wrong” on your way to the top.

As a part-time Cup driver (and soon-to-be Xfinity champion) 15 years ago, Brad Keselowski wore it as a badge of honor that he ruffled the feathers of Carl Edwards, Hamlin and Stewart while often playing chicken at 200 mph (infamously earning him the nickname of “Craze-lowski” from his peers).

“There’s a sense of accomplishment that comes from that in a bizarre way,” a 25-year-old Keselowski told USA Today Sports in October 2009. “In this sport when others are angry at you, generally you’ve done something right. Because when you’re in a competitive environment, the only time a competitor is going to like you is when they’re beating you.

“They’re mad at me because I’ve been racing too hard, not because I’m causing wrecks. That’s pretty damn awesome! It’s pretty awesome that Tony Stewart’s mad at me because I’m outracing him. So I don’t walk away from that angry or upset.”

The perspective is different for Hocevar, who spun Blaney with 22 laps remaining Sunday and wrecked fellow rookie Harrison Burton under caution last year. Though he outraced many stars at Atlanta, Hocevar admittedly has built a reputation for mistakes that justifiably have drawn the ire of NASCAR officials as well as his peers.

Giving Chastain and Blaney room to air their grievances after Atlanta was a wise move.

But Hocevar also seems aware there’s a downside to heeding all of their advice. He need look no further than longtime mentor Chastain.

NASCAR’s Ross Resistance Movement peaked on May 14, 2023 when Chastain wrecked Larson while battling for the lead at Darlington Raceway. That earned a very public rebuke from team owner Rick Hendrick, who essentially declared open season on Chastain despite his Trackhouse Racing team being a Chevrolet teammate and customer.

In the 61 races since then, Chastain has three victories, 11 top fives, 23 top 10s and missed last year’s playoffs.

Compare that to his first season at Trackhouse in 2022 when Chastain posted two wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s and a championship round berth in 36 races.

There’s a fine line between challenging the old guard but also trying to play by the rules they set.

Hocevar seemed mostly dismissive about having angered Chastain, Blaney and everyone else he is trying to beat on a weekly basis.

But it’s telling that the longest post-Atlanta apology he offered was to Hendrick Motorsports, which also supplies Chevrolet engines and valuable technical support to Spire. Hocevar stressed he had no intentions of pushing Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell to the win ahead of Hendrick’s Kyle Larson.

It was a preemptive and savvy move to maintain a strong relationship with those who have the largest impact on the speed of his No. 77 Chevrolet.

Give Hocevar credit for knowing that those are the only opinions that really matter.

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 Brandon White

The long journey down to New Smyrna Speedway for the 2025 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing was more symbolic for Paul Hartwig Jr. compared to previous trips.

Hartwig knew his fifth attempt at a 602 Modified title during the month of February would be his swan song behind the wheel. Instead of expending so much energy and money on his own racing ambitions, Hartwig. is diverting his focus toward his son Paulie III, a rising star in Modified competition around the country.

Although he did not tally a win at New Smyrna during the World Series, Hartwig Jr. found solace in a strong week that concluded with a runner-up showing on the final night.

Emotions were high when he climbed out of the car.

“I told my wife, my kid and crew chief on the way down [to Florida] that it was time,” Hartwig said. “They said it wasn’t time, but I said it was time. I said I have to focus on the kid more, and we can’t take that away from him. He [hasn’t] been old enough to run New Smyrna yet, so that was a perfect time for me to go play and not worry about him on track at the same time.

“I was hoping to get that last win and retire in Victory Lane, but [second] was close enough.”

Hartwig’s time as a hard-nosed, vigilant competitor dates back two decades to when his grandfather Larry Bolen purchased him his first quarter-midget.

Even before he took part in his first official race, Hartwig was always surrounded by motorsports. His father Paul Sr. operated a tow truck at Wall Stadium, a one-third-mile oval situated in New Jersey that served as the proving ground for many notable figures such as Ray Evernham and 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr.

With the support of Bolen’s money, Hartwig Jr. was poised to write his own chapter in Wall Stadium’s proud history. After enjoying plenty of success in a quarter-midget, he took the next step in his development by moving into a Bandolero in 2005, which he raced inside Wall Stadium’s infield.

All of Hartwig’s racing plans hit a major obstacle in 2006 when Bolen passed away. The loss was devastating in multiple regards, and Hartwig realized the only way he could feasibly continue his career was by doing everything himself.

Hartwig recalls plenty of tough periods during his quest to continue racing by self-funding. He briefly lived out of a hotel in 2007, which was mentally straining, but it only served to motivate him to keep making progress.

It took many hard lessons for Hartwig to achieve sustainability as a competitor. Branching away from Wall Stadium was the catalyst for him to find balance, as it allowed him to experience different environments and build connections with other racing figures in the northeast.

“I was a hothead when I was younger,” he said. “I didn’t wreck a lot, but I didn’t make a lot of friends. The best thing to ever happen to me was traveling to New York, running Evergreen Raceway and Mahoning Valley [Speedway]. That really opened me up to a whole new world of racing, because all I knew when I was younger was Wall Stadium.”

Although he lacked the resources enjoyed by his fellow competitors, Hartwig never backed down from a challenge and tallied several accolades during his career. One of his proudest moments as a competitor was besting his childhood hero Matt Hirschman for the victory in a Modified event at Evergreen back in 2016.

Paul Hartwig Jr.
By traveling around the country and going up against several talented drivers, Paul Hartwig Jr. (73) found his identity as a competitor. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)

Determination is a quality Hartwig has instilled into Paulie III throughout his own journey. The second-generation racer already has several achievements on his resume with Modified victories at tracks like North Wilkesboro Speedway, along with a pole in the prestigious Islip 300 at Riverhead Raceway.

The driver Paulie beat for that pole was Hirschman.

Paulie is still ascertaining all the fundamentals of Modified competition, particularly against the seasoned veterans, but he credits his father for helping him find a comfort zone. The primary piece of advice Paulie has absorbed from his dad is to be smart, as strong performances play a crucial role in the family getting to the track.

“Every single week, he’s said to me as long as we get a top 10, that pays the tire bill,” Paulie said. “We definitely have a good car to win, but it matters where we start. I’m a terrible pill drawer, and have not gotten inside the top two yet. We start way too far back, so we want to ride and save.

“[My dad] says it doesn’t matter where we finish, as long as it’s inside the top 10.”

From day one, Hartwig Jr. has drawn on his own experiences to help mentor Paulie. There are several moments Hartwig wishes he could redo as a competitor, but he is using those mistakes and shortcomings to provide his son several valuable lessons on what he needs to thrive behind the wheel.

Those teachings molded Paulie into a competitor capable of not only winning on pavement facilities, but also dirt tracks. The most recent outing for Paulie saw him take home a checkered flag in a dirt sportsman car at All-Tech Speedway on Feb. 8, one day before Junior began his last week of racing at New Smyrna.

Hartwig always knew his son was capable of being a great driver. The process toward optimizing Paulie’s talents has been arduous at times but also rewarding in many regards.

“I’ve worked very hard with him since he was three years old in the backyard with a go-kart,” Hartwig said. “I just pushed him as far as I could, to every limit he had, and he never failed me. He’s always taken on everything that I’ve put him in. There’s nothing he’s driven yet where he’s lost it.”

Paul Hartwig Jr.
Racing has always been a vital part of Paul Hartwig Jr.’s life; a passion he is now passing down to his son Paulie Hartwig III.

Expectations remain high for both Hartwigs as they move on from New Smyrna to focus on a busy 2025 schedule. Paulie intends to participate in several Modified events across the northeast and southeast, all while Hartwig Jr. keeps a watchful eye and guides his son through any questions or obstacles.

Every opportunity for Paulie to race against his dad made him a better driver and bolstered his appreciation for Hartwig’s career. Paulie knows how much his father sacrificed just to stay involved in racing, which is why he believes his dad will climb back into a car one day soon.

“I know it’s not going to be his last race,” Paulie said. “We love racing with each other all the time, so I believe he’s going to race a couple more this year.”

Despite Paulie’s optimism about his dad’s potential return to racing, Hartwig Jr. is content shifting his responsibilities over to exclusively being a team owner and father. By focusing more on his son’s future, Hartwig believes he can put him in the best position to advance up the developmental ladder.

With his time as a driver now over, Hartwig can not help but reflect on his own journey. Two decades of competition flew by for the seasoned Modified competitor, which featured tribulations but also plenty of great memories. He still cherishes his race-winning drive over Hirschman to this day.

Legacy is not something with which Hartwig is overly concerned. He made plenty of enemies — but also plenty of fans — over the past 22 years. What matters to him now is doing whatever it takes to keep Paulie in an environment where he can showcase how much talent he possesses.

“The only way we’re going to excel is if we get some backing to follow us,” Hartwig said. “We have very good equipment, but we don’t have the backing to run the equipment top-notch like we need to.”

New Smyrna was the end of one chapter for Hartwig, but the beginning of another. He is never going to stop supporting Paulie’s racing endeavors, and he looks forward to seeing what his son accomplishes over what he hopes is a prolonged span in racing — just like the one he enjoyed.