Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With a famous last name and a resume worthy of it, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pondered if owning a NASCAR Cup Series team was truly his destiny.

JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team he and Kelley Earnhardt Miller have helmed since 2005, has gone on to net rousing success with 88 wins and four drivers championships in the stock-car rank just beneath the top-level Cup Series, where Earnhardt Jr. and his late father Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time champion, enjoyed significant success.

RELATED: Daytona 500 results | At-track photos

Getting JRM to the Cup Series has long been a desire for Dale Jr. He just wasn’t sure where that motive originated.

“Sometimes you wonder, because of growing up in the sport and your last name, are you making yourself do this because it’s what you think you’re supposed to do? Do you really want to do it?” Earnhardt Jr. said Sunday.

He learned after the 2025 Daytona 500 that the answer is a resounding yes.

JR Motorsports made its Cup debut appearance in the 67th annual “Great American Race” with reigning Xfinity champion Justin Allgaier piloting the No. 40 Chevrolet to a remarkable ninth-place finish in the program’s inaugural outing. A historian of the sport — and a two-time Daytona 500 champion himself — Earnhardt Jr. felt no need to hide his elation after an emotionally trying yet tremendously rewarding Speedweeks.

“It really was good for me, I think, to come here and experience this to see if it was truly something that I felt like I wanted,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “[…] I think this helped me understand that I do want to be here personally. I do feel like it’s what I should be striving for.”

A revelation all the same, there is little, if any, surprise that Earnhardt found the answer he was looking for. Earnhardt has longed for a chance to see his team expand into Cup. But now that this Daytona 500 effort confirmed any of those lingering questions, one remains: How does JRM find its way to full-time status on Sundays?

“We’re always ready. Have been for years, so we’ll see,” Earnhardt said. “When we started putting this deal together, I told Kelley, you never know what this experience might drum up and in terms of interest for some partners that want to help us get here full time.”

MORE: Earnhardt on complex relationship with Daytona

Earnhardt understands if fans are exhausted after hearing rumors of JRM’s interest in Cup racing without a definitive timeline or path to that moment’s rise. But for him and Earnhardt Miller to contest a full-time team in the NASCAR Cup Series, the timing has always had to be right. That includes doing it with the right partners to provide the necessary funding. This time, it was country music star Chris Stapleton and his brand, Traveller Whiskey, who helped bring the No. 40 Chevrolet to the track. Whether it’s Traveller Whiskey in the future or other interested sponsors, Earnhardt hopes the right situation comes along to help JRM reach its ultimate Cup Series aspirations.

“We’ve been on the phone and at the table with other people that were interested in investing in charters that didn’t work out,” Earnhardt said. “But we could have some brand new conversations. So you just wait and see. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”

Justin Allgaier drives the JRM No. 40 Chevrolet in the Daytona garage.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

What was meant to be Sunday night was a splendid performance from Allgaier, who proved JRM hired the right driver and the right crewmen to fight for 502.5 miles around Daytona International Speedway. A staple of NASCAR’s national series since 2009 (and with sporadic starts prior), Allgaier muscled through multiple on-track mishaps in the “Great American Race” to score his second career Cup Series top 10 in his 83rd start, netting his first such result since an eighth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015.

As he stood on pit road next to his chariot, Allgaier looked back and saw the entire left-front fender ripped from his Chevrolet, the story of his night, he said, was “perseverance.”

“When you know you’re coming for a one-off, you know that this is going to be a unique experience,” Allgaier said. “People, equipment, tools. I mean, there’s so much stuff. I’ve already said it once, but just so thankful to having great people around us. Thankful for Hendrick Motorsports giving us a guy like Greg Ives to be able to use as a crew chief and have more knowledge, right?

“I think that this car has closed the gap so much to everything we’ve ever done, and to start a team in this sport right now is so hard. And what we accomplished today, it wasn’t pretty. We weren’t the fastest car on the race track all night. We didn’t do the best thing all night. I didn’t make the right moves 99% of the time. But when it’s all said and done, we came out of here with a race car that rolls and a solid top 10 finish. It’s hard to be sad about that. But, man, I’m really proud of what they accomplished and for allowing me to be a really smart part of it.”

Earnhardt believes that JR Motorsports “can be successful here” if it indeed works its way to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. So while Allgaier may have achieved JRM’s first top-10 finish in Cup, Earnhardt sees more ahead.

“I think that with the new charter model, it’s more economical to be here,” Earnhardt said. “And so I feel like with our ability to draw interest in terms of sponsorship and support, it’s an economical model for us with the new charter agreement, and I feel like that the charters will continue to increase in value. So if there’s somebody that watches what we’re doing here that’s not involved in the sport but would invest in this, we would be a good partner to consider because we know we have a good business model in the Xfinity Series. We know we have the ability to bring sponsor interest to our teams to be able to help fund our operation.

“But I think the overall hurdle is the initial investment in the charter. And I can put some money in, but I cannot — I will not, even if I had it — I would not buy the entire thing myself. I can’t risk my kids’ inheritance and future on some idea of my own. That’s a selfish thing. But I would certainly want to be an investor in any charter that we would be involved in. And the charters, I think, are at the value now to where you almost have to have partners to get in if you’re somebody like myself. But we’ll see.”

In the meantime, the thrill of competing and succeeding in the Daytona 500 is a moment the Earnhardts and all involved will savor forever.

“I’ll remember this race for a long time,” Allgaier said. “Regardless of the finish or any of the other stuff, just the emotions of the whole week. I’ll remember this experience for a long time.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR could be heading back into the spotlight of Hollywood — and Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon has its full endorsement.

After William Byron’s second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, Gordon spoke about a potential sequel to “Days of Thunder,” a 1990 film that starred Gordon’s close friend, Tom Cruise. The Golden Globe Award-winning actor plays Cole Trickle, who is recruited to join the Winston Cup Series after a career in open-wheel racing. Trickle builds a rivalry with veteran racer Rowdy Burns, but after both are injured in a crash, they bury their feud and become close friends.

With many new digital and streaming platforms, Gordon wants to see the film happen with Cruise returning as a star.

MORE: Atlanta weekend schedule | Daytona 500 Race Rewind

“There’s this kind of resurgence, which is awesome, and there’s also a whole new landscape of opportunities with streaming services and docuseries and also the big screen, which I think it would be amazing to do,” Gordon said Sunday night. “I am seeing just a lot more momentum in projects like this coming through NASCAR and coming to Hendrick Motorsports and just more interest. So that’s good, right? It talks a lot about where the sport is at, where it’s heading, the amazing crowd that was [at Daytona], not just today, new TV partners.

“I’ve absolutely talked to Tom about it because I want him to do the project, and we want to be a part of it if it were to happen.”

Thirty-five years later, the technology is much different. Paramount Pictures placed large cameras inside cars during races for the film, but with NASCAR’s Driver Cam feature on Max, it could present a real possibility for the creation of a sequel.

“Hendrick Motorsports being a part of that project, hard to imagine how you pull that off today because they actually had race cars with cameras in the race, and the cameras were big,” Gordon said. “Cameras have gotten a lot smaller so maybe you could pull it off, but how do you do it and make it realistic and really authentic.

“We’ll see what happens. If that doesn’t happen, I feel pretty confident there’s a project out there that will get NASCAR back on the big screen, if not just a really cool docuseries or something beyond even what we’re already seeing right now.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

William Byron won his second straight Daytona 500 and the “Great American Race” opened the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a bang.

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the 2025 Daytona 500  and before the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

RELATED: 2025 Cup Series schedule | Full Cup Series standings

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

20. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Not ranked last week)

High: 20 | Low: Out

Analysis: As per usual, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner was in contention at a superspeedway, leading four laps and ultimately falling just shy of his first top 10 at the track since the 2022 “Great American Race.” Overall, it’s a solid start for his first points race with Spire Motorsports, and with another superspeedway on tap this weekend — one at which he led 27-plus laps in each race last year — it would be a mild surprise to see him not crack the top 10 on Sunday.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

19. Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (-2)

High: 17 | Low: 19

Analysis: Twenty years of trying … will have to turn into at least 21 years, as Busch, once again, had a shot to win the Daytona 500 before things got derailed late, not of his own doing. He does seem to have brought that typical “Rowdy” edge into 2025 though, and it feels essentially impossible that he gets shut out of Victory Lane two seasons in a row. On the heartbreaking end of 2024’s incredible Atlanta finish in the early season race, look for him to come into this weekend looking to make up for both last weekend and last year.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

18. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (-5)

High: 13 | Low: 18

Analysis: On the bright side, SVG finished his first Daytona 500 with his car still running — but, bad news, he was the last driver in the finishing order for that to be the case, and he finished eight laps down, behind even some cars that wrecked. The 2025 Daytona 500 and all of Speedweek were tough on Trackhouse, but there’s still plenty of optimism entering Week 2, especially considering the team is the defending race winner. As far as van Gisbergen, he might not be in the mix this weekend, but he may be the presumptive favorite the week after at Circuit of The Americas.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

17. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford (-1)

High: 16 | Low: 17

Analysis: Keselowski did not find the front of the field in the 500, unlike his fellow Ford and former Team Penske cohorts, settling for a P26, albeit with a solid 20 points after a P2 in Stage 1. Not quite the way the 2012 champion, still in search of his first Harley J. Earl Trophy, wanted to kick off 2025, but the superspeedway star and two-time Atlanta winner should have a shot at a quick rebound this weekend. Though both wins came on the former layout for the Georgia track, Keselowski did lead 47 laps en route to a runner-up in this race in 2023.

ty gibbs

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

16. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (+4)

High: 16 | Low: 20

Analysis: Toyota seemed to have a tick more speed than it typically has had in recent years at Daytona and, while he has yet to lead a lap at the track, Gibbs looks like a driver who will be able to hang around races and keep it clean long enough to find his way to Victory Lane there eventually (keep this in mind if he’s still looking for win No. 1 by, say, late August). He has led laps at Atlanta, however, including 37 paces out front in last year’s playoff race, so he could make it three straight years of landing in the top 10 there in the spring race.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

15. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (-4)

High: 11 | Low: 15

Analysis: As there tends to be each year, there was plenty of buzz about Wallace finally cracking through for a Daytona 500 win in 2025 and he certainly seemed to have the car to do it after winning his Duel and then leading 18 laps in the big race itself. And as there tends to be each year, heartbreak then ensued for No. 23 as he was cleared out in the Lap 197 wreck just shy of the checkered flag. Atlanta will be an interesting one for him — while he has just one top 10 in 11 tries there, it was in this race last year and Wallace has led multiple laps in four of his last six starts at the Georgia track.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

14. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (-5)

High: 9 | Low: 14

Analysis: Waiting out a lengthy rain delay only to wreck out on Lap 70 after the race resumes and finish 40th for one total point is just about the worst way to start a potential championship run, but Chastain has nowhere to go but up and nothing about Daytona really impacts the notion that he looked just as worthy of contention as the title chasers during last year’s playoffs as a non-playoff driver. It was only a few seasons ago that he turned in dual runner-ups in Atlanta’s races and it probably won’t take too long for him to dig out of the early season hole he finds himself in.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

13. Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (+6)

High: 13 | Low: 19

Analysis: With such a talented and unprecedented four-car lineup for the Daytona 500, Trackhouse Racing probably wasn’t hoping that Suárez’s 13th-place showing would be its best of the weekend, but here we are. For No. 99, himself, it was a solid, 29-point opening, however, and, as he enters the weekend as the defending race-winner in one of the greatest finishes of all time, perhaps there is still reason to smile coming out of Daytona.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

12. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (-4)

High: 8 | Low: 12

Analysis: Bell is still going to have a monster 2025 season, but Daytona surely could’ve gone plenty better for him; No. 20 leaves Florida with just 13 total points for an uncharacteristic 28th-place spot in the standings. That will all be erased in due time, and with two top fives at Atlanta in the past four races, the reckoning should come as soon as Sunday.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

11. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (+3)

High: 11 | Low: 14

Analysis: It’s quite surprising that Bowman has yet to win a superspeedway race in a full-time Cup Series career that — where does the time go? — is about to enter Year 11, seeing as he has won a Daytona 500 pole, always seems to be in the mix and was Chevy’s laps-led leader on Sunday, even more than race winner and teammate William Byron. At some point that will obviously no longer be the case and he turned in one of his best Atlanta showings just a few short months ago in the playoff opener, so it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him join his pal “Slick Bill” in the provisional postseason field come Sunday night.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

10. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford (–)

High: 10 | Low: 10

Analysis: Buescher has shown over the past few years that he’s strong just about everywhere, but he’s certainly among the crop that comes to mind these days when thinking of drivers that are “good at superspeedways” and Daytona once again backed that up, landing sixth in Stage 2 and 10th overall for his ninth top 10 at the track. Overall, he has a 20.5 average finish at Atlanta, but that is significantly weighed down by three crashes since 2022 and subpar runs in underfunded equipment early in his career. In short, if he keeps it clean on Sunday, he should battle for at least a top 10 and probably more.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

9. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (+6)

High: 9 | Low: 15

Analysis: Briscoe introduced himself to Toyota Nation in just about the best way possible — by going out and giving the manufacturer its first Daytona 500 pole for his first points race with Joe Gibbs Racing. He only wound up pacing the field for four laps of the Daytona 500, but he still made the most of it, landing fourth overall to walk away with 33 points. Hopefully, for him, that speed carries over to Atlanta, as Briscoe has never finished in the top 10 there and hasn’t even landed in the top 20 since 2022.

 

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

8.  Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-1)

High: 7 | Low: 8

Analysis: You know, it speaks volumes about you as a driver when you finish a messy Daytona with a clean race car on the lead lap in 20th and yet your boss fields a question about your superspeedway abilities and says it’s a “head-scratcher.” In other words, Larson is in a class of his own and perfection is expected almost everywhere; so it’s just odd to see him “struggle” at these tracks. It will surely be brought up again this weekend and, to be fair, No. 5 has four straight finishes outside the top 30 at Atlanta, all crash-induced, but there isn’t a soul out there who doubts his actual racing abilities and it’s likely at some point in his career this stigma will be a thing of the past. That said, Kyle, you could do yourself a favor and just win on Sunday to cool the temp a bit, yeah?

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

7. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (+5)

High: 7 | Low: 12

Analysis: In my mind, you’re looking at the MVP of Speedweek, even if he came up short of the Harley J. Earl Trophy. No matter the on-track activity, Cindric was making his presence known all over Daytona and it’s become abundantly clear that his 2022 “Great American Race” win was anything but a fluke, emerging as one of the best superspeedway racers in his young career already. It’s obviously super early but I’m sniffing a deep playoff run here and as one of the best racers at Atlanta the past five outings there (with 92 laps led last fall) he could lock up his postseason spot as early as Sunday.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

6. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-3)

High: 3 | Low: 6

Analysis: Elliott wasn’t able to join his father on the list of drivers to win The Clash and the Daytona 500 in the same season (this year, at least) but settled for a 30-point, 15th-place result at the 500 when the third-place finisher only garnered an additional three points? … That’ll do. The No. 9 driver now gets to return to his home state in search of his second win there and, with eight top 10s in 12 tries and a strong 11.5 average finish, it’s become one of his best tracks.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

5. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (-1)

High: 4 | Low: 5

Analysis: Six laps led, finished on the lead lap, had a shot at the end and … landed P24 with a measly 13 points when all was said and done. Such is Daytona. Hamlin will continue his search for a fourth Harley J. Earl next year, but for now, he’ll set his eyes on his second Atlanta victory — and, if it happens, first in nearly a decade and a half (2012). Nobody questions his superspeedway prowess, but it hasn’t translated to solid finishes at the revamped at Atlanta yet, with just one top 10 there since 2021.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (+1)

High: 4 | Low: 5

Analysis: Maybe it’s a laid-back Californian, fashionably late kind-of-thing, but Reddick sure seems to have a Kevin-Harvick-like knack for coming out of nowhere at the end of races and squeezing out strong finishes, like his sudden Daytona 500 runner-up despite no laps led. That’s a skill that will pay dividends throughout his career (as it did for the 60-time Cup winner and Hall of Fame lock from Bakersfield) and with a pair of top fives at Atlanta across the past two seasons don’t be surprised if he emerges from any late-race haze holding the checkered flag on Sunday. | MORE: Reddick ‘just kept going’ for runner-up finish in Daytona 500

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (-1)

High: 2 | Low: 3

Analysis: Boy, it sure looked like Logano was headed toward his second Daytona 500 crown — exactly a decade after his first — to keep it rolling straight off his third Cup Series title. Alas, the hole he was trying to squeeze into late on Sunday night was not there — especially if you ask Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon — and he took a good chunk of the field out with him. Not to worry, however, as Logano is always eager to win at his “other” home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway and will line up as one of the favorites for this weekend after claiming the playoff opener last year en route to the championship. | MORE: Logano: ‘Tried to back out and couldn’t’ after crash ends Daytona 500 bid

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

2. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (-1)

High: 1 | Low: 2

Analysis: Is Blaney the best superspeedway racer in the sport? It’s tough to say, but he seemingly is always leading a bunch of laps and in the mix at the end no matter when or where we go to one, and the 2023 champ once again dominated at Daytona with a Stage 2 win and race-high 48 points to begin the season atop the standings. He’s a recent (2021) Atlanta winner and has led multiple laps in every race there but one since 2018 so it would be the biggest shock of the season so far if he were not to be competitive again this weekend.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

1. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (+5)

High: 1 | Low: 5

Analysis: Two years in a row this guy wins the Daytona 500, and two years in a row he starts the season out on top here. He’s also gone to the Championship 4 in back-to-back years and he — quite literally — has the best shot of anybody at the moment to get back there in 2025. The world is yours, William Byron, and you’re clearly showing why all those years ago Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon entrusted you with being a big part of the future of Hendrick Motorsports, already delivering accolades well beyond your 27 years on earth with no ceiling in sight. As far as Atlanta goes, he very well might open the season with two straight wins — Byron has a pair of Georgia victories in the past few years as well and may be the overall favorite to win entering the weekend. | MORE: Byron threads needle, enters Daytona ether with back-to-back 500s

Posted on by Jerry Bonkowski

Last February’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was truly an extraordinary race, as it resulted in the closest three-wide finish — .007 seconds from first to third — in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Every driver, as well as fans who blew up social media after the race, knew they had been part of or witnessed something extremely rare and special.

RELATED: Suárez slips past Blaney, Busch in three-wide finish

Last month, NASCAR brought together the top three finishers — winner Daniel Suárez, runner-up Ryan Blaney and third-place Kyle Busch — plus their respective crew chiefs and spotters — to the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, North Carolina, to relive the thrilling photo finish outcome of a race that is sure to be talked about for decades to come.

Now airing on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, fans can catch the appropriately named “So Damn Close” — a documentary hosted by driver-turned-broadcaster Clint Bowyer — and once again watch how the race excitingly transpired, but from a new vantage point.

“We could tell this story in a lot of ways, including interview each guy individually and get their own perspective, which would be in a more traditional way of doing it,” said Griffin Van Malssen, NASCAR Studios’ supervising producer for unscripted content. “But we thought what would really make this show stand out is to have all these guys together and able to bounce off each other and learn things from each other, and talk about what they were thinking. We wanted them to navigate and relive the race together.”

The end result is a rare and fascinating up-close illustration of synergy and strategy between drivers, crew chiefs and spotters that fans don’t often have a chance to experience.

Equally as fascinating was how Van Malssen and his crew of nearly 30 camerapersons, producers and editors pulled everything together in just over a month’s time.

“It was stressful,” he said. “Having to line all these people up wasn’t easy, knowing we had to have time to do (the interviews) and then having time to edit it all together. But everybody pitched in and understood how important the show was going to be, how cool it was going to be and having everyone together was going to make it special. It was awesome to just have it all come together.

“There’s not one single frame, other than footage from the original race, that was part of this until (the taping at the Gem Theatre on) January 8. The team really went into overdrive to put together an hour-long show. Sometimes, we have months to put together something like this, and they did it in weeks. I’m really proud of the team and thankful for all the work they put in and how fun and interesting and exciting they made the show. That’s what stands out about all this.”

That Suárez would ultimately earn his second career Cup Series win, despite his Chevrolet suffering minor damage in a multicar crash on Lap 2, is a testament to his and his team Trackhouse Racing’s persistence and determination to take the checkered flag.

“Any of us could have won that race,” Suárez said of the three-car last-lap battle to the checkered flag. “It was a matter of inches. It was just a matter of timing. Fortunately, the timing worked out good for me.”

And in so doing, Suárez, Blaney and Busch will forever be part of history in a race they and NASCAR fans will likely never forget.

“That replay will be played forever,” Bowyer said. “You think about the moments that we still use of Richard Petty’s wins or Dale Earnhardt’s wins; those are still used today. That finish will be a hard one to top.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rolls into Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Fr8 208 on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Weekend schedule

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will make his first of five starts with Spire Motorsports, while another Spire entry will be filled by 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, who will contest his second Truck Series race in a row.

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

EntryVeh #DriverOrganization
11William Sawalich (i)Tricon Garage
202Nathan ByrdYoung's Motorsports
32Keith McGeeReaume Brothers Racing
45Toni BreidingerTricon Garage
507Michael McDowell (i)Spire Motorsports
67Kyle Busch (i)Spire Motorsports
79Grant EnfingerCR7 Motorsports
811Corey Heim Tricon Garage
913Jake GarciaThorSport Racing
1015Tanner GrayTricon Garage
1117Giovanni RuggieroTricon Garage
1218Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing
1319Daniel HemricMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing
1422Josh ReaumeReaume Brothers Racing
1526Dawson SuttonRackley W.A.R
1633Frankie MunizReaume Brothers Racing
1734Layne RiggsFront Row Motorsports
1838Chandler SmithFront Row Motorsports
1942Matt MillsNiece Motorsports
2044Bayley CurreyNiece Motorsports
2145Kaden HoneycuttNiece Motorsports
2252Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen Racing
2366Luke FenhausThorSport Racing
2471Rajah CaruthSpire Motorsports
2576Spencer BoydFreedom Racing Enterprises
2677Andrés Pérez de LaraSpire Motorsports
2781Connor MosackMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing
2888Matt CraftonThorSport Racing
2990Justin CarrollTerry Carroll Motorsports
3091Jack WoodMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing
3198Ty MajeskiThorSport Racing
3299Ben RhodesThorSport Racing
3363Akinori OgataAkinori Performance

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday for the Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the second race of the 2025 season.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

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
1318William SawalichJoe Gibbs Racing
1419Aric AlmirolaJoe Gibbs Racing
1520Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs Racing
1621Austin HillRichard Childress Racing
1725Harrison BurtonAM Racing
1826Dean ThompsonSam Hunt Racing
1927Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson Racing
2028Kyle SiegRSS Racing
2131Blaine PerkinsJordan Anderson Racing
2235Joey GaseJoey Gase Motorsports
2339Ryan SiegRSS Racing
2441Sam MayerHaas Factory Team
2542Anthony AlfredoYoung's Motorsports
2644Brennan PooleAlpha Prime Racing
2745Mason MasseyAlpha Prime Racing
2848Nick SanchezBig Machine Racing
2951Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements Racing
3053Mason MaggioJoey Gase Motorsports
3154Taylor GrayJoe Gibbs Racing
3270Leland Honeyman Jr.Cope Family Racing
3371Ryan EllisDGM Racing
3474Carson WareMike Harmon Racing
3588Connor ZilischJR Motorsports
3691Josh BilickiDGM Racing
3792CJ McLaughlinDGM Racing
3899Matt DiBenedettoViking Motorsports
Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series treks to Atlanta Motor Speedway to race in the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Weekend schedule

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

EntryVeh #DriverOrganization
101Corey LaJoieRick Ware Racing
21Ross ChastainTrackhouse Racing
32Austin CindricTeam Penske
43Austin DillonRichard Childress Racing
54Noah GragsonFront Row Motorsports
65Kyle LarsonHendrick Motorsports
76Brad KeselowskiRFK Racing
87Justin HaleySpire Motorsports
98Kyle BuschRichard Childress Racing
109Chase ElliottHendrick Motorsports
1110Ty DillonKaulig Racing
1211Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing
1312Ryan BlaneyTeam Penske
1416AJ AllmendingerKaulig Racing
1517Chris BuescherRFK Racing
1619Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing
1720Christopher BellJoe Gibbs Racing
1821Josh BerryWood Brothers Racing
1922Joey LoganoTeam Penske
2023Bubba Wallace23XI Racing
2124William ByronHendrick Motorsports
2234Todd GillilandFront Row Motorsports
2335Riley Herbst23XI Racing
2438Zane SmithFront Row Motorsports
2541Cole CusterHaas Factory Team
2642John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor Club
2743Erik JonesLegacy Motor Club
2844J.J. YeleyNY Racing Team
2945Tyler Reddick23XI Racing
3047Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Hyak Motorsports
3148Alex BowmanHendrick Motorsports
3251Cody WareRick Ware Racing
3354Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing
3460Ryan PreeceRFK Racing
3571Michael McDowellSpire Motorsports
3677Carson HocevarSpire Motorsports
3778BJ McLeod (i)Live Fast Motorsports
3888Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse Racing
3999Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on by Nate Ryan

Joey Logano rallied from a lap down to nearly win the 67th Daytona 500, but those moves weren’t why some were pointing fingers at the three-time Cup champion afterward.

On Lap 186 of a scheduled 200, Logano swung from the outside line to the middle in an attempt to reach third by squeezing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney. But Stenhouse blocked and was tapped in the left rear by Logano, triggering an eight-car crash on the backstretch.

RELATED: At-track photos | Race results

Among the victims was Kyle Busch, who had been running fifth in pursuit of a breakthrough Daytona 500 win in his 20th attempt.

“Looks like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck,” said the Richard Childress Racing driver, whose No. 8 Chevrolet finished 34th. “Logano was by far the fastest car today. Saw a lot of laps led. And he could about do anything. The Penske cars were very strong.

“We still got (15) laps to go, and he’s trying to go through the middle and make a hole that isn’t there and just created chaos. I hate it for all of our guys. We had a fast car, and we were in position and just kind of biding our time. You’ve got to know how wide your race car is to be able to find a hole that it’ll fit in, and he obviously doesn’t know that.”

The criticism of Logano continued two hours later during the winner’s news conference in the Daytona International Speedway media center, where three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon took an unprompted shot at the three-time Cup champion.

“Joey did,” Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, responded when race winner William Byron was asked if “people made dumb moves.”

Byron chuckled and said, “Yeah, that’s fair,” after Gordon’s comment on Logano.

“I think it’s just the nature of these cars don’t push and receive pushes very easily,” Byron said. “It looks like it’s in control, but the car has a lot of drag. So when you come off the corner, it’s easy to get to somebody’s bumper. But the cars don’t get pushed easily. You have your hands full the whole straightaway.”

RELATED: Logano turns Stenhouse | Huge wreck late takes out big names

Logano, whose No. 22 Ford led three times for 43 laps, felt urgency to move into position behind the first-place car of Penske teammate Austin Cindric, who led a race-high 59 laps. So he decided to dive in front of Noah Gragson, hoping for a push past Stenhouse and Blaney to the rear of Cindric’s No. 2 Ford.

“I had to get to the second car in line to have a chance to win the thing,” said Logano, who later added that “(Stenhouse) had a bit of an indecisive moment, and that’s what gets you in trouble at times is when you kind of have to pick one.”

He said he initially slowed for Stenhouse’s block, then hit the accelerator again when he thought Stenhouse would stay in the top lane, “but he kept coming down. I am checking up, but at that point, the checkup has already happened behind me. Everybody is all over each other, and I was getting shoved into it. I can’t get out of it, and then we made contact. It is unfortunate.”

Interviewed by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass before having seen a replay, Stenhouse tempered his view of Logano’s move.

“I feel like the holes were pretty small he was trying to fill,” Stenhouse said. “I got a couple of late blocks on him as we were making our runs up through there, and I was hoping he would stick with me, him and LaJoie. We were getting ready to drive to first, second and third with still 10 to go.

“I’d have to go back and watch. I feel like maybe he was trying to fill the gap and then him and somebody else got together and hit me in the left rear.”

Though the 2015 Daytona 5000 winner came up short in his quest for a second win in the “Great American Race,” Logano could take some solace in an impressive rebound from debris in his car’s throttle body that caused his engine to begin lagging on the Stage 2 restart. He lost a lap for multiple pit stops as his team tried to diagnose the issue, but he zoomed from 35th to eighth at the end of Stage 2.

Logano still salvaged a playoff point with his Stage 1 victory.

“Something to get out of the day and take a positive out of it,” he said. “Had a fast car. Just wasn’t able to get it done this year.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway finally returned its loaner car to team leader Rick Hendrick on Sunday, giving the No. 24 Chevrolet that William Byron drove to victory in the 2024 Daytona 500 back to its rightful owner after a year of ceremonial display. The 75-year-old automotive mogul mused about what was at stake later that day — a 10th win in the 500, which would put Hendrick Motorsports one ahead of Petty Enterprises atop the all-time record books.

Hours after the prerace ceremony where last year’s car was presented back to the team, Byron made sure the record was broken and that it was an even, one-for-one swap with this year’s model. He also made sure not to rush through the moment, letting the elation take its full effect.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“I think that I’m not much of a historian, I guess. Like, I’m still in the midst of my career and just continuing to progress, but really special the ceremony that they have here and everything that we were able to be a part of, and I think it’ll be just as special next year,” Byron said. “Last year, I guess, I was a little bit — I was looking ahead really quickly about the rest of the season. I think this year, I’ll enjoy this race and then we’ll get down the road and get focused on the year.”

Byron entered the “Great American Race” stratosphere with a needle-threading triumph in Sunday’s 67th edition, extending his Speedweeks reign to a second consecutive campaign. Just four drivers — Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin — had gone back-to-back in the 500, and all four are among NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. Sunday night, Byron made that list five.

With last year’s win, Byron continued to carve his own path with the No. 24, a car number Jeff Gordon — now Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman — made famous as a driver. This year, Byron strengthened his bond with Daytona, a track that yielded the first of his now 14 NASCAR Cup Series victories. At 27, he also became the youngest winner with multiple Daytona 500 crowns, a stat that pipped the previous mark set by Gordon.

“I hope he breaks them all,” Gordon said, smiling alongside Byron. “I’m in full support of that.”

Byron’s title defense looked strong early as he led seven of the first 15 laps — a span that included the day’s longest of two red flags for rain. The team’s execution — which Byron touted as a focal point throughout the week — kept him in the hunt for the home stretch, where the jostling intensified and when a till-then-dominant Team Penske fizzled in the chaos.

Byron was in ninth place as he flashed under the white flag, mired back in the same unenviable spot he held a lap before when the overtime dash began. Up front was Austin Cindric with Hamlin in tow, and the two former Daytona 500 champions seemed in line to settle the “Great American Race” again.

Their elbows weren’t sharp enough, and the 40 feet of racing surface wasn’t wide enough. The almost prerequisite 11th-hour rooting and gouging ended in contact that swept Hamlin toward the wall and Cindric toward the apron, with the other front-runners scattering in their wake. The No. 24 Chevy chugged by in the high line, narrowly missing the melee. Byron was somehow home free, and crew chief Rudy Fugle was incredulous, saying he looked at the monitor atop the pit box, wondering how his driver had sprung so far forward.

“Personally, last year, that win brought me to tears,” said Fugle, who starts his fifth Cup Series season as Byron’s crew chief. “And then this win, it brought me to laughter is what I said just because — I looked up, and we’re getting ready to win, and it was just amazing. Here we were. Two totally different emotions. If we build a good enough team, things like this happen more times than not, and that’s what we’ve been working on. It’ll hopefully just become easier and easier as we go.”

SHOP: Daytona 500 winner gear

The good-fortune factor also hit home with Gordon.

“Today, I was pretty shocked because you kind of — you get the buildup and anticipation of, man, I think we’re in position to win this thing, and you get tense because you want it for them, and you want it for the organization,” Gordon said. “But today, I wasn’t like that at all. I was like, ‘Oh, well, darn. I guess we’re not going to get it this year.’ Then here we are. It was kind of a wild ride.”

Less surprised was Byron, who circled the team effort as a prime factor. The meticulous Daytona preparation came even as both driver and team made the most of their last blasts of free time in the offseason, with Byron exploring the world with an international travel spree and Fugle giving the No. 24 team the day off for a golf outing on the Friday before Daytona week — even as he suspected other teams were busy thrashing on their cars to get ready for the season’s biggest race.

Byron and Co. found their rhythm at the right time, and as for the improbable ninth-to-first vault on the final lap, Byron said he initially wasn’t sure what to make of it but pushed back on any notion that it was a fluke.

“Yeah, obviously, it worked out in a fortunate way for us, but it’s not all luck to win twice in a row,” Byron said. “It’s a lot of teamwork and a lot of talking with my spotter and us three working together and making the most of it. Definitely fortunate but definitely a lot of teamwork.”

MORE: Full Daytona 500 winner history | 2025 Cup Series schedule

No driver has ever won the Daytona 500 three consecutive times, but Byron and his crew are more than happy to keep rotating cars through the track’s figurative display case. “Can we just do this every year?” Gordon laughed. “Feels good.”

Gordon says Hendrick will have plans for the white-with-flames No. 24 Chevrolet that just came back to the fold, just as he will for the blue-and-red-with-flames No. 24 that Byron made a winner Sunday night. The NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee is an avid collector and preserver — of both street cars and historic racers. Putting Daytona 500 winners on display at the track only delays the gratification by a year — a trade-off the company will gladly take.

“When he sees those cars,” Gordon says, “that’s him reminding himself how fortunate he feels like he is to be a part of this sport in the way that he is.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — All week at Daytona International Speedway, members of the newly revamped and reinvigorated Legacy Motor Club team have insisted this season will be an improved, exciting, hopefully triumphant chapter in the young organization’s story.

Sunday night’s Daytona 500 outing was a fairytale-like season start, with team owner-driver Jimmie Johnson surging from 15th place with one lap remaining to finish third at the overtime checkered flag. Driver John Hunter Nemechek matched the energy with a career-best fifth-place performance, and teammate Erik Jones rallied to 12th place in the famed No. 43 Toyota despite it suffering a little damage in a late-race accident only four laps before the checkered flag.

It marked the best trio of finishes for the team since the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson became majority owner of the organization.

RELATED: Race results | Race Rewind

The third-place showing for Johnson is the best for the NASCAR Hall of Famer since a third-place finish in 2020 at Dover Motor Speedway — his last full-time season in the sport before venturing off to run IndyCars in 2021-22. He’s made only 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2023 after becoming a team owner.

None as impactful as Sunday night.

“This feels incredible,” said Johnson, 49. “I have emotions I didn’t expect to have. I’ve never been in this position as an owner, and it really opens up a different set of emotions. The pride I have in this result and the pride I have in this company and all we’re trying to achieve and the journey we’re on, I’m so satisfied, so happy right now.”

“It’s been an interesting couple of years, and to have our cars come out and be this strong, this Toyota was rocket-ship fast,” he added. “I’m just smiling inside and out.”

It was only the fifth top 10 for Nemechek, 27, since he joined Legacy last year — the best showing of his three-year career in the sport’s big leagues. He also acknowledged the promise Daytona showed.

“Coming home fifth was a really solid day, a really solid effort, really solid Speedweeks from the whole Legacy Motor Club group,” Nemechek said. “Excited to see where 2025 goes — we already know we are better than 2024, just how much is the question.”

Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Johnston, matched his boss’ enthusiasm post-race — albeit not entirely surprised at his driver’s work, considering Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner (2006, 2013).

“I mean, he’s a seven-time champion, right, so you wouldn’t expect any less,” Johnston said. “I think he’s very underrated when he comes back and does these one or two races, but the amount of talent that he has and his will to win and his will to see the organization do better. … Obviously, it’s Daytona, so it’s a little bit different than everywhere we go, but it shows that we’ve made some progress through the winter.”

That the change in fortune happened at Daytona seemed appropriate, considering the team was once Richard Petty Motorsports in earlier years. Petty’s seven Daytona 500 wins is a record, and the legendary seven-time NASCAR champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Petty remains a visible part of the organization.

MORE: At-track photos

All week, the three drivers, full-time competitors Nemechek and Jones and also Johnson as owner-driver talked about personnel changes over the offseason and what now having a year under their belt in a switch to Toyota engines would mean. The expectations are higher. And there is a real sense of optimism — something they couldn’t help but feel they made good on Sunday night on the Daytona high banks.

“There’s always a lot of hope at the beginning of every season,” said Jones, 28, who was runner-up in his Duel 150-mile qualifying race Thursday night. “I think it definitely changes as you go through the week and see how your car is. I would have told you last year, I felt good about it, but we weren’t in as good as a spot as at the start of the race we are this year. This year, we have a good pit stop, and I feel like the car drives best it has with Next Gen car and I’d say my confidence is the best it’s been to contend.”

All three of the Legacy Toyotas spent time among the top five at various points in the race and showed they are ready to take their performance to the next level.

“It’s amazing,” Johnson said of the Daytona outcome. “Two of the Legacy Motor Club cars in the top five, a great way to start the season. Had Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) on the hood; I hope he was watching. Hope he’s excited. Just an incredible experience.”