Posted on by Dustin Albino

MADISON, Ill. – Ty Majeski has seen this story before. For the second consecutive season, he led a good chunk of laps from the pole position — 43 to be exact — at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, only to come short in the fight for victory late in the race.

Majeski ultimately finished fourth despite sweeping the stages in the St. Louis suburb, his fifth top-five finish of 2024. In fact, Majeski has finished in every top-five position this season except the top spot, remaining winless since the series’ playoff opener last year at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

RELATED: Race results

“The other guys just got better, and we didn’t keep up with the race track,” Majeski told NASCAR.com Saturday. “Probably a couple adjustments away from being able to hold on. Just fell behind a little bit. This is the same thing that we’ve experienced here over the course of the last couple of years. As the race progressed, we build tight and didn’t keep up with it today.”

Majeski and the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team kicked off the weekend as the fastest truck in town, taking the top spot in practice before backing that speed up in qualifying. Their Ford commanded the race early before Majeski was passed by Christian Eckes late in the stage. In the waning laps, Majeski got back by him to score the stage victory — his fourth of the season.

Throughout the second stage, Majeski battled his ThorSport Racing teammate Ben Rhodes — who led laps for the first time since the season opener at Daytona — for the lead. Majeski got the upper hand at the end of the stage, scoring his series-high fifth stage victory of the season.

The No. 98 team was settled on taking four tires throughout the race and dropped four positions on pit road at the end of the stage. Corey Heim and Nick Sanchez leaped Majeski of drivers that took four tires, and Majeski never got his track position back.

Majeski has led at least 36 laps in five of the 12 races this season. He has no wins to show for it, despite ranking third in the series in laps led, trailing the series’ two frontrunners Heim and Eckes.

“Sometimes, when you’re the better truck at the beginning (of the race), you get gun-shy at making changes to keep up with the race track,” Majeski said. “I think we got behind, just fought tight as the run progressed and didn’t keep up with the race track enough. I think [Heim], [Eckes] and some of the others were able to make changes because they were catching us and felt like they couldn’t win the way they were. We felt like maybe we could, and we didn’t keep up with the race track well.

“Disappointing, but I thought we executed on all fronts today, and our strategy was good.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is off until a trip to Nashville Superspeedway on June 28 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Majeski has a pair of top-10 finishes at the concrete oval in three starts.

Posted on by Holly Cain

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen claimed his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway. The popular Kiwi celebrated the hard-earned win with a burnout all the way around the 1.967-mile road course and then climbing out of his Chevy and topping it off by kicking a soccer ball into the thrilled crowd.

It was a popular win all-around for the 35-year-old three-time Australian Supercars champion, but he had to work for it. The series rookie — who won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his first Cup Series start last summer – led laps early in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet but struggled with race restarts for much of the day.

He lost positions on the early restarts and even had to overcome a couple of miscues — dropping his tires off-track into the dirt — before masterfully working his way forward in the closing laps to challenge for the win.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Portland

He passed the day’s most dominant driver, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, on the final restart with four laps to go and pulled away to a 0.941-second victory over the series veteran, who led a race-best 46 of the race’s 75 laps.

JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer, van Gisbergen’s Kaulig teammate AJ Allmendinger — who started last in the field — and Sam Hunt Racing’s Ed Jones — an IMSA and IndyCar veteran – rounded out the top five.

“What a day, really cool, had some great racing,’’ said van Gisbergen, who immediately apologized to pole winner Sam Mayer, the driver he collided with and spun on the opening turn of the race.

“I need to get better on my restarts and learn how to position, but that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars, they’re great.’’

It was a particularly crushing runner-up showing for Allgaier, who finished second in this race last year as well. At various points, his No. 7 Chevrolet held a nearly three-second advantage on the field, but two cautions in the final 12 laps essentially equalized the competition, and van Gisbergen steadily made his way forward on the restarts before taking the lead in Turn 5 with four laps to go.

Allgaier not only led the most laps but swept both stage wins for the third consecutive race — the sixth consecutive stage win which is a series record. His series-leading 10 stage victories on the season are the most ever through the opening 13 races.

But it just wasn’t enough for the trophy on Saturday.

“I don’t know [what I could have done differently],’’ a discouraged Allgaier said. “On those restarts, we were so free taking off, and the car was just struggling to get grip.

“I think that’s the hardest part, once he got by me there, I probably overdrove it trying to get back to him and probably didn’t help my cause any,’’ he added. “Really proud of this team. All the effort this team puts forward is incredible. To come in second two years in a row stings a little bit, but at the same time, really proud of everybody.’’

MORE: Xfinity Series schedule | Xfinity Series standings

Last year’s Portland winner Cole Custer finished sixth in the Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, with Kaulig’s Josh Williams, Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman, Jordan Anderson Racing’s Parker Retzlaff and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst rounding out the top 10.

With his sixth-place finish Saturday, Custer takes the championship lead by 18 points over Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith.  Hill — who was fined 25 points and $25,000 for purposefully wrecking Custer last week at Charlotte – finished 11th, and Smith, whose No. 81 JGR Toyota suffered a late race engine problem, finished 35th.

The series stays on the West Coast with the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 on the Sonoma Raceway road course next Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.

NOTE: No issues were found during post-race technical inspection, confirming van Gisbergen as the race winner. No vehicles will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for teardown inspection.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MADISON, Ill. — The early bird got the victory on Saturday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway.

In a long green-flag run to start the final stage of the Toyota 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Corey Heim brought his No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota to pit road before any of the other top trucks made green-flag stops, and the move paid off with optimum track position.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Heim held the top spot for a restart on Lap 138 of 160 and led the rest of the way, beating runner-up Christian Eckes to the finish line by 1.854 seconds, earning a $50,000 bonus as the winner of the second leg of the Triple Truck Challenge.

The victory was a welcome turnaround after Heim’s truck was disqualified from second place on May 24 at Charlotte for three lug nuts not safe and secure. Heim won for the fourth time this season–all within the last eight races–the second time at Gateway and the ninth time in 53 career starts.

“Total team effort today,” Heim asserted. “We struggled a bit yesterday (in practice and qualifying) and worked a bit overnight on it. I have to say the pit crew redeemed themselves. Last week we could have won the race, and they made some mistakes, but they redeemed themselves today, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Heim started ninth and finished fifth in the first two stages. After a quick pit stop at the Stage 2 break, Heim restarted third on Lap 78 and grabbed the lead before the end of the circuit. He held the top spot until he pitted on Lap 115, one lap earlier than pole winner Ty Majeski who was chasing him in second place.

Vicente Salas’ spin on Lap 129 interrupted the cycle of green-flag stops, but Heim regained the lead on Lap 134 when drivers who had not yet pitted brought their trucks to pit road under caution. Heim battled Majeski on the Lap 138 restart and prevailed.

“Corey was a little bit better, and I knew it,” said Majeski, who swept the first two stages and led 43 laps to Heim’s race-high 65. “I thought if I could get track position on him, maybe I could hold him off. I threw it into Turn 1, and he cleared me off of 2, and I had a couple other opportunities.

“I got into him a little bit. Probably needed a little bit harder for me to get enough of a run to get side-by-side with him down the back. But, yeah, just a little bit short balance-wise. Sometimes, when you’re the best truck in the beginning of the race, you’re gun-shy to make changes.”

MORE: Truck Series standings | Truck Series schedule

Majeski faded to fourth in the final 23 laps, losing positions to Eckes and third-place finisher Nick Sanchez on Lap 151.

Eckes lost track position with a slow pit stop in the second stage break, restarted 11th on Lap 78 and finished second at Gateway for the third straight year.

“I definitely feel like we let that one slip,” Eckes said. “Disappointing, for sure… It sucks. I thought we had the best truck here.”

Layne Riggs finished fifth, followed by Chase Purdy, reigning series champion Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen. Two drivers making their series debuts–Andrés Pérez de Lara and Luke Fenhaus–came home ninth and 10th, respectively.

NOTE: No issues were found in post-race technical inspection, confirming Heim as the race winner. The Nos. 11, 38 and 77 will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for teardown inspection.

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Qualifying results
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports 11.949 99.423
2 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 11.961 99.323
3 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 11.999 99.008
4 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 12.023 98.811
5 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 12.042 98.655
6 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 12.069 98.434
7 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 12.091 98.255
8 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Washtronics 12.117 98.044
9 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools & Karchner Warehousing 12.121 98.012
10 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 12.122 98.004
11 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 12.153 97.754
12 58 Timmy Solomito GAF Roofing 12.189 97.465
13 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 12.19 97.457
14 44 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 12.21 97.297
15 06 Sam Rameau Rameau Family Motorsports 12.247 97.003
16 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 12.261 96.893
17 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Inc. 12.327 96.374
18 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 12.385 95.922
19 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 12.394 95.853
20 00 Tom Rogers Jr. BNP Machine/SSRP 12.405 95.768
21 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 12.44 95.498
22 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 12.553 94.639
23 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 13.059 90.972

 

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 60 Matt Hirschman PeeDee Motorsports 12.047 98.614 30 37 —
2 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 12.055 98.548 33 50 0.008
3 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 12.094 98.231 23 24 0.047
4 44 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 12.098 98.198 25 27 0.051
5 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 12.127 97.963 24 34 0.08
6 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 12.128 97.955 29 32 0.081
7 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 12.131 97.931 34 35 0.084
8 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 12.172 97.601 11 18 0.125
9 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 12.179 97.545 28 30 0.132
10 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools & Karchner Warehousing 12.216 97.25 37 40 0.169
11 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 12.22 97.218 20 42 0.173
12 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 12.231 97.13 20 26 0.184
13 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 12.255 96.94 24 27 0.208
14 06 Sam Rameau Rameau Family Motorsports 12.257 96.924 33 41 0.21
15 14 Jacob Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking/Washtronics 12.263 96.877 19 24 0.216
16 58 Timmy Solomito GAF Roofing 12.281 96.735 32 42 0.234
17 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 12.294 96.633 31 43 0.247
18 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Inc. 12.296 96.617 28 58 0.249
19 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 12.373 96.016 30 44 0.326
20 00 Tom Rogers BNP Machine/SSRP 12.395 95.845 18 29 0.348
21 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 12.49 95.116 22 23 0.443
22 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 12.722 93.382 39 45 0.675
23 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 13.198 90.014 19 40 1.151

 

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Going into the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, it was expected that Toyota and Team Penske would be the primary contenders for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). After practice and qualifying, nothing much has changed, though Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell jumped to the top of the leaderboard and set a new track record for speed during qualifying.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups 

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Ryan Blaney
Starter 2: Joey Logano
Starter 3: Christopher Bell
Starter 4: Kyle Busch
Starter 5: Ty Gibbs
Garage pick: Michael McDowell

NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric

RISING: Cindric led Team Penske in qualifying, and he will start from the front for the second time in three races at Gateway. Cindric was pleased with his performance but still not satisfied, coming up one spot short of the pole. The No. 2 car was good in practice as well, ranking second in 10-lap averages.

With five top-two finishes over the last six races, no team is hotter in the Cup Series than RFK Racing. Brad Keselowski enters the race with consecutive top-two efforts, and his stock has risen entering Sunday’s event. In the first two years at Gateway, the No. 6 team had an average finish of 24.0. This time around, he qualified seventh, making the final round of qualifying for just the second time this season. It’s hard to gauge how the No. 6 team was in race trim, as Keselowski was one of seven drivers not to make a 10-lap run.

FALLING: Seeing how Suárez was a top-10 threat all race last year en route to a seventh-place finish, there was optimism that the No. 99 team could add a highlight to its season this weekend. From what practice had to offer, that turnaround might be on hold for at least one more week. Suárez ranked 20th on 10-lap averages and will take the green flag from a lackluster 31st position. The rocky 2024 season continues for the Atlanta Motor Speedway winner, save for that one bright spot.

Five of the Toyota drivers were pleased on Saturday at Gateway. The lone outlier was Martin Truex Jr., who said his car was too tight and qualified 19th. Truex never attempted a 10-lap run and was 10th on single-lap speed. Knowing that track position is critical, Truex stated if the team can’t get his car better, he won’t be going anywhere.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Christopher Bell vs. Ryan Blaney: Expecting good races from both drivers this weekend so take your pick, but nothing from practice or qualifying has changed from earlier in the week. This might be Team Penske’s best shot to win a race on a non-superspeedway thus far this season, with the team’s three cars leading the way in 10-lap speeds. Bell is in my lineup, too, though, so it could go the other way.

Kyle Busch vs. Joey Logano: A frustrated Busch came into the media center at Gateway, lacking grip in his No. 8 Chevrolet. However, Busch was the lone Chevrolet to make the final round of qualifying and was also competitive in practice. Meanwhile, Logano has race-winning pace, despite a disappointing qualifying run in 12th while his two teammates were second and third, and his Ford brethren McDowell won the pole. Logano is the choice.

Martin Truex Jr. vs. Denny Hamlin: Flipping on this pick from earlier this week, too. Truex was frustrated with his No. 19 car throughout Saturday, while Hamlin was arguably the best Toyota. The only reason I’m keeping Hamlin out of my lineup is that I only have four uses for him remaining in the regular season. Hoping I don’t regret it in hindsight.

Alex Bowman vs. Ty Gibbs: Gateway has been among Hendrick’s worst tracks on the circuit, though both Larson and Byron cracked the top 10 last season. Bowman has put together five consecutive top-10 finishes entering Gateway, and that shouldn’t get overlooked. Gibbs had one of the best cars in the field, however, with Reddick believing that the No. 54 car was the fastest. Gibbs is the pick.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Enjoy Illinois 300

(⏰ Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Madison, Illinois
Track length: 1.25 miles
Race purse: $7,776,907
Race distance: 240 laps | 300 miles
Segments: 45 | 140 | 240
—
Starting lineup: Michael McDowell will lead the field to green flag
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Kyle Busch, June 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Michael McDowell set the fast lap to claim the Cup Series pole at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway with a speed of 138.598 mph, his third pole award of the season. Austin Cindric was second (138.134 mph) completing a Ford front-row sweep; Ryan Blaney (137.982 mph), Christopher Bell (137.669 mph) and Tyler Reddick (137.585 mph) rounded out the top five for the Enjoy Illinois 300.

The Fords show the way early at Gateway as they take three of the first five starting spots for Sunday’s Cup Series event. Joey Logano also posted the fastest practice time Saturday morning with a speed of 138.024. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Alex Bowman is back — but what’s next?

Quietly, steadily but surely, Alex Bowman is back to proving why Hendrick Motorsports signed him to a three-year extension in February 2023 through 2026.

The results may not be the flashiest, but Bowman is in the midst of a series-best five-race streak of top-10 finishes dating back to a fifth-place finish at Talladega in late April, followed by finishes of eighth at Dover, seventh at Kansas, eighth at Darlington and ninth at Charlotte. That upswing is a far cry from where the No. 48 team ended the 2023 campaign when Bowman and Co. collected just two top 10s in the final 10 races of the year as Bowman was recovering from a back injury suffered during the spring.

Bowman’s work is not done yet. The 31-year-old Arizona native is still seeking his first victory since March 2022, when he won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on a late-race restart. But his four top fives this season already equal his 2023 total, and it appears consistency is finally on his side — a reminder of why he was leading the points prior to his 2023 injury.

Gateway may not be the site of an expected breakthrough. Through two starts, Bowman has finished 13th (2022) and 26th (2023) at the 1.25-mile, asymmetrical oval. Tides are turning for the No. 48 team, however. So maybe Bowman can offer one more surprise this weekend.

History tells us…

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano enter as the drivers to beat this weekend. The only full-time drivers who own multiple NASCAR Cup Series championships, Busch and Logano have dominated the two races at World Wide Technology Raceway — but both are in dire need of good runs, too.

Busch has finished second and first in the Cup Series’ two Gateway events but enters Sunday’s contest with five finishes of 15th or worse in the past eight races. Logano, winner of the inaugural race in 2022 and a third-place finisher last year, has not earned a points-paying top-10 result in six consecutive races, his last such top 10 coming at Martinsville Speedway back on April 7 with a sixth-place finish. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford at least has an All-Star win at North Wilkesboro mixed into its last two months to ease that downturn.

So what better place for either driver to find their footing? Their talent and abilities remain unquestioned, but their inconsistent results could sorely use a fix that could start Sunday at Gateway.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Carson Hocevar. Hocevar (300-1 odds, per DraftKings) made his Cup debut in this race one year ago, driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet while Corey LaJoie filled in for a suspended Chase Elliott. The Michigan native impressed right away, running solidly inside the top 20 before brake failure ended his race early. Hocevar’s numbers haven’t leaped off the page lately, with six top-20 finishes in 14 races, but perhaps the driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet can spark back toward the front at a track he’s more familiar with. | Gateway odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. 

• Stewart-Haas Racing to close after 2024: Team owners announce “it’s time to pass the torch” | Read article
• Turning Point: Regular-season title race opens wide after Larson’s difficult double | Read article
• Front Row set to expand: FRM to run third chartered entry in 2025 | Read article
• Edwards reflects on HOF election: Class of 2025 inductee: “I won the lottery in racing” | Read article
• Inside Airspeed: A closer look at 23XI’s marvelous new headquarters | Read article
• Racing Insights: Truex projected to win at Gateway; see full field projections | Read article
• NASCAR Classics: Past Gateway races to relive before Sunday | Read article
• Field of 16: See the projected playoff picture before Gateway | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Why Penske duo Logano, Blaney should be in your race day lineup | Photo gallery
• Paint Scheme Preview: Colors set to dazzle in Gateway and Portland | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Both races at WWT Raceway have produced an overtime finish.
• The two races at Gateway have averaged 10.5 cautions per race.
• The 2023 race had three red flags, tied for the most in Cup Series history.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

MADISON, Ill. — Sixty-nine wins. Sixty-two pole awards. Two championships. Stewart-Haas Racing has always been a place where racers go to race.

Tony Stewart met with Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece on Tuesday to inform his drivers that he and co-owner Gene Haas have opted to close the team down following the 2024 season’s conclusion. Afterward, he met with the team’s crew chiefs before gathering the entire company together to inform it of the news.

MORE: Stewart-Haas Racing to close operation at end of 2024 season

The drivers called the week “emotional.” All four have been added to a busy free-agent market, along with hundreds of crew members and employees.

“I know how much people have invested with their time and careers at Stewart-Haas and being there for years upon years,” Gragson said. “It’s definitely an emotional week, challenging week for our organization.”

One of those key people is Rodney Childers, the crew chief of the No. 4 who joined SHR ahead of the 2014 season. He kicked off his tenure at SHR in grand fashion by winning five races while calling the shots for Kevin Harvick en route to the team’s most recent championship.

Employees — like most of the Cup Series garage — had heard rumblings about the future of SHR for months. As Childers explained, “normally, when there are rumors, there’s truth.”

“We all started making conversation a month or two ago about what-ifs and all of that,” Childers told NASCAR.com. “My group has been good with it. It sucks for sure, but they’ve been good with all of it. They know that we have a good group and we will be able to go find a home somewhere else. Everything happens for a reason. It will work out.”

The impending closure will lead to distractions, the team explained. It’s entirely possible that some crew members depart the team prior to the conclusion of the 2024 season which will be a disturbance to the race team as it attempts to get into and hopefully advance in the playoffs. Currently, all four of its cars are on the outside looking in, though Briscoe is 17th on the playoff grid, just 11 points below the elimination line.

MORE: The Field of 16: Projecting the Cup Series Playoffs entering Gateway

“It is kind of scary knowing the position we’re in right now right on the (elimination) line and knowing that all of our employees are taking job interviews at different places,” Briscoe said. “If those people wanted to start, there’s nothing stating that they can’t start working there. It’s going to be difficult as a company.

“I do think the (No.) 14 guys are committed to sticking it out. They had a lot of other offers over the offseason, and we thought we had something special amongst the camaraderie.”

Briscoe has been able to chug along and be in playoff contention despite the unknown status of SHR, though he believes the chatter of SHR’s future has been a distraction.

“Every other team in this garage, all they talk about is how they’ve got to go fast that weekend,” Briscoe stated. “Our team is talking about what jobs are available, how am I going to feed my family and, oh yeah, we’ve got to get the car ready for Gateway this week. It’s a distraction, 100%. We can’t control what we can’t control, right? We’ve got to keep doing what we can do and all we can control is trying to bring the best car we can with the circumstances we’re given and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

MORE: Briscoe to start 23rd; see full Gateway lineup

Gragson, who has made a spirited charge up the championship standings over the last two months, is thankful for his opportunity with SHR this season. Despite being with the team for less than half a year, he’s fit in nicely by taking the No. 10 Ford to new heights in 2024, already matching the top-10 total from past driver Aric Almirola last season.

“I told Tony that I’m extremely thankful and grateful for you taking a chance on me and giving me an opportunity to reinvent myself and reprove myself,” Gragson explained, “and if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this position looking for opportunities. I (would) say there’s not much bitterness from me, personally. I’m extremely grateful that Stewart-Haas gave me an opportunity to go out there and prove myself.”

Berry knows the situation is less than ideal, but he has also been fighting his entire career just to make it to the Cup level. Now, he’s facing the next hurdle.

“I think back to some advice that Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. gave me over a year ago around the time I was driving the 9 car (in place of an injured Chase Elliott) and everything was going on,” Berry reflected. “I was like, ‘Man, I’m so tired racing for my life every lap, every practice, every qualifying session’ and he said, ‘That’s when you are at your best.’ That’s what we will plan on doing the rest of the year.”

The discussion surrounding the four SHR drivers and the crew members will be what their next gig looks like. While none of them know exactly what they are doing in 2025, it’s imperative for all of them to continue performing on the race track.

“You could be on a three- or four-year guaranteed deal and you’re still auditioning for whatever the next deal is,” Briscoe said. “It definitely heightens that a lot more when you know you don’t have anything for next year. You have to go out there and run good.”

Whatever the next moves are for Berry and Childers, they are hoping to move together. Childers stated, however, that his phone was ringing off the hook throughout the week.

“I’ve been extremely fortunate over this week,” Childers said. “Every day my phone has gone dead by 1 (p.m.). Normally, it lasts all day, and it hasn’t lasted until about 1 every day. There is a lot to work through, a lot of people to talk to and that takes time. I would rather get something done sooner than later. I really want to look after my guys, look after Josh.

“If there was a possibility to stay with Josh, that would be key for me. He’s an amazing talent and deserves to be in this garage. I would love to see him get in a good car and myself and some of the guys go with him.”

Berry agrees wholeheartedly.

“That’s without a doubt the number one focus on my mind right now is to find a way to keep racing with Rodney and this entire 4 group,” he said. “Given everything we’ve been dealing with, we’ve been progressing week in and week out. I think that the culture that Rodney has created there is second to none.”

Since SHR formed in 2009, only Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske have won more championships. The team also ranks fourth in total wins, top-five finishes (339) and laps led (19,819).

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MADISON, Ill. — It was with an obvious sense of pride that Michael McDowell reveled in his pole-winning run on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

McDowell claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award of the season — and of his career — but this one came at a quirky flat track, not a superspeedway, where the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, a former Daytona 500 winner, is expected to excel.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos: WWT Raceway

McDowell toured the 1.25-mile irregularly-shaped track in 32.468 seconds (138.598 mph) in the final round of time trials to claim the top starting position for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series race (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

In the opening round, McDowell topped all qualifiers at a track-record pace of 139.241 mph (32.318 seconds)

Fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric will start beside McDowell on the front row after a final-round lap at 138.134 mph (32.577 seconds). Cindric’s Team Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney, qualified third at 137.982 mph.

Interestingly, McDowell and Cindric were the only two drivers in the final round to downshift to third gear in Turns 3 and 4 on their qualifying laps.

“In particular at Talladega and Atlanta (where McDowell won his first two poles this year), the driver’s not a big part of whether you’re going to qualify well,” McDowell said. “You still have to execute. You still have to get through the gears. I don’t want to take anything away from that standpoint, but it really is a matter of how fast a race car your team brought you.

“Even today, we’re on the pole because I have a really fast race car. I had more pressure to execute my part on a flat track like this, where you’re upshifting twice, downshifting twice … heavy brake zones — all those things. So it’s more rewarding from that point to go out there and execute and do it.”

Christopher Bell, last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 winner, was fourth fastest at 137.669 mph. Tyler Reddick qualified fifth, followed by Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch, last year’s winner at WWTR.

Busch was the only Chevrolet driver to make the final round. For the first time this season, no Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified in the top 10.

Logano fastest in practice

Joey Logano topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at World Wide Technology Raceway at 138.024 mph in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Right behind the 2022 Gateway winner was teammate Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford at 138.02 mph.

MORE: Practice results

Rounding out the top five were Ty Gibbs in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, respectively.

Hamlin was 15th fastest with a speed of 136.978 mph in the No. 11 JGR Toyota.

Due to the threat of wet weather in the area, the practice was compressed to one combined 30-minute session instead of its typical two 20-minute stints. It was halted for rain at 9:47 a.m. ET, with moisture on the backstretch, forcing NASCAR to throw a caution. Practice quickly resumed at 9:51 a.m. ET.

Contributing: Staff reports