Kyle Weatherman has been fined $25,000 following Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway, officials announced Tuesday.
Weatherman, driver of the No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet, was penalized in violation of Sections 4.4.B&D in the NASCAR Rule Book, which references the NASCAR Code of Conduct. The penalty report specifically cited “contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race,” which is noted under Section 4.4.B.
Under the guidelines of the rule book, “intentionally damaging another vehicle on pit road” is one of several actions that could result in a loss of 25-50 driver and/or team owner points and/or fines of $25,000-50,000.
Weatherman wheeled the No. 91 car to a 25th-place finish on the 1.967-mile road course. His best finish of the season came at Dover Motor Speedway, where the Missouri native finished in eighth place.
The Xfinity Series heads west to Sonoma Raceway for its next contest on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Austin Cindric proved his abilities once again after his miraculous, last-second win at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday.
The North Carolina native etched his name into the provisional playoff field after a final-lap advance past the No. 12 Ford of teammate Ryan Blaney, which ran out of fuel in Turn 4 just before the white flag waved. Although Sonoma Raceway is approaching quickly on Sunday, Cindric still took the time to celebrate his win accordingly.
“Obviously, it’s a short turnaround, probably shorter than most weeks with Sonoma and cars having to leave this morning,” Cindric said of the upcoming trip to California during a Tuesday teleconference. “My guys didn’t have much time to turn around and we had to do the whole car yesterday, so we got all the families of the guys on my team together, pit crew, road crew and went out and had dinner last night. …
“It’s a pretty big moment for us and a lot of momentum for the team.”
This winning feeling is nothing new to the 25-year-old driver, but it isn’t something he has experienced as frequently in recent years. Cindric drove his way to the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2020 — and nearly to a second, if not for falling on the wrong side of a photo finish at Phoenix Raceway in 2021.
On top of his rich resume is a triumph in the 2022 Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie to win the “Great American Race” en route to earning that season’s Rookie of the Year honors as well.
Although Cindric proved himself to be worthy of a Cup Series ride, he never anticipated automatic success. In 2023, those moments of celebration became more rare.
“That is the first year since 2011 that I haven’t won a race,” said Cindric. “That’s a long time. That’s a really long time. … From a goal-setting standpoint, look, I didn’t expect to get into the Cup Series and go out here and win a ton of races right away against some guys that have been doing this for over a decade. …
“A lot of it is a weekly self-check for me because there is a different way to prepare for a race if you’re gonna run from 10th to 25th versus 10th to first, whether that’s studying restarts, how different drivers drive, what decisions to make in traffic. Those are the types of things that my preparation has had to be a much wider spectrum of preparation because the racing is so different throughout the Cup Series field. This past weekend, there were cars that raced that race that I never saw the entire weekend. Usually, I see the entire field at some point or the other.”
Cindric now prepares for the road-course race at Sonoma Raceway this Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He scored top-10 finishes at a plethora of road courses, including Sonoma, Circuit of The Americas and the Chicago Street Course.
However, he still finds certain tracks difficult to tackle as a younger driver on the circuit.
“I feel like Sonoma and Watkins Glen are probably two of the hardest road-course races to go into as a new guy,” Cindric said. “I mean, there are so many laps and so much experience from the traditional Cup Series field of drivers.”
The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford is looking forward to this weekend, hoping the entire Penske organization can capitalize on its Gateway success despite a brutal beginning to the 2024 season.
“We have enough greatness surrounding us to know that we have all those ingredients,” Cindric said. “Obviously, it hasn’t been the best year for our Cup program as a whole, but you have to be ready for those opportunities and do what is necessary to take advantage of that.”
After a weeklong discussion amongst top officials, Kyle Larson is back in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs picture after Tuesday’s decision from the sanctioning body restored his eligibility despite missing the Coca-Cola 600.
Larson’s absence was a product of his inaugural attempt of “The Double,” trying to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the same day.
Inclement weather in both Indianapolis and Charlotte derailed those efforts, however. Larson chose to stay in Indy to begin the 500-mile affair despite its four-hour rain delay and completed the full 200-lap race with an 18th-place finish in his IndyCar debut, ultimately opting to miss the start of the Coke 600.
Therein laid the crux of what became a difficult decision for NASCAR officials to determine. The NASCAR Rule Book covers postseason eligibility in Section 12.3.2.1.A, which states: “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs. If a starting position was not earned, then the driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must have attempted to Qualify, at the discretion of the Series Managing Director, for the Race.”
Larson entered the Charlotte weekend atop the regular-season points standings and otherwise clinched his spot in the playoffs by winning twice already this season.
“This was without a doubt uncharted waters for us,” Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition, said in a Tuesday teleconference.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Despite difficult circumstances, NASCAR ultimately decided to grant Larson exemption from the above rule to compete in this year’s postseason hunt. Sawyer credited leadership from John Probst, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer.
“We stayed the course,” Sawyer said of the decision-making process. “We had our internal meetings. We had more internal meetings. We continued to have dialogue around it. And then the other part of it is in front of us was a race at World Wide Technology raceway that (we were) all getting prepared for. So again, the number one thing was to get to the right decision, take the time. We felt like the time that it took was the right amount of time to get to the right decision.”
Waivers have previously been granted to competitors who either missed races due to injuries or suspensions from NASCAR-sanctioned events. What complicated matters this time, Sawyer said, was “we had a driver miss one of our races, a championship event, to be at another event.
“One of the reasons (the waiver is) in place is to give our fans some certainty that if they buy a ticket to come and watch our athletes and our stars perform, that they’re going to see them,” Sawyer said. “So the prior precedent that was set with allowing waivers, those were quick decisions, as I said earlier. This one was unique in the fact that obviously Kyle raced with another series and wasn’t there to start our event.”
Why Larson will still be able to compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship comes down to the effort he and Hendrick Motorsports made to show up to compete in Charlotte one way or another.
Larson practiced and qualified his No. 5 Chevrolet on May 25, placing 10th on the provisional starting grid, before flying back to Indianapolis that night for the Indy 500 on May 26. After completing the 500, Larson and Hendrick personnel flew back to Concord, North Carolina, where Larson literally ran back to his NASCAR team’s pit box in his fresh fire suit, strapped on his helmet and prepared to relieve backup driver turned starter Justin Allgaier behind the wheel.
That swap never happened, though. Lightning and rain overtook the Charlotte oval, eventually ending the race prematurely with 151 laps still on the board.
“All communication with HMS was (Charlotte) was their priority. That was their day job,” Sawyer said. “And unfortunately, the weather situation threw them a curveball, threw the industry a curveball and was something that we had to deal with. But ultimately, the effort that they made — without the weather, they were going to be there. We feel confident that was going to happen.
“To not have Kyle Larson in our playoff and give our fans the opportunity to see him race for a championship … at the end of the day didn’t feel like that’s the right decision for us to make. And we didn’t. We felt like we got to the right spot.”
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Sawyer added “everything was on the table” as officials determined the best ways to move forward, which may have included options to penalize Larson for missing a Cup Series event.
“But if you look at the rule book,” he said, “the two options were grant it or not to grant it. And anything in between that or outside of that would have been us digging deep into the rule book to do something that just didn’t feel right.”
Sawyer also pointed to the points Larson lost by simply not participating in the event, leaving what could have been a 70-point day by the wayside — 40 points for winning and 10 points per stage win (three available in the Coke 600). Additionally, eight playoff points were at stake: five for winning the race and one each per stage win. Larson is also in contention for the Regular Season Championship, which would give the 2021 champion a boost of 15 playoff points to carry with him through the playoffs.
His decision to miss the Coke 600 could ultimately have cost him 23 potential playoff points — 15 if he fails to win the regular-season title, and eight from the Coke 600.
“Time will tell if those potential 23 points that were on the table that they didn’t get, how that will unfold as we go through the playoffs,” Sawyer said. “So there was a point penalty for him, and we don’t feel like from our side that any other additional penalty or any type of asterisk beside it would have been the right way moving forward.”
NASCAR officials also want to see drivers continue to attempt and complete the Indy-Charlotte double, Larson or otherwise.
“Obviously, the Coke 600 is a huge race for us, as well,” Sawyer said. “But if we look in motorsports in general, the Indy 500 is a big event. We embrace the double. We think it’s great. We want to see other drivers have that opportunity. So we have to just make sure that we’re looking out, first and foremost, for the fans that again buy the ticket that were here in Charlotte. And it felt like Kyle and the team gave every effort to be able to get here. He was ready to go and had his helmet on. And unfortunately, we were not able to get going and get him back in the car.
“I know it’s a little bit of a cliche, but every situation is different. And I feel like that we had the parameters in our rule book and the team here at the R&D Center to ultimately make the best decision and that’s what we were hired to do.”
NASCAR officials granted Kyle Larson a waiver on Tuesday to restore his eligibility for the Cup Series Playoffs.
Hendrick Motorsports applied for the exception after Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26, with his arrival at Charlotte Motor Speedway delayed by rain at the Indianapolis 500, where he finished 18th in his IndyCar debut. Larson has qualified for the Cup Series’ 16-driver postseason field as a two-time winner this season.
The NASCAR Rule Book covers eligibility in Section 12.3.2.1.A, which states: “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs. If a starting position was not earned, then the driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must have attempted to Qualify, at the discretion of the Series Managing Director, for the Race.”
“We didn’t take it lightly,” Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition, said Tuesday. “There was a lot of discussion internally. … We ultimately landed at giving Kyle a waiver. Essentially our decision-making was, although we had the inclement weather in Indianapolis as well as Charlotte, Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte. He was standing in the pit box with his helmet on ready to go.
“Unfortunately we had weather in Charlotte as well, and were unfortunately not able to get the race going again. That’s how we landed on our decision.”
Larson earned the 10th starting spot for his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on May 25 at Charlotte in the Cup Series qualifying session, then flew to Indianapolis as he attempted to become the fifth driver to run both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. When storms delayed the Indianapolis event by roughly four hours, Larson stayed to begin the 500-mile race, and standby driver Justin Allgaier suited up to start the 600 in Charlotte for the No. 5 team.
Allgaier, an Xfinity Series regular, dropped to the rear for the green flag but worked his way up in the running order when rain and lightning halted the action at Charlotte with 249 of a scheduled 400 laps complete. Larson flew in from Indianapolis and arrived at the No. 5 team’s pit box when the race was stopped. He prepared to enter the car for the remainder of the 600-mile event, but after the progress of the track-drying efforts had slowed, the race did not resume.
“This was without a doubt uncharted waters for us,” Sawyer said. “In the past those waivers have been given mostly for medical reasons. … This one was unprecedented in that we had a driver miss one of our races, a championship event, to be at another event. That’s why it took as long as it did.
“There were different views from different people. Everyone had a view on it. The ultimate decision we wanted to get to was the right decision, and we feel like we got there.”
As the official starter of record, Allgaier was credited with 13th place in his first Cup Series start since 2022. Larson did not earn any championship points for the race, and he fell from the lead in the Cup Series standings. After Sunday’s Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway where Larson finished 10th, he was second in the points standings, 21 points behind Denny Hamlin.
“To not have Kyle Larson in our playoff and give our fans the opportunity to see him race for a championship … at the end of the day, didn’t feel like that’s the right decision for us to make,” Sawyer said. “So we didn’t. We felt like we got to the right spot.”
Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, has won twice in the Cup Series this season, first with a dominant victory in March at Las Vegas. Two months later, he prevailed at Kansas Speedway by 0.001 seconds in the closest finish in series history, notching his 25th career win in NASCAR’s top tour.
“Under normal circumstances, completing ‘the double’ is one of the toughest tests in sports,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports said in a statement. “Despite our best efforts, this year’s combination of weather conditions in Indianapolis and Charlotte made it impossible. We hoped race day would play out differently, but the program was still incredibly positive for everyone involved. Kyle’s performance throughout May was a great reflection on the level of talent competing each week in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“Although losing ground in the standings was hard to swallow, we were especially disappointed for the fans at the Coca-Cola 600 who were not able to see Kyle race. I’m extremely proud of everything he did to prepare and the months of planning by our team and our partners at Arrow McLaren to run these two crown-jewel events. We appreciate NASCAR communicating with us throughout the effort and granting our request for a playoff waiver.”
Hickory Motor Speedway’s newest crown jewel, the Jack Ingram Memorial, is set to return Saturday evening for its third running.
The race was first organized in 2022 to honor Jack Ingram, one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers who tallied two Hickory championships and recorded eight of his 31 NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at the facility, including his first and last triumph.
Since its inception, the Jack Ingram Memorial has certified itself as one of the most notable events at Hickory alongside the Bobby Isaac Memorial and Fall Brawl. The event has attracted many of Hickory’s local contingent of drivers along with a handful of outsiders seeking to win the race named after Ingram.
NASCAR Cup Series driver and Late Model Stock standout Josh Berry kicked off the new tradition by claiming the inaugural Jack Ingram Memorial. In 2023, the event belonged to the local drivers, as Tyler Matthews emerged victorious after chasing down and passing that season’s track champion Kade Brown.
A fresh group of Late Model Stock drivers are set to descend upon Hickory this weekend with the goal of claiming a Jack Ingram Memorial victory.
Below is everything you need to know about the 2024 Jack Ingram Memorial on Saturday evening.
Saturday evening will serve as the third edition of the Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)
What TV channel is the Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory on in 2024?
All feature racing action from the 2024 Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Regional properties.
The race will not be shown on a television network.
Below is the complete schedule for coverage on FloRacing.
This year’s event at Hickory Motor Speedway is schedule for Saturday, June 8. Below is the complete race-day schedule for the 2024 Jack Ingram Memorial.
(All times ET)
Time
Event
8 a.m.
Sign In Begins
9:45 a.m.
Pit Gates Open
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Early Practice/Late Model Pre-Tech Inspection
2-4:15 p.m.
Practice
5 p.m.
Qualifying
7 p.m.
Feature Racing
Tyler Matthews took home a trophy in last year’s Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway. (Photo: Brandon White/NASCAR Regional)
Entry list
The official entry list for the 2024 Jack Ingram Memorial has not been released by Hickory Motor Speedway, but the event is expected to feature several talented Late Model Stock competitors from around the region.
Among those names is current Hickory Late Model Stock points leader Michael Bumgarner, who holds a comfortable advantage over Skylar Chaney with one victory at the track so far this year.
Plenty of second and third generation competitors are anticipated for Saturday evening, as well. They include Clark Houston, the son of two-time track champion Tommy Houston, along with Shane Huffman’s son Landon S. Huffman.
Nestled in front of a 3D model of a map of the world on his wall, Carl Edwards made his first appearance after being elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 earlier in May.
Before the slew of questions were allowed to be asked, Edwards identified a handful of media members he remembered being around during his professional career as their names popped up in the Zoom teleconference.
Edwards opened his availability with enthusiasm, pointing out a boating excursion he made from the East Coast to Italy.
After taking the green flag in 750 races across all three national series, the 44-year-old is basking in retired life, but the milestone of being named to NASCAR’s pantheon has offered Edwards time to take a glimpse into the past and relive the success he had.
“This is the first time that I’ve truly been able to look at my career,” Edwards said. “I guess the way that the voting panel at the Hall of Fame looks at a career, it’s a different way to look at it and the word is just grateful. I’m so grateful that all this worked out, and I hope that through this whole process, I get to share with people how much I appreciate them.”
As the Missouri native looked to break through in NASCAR in the early to mid-2000s, he focused a lot of his time handing out business cards and traveling to catch the attention of anyone who’d listen.
Edwards said he was often met with scoffs and laughter during that time, which made him even more shocked by his Hall of Fame bid.
When asked if he ever thought he’d be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Edwards swiftly answered, “No. Not in a million years.”
Maybe it was his abrupt retirement from the sport after the 2016 season that gave Edwards the doubt a shot at the Hall of Fame was even possible.
Still in the prime of his career and coming off an appearance in the Championship 4, Edwards called it a career and has remained out of the limelight since to keep his primary focus on his family. But as years passed, he took the time to provide insight into what led to his decision to step away from racing and began by evaporating the cloud that hovered over his announcement in January 2017.
“I want to be very explicit. I did not leave the sport because of the way 2016 ended, period,” Edwards said.
Despite the heartbreak of losing out on his first Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it did not play a role in his decision to leave the sport, and Edwards added that he left the sport with “no regrets.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t go back. I wouldn’t have one more point in that tie with Tony Stewart. I wouldn’t change anything in 2016. I mean, I feel just completely blessed. Things are great. Of course, I’d like some more trophies, but I wouldn’t change anything.
“As far as being an impetus for my stepping away, I’ll go right back to what I said not clearly enough when I did it. I just needed time. Right towards the end of my career, I realized I’m not spending any time doing really anything other than racing and that time I never get back. I really felt that I had done everything I personally wanted to do in the sport.”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
While Edwards couldn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport, it would be dumbfounded to disagree with him for not accomplishing everything he aimed for.
From the Craftsman Truck to Cup Series, Edwards nabbed 72 race trophies, 28 of them coming at the Cup level. He would cap each victory with his patented backflip that evolved Edwards into a beloved driver and one fans were eager to see take the checkered flag in hopes to witness the acrobatic celebration.
Ricky Rudd, who will join Edwards in the induction ceremony as the second modern-era electee in the Class of 2025, was known as the original “Iron Man” in NASCAR, holding a consecutive starts record at 788 until it was broken by Jeff Gordon in 2015. Edwards had his own type of “Iron Man” prowess, running full-time in both the Cup and Xfinity Series from 2005-2011.
Highlighted by an Xfinity title in 2007 and 16 wins across both series in 2008, there arguably was no driver, outside of seven-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, more decorated in that span than Edwards.
“I remember when Jack [Roush] and I were sitting in his airplane, and he kind of challenged me. He’s like, ‘You think you can run both series full-time?’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I mean, this is my dream,” Edwards said. “For the first three years of my career, I thought, ‘Man, these races are great, but they’re not long enough.’ I love driving race cars, and so those seven years, everyone at Roush [now RFK Racing] put so many resources into me being able to run full-time. And so seven years of that, I think that’s something like almost 500 races. For me, at that time, it was perfect. Looking back, I probably should have focused on the Cup car more, but man, I was having fun.”
Edwards added that his runs in Cup and Xfinity didn’t affect his longevity, but he never achieved the work-life balance for which he fought hard.
By the time Edwards reached the final years of his racing tenure, the weight of not spending more time with his family began taking a toll as he wanted to tend to their needs rather than continue to fulfill his own personal agenda.
“This is how life works in my world. There are a lot of shiny things out there that compete for attention,” Edwards said. “When I realized there are certain things that if you don’t show up, nobody else is going to do. So, for a large part of my career, I felt like I needed to show up, and I need to be in that seat driving those race cars. I felt like that’s what I was supposed to be doing.
“Around 2015, ’16, really 2016 is the first time I looked around and thought, ‘Wow, there’s some other things that I really need to tend to in life.’ My family is … nobody else is going to take my role there.”
However, even Edwards admits the itch to get back behind the wheel of a stock car will always exist, but he’s thwarted every call and attempt to get him in a ride.
But when he’s on those opportunistic calls, Edwards said he can’t help getting excited at the idea of racing again.
“Still to this day, when people call me and ask me to drive race cars, there’s like a young man in me that says, ‘This is the greatest thing ever. It’s Christmas. They are calling me to drive a race car,’ ” Edwards said.
“If I go down that path, I’m not going to do it halfway. So for me, I had to make a very clean break, and that’s just me. I know that was taken by some people as disrespect for the sport. I’m certain it was to some degree. I could have done it better. But the impetus for coming back was after a number of years, so many people reached out to me, they were so kind to me, and to be honored with something like the [NASCAR 75 Greatest Drivers], those were such giant honors. I thought, ‘You know what, I’ve got to go let people know how much I appreciate this.’ ”
Edwards visited Darlington Raceway in the spring of 2023 as the 75 Greatest Drivers were all recognized at the track during Throwback Weekend.
During the Cup race, Edwards was invited to the FOX Sports booth and got to call and analyze the on-track action alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer.
“I had more fun than I thought I would have last year at Darlington up in the booth with Clint and Mike,” Edwards said. “It really was enjoyable. That shocked me. I went there thinking, ‘OK, this is a huge honor, and it’s something I need to go and respect the honor.’ I left thinking, man, that’s fun, and so I think if I were to come back in a regular capacity, what I enjoyed was being up in the booth. I enjoyed kind of calling the race to whatever degree I did there. That part I enjoyed. So maybe something like that. But I don’t have anything lined up right now, but definitely much more open to that than I ever have been.”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Edwards hasn’t been at a track since then, but the openness to being more present in the NASCAR world has never been more apparent.
Racing may not be in the future for the soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee, but Edwards is ready to take on another venture in the sport, and that’s serving as an ambassador to spread the word about NASCAR.
“Absolutely, I’m up to that task,” Edwards said. “The more I look back on my career and all the wonderful things and wonderful people, the more I’m happy to share my love for the sport, my gratitude to everyone involved. I’ll try to do the best I can.”
When Feb. 7 rolls around next year, Edwards will officially be immortalized in NASCAR history. Once he receives his Hall of Fame ring and concludes his speech, he’s open to whatever the next chapter is.
“It doesn’t close the book. What it does for me, and I didn’t expect this at all … it opens the book,” Edwards said. “It makes me remember and realize and put into perspective what I was just trying to describe imperfectly, I’m sure. It’s how much went into this, how much energy was put by all the guys that worked on the cars, built the cars, sold the sponsorship, the media, the fans, everyone. And I got to be in the driver’s seat. I got to be, live my greatest, wildest dreams as a kid. It’s not something that I did, and it’s done. This sport lives on, the spirit of everyone’s striving and trying to be the best they can and competing, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it while I was.”
MADISON, Ill. — Following Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, a race fan continued their tradition of delivering the race winner a horseshoe. It began with the track’s inaugural Cup winner, Joey Logano, in 2022.
“I guess he gives them to the winners every year,” explained Austin Cindric, who entered Sunday with an average finish of 23.3 through the first 14 races. “I guess Joey (Logano) has one. So, I have one now because I won today.
“Kind of makes sense, right?”
Team Penske knew an opportunity presented itself over the weekend at Gateway. The 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval has been an adequate track for the team since it joined the Cup Series schedule in 2022.
Logano had a splendid average finish of second across the two previous races at Gateway. Ryan Blaney wasn’t so shabby either, with an average result of fifth. Cindric barely missed the top 10 in both previous races.
But Penske had slipped in recent weeks as the team’s three drivers combined for a single top-10 finish across the previous six events in 2024. Penske needed to capitalize on one of its best recent tracks.
That’s exactly what happened on Sunday.
The speed that the team showcased in Saturday’s 30-minute practice session panned out during the race. Until the final lap, all three cars were factors inside the top 10. Blaney and Cindric placed inside the top five in the opening stage, with Logano collecting a pair of stage points in ninth. All three Penske Fords were inside the top five at the conclusion of the second stage, joining Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
With the laps winding down, it appeared as though Blaney had a legitimate shot at winning. He had to fend off Bell, and with 19 laps remaining, the No. 20 car had a mechanical issue. Blaney could cruise to the victory.
Or so he thought.
Instead, the No. 12 car ran out of fuel while exiting Turn 4, coming to the white flag. Cindric was there to capitalize and had a big enough advantage over Denny Hamlin to secure Penske’s first points-paying win of the season.
“Going into the race today, I went to bed last night knowing I’d be really, really disappointed if one of us didn’t win,” Cindric said. “Just happy that we were in position there when [Blaney] ran out, bring home a win because this team deserves it.”
The checkered flag snapped an 85-race winless streak for Cindric, dating back to the 2022 Daytona 500 in his rookie tour. It marks the eighth top-five finish of his career but the first on a track that isn’t considered a superspeedway or road course.
Rounding out the top five, Logano was able to snap a six-race streak of placing outside the top 10, his longest such stretch under the Penske banner.
Logano was pleased with the organization’s performance, but Cindric’s victory meant he remained chalk on the playoff grid in 18th despite gaining 16 points on the elimination line.
“It was important,” Logano said of Penske’s day. “We need to win, obviously. Scoring points on days like today is important, so I’m glad we were able to do that. It wasn’t the victory that we were hoping for, but a Penske car got into Victory Lane, so I would call that a success.”
The reigning series champion Blaney stumbled to 24th on the final lap but left with 29 points, his second-best output since mid-April at Texas Motor Speedway.
“It was a good day for our cars to run first, fifth and we were there in the top five,” a stewing Blaney said. “Proud of the effort, and I’m proud a Penske car won.”
Collectively, the Penske cars led 74 laps, still shy of Bell’s race-high of 80. The 53 laps led for Cindric are the most laps he’s ever led in a Cup race. He joins Brad Keselowski as the second Ford driver to lock themselves into the 2024 postseason.
“Super critical for us,” Cindric said of the team’s performance. “RFK has definitely shown speed from the Ford side and been able to prove that we can run up front and win in this package. There’s a lot of conversation about different OEMs, this and that. That’s definitely something we look at as a race team to try and improve and get better.
“Barely being able to run top 10 with one car at Charlotte after winning the year before, Joey and I, best we could do is 14th and 20th. That’s last week, the last thing in our head. Easy to get down on, but this team has an incredible ability to be consistent, whether it’s at the Indy 500 or this weekend at Gateway. Having incredibly consistent pace between all of our cars, all through the get-go.”
There is still plenty of work to be done for one of NASCAR’s most successful teams.
“Believe in confidence, momentum as much as you want,” Cindric added. “Too much of a realistic guy, especially with myself, to think that this is just going to make me drive harder and be a better race car driver moving forward. I can promise you I’ve been giving it absolutely everything I have to run 20th some weeks.”
No horseshoe was needed on Sunday, however. Team Penske flat-out won.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated after NASCAR reinstated Kyle Larson’s playoff eligibility.
Heading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric ranked 20th in the regular-season points. Even then, Racing Insights projected the 2022 Daytona 500 champion to have just a 5.66% chance of advancing to this year’s playoffs.
Bracket busted?
Cindric stormed into Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon at Gateway, snapping an 85-race winless drought after teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of gas one lap too early. With that snagged checkered flag comes a berth in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field, propelling the No. 2 Ford firmly into the postseason.
Some familiar faces have already won their way in: Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski (who snapped a 110-race drought by winning at Darlington).
Meanwhile, NASCAR granted Kyle Larson a waiver to remain eligible for the playoffs after he missed the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 to make his inaugural Indianapolis 500 appearance. Larson has two wins this season and left Gateway second in the regular-season standings, 21 points back of points leader Denny Hamlin. Whoever claims the Regular Season Championship will earn 15 playoff points toward their postseason efforts, while the runner-up receives 10.
But more curious for the time being are those on the outside looking in.
Farther back without a guaranteed spot in the playoffs sits Kyle Busch, a two-time champion who currently resides in 17th place in the regular-season standings — three spots outside the provisional points bracket by 20 points. Busch needed a solid points day at Gateway — the site of his most recent win — and was on pace for such running inside the top 10. But contact with Larson on the final lap of Stage 2 sent Busch into the SAFER barrier instead, and he took the No. 8 Chevrolet to the garage for his first DNF of 2024.
Busch left the St. Louis area with just two points earned, continuing a stretch of races that’s left him 15th or worse in the final race rundowns in four of the past six events.
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Joey Logano is starting to round into form — and it’s about time for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Another two-time Cup champ, Logano won the exhibition NASCAR All-Star Race on May 19 and turned in a fifth-place finish Sunday at Gateway, only his second top five of 2024 and first since a runner-up effort in March at Richmond Raceway.
On Saturday, he said, “We don’t have any mulligans left at this point,” which is quite true: Logano sits 16th in points but two spots outside the provisional playoff standings, 14 points behind RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher for the final available playoff spot.
That brings us back to the potential surprises that are provisionally safe — namely, drivers like Cindric and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez, both locked in thanks to respective victories at Gateway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Through a combined 30 starts this year (15 for each), the duo has a combined four top fives — two each, which serve as their only top 10s of the year as well. But their wins absolve any issues in consistency, propelling them into the postseason.
Those currently in on points but still sitting winless are Martin Truex Jr. (+132 points to the elimination line per Racing Insights), Ty Gibbs (+107), Alex Bowman (+59), Ross Chastain (+59), Blaney (+47), Bubba Wallace (+13), and Buescher (+10). Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe is currently the first driver on the outside looking in, 10 points shy of Buescher.
With nearly a full race’s worth of points ahead of the separation line (and 11 races away from the postseason), Blaney should be safe. But if the next handful of weeks go awry, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion could find himself cursing the Gateway outcome even more than he already is.
Plenty can change over the next three months as the playoffs loom. But positions to compete for the 2024 title are already dwindling.
And for those on the tail end of that elimination line? An Austin Cindric win may have been your worst nightmare come true.
Late-race fireworks at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway illuminated a new 2024 race winner to the NASCAR Cup Series fold as the No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Austin Cindric bypassed teammate Ryan Blaney after the No. 12 ran out of fuel on the final lap.
With his WWT Raceway victory, Austin Cindric not only captured his first Cup win since his memorable Daytona 500 triumph in 2022 but also added even more intrigue to the postseason picture. Following the No. 2’s victory in the Midwest, nine Cup drivers have now won at least one contest this season.
With Sunday’s St. Louis show in the books, here are three drivers with rising stock and three more in need of a swift rebound as the schedule next heads to the winding roads of Sonoma Raceway this Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
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Started: 18th
Finished: 6th
What happened: It was a slow brew for the 34-year-old North Carolina native, who finished Stage 1 in an uneventful 28th. However, tides began to turn following the stage conclusion as the No. 3 was one of six cars to stay out during a usual pit-stop visit. From then on, it was relatively smooth sailing for Dillon, who finished Stage 2 in ninth and rounded out the day with an even stronger sixth-place result. Sometimes, all it takes is a little risk and patience, and in the case of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 machine, the end result was a much-needed top 10, his second of the year and first since Texas Motor Speedway in April.
What’s next: Dillon and his No. 3 team next trek to Sonoma, where there will be work to do; in nine career Cup starts at the California road course, Dillon has zero top 10s and has yet to lead a lap. However, Dillon did finish a career-best 11th at the track in 2022 during the inaugural year of the Next Gen car, so perhaps momentum can be built on that front. Momentum is certainly on the team’s side right now, so anything can happen.
2. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
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Started: 20th
Finished: 8th
What happened: For a Cup Series rookie still learning the ropes, it was what you could call a banner day for Spire Motorsports’ Hocevar, who capitalized on patience and just enough speed to reel in a well-earned top 10 for his personal best Cup Series finish. The No. 77 Chevrolet jumped 12 positions from Stage 1 to finish Stage 2 in eighth and maintained that spot at the finish. Not too shabby for a 21-year-old youngster grinding his way through his first full-time Cup campaign.
What’s next: Although Sonoma will be a new track for him in terms of racing in the Cup Series, Hocevar does have experience there in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he started on the pole and finished sixth in June 2022. He did not lead any laps during that contest, but the ability to run near the front of the field could be the experience to lean on this time around in a Cup car.
3. Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
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Started: 21st
Finished: 9th
What happened: Haley’s 28 points from the top-10 effort might not be the most when compared to other drivers who finished ahead and behind him, but make no mistake — the Rick Ware Racing camp will take what it can get, and a ninth-place triumph is definitely one to be satisfied with. Momentum really began to shift in the team’s favor during the contest’s final stage, where the Ford found increasing speed and steadying pace as the laps waned. And although the No. 51 ran out of fuel at the line, the end result was still a well-deserved top 10, his second in the last three races.
What’s next: Haley’s experience at Sonoma solely comes from the Cup Series, spanning three races total (2019, 2022, 2023). His best finish of the bunch came in 2022 when the Indiana native finished 12th as pilot of the No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
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Started: 10th
Finished: 35th
What happened: On paper, this looked like just the venue to get Busch and the No. 8 team back on track. And after beginning Stage 2 on the front row, it seemed as though Rowdy and Co. were on the right path to repeat last year’s win. Instead, a last-lap wreck with Kyle Larson at the conclusion of Stage 2 relegated the No. 8 to its first DNF of the season. What looked to be just the race to cash in on a plethora of points instead resulted in a next-to-last finish and only two points to show for it all at the St. Louis venue.
What’s next: Luckily for Busch, Sonoma offers an opportunity for a quick rebound. After all, in 18 career Cup starts at the California road course, Busch possesses two wins, seven top fives and nine top 10s to go along with 132 laps led. Busch has finished inside the top 10 in seven of the last eight Cup contests there, dating back to 2015. Will Sonoma be the place where Busch collects a 2024 dub?
2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
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Started: 19th
Finished: 34th
What happened: It was a forgetful weekend for the No. 19 team from the jump. The 10th-best time during Saturday’s final practice session couldn’t be built upon, and a mediocre qualifying run continued the theme. During Sunday’s contest, Truex remained at the back of the field and struggled to remain on the lead lap, even falling behind several laps due to a flat left-rear tire in Stage 2. In the end, a bottom-three finish has the No. 19 on its way back to the drawing board as Truex and Co. vie for consistent speed and steady pace.
What’s next: Sonoma should definitely perk the ears of the No. 19 camp as Truex is the defending winner at the track, leading 51 of 110 laps during the 2023 running. In total, Truex has four Cup victories at Sonoma, with three of those four coming in the last five years (2018, 2019, 2023). If any track can get the sour St. Louis taste out of the No. 19 team’s mouth, it’s the one in wine country.
3. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
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Started: 1st
Finished: 25th
What happened: The No. 34 maintained an up-front presence early and often during the opening portion of St. Louis battle, finishing Stage 1 in second. Unfortunately for the McDowell-led team, the No. 34 couldn’t capitalize on restarts and remained muddled in the middle portion of the race pack. Pit-road action — and having the top pit stall in the field — couldn’t make up the difference, either. In the end, an opportunity to capitalize on clean air fell to the wayside, and the team will now look elsewhere to find win No. 1 of 2024.
What’s next: Speaking of looking elsewhere, hello Sonoma. On paper, McDowell’s numbers at Sonoma might not be the peachiest — the 39-year-old only has two top 10s in 11 Cup starts there. However, each of those top-10 finishes has come in his last two races at the track for the road ace. The Next Gen era has been kind to McDowell at Sonoma, and perhaps the 2023 Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course winner will translate his road-course success to a similar left-and-right-turning venue.
MADISON, Ill. — Christopher Bell was looking to do something at World Wide Technology Raceway he’s never done before in his Cup Series career: win consecutive races.
After leading a race-high 80 laps, the achievement looked to be well within reach throughout Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300. After crew chief Adam Stevens pitted him later in the final pit cycle to give his driver fresher tires, Bell was fighting neck-and-neck with Ryan Blaney for the top spot late at Gateway.
Then, inside the final 20 laps, the No. 20 Toyota lost power.
“Just something in the engine department let go,” Bell said. “I’m surprised that it hung on for those last [19] laps or whatever. That one sucks, there’s no way around it.”
Bell, who won his first crown-jewel race one week prior in the Coca-Cola 600, lost positions rapidly. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. bump-drafted the No. 20 car down the long straightaways of the 1.25-mile oval for a few laps to keep up Bell’s momentum, aiding Bell across the finish line for a seventh-place finish. It’s the first time he’s had consecutive top 10s in more than two months.
“All I can tell you is it lost power with about 20 or 25 laps to go, dramatically,” Stevens said. “I didn’t see any smoke coming out of the pipes, so I don’t know if we had an internal issue or an ignition issue or what. There’s just no way to tell right now.”
Stevens said the No. 20 team would download the data before leaving Gateway. However, the diagnosis likely won’t come until the car gets back to the shop on Monday.
“We didn’t miss a shift or anything,” he added. “It wasn’t anything related to that. No clue.”
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Trying to look at the bigger picture, Bell has led more laps in the last two weeks (170) than the previous 13 races of the season (125). In those races, Bell has gained seven spots in the regular-season championship standings, sitting eighth with 11 races remaining.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for the overall weekend,” Bell said. “We showed up with a great race car. It was super fast, and we put ourselves in position. If we can keep bringing race cars like this, then we will be in good shape.”
The month of June bodes well for Bell and his No. 20 team. The series heads next to Sonoma Raceway, and Bell has a pair of road-course victories in his Cup career. After that is Iowa Speedway, where Bell was one of three drivers to participate in a Goodyear tire test last week. Following Iowa is New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a venue that Bell has aced, no matter the series he competes in.
