Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is here with yet another splash set for the sport’s mapped path through the next year.

Dazzling changes dot the calendar in another milestone year for the Cup Series, highlighted by a trip to Iowa Speedway on June 16, the circuit’s inaugural visit to the 0.875-mile oval and first venture to the Hawkeye State since 1953.

RELATED: Iowa set to host Cup race weekend in 2024

Additionally, the opening Round of 16 in the NASCAR Playoffs takes on a new look for the 2024 slate and will come a week later than usual. Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sept. 8) becomes the first race of the Cup Series’ postseason in a round that now features Watkins Glen International (Sept. 15) before closing out with the Bristol Motor Speedway night race (Sept. 21).

“I think having an Atlanta, a Watkins Glen and then a Bristol night race in that Round of 16 — three very different types of tracks — it’s going to test our drivers quite a bit as they think about the Round of 12 and continuing through the playoffs,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “I’m excited to see the change for Atlanta. I think it’s a testament to the great racing product that we’ve seen the last year or two.”

Watkins Glen replaces Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Playoffs as Texas moves to the spring for an April 14 date, an opportunity Kennedy said the scheduling saw “to shake up the playoff schedule a little bit.”

“We’ve had kind of status quo the past few years, and I know we shook it up a ton three or four years ago,” Kennedy said. “I think the diversity that we have and types of tracks in that first round is going to be fun to watch.”

RELATED: Highlighting notable changes in Cup schedule

Kansas Speedway will host the opening race of the Round of 12 on Sept. 29 ahead of Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. The Round of 8 features a familiar run of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway ahead of the Nov. 10 finale at Phoenix Raceway.

The regular season will come to an end on Labor Day Weekend on Sept. 1 at Darlington Raceway with the storied Southern 500 marking the final opportunity for drivers to qualify for a championship run. Daytona International Speedway’s second date held that slot since 2020 but slides back to Saturday night, Aug. 24, as race No. 25 on the schedule of 36 points-paying events.

The 66th annual Daytona 500 will kick off the Cup schedule on Feb. 18 before a trip to Atlanta, which returns to the second date on the circuit for the first time since 2019. Atlanta held that position from 2015-19 and returns in place of Auto Club Speedway as the former 2-mile track undergoes renovations.

“I think now that we’ve seen Atlanta play out and how the racing product has frankly evolved there,” Kennedy said, “Having it come out of our biggest event of the year in the Daytona 500 and then carrying that momentum to Atlanta … I think it’s going to be something really special.”

RELATED: Xfinity schedule | Truck schedule

Bristol’s first date on the NASCAR schedule returns to the concrete surface on March 17, 2024, after three years of dirt racing. Richmond Raceway, a 0.75-mile tri-oval, moves to Easter Sunday — 7 p.m. ET on March 31 on FOX — in place of the Bristol dirt race. The second Richmond race will also be in primetime at 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 11 (USA).

The Chicago Street Race, site of the Cup Series’ inaugural street-course event, returns for a sophomore year with Cup cars ready to charge into the downtown metropolis on July 7. Two weeks later, NASCAR returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 on July 21, preceding a two-week hiatus for the sport during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

“We’ve seen the road course play out for a handful of years at Indianapolis,” Kennedy said. “And what better way to return to the oval than the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 and really make it something special again? And again, I think the way that these Next Gen cars are racing on a lot of these tracks, I’m excited to see what the racing product looks like for the first time when the Next Gen cars run around the oval.”

The exhibition Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is back to open NASCAR festivities in southern California on Feb. 4, while the series’ other non-points event — the storied NASCAR All-Star Race — returns to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19.

One piece absent from the 2024 schedule is an international race on the Cup docket, but efforts remain ongoing for future expansion outside the United States.

“We haven’t ruled it out. It’s something that we’ve continued to explore,” Kennedy said. “We’ve been exploring this since we put the scheduling group together several years ago. We’ve explored it for ’22, ’23, ’24. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything that necessarily came together around ’24. I think that said, as we think about ’25 and beyond, we’re still bullish on taking the Cup Series international.”

DateRace/TrackNetworkStart time (ET)Radio
Sunday, February 4Clash (L.A. Memorial Coliseum)FOX8 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Thursday, February 15Duel at DaytonaFS17 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, February 18DAYTONA 500FOX2:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, February 25Atlanta Motor SpeedwayFOX3 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, March 3Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayFOX3:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, March 10Phoenix RacewayFOX3:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, March 17Bristol Motor SpeedwayFOX3:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, March 24COTAFOX3:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, March 31Richmond RacewayFOX7 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, April 7Martinsville SpeedwayFS13 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, April 14Texas Motor SpeedwayFS13:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, April 21Talladega SuperspeedwayFOX3 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, April 28Dover Motor SpeedwayFS12 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, May 5Kansas SpeedwayFS13 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, May 12Darlington RacewayFS13 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, May 19All-Star Race (N. Wilkesboro)FS18 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, May 26Charlotte Motor SpeedwayFOX6 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, June 2World Wide Technology RacewayFS13:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, June 9Sonoma RacewayFOX3:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, June 16Iowa SpeedwayUSA7 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, June 23New Hampshire Motor SpeedwayUSA2:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, June 30Nashville SuperspeedwayNBC3:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, July 7Chicago Street RaceNBC4:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, July 14Pocono RacewayUSA2:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, July 21Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayNBC2:30 p.m.IMS/SiriusXM
Sunday, August 11Richmond RacewayUSA6 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, August 18Michigan International SpeedwayUSA2:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Saturday, August 24Daytona International SpeedwayNBC7:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, September 1Darlington RacewayUSA6 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, September 8Atlanta Motor SpeedwayUSA3 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, September 15Watkins Glen InternationalUSA3 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Saturday, September 21Bristol Motor SpeedwayUSA7:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, September 29Kansas SpeedwayUSA3 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, October 6Talladega SuperspeedwayNBC2 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, October 13Charlotte RovalNBC2 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, October 20Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayNBC2:30 p.m.PRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, October 27Homestead-Miami SpeedwayNBC2:30 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, November 3Martinsville SpeedwayNBC2 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, November 10Phoenix RacewayNBC3 p.m.MRN/SiriusXM
Posted on by Reid Spencer

If any race track has earned a place of prominence in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course has to be near the top of the list.

Since its debut as the Round of 16 elimination race in 2018, the Charlotte road course has figured dramatically in the successes — and failures — of title contenders.

RELATED: Charlotte weekend schedule | Buy tickets for Charlotte

Now the final race in the Round of 12, a position it has occupied since 2020. The 2.28-mile, 17-turn circuit is sure to produce its share of suspense in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Whether it can match the pyrotechnics of the 2018 maiden race remains to be seen.

That extraordinary event was noteworthy not only for the finish, but also for the playoff scenarios that played out during the final laps. Jimmie Johnson was fighting for a spot in the Round of 12, hounding leader Martin Truex Jr. and closed in on the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota through the backstretch chicane.

Running second, Johnson was seven points to the good where advancement to the playoffs was concerned, but the seven-time Cup Series champion was winless in 2018. As the top two cars approached Turn 16, Johnson steered to the inside of Truex’s Camry, locked his tires and spun.

Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet slid through the Turn 16 chicane and tagged Truex’s car as the 2017 series champion entered the final left-hand corner. Knocked off course by Johnson’s rear bumper, Truex slid sideways and backed into the outside wall on the oval.

Johnson deliberately stopped short of the finish line, then continued, a NASCAR requirement for any driver cutting the chicane. Ryan Blaney passed Johnson to win the race, and six other cars shot past before Johnson reached the stripe. Truex rolled home 14th after righting his car.

The eighth-place finish would have been enough to send Johnson to the Round of 12 — were it not for what unfolded behind him.

Driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Larson had won the first stage, but Larson was part of a massive pileup in Turn 1 — appropriately dubbed “Calamity Corner” — on Lap 104 of 109.

Larson continued in his severely damaged car but was one point below the cutoff line for the Round of 12, until Jeffrey Earnhardt spun off the front bumper of Daniel Hemric’s car in the final corner. Earnhardt’s No. 96 Toyota came to rest against the outside wall.

Driving a car that was all but impossible to control because of a flat tire, Larson cleared the final chicane, bounced hard off the wall in the tri-oval and beat Earnhardt to the finish line. That one spot created a three-way tie between Larson, Aric Almirola and Johnson for 11th in the playoff standings.

Larson and Almirola got the final two berths in the Round of 12 based on best finishes during the opening round, leaving Johnson out of the playoffs.

“I had kind of given up there the last lap,” Larson said after the race. “I saw the No. 88 (Alex Bowman) made a couple of passes, and that’s who it sounded like we were in the points battle with. I knew I was screwed. Then they said they were all crashing, and it had to have been 45 seconds by the time I got back over there.

“I ran really hard through (Turns) 1 and 2. We had a lot of right-front damage, and we kind of knew the right front would blow if I ran hard. But I ran hard through (Turns) 3 and 4 and blew a right front and got into the fence. I could see the No. 96 and I knew I needed that point to get to the tiebreaker and hit the wall again. Thankfully, we got the tiebreaker.”

That wasn’t the end of Larson’s history with the Charlotte road course. In 2021, his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson won the Round of 12 elimination race at the road course on the way to the Cup Series title.

This year, Larson’s position entering the Bank of America Roval 400 is as fragile as it was in 2018. Larson is seventh in the standings, the same position he occupied after two Playoff races in 2018. At that point, he held a 17-point edge over 13th-place Clint Bowyer — and came within one point of elimination at Charlotte.

Currently, Larson leads ninth-place Tyler Reddick by 9 points, with the playoff field to be cut from 12 drivers to eight on Sunday.

“We typically run pretty well there,” Larson said. “I made a mistake last year and cost myself advancing (after finishing five laps down in 35th). But I know our race car will be fast. We’ve been fast everywhere this year.”

Posted on by Staff Report

As the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen cars reached speeds of 180 mph at Talladega Superspeedway, Leidos displayed its own vehicle innovation for race fans this past weekend in the midway at one of the circuit’s fastest tracks. 

The cutting-edge Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), designed and developed by Leidos in nearby Huntsville, Alabama, may soon be traversing the Moon’s surface as Leidos continues its bid to participate in the next phase of NASA’s Artemis program.

RELATED: More NASCAR Impact content

From Sept. 27 to the Talladega race weekend, executives from NASCAR and Leidos met with nearly 300 students at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) in Huntsville to share their respective innovations, the LTV and Next Gen car.

The students learned about the innovative design of the LTV and the safety components designed that allow astronauts to drive across the lunar landscape. Afterward, the LTV made a special pit stop outside where students could get up close and take pictures.  

“The event at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering serves as a reminder of the inspirational power of exploration — be it on the moon or in the realm of cyber technology,” said Steve Cook, Leidos Dynetics group president. “I believe that the power of combining Leidos and NASCAR technology and spirit, the sky’s not the limit; it’s just the beginning for what they can achieve with their education.”

NASCAR driver and “chief hype officer” Mamba Smith joined NASCAR Vice President of Vehicle Performance Eric Jacuzzi to discuss the design process for the Next Gen program, including many features and enhancements that made Next Gen the sport’s most innovative race car in its 75-year history.  

The race-week appearance — concluded with a highly competitive, Jeopardy-style trivia game and No. 23 Leidos die-cast cars for winning students — was reflective of both companies’ ongoing commitment to STEM education and creating fun and engaging experiences for young people.

“As there’s tremendous excitement in partnering with Leidos to bring the LTV to the Moon, we also believe in the importance of connecting our respective fields to students who are passionate about STEM,” said Pete Stuart, managing director of impact strategy and development for NASCAR.

“These are the young minds who one day will be pioneering the next space exploration mission or designing NASCAR’s newest race car.”

In 2021, Leidos made a $1 million donation toward the construction of the state-of-the-art academic facility that houses ASCTE. The NASCAR partner remains as a prominent donor for one of three public magnet schools serving high school students in Alabama.

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 8 in the final race of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 — the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The action will air live on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

The battle for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship between Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk has reached its crescendo as the series returns to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park this Sunday afternoon for the running of the World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com (4 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

The 152nd race in Whelen Modified Tour history at the 0.625-mile oval will pit the two championship contenders against each other in a game of oneupmanship as each man looks to gain an advantage ahead of the season finale at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 26.

Bonsignore is the most recent victor at Thompson after winning the Thompson 150 in August, which marked his 13th career Thompson victory in 42 starts at the track. He is tied with Ted Christopher for second on the all-time Whelen Modified Tour win list at Thompson, with Mike Stefanik sitting at the top of the record books with 15 Thompson Whelen Modified Tour wins.

Silk is no slouch either, having won five times at Thompson in 58 starts. His last victory at Thompson came in 2020. He also scored one victory at Thompson in 2012, two in 2008 and one in 2007.

Tickets to Sunday’s World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the 17th race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

ThumbnailWhat to watch for:

For years, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park hosted the final race of the season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. While that may not still be the case, Thompson is set to play a huge part in the crowning of the 2023 series champion.

With just two points separating points leader Justin Bonsignore from his title rival Ron Silk, every position will matter as both men look to gain some sort of upper hand. With 17 victories at Thompson split between them, either driver could emerge as a winner Sunday and take one step closer to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.

While the focus is on Bonsignore and Silk going into Sunday’s race, there are plenty of other drivers who will be looking to earn a trip to Victory Lane at one of the Modified Tour’s most storied facilities.

They include two-time Thompson winner Craig Lutz, who would love to give his team owner Danny Watts Jr. a going away present as Watts prepares to retire as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car owner at the conclusion of the season. Woody Pitkat will make his final start of the year aboard the No. 6 for another retiring car owner, Stan Mertz.

MORE THOMPSON: Watch live Sunday on FloRacing

Austin Beers has been fast everywhere this season and will be looking for his third victory of the season in the No. 64 KLM Motorsports entry. Ronnie Williams, who sat on the pole for this race one year ago, returns aboard the No. 50 entry. Eric Goodale, the defending race winner, is also scheduled to compete in the No. 58.

Kyle Bonsignore will pursue his second victory of 2023 on Sunday while Bobby Santos III will look to improve upon his ninth-place finish at North Wilkesboro Speedway last weekend.

Other notable entries include Sam Rameau, Dave Sapienza, Anthony Sesely, Matt Swanson and Anthony Nocella, among others.

The complete entry list for Sunday’s World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com is available here.

Cars line up before the Thompson 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on August 16, 2023 in Thompson, Connecticut. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com
Date Saturday, Oct. 8, 2023
Track Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Layout 0.625-mile paved oval
Location Thompson, Connecticut
Start Time 4 p.m. ET
Laps 150
Posted awards $92,995
Live stream FloRacing (Live)

Schedule: Saturday, Oct. 7 … Practice from 1 to 2:15 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 4 p.m. ET … Sunday, Oct. 8 … World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com at 4 p.m. ET (FloRacing).

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com is limited to 30 starters including Provisional Positions.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is three (3) tires, any position.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Iowa Speedway will host its first NASCAR Cup Series event in 2024, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday. The Cup race, set for 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 16, will be part of a tripleheader weekend June 14-16 that also includes a NASCAR Xfinity Series race and an ARCA Menards Series race.

The 0.875-mile, progressively banked track opened its doors in 2006 and hosted Xfinity Series and Truck Series races from 2009 through 2019. Nineteen Cup Series competitors projected to race in 2024 have won at the Newton, Iowa, race track, including champions Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and  Joey Logano.

RELATED: Cup Series drivers with past wins at Iowa Speedway

The ARCA Menards Series began competing there in 2006 and has raced there every year since, with the exception of the 2014 season. Iowa has also played host to 19 IndyCar Series events dating back to 2007.

“We’re really excited to be heading to Iowa Speedway,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “The first time in what will be the 76-year history that we’ve had a (Cup) race at Iowa Speedway, and the first time in a really long time that we’ve had a (Cup) race in the state of Iowa, so we’re excited to get there.

“We talk a lot about the racing product and what that looks like, and we hear from a lot of our fans that would like to see more short tracks. And then we also hear how good intermediate racing is with this Next Gen car. And I think Iowa in a lot of ways shows both the short track as well as an intermediate race track in the way that it races. I’m so excited to see it on the schedule.”

RELATED: Sign up to be notified about Iowa Speedway Cup race

The Midwestern short track is a favorite among drivers and fans throughout its 17-year history. With Tuesday’s announcement, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Hawkeye State for the first time since 1953, when Herb Thomas drove the No. 92 Fabulous Hudson Hornet to victory at Davenport Speedway, a 0.5-mile dirt track 130 miles east of Iowa Speedway.

“This is a dream come true,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, Iowa Speedway’s co-founder and designer. “This track was built with the intent of hosting a NASCAR Cup Series race one day, and to finally see it come together is a testament to the tenacity of the great race fans in Iowa.”

Kennedy, a former racer himself, competed at Iowa three times in the Xfinity Series, including his series debut when he scored a top-10 finish for Richard Childress Racing. He also ran four Truck Series events and six ARCA East races at the Iowa short track through his racing career.

“Selfishly as a fan but also as a driver being able to race around that track, I loved Iowa Speedway as a driver,” Kennedy said. “It’s a ton of fun and had a lot of grooves. We know what the racing product looks like on a worn-out surface. So I think to be able to go there on the same surface that’s there today is going to put on a great racing product. There’s going to be a lot of energy around it. So I’m looking forward to that.”

Posted on by Cara Cooper

Carter Langley admits he didn’t have the highest of hopes entering the 2023 race season.

At this time last year, the 18-year-old had just totaled a car and was facing questions about his future.

Those questions seemed to be answered on the first night of racing this season at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway on March 18. Langley swept both features in the track’s Late Model Stock Car division, putting him in an early points lead.

He battled back and forth with two-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion Peyton Sellers, one of the winningest drivers in South Boston history, for the entirety of the summer. With eight wins and 15 top-five finishes, Langley bested the veteran by six points for his first South Boston championship.

Carter Langley
Carter Langley celebrates as he climbs out of his car in Victory Lane after winning the second of the two Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division races that headlined the season-opening event on March 18 at South Boston Speedway. (Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

“I honestly still don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Langley said of his track title. “It’s getting there a little every day, but it’s still, I don’t think it’s really hit me. It’ll probably be like banquet time before it hits me. I don’t know.”

Langley first raced a full season at the NASCAR Home Track in South Boston, Virginia two years ago. The two quick wins to start the season gave the young driver momentum throughout the summer.

“We started off the year sweeping the weekend at SoBo, which not a lot of people can do, and the car was a lot better,” he said. “We didn’t have any practice on it since I rebuilt it. Everything was brand new. I was just hoping to come out of there with a top five that weekend, and we ended up sweeping the weekend, and it just kept getting better every week.”

Only once did Langley finish outside of the top 10 in 19 feature races this summer.

“It’s been pretty good. Not the season I was expecting,” he said. “It’s been fun, that’s for sure. Last year I was not having fun at this time… Definitely coming off of a win here this year has been better.”

Langley is in his 10th year of racing. He started in a go-kart when he was 7, following in the footsteps of his uncle, who used to run 4-cylinder cars at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina, and family friend Greg Barnett, who Langley and his family used to help at a local dirt track.

The Zebulon, North Carolina native said he “just always wanted to race,” but he also had choices when it came to his hobbies.

“It was baseball and racing at the same time, and I had to choose one, and I didn’t know which one to choose,” Langley said. “But I’m glad I chose racing, because it gives you a feeling that nothing else can give you.”

Carter Langley
Peyton Sellers (26) fends off a challenge from Carter Langley (5) and Jacob Borst (25) as they speed down the frontstretch during the 100-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race that was part of the Italian Delight Family Restaurant Night Race at South Boston Speedway on Aug. 19, 2023. (Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

Even though he has much less experience at South Boston than Sellers and other Late Model veterans he races against each week, there’s something about the track Langley said fits his driving style, and the people there have made it feel like his new home.

“I like multiple lanes of racing. Most weekends we can run the top and bottom,” he said. “It’s just a fun atmosphere. They make you feel welcome there. It’s the best local track racing you can get. The most competitive without having to go on the CARS Tour and basically have full-time teams to run that series.”

Langley credited the chemistry of his team and crew chief Josh Yeoman for his success this season, and the support he receives from his family and friends who come to races and help on the car.

Carter Langley
Carter Langley is all smiles after having placed the winner’s decal on his car following his win in the second race of the two 70-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that highlighted Billy’s A/C Service Night Race at South Boston Speedway on July 15, 2023. Langley was awarded the win after apparent winner Landon Huffman’s car failed to pass the post-event technical inspection by track NASCAR officials. (Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)

Langley’s regular season is done, and he added another big race to his 2023 last weekend when he competed in Martinsville Speedway’s annual Valley Star Credit Union 300, going up against more Late Model veterans and some of the best drivers from around the country for Martinsville’s coveted Grandfather Clock trophy.

Langley said he felt like he had momentum from his good season at South Boston when he headed to another southern Virginia track. He finished the day at Martinsville 14th.

Langley said he plans to return to South Boston next summer and travel around to other tracks, as well.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR competition officials issued behavioral penalties Tuesday to Craftsman Truck Series drivers Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez for their roles in a post-race altercation last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Crafton, driver of the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Ford, was fined $25,000 for his actions in a fight after Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250. Sanchez, a rookie in the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet, was fined $5,000. Sanchez’s father, Rene, was also penalized for his involvement in the fracas, with officials suspending him from NASCAR for the remaining two races on the 2023 schedule.

RELATED: Crafton, Sanchez involved in post-race altercation | Truck standings

Crafton and Sanchez made contact in the closing laps of Saturday’s playoff event, sparking a multitruck incident. Sanchez continued to a seventh-place finish, but Crafton’s race ended after 91 of the 99 laps because of terminal damage to his No. 88 entry.

Crafton — who was unhurt — stopped in Sanchez’s pit stall, dismounted, then directed harsh words toward the No. 2 team as he walked back to the garage. Post-race, witnesses said Crafton confronted Sanchez and punches flew. The rookie, bloodied by what he called a “cheap shot,” then made violent threats to Crafton, promising retribution in the tour’s next race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR officials also penalized driver Chandler Smith for a violation during Saturday’s Cup Series Qualifying of Section 14.3.1.1.F, which has the heading of Driver Protective Clothing/Equipment. The safety infraction — in this case, failure to wear a required head sock and/or helmet skirt — resulted in a $10,000 fine to Smith, who finished a career-best 11th in his third Cup Series start.

 

Posted on by John Crane

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 finale might be looming for some, but for Ryan Blaney, it offers a chance to look ahead toward a greener and better pasture.

After the pilot of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford clinched his Round of 8 berth following a thrilling win at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, he and the team have the opportunity to begin preparations for the trio of tracks featured in the upcoming postseason round — Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

And while Blaney will still race in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), the 29-year-old championship hopeful will have his eyes fixated on the Round of 8, where his title hopes have been dashed the last two years.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Cup schedule

The question is simple: Will Blaney overcome the hump to claim his first-ever Championship 4 spot? The short answer? Perhaps. After all, Blaney has had success at the three tracks, even if none of his nine career Cup wins have come on any of them. The longer answer? Well, let’s give it a look.

Starting with Las Vegas, Blaney has compiled five top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 14 Cup starts at the 1.5-miler, and while he has yet to crack the top 10 there behind the wheel of the Next Gen car — he has finished 36th, 28th and 13th at the track, dating back to 2022 — he has led 49 laps, which is tied for fourth among all Cup drivers in that span. A 12.4 average finish, additionally, ranks sixth among all active drivers with a minimum of 10 starts there. Blaney also has one career start on the pole at the track (2018).

Homestead-Miami, meanwhile, has proved to be more of a challenge. In eight career Cup starts, Blaney has only collected one top-10 finish, a third-place result in 2020, where he also led 70 laps. However, Blaney has shown capable of starting races there in an OK spot — in all eight races, Blaney started inside the top 15. With an emphasis on the right strategy, there isn’t a doubt that Blaney could finish as solidly as he starts.

That leads us to Martinsville, where Blaney has arguably had the most success among the three tracks. In 15 Cup starts at the short track, Blaney has accumulated seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes. While his 377 laps led ranks a respectable ninth among all active drivers, his 9.5 average finish ranks first among all active drivers with a minimum of 10 Cup races. Forty-nine laps led in the Next Gen package, in conjunction with one career pole start in the previous car (2020), round out Blaney’s résumé at the 0.526-mile short track.

MORE: Blaney’s career stats

On the surface, Blaney, like any other playoff driver, will have his work cut out for him. Winning a championship is no easy feat, after all, and for Blaney, the task of claiming his first Championship 4 appearance will not be handed to him. Instead, he will have to battle and tackle each Round of 8 track with a winning mindset.

Luckily for Blaney, his track record at Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville is enough to build upon. And with enough speed and necessary adjustments at those tracks, perhaps Blaney will look ahead to a championship opportunity as a result.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Connor Hall, the 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I national champion, isn’t the only driver to clinch a national championship this season, as the champions for Divisions II, III, IV and V have been revealed.

Payton Talbot, John Ketron, Adam Hensel and Shawn Bowar are the national champions of Divisions II-V, respectively, in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series for 2023.

Below is more on each champion.

2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division II champion

Payton Talbot

The 2023 season was huge for Payton Talbot, a native of South New Berlin, New York, who has been racing since he was 10.

Not only did Talbot capture the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division II national championship with 24 starts split between New York’s Fonda and Utica-Rome Speedways; he also captured the track championship in the Crate 602 Sportsman division at Fonda.

In his 24 races at Fonda and Utica-Rome, Talbot scored eight victories and only finished outside the top 10 twice. Six of his victories came at Fonda, with the other two coming at Utica-Rome. He scored 448 points throughout the 2023 season, and he needed every point to capture the championship. He bested Canadian racer William Racine by four points to lay claim to the championship.

In all, Talbot scored eight victories, 21 top fives and 22 top 10s spread across 24 starts at Fonda and Utica-Rome.

The final 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division II national standings can be found here.

2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III champion

John Ketron

John Ketron has been racing for a long time at Tennessee’s Kingsport Speedway, and now he can call himself a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion.

Ketron, a multi-time champion of Kingsport Speedway’s Pure 4 division, locked up the 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national championship this season thanks to an incredible year at Kingsport.

In 16 events this year, Ketron scored 10 victories, and he never finished outside the top five. He cruised to the Kingsport Speedway Pure 4 track championship, locking it up before the scheduled season finale on Sept. 9 that was ultimately canceled due to rain. His 10-win season allowed him to score 436 points toward the Division III national championship, which gave him a 16-point edge on Irwindale Speedway’s Bobby Ozman in the final standings.

Ketron’s final 2023 season stats included 10 victories, 21 top fives and 21 top 10s in 21 starts at Kingsport.

The final 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national standings can be found here.

2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division IV champion

Adam Hensel

The 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division IV national championship came down to a battle between a pair of competitors from Iowa’s Adams County Speedway.

In the end, the crown went to Adam Hensel, who denied fellow Adams County regular Luke Ramsey his third national championship in NASCAR competition.

The two were evenly matched throughout the 2023 campaign, with Hensel and Ramsey each winning four times. The edge, however, went to Hensel, who was able to score 16 top-five finishes to Ramsey’s 12. That was just enough to give Hensel the advantage in the final 2023 standings by 12 points.

In addition to capturing the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division IV national championship, Hensel also secured the track championship in the Hobby Stock class at Adams County.

In all, Hensel earned four victories, 16 top fives and 16 top 10s in 17 starts during the 2023 season.

The final 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division IV national standings can be found here.

2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division V champion

Shawn Bowar

In the final season of racing at Illinois’ Rockford Speedway, the historic asphalt quarter-mile oval has produced a national champion.

Shawn Bowar, a competitor in the Bandit division at Rockford Speedway, captured the 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division V national championship.

The battle for the Division V crown went all the way to the final weekend, with Bowar narrowly capturing the championship by six points ahead of Adams County Speedway competitor John Berg. Another Adams County racer, Zander Steiner, finished third, just eight points back.

Victories were vital to Bowar’s championship campaign. He scored eight wins during the 2023 season while Berg scored just two and Steiner scored only three. Those eight wins also helped Bowar claim his first Bandits division championship at Rockford Speedway.

In 12 starts this year, Bowar earned eight victories, 12 top fives and 12 top 10s on his way to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division V national championship.

The final 2023 NASCAR Advance Parts Weekly Series Division V national standings can be found here.