Last season, Kevin Ford won four races in the Better Baker Sportsman division at Berlin Raceway on his way to a track championship.
This year, he’s already surpassed his 2022 win total.
Ford picked up his fifth victory of the season last week at Berlin, a NASCAR-sanctioned, 7/16-mile paved oval in Marne, Michigan. All of Ford’s success behind the wheel of the race car is made even more impressive by the fact that he’s only been racing cars for three years.
Since about 2009, Ford competed solely on iRacing. During that time, he also helped on the pit crew of a friend who races at Berlin.
About three years ago, another friend decided to buy a car and start a race team. The friend asked Ford if he would like to drive.
“It was a little new direction for us,” Ford said.
The transition from the simulator to the real thing was a relatively easy one for Ford; he felt he had already learned the fastest way to get around different tracks and had a good idea of how to approach race craft in real life.
He thinks his time iRacing gave him a leg up on other inexperienced drivers.
“On iRacing, you know how to start and restart a race, you recognize the people around you and how to pass. All that stuff plays in,” Ford said. “It’s not dead realistic, its not a one-to-one conversion anywhere, but it definitely gets you pointed in the right direction and gives you a head start on people. If you didn’t have iRacing or real racing, I think you’d need an extra season or two to really get your feet underneath you.”
There is one big, obvious difference that Ford has found when it comes to the real car.
“It’s easier and it’s harder in different ways,” he said. “iRacing is harder to drive the car at times because you don’t have the seat of the pants feel that you would want. In a real car you can feel the tires a lot better, and I think that makes it a lot easier to push the car to the limit.
“But, you go to real life and you have to add in fear, of course. Then it gets harder. You don’t have the free reset you have in iRacing. There’s no money involved when you wreck a car in iRacing. There’s no injuries involved when you wreck a car in iRacing. So you get all these new sensations like, ‘Oh, I can wreck a race car. But I can also see the concrete wall,’ and that takes some of that away from you. Add fear into the equation, that gets a little tough to do in real life.”
Ford had his first brush with danger three weeks ago when he crashed into the frontstretch wall at Berlin. It was the first time in his career he’s had to do major repairs to his car.
“We’ve been fortunate and it’s been bound to happen eventually,” he said. “You don’t race very long without getting involved in an accident.”
It was a struggle for a couple weeks, and Ford saw himself fall in the standings. He bounced back over the weekend and got back in the win column at the “Battle at Berlin,” one of the track’s biggest races of the season.
The victory was not only special for Ford, who said prior to the race it was one he wanted to win more than any other, it also officially surpassed his win total from last year, which was a goal coming into the summer.
Ford is currently second in the Sportman points at Berlin, 76 points behind leader Brian Thome.
He’s fourth in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III standings, 24 points behind the leader.
“It is much, much closer than it was last year,” Ford said of the Berlin points. “I think we picked up a couple extra competitive cars for this season so far. It’s been a little more work all year, actually. We actually made the car faster this winter and struggled more out of the gate than we did last year with a faster car than what we finished the season with. That was tough to realize right away that we were going to be fighting tougher competition than last year. Trying to repeat as champions was definitely going to be difficult.”
He’s still holding out hope for another Berlin title, and he wants to work to continue climbing the national standings.
More importantly, the rest of the year is about continuing to have fun behind the wheel of an actual car.
“It’s definitely more fun to race the real car,” he said. “A lot more adrenaline involved. It’s a lot more fun to actually do it. Real racing comes with a lot more stress than sim racing, too. You have to keep the car up to shape, you’re worrying about a season-long points battles. You’re worried about sponsors that you’re trying to keep happy and run well for them. There’s a lot more stress off the track… but when it actually comes to green flag, I’d rather be in a real car all day long.”
Only two races remain in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. This Sunday, three playoff spots are still up for grabs when the green flag drops for the Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
With the wild card of Daytona looming next weekend, Watkins Glen serves as the next-to-last opportunity for drivers on the bubble to control their destiny. Take a look at drivers just above and below the postseason elimination line before the action kicks off in upstate New York.
Trending: Indianapolis Road Course Snapped Hot Streak
Watkins Glen outlook — Mostly Warm: Watkins Glen is arguably Harvick’s best road course. Barring a new winner on Sunday, he will make the playoffs on points but what gets real dicey for the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team is that only two points separate Harvick and Brad Keselowski. If two new winners emerge at Watkins Glen and Daytona, then the 16th and final playoff spot will come to down to a points duel on the superspeedway.
BRAD KESELOWSKI
Points above: 143
Trending: Hit or Miss
Watkins Glen outlook — Mostly Cold: Despite being well over 100 points above the elimination line, Keselowski still has work to do to lock himself into the postseason. If he doesn’t win on Sunday and a first-time 2023 winners emerge in the last two races, Keselowski will need to jump Harvick in points to clinch a spot. Recently, the RFK Racing co-owner hasn’t been great on the New York road course with four finishes of 15th or worse in the last five races.
BUBBA WALLACE
Points above: 28
Trending: Cold
Watkins Glen outlook — Cold: McDowell’s win last weekend put Wallace in a bind, and he’ll likely need his best performance at a road course in his career on Sunday to keep a healthy margin above the elimination line. Unfortunately for Wallace, he’s never finished better than 23rd in four career starts at The Glen.
☣️ ON THE BUBBLE
DANIEL SUÁREZ
Points below: 28
Trending: Warming Up
Watkins Glen outlook — Hit or Miss: A pit-road blunder last Sunday cost the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team a better chance at the win at Indy, but Suárez will be among the favorites as well at Watkins Glen. He finished fifth in last year’s race.
TY GIBBS
Points below: 49
Trending: OK
Watkins Glen outlook — Cold Start: Gibbs recovered to log a 12th-place finish at Indy after being spun by Shane van Gisbergen early in the race. However, that incident cost him valuable stage points, and the rookie likely needs a win to clinch a playoff spot. He only has one Cup start at Watkins Glen where he finished 26th (2022).
🚩 MUST-WIN SITUATION
CHASE ELLIOTT
Points below: 80
Trending: Hit or Miss
Watkins Glen outlook — Red Hot: Elliott had his best run of 2023 last weekend at Indy but it wasn’t enough for a win. Now, only a victory will get him into the playoffs and Watkins Glen could be his golden ticket. He owns two career wins at the road course, including his first career Cup Series win in 2018. He’s also on a four consecutive race streak of top-four finishes.
Trending: Indianapolis Road Course Snapped Cold Streak
Watkins Glen outlook — Cold: Bowman scored his first top-10 finish at Indy since returning from injury. But a win is the only way the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team makes the postseason, and Bowman has yet to score a top-10 finish or lead a lap at Watkins Glen in six starts.
AJ ALLMENDINGER
Points below: 87
Trending: Cold
Watkins Glen outlook — Mostly Warm: If anyone can flip the playoff picture on Sunday, it’s Allmendinger. His first career Cup win came at Watkins Glen in 2014 and he’s scored seven top 10s in the last nine starts at the track, including a runner-up result last year.
AUSTIN CINDRIC
Points below: 105
Trending: Cold
Watkins Glen outlook — OK Start: While Cindric has a decorated background in road-course racing, it has yet to develop in the Cup Series. He finished 13th at Watkins Glen in his rookie season last year.
Michael McDowell’s breakthrough win last week at the Indianapolis Road Course locked the Front Row Motorsports driver and the No. 34 team into the postseason field and helped make the scenarios for Watkins Glen this week a little more clear.
For Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, who sit in the provisional postseason grid but without a win, a victory by either locks both drivers into the postseason. If a driver already in the playoffs wins, both veterans would also lock in. But if a driver below the elimination line is victorious? Buckle up for Daytona.
With two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, 13 playoff spots are locked up. Those 13 drivers are Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
With the series heading to Watkins Glen for the penultimate regular-season race, here’s a look at the playoff-clinching scenarios.
Can clinch via points
If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the third winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from Kevin Harvick or Brad Keselowski.
• Kevin Harvick: Would clinch regardless of finish • Brad Keselowski: Would clinch regardless of finish
If there is a new winner from Bubba Wallace or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the second winless driver in the standings.
• Kevin Harvick: Could only clinch with help
Can clinch via win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
• The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon.
Can clinch Regular-Season Championship
The Regular-Season Championship could be clinched by the following drivers:
• Martin Truex Jr.: Would clinch with 56 points
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
More spots are up for grabs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which still has four regular-season races remaining and eight available playoff spots. Here’s an extensive look ahead of the series’ road-course race at Watkins Glen.
The following four drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver postseason field: Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer.
Can clinch via previous wins
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith and Jeb Burton: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Sammy Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Jeb Burton: Would clinch regardless of finish
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst, Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman or Brandon Jones: • Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help • Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Brett Moffitt: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch with 37 points • Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Kaz Grala: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 39 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Parker Retzlaff: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 19 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Ryan Sieg: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch with 3 points • Sammy Smith: Could only clinch with help
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Jeremy Clements: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Sammy Smith: Would clinch with 33 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Josh Williams: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Sammy Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Jeb Burton: Would clinch with 5 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Anthony Alfredo: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Sammy Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Jeb Burton: Would clinch with 3 points
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Joe Graf Jr. or Brennan Poole: • Sam Mayer: Would clinch regardless of finish • Chandler Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Sammy Smith: Would clinch regardless of finish • Jeb Burton: Would clinch regardless of finish
Can clinch via win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: • Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith and Jeb Burton
The following drivers could clinch with a win: • Daniel Hemric: Could only clinch with help
Although a lengthy pit stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course withheld Daniel Suárez from a pivotal win, there should still be plenty of optimism within the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing camp heading into the final two regular-season races.
While the pit stop incident in question might be four days in the rearview mirror, the error still resonates. After being a steady front-runner during the opening portion of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, Suárez brought his Chevrolet to pit row on the 48th circuit of a scheduled 82-lap contest. An air hose tangle with the left-front tire, however, created a 10-second gap behind Michael McDowell, and while Suárez was able to dig out of the deficit by close to half by the race’s end, it was not enough to overtake the No. 34, which eventually took home the hardware and clinched a coveted spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
A slow stop might suggest a disturbing trend, but a glimpse at the data suggests the misfire might be an anomaly instead of a new norm. Headlined by front-tire changer Josh Bush, rear-tire changer Jerick Newsome, tire carrier Jeremy Kimbrough, jackman Josh Appleby and fueler Milan Rudanovic, the No. 99 has delivered the fastest four-tire pit stop in five races this season (Auto Club, Talladega, New Hampshire, Richmond-2 and Michigan). And while the miscue might have weakened his average four-tire time compared to two weeks prior, the team remains the eighth-best in that department.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, a third-place result wasn’t an entire loss. A still-strong points day means Suárez is only 28 points below the 16-driver postseason grid. But make no mistake: No matter how nice points are, Suárez is still hungry for a victory, and with another road course on the docket — this time at Watkins Glen International — an opportunity to lean on a fast No. 99 machine and a still-efficient pit crew could very well be the difference-maker to seizing the win and clinching a playoff berth this time around.
See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through Indianapolis and before Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Two races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, and Watkins Glen International may be the final track where drivers can control their own fate before returning to the unknowns that await in the postseason preamble at Daytona.
Before cars hit the track this weekend for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), check out trends to watch, important info on Goodyear tires and interactive ways to follow all the action.
After Michael McDowell’s win at Indianapolis last weekend, the 2020 Cup Series champion currently sits 80 points below the playoff cutline and needs a win to compete for the title this year.
Elliott has proven to be one of the best road-course racers in the Cup Series, and Watkins Glen is where he scored his first career Cup Series win in 2018. Since then, the 27-year-old scored six more wins on left- and right-turn circuits to land third on the all-time road-course winners list.
Destiny is in Elliott’s control this weekend, and if he doesn’t score the victory on Sunday, it’s off to Daytona, where he will need to hit a walk-off.
Goodyear will bring the same tire setup that has been used on all road courses this season. Cup teams will be issued one set for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional five sets for Sunday’s race.
Wet-weather tires will also be available this weekend in the event of rainfall.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is introducing a new way for fans to explore its rich racing history well into the future. NASCAR Classics is now live on nascar.com (www.nascar.com/classics), offering free, ad-free viewing of more than 1,000 full race replays, condensed broadcasts and recap packages spanning eight decades of speed in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Anchoring the extensive archive is a new anniversary capsule: NASCAR’s Top 75 Greatest Races. The unranked collection, selected by the sanctioning body, showcases some of the most exciting on-track action, important milestones and enduring memories throughout NASCAR’s first 75 years, bookended by 1951’s Motor City 250 in Michigan and Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville in October of 2022. (A more detailed rundown of NASCAR’s Top 75 Greatest Races is available here on nascar.com.)
NASCAR also launched dedicated NASCAR Classics accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, extending the brand beyond the digital video destination to engage fans with a variety of throwback content on an ongoing basis.
“NASCAR Classics is a significant addition to our digital content offerings that for the first time ever gives fans around the world free, uninterrupted access to enjoy decades of past NASCAR Cup Series action whenever and wherever they’d like,” said Tim Clark, senior vice president and chief digital officer at NASCAR.
Visitors to NASCAR Classics can easily choose their own journey through history via navigation dropdowns that filter races by era and by track, or through a keyword search that lets them look for specific drivers and race names in addition to individual years and venues. Once a video is selected, a custom timeline tool enables viewers to jump directly to key moments throughout the race.
The increased interactivity comes courtesy of software company Twizted Design, with whom NASCAR partnered to build Classics on Twizted’s next-gen video streaming and management platform for OTT channels, called Videoflow.
NASCAR Classics includes most Cup Series race broadcasts available to date, and NASCAR will continue to add recently run Cup Series races to the online archive within weeks of their conclusion.
NASCAR rolls into Watkins Glen International this weekend with only two races remaining in the regular season. Fans can tune in to the Go Bowling at The Glen Cup Series race Sunday, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
For many fans, immense memories immediately flood their brains when thinking back on the first 75 years of NASCAR’s existence.
As NASCAR celebrates its milestone anniversary throughout 2023, those moments are bound to come to the surface more frequently. Sometimes they are moments shared at home with our loved ones, some of whom have since passed on. They might have been made in the grandstands of a track alongside thousands of other passionate NASCAR fans, cheering their favorites to the checkered flag.
No matter where your memory was made or who it was with, your mind will quickly recall every little aspect of it: who was there; who the drivers were on the track; what paint schemes graced the cars; the sounds of the voices from the broadcast booth.
All of these things create everlasting memories and moments that helped shape NASCAR into what it is today.
For NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary, the sanctioning body has named a list of the 75 Greatest Races as a way to honor the legends and moments that helped build each and every one of us into the race fans that we are today.
There’s more. All of these races are now available to watch in full at NASCAR Classics, a newly launched website by the league, for the fans, dedicated to preserving and displaying the sport’s rich history for you to enjoy and remember again and again and again.
From the 1951 Motor City 250 in Michigan to Ross Chastain’s iconic “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville in 2022, here are the 75 Greatest Races in NASCAR history in chronological order. (Spoiler alert: We talk about race winners here, so if you want a surprise, please focus on the dates and tracks and not the subtext.)
1. Detroit, Aug. 12, 1951
As part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the city of Detroit, NASCAR runs a 250-mile event at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. The race was won by Tommy Thompson, the only victory of his Cup career.
Four months after suffering serious injuries in a crash at Charlotte, Herb Thomas wins his third career Southern 500. The race was a complete sellout, with 50,000 tickets sold.
Paul Goldsmith captures the final race on the Daytona beach course. He led all 39 laps in the event and held off Curtis Turner by just a few car lengths.
The inaugural Daytona 500 ends in a photo finish between drivers Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. It took Bill France Sr. three days to officially crown a winner of the event.
Nelson Stacy pulls off the upset, passing Marvin Panch with less than 10 laps remaining and holding on to win the Southern 500. Panch was relieving Fireball Roberts in the No. 22 car after dropping out of the race early in his No. 42 for Petty Enterprises.
After winning his Daytona 500 qualifying race, as well as the Daytona 500, Fireball Roberts returns to Daytona in July and captures the 250-mile event at the track.
Marvin Panch, driver of the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford, misses the Daytona 500 after suffering injuries in a fiery crash. Panch was pulled out of the wreckage by Tiny Lund and was replaced in the 500 by Lund, who promptly went out and won the race.
Curtis Turner captures the checkered flag in a race that sees 14 lead changes among seven drivers. It was the 17th and final victory of Turner’s career.
David Pearson backs off to allow Richard Petty to take the lead as the two drivers take the white flag. Pearson then uses his horsepower to slingshot past Petty for the win.
The thrilling conclusion to the Daytona 500 sees race leaders Richard Petty and David Pearson crash in Turn 4, with Pearson limping past Petty’s demolished car for the victory.
Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 in the first flag-to-flag coverage of a 500-mile race. His win is overshadowed by a late-race crash that ends with Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers, Donnie and Bobby, brawling on the backstretch.
Dale Earnhardt passes race leader Terry Labonte on the high side on the final lap at Talladega to grab the checkered flag. The race features an insane 68 lead changes.
Bill Elliott makes history by becoming the first driver in series history to capture the Winston Million, a $1 million bonus to any driver who could win three of the four crown jewel races in a season.
The thrilling finish to the third annual All-Star Race sees race leader Geoffrey Bodine spin late. This sets up a battle that leads to the “Pass in the Grass,” with Earnhardt holding on as his car slid through the grass, keeping the lead in the process.
After missing the first 11 races of the 1987 season due to an illness, Tim Richmond returns at Pocono, leads the final 47 laps and grabs the checkered flag.
It’s a special Valentine’s Day for the Allison family as Bobby Allison holds off his son Davey to win the Daytona 500. The duo celebrates together in Victory Lane.
Alan Kulwicki wins his first career Cup Series race. He celebrates with a “Polish Victory Lap,” which sees him drive counterclockwise around the track as he waves to the fans in the grandstand before taking his car to Victory Lane.
Contact from Rusty Wallace sends Darrell Waltrip around, as Wallace goes on to capture the All-Star event. This led to a brawl between the two teams in the pit area following the on-track incident.
Late-race contact between leaders Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd allows Geoffrey Bodine to get by to take the checkered flag and leaves both Earnhardt and Rudd trading words in the pits and through the broadcast following the race.
One of the most important races in NASCAR history sees Alan Kulwicki win the title over Bill Elliott and four other drivers who entered the race with a chance to win it. The race also marks the final start for Richard Petty and the debut of Jeff Gordon.
“The Dale and Dale Show” sees Dale Jarrett hold off Dale Earnhardt to capture his first Daytona 500 triumph, as his father Ned Jarrett calls him home to the finish from the broadcast booth.
Pittsboro, Indiana’s Jeff Gordon captures the inaugural Brickyard 400 in front of more than 250,000 fans, after race leader Ernie Irvan cuts a tire in the final laps.
Dale Earnhardt holds off a last-second charge from Rick Mast to win at Rockingham, in turn clinching his record-tying seventh Cup Series title with two races left on the schedule.
Terry Labonte limps his damaged and smoking No. 5 Chevrolet to Victory Lane after contact with Dale Earnhardt sends Labonte spinning across the start/finish line. Earnhardt is involved in a post-race altercation with Rusty Wallace that sees Wallace toss a water bottle at Earnhardt.
Jeff Gordon joins Bill Elliott as the only drivers to capture the $1 million Winston Million bonus with his win in the Southern 500. Elliott leads the most laps in the event and finishes fourth.
For the second time in four years, a last-lap battle at Bristol between Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte leaves with a damaged race car. This time though, it is Earnhardt taking the checkered flag.
Dale Earnhardt moves through the field, driving from 17th to first in the final six laps to capture what would be his 76th and final Cup Series victory.
As the NASCAR community was still shocked after losing Dale Earnhardt the previous week, his driver Steve Park captures the checkered flag at Rockingham. Park and his Daytona 500-winning teammate honor Earnhardt on the frontstretch following the race.
Kevin Harvick holds off Jeff Gordon in a photo finish to capture his first Cup Series victory. Fittingly, it was just Harvick’s third career start after taking over the car following the passing of Dale Earnhardt.
Using lessons learned from his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes from sixth to first to win the first race at Daytona after his dad passed away at the track in February.
An issue with Kurt Busch’s wheel leads to a tight battle for the championship, with Busch edging Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for the title by eight and sixteen points, respectively. This concludes the first Chase playoff format in series history.
One of the most dramatic Daytona 500 finishes ever sees Kevin Harvick edge Mark Martin at the line by 0.020 seconds, as Clint Bowyer slides across the start/finish line on his roof to finish 18th.
Jeff Gordon’s 76th Cup Series victory ties Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list. Gordon honors Earnhardt after the race with a victory lap while holding a No. 3 flag.
The first win of Brad Keselowski’s career comes in wild fashion, as he takes the checkered flag while Carl Edwards’ car crashes into the catchfence behind him.
Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards enter the season finale separated by just three points in the season standings. The race didn’t disappoint as the two drivers finish first and second in the race, creating a tie in points. Stewart captures the title thanks to a tiebreaker earned for winning more races than Edwards throughout the season.
Race leader Kyle Busch is turned by Brad Keselowski in the esses on the final lap, leading to an intense battle between Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose. The two drivers trade sheet metal on and off the track in a remarkable last-lap fight for the victory.
Jeff Gordon’s retaliation against Clint Bowyer leads to Bowyer sprinting across the garage to try to catch Gordon before a big scrum breaks out between the two teams. This overshadowed a green-white-checkered finish that sees Kevin Harvick win and multiple cars destroyed as they cross the start/finish line.
Race-leader Jimmie Johnson is penalized for jumping the restart, setting up an intense late-race battle between Juan Pablo Montoya and eventual race winner Tony Stewart.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the leader on the final restart and thanks to a handful of big blocks, he holds off the field to capture his second Daytona 500 victory.
The first winner-take-all championship battle in series history sees Kevin Harvick hold off a late charge from another championship contender, Ryan Newman, to win his first Cup Series title.
In a season that starts with Kyle Busch watching the Daytona 500 from a hospital bed, he overcomes a broken leg and shattered left foot to capture his first Cup Series championship.
Matt Kenseth leads the field into Turn 4 on the final lap before Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. make it three-wide, setting up the closest finish in Daytona 500 history.
The championship finale is full of drama, capped off by Carl Edwards crashing with just 10 laps remaining. This allows Jimmie Johnson to take control and capture his record-tying seventh Cup Series title.
Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. leave Turn 4 on the final lap side-by-side as just about everyone wrecks behind them. Busch comes out victorious in the first race at the track under the lights.
Race leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson spin right before the finish line, as Ryan Blaney sneaks by to win the first race at the Charlotte Roval.
Denny Hamlin’s second career Daytona 500 victory comes after holding off his teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones in overtime. The 1-2-3 finish is bittersweet for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, as they were dealing with the loss of J.D. Gibbs, team owner Joe Gibbs’ son who passed away in January 2019.
Kyle Larson’s win is overshadowed by the drama created by Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick. The two drivers have disagreements both on the track and in the pits before discussing things further in the No. 9 hauler.
The second race at Circuit of The Americas sees a thrilling last-lap battle between Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger, with Chastain coming out on top for his first career victory.
Christopher Bell captures a walk-off win to keep his championship hopes alive. Ross Chastain’s dramatic “Hail Melon” move on the final lap moves him on to the next round.
THOMPSON, Conn. — Wednesday evening saw three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore reach an important milestone at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
By dominating the second half of the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com, Bonsignore earned an impressive 13th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at the facility. This puts him in a tie with Tour legend Ted Christopher on the series’ all-time list for Thompson victories.
As has been the case in many races this year, Bonsignore had to battle 2011 champion Ron Silk all the way to the checkered flag to bring home the historic win.
“It feels amazing to tie Ted Christopher on the all-time wins list [at Thompson],” Bonsignore said. “It’s something we had been wanting to do for a couple of years now. I was just trying to mind the gap with Ron [Silk], and I didn’t know how much he had left in the tank.
“On that last restart, he gave me a lot of respect.”
Bonsignore admitted matching Christopher’s Thompson win total was a moment that was long overdue.
During the late 2010s, Bonsignore was an unstoppable force at Thompson back when the track was featured four times on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. From 2018-19, Bonsignore won seven of eight races, including six in a row.
The turn of the decade featured diminishing returns for Bonsignore around Thompson. He gradually fell down the running order with each appearance, which culminated into an abysmal showing last October that saw him finish two laps down in 14th.
Bonsignore was initially unsure if he would shake off a streak of inconsistency at the start of Wednesday’s Thompson 150 after struggling to gain track position in the opening stint. Once he got fresh tires and clean air, nothing could stop Bonsignore from adding another accomplishment to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record book.
“For a place where we had so many wins, we really lost our confidence in the last year and a half,” Bonsignore said. “We got lapped a bunch of times in October, but [Ryan] Stone went to work on this car and tried something really different today. We missed it a little bit on the first set [of tires], but it was really good on the second set.”
Silk tried everything to keep pace with Bonsignore in the closing stages of the Thompson 150 and even found a couple of good looks underneath him for the lead. A late-race caution failed to provide Silk another opening, and he was forced to watch Bonsignore take the checkered flag.
“I don’t think I could have gotten [Bonsignore] anyway,” Silk said. “He was a little bit better than we were. He could roll the center better, but it was still a good effort. I was loose during the first run and made some aggressive changes to tighten us up for the second. We just got it a tiny bit too tight.”
Although Wednesday’s outcome means he will lose some of his advantage in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour point standings, Silk was proud of the hard work his team put in to improve his car and minimize the damage from a Bonsignore win.
For Bonsignore, who now has 38 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to his name, Wednesday carried more significance than just tying Christopher’s record at Thompson.
As Bonsignore embarked on a Polish victory lap around Thompson, he took an extra moment in Turn 1 to honor the late John Blewett III, who earned one of his 10 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories at the facility before tragically passing away in a crash at the track in 2007.
“I left the [checkered] flag up in Turn 1,” Bonsignore said. “That’s where John Blewett III was killed. I saw Doug Coby do that years ago, and I had always wanted to do that. [Wednesday] was the day we lost John all those years ago, and he was the biggest badass there was.
“If we could do anything to honor him, that’s pretty cool.”
With one more visit to Thompson scheduled on the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour calendar in October, Bonsignore has an opportunity to inch closer to another late series legend in Mike Stefanik, who holds the record for most Thompson wins with 15.
Regardless of whether he is able to eclipse Stefanik’s total, Bonsignore’s triumph on Wednesday further cemented him as one of the greatest to ever race at Thompson alongside the many he idolized growing up.
Following Silk in the finish order was the most recent Thompson winner in Eric Goodale, with Austin Beers and Craig Lutz completing the top five.
Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Bobby Santos III, Patrick Emerling, Doug Coby, Anthony Sesely and Tyler Rypkema.
A replay of the Thompson 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park can be seen on CNBC on Aug. 26 at 12 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour gets 10 days of rest before it makes another trip down south, this time to Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia for the CheckeredFlag.com 150. The green flag flies at 8 p.m. ET, with FloRacing providing the coverage.
