Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard is set to deliver a thrilling race on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, highlighted by an immense amount of international flair.

Check out trends to watch, important info on Goodyear tires and interactive ways to follow all the action.

RELATED: See paint schemes for Indianapolis | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race

🟢 START ‘EM UP SOONER 🟢

NASCAR officials have moved the GEICO Restart Zone to the short chute between Turns 13 and 14 ahead of Sunday’s race, a change from the frontstretch where restarts were typically held in each of the first two races at the Indy Road Course.

The change was made to allow the field more space heading down the Brickyard’s long front straightway before bunching tightly into the 90-degree right-handed Turn 1, where drag races in prior years resulted in heavy contact.

An image displaying the new look of the GEICO Restart Zone at Indianapolis

In the new restart zone, drivers are permitted to change lanes once clear of the zone, with no need to wait until the start/finish line to make a move. This year’s event is also the first at Indy to feature the choose rule, with the Choose ‘V’ located prior to Turn 7.

MORE: Sawyer: Indy may see single-file restarts, if needed

📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈

— Chevrolet drivers have won both poles and both races at the Indy Road Course.

— Tyler Reddick won after leading the most laps (38) in 2022.

—  Each of the two races run at the Indy Road Course have ended in NASCAR Overtime and featured five or more cautions.

— Five different drivers have won the last five road-course races (Watkins Glen — Kyle Larson; Charlotte Roval ’22 — Christopher Bell; COTA — Tyler Reddick; Sonoma — Martin Truex Jr,; Chicago — Shane van Gisbergen).

(Via Racing Insights)

ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️

Saturday, August 12

— 11:35 a.m. ET: Practice (NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

— 12:35 p.m. ET: Qualifying (NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, August 13

— 2:30 p.m. ET: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)

MORE: Full weekend schedule at Indianapolis

RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞

As noted earlier, the choose rule will be in effect at Indianapolis for the first time, a change at all road courses in 2023. Additionally, there will be no stage breaks this weekend. Points will be awarded on the designated stage-ending laps for Stage 1 and Stage 2, but a caution flag will not be displayed for the stage end.

Goodyear runs one tire on Cup cars at road courses with two different tire codes, which will allow the tires to tread directionally as a way to handle the stress expected to be put on them. As such, the tires used this weekend will be the same setup that was previously run this season at Circuit of The Americas, Sonoma Raceway and the Chicago Street Course.

NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.

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.

RELATED: See rules changes for 2023

FAN REWARDS 🫵

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.

JOIN TODAY

FOLLOW THE RACE 📲

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:

  1. Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
  2. Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
  3. Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
  4. Select “Follow the Race.”
  5. Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
  6. Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
  7. 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.

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻

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.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

For the record-extending 151st time in series history, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park will welcome the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Wednesday, Aug. 16 for the running of the Thompson 150.

The 11th race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule marks the first of two visits to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park this year for the series. Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is perhaps the most historic venue on the series schedule, having hosted the first race in the modern history of the Tour on March 31, 1985.

Appropriately, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR Modified history, Richie Evans won that race as well as the next three held at the track that year. He’s one of 37 drivers to grace Victory Lane at Thompson, including fellow Modified legends like Ted Christopher, Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller and Tony Hirschman, as well as modern stars like Justin Bonsignore, Doug Coby and Ron Silk.

Tickets to Wednesday’s Thompson 150 are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the 11th race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Thompson 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

ThumbnailWhat to watch for:

The last time Eric Goodale or Craig Lutz visited Victory Lane with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, it was at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park last season.

The two veteran drivers will look to add another Thompson victory to their respective resumes next Wednesday when they both return to action with the series for the running of the Thompson 150.

They’ll be faced with a number of top contenders who will all be looking to add a trophy from Thompson their respective trophy cases. They include Justin Bonsignore, who sits third on the all-time Modified Tour win list at Thompson with 12 victories at the historic track.

Doug Coby and Ron Silk — who have six and five victories, respectively, at Thompson in Modified Tour competition — will also be among the contenders on Wednesday evening.

MORE THOMPSON: Watch live on FloRacing

Austin Beers, fresh off his second victory of the season at Lancaster Motorplex, will attempt to add his name to the list of Thompson winners with a victory in the No. 64 KLM Motorsports Modified. Another driver looking for his first Modified Tour win at Thompson is Matt Hirschman, who will be back in the No. 60 for PeeDee Motorsports.

Five-time Thompson Modified Tour winner Bobby Santos III will look to rebound after a crash in his most recent race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a strong performance Wednesday. Also back in action with the Tour is Matt Swanson, who made his return to the Tour with an eighth-place finish at New Hampshire.

Brett Meservey will make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut alongside other notable entrants like Jake Johnson, Woody Pitkat, Patrick Emerling and Anthony Nocella.

The complete entry list for the Thompson 150 is available here.

Cars line up for qualifying during the Phoenix Communications 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on August 18, 2022 in Thompson, Connecticut. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race Thompson 150
Date Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023
Track Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Layout 0.625-mile paved oval
Location Thompson, Connecticut
Start Time 8 p.m. ET
Laps 150
Posted awards $92,995
Live stream FloRacing (Live)

Schedule: Wednesday, Aug. 16 … Final practice from 4 to 5 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6:20 p.m. ET … Thompson 150 at 8 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 Thompson 150 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 John Crane

The 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season has been a year of many firsts for Nick Sanchez.

For the 22-year-old rookie, the opportunity to compete for a title in this year’s Truck Series Playoffs is another first to add to the list, starting with this Friday’s Round of 10 opener at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (9 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: View Sanchez’s career stats | Meet the 2023 Truck Series playoff field 

But the allure of simply competing in his inaugural postseason isn’t solely what the No. 2 Chevrolet driver for Rev Racing has in mind. For Sanchez, the possibility of winning could feasibly be in the cards. And the idea of finding Victory Lane for the first time in his Truck Series career — and during a title hunt, no less — would certainly cross another first off the list.

“I think that would be amazing. Obviously, being close many times this year, but I feel like if there is a time to get it done, it’s definitely now, and I know that win would be multiplied times 10 because I’d advance to the next round,” Sanchez said Tuesday via teleconference during playoff media day. “If it’s in the Round of 8, I’d go to the championship round, so I think it’s a really unique format, but I think that would be amazing to hopefully get a win here in the playoffs and compete for a championship in Phoenix.”

After Rev Racing announced its expansion into the national series — with Sanchez as pilot of its No. 2 entry — the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program participant wasted no time making his appearance known in the Truck Series. Sanchez not only claimed the pole in his first-ever Truck Series start at Daytona International Speedway to open the 2023 campaign but amassed four pole awards during the regular season, most in the entire circuit.

Of course, speed was always there for the former ARCA Menards Series standout. To go along with four career wins, Sanchez additionally netted 18 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes while competing in the series. A banner 2022 — in which Sanchez compiled three wins, nine top fives and 16 top 10s — eventually culminated with the driver earning an ARCA championship.

Fast forward almost a full calendar year later and Sanchez finds similar speed, headlined by two top-five and eight top-10 finishes during the regular season. And while he doesn’t incorporate any strategy from that 2022 title year to his chances at a Truck championship in 2023, he does understand where he must be cognizant.

“I think the area that I need to improve on is just execution from start to finish in a race,” Sanchez said. “Usually, we qualify very amazing, top three most of the time, but I feel like you kinda gotta keep that up regardless of how the race plays out or strategy. You have to find a way to be there at the end, so I think that’s gonna be the emphasis I’m gonna put on these next seven races, honestly. Just kind of inverting my race, finishing where I started, so I think that’s the area as a driver I want to improve on.

“I think also aggression. I think, as a rookie, I don’t want to say I’ve been pushed around a little bit, but I’ve definitely been used up a good bit, and part of that is just me trying to be cautious knowing my points position, but I feel like, at least where I am now, it’s the playoffs. I have nothing to lose. So, I think just ramp that aggression up a little bit and start making more aggressive moves to hold position or advance position.”

For Sanchez, the goal of executing through continued speed and increased aggression could be the remedy to not only finding Victory Lane for the first time but outlasting the cream of the Truck Series crop once the Championship 4 race in Phoenix rolls around. Sanchez’s 231 laps led during the regular season ranked third among the entire Truck Series field, and while it was trumped by regular-season champion Corey Heim (408), Sanchez believes he has what it takes to battle with him and other steady contenders.

“It is a very strong field from top to bottom,” Sanchez said. “Week by week, you really don’t know who’s gonna be in Victory Lane, but I think, as far as raw speed goes, I would put us up there right with the 11 (Heim), week-by-week, as the fastest trucks in qualifying and just the fastest on speed, and I think part of what you see in that is truck. I have a really fast truck, but I think once you get to the race, sometimes, I don’t necessarily know right from wrong. Usually, I’ve qualified on pole a good bit. I go out, get a lead and then I lose it in restart, and that’s the first time I’ve experienced dirty air.

“Knowing that I have a fast truck, I just need to put a big emphasis on closing out races, and I think, once me and my team can accomplish that, I feel like we’re gonna be at the top echelon of the field as far as for a shot to win and a shot at the title.”

MORE: 2023 Truck Series schedule

As postseason play gets underway, Sanchez will look to continue growing as a young driver looking to cement his place in the Truck Series. But above all else, the No. 2 driver will look to keep it simple. There is momentum to build around with a strong regular season behind him, after all.

“I think my expectation for the rest of the season is just to compete for wins and ultimately get to Phoenix, but I feel like the rest of the season, I want to treat every race as its own season,” Sanchez said. “Not really worried about points too much, not really worried about the end goal of Phoenix. Just living the moment and taking it race-by-race, but I think for me, at this point, just competing for wins. That’s the only thing that I haven’t done this year, win. So, I feel like, race-by-race, I just wanna put myself in position at the end to be there and advance.”

And perhaps that position will help check off another first or two.

Posted on by Zack Albert

When 23XI Racing launched its own pit-crew program this season, team president Steve Lauletta said there was bound to be a learning curve. The organization had used over-the-wall crews contracted through fellow Toyota team Joe Gibbs Racing for its first two seasons, but forged its own pit-road path ahead of the 2023 campaign.

That route hasn’t been without hitches, as evidenced by a crucial late-race miscue last weekend at Michigan that derailed a strong victory bid by its No. 45 team and driver Tyler Reddick. Pit-road issues in preceding weeks at Richmond and Nashville had also hurt the overall results for 23XI’s No. 23 team and playoff hopeful Bubba Wallace.

With three weeks remaining until the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin, Lauletta said that pit-stop performance remained a topic under evaluation.

“Of course, we’re always looking at that,” Lauletta told NASCAR.com by phone Wednesday afternoon. “We’re looking at every aspect of what happens on the weekend, and it’s been unfortunate that we’ve had a number of execution issues, whether on pit lane or on the race track. You know, it hasn’t been one thing consistently, but the consistency has been, we show up with really fast race cars and haven’t gotten to the finish and earned the finishes that we deserve, and so we’re always working on how to fix those things.”

23XI Racing aims to get back on track this weekend in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM, NBC Sports App) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Reddick is the defending race winner, having prevailed last year at Indy in his final season with Richard Childress Racing, and 23XI will field a third entry for Japanese road-racing ace Kamui Kobayashi.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Indy | Reddick: ‘It was gonna be game over’

Reddick said after the Michigan miscue, “We’ve definitely got to get better there. We’ve got to improve.” Those remarks came a day after the race when Reddick issued a fiery rant over the team’s radio communications after an improperly fastened wheel forced the No. 45 group to make a lengthy extra stop.

Lauletta said he shared the frustration but also suggested that the new pit-road program is still growing in its debut season.

“You know, this is the first year that we’ve had our own pit crews at 23XI versus what we did the first two years in our alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, so we also have to give ourselves a little bit of runway that it’s not an overnight solution to any problem, and when you start something from scratch, there’s going to be some bumps in the road,” Lauletta said. “And so we’re doing our best to limit those. Unfortunately, they’ve come up in times when we’ve been in position to win races. It’s still frustrating if it’s meaning you’re going from a 15th-place finish to a 25th-place finish, but when you’re in position to have a really, really great day, that’s when we’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to address any sort of issues.”

Reddick had virtually clinched a playoff spot with his victory earlier this season at Circuit of The Americas, and Wallace has built a cushion in a quest for his first postseason berth — 58 points above the provisional elimination line. Having the 23XI teammates both reach the 16-driver playoff field was a preseason objective, Lauletta said, but that intention dates back to last year when the team expanded to a two-car operation with former Cup Series champion Kurt Busch joining the fold.

“I mean, it was a goal we set for last season, to be honest, in our second year with adding Kurt in the 45,” Lauletta said, mentioning Busch, who made 20 starts in the No. 45 last year before a concussion ended his season. “We got halfway there, and then turned the reins over to Bubba for the owners’ championship and won another race and made the Round of 8. So we felt like going into this year, getting both the 45 and the 23 into the playoffs was a goal that we should focus on. Hopefully, we’ve got three weeks to make the goal a reality and accomplish that and then put our head down for 10 strong weeks in the playoffs.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Chris Buescher’s win last week at Michigan International Speedway did more than just formally lock the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver into the postseason field — it officially clinched spots for six other drivers as well.

With three races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, 12 playoff spots are locked up. Those 12 drivers are Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Buescher, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

With the series heading to Indianapolis for its first of two consecutive road-course races, 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 111 points above the third winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kevin Harvick or Brad Keselowski.

• Kevin Harvick: Would clinch with 44 points
• Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 54 points

Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

• Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, Ty Dillon

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

More spots are up for grabs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which still has five regular-season races remaining and nine available playoff spots. Here’s a look ahead of the series’ road-course race at Indianapolis.

Already clinched: John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Cole Custer

Possible to Clinch:

• Justin Allgaier (1 Win, 777 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. If John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith or Sammy Smith wins, he would clinch regardless of finish. If Josh Berry, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst, Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman or Jeb Burton wins, he would clinch with 36 points. If Brandon Jones wins, he would clinch with 11 points. If Brett Moffitt wins, he would clinch regardless of finish.

• Sam Mayer (1 Win, 630 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.

• Chandler Smith (1 Win, 612 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.

• Sammy Smith (1 Win, 558 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.

• Jeb Burton (1 Win, 500 Points): With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins.

Posted on by Staff Report

Noah Gragson has asked to be released from his contract with Legacy Motor Club, the team announced Thursday morning.

Gragson was placed under indefinite suspension by NASCAR on Saturday for violating the member conduct section of the NASCAR Rule Book. The league suspension followed one set forth by Legacy Motor Club earlier that morning for “actions that do not represent the values of our team.”

MORE: Details on Gragson’s suspension | Cup schedule

“I have asked Legacy Motor Club to release me from my contract so that I can take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process,” Gragson said in a Thursday statement. “I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR — and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again.”

Mike Rockenfeller, a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is set to replace Gragson in each of the next two NASCAR Cup Series races in the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet. Rockenfeller, who has made two Cup Series starts, competed in this year’s Le Mans festivities as a co-pilot with Jimmie Johnson and Jenson Button in NASCAR’s Garage 56 efforts.

In 21 starts prior to his departure, Gragson ranked 33rd in the series standings in his rookie season. He missed one race (Sonoma) earlier this year because of concussion-like symptoms.

Posted on by Brandon White

MARNE, Mich. — Bubba Pollard has won nearly every Super Late Model crown jewel during his prestigious career.

With victories in the Oxford 250, All American 400, Florida Governor’s Cup, Canadian Short Track Nationals and SpeedFest 200 among many others to his name, Pollard arrived at Berlin Raceway this week with the goal off checking off another big race, the Battle at Berlin 250.

A perfect strategy for Pollard allowed him to solidify excellent track position during the closing laps of Wednesday night’s Battle at Berlin. He held off a stacked field consisting of Chase Elliott, William Byron, Josh Berry and others for a special victory at what Pollard considers one of his favorite tracks.

“I enjoy this place,” Pollard said. “Everyone here is great, and we just love coming here and racing. The track is very racy, you can move around, and you need to have patience. To outrun the caliber of guys here [on Wednesday] is just awesome and feels so good.”

Since he first started racing at Berlin during the 2010s, Pollard had been eager to claim a win in the facility’s premier endurance event.

Pollard had excelled in the Battle at Berlin nearly every year he entered, but a victory eluded him every time. He finished runner-up to Erik Jones in 2016 after leading 58 laps before once again coming up short the following year after getting passed late by Brian Campbell.

The predominant issue that repeatedly hindered Pollard in the Battle at Berlin was mastering tire conservation. With everyone conserving their equipment in the first half, Pollard said winning this race always came down to who could outsmart the field by saving more tire.

Pollard felt confident with the plan he and his team devised for 2023. Their goal was to gain as much track position as possible up until Lap 180, where they would then utilize a fresh set to make a final push for the win.

By the time Pollard reached his target lap, he had worked his way to the lead, leaving him with fresh tires and clean air after the ensuing pit stop. Despite this, Pollard still had one more obstacle to overcome: defending Battle at Berlin winner Evan Shotko, who took control of the lead with fewer than 50 to go.

Pollard was not concerned about temporarily settling into second. With Shotko pushing more than him, Pollard simply waited for the last competition yellow to come out and beat him on the restart.

“I knew we were going to get another caution,” Pollard said. “The competition cautions falling every 50 consecutive laps, and with the engine package [Shotko] had, we were going to fire off better. It all worked out, and we had such a great car tonight.”

Pollard did indeed take the lead from Shotko on the restart just as he envisioned. As Pollard pulled away, Shotko was left to deal with Elliott, who made a late pass to relegate the defending Berlin track champion to third in the running order.

Bubba Pollard (26) leads Evan Shotko (22), Chase Elliott (9) and others late in the Battle at Berlin 250. (Photo: Nic Antaya/NASCAR)

A dejected Shotko admitted there was more he could have done in the pits and on track to give himself a better chance against Pollard. He added that the heartbreak from Wednesday gives him plenty of material to grow as a driver at Berlin and at other tracks across the country.

“We’re pretty bummed out,” Shotko said. “These are very experienced teams we’re racing with, and you have to lose some of these before you win them. We got lucky with our win last year, but there’s a lot of learning to do still.”

Although he was disappointed to not triumph in front of the home crowd, Shotko took some solace in just how strong he was compared to the high caliber drivers in the Battle at Berlin field.

At one point in the closing stages, Shotko had Pollard, Elliott, Berry, Byron and Jones all in his rearview mirror. Such a scenario was something Shotko had long dreamed about dating back to when he used to watch weekly races at Berlin as a child.

The performance Shotko put together Wednesday highlighted the strides he has made with his family-owned program in just the past few years. For Shotko, being surrounded by so many drivers who compete in the NASCAR Cup Series comes with both a sense of pride and motivation.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Shotko said. “I’m a fortunate young man who has a great group of people behind me. It’s really amazing to just be standing in between Chase Elliott and Josh Berry.”

Shotko also stressed that Pollard was simply better when it came time to decide who would win the Battle at Berlin. He knew fending off Pollard would be a difficult challenge given the veteran’s past success at so many different tracks.

After passing Shotko, Pollard spent the final laps silently praying that no late race caution would bunch the field up and that oil pressure issues he dealt with all night would not crescendo into a blown engine. No matter the circumstances, Pollard was set on finishing the Battle at Berlin in the first position.

While Pollard has visited Victory Lane at Berlin several times before, finally doing so in the track’s longest race is something he plans to cherish for a long time.

“This one is special because we’ve been trying for so many years,” Pollard said. “All of them are special, because you never know when the last one is going to be. We’ve been coming here a lot of years and we love everything about this place.”

Pollard still has plenty of chapters left to write in his Super Late Model career after the Battle at Berlin. The main one being his quest for that elusive first victory in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, where he is set to make his 18th attempt later this year.

Another chapter Pollard wants to write is a second consecutive Battle at Berlin victory in 2024.

Elliott headlined the NASCAR Cup Series regulars in the Battle at Berlin with his second-place finish. Berry came home in the fourth position with local regular Kyle Crump completing the top five.

Byron ended up settling in the seventh position while Jones came home 11th after fading on the last run.

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series was penalized after officials confiscated its front splitter during pre-race inspection at Michigan International Speedway, the sanctioning body announced Wednesday.

Crew chief Jonathan Toney was fined $25,000 and the team, along with driver Cole Custer, were docked 20 owners and drivers points, respectively. Five playoff points will also be deducted from their postseason totals.

MORE: Xfinity standings | Indianapolis schedule

The infractions were determined after further inspection of the team’s splitter at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina. Officials cited Sections 14.4.3.C&H in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book. Section C states that “except as specified, splitters must be used exactly as supplied from the manufacturer,” with requirements and reference dimensions provided in an attached drawing. Section H states that “rounding of any edges of the splitter will not be permitted.”

With the penalty, Custer remains fourth in the regular-season standings but falls 106 points behind series leader John Hunter Nemechek.

Custer has won two races this season (Portland and Chicago) in his return to Xfinity after spending three full-time seasons in the Cup Series. The 25-year-old won Rookie of the Year in the Cup Series in 2020. His return to Xfinity competition is highlighted by 12 career wins in the series, seven of which came during the 2019 season.

The Xfinity Series is back in action at the Indianapolis Road Course for the Pennzoil 150 presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Staff Report

Front Row Motorsports revealed its 2024 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup on Wednesday with Michael McDowell returning for his seventh full-time season for the Bob Jenkins-owned team. Joining McDowell will be Todd Gilliland, who currently is sharing the team’s second car with Zane Smith.

RELATED: Indianapolis schedule | Cup standings

Smith, the 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champion, is exploring opportunities in NASCAR’s other national series, including remaining at FRM in 2024. Front Row will compete in the Truck Series in 2024 with plans for that program expected to be announced in the weeks to come.

“Both Michael and Todd are like family to me,” Jenkins said in a team release. “They have been determined to make the team better each season and they just keep fighting to do that. I’m proud of both and now we will be focused on the remainder of 2023 and prepare for 2024 to be even better.”

McDowell, 38, won the 2021 Daytona 500 while driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row, accounting for the 16-year veteran’s only Cup Series victory. McDowell set career highs last season with 12 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.7.

This season, McDowell is 17th in the standings, just three points behind Ty Gibbs for the final playoff spot. Three regular-season races remain, including Sunday’s contest from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Gilliland has three top-10 finishes in 23 races this season in the No. 38 Ford. His best finish was eighth place at the Bristol Dirt Race. Gilliland has three career wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, including one for Front Row in 2021 at Circuit of The Americas.

Smith has one top-10 finish in six Cup races this season, and that was a 10th-place finish in the No. 38 Ford at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Smith has nine victories in the Truck Series, including two this year, and is locked into this year’s Truck playoffs, which get underway Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (9 ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).