Posted on by Press Release

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway is a top-tier showcase event the region’s Late Model Stock Car division competitors have had circled on their schedules for months.

It’s the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, and the $10,000 winner’s prize is one of the biggest payouts for which competitors shoot each season.

For Brandon Pierce, the event is one that receives special attention and extra focus.

His father Vann Pierce and Billy Wellons co-own Thunder Road Harley-Davidson, which sponsors both the race and the car Pierce drives out of the Lee Pulliam Performance stable.

“It’s a big race for me every year,” Pierce remarked. “I kind of look at it like another Martinsville. There are a lot of emotions and some pressure. Some of it is getting the start of my racing career at South Boston Speedway, racing there full-time in 2016 and 2017. It’s South Boston Speedway’s biggest race of the year. It’s a Virginia Late Model Triple Crown race, and my longtime supporter and sponsor Thunder Road Harley-Davidson is sponsoring the event.

“I can’t thank Thunder Road Harley-Davidson enough. They have been sponsoring this race long before I started driving. Their continued support and loyalty to the racetrack and this race has been incredible. There is a lot of pride and a little pressure as well because it’s a hometown race for Lee Pulliam and our organization.

“There are a lot of people that come out and support us because of Lee and because we’re the hometown team. I always want to perform well in front of his family and all of our fans.”

Pierce is no stranger to South Boston. He has one career win at the speedway and one career win on the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour, where he competes full-time. Winning the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort would be his biggest accomplishment to date.

“If I could pull off winning the Thunder Road 200 it would be the biggest win of my career,” Pierce noted. “I have a CARS Tour win, which was very big. I have a win at South Boston Speedway in 2018 against Phillip Morris. Beating Phillip Morris and Josh Berry are two huge accomplishments I am very proud of, but I know in my heart I can say the Thunder Road 200 would surpass both of those victories just for how much it would mean to me, my family, everybody involved with Thunder Road and Lee Pulliam.

“It was really special for Lee as a car owner to win last year’s race. He’s won it six times as a driver and once as a car owner. I would say he was probably just as excited, if not more excited, to win the race as he was as a driver.”

Last July, Pierce qualified 11th among the 42-car field and finished 24th after being among the drivers that were caught up in a 17-car pileup on the frontstretch with fewer than 20 laps to go in the race. He has a pair of top-five finishes in the event.

“I felt we had a really good car last year,” Pierce said. “Unfortunately, I had an incident during the race that I got laps down. Later I got caught up in that big wreck on the frontstretch toward the end of the race.”

Pierce is optimistic about his chances for a win or good result in the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway.

“I have all hopes and ambitions we can be a threat to win the race,” Pierce said. “We always have speed there. I think we will unload close enough to have top-10 speed and hopefully quicker than that. As long as we can do that, have a little bit of luck go our way, and make the right strategy calls I think we will have as good a shot as anybody to win the race.”

Pierce points out that the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is a difficult race to win because of the high level of the competition that will be present.

“I’ve always felt that if you could win the Thunder Road 200 you’ve basically won Martinsville,” Pierce said. “Anybody and everybody [in Late Model Stock Car racing] is going to come to this race. You have your South Boston Speedway regulars, Peyton [Sellers], Carter [Langley] and Jacob [Borst], just to name a few. You know those three guys are going to be tough to beat.

“Every year the competition in this race gets that much tougher. It’s extremely difficult now. That’s just how much the competition has grown and how everybody has done such a great job getting their cars better.”

The pre-race entry list for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is a star-studded one. Among the top drivers entered in the event are two-time Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winner Peyton Sellers, who has five wins at the 0.4-mile oval this season; Carter Langley, who has six wins at the track this season; and Jacob Borst, the runner-up in last year’s race. The top two drivers in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour standings, defending series champion Carson Kvapil (who drives for JR Motorsports) and Brenden Queen, are entered in the 200-lap race.

Bobby McCarty of Madison, North Carolina, who won the race in 2021, Mike Looney of Catawba, Virginia, Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia, Sam Yarbrough of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Stacy Puryear of South Boston, Virginia are also entered.

The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort will feature a 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division. A 40-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 20-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division round out the four-race card.

Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $20 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate on race day.

The tentative race-day schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 10 a.m. ET. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 12:30 p.m. ET, and practice will start at 1 p.m. ET. Backstretch and Turn 4 trackside tailgating gates will open at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Qualifying for the 200-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race is set for 4:15 p.m. ET. An Autograph Session powered by Hitachi Energy is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET on the frontstretch of the speedway. Pre-race Ceremonies powered by Hitachi Energy will begin at 6:35 p.m. ET, and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m. ET. A colorful Fourth of July fireworks show will light up the night sky immediately following the last race of the night.

Friday, June 30 is Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 Practice Day and Fan Appreciation Day. Practice will include all four of the track’s regular racing divisions and will run from 11 a.m. until 7:45 p.m. ET. Fans can come out and watch practice from the track’s spectator areas free of charge.

Fans and competitors can find the latest news and information about the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort as well as other informative items on the speedway’s website and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

LEBANON, Tenn. — Joe Gibbs Racing showed up strong at Nashville Superspeedway with Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin leading a combined 131 laps before finishing runner-up and third, respectively, after a fierce battle with Ross Chastain.

The three drivers exchanged the lead throughout the long evening, racing back and forth on the track and gaining track position on pit road. In the end, the final green-flag cycle went the way of the No. 1 car.

“Just needed to get the lead,” Truex said. “Once we lost it, I probably made a bad move taking the bottom on a restart. Just too loose in the long runs. I could hang with whoever was leading. Just could never get off the corner good enough to get a move.”

NASHVILLE: Race results | Best photos from the weekend

Earlier in the race, the pair of Toyota teammates were running 1-2 and seemingly in complete control. Chastain started on the pole but Hamlin powered to the front of the field to win Stage 2. Truex showed his strength on restarts and chased down whoever was leading the race  — even outpacing Hamlin. Multiple times. It looked like the final stage was JGR’s to lose.

But as the long runs got longer, the close contest between the Nos. 19 and 11 and using up their equipment may have cost them a shot at Victory Lane — at least Truex thinks so.

“I was faster, for sure,” Truex said. “I could drop back 10 car lengths, get right back to three and just done. So, it’s frustrating but (Hamlin) did what he had to do and ultimately it cost us the race. If we could have, if one of us could have got away there, it would have been over. We let the 1 catch and pass us and that was the race.”

Martin Truex Jr. exits his car at Nashville after finishing second
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Studios

Hamlin, while acknowledging he was running his own race (and rightly so), admitted that Truex and the No. 19 machine was the faster of the two JGR contenders. Needing to get around Hamlin in a hurry, the No. 19 team short-pitted and rolled out in front after green-flag stops cycled through.

“I think he would have gave the 1 a better shot for a race than I would’ve,” Hamlin said. “So, it probably worked out better. If I would have came out in front of him, I would have just been blocking him the whole run.”

Just one season ago, Hamlin led a race-high 114 laps in the second-ever Cup race at the 1.333-mile Tennessee speedway. As last year’s laps waned, so did Hamlin’s Toyota.

Once again, he fell just short of claiming his first Gibson guitar, the track’s iconic Victory Lane prize.

“I just wasn’t fast enough honestly,” said Hamlin. “Just weren’t a race-winning car. I was a third- to fourth-place car and I tried to do everything I could to air-block everyone behind me but that’s all my car was really capable of. It was a day where that’s all we really had.”

Chastain regained the lead from the Toyota pairing, leading the final 34 laps and sailing off into the Nashville night.

RELATED: Watch Chastain hold off JGR’s Toyotas

Truex did find a bit of comfort after a frustrating finish to the race — he leaves Nashville still the leader in the regular season standings. Although, he did narrowly miss out on his second stage win of the season.

“A lot of points at the end of the regular season to get that, a lot of bonus points,” Truex said. “We’ll take all we can. I was disappointed not to get the stage win there. We had it wrapped up until the tire got away on the 45. That’s how these things play out. We weren’t quite good enough to take the lead. That was our issue, burning the tires off too much, getting too loose in the long runs.”

Truex sits clear of next-best Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Chastain in the updated standings, following four consecutive top-five finishes, including his win at Sonoma Raceway.

Looking to build on the runner-up finish at Nashville and dominant victory at Sonoma, the No. 19 team now sets its sights on the highly anticipated Chicago Street Race (July 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Holly Cain

LEBANON, Tenn. — Ross Chastain capped off a “perfect” race weekend, hitting all the right notes in the Music City to earn the winner’s guitar trophy in Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway — his first NASCAR Cup Series race victory of the season, a day after claiming his first career pole position.

But before hoisting his new guitar, the 30-year-old Chastain had a watermelon to smash — his trademark victory celebration — a nod to his family’s multi-generation watermelon farm in rural Alva, Florida. And the sold-out Nashville crowd — home to his race team owner Justin Marks — roared with enthusiasm for the long smoke-filled victory burnout he did in front of the grandstands to his enthusiastic melon drop.

MORE: Official results | At-track photos

“This is incredible,” a grinning Chastain said. “This is why every little kid out there, anyone in the world when you get criticized, and you’re going to if you’re a competitor, they will try to tear you down, and you’ll start believing it, and you can’t do that.

“Go to your people. Trust in the process. Read your books and trust in the Big Man’s plan upstairs. And just keep getting up and going to work on it.

“A lot of self-reflection through all this, but I had a group that believed in me, and they didn’t let me get down,” he said of his challenges in 2023.

Chastain certainly proved that resilience and his faith in the process. He led early Sunday and then led late — thanks to incredibly fast pit stops from his Trackhouse Racing team helping position him for the race lead on the final round of stops of the night.

It’s the first race win of 2023 for Chastain, who led the championship standings for seven weeks early in the year, and the first win of the year and inaugural pole position for Trackhouse Racing.

MORE: Watch Chastain’s celebratory burnout | Chastain discusses Nashville win

Ultimately, Chastain had to hold off Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin by 0.789 seconds for the win — leading a race-best 99 of the 300 laps, including the final 34.

Lapped traffic was a factor for Chastain to overcome all night. He lost his early lead to Tyler Reddick after Noah Gragson raced Chastain hard, trying not to be lapped. There is a history between Gragson and Chastain, who had a physical confrontation at Kansas Speedway in early May. Reddick went on to win Stage 1 after Chastain was unable to clear Gragson easily, but Reddick — who started the race alongside Chastain on the front row — spun out on pit road while losing a right-rear wheel, causing a caution shortly thereafter and ultimately not factoring for the win.

A Lap 147 restart saw Ryan Blaney’s race come to an end. A slow restart at the front of the field caused a stack-up, causing Busch to contact the back bumper of Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Both Busch and Blaney spun through the infield grass, with Blaney nosing hard into the inside wall. The last-place finish of 36th is Blaney’s first DNF of the season.

In the closing laps — with Truex hot on his bumper — Chastain had to navigate traffic again and again cars held him up in an effort not to get lapped.

Fortunately for Chastain, some of that traffic made things difficult for Truex as well, and the “Melon Man” was able to pull away some in the final 20 laps.

It was a clean race — only two short extra caution flags beyond the two scheduled stage breaks. Reddick took his third stage win of the season in Stage 1, and Hamlin notched his fourth in Stage 2.

“I just think we had a third-place car,” Hamlin said. “I thought the 19 (Truex) was a little better, and obviously, the 1 (Chastain) came on really strong there at the end.

“Just didn’t have quite a fast enough car to go for the win,” he added.

With his runner-up showing, Truex maintained the NASCAR Cup Series championship lead, now up by 18 points on both Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Chastain.

“Just needed to get the lead. Once we lost it, just too loose on the long runs, just could never get off the corner good to make a move,” Truex said. “Just needed a little bit. Had a lot of speed. … Overall, a good night.”

The 1.33-mile Nashville oval has been a good place for Chastain. He finished runner-up in 2021 and was fifth last year. And having won his first career pole position on Saturday, he went into Sunday’s race feeling optimistic.

WATCH: Marks on Nashville win, Chastain

“I trust in my people, my family back home, the agriculture industry, and all the people Justin Marks has in place,” Chastain said, adding, “It’s absolutely incredible the fight that we have.”

Chase Elliott, the 2022 Nashville winner, finished fourth, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Byron. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger — who won the Nashville NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday — rounded out the top 10.

The NASCAR Cup Series next heads to downtown Chicago for the highly-anticipated Grant Park 200 Chicago Street Race next Sunday (5 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Note: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage was completed with no issues, confirming Ross Chastain as the race winner.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ryan Blaney’s race at Nashville Superspeedway came to a premature end Sunday, nosing into the inside wall past pit exit after a Lap 147 restart in the Ally 400.

The No. 12 Team Penske Ford was sent spinning after contact from Kyle Busch, triggered after the inside lane was jolted by a slow-to-restart Brad Keselowski in third. Blaney contacted the inside wall, incurring significant front-end damage to end his race. Blaney, the winner of the Coca-Cola 600 in May, exited the car under his own power and was evaluated and released from the infield care center.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Both Blaney and Busch slid through the infield grass as the field charged to Turn 1, with Alex Bowman’s right-front bumper catching Busch’s door. Bowman and Busch were able to continue despite their damage.

“It’s a shame, ending our night early,” Blaney told NBC Sports. “I thought we actually finally got decent air at the start of the second stage. I don’t really know what happened. Someone checked up on the restart I guess. I kind of checked up, got hit from behind. I didn’t know if they were wrecking, and I just couldn’t get it straightened out. When I got out of the grass, I thought I was going to come back around, and that I’d be OK. Just never got back right.”

That his car never spun back the other way surprised Blaney, who entered Nashville as one of only two drivers, along with Corey LaJoie, who had been running at the finish of every NASCAR Cup Series race this season.

“I honestly thought I was going to be fine,” Blaney said. “I really thought I was going to be OK once I got past the grass, back on the asphalt. I thought I could kind of swing back around when I got off the brake. Just never did. It was just at that weird angle. I thought I could get back on the straight until the last second — just never came back.”

Blaney was credited with a last-place finish of 36th. Busch rallied for a ninth-place finish while Bowman finished 17th.

Posted on by Staff Report

After taking the green flag Sunday evening at Nashville Superspeedway, Bubba Wallace marked a milestone 200th career start for him in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Wallace rolled off from the ninth position after a strong qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

RELATED: Follow live leaderboard | Wallace’s career highlights

After Aric Almirola suffered a back injury at Kansas Speedway in 2017, Bubba Wallace was asked to fill in the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports (now Legacy Motor Club). Wallace made four starts with a best finish of 11th at Kentucky Speedway.

In 2018, Almirola moved to Stewart-Haas Racing to take over the No. 10 Ford which opened the door for Wallace to pilot the No. 43 full-time.

Wallace made an immediate showing, scoring a runner-up finish in that year’s Daytona 500. He drove the No. 43 full-time from 2018-2020, scoring nine top-10 finishes.

During the second half of the 2020 season, Denny Hamlin unveiled his co-owned 23XI Racing team alongside NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and named Wallace the driver for the team. Wallace earned the team its first victory in October 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway.

With the onset of the Next Gen car in 2022, 23XI expanded to a two-car team and partnered Wallace with Kurt Busch. Then, Busch went on to win before Wallace last season but Wallace wound up with the best season of his career to date, scoring his first career pole at Michigan International Speedway during a stretch where he scored four consecutive top-10 finishes. Wallace went on to win the playoff race last September at Kansas Speedway.

Through 16 races in 2023, Wallace has tallied four top-five and five top-10 finishes with a best of fourth that he’s accomplished three times at Las Vegas, Kansas and Charlotte.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

LEBANON, Tenn. — When asked if there was any part of him that would consider a return to the Cup Series, Edwards had an interesting initial response: “Yeah, there is.”

But the 28-time Cup Series winner quickly explained the biggest reasons for not getting back behind the wheel.

“I’m not planning on doing any driving,” Edwards said. “(The Cup Series) is the tip of the spear. These guys are so good that I would be terribly slow, so I’d have to prep a lot. Seriously, that’s the truth.

RELATED: Best photos from Nashville | Edwards on Chicago race: ‘It’s brilliant’

Edwards was on hand Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway for NASCAR’s Ally 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to accept an honor for the speedway’s new track legends environment.

Despite being back in the incredible at-track atmosphere, Edwards still highlighted the cons of reigniting his career.

“For me, I really feel racing is a risky sport,” he said. “There’s risk involved, and if I’m not committed 100%, I don’t feel that it’s the right thing for me to go do for fun.”

However, the fan-favorite, known for his legendary backflip celebration, didn’t completely close the door on future opportunities.

“But I’ll tell you this, if it creeps in and it’s something we wanna go do, then I promise you I’ll give it a 100%,” said Edwards. “I’ll do the best I can. But right now, no, I’m not planning anything.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Bubba Wallace’s journey through the NASCAR Cup Series reaches start No. 200 Sunday evening at Nashville Superspeedway.

The six years since his debut at Pocono Raceway as a fill-in driver for the then-injured Aric Almirola have been arduous, adventurous, and admittedly not always pretty. But the statistics don’t lie: Wallace holds two wins, 15 top fives and 27 top 10s in 199 starts with an average finish that has improved every year of his Cup career to date.

With 10 races left in the 2023 regular season, the driver of the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing provisionally holds the 15th of 16 spots in the NASCAR Playoffs with a 26-point buffer to the elimination line. That stems from a tremendous month of May that saw Wallace string together three straight top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway (fourth), Darlington Raceway (fifth) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (fourth). Throw in the exhibition NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro where he finished runner-up to Kyle Larson and it’s four straight.

MORE: Cup standings | Nashville schedule

Perhaps finally, Wallace has arrived on the Cup scene as a true regular contender.

“I think contender is probably the right and correct word for him,” Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, said at Sonoma Raceway. “I think he was a participant for a while, and now he is a contender, week in and week out. That’s what we wanted and what we expected, and that is what he’s delivering.”

To get consistent results has necessitated growth as both a driver and a person, Wallace admits. Understanding how to maximize the performance of his vehicles required better use of the tools at his disposal – and a better mindset to handle the trials that come with the highest level of motorsports in the country.

His top-five streak was interrupted at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4, when a failed brake rotor late in the event ended his day prematurely, resulting in a 30th-place finish after running inside the top 10.

“I think, year by year, you start to let that stuff go,” Wallace said. “Like for example, in (Sonoma) qualifying, I totally botched qualifying. And I think a year ago, I’d have been mad and pissed off, not trying to help the team get better. And I got out of the car and I was pissed off, yeah, for sure. But I was like, ‘Guys I messed that one up. Sorry. Move on.’ And (crew chief) Bootie (Barker) is like, ‘Hey, don’t think about it.’ I was like, ‘I’m already thinking about what’s for dinner.’ So we’re good. I think letting little stuff go and focusing on the big picture has helped us a tremendous amount.”

That shift in mindset did not happen overnight. Pit-road issues through the first half of 2022 often derailed good finishes for the No. 23 team, which Wallace didn’t take lightly.

“I think we look at last year and we knew that all the mistakes that we had as a team and not executing put us behind,” he said. “You know, how we ran at the end of last year was how we should have ran at the beginning. But we couldn’t seem to get out of our own way. And so now that we’re not in our own way, the finishes are showing, so the speed’s been there.

“In Darlington, I look back and that may have been the one where I think we could have won … Other than that, we’ve finished kind of where we deserved, and then it’s been really good. So we’ve just got to keep pushing and striving for more. I think everything that’s been going on, putting the work in, the conversations that we have, Bootie and I, the engineers, are just making this better. It’s been paying off. So as long as we don’t get in our own way, we’re fine.”

Bubba Wallace, left, and crew chief Bootie Barker talk in the NASCAR garage
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

Racing is largely momentum based – what happens one week seems to impact how a driver and their team enter the next race weekend. That’s especially critical in a grueling 38-week schedule that just passed its lone off week until the season finale in November. A confident Wallace helps the No. 23 team handle its day-to-day tasks that much better.

“I think (Wallace) is a results person and that he is capable of winning, and he’s got the confidence now that he is capable of being a successful driver in this series,” Hamlin said. “So even when you have bad weeks like you did (at WWT Raceway), you have a failure at the end, he was still competitive enough and in the top 10 to understand that, ‘I’m with a really good team, and that team, in general, is really working well at improving.’ I think that is what we are seeing. … I’m just really happy of where he is at, and the progression he’s made.”

That Hamlin has seen Wallace’s progress firsthand has allowed him to exhibit more patience in his role atop 23XI Racing.

“He just needs to keep doing what he’s done the last month and a half,” Hamlin said. “If you could have listened to what we were talking about on our ownership calls on what is the strategy to get the 23 in the playoffs, it was just kind of, let’s everyone take a breath here and let’s see how this goes for the next month and a half before we start changing our strategy. And then he goes on a run of top fives and top 10s. I think consistency still pays, not only to get in the playoffs but once you are in it.”

Indeed, Wallace is still seeking the first driver’s playoff appearance of his career. Each of his two victories – Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 and Kansas Speedway in 2022 – have come during NASCAR’s postseason after Wallace missed the playoff field. He did gain playoff experience last year by aiding the No. 45 team through the owner’s championship bracket, advancing the team thanks to his Kansas triumph after former driver Kurt Busch put the car itself in the playoffs.

The next 10 races will emphasize execution and resilience, starting Sunday in Nashville (7 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) where Wallace rolls off ninth after spinning in the final round of qualifying.

RELATED: Full-field analysis heading into home stretch of regular season

Ten drivers have locked themselves into the playoffs with wins this year, meaning six spots remain available on points. Kyle Busch and William Byron lead the series with three wins apiece while Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. hold two each. As positions dwindle, Wallace knows his situational awareness must remain at a premium – and that other drivers’ first wins of the year like Ryan Blaney’s Coca-Cola 600 triumph at Charlotte mean another opportunity vanished.

“I think when we’re when we’re riding fourth or fifth in the last couple laps, you’re like, ‘Alright, it’s the No. 8 (Busch) or 5 (Larson) or 24 (Byron), they’re already good.’ Like I was pumped for Blaney, but I was like, ‘Damn, that’s a spot gone,’” Wallace said. “So we’re paying attention to that stuff. But you can’t get too far ahead and start thinking about that stuff. You’ve still got to go out and execute. And you know when the time is right, it’ll show up. So we keep putting our name in the hat and showcasing that we’re here, we’ll be fine.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

The story of the weekend thus far at Nashville Superspeedway has been Trackhouse Racing. Not only did the concept of Justin Marks’ vision begin in the city of Nashville in 2020, but Ross Chastain earned the team’s first career pole on Saturday. He was also incredibly pleased with his race pace in practice, having the best 15- and 20-lap averages. Conversely, Daniel Suárez backed into the wall off Turn 4 in the second round of qualifying on his warmup lap. 

RELATED: Listen to Chastain’s emotional interview after winning pole

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Ross Chastain
Starter 2: William Byron
Starter 3: Kyle Larson
Starter 4: Martin Truex Jr.
Starter 5: Tyler Reddick
Garage pick: Bubba Wallace

NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch

RISING: It looks like a switch from Richard Childress Racing to 23XI Racing has paid off for Reddick when it comes to Nashville. In his first two starts at the 1.33-mile track, Reddick has a pair of 18th-place finishes. This weekend, however, he was quickest on single-lap speed and 10-lap averages. Because of that, he’s moved from the outhouse of my lineup to in it. The No. 45 car shares the front row for the start of the race with Chastain. 

In 88 Cup Series starts leading into Nashville, Justin Haley had a best qualifying effort of sixth at the Bristol Dirt Race last season. He shattered his best starting position at Nashville, as the No. 31 car will take the green flag from the third position. Haley tied Kaulig Racing’s best qualifying effort in team history, with AJ Allmendinger (Road America) and Daniel Hemric (Talladega) both having third-place efforts. For race pace, Haley thought he had one of the best cars off the hauler in Friday’s practice.  

FALLING: With the pace Suárez showed in the first round of qualifying, it was setting up for a potential front-row sweep for Trackhouse. However, he got loose over a bump in Turn 4 coming to the green flag during the final round and backed into the wall. Thus, the No. 99 car will be starting at the rear of the field. And though 400 miles is a considerable amount of time to race through the field, it’s hard to imagine his car will be better than it was before the crash.  

The only name that fell out of my lineup from this week’s Fastlane is Ryan Blaney. The No. 12 Ford looked mediocre in practice, setting the 25th-best single-lap speed but improved to 13th best on a 10-lap run. With the speed Blaney has displayed in recent weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jonathan Hassler-led crew improves on the car and makes it a top-10 threat. But I’m saving Blaney for later in the regular season. 

FEATURED MATCHUPS:  

Chase Elliott vs. Denny Hamlin

The No. 11 car led a race-high 114 laps in last year’s Nashville event and looks strong again this year. Hamlin starts eighth to Elliott’s 14th. For sheer speed, Toyota looks to have a slight advantage over Hendrick Motorsports this weekend, and I’m sticking to my pick from earlier this week with Hamlin. 

Christopher Bell vs. Joey Logano

For one-lap speed, the No. 20 team is still looking to hit the setup this weekend. Bell was 18th in practice and qualified 22nd. Over the long haul, he improved and ranked seventh out of the 15 cars to make a 20-lap run. Logano’s speed across the board was more consistent, and he got the most out of his car in qualifying to turn the fourth-best lap. The No. 22 team also rides a streak of consecutive top fives for the first time in 2023 entering Nashville, so momentum is on Logano’s side. 

Ryan Blaney vs. William Byron

Given Byron is still in my lineup, and Blaney has dropped out, it kind of gives my answer away. Byron had a steering issue last year at Nashville and was a non-factor in the race. The No. 24 Chevrolet has been in the mix at just about every venue this season and has shown true speed at intermediate tracks. I would think Byron outperforms Blaney on Sunday.  

Ross Chastain vs. Bubba Wallace

Even though Wallace spun out coming to the checkered flag of his qualifying run, the No. 23 car is fast this weekend. The good news is he should run well. Not ideal for Wallace, though, is Chastain has been the quickest car in Nashville, whether on the short or long run. Here’s a spoiler: Chastain is my pick to win the Ally 400. 

Posted on by Brandon White

RIVERHEAD, New York — In nearly two decades of competition with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway, Ron Silk had never taken home a checkered flag from the Long Island quarter-mile.

The current series points leader finally added that milestone to his resume Saturday evening with a dominant victory in the Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200, which also served as his second victory of the 2023 season.

Silk had come close to Victory Lane many times at Riverhead, including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s most recent outing there in May, which is why he was relieved to put together a full race at a track that has meant so much to him during his career.

“I felt like we had the car to beat [at Riverhead] last time, but I got beat on those last restarts” Silk said. “Luckily, we didn’t have to face that again and my guys brought a great car. This is Eddie Partridge’s track and obviously we all wish he was still around, so it’s really cool to [win here].”

RELATED: Complete results from the Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200

A staple of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for many years, Partridge balanced out being a team owner in the series with overseeing the day-to-day operations at Riverhead up until his sudden passing on Sept. 10, 2021. Silk drove for Partridge when he won his lone NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2011, making Saturday’s victory that much more special.

Since last year, Silk has never finished a Riverhead race worse than third, but was not able to claim that elusive win until Saturday evening.

Silk patiently bided his time behind polesitter Austin Beers before a mid-race restart provided him the perfect opportunity to take control and lead the entire second half of Saturday’s feature.

The only driver who could keep pace with Silk was Justin Bonsignore, who wrestled the lead away from Silk in May to earn his 10th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead. A win on Saturday would have tied Bonsignore with his childhood hero Ewanitsko for most Tour victories at Riverhead with 11.

A different tire compound and the nighttime conditions made it difficult for Bonsignore to fight his way through the field. He managed to get to Silk’s rear bumper, but gradually lost ground as the laps clicked off.

“We were able to run a harder pace than we had in the past,” Bonsignore said. “I tried the bottom groove at around Lap 130 and I lost about six car-lengths. You’re just glued to the top, which is unfortunate. I would have loved to win with Mike [Ewanitsko] here tonight and I appreciate [Riverhead] for everything they did to honor Mike. He’s well deserving of it.”

Bonsignore commended Silk and his team for the work they put in to make his silver No. 16 so efficient in both trips to Riverhead this season, adding that Silk would have won in May if not for a late caution.

Bonsignore will have one more opportunity to match Ewanitsko’s win record at Riverhead this year in September, but he knows Silk will be the one to beat if he carries over the speed from the first two Riverhead events.

“Ron has been the best car here both times so far,” Bonsignore said. “We snuck away with one last time and even if there was a late caution, I don’t think I could have done anything with him. Maybe if we had track position, he might have had a tough time getting by us.”

Silk enjoyed the chance to celebrate with Ewanitsko in Victory Lane, who he considers to be one of the best to ever make a lap around Riverhead.

While Silk does not envision beating Ewanitsko’s Riverhead win record, he knows another championship is feasible with Haydt Yannone Racing and is confident he can further extend his advantage over Bonsignore during the summer.

“I’m so lucky to have such great owners,” Silk said. “I also lucked out to have a great crew chief like Phil Moran. These guys spend a lot of time on these cars and we work on them a lot together, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Doug Coby finished third in Saturday’s Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200, where he was followed by Kyle Bonsignore and Riverhead regular Jack Handley Jr. Rounding out the top-10 were Roger Turbush, Tyler Rypkema, John Beatty Jr., Timmy Solomito and Beers.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action on July 8 for the Jersey Shore 150 at Wall Stadium. The green flag will fly at 8 p.m. ET with FloRacing providing the coverage.

Posted on by Staff Report

Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200

Riverhead Raceway

  • Race results
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes 200 —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 200 1.245
3 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 200 1.654
4 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 200 2.071
5 45 Jack Handley, Jr.* Hydro-Action/Suffolk Precast 200 11.089
6 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 200 11.381
7 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting 200 11.752
8 5 John Beatty, Jr. Elite Sound Studios, Inc. 200 12.477
9 66 Timmy Solomito Natural Designs/USNE Power/Kennedy Realty 200 12.651
10 64 Austin Beers AP Marquadt & Sons/Andrew James Interiors 200 12.957
11 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 199 1 Lap
12 34 J.B. Fortin A&R Materials/CYA Screen Printing/Queens Concrete 199 1 Lap
13 81 Mark Stewart* Mike Smith/Cromers Market 199 1 Lap
14 82 Craig Lutz Horton Ave Materials 199 1 Lap
15 60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee Motorsports 199 1 Lap
16 26 Max Zachem Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat 199 1 Lap
17 49 Chris Young* Sendlewski Architects 198 2 Laps
18 46 Justin Brown* Riverhead Building Supply 197 3 Laps
19 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 196 4 Laps
20 3 Bryan Narducci* Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 194 6 Laps
21 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 193 7 Laps
22 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 183 17 Laps
23 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 59 141 Laps