Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson shed light on the dire nature of contract talks with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch, telling NBC Sports that the manufacturer is making contingency plans for all outcomes.
Busch, a 60-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, is in the final year of his deal as driver of the No. 18 Toyota, a car he’s wheeled to 56 of those victories. Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Busch admitted that he had been in talks with other teams as the negotiations have extended into the summer months.
Wilson has spoken of Busch’s talent in glowing terms, noting the urgency of keeping one of the automaker’s most prolific racing starts. He said in May that “any scenario that doesn’t have Kyle Busch retiring from Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota would be a monstrous disappointment.”
Asked about the chances for such a return in July, Wilson told NBC Sports’ Dustin Long: “I wish I could handicap it for you … but I just can’t. We’re in a bad place right now … we’ve got some tremendously heavy lifting in front of us.”
Toyota has made two big signing splashes in recent weeks. Joe Gibbs Racing announced the return of Martin Truex Jr. to its No. 19 Toyota on June 24, and Tyler Reddick was introduced as a 23XI Racing signee on July 12 for its 2024 campaign.
Meanwhile, Busch’s unresolved contract has been further complicated by the departure of sponsor Mars/M&M’s at season’s end. That search for backing has been another piece for Wilson and Gibbs to consider.
“I use the baseball analogy in that a couple of months ago it was much easier to imagine success, and we had some partners that we thought we were going to land,” Wilson told NBC Sports. “And that was the bottom of the third inning. Now we’re in the bottom of the seventh. And the fact is that we don’t have it.
“Joe and I talk every night. This is the most important consideration that we are struggling with and working on. Our resolve has not changed one bit. We are not going to quit. … Sometimes these deals come together very late. It doesn’t get easier, that’s for certain. For Kyle, I feel terribly because the distraction, I think he admitted this, but the distraction now is real. While I say that Kyle is one of those athletes that can strap on his helmet and put that aside, he’s still human.”
Busch’s primary sponsor has placed its name on Sunday’s Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway, the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM). Busch currently ranks sixth in the Cup Series points, claiming one win earlier this year on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt.
The place to be Friday and Saturday night, July 22-23, is Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, where the venue will welcome some of the top Super Late Model and Pro Late Model competitors in the United States to battle for supremacy and a potentially huge payday during the 10th running of the Summer Showdown.
The Summer Showdown is unique because the event offers a $35,000 bonus to any driver who can win Friday’s 100-lap Pro Late Model race and Saturday’s 200-lap Super Late Model race. Combine that with the $10,000 Pro Late Model winner’s purse and the $25,000 Super Late Model winner’s purse, and one driver could leave Evergreen Speedway with a whopping $70,000.
However, it won’t be easy. Should a driver win the Pro Late Model feature on Friday and plan on competing in Saturday’s Super Late Model race in pursuit of the bonus, that driver will be required to start the Super Late Model feature from the rear of the field.
The bonuses don’t stop there. Should any driver finish in any combination of first, second or third in both races (with the exception of first in both races), that driver will also earn a $10,000 bonus. However, the same rule applies to Pro Late Model podium finishers attempting to win this bonus — they must start at the rear of the Super Late Model field on Saturday night.
Below is everything you need to know about the Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway.
What TV channel is the Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway on?
All of the on-track action for the Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Roots properties.
The racing action will not be shown on a television network.
Below is the complete schedule for FloRacing’s coverage.
This year’s Summer Showdown is scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, July 22-23.
Six different divisions will compete over two days of on-track action at Evergreen Speedway, including the NASCAR Mini Stocks, Legend cars, NASCAR Street Stocks and Tri-State Mini Stock Tour. The event will be headlined by a 100-lap Pro Late Model feature on Friday and a 200-lap Super Late Model feature on Saturday.
Below is the complete race-day schedule at Evergreen Speedway.
Friday, July 22 (All times PT)
Time
Event
8 a.m.
Registration open
9 a.m.
Back gate opens, tech inspection opens
10:30 a.m.
Late Model driver and spotter meeting (tech trailer)
10:50 a.m.
NASCAR Mini Stock and Legend pit meeting (Figure 8 tech area)
11:10 a.m.
Pro Late Model practice
11:40 a.m.
NASCAR Mini Stock practice
12 p.m.
Super Late Model practice
12:30 p.m.
Legend practice
12:50 p.m.
Track crossing
1 p.m.
Pro Late Model practice
1:30 p.m.
NASCAR Mini Stock practice
1:50 p.m.
Super Late Model practice
2:15 p.m.
Front gates open
2:20 p.m.
Legend practice
2:40 p.m.
Track cold, crossing allowed
2:50 p.m.
Qualifying (Pro Late Model, Legend, NASCAR Mini Stock, Super Late Model)
4:30 p.m.
Heat races
6 p.m.
Opening ceremonies
Immediately after opening ceremonies…
Super Late Model qualifying heat races (20 laps)
Immediately after Super Late Model qualifying heat races…
NASCAR Mini Stock feature (40 laps)
Immediately after NASCAR Mini Stock feature…
Legend feature (30 laps)
Immediately after Legend feature…
Pro Late Model feature (100 laps)
Saturday, July 23 (All times PT)
Time
Event
8:30 a.m.
Registration opens
9 a.m.
Back gate opens
10 a.m.
Brief Late Model drivers meeting
10:15 a.m.
Tri-State Mini Stock Tour, Legend and NASCAR Street Stock drivers meeting
10:30 a.m.
Super Late Model practice
11 a.m.
Track crossing
11:10 a.m.
Tri-State Mini Stock Tour practice
11:30 a.m.
NASCAR Street Stock practice
11:50 a.m.
Legend practice
12:10 p.m.
Track crossing
12:20 p.m.
Super Late Model practice
12:50 p.m.
Tri-State Mini Stock Tour practice
1 p.m.
NASCAR Street Stock practice
1:10 p.m.
Legend practice
1:20 p.m.
Track cold
1:30 p.m.
Front gates open
2 p.m.
Summer Showdown tech opens
2 p.m.
Tri-State Mini Stock Tour and Legend qualifying
3:30 p.m.
Heat races
Immediately after heat races…
NASCAR Street Stock, Legend and Tri-State Mini Stock Tour B-Mains (if necessary)
5 p.m.
Tri-State Mini Stock Tour feature (40 laps)
Immediately after Tri-State Mini Stock Tour feature…
Legend feature (30 laps)
Immediately after Legend feature…
NASCAR Street Stock feature (40 laps)
Immediately after NASCAR Street Stock feature…
Opening ceremonies
Immediately after opening ceremonies…
Super Late Model feature (200 laps)
Official format for the Summer Showdown
The field for Saturday’s 200-lap Summer Showdown Super Late Model feature will be set based on qualifying and heat races.
Competitors will complete two timed laps during qualifying on Friday, July 22, with speeds determining their starting positions for heat races later the same day. Starting positions 1-32 for the 200-lap feature will be determined based on heat race results.
Positions 33-36 will be determined by the Last Chance Qualifier race, with positions 37-38 going to the top two non-transfer Last Chance Qualifier finishers in the Evergreen Speedway weekly championship standings.
The 200-lap Super Late Model race will include a break at or near the 100-lap mark. Teams will then get seven minutes to make changes on pit road before the race resumes.
The race must end with five green flag laps, though they do not need to be consecutive. Once the white flag is displayed to the leader, the next flag will end the race. There can be one green/white/checkered attempt. If another restart is required, the green and white flags will wave at the same time.
Summer Showdown entry list
A number of top contenders have filed entries to compete in both the Super Late Model and Pro Late Model events this week during the Summer Showdown.
They’re headlined by three-time Summer Showdown Super Late Model winner Preston Peltier, who is one of 16 competitors currently scheduled to compete in both races this weekend.
Also entered is defending race winner Owen Riddle, as well as 2016 race winner Tayler Riddle, though neither of them will be chasing the $30,000 bonus. Chris Eggleston, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series West champion, is scheduled to compete, as is touring Super Late Model star and two-time West Series champion Derek Thorn.
Naima Lang, who leads the weekly Pro Late Model division standings at Evergreen, is another driver scheduled to double-dip. Others who will be chasing the $30,000 bonus for sweeping both races include Dustin Ash, Trevor Christiani, Wyatt Gardner, Angel Cervantes, Randy Marshall, Daniel Moore, Trenton Moriarity, Haeden Plybon, Colton Price, Max Schroeder, Tyler Tanner, Austin Thom and Doni Wanant.
Below is the complete entry list for Saturday’s 200-lap Summer Showdown Super Late Model race and the 100-lap Pro Late Model race.
Divisions
Driver
Super Late Model
Garrett Archer
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Dustin Ash
Pro Late Model
Nick Beecher
Pro Late Model
Dan Beecher
Pro Late Model
Greg Bennett
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Angel Cervantes
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Trevor Christiani
Pro Late Model
Haley Constance
Pro Late Model
Dawson Cox
Super Late Model
Chris Eggleston
Super Late Model
Garrett Evans
Pro Late Model
Chad Fitzpatrick
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Wyatt Gardner
Pro Late Model
Evan Goetz
Super Late Model
Jonathon Gomez
Pro Late Model
Nick Gunderson
Super Late Model
Jace Hansen
Pro Late Model
Kaden Holm
Pro Late Model
Mike Jensen
Pro Late Model
Kasey Kleyn
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Naima Lang
Super Late Model
John Lathrop
Super Late Model
Mike Longton
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Randy Marshall
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Daniel Moore
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Trenton Moriarity
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Preston Peltier
Super Late Model
Ryan Phillpott
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Haeden Plybon
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Colton Price
Super Late Model
Kole Raz
Super Late Model
Tayler Riddle
Super Late Model
Owen Riddle
Pro Late Model
Zach Riehl
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Max Schroeder
Super Late Model
Buddy Sheppard
Pro Late Model
Thomas Stanford
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Tyler Tanner
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Austin Thom
Pro Late Model
Brad Thomas
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Derek Thorn
Super Late Model
Tim Trostel
Super Late Model, Pro Late Model
Doni Wanat
Preston Peltier after winning the Summer Showdown 200 on Sunday, June 30, 2019, at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. (Photo: NASCAR)
Summer Showdown history, winners
The inaugural Summer Showdown was held in 2012 at the .646-mile asphalt oval, with local star Pete Harding emerging as the inaugural winner.
Since that time he has been joined as a Summer Showdown winner by six other drivers. Preston Peltier has been the most successful driver in Summer Showdown history after three consecutive victories from 2017-19.
Jay Sauls, former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Cameron Hayley, touring Super Late Model star Bubba Pollard, Tayler Riddle and Owen Riddle have also earned victories in the prestigious event.
Owen Riddle is the defending Summer Showdown winner after taking the lead on the 154th circuit last year on his way to a $25,000 payday. The race was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below is the complete list of winners of the Summer Showdown.
On the Stacking Pennies podcast, Corey LaJoie can always be heard offering two things: insightful analysis and hilarious anecdotes.
Corey’s stories usually fall into the latter category. So why not have some fun with it?
In this debut episode of “Corey’s Stories,” relive one of LaJoie’s most memorable moments from the 2022 Daytona 500.
The Great American Race is a standout event for every driver fortunate enough to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series’ season opener. But LaJoie’s race took a turn even before he got into his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
Watch as LaJoie relays his recollection of a fan during pre-race ceremonies and why their interaction had him chuckling to himself at 180 mph during the Daytona 500.
Daytona Beach, FL (July 20, 2022) – NASCAR continues to expand into the fast-growing world of college esports, announcing the fall season of its eNASCAR College iRacing Series. The four-race schedule kicks off at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Tuesday, September 20 with students eligible to qualify for the season-opener through a 10-day time attack window.
“Expanding our presence in the college esports arena is important as we continue to reach new demographics and introduce them to the sport of NASCAR,” said Ray Smith, Director of Gaming and Esports at NASCAR. “We’re looking forward to building on a successful spring semester and having more students explore the many opportunities NASCAR and our partners can offer them in their college years and beyond.”
Earlier this year, NASCAR and NACE Starleague, the largest collegiate esports league in North America, launched the eNASCAR College iRacing Series, bringing competitive sim racing to colleges and universities nationwide. Students representing more than 250 universities across the United States participated in this spring’s three-race schedule.
New this fall, Xfinity joins Coca-Cola, Logitech, Playseat and Southern Computer Warehouse as a presenting sponsor of the series. Competitors will now race NASCAR Xfinity Series cars, replicating the look and feel of the real-life series that’s produced stars like Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick.
“Our work with NASCAR has always been in the spirit of inspiring and giving back to communities,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Amplification. “Joining the eNASCAR College iRacing Series as a presenting partner gives Xfinity the opportunity to reach a younger generation of NASCAR fans while providing new avenues to education for college students and encouraging them to explore new opportunities.”
Through the support of its partners, the eNASCAR Scholarship Fund also returns, awarding the highest finishers a combined $60,000 in scholarships.
More than 13,000 students are eligible to compete in the series through NACE Starleague, which was established in 2021 as a strategic partnership between the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and Playfly Esports. Each time attack is open to all eligible students with the top 40 students who post the fastest qualifying times advancing to the race.
Competition will once again be led via iRacing.com, the official simulation partner of NASCAR, which provides one of the top online racing simulation portals and features officially-sanctioned, laser-scanned replicas of race tracks around the world.
Spontaneous decisions are sometimes the best decisions. Just ask Brandon Jones.
With elementary, middle and high school getting ready to begin in North Carolina next month, Jones and his girlfriend Ashley Safin had an idea on the plane ride back from Atlanta Motor Speedway after the July 9 Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I think we should do this for teachers,” Safin recalled.
What the 25-year-old couple, who began dating 10 years ago, was trying to accomplish is raising awareness for teachers in the education system through Clear the List, an initiative to help clear Amazon wish lists for educators around the United States through donations.
Ash & I would like to help “clear the list” on some of the teachers following me! Comment your classes Amazon wish list below. I’ll be sure to share some on insta hoping some of my followers will help as well! Thank u to those that continue to grow our education system! pic.twitter.com/Y3PnyUk3Sa
Before the Cup Series race going green at Atlanta, Jones used his platform to raise awareness for teachers, hoping some of his social-media followers would do the same. Through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, Jones helped spread the message of some teachers’ wish lists.
“I think school is an outing in a way for some people if things aren’t going well at home or in life in general,” Jones told NASCAR.com at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “That’s one thing I enjoyed so much about school wasn’t about the academics, but you showed up, hung out with your buddies, the social aspect of it was so much fun. That’s what drove me to wanting to go to school.”
Within a week, Jones’ tweet had nearly 1,000 replies, many coming from teachers around the country providing their Amazon links to their wish lists.
“It’s overwhelming,” Jones said of the feedback. “I’ve always had super-good relationships in school. That’s one thing I always enjoyed. I didn’t want to go on field trips with kids, I wanted to stay back and hang out with the teachers, for whatever reason. I’ve always grown up in that adult, corporate lifestyle in a way, so maybe I’m just drawn to older people in that sense.”
One of those replies — six of them, technically — came from Darlington Raceway, which purchased six teacher’s wish lists in response to Jones’ tweet.
“Darlington Raceway is extremely thankful for all the teachers in the Darlington County School District and it’s a true blessing for us to help provide some of the supplies they need as they prepare for another school year,” track president Kerry Tharp said. “One of our track’s objectives is to do all we can to help support the young people in our community. We also want to give a shout out to all the workers in our school system and encourage them to be a part of our Workforce Appreciation initiative taking place over our upcoming Labor Day Weekend event.”
Growing up in Georgia, Jones wanted to get to North Carolina to chase his racing career, which is why his family made the move during his high school years. Jones and Safin met at Lake Norman High School their sophomore year.
Both Jones and Safin, who admitted she one day would like to become a substitute teacher, have family and friends who are in the education system. But they don’t consider that the primary reason for wanting to give back. Jones credits his high school teachers for pushing him and working with him while he chased his dream of making it to NASCAR.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
“I missed so much school trying to become a race car driver,” he said. “Teachers and everybody would work so well with me trying to catch me up and make sure that I was still on top of the schoolwork. I think that was a cool part and what kept me driving about wanting to be a driver. They were happy about seeing me succeed and wanting to help me in that sense.
“It’s like a giveback in that way. I made so many friends through teachers at school that was like, ‘OK, now that I’ve made it to where I want to be, it’s time to give back to them a little bit.’ ”
Growing up, one of Safin’s role models was Regan Smith’s wife, Megan, who taught her in middle school. Jones credits Safin for coming up with the idea of kick-starting a program to help spread the links through his social-media channels.
Safin said she sees the gratitude that teachers had toward Jones’ help.
“It became a place where [teachers] were thankful to have a platform to share their list so maybe other people would join in,” she said. “It was fun seeing what everybody needs and takes. A lot of teachers use their own money [to buy supplies for their classes], so I think it was very important for us to do a little bit for them.”
In addition to helping “Clear the List,” Jones supports the Special Forces Foundation, running the group’s logo on his car each weekend. Admittedly, he leans heavily on Safin for ideas on how to further their community outreach.
“I love the idea of doing stuff like that,” he said. “I’m so focused here trying to do really well racing, so I’m not always thinking in that direction. It kind of helped lighten that up a little and get that horizon bigger.”
Through 18 Xfinity Series races this season, Jones has one victory at Martinsville with a total of seven top-10 efforts. Knowing Joe Gibbs Racing has shown plenty of speed across its three teams, he’s intrigued that he hasn’t seen more on-track success this year. The series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend, where Jones has a pair of top-10 finishes in six starts.
“I’m pretty surprised we don’t have more top fives and even some more wins because the speed is there every weekend,” Jones added. “I think if you run top five consistently, then typically you find wins fast. I think it’s about getting a little bit of closure in some of these races.
“But I think that’s what you use the first half of the year for and when you get to the playoffs, you should have all of that ironed out to be ready to win.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the first time ever, the sights, sounds and speed of NASCAR are coming to the streets of downtown Chicago on July 1-2, 2023. One of the most iconic cities in the world, Chicago will add another chapter to its illustrious sports history when a NASCAR Cup Series street race debuts against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Grant Park, televised on NBC.
“Like the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, we seized an incredible opportunity to add an unprecedented element to our schedule and take center stage in the heart of another major metropolitan market,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “This is the ideal setting for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race. … We are very appreciative of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her team, along with the entire city of Chicago for working with us to make this concept a reality.”
The first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street-course race will take place July 2, 2023 and be preceded by a NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which will run July 1, 2023. Both races will be surrounded by music and entertainment options for all ages, making it one of the signature sporting and entertainment events of the year.
“Chicago’s streets are as iconic as our skyline and our reputation as a world class sports city is indisputable,” Lightfoot said. “I am thrilled to welcome our partners at NASCAR to Chicago for an event that will attract thousands of people to our city. Chicago’s world class entertainment and hospitality industries, coupled with our city’s history as a conduit for sports talent, make us the perfect hosts for this unique event.”
Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive and select surrounding thoroughfares will be transformed into a 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course, with the start-finish line and pit road located along South Columbus Drive directly in front of Buckingham Fountain. The course will pass through the famed Grant Park, as well as approach the northern edge of Soldier Field, one of the most notable and recognizable sports venues in the country — and the site of the only other Cup Series race to take place in downtown Chicago, in 1956.
“Welcoming yet another NASCAR event to Illinois just weeks after the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 Cup Series race is a testament to the strength of our tourism industry from Chicago to Metro East,” Governor JB Pritzker said. “Illinois, with its longstanding tradition of innovation, is a fitting host for NASCAR’s first-ever street race, and we are thrilled to welcome this new series to America’s most iconic drive next summer.”
“Chicago is one of the world’s top sports and entertainment destinations. Year after year, fans from all over the world travel to our great city for high-profile sporting events,” said Kara Bachman, executive director, Chicago Sports Commission: “The 2023 NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend will continue that legacy with another monumental sports moment and we look forward to welcoming fans to NASCAR’s first-ever street race.”
Tickets for the 2023 NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend will go on sale later this year at NASCARChicago.com. Additional details and elements of the weekend will be announced soon, and fans can follow @NASCARChicago on social media for the latest real-time updates on all aspects of the event.
The remainder of the 2023 schedules for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be announced at a later date.
A key, creative piece of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was revealed Tuesday afternoon amid the bustle of downtown Chicago, where plans for a street-circuit race on the streets in the Chicago Loop were officially announced.
Series officials and driver Bubba Wallace were joined by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other dignitaries at Cityfront Plaza in setting the course for NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend on July 1-2. The Cup Series’ inaugural race on a temporary street circuit will share the weekend with a companion IMSA sports-car event, and it will be broadcast on NBC.
“Really excited about announcing that for the first time with our national series that we’ll be bringing it to a street course, and what better place to do it than downtown Chicago, such an iconic city,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development and strategy. “You think about the history of sports there, the iconic monuments and facilities around Chicago, and the support that we’ve had around Chicago as well. Mix that in with the great racing that we’ve seen with our NASCAR Cup Series, certainly going to be a very special moment in the summer of 2023 as we go street-course racing for the first time with the series.”
The Chicago event fits the recently cast mold of innovative additions to the Cup Series schedule, following the lead of bringing back dirt-track racing at Bristol Motor Speedway and the first-ever Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum earlier this year in Los Angeles. NASCAR’s top division will run on city streets for the first time in proximity to many Windy City landmarks, including Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain and the edge of Soldier Field. Iconic street names — Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive — will be a part of the 2.2-mile layout.
The course was first developed on the iRacing platform and was used in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series last year. When that virtual circuit was unveiled, Kennedy said that “as we look at future schedules, certainly have everything on the table.” Tuesday’s announcement means that the sim-racing feasibility study will soon have a real-life corollary.
“Certainly a lot of work by the team in coming up with not only the vision for the iRacing event to be able to prove out what the track would look like, but then ultimately, what the site plan looks like, what the events and activities will look like on the event weekend, which will look significantly different from what we’ve seen at a lot of some of our other events,” Kennedy said. “We’ll have a number of different music acts, you know, different entertainment options throughout the weekend. IMSA will be joining us with one of their series as well, leading into the Cup Series on Sunday.
“So, really excited about it. A lot of work by the team so far to get to where we’re at today; a lot of work to go before July 1st and 2nd of next year, though.”
Kennedy indicated that series officials scouted multiple locations for a downtown event, but that Chicago’s Grant Park and its skyline-hub setting along Lake Michigan was “a no-brainer.” Lightfoot added that from a logistics standpoint, the city regularly hosts large-scale events, saying: “We know how to do this.”
“We’ll be working hand and glove with NASCAR to make sure that the experience is safe but also incredibly enjoyable for the fans,” Lightfoot added, mentioning the economic benefits of being a street-race host. “If you know anything about the city of Chicago, you probably know our tremendous lakefront and icons like Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. I’m looking forward to showcasing our fantastic city on a global stage. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that this race is a love letter to the city of Chicago.”
NASCAR officials indicated that the rest of the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series schedule would be released at a later date. Only a handful of Cup Series dates have been revealed for 2023. Tickets are on sale for the season-opening Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 19. A return to the LA Coliseum for the preseason Busch Light Clash exhibition is set for Feb. 5.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Kennedy confirmed that the Chicago Street Race would replace Road America on the Independence Day weekend slot on the schedule. The 4.048-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin — some 150 miles north of Chicago — hosted the Cup Series the last two seasons.
Kennedy says he’s hopeful the event will replicate the festival atmosphere from previous racing weekends around the July 4 holiday.
“We’ve had some great racing at Road America, certainly the past few years with the NASCAR Cup Series, much longer than that with the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” Kennedy said. “They’ve been great partners. We’ve seen a great turnout from a fan perspective as well. We’ve seen some great racing there. That said, it is unfortunate we’re not going back in 2023. Just because it’s a no for 2023 doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a no forever. We’ve got some great partners up there. We’ll certainly share more about what other national series’ schedules look like in the future.”
NASCAR has an array of long-running connections to the Chicago area. A Cup Series event in 1956 joined the regular rotation of auto racing at Soldier Field, now home to the Chicago Bears. More recently, the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet hosted the Cup Series from 2001-2019.
NASCAR’s experience with street-circuit racing is more limited. The former NASCAR Southwest Tour competed on a temporary layout near the LA Coliseum from 1998-2000, and the former NASCAR Winston West circuit ran four street races in the Pacific Northwest from 1986-88 — two each in the Washington cities of Spokane and Tacoma.
The versatility of the Next Gen car that debuted this year in the NASCAR Cup Series, plus the proof of concept that emerged from the Los Angeles Clash, have prompted Kennedy and the sanctioning body’s schedule makers to take the show on the road — or in this case, the downtown streets.
“We’ve talked about this before, but it gives us the ability to go into new markets,” Kennedy said of the stadium-style Clash event, “I think street courses gives us that ability as well. That said, it’s important for us to keep the integrity that we’ve had in the schedule, right? Mile and a half, superspeedway, short tracks are all important to our schedule. Adding a street course to the schedule I think is going to continue to make it probably the most diverse motorsports schedule that exists out there today, and we’re really excited about that. But I think it gives us the ability, as we think on into the future to enter some of the new markets and look at some of our events in different ways.”
An even mix of new faces and short track veterans find themselves atop the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown standings following a chaotic Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
Nearly every single driver in the 42-car field endured a problem during the race on July 2, ranging from mechanical failures to being swept up in a massive, 20-car pile-up on the frontstretch with just more than 10 laps remaining.
Not even the finish was free of carnage. Corey Heim ended up taking home the checkered flag in a battered Late Model Stock after he and South Boston regular Jacob Borst crashed across the start-finish line after making contact off Turn 4.
With Heim preoccupied with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series commitments at Pocono Raceway, Borst enters Saturday’s Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway as the Virginia Triple Crown points leader over a talented group of drivers looking to rebound from a tumultuous night at South Boston.
Defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Peyton Sellers sits right behind Borst in second, while others like the most recent Virginia Triple Crown winner in Bobby McCarty have work to do to stay in contention after the Hampton Heat.
With points in the Virginia Triple Crown being determined by average finish, a strong run at Langley will be imperative toward deciding who will be declared the champion in September’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
Below is a breakdown of the current top 10 in the Virginia Triple Crown standings and how they fared in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
Corey Heim and Jacob Borst crash across the start-finish line in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway. (Photo: Victor Newman Photography)
Jacob Borst: 2.0
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 showed that Borst could hang with the best Late Model Stock drivers in the southeast. While his race ended under less-than-ideal circumstances, Borst has momentum on his side as he heads up north to Langley Speedway for the Hampton Heat.
Peyton Sellers: 3.0
Despite being swept up in a late accident, Sellers avoided getting major damage on his car throughout the night and brought home a solid third-place run. A three-time Virginia Triple Crown champion, Sellers will look to put together another efficient run in the Hampton Heat, a race he has not won since 2013.
Mason Diaz: 4.0
Diaz was among the drivers who had nowhere to go on the frontstretch when Jonathan Shafer was turned around by Mike Looney. Of those involved, Diaz only took a couple of moderate hits from the oncoming traffic and was able to get his wounded car back out on track for a top-five finish.
Carter Langley: 5.0
Although he was in front of the 20-car pileup on the frontstretch, Langley ended up sustaining significant damage to his car in a separate accident with Looney and Sellers. Langley still displayed decent speed after the crash and worked his way through the dwindled field to finish fifth.
Mark Wertz: 6.0
Wertz showcased his experience by methodically working his way through an opening on track to escape major damage from the 20-car pileup. While he was not able to claim a top five, Wertz’ sixth-place run puts him in contention for the Virginia Triple Crown as the series heads to his home track of Langley.
Camden Gullie: 7.0
A quiet-but-successful outing for Gullie at South Boston briefly turned chaotic after he was involved in the late big one. Gullie was among the few cars that were successfully repaired for the final 10 laps, allowing him to salvage a seventh-place run.
Bobby McCarty: 9.0
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was far from the typical efficient outing McCarty usually enjoys, as the defending Virginia Triple Crown champion struggled to move through the field after starting 32nd. Getting involved in the big one only compounded McCarty’s issues, but he managed to nurse his wounded car around the track and keep his hopes of defending the Virginia Triple Crown title alive.
Jared Fryar: 10.0
Like nearly everyone else who placed inside the top 10 in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, Fryar had to pilot a damaged car across the line after getting damaged in the big one. Fryar was the last car to finish, two laps behind the winner in Heim.
Conner Jones: 13.0
Several hard hits in the late big one forced Jones to visit a nearby hospital for further evaluation with a minor neck injury. Jones was scored 13th in the final running order and will try to build upon the speed he showed for Saturday’s Hampton Heat.
Landon Pembelton: 14.0
The defending ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner’s bid for a Virginia Triple Crown title got off to a rough start when he was collected in the big crash on the frontstretch. Pembelton still ended up being placed in 14th, putting himself in a better position to rebound compared to others involved in the accident.
NASCAR is set to make a major announcement on the future of racing in Chicago, and you can watch the news live on NASCAR.com and NASCAR’s social media platforms.
Bookmark the link above and come back at 3:30 p.m. ET as Ben Kennedy, senior vice president racing development & strategy; Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago; Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series; and others reveal the big news.
The Victory Bell struck 14 on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR’s 2022 playoff picture became a little clearer at the “Magic Mile,” frustratingly so for some while being a tremendous relief for race winner Christopher Bell. Six races remain between now and the start of this year’s postseason on Labor Day Weekend at Darlington Raceway, with still plenty to sort out in that timeframe.
The ’22 Cup Series campaign has been a wild one, as unpredictable and raucous as anyone could have hoped in the maiden voyage for the sport’s landmark Next Gen racer. Fourteen different winners from seven different organizations across all three manufacturers have taken a trip to Victory Lane at least once this year — and arguably for the first time in the history of NASCAR’s playoff elimination format there’s a realistic scenario that one of them could wind up getting squeezed out of the 16-driver postseason field.
Bell has had a fine season to date, his best so far at the Cup level, but after sputtering out of the gates a bit to open the season, the No. 20 had to methodically claw its way back up the points standings from basically Circuit of The Americas onward. The Norman, Oklahoma, native entered this past weekend’s events eighth in the standings but still on the outside looking in with 13 drivers having already picked up wins. Everything about his season has now changed, as he’s now on essentially equal footing with his other two teammates currently provisionally locked in with wins — Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin — sitting at 2,008 playoff points to their 2,011 and 2,012 points, respectively.
When it comes to racing at Loudon, every most winning drivers are just thrilled to be able to take home a giant lobster. For the ones who pick up their first win of the season there in the dead of summer at such a critical point in the postseason hunt, the real gift is just the ability to exhale.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been stressful,” Bell said in his post-race press conference. “After the first couple races of the year, I kind of wrote off pointing our way into the championship, and then we had a stretch of really good races and kind of turned that around to like, ‘hey, we may be able to do this.’ And then you’ve got guys that kept winning, and the cutoff line kept creeping up and up and up, so it feels really good to hopefully get myself above that cutoff line by a couple spots.”
Some of that stress, however, has now shifted over to his teammate.
There’s no question Martin Truex Jr. has been among the best drivers on a near-consistent basis this year — in a season that’s been hard for anyone to build consistent momentum — currently leading the series in stage wins while sitting third in stage points and fourth in overall points. He is, however, winless.
After securing Saturday’s Busch Light Pole Award, Truex noted that he’s “not really that that worried about the playoffs. I think … we’ll be OK either way,” and for the first two stages of Sunday’s race anybody on the planet probably would’ve agreed with him. The No. 19 Toyota was as dominant as any car we’ve seen this year.
It was Truex’s race to lose, and he did. A two-tire call late in the final stage by crew chief James Small wound up being an incorrect decision, and the car that looked unstoppable all afternoon was suddenly unable to race its way back to the front, resulting in a fourth-place run.
The 2017 champ now sits directly on the bubble, the 16th and final driver in the current projected playoff field and 68 points ahead of Kevin Harvick, also winless.
It seems unfathomable that Truex, whose 12-1 odds to win the ’22 championship entering the weekend were ninth-best in the series, could miss the playoffs entirely. That’s the reality, however, and it just furthers the point that winning is everything in this sport.
The path to pointing his way in is still open, of course. There aren’t 16 winners yet and it seems likely that if we do hit that sweet number, he could be one of them. But he’s not the only elite driver in this position.
Directly above and below him in the standings are Ryan Blaney and Harvick, respectively, who have combined for 27 victories since 2018. Both Truex and Harvick netted top fives at Loudon, and both walked away frustrated. Harvick, believe it or not, actually lost ground despite the quality result. There’s truly a sense of “win-or-bust” right now.
The No. 12 Team Penske driver is safest among them, but it’s almost jaw-dropping that a driver currently third in points and fighting to claim a Regular Season Championship with six races to go could theoretically be left off the playoff grid a month and a half from now.
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Of course, like we just mentioned — all three are elite drivers. They could all win before Darlington (heck, it’s not even the most unreasonable notion to think they could split the six remaining trophies just among themselves), and then what happens? A whole new can of worms.
We’ve known all along since the birth of this playoff system in 2014 that the possibility of more than 16 winners would result in a driver who “clinched” a playoff spot with a win earlier in the season having that position wrestled out of his hands by a fellow winning driver with more points.
And wouldn’t you know it — there’s a chance that if one more driver wins and then Harvick wins to become lucky No. 16, he could bump out Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and Phoenix winner Chase Briscoe, currently the driver with the fewest points among winners.
There’s no denying that at least one driver and possibly two from the group of current one-time winners — Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Bell, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Kurt Busch, Daniel Suárez, Tyler Reddick and Briscoe — along with Blaney, Harvick and Truex could miss the playoffs. Just a matter of who, and how many.
But wait, there’s more.
The six regular-season races remaining are anything but routine or straightforward, featuring a track with just three turns (Pocono), an infield road course (Indianapolis), a 2-mile behemoth where speed is king (Michigan), a 0.75-mile “action track” (Richmond), the fastest road course we go to (Watkins Glen) and for the icing on the cake to lock in the field of 16, the most unpredictable track on the schedule — Daytona.
Blaney is the defending winner at both Michigan and Daytona, and as the highest among the winless drivers, he’s probably going to get the most sleep among any of them over the coming weeks. Truex won Richmond last year and has been an ace on road courses in the past, but the Virginia race last year came a month later — in the playoffs — and at night, where this year’s will be an afternoon special. Toyota as a whole has self-admittedly struck out on road-course setups this year as well, so it’s anything but a lock that Truex will strike at Indy or The Glen. Harvick can win anywhere — and has 12 total wins at the remaining six tracks — but the No. 4, while competitive all season, has seemed to be a tick off a winning pace in ’22.
What these tracks really offer, however, is for the remainder of drivers currently on the wrong side of the bubble a chance for a last-ditch strike to finagle their way into a crowded field.
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Six of the eight drivers next in line under Harvick have won at Daytona previously (Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell, Justin Haley and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) while the other two (Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace) always seem to be in the mix at the front of the field late at the World Center of Racing, including a Duel victory for the No. 17 during this year’s lead up to the Daytona 500.
Road courses always offer the potential for a wild-card winner, of course. And Buescher, himself, knows that Pocono can be an unexpected gateway to the playoffs with his sole career victory coming there during his 2016 rookie year and clinching his only playoff appearance to date.
This is all to say: we’ve got a long way to go before we know for sure who’s going to be in the playoffs. The only drivers that shouldn’t be squirming in their seats right now are those with two-plus wins and the only thing we can count on right now in mid-July is that a month and a half from now we’ll be saying “I can’t believe ____ missed the playoffs!”
And no driver wants to be the one to fill in that blank.
