Posted on by Team Release

WELCOME, N.C. – Richard Childress Racing announced Tuesday that Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive the legendary No. 3 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. ForeverLawn, headquartered in Louisville, Ohio, and specializing in the manufacturing and installation of synthetic grass solutions, will be the primary sponsor of the entry. The race will be televised live on FOX beginning at 4 p.m. ET on April 23.

RELATED: 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule 

Jeffrey is the grandson of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and the nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeffrey’s father, Kerry, was a regular competitor in the Xfinity Series from 1998-2009. Jeffrey has competed in all three NASCAR national series. He has 135 Xfinity Series starts and owns a best finish of third place with Joe Gibbs Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2019.

“It’s great to have an Earnhardt back in one of our cars,” said Richard Childress, chairman and CEO of RCR. “We think Jeffrey is a talented young driver and I’m confident he will run well at Talladega.” Screen Shot 2022 04 12 At 9.26.57 Am

Jeffrey, 32, is a native of Mooresville, North Carolina, and is eagerly anticipating his first start with RCR.

“What a dream come true,” he said. “The chance to be behind the wheel of the No. 3 car for RCR, that my pawpaw made famous, has long been a dream of mine and now it’s finally happening. I can’t thank ForeverLawn enough for making my dreams come to reality and for being such a big part of my career. I also want to thank Mr. Childress for making this possible. The No. 3 car is cherished by a lot of people, and I know how much it means to him. To give me this opportunity is something I’ll never forget.”

New partners SuperPufft, Dalstrong and The Accredited Petroleum Association are also a part of this journey, making their debut with the ForeverLawn family at Talladega. They will be featured on the No. 3 car alongside returning partners Synthetic Turf Resources (STR) and Precision Products.

“My goodness, to be in the mix with two of the greatest names in, not just NASCAR, but all of racing — Childress and Earnhardt — is an incredible privilege,” said Dale Karmie, co-founder of ForeverLawn, Inc. “We at ForeverLawn are thrilled to help put these two names back together, and to do it in the iconic No. 3 — with a definite nod to the Intimidator — is just amazing. We are excited to see the #blackandgreengrassmachine hit Talladega Superspeedway.”

ForeverLawn Inc. was created out of a desire to bring the highest quality, most technologically advanced premium synthetic grass product to the residential and commercial landscape markets. Owners Brian and Dale Karmie came from the computer software industry and began selling and installing turf in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2002. This hands-on, customer-driven experience led the brothers to start their own premium synthetic grass company, ForeverLawn, in 2004. The company has consistently led the synthetic turf industry through groundbreaking approaches to products and practice ever since. Today, the company services more than eighty localized markets through its dealer network, with an impressive regional, national and international project portfolio.

Additional details pertaining to Jeffrey’s RCR entry will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Buddy Kofoid’s long-term goal has never been a secret.

Someday, the 20-year-old wants to race in the NASCAR Cup Series, just like his idol, Dale Earnhardt Jr., once did.

“My goal has always been to get to NASCAR,” said Kofoid, a Toyota Racing Development driver from Penngrove, California. “I’ve said it a handful of times that I can remember as far back, maybe when I started racing myself, I always watching NASCAR on Sundays and Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. was my hero and he still is.

“As a young kid I’d be like, ‘I want to be like Dale Jr. I want to race where he is at.’ That goal and dream has never changed. I still want to get to Cup and that’s still my No. 1 priority.”

This Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kofoid will take a big step toward that goal when he debuts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 51 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Kyle Busch Motorsports during the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET on FS1).

“To run in NASCAR period is huge and probably one of my biggest opportunities to date for sure,” Kofoid said. “To do it for KBM and the best truck or one of the best trucks out there and to do it with Toyota and have Mobil 1 still be involved is very special to me.”

RELATED: Weekend schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway

For the uninitiated, Kofoid is one of the rising stars of open-wheel dirt racing. He’s the defending USAC National Midget Series champion, a title he claimed last year despite recovering from a broken right wrist and broken left foot sustained during a crash while racing an asphalt Late Model.

He burst onto the dirt-racing scene in 2016 when, at the age of 14, he won a sprint-car feature during the popular Trophy Cup event at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California.

He hasn’t slowed down much since. He has won in almost every form of race car he has driven to date, including scoring a winged sprint car victory last Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania.

While he has enjoyed great success in his racing escapades to date, Kofoid knows his first foray into NASCAR is going to be wildly different than anything he has faced so far during his young career.

Despite having plenty of dirt-racing experience on his resume, Kofoid has never raced anything as heavy as the trucks that compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and believes there will be a steep learning curve involved as a result.

“It’s just a different dynamic,” Kofoid said. “I think getting used to the weight will be kind of tough. The weight difference is kind of tough. They’re at least twice the weight of a winged sprint car and probably close to three times the weight of a midget. It’s just a big difference.

“When you get them sideways it seems like there is a breaking point to where you just can’t save it if you get too sideways. So you’ve still kind of got to drive it with a pavement state of mind.”

When it came to announcing Kofoid’s participation in the Truck Series race at Bristol, Toyota and Kyle Busch Motorsports decided to have a bit of fun by filming an announcement video that featured Kofoid mimicking lines and scenes from the movie ‘Elf’ that starred Will Ferrell as the titular character.

“The funny thing was I had never seen … Elf and they knew that,” Kofoid said. “So the day before I did that they said, ‘OK, here’s your homework. You’ve got to watch the movie.’ So I watched the movie for the first time the day before we made that.”

The announcement video was filmed inside the Kyle Busch Motorsports shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, which allowed Kofoid to tour the shop and get to know some of the people he’ll be working with at Bristol this weekend.

He knows he’ll be working with one of the best teams in the Truck Series, which gives him confidence going into his debut. He’s hopeful that will also mean a shot at a victory at the end of the race.

“I want to win,” Kofoid said. “It would be nice to start up front and maybe run up front a lot or at least be in contention and be a factor. Just be up there where people can see you. I’d love to run up front or have a good finish.

“Ultimately it would be huge to win, but I know it’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be tough. But if we’re good enough I wouldn’t say that is impossible at all.”

Posted on by Staff Report

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Martinsville Speedway and Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) have announced a renewal of their partnership on the entitlement for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on Thursday, Oct. 27.

This year’s race will be the sixth time Martinsville has hosted the Whelen Modified Tour season finale (1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991). The official name of the race will remain the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.

“As we go back to our roots of racing in our 75th anniversary season with the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale, we are proud to welcome back our long-time partners at the Virginia Tourism Corporation,” said Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway President. “We value the opportunity to work closely with VTC to promote and develop tourism across the Commonweatlh of Virginia with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.”

“The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 is a great way to experience the excitement of motorsports and enjoy the outdoors,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Martinsville Speedway is a sought-after destination for racing fans and visitors celebrating at such an iconic track will discover for themselves why Virginia is for Racing Lovers.”

The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 Whelen Modified Tour season finale is part of the penultimate NASCAR Playoffs race weekend featuring the Dead On Tools 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race on Saturday, Oct. 29 and the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Martinsville hosted a modified race in NASCAR’s inaugural season on July 4, 1948. The race was the third NASCAR sanctioned race in history in the Commonwealth of Virginia. NASCAR’s National Modified Championship, the predecessor to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, competed at Martinsville from 1960-1984. The modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour continued to race at the historic half-mile short track from 1985-2002, 2005-2010 and 2021. This is the second consecutive year the track has hosted the Whelen Modified Tour.

Racing Virginia legend Ray Hendrick, who is the career leader in wins at Martinsville with 20, is the all-time leader in modified wins at the track with 13. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans is second with 10. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mike Stefanik, one of the Modified Tour’s 10 greatest drivers of all-time, holds the modern-day record with five wins at Martinsville.

In last season’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200, Ryan Preece set the Martinsville track record with a 101.768 mph lap in qualifying. The previous record was set in qualifying for a 1986 modified event, Greg Sacks had a one-lap average of 101.014 mile-per-hour. Eric Goodale won last year’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.

Posted on by Staff Report

Akinori Ogata arrived in the United States from his home country of Japan in 2003 with the goal of becoming a successful NASCAR driver.

Despite knowing little about American culture at the time, Ogata had always been fascinated by the vibrant atmosphere of NASCAR. He wanted to add his name to a long and prestigious list of winners in the sport that included Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and many more.

Nearly two decades of hard work and determination to reach that goal finally paid off for Ogata on Saturday at Hickory Motor Speedway, where he picked up a cathartic victory — his first on American soil — in the track’s Limited Late Model division.

FLORACING: Weekend Late Model highlights from Hickory

For Ogata, the pivotal milestone could not have come at a more perfect location with Hickory holding its reputation as The Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars.

“Hickory has such a great history behind it,” Ogata told NASCAR.com. “So many drivers started their own careers there. I’m a Japanese driver, but I want to be like the American racers. If I want to race in the Cup Series one day, I need to win at the local tracks so people know Akinori Ogata is a good driver.”

There were many days when Ogata wondered whether his leap of faith into NASCAR would work out.

Back in Japan, Ogata had established himself as a solid driver in multiple forms of motorsports. He claimed 30 victories as a motocross rider and even visited Victory Lane at Twin Ring Motegi driving a dirt Midget back in 2007.

Transitioning to full-time auto racing in the United States served as a clean slate for Ogata. He had to get acclimated with competing inside a full-bodied stock car all while trying to build relationships in the industry with a limited understanding of the English language.

Those challenges for Ogata were only compounded when he moved his family to Mooresville, North Carolina, back in 2010 so he could devote more time and energy toward getting comfortable with NASCAR.

“Moving to North Carolina was hard, because we honestly didn’t know anybody here,” Ogata recalled. “I could not speak any English, and it was difficult to understand what other people were saying. My English is much better now, but it was so hard when we first moved here.”

RACING REFERENCE: Ogata’s career NASCAR stats

Akinori Ogata
Akinori Ogata walks the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway on Sept. 11, 2021. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Ogata admitted that adjusting to racing in the United States would have been more difficult without the assistance of people like Billy Larrimore, who was his first crew chief when he started racing at Concord Speedway in 2003, as well as his current crew chief Zach McDaniels.

Being able to regularly compete at Hickory has also helped Ogata find a comfort zone in becoming a staple of the track’s Saturday night festivities, even as he occasionally branches out into the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series, as well as the ARCA Menards Series East.

Hickory track operator Kevin Piercy has seen Ogata come close to winning on so many occasions and was thrilled to finally see the driver take home a checkered flag of his own.

“Akinori is a very respectful driver to his competitors,” Piercy said. “He will race you hard but clean, and I think he has a lot of grit. Akinori is a tough customer who digs in week in and week out, so I was really happy to see him finally fulfill this opportunity.”

Piercy added that the Japanese driver’s victory Saturday reinforced Hickory’s history of producing diverse winners. Last year, current ARCA Menards Series driver Rajah Caruth joined Chris Bristol as a Black winner at the track. Annabeth Barnes-Crum, Gracie Trotter, Katie Hettinger and Kate Dallenbach are among the women drivers to find Victory Lane throughout Hickory’s storied history.

Yet what Piercy enjoyed the most about seeing Ogata add to that legacy was how popular the win was amongst not only his fellow competitors, but also the local fanbase that had watched him grind over the years.

The crowd response even surprised Ogata himself.

“It was so great and emotional to see American people cheering for me,” Ogata allowed. “I never imagined people would cheer for a Japanese driver, so that was such a great moment to have those people celebrate with me at the track.”

Piercy added that Ogata more than deserved the positive response from drivers and fans because of his dedication and hopes to see him remain a focal point of Hickory’s culture by one day contending for a track championship.

“I would love to see Akinori have an opportunity to move up to Late Models,” Piercy said. “He needs a genuine chance to win a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship. It would be a great honor for him to go to the banquet and accept that trophy.”

Akinori Ogata
Akinori Ogata (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Ogata has no intention of slowing down the momentum from Hickory even as he continues to deal with challenges on and off the track.

Staying in touch with his wife Eniko and two children Ken and Ryo has been difficult, as they now reside in Japan again, but he knows they are supporting his journey. He is eager to celebrate his first win with the family soon.

With his program making significant strides, Ogata is confident that he and his family will have plenty more to cheer about once the 2022 season ends.

“The car feels good, and the driver feels good,” Ogata said. “Everyone on the team is working very hard on the car, so I definitely believe we’re going to win more races at Hickory in the future.”

Outside of Hickory, Ogata is still dreaming big about what he wants to do with his NASCAR career. He still plans to make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series sooner rather than later and is hoping to at least have an opportunity to race in the Daytona 500 before he eventually decides to retire.

As someone used to overcoming adversity, Ogata remains determined to pursue that Cup Series ride and keep alive a dream that has been ongoing for nearly two decades.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Eight points-paying races into 2022, 10th-year Cup Series veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is on pace for a career-worst average finish. His current 28th-place position in the points standings would also be a career low for the two-time series winner and former back-to-back Xfinity Series champion.

And, yet, he’s nowhere near out of this thing.

Talent has never been a question with Stenhouse, now in his third year with long-running JTG Daugherty Racing, and it certainly isn’t now despite the early-season hiccups.

We’ve continued to hear — and seen it played out on the race track — how there will be comers and goers in the Next Gen era, particularly early on as teams get a handle on things. It’s no surprise to see a perennial stalwart like Hendrick Motorsports looking beefy to start the year, but flip the token and we’re seeing its Toyota counterpart Joe Gibbs Racing being consistently outrun by a team like Trackhouse Racing, in just its second season.

Perhaps it just hasn’t been Stenhouse’s turn yet — sure doesn’t mean it isn’t coming.

“I like what you said right there: ‘Everybody has a turn.’ I had a horrible race at Martinsville, but I was racing Denny Hamlin, who won the weekend before,” Stenhouse told NASCAR.com on Monday. “So, it’s just crazy to me when you look at it. It seems like when somebody kind of hits on something, they stay in the top 10, top five pretty consistently. And then like, all of a sudden somebody misses it and they’re really bad. So, we’re scratching our head right now on the short-track program, but I feel really good when we go to Talladega in two weeks. I know we’ll have a good car there; we had a good one at Atlanta and Daytona. Looking forward to getting back to the mile-and-a-halves, because I thought we were a little more competitive there as well. I’m hoping this is kind of our month.”

We’re gonna go ahead and tentatively call this the summer of George spring of Stenhouse, because of his 41 career top-10 finishes, a whopping 19 of them have come at the next three tracks on the schedule. And a lot of positive momentum can be built over a three-week span.

Not to mention, if there are two things Stenhouse loves in this world, it’s Bristol and dirt.

Well, he’s in luck.

MORE: Full Bristol dirt schedule | Updated championship odds

“I always love coming to Bristol,” said Stenhouse, last year’s runner-up in Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, FOX) “Just being around there, I feel like I’ve always had a shot to win. And even though I’ve never gotten a win, man, we’ve battled for wins. Finished second in the Cup car, the Xfinity car and led laps in both and just had a really fun time every time we go to Bristol. I get excited.

“Obviously, finishing second here last year makes me more pumped up and ready to go. Still a lot of unknowns and don’t really know what the weekend kind of holds for you until you run some practice laps, see how the car’s handling and really go from there. It’s definitely one that I‘ve always looked forward to.”

Getty Images
Getty Images

Stenhouse, a bonafide superstar of the dirt-racing community, propelled his No. 47 Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in last year’s inaugural running of the unique event, which wound up standing as his sole top five and one of just two top-10 finishes he netted in ’21. Given his proclivity for strong results at the next spate of tracks, it’s conceivable that if it is indeed “his turn” as a Next Gen stud, all of those figures could be topped over the coming weeks.

That said, there’s no telling if last year’s race — during the day, in wet conditions and with a different generation of race car — will look anything like this year’s.

That’s all just part of the intrigue.

“I think that’s what is fun about dirt racing. You’re never sure what track conditions are going to be like,” Stenhouse said. “You’re never sure how your car’s going to handle on it. … The Next Gen test looked like they were making some really good laps around Bristol. Steve Swift and the whole crew there does a really good job of getting the race track smooth, and I think that’s going to be really beneficial for the handling of this race car. …

“You’ll see some beating and banging. I think you’ll see some side-by-side action and I think this car is going to be a little bit better for that. Our car last year, you beat and banged, you’d get a tire rub and then you’re in trouble. I think this car could be better in that aspect.

“It’s going to be fun.”

Especially if it sparks his season. Or, with one spot higher in the finishing order than last year, puts him in the playoffs.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

The FloRacing Late Model Challenge powered by Tezos is a vision for co-promoter Kyle Larson.

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion always enjoyed watching the Prelude to the Dream at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, an event held from 2005-12 that featured many of NASCAR’s top stars competing in dirt Super Late Models to help raise money for charity. Larson came along too late to compete in the Prelude to the Dream, so he decided to host his own race.

RELATED: Make your picks for the Late Model Challenge

The FloRacing Late Model challenge takes place Thursday, April 14, at Volunteer Speedway, a 0.4-mile dirt track located in Bulls Gap, Tennessee. The event will be shown live on FloRacing.

Below is everything to know about the new race Larson is co-promoting.

FloRacing Late Model Challenge powered by Tezos

  • Date: Thursday, April 14
  • Location: Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee
  • Start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • How to watch: FloRacing

The FloRacing Late Model Challenge powered by Tezos takes place three days before the Food City Dirt Race at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway, presenting Cup Series competitors with an opportunity to get in some extra laps on dirt in advance of the race weekend at Bristol.

One Cup Series star in addition to Larson has already confirmed plans to participate. Larson will be joined in the field by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, who will make his debut in a dirt Super Late Model a few days removed from his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season last Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway.

Additional stars from the Super Late Model world are also expected to participate.

The race will pay $20,000 to the winner with a total purse of $62,000 for Super Late Model competitors. The Super Late Model program will include hot laps (practice), qualifying, heat races, a consolation race and the 50-lap finale.

RELATED: Complete format for FloRacing Late Model Challenge

FloRacing Late Model Challenge
Kyle Larson driving a Super Late Model at The Dirt Track at Charlotte with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2020. (Adam Fenwick)

“Hopefully this is a step in the direction of what I want it to be in the future,” Larson recently told FloRacing, the streaming partner for the event. “That’s kind of to bring back an event similar to the Prelude to the Dream. It’s been so long now since that event has happened, and there’s a whole new crop of NASCAR drivers. I would love to build this event into something like the Prelude down the road.

“I think it leading up into a NASCAR weekend on dirt is a good reason for Cup guys to want to go run. I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope this is the beginning to start that.”

The Sportsman division will also be in action Thursday, with a $1,000-to-win feature taking place prior to the Super Late Model main event.

Tickets for grandstand and pit admission are available for purchase on race day at the track. Fans unable to attend in person will be able to watch the program live on FloRacing beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Retired NASCAR competitor and current FOX Sports NASCAR analyst Clint Bowyer will be part of the broadcast team for the event.

Posted on by Zack Albert

There was a time when the teenaged Joe Gibbs Racing prodigy with a knack for aggressive driving as he climbed the NASCAR ladder was a precocious young ace from Connecticut named Joey Logano.

Nearly 15 years later, the driver who fits that description is 19-year-old Ty Gibbs, already an ARCA Menards Series champion and a seven-time winner in just 26 Xfinity Series races. How he’s accomplished it, though? Logano — now 31 and established with Team Penske — says he can relate, having been a feather-ruffler at that age.

RELATED: Gibbs, Mayer scuffle at Martinsville | Xfinity Series standings

Gibbs found himself at the center of attention after Friday night’s Xfinity Series event at Martinsville Speedway, where he squared off with rival Sam Mayer in a post-race altercation that became physical on pit road. Both drivers were summoned to the officials’ hauler after the run-in, and both said they would try to move on as best they could

“I have a lot more grace for seeing that stuff after going through it myself,” Logano said Monday. “Do I agree with the way it went down? No, I don’t. Have I done that type of thing before? Yeah, I have. Am I proud of it? No, not at all, but I learned from it at least. And it’s part of growing up on TV. You’re growing up in the limelight, right? It’s a very popular driver. He’s very good, he wins, he’s in a great car, and he’s pretty dang aggressive. And I can relate to all that.

“I learned a lot. I learned a lot. The unfortunate part is people don’t forget, and the other part is that everybody on this call was 18, 19, 20 years old at one time and you guys all did something stupid at some point. You did, right? You’re a kid, you did something dumb. But nobody knows it, right? It’s forgotten about. It moves on. There’s this thing called YouTube now where my kid can see this stuff, right? It’s like, ‘Oh, no!’ So I guess taking a deep breath and understanding the big picture and handling things correctly is probably the way to go. But we’ve all done dumb things. Just as a driver, it’s just gonna be out there in the open. There’s two younger guys ambitious to win, and I wouldn’t say what happened on the race track was wrong, but I’d say what happened after was probably not the right direction.”

Gibbs lost a race that he had dominated at Martinsville, leading 197 of the 261 laps. But his No. 54 Toyota had been shuffled back in the final overtime attempt; teammate Brandon Jones won the race, and the chance at a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus also evaporated, going to a surprised AJ Allmendinger.

The confrontation marked the third controversial incident for Gibbs in the last six Xfinity Series races. At Las Vegas on March 5, Gibbs spun out Ryan Sieg early in the race, and a pit-road conversation and a retaliatory bump followed. April 2 at Richmond, Gibbs bumped and brushed by teammate John Hunter Nemechek on his way to victory. That incident came one week before Friday’s fracas at Martinsville.

“I don’t know if he had to go straight to fists right off the bat, but for what it was, if you’re gonna race a certain way, you gotta expect to be raced that way back,” Logano said. “That’s the driver code and nobody can understand, that’s it. If you’re willing to push, you gotta be willing to take some pushes, and that’s kind of what it comes down to. So, to me … gosh, you’re asking my opinion. I don’t have a horse in this race, I shouldn’t even be commenting on this, but if you’re willing to push for a win, and someone’s willing to push for 100 grand behind you, it’s one for the other at that point. That’s my opinion. Each one’s entitled to their own.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

MERIDIAN, Idaho — The opening night of the season Saturday at Meridian Speedway featured a pair of winners in the headlining Bud Light Modified division, as Neal Latham and Josh Jackson each earned a trip to Victory Lane.

The twin 25-lap features headlined a five-division, six-race card at the quarter-mile asphalt oval during the ATS Inland Season Opener.

The first of the two 25-lap features was captured by Latham, who started fifth. It initially appeared polesitter Tommy Harrod would be the man to beat after leading the first 11 laps uncontested, but he spun by himself on the 12th circuit and fell to last place.

That gave the lead to Latham, who had worked his way up to second two laps before Harrod’s bad luck. Latham led the remainder of the distance to earn his first victory of the year ahead of teammate Joe Daily and Jackson.

“I’ve got to thank all the guys in the pits,” Latham said in Victory Lane. “We have been fighting this car all day. I think we’ve finally got a piece. A little bit tight, but we’ll get that fixed up. I think we’ll be even better in the second main.”

The Bud Light Modified division returned to the track to close out the night at Meridian, with Mike Davis and Rus Ward leading the field to the green flag. Ward took the lead from the outside on the opening lap while Jackson started his pursuit from the ninth position.

Two quick cautions in nine laps allowed Jackson to close the gap on the lead pack. At the halfway, mark Jackson was sixth and closing on the battle for the lead at a rapid pace. With eight laps left, leaders Brendon Fries and Darrell Dolling made contact on the frontstretch, which took both men out of contention.

During the subsequent restart, Jackson emerged with the race lead and drove away from Colton Nelson to close out the night in Victory Lane. Latham finished third in the second feature after starting 11th.

“I ran this car two years ago in the last race of the season,” Jackson explained in Victory Lane. “We ran on six cylinders and we won one and finished second or third in the second main. It sat in a barn since then. We pulled it out three days ago because it looked like the motor was going to be done.

“We just dusted her off and put the new motor in and thought we’d come out and have some fun.”

Also in action Saturday night was the Pepsi Sprintcar division, which was won by a driver with a familiar name. Ryan Newman, a driver from Caldwell, Idaho, who happens to share the name with the 2008 Daytona 500 winner, advanced six positions to win that feature.

Skip Taylor collected a victory in the Touchdown Automotive Street Stock class, while Jordan Harris took home the checkered flag in the Project Filter Pro 4s. Despite getting bit by the bad luck bug in the first Bud Light Modified feature, Tommy Harrod left Meridian as a winner in the Big Daddy’s BBQ Hornet class.

Meridian Speedway will be in action throughout the rest of the year on various Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings with a variety of classes on the schedule. The annual running of the Idaho 208, the biggest event each season at the track, is slated for Aug. 20.

Catch live racing from Meridian Speedway throughout the season only on FloRacing.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

HAMPTON, Va. — Two-time and defending Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway Taylor Waste Services Late Model champion Brenden Queen kicked off his title defense with a victory during the track’s Pepsi Opening Night on Saturday evening.

Queen started from the pole for the 100-lap Late Model race that headlined the action, but he gave up the lead on Lap 3 when Mark Wertz worked his way past him in Turn 1.

From there, Queen quickly fell through the field, falling as far back as 13th as Wertz led the way. Wertz got within a few car lengths of Queen to lap him, but Queen found a little extra pace and was able to stay ahead of Wertz until the caution flag waved on Lap 66 for a spin in Turn 1 by Chris Horton Jr.

FloRacing: Highlights from the Late Model division at Langley

The driver nicknamed “Butterbean” restarted 10th when the race resumed, and he quickly went to work regaining his lost track position while Greg Edwards moved around Mark Wertz to take the lead.

Another caution for a spin by Thomas Marks brought the caution back out, giving Queen another opportunity to gain positions during a restart after moving up to seventh during the previous restart.

Within a matter of laps, Queen made his way up to third, bypassing early leader Wertz in the process. Another caution, this time on Lap 74 for a spin by Dwayne Shreeves, gave Queen yet another opportunity to close the gap on race leader Edwards.

Queen moved around runner-up Nick Smith a few laps after the restart and shifted his attention to running down Edwards in the final 20 laps.

With fewer than 10 laps left, Queen made his move, pulling to the inside of Edwards going into Turn 1 to take the race lead with seven laps left. He led the rest of the way, eventually getting to the checkered flag first by 0.566 seconds ahead of Edwards to win the opening race of the year at Langley for the second straight season.

“I just stuck to the game plan,” Queen said after emerging from his race car in Victory Lane. “It’s so hard to let people go, but I knew it was going to pay off. I just stuck to the plan man, saved, saved, saved and when I was in jeopardy of going a lap down I picked it back up.

“I knew we were just as fast as those guys, just needed some luck. Got some cautions at the right times and had good restarts, good lane choices.”

Smith came home third, nearly five seconds behind Queen. Casey Wyatt was fourth and early leader Wertz faded to fifth at the finish.

Five other divisions were in action Saturday night at Langley, including the Old Skool Video Games Super Streets. Landon Abbott emerged as the race winner in that 40-lap event ahead of Gordon Weeks.

Hunter Waltrip triumphed in the Harris Truck Shop Super Trucks, Charlie Bryant won the 30-lap Parts Barn Enduro division race and Jacob Harberts picked up a victory in the Champ Kart class.

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition takes place on most Saturday nights at Langley through early October. Major events on the Langley Speedway schedule include the Hampton Heat 150 on July 23, a visit by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Aug. 27 and the Shawn Balluzzo Memorial 100 on Oct. 1.

Watch NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series action from Langley Speedway throughout the season exclusively on FloRacing.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Dylan Zampa couldn’t have started his season at All American Speedway any better.

After winning a touring series Pro Late Model feature to kick off his season at the track on March 5, Zampa backed it up by sweeping the twin NASCAR Berco Redwood Late Model features on Saturday night during the Spring Smash.

The 18-year-old made quick work of the field in both 35-lap features. In the first race, Zampa moved to the inside of early leader Michael Mitchell on Lap 16 and completed the pass for the lead two laps later. He led the remainder of the distance with Mitchell and John Moore completing the podium.

An eight-car invert for the second 35-lap feature meant Zampa had some work to do, but he was up to the challenge.

After a quick caution on the second lap, Zampa sliced his way through the field up to second before making the pass for the lead on the eighth circuit. Multiple cautions in the following laps provided his rivals a chance to challenge Zampa, but he remained at the front of the field to complete the sweep.

“Car was really good all weekend long,” Zampa said in Victory Lane.

Michael Mitchell was once again second, with Moore following in third for the second-straight race.

Rick Andersen ended a multi-year drought in the Jaws Gear & Axle Modified division with a victory in Saturday’s 30-lap feature. He avoided an incident involving race leaders Tyler Wentworth and Brandon White that sent both competitors to the tail, allowing Andersen to take the lead and ultimately the victory.

Josh Whitfield picked up a victory in the Riebes Auto Parts Super Stocks while Matthew Fuhs was a winner in the F4 division. Lucas Burton was the winner of the Mini Cup feature, and 13-year-old Trey Daniels won the 30-lap Jr. Late Model feature.

Finally, Dillon Peterson emerged as the winner of the Riebes Auto Parts Trailer Bash. He secured $1,000 for his efforts.

All American Speedway will be in action at least once a month through October, with the ARCA Menards Series West scheduled to visit the 0.333-mile oval on Oct. 1 for the NAPA AutoCare 150.

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series action from All American Speedway will be streamed live all season long by FloRacing.