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Logano lands Cup pole for Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway
27 days ago•Source: The Tennessean
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4.515 min•1 month ago
Seeded Suspicions: Hamlin's Chase Hopes & Hocevar's Walk-Out Song
An anonymous driver survey at Chase media day shows most champions come from the top six seeds, with Ryan Preece (16th seed) surprisingly viewed as a potential title threat; opinions on Denny Hamlin's title chances are mixed, while Christopher Bell remains winless in 2026 but confident, and Hocevar inspired a playful walk-out song question that drew varied responses.
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Laguna Seca Renames Corkscrew in Honor of Alex Zanardi
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Preece storms Daytona, earns first Chase bid in overtime
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Corey Day to Return in Hendrick's O'Reilly Program for 2027
Corey Day will return to Hendrick Motorsports’ O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027 to drive the No. 17 Chevrolet, with Rick Hendrick confirming Day's long-term plan and announcing Connor Zilisch to Hendrick's Cup program in 2028 (No. 48). Day has two 2026 O'Reilly wins and multiple top-10s, currently in the mix for the season-long standings.
Larson Dominates Knoxville Nationals for Fourth Win in Six Years
Kyle Larson, who fought through a three‑hour rain delay and a Cup race in Richmond, arrived in Knoxville just in time to win the 65th NOS Energy Knoxville Nationals Presented by Casey’s. He led all 50 laps in the main from the pole, earning $200,000 and his fourth Nationals title in six years, with his week’s earnings topping $212,000 after prelims and bonus awards. Larson finished ahead of Sheldon Haudenschild, Kasey Kahne, James McFadden and Buddy Kofoid (Kahne passing Haudenschild for runner‑up on lap 2), and praised crew chief Paul Silva and Hendrick Motorsports for the performance in celebratory Victory Lane. This win extends Larson’s long-running Knoxville success to sixteen career sprint-car victories at the track.
Schatz Charges from Seventh to Capture Knoxville Prelim Win
Donny Schatz roared from seventh to win the FVP Parts Prelim at Knoxville Raceway, slipping Carson McCarl on lap five and pulling away over the final 20 laps for his 31st Knoxville victory. He’ll start 11th in the C-main but remains a top contender as the 65th Knoxville Nationals approaches, with the main event offering a $200,000 prize.
IndyCar kicks off 2027 with back-to-back weekend opener across St. Pete, Phoenix and Arlington
IndyCar announced Phase One of the 2027 schedule: eight races, opening with three consecutive weekends (St. Petersburg, Phoenix Raceway, Arlington) and FOX broadcasting every race for the third straight year; after Barber Motorsports Park in April, the calendar includes Long Beach, IMS road course (Sonsio Grand Prix), the 111th Indianapolis 500, and the Detroit Grand Prix on June 6, with two pre-season open tests and Phase Two to follow in coming weeks.
McKee tops qualifying for JR&CO 150 at Iowa Speedway
Tristan McKee earned the pole for the JR&CO 150 at Iowa Speedway, with Carson Brown, Isaac Kitzmiller, Thomas Annunziata and Jake Bollman rounding out the top five in qualifying.
Dodge Debuts Dual 750-HP Manual Charger Drift Machines
Dodge, in collaboration with Hemmings and Suppy’s Garage, transformed two production-based 2026 Charger Scat Packs into 750-horsepower manual drift cars—BOOST Coupe and RPM—featuring rear-wheel drive, custom turbos, race fuel, MoTeC, and bespoke suspension and safety gear; they debut at Roadkill Nights and will appear at Gridlife Laguna Seca and FuelFest, highlighting the SIXPACK platform’s drift potential.
Ford Simulates Le Mans Lap on Dyno Ahead of 2027 WEC Return
Ford Racing uses a Dearborn dyno to run a full Le Mans lap in real time with its 5.4L Coyote-based V8 Hypercar, while North Carolina drivers test the car in a buck; data from these sessions will refine the program ahead of its 2027 FIA WEC top-class return, extending Ford’s Le Mans legacy from the GT40 days.
Heim caps bold final restart with historic Brickyard 400 win
Corey Heim pulled off an outside move on the final restart to pass Denny Hamlin and then held off Christopher Bell and Joey Logano for his first Brickyard 400 victory at Indianapolis, finishing 0.287 seconds ahead and becoming the first Cup driver to win twice in his first 15 career starts since A.J. Foyt in 1965.
Logano Clinches North Wilkesboro Win as Cup Contenders React
Joey Logano won at North Wilkesboro, praising his team and the car while thanking his crew and family, and stressing the importance of collecting points. Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and other Cup Series drivers offered praise for Logano’s performance, reflected on strategy and tire/track conditions, and looked ahead to the next races as they battle for the championship and momentum.
Less power, bigger passing chances: NASCAR's Daytona upgrade targets superspeedway drama
Motorsport.com argues NASCAR’s Daytona rules package—reducing superspeedway horsepower from 510 to 465 hp, cutting the spoiler, tweaking underbody aero, and changing drop gear ratios—will recreate earlier aero conditions and keep cars in the power band longer, promoting more passing and exciting racing rather than fuel-saving strategies, and narrowing the gap between pack and single-car runs to about 10–11 mph.