Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and William Byron, a 14-time race winner in NASCAR’s premier division, will split time behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in a trifecta of NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races in 2025.
Larson, a native of Elk Grove, Calif., will race the No. 07 Chevy Silverado in the March 21 Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and return to the cockpit two races later for the April 11 WEATHER GUARD Truck Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Byron, will thread the needle between Larson’s two stints and handle the driving chores for the Allen Hart-led program March 28 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Byron returns the site of his most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win where, ironically, he collected Spire Motorsports inaugural victory in the division.
Both Hendrick Motorsports drivers have picked up checkered flags in Truck Series competition for the Mooresville, N.C., organization over the last three seasons.
“One of the coolest things of having a CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team is to have the crossover from Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “We’ve had all their drivers in our trucks from time to time, and to have two guys in William (Byron) and Kyle (Larson), who have won races with us back in the seat, certainly gives the team a little more pep in our step. It also raises the bar for those races to win or bust. You don’t show up with those guys to do anything else but win.”
Larson and Byron will be part of a HendrickCars.com trio of Spire Motorsports-prepared entries at all three events. In addition to the No. 07 machine, Rajah Caruth will sport his traditional HendrickCars.com paint scheme aboard his No. 71 Chevy while Larson’s fellow Hendrick Motorsports stablemate Corey Day will pilot the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado, featuring an identical livery.
The 32-year-old Larson, often referred to as “Yung Money,” owns three Homestead CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts where he tallied one pole and a pair of top fives, including a second-place finish in the 2014 season finale.
Larson made his lone Bristol start in Truck Series competition in 2021 when the famed half-mile was covered in dirt. Regrettably, he was saddled with a 35th-place after being collected in an incident just past the halfway mark of the 150-lap event.
“I love racing at Homestead-Miami (Speedway) and Bristol (Motor Speedway), so I’m excited to add those Truck races to my schedule,” said Larson. “Hopefully, we can put on a great show with HendrickCars.com on board and battle for the victories in the Spire truck.”
In addition to his success in the Cup Series, Byron was highly accomplished on the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series side of the sport and lays claims to eight victories across 29 starts – seven of which came during the 2016 season.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte, N.C., native owns two Martinsville wins on NASCAR grandest stage, where he secured the historic half-mile’s famed grandfather clock trophy in spring of 2022 and 2024.
“I’m excited to get back to the Truck Series,” said Byron. “It’s been a couple years for me so I’m ready to try it again. Plus, the last time I ran a truck at Martinsville we won. Hopefully, we can do that again because it really paid off for us on the Cup side of things. Spire is a great group, and I’m excited to work with them again.”
The Baptist Health 200 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live on FOX Friday, March 21 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The fourth of 25 races on the 2025 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This year’s USAC Hall of Fame class of inductees has been revealed.
USAC’s 12th Hall of Fame includes driver/car owner Jack Bowsher, driver Dave Darland, car owner/official Bob Estes, car owner/crew chief Bob Hampshire, promoters Roger and Linda Holdeman, official Tommy Hunt and driver Gordon Johncock.
The official 2025 USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at USAC headquarters in Speedway, Ind., on Wednesday afternoon, July 2.
JACK BOWSHER
Although he never earned a championship in USAC Stock Car competition, Jack Bowsher was undoubtedly one of the preeminent figures of the sport.
Born in Harmony, Ohio on Oct. 2, 1930, the U.S. Navy veteran’s USAC career spanned more than two decades. Prior to tackling USAC full-time, Bowsher found major success with three consecutive ARCA crowns in 1963-1964-1965.
His USAC resume ranks among the upper echelon. His 21 wins as a driver rank seventh; his 32 pole positions as a driver place him third; his 162 starts as a driver are eighth best; and his 38 car owner victories slot him third.
As a driver and car owner, Bowsher was equally proficient, finishing as the runner-up in USAC entrant points on three-straight occasions in 1968-1969-1970, while also placing two entries inside the top-five of the points in all three seasons. In 1971, he took second in the standings as a driver, boosted by a four-race winning streak.
Among those winning USAC Stock Car races in Jack Bowsher-owned cars are Parnelli Jones and A.J. Foyt, the latter of whom won four times in Bowsher’s ride en route to the 1968 driving title. Bowsher died on April 8, 2006, at age 75.
DAVE DARLAND
One of eight USAC career Triple Crown champions, by the time he hung up the helmet in 2023, Dave Darland had amassed more USAC National Sprint Car victories than any other driver.
Born on Sept. 4, 1966, in Lincoln, Indiana, Darland earned his stripes by becoming a force on the local Indiana sprint car circuit. In time, he’d take the USAC world by storm, capturing four national driving titles: Silver Crown (1997), Sprint (1999) and Midget (2001-2002).
The first of his 62 USAC National Sprint car triumphs arrived in 1993, and proved to be the first of his 115 total USAC feature victories (nationally and regionally), which also includes 30 National Midget triumphs and 14 Silver Crown. He’s one of only seven drivers to surpass 100 career USAC wins.
His 1,334 USAC National starts rank number one all-time as do his 797 USAC Sprint Car starts between 1986-2023. One of Darland’s greatest attributes is his longevity of success.
In fact, Darland scored at least one USAC national feature victory in a record 24 consecutive seasons between 1993-2016. All these years later, Darland has solidified his position as one of the all-time USAC greats, a status he will retain for eternity.
BOB ESTES
As one of USAC’s founding fathers, Bob Estes was monumental in the club’s formative years both on and off the track.
Born in Los Angeles, California on Sept. 21, 1913, following a foray as a driver himself, Estes’ focus soon shifted toward business and race team ownership.
Following his service in World War II, Estes purchased a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Inglewood, California. With his dealership employee and car builder Jud Phillips as his sidekick, Estes’ team captured AAA Midwest Sprint Car championships in 1953-1954 with Pat O’Connor.
At USAC’s inception in 1955, Estes was elected as the national car owner representative, a role he helmed until 1960. Later, he’d also serve USAC as its western regional representative.
O’Connor and Estes earned the inaugural USAC Midwest Sprint Car title in 1956. With Don Branson in 1959, Estes’ team duplicated its USAC Midwest Sprint championship. Estes also fielded several Indianapolis 500 entries, finishing a best of third with Don Freeland in the 1956 race.
BOB HAMPSHIRE
Without question, Bob Hampshire was instrumental in two of the most dominant eras by any driver in USAC history.
Born on Sept. 25, 1946, Hampshire’s initial success as a USAC car owner came with Jac Haudenschild, who corralled a pair of wins in 1982. Yet Hampshire’s most iconic seasons came in association with Jack Hewitt. In all, the pair teamed up for 22 USAC Sprint Car victories between 1985-1997.
That said, Hampshire and Hewitt’s success on the USAC Silver Crown trail was simply dominant. Armed with their Challenger Chevy nicknamed “Gussie,” they annihilated the competition, winning all six dirt races they entered in 1986. In 1987, they repeated as series champs.
Hampshire is credited with 14 USAC Silver Crown owner wins, which once ranked as the most in series history. However, as a crew chief, Hampshire has orchestrated a boatload of victories with Hewitt at 6R Racing and 21 more with Kody Swanson at DePalma Motorsports between 2014-2018, a run which included four series titles in a five-year span.
In 2014, Hampshire was named USAC’s Chief Mechanic of the Year, and in 2018, his “63” became the first number officially retired for use in the USAC Silver Crown series.
ROGER & LINDA HOLDEMAN
When Roger Holdeman purchased Indiana’s Winchester Speedway in 1970, the half-mile, high-banked oval was already world famous for its breathtaking speed and incomparable competition.
But in the years to follow, Holdeman took the hallowed grounds to another level while hosting 123 races between USAC’s Sprint, Midget and Stock Car divisions, many of which featured unique double and tripleheader formats along with cornerstone events such as the Rich Vogler Classic, Sammy Sessions Memorial, Border Wars and Oldtimers Weekend.
It was also a perfect match. Born and raised in Winchester, Roger graduated in 1957 from Winchester High School where he served as class president. As caretaker of Winchester Speedway, he oversaw a complete reconstruction of the grandstands, multiple repaves, the creation of a tunnel and new track lights.
In 1988, Roger married Linda, who had served as the promoter at Oswego Speedway. By 1989, the two were managing the track’s day-to-day duties and even constructed their new home outside turn one. A year later, Roger and Linda were named USAC’s Race Organizers of the Year for 1990.
Roger passed away at age 58 in 1996. Later that year, Linda was the recipient of the Diana Fell Gilmore Woman Behind the Scenes award.
TOMMY HUNT
The Hunt family was born to be motorsports lifers, and Tommy Hunt certainly fits the mold to a T.
Tommy’s father, Joe Hunt, was a magneto magnate and a longtime champ car team owner, employing many of the greatest drivers of the era. Tommy’s son, Tony Hunt, is a 10-time USAC driving champion in both rear engine machinery and sprint car racing.
Tommy was entrenched in the sport from day one, serving on the crew for his dad’s team. Eventually, Tommy became a driver himself, most notably scoring three California Racing Ass’n Sprint Car feature wins, plus 1974 Most Improved Driver honors, while also running the family’s magneto business until 1986.
Those experiences prepared Tommy for his role of 28 years at USAC between 1986-2013 in which he served as Vice President and the head of the series’ west coast operations where he oversaw the Midget, Sprint Car, Supermodified divisions, and was instrumental in introducing both the F2000 and Russell Pro series to USAC as well as the introduction of the Ford Focus Midget series.
Serving the sport with integrity, professionalism and doing things the right way, Tommy was honored with the Dick Jordan Award of Excellence in 2024.
GORDON JOHNCOCK
Gordon Johncock was a natural behind the wheel and became one of the premier drivers of his era, and of any era.
Born on Aug. 5, 1936, in Hastings, Mich., Johncock initially made his mark in supermodifieds, winning throughout the Midwest and as far east as New York’s Oswego Speedway.
In sprint cars, Johncock scored the inaugural Williams Grove National Open in 1963. With USAC in 1964, he opened eyes by conquering Indiana’s daunting Winchester Speedway, while also setting a new world record in qualifying, doing so without brakes at an average speed of nearly 105 mph.
Finishing fifth as an Indianapolis 500 Rookie in 1965, Johncock carried onward to his first Indy Car win at Milwaukee that same year, the first of his 20 career USAC National Championship victories.
His defining moments came at Indianapolis in the tragedy-marred 1973 race, and again in 1982, when his 0.16 second winning margin over Rick Mears proved to be the closest in race history at the time. In 1976, he earned the series championship.
Johncock was adept at adapting to any setting, even winning a pair of USAC Stock Car races in 1972 at Milwaukee and in 1973 at Texas World Speedway.
Evergreen Raceway 602 Crate Modified division racers have an opportunity to reap some additional money this year thanks in part to a newly launched program put together by long-time marketing/PR guru Joe Lewandoski.
Recently, Lewandowski introduced the National Short Track Promotions (NSTP)/Chevy Performance Point Fund that will award asphalt 602 Crate Modified drivers from a select number of tracks in the northeast region a chance to earn points and payout from a $20,120 point fund that will be disbursed to the top 50 drivers who take part in the program.
Furthermore, one lucky driver will be chosen via a random draw and be the recipient of an Eagle Chevy Performance 602 motor courtesy of Eagle Chevrolet of Long Island, NY.
“I'm going to be a great ambassador to the sport, and I got to go sell some sponsorship and put some money together to help these guys,” said Lewandoski.
“We pay $1500 for first and we pay back 50 spots, and the biggest thing is helping the sport grow, help the 602s grow and I believe they are the foundation car for asphalt modified future racers.”
In order for drivers to be eligible to receive point fund money they must register with the NSTP for a nominal fee of $75.
Evergreen Raceway will be one of nine tracks that are included in the NSTP along with the Connecticut tracks of Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl plus Long Island’s Riverhead Raceway, New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway, Evans Mills and Spencer Speedway’s in New York and Mahoning Valley Speedway in Pennsylvania.
“I had an opportunity to go to Evergreen back in 2004 when I was working at Wall and I always liked that race track, it's a perfect short track for 602s because it's not a horsepower track. So Evergreen is really important because that's eastern Pennsylvania and there's a pocket of cars there and they're not very far from Mahoning or Wall for that matter either and those three tracks represent a lot of cars,” noted Lewandowski.
“Really the guys from Evergreen, they’re racing against guys in Connecticut, in upstate New York and on the Island and at Wall because in those races, the points count. So, you're going to be following those races and saying what's going on with the guys at Stafford this weekend? How am I doing? But the most important thing is that all my tracks are on equal footing.”
Aside from the point fund Lewandoski is also putting together contingencies that will be presented as well. He is looking beyond the top 50 in an effort that all drivers get something on their return of the $75 entry fee.
“I'm going to get product and product certificates so that somebody is going to get something out of this $75 investment. I want to do things for the guys and gals that maybe finish 51st through, let's say 80, they'll have a good chance to win product certificates and product,” relayed Lewandowski.
“And who knows you can finish 78th in points and then we pull your number in the random engine draw and guess what, you just won a $7000 motor.”
While each track will have their own points, the NSTP will tally points at the aforementioned tracks as well from May 22 to September 22 on the basis of finishing first through 10th. In the event that less than 10 cars are in a feature, then the points will be adjusted accordingly.
“There's plenty of chances to earn points because there’s nine tracks you could race at and what I'm going to do is count your highest finish for the weekend,” added Lewandoski.
Lewandoski noted that drivers can get additional information, including how to sign up for the NSTP on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NSTPLLC Moreover there will be a website up and running very soon.
Evergreen’s weekly point racing begins with the Winter Thaw presented by Foley Action Track Opening Day on Sunday afternoon, April 13. The All PRO SpeedSTRs, 602 Crate Modifieds, Street Stocks, Slingshot and Four Cylinders will be on the card.
The day prior to the Winter Thaw there will be an open practice on Saturday, April 12, for all classes of cars from noon to 4:00 pm or longer if necessary.
Additionally, that day will be the Circle Track Racing Experience. Participants can choose to drive or ride along in either a Modified or Late Model stock car.
Also, an Anything Swap Meet/Yard Sale will take place. Individuals who wish to sell or trade items are invited to participate. Vendor spots are available for $25 each.
Throughout the same day, the first Evergreen Raceway Food Fare will take place, showcasing a wide variety of food truck vendors.
Evergreen Raceway, a 1/3-mile paved oval in St. Johns, Butler Township, Luzerne County, hosts motorsports events from February to November, making it a top entertainment choice in Northeast Pennsylvania.
For complete up to date news and information please log onto the official Evergreen Raceway website at https://www.evergreenracewaypark.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/evergreenraceway
NASCAR followed through on its intention to throw a caution flag on the final lap of the Cup Series race [at Atlanta] to keep drivers from racing through a crash scene.
The issue arose after the Saturday night Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway when NASCAR held the caution. As a crash occurred off Turn 2 in the middle of the pack, the leaders raced back to the finish. It was a decision that NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer labeled as “a little aggressive” and said that the caution should have been thrown.
On Sunday morning, it was addressed in the Cup Series driver’s meeting. Sawyer reassured them the field would not be put in a position to race through a debris field and the caution would come out if a similar incident to what was seen in the Xfinity Series race occurred.
It did. A crash Sunday night started mid-pack on the backstretch and the caution flew. It froze the leaders as they were three-wide in Turns 3 and 4.
“If we don’t throw the caution, you’re incentivizing the competitors to drive through that,” Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “So, if you look back over the last week or so and nine superspeedway races that we’ve had if you count the duels and ARCA race … everybody is on top of each other, so the element of a last lap caution is there, as we’ve seen. It’s on the sanctioning body to make sure that we do our absolute best to get to the start/finish line under green, but there is conditions and situations where we need to throw that. And we’re going to err more on throwing it than not.”
There has not been backlash from the garage over the decision. The reason it was brought up Sunday was that drivers wanted NASCAR to throw the caution flag, and felt they should have done so on Saturday night.
The Official Bourbon of Richard Childress Racing – announced the limited-edition release of Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel Bourbon. Every barrel was selected by two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle “Rowdy” Busch and bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV) in honor of Rebel’s sponsorship of RCR.
The new limited-edition release is handcrafted according to Rebel’s original time-honored wheated recipe since 1849 and aged for a full four years to provide robust flavor and a velvety smooth finish with a hint of spice. An allocation of 5,000 cases (6-in) of Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel is available nationwide at a suggested minimum retail price of $39.99 per 750mL bottle.
“We wanted to do something we’ve never done before, in the spirit of living against the grain and doing things your own way, and KB 108 is the perfect answer,” said Philip Lux, Rebel Bourbon brand manager. “Kyle selected every barrel for this one-of-a-kind release with the guidance of Master Distiller John Rempe. Each barrel was hand-bottled, giving each bottle a bit of rebellious character and a flavor profile to match! This special release is made to be enjoyed by collectors and fans of Rebel, Kyle and RCR alike.”
Every bottle’s front label includes prominent placement of the unique barrel number selected by Busch, plus the bourbon’s proof and “aged since” date details. The distinctive label also includes Busch’s signature, number and the RCR logo.
“This sponsorship really is about living life with a rebellious spirit, and I had fun picking barrels on my own terms for this special limited-edition release,” said Busch. “I’m proud to have my name on every bottle and excited for fans nationwide to experience something new from Rebel Bourbon and RCR.”
Rebel Bourbon has plans for more excitement and fan fun ahead in 2025, and the release of Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel takes the sponsorship’s momentum to a new level. Rebel is a multi-race sponsor of the No. 8 Chevrolet and Busch with an all-new paint scheme born from American white oak Rebel Bourbon barrels and designed to honor the brand’s craftsmanship. Busch takes the wheel of the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet in select NASCAR Cup Series races including the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix March 2 in Austin, Texas. To learn more about Rebel-RCR news and events in race markets, follow Rebel on Facebook and Instagram, and RCR on Facebook and Instagram, and visit RebelBourbon.com and RCRRacing.com. Use the product locator to find Rebel Bourbon products in specific locations.
Rebel Bourbon and Richard Childress Racing remind everyone 21 and older to drink responsibly – and never drink and drive.
Dodge is eying a return to the NASCAR Truck Series as soon as the 2026 season, with the manufacturer having already begun the process to gain NASCAR’s formal approval to join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota as competitors in NASCAR’s third-tier national series, people with knowledge of Dodge’s plans told The Athletic.
NASCAR is reviewing Dodge’s submission to field a truck through its “Ram” brand and an answer is expected soon, sources with knowledge of the plans said. While there are no guarantees, sources expect that the league will eventually approve Dodge returning. Such approval would need to happen within a few months to allow Dodge to effectively test its Ram truck before potentially hitting the track in an actual race next year.
NASCAR declined to comment.
Once a mainstay in the popular Truck Series, Dodge fielded entries from the series’ inception in 1995 through the 2016 season before leaving due to costs. In the final few years, Dodge did not officially support any teams; any that competed did so as independents. During this period, Dodge won three manufacturers’ championships (2001, 2003 and 2004) and two driver championships with Bobby Hamilton Sr. in 2004 and Ted Musgrave in 2005.
A return by Dodge to the Truck Series would see it enter an environment much different than the one it exited. No longer does each manufacturer develop and build its own engines; each team must use a standardized engine built by Ilmor that helps reduce costs. This rule would bolster Dodge as it would not need to construct its own engines, allowing Dodge to focus its attention on developing its own distinct body style, which must meet NASCAR approval.
Dodge potentially coming back, as first reported by CatchFence.com, would be a boon for NASCAR. League executives have spoken openly about wanting additional car companies to compete in its three national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks), something it has worked extensively to make happen.
Dodge raced in Cup from 2001 to 2012 before exiting due to financial difficulties and a lack of viable teams willing to align with it. People with knowledge of the discussions said Dodge is returning with the intent to eventually put together a full Cup program. That Cup program could be operational as soon as 2027 or 2028.
Such a plan would be similar to how Dodge last approached entry into NASCAR’s premier series — first racing in the Truck Series to gain familiarity, then eventually advancing to Cup when it felt it could at a competitive level.
