”It’s not really the way we want to do it, but we’ll take them any way we can get them.” said Allentown’s Briggs Danner after his USAC sprint car win at Lawrenceburg Friday night.
On a smattering of occasions throughout the 2024 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship season, Briggs Danner wound up in the unenvious position of having the proverbial rug pulled out from underneath him while leading late in a race.
One of those particular instances came during July’s USAC Indiana Sprint Week round at Lawrenceburg Speedway where he was leading the field in the latter stages of the race before an engine issue forced him to the sidelines.
Upon his return to the 3/8-mile dirt oval during Friday night’s inaugural Greg Staab Memorial, Danner just so happened to be on the opposite side of a similar ordeal. On the final lap, racelong leader Mitchel Moles’ bid for victory was snuffed just one turn away from the finish line when a caution was displayed for an incident in turn one involving Kyle Shipley and Kale Drake.
Under the yellow, Moles’ car developed an unusual and unexpected malady. With his engine’s RPMs suddenly rising, Moles wore out his brakes just trying to keep his car whoa’d down under the yellow flag periodi. When Moles pulled off the racing surface, Danner took over control of the race, then fended off Robert Ballou for the final two circuits to gather a look-what-I-found victory in his Hogue Racing Enterprises/E. Schneider & Sons – Boulevard Truck Repair/DRC/Rider Chevy.
Even with the lap 30 yellow flag, Danner (Allentown, Pa.) felt he still had a chance to make a run at Moles. As it turned out, good fortune for himself and devastating heartbreak for Moles was negated that scenario before it could even be put to the test.
“I feel really bad for Mitchel,” Danner admitted. “I knew he had something going on. I think his throttle was sticking. I don’t really want to win a race in that manner, but I still think we had a shot with two laps to go there. He was running through the bottom of one and two and I felt really good up top. I think we could’ve pushed the issue.”
Despite gaining all three of his career USAC National Sprint Car feature wins in 2024 at Grandview Speedway as well as Indiana’s Bloomington and Lawrenceburg Speedways, Danner has also quite often been on the other side of the equation more times than he’d prefer with a boatload of near misses.
Nexstar Media Group’s The CW is considering having its NASCAR booth call some of its races next year remotely from NASCAR Studios in North Carolina, according to sources, amid a broader shift to the practice in the sports media industry. NASCAR’s second-tier series, the Xfinity Series, was aired by both Fox and NBC from 2015 through this year before The CW took over in the playoffs. The CW signed a seven-year deal from 2025-31 to air the full season for $115M annually, but it’s getting a head start because NBC Sports agreed to let it air the final eight races of the season, while using NBC talent and production, to help fans get used to the series’ new home.
Journalist Greg Engle wrote it was a moment at Talladega that made NASCAR history, much to the chagrin of Cup Series teams, and reignited the debate over who gets to stay in the race. The Sunday, October 6, event featured a staggering 66 lead changes, but the real showstopper came with five laps to go: the biggest crash in NASCAR history, involving 23 cars. The biggest of the Big Ones.
The chaos began when Austin Cindric, leading the pack, slowed entering Turn 3. Chris Buescher bumped him from behind, triggering a chain reaction that wiped out a third of the field. Playoff contenders like Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Cindric were left with a close-up view of the infield grass as their cars were towed away.
“I just got turned at the front of the field,” Cindric said. “Unfortunately, that’s how Daytona ended for us and I think what that says is we’ve got really fast race cars and great execution. As the leader, I was trying to be as predictable as possible as far as taking pushes and it’s just a real shame. I don’t really feel like doing a whole lot of complaining about what happened or whose fault it is, it doesn’t really matter.”
Emerging from the wreckage, relatively unscathed, were William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin. Cindric, meanwhile, shrugged off the disaster, saying, “I just got turned at the front of the field. It’s a real shame, but complaining won’t change a thing.”
With four laps remaining, NASCAR threw the red flag and brought the action to a standstill for just over 8 minutes while they cleared the debris and tried to untangle the mess. Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe, both sporting damage that would make a demolition derby proud, pleaded with officials to stay in the race, hoping to keep their Playoff chances alive.
Eventually, NASCAR allowed their cars to be towed back to the pits, where crews tried to patch them up. But one can only imagine this didn’t sit well with a couple of drivers who had seen their own hopes snuffed out by similar situations. Josh Berry and Ryan Blaney were notably unhappy, having faced their own early exits this season due to damaged cars that were deemed unworthy of a second chance.
Blaney, who found himself parked after a crash at Watkins Glen left his steering column broken, fumed on that Sunday, “They didn’t give us a chance to fix it! They said we were done because I couldn’t drive it back to the pit box. But come on, if you’ve got four flats, you get towed back. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Josh Berry surely had that same frustration after being towed at Kansas last week, his car barely drivable thanks to a shredded set of tires. For both drivers, it was a bitter pill to swallow, made worse by watching Briscoe and Elliott get a lifeline at Talladega.
NASCAR official Brad Moran tried to clarify the situation on Tuesday on SiriusXM, explaining that while the rules haven’t changed, the interpretation can seem inconsistent.
“The rule hasn’t changed, but it certainly can give a different view when it happens and it’s unfortunate,” Moran told SiriusXM. “But the 4, the 16, 21, and 84 were all involved in a wreck on the backstretch. The hit was hard enough on the 4 to lift the car off the ground, slam it down on the ground. And by the way, the IDR (incident) recorder did go off. So it was a significant incident that the 4 was in. If he couldn’t drive that car back, it was out due to DVP (Damaged Vehicle Policy). We don’t inspect it, obviously, on the site of the track. We haven’t got that ability. But the indicator is, you drive it back, you’re good.
“If, however, he just spun and had four flat tires, he would have been towed to pit road under the flat tire recovery program. But it’s really clear on our recovery program and our DVP that if you’re involved in an incident, you have to be able to get your vehicle back to pit road. If it’s just sitting there (with) flat tires, you spun out — we’ll even give you (if you had) a light scuff — that would be one thing. That vehicle would have been towed in.”
With the Talladega wreck bringing these issues back to the forefront, it’s safe to say Moran might need to sharpen his talking points for another round of driver frustrations this week. As for the rest of us, we’re left wondering if there’s a rulebook somewhere that even NASCAR understands.
Meanwhile, Elliott was scored 29th Sunday, Briscoe 30th. Elliott leaves Talladega just 13 points above the cutline, Briscoe at the bottom of the pile minus 32.
RUSH Racing Series Directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone are pleased to announce that Hovis Auto & Truck Supply along with Born2Run Lubricants have renewed their very successful partnership and will continue to be the branding and presenting sponsors of the entire RUSH Series through at least the 2027 season! Hovis and Born2Run are in the midst of completing their third year of their premier Series sponsorship. The Hovis and Born2Run logos will continue to adorn all of the logos of the entire RUSH Racing Series logo, including those of the RUSH Late Models, RUSH Sprint Cars, RUSH Sportsman Modifieds, RUSH Pro Mods, and RUSH Stock Cars and be recognized simultaneously with the RUSH brand throughout the nation!
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply began its marketing partnership with RUSH in 2019 by presenting the "Bill Emig Memorial", which at the time was a $10,000 to-win RUSH Late Model Touring Series event at Lernerville Speedway in addition to being the presenting sponsor of the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds. That partnership continued through 2021 and expanded by bringing their Born2Run Lubricants into the fold as the "Official Oil" of RUSH and the co-presenting sponsor of the RUSH Late Model Touring Series.
However in 2022, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply and Born2Run Lubricants stepped up to become RUSH's most prestigious marketing partner, the Series' branding and presenting sponsor. Hovis and Born2Run will continue to be synonymous with every facet of the RUSH Racing Series.
“Hovis has had a long-term relationship with Series director Vicki Emig, dating back many years to her time at Mercer Raceway Park," explained Hovis Auto & Truck Supply owner Cliff Hovis. "With each opportunity she has been a strong business partner of ours, so when the opportunity arose for us to get more involved with the RUSH Racing Series, we were glad to support her once again. RUSH is one of the premier dirt track racing series in this part of the country and we are proud to be affiliated with them at this level.”
Hovis went on to say, “She (Emig) is one of the best marketers that I have ever met; everything she does is spotless and that’s one of the reasons RUSH is so successful!”
Hovis Auto Wrecking, Inc. opened as a family business in 1952. By 1969 their business had grown to include new parts sales and Hovis Auto & Truck Supply was formed. Hovis has grown to 18 locations throughout western Pennsylvania and expanded their business to include heavy duty truck parts and paint, body and equipment sales. For more than 50 years, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply has based their success on four key ingredients: their dedicated professionals, large inventories, quality name brand parts, and competitive prices. Meanwhile, Born2Run Lubricants offers a wide variety of premium quality lubrication products at an exceptional value and are exclusively packaged by Hovis.
"When I recently met with Cliff (Hovis) to discuss Hovis and Born2Run renewing their branding sponsorship of RUSH we had some time to reflect on just how long we've actually worked together in some capacity; nearing close to 20 years now just in the racing industry, and longer if you take in account that I serviced some of his locations when I was in the refuse business. He's always stepped up as a major sponsor to support my efforts in racing, whether it was throughout my tenure at Mercer Raceway Park or with RUSH."
"Looking back, I don't think either one of us would have ever imagined we'd be here today still working together, and I couldn't be prouder to have Hovis Auto & Truck Supply and Born2Run as the branding and presenting sponsor of the entire RUSH Series," acknowledged Emig. "These type of long-term relationships in our world today are few and far between and we cannot express how important it is to continue this partnership for at least another three years. The Hovis sponsorship gives us a great foundation as well as the stability required to continue to present the programs that make RUSH what it is today."
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply belongs to one of the largest automotive program distribution groups in the nation. As a member of Federated Auto Parts, they keep abreast of changes in technology and quality parts in today's fast paced economy. Hovis is one of the largest distributors for each of its two automotive refinish lines: Axalta and AkzoNobel. Hovis is also a member of Vipar, one of the largest independent Heavy Duty Truck Parts Distributor Programs in the nation. Hovis' officers sit on advisory councils of numerous manufacturers, allowing Hovis Auto and Truck Supply to be on the cutting edge of technology.
High quality base stocks and additives ensure Born2Run products meet all API specs and are approved for use with most American, European, and Asian engine applications. Products include engine oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid, and grease, and are available in quarts, gallons, pails, six-gallon eco-friendly boxes, kegs, and 55-gallon drums; featuring new steel drums and officially licensed dexos1 approved product where applicable.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply corporate office and distribution Center is located in Mercer, Pa. Hovis has locations in the following western Pennsylvania cities: Allison Park, Butler, DuBois, Emlenton, Erie, Franklin, Grove City, Hermitage, Meadville, New Brighton, New Castle, North Huntingdon, Oil City, the newest location in Punxsutawney, Titusville, Wexford, and Zelienople. All of the store are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. All of the stores open at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and have different closing times.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply was recently highlighted in season one, episode six of the "We Supply America" documentary. This tremendous production takes you behind the scenes of Hovis Auto & Truck Supply https://wesupplyamerica.net/episode-6-hovis-auto-truck-supply
For more information on Hovis Auto & Truck Supply along with their Born2Run Lubricants, check out their newly redesigned website at www.hovisauto.com or call 724-748-9618. Also, "like" their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HovisAutoSupply.
The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Flynn's Tire, Gunter's Honey, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Joseph J. Oliva Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, 3C Graphix, Dave Poske's Performance Parts, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Dusted Steak Seasoning, Ontime Body & Graphic, Sherwood Wheels, D&V Jewelers, Dusted, Heritage Wine Cellars, Precise Racing Products, Wedge Motorsports, Racing Electronics, and Billy’s Garage.
E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at info@rushracingseries.com and mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300. The RUSH Racing Series website is www.rushracingseries.com. Like our various Facebook and Twitter pages by searching for the appropriate RUSH Series.
RFK Racing’s social and digital team has been honored with YouTube’s Silver Creator Award, recognizing creators who surpass 100,000 subscribers. RFK is one of just two NASCAR teams to receive this prestigious accolade.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone and to receive YouTube’s Silver Creator Award,” said Kevin Woods. “It’s a testament to the hard work of our team and the passion of our fans. Our goal has always been to deliver unique, engaging content that benefits our fans and provides value for our partners, and this accomplishment underscores the team's dedication to setting the standard in the industry.”
The RFK team has utilized various long-form content – behind-the-scenes tours, in-car on track testing footage and the team’s weekly SiriusXM Show, Backstretch Banter – to provide its followers with an exclusive look into the team’s day-to-day operations.
YouTube Shorts have also become a priority for RFK to help widen the subscriber base, growing the total amount of subscribers by over 90,000 in the past year alone.
RFK's marketing and communications team has established itself as an industry leader, earning multiple awards for its innovative strategies and impactful campaigns while setting the standard for excellence in motorsports marketing. The team was awarded the 2023 Team Achievement Award by the AMA (American Marketing Association) and has been continuously recognized by various leading marketing organizations for outstanding creativity, innovation and excellence in the field of marketing and communications.
JR Motorsports announced today a renewal of their multi-faceted partnership with Bass Pro Shops, the leading national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel. With today’s renewal, Bass Pro Shops will continue to support the trio of Carson Kvapil, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Wyatt Miller as they each compete across multiple racing series through the partnership with the outdoor and conservation company founded by conservationist Johnny Morris.
“Having the opportunity to continue our work with Johnny and everyone at Bass Pro Shops is incredibly special to me, my family and everyone at JR Motorsports,” said JR Motorsports CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller. “The relationship between Bass Pro Shops and the Earnhardt family goes back decades and to be able to see that continue and expand truly means a lot to our entire organization. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for JRM and Bass Pro Shops together.”
As highlighted in his social media reveal earlier today, Kvapil’s full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign will prominently feature Bass Pro Shops on board his JRM Chevrolet. In total, Bass Pro Shops will be the primary partner for Kvapil in 23 NXS events, beginning with the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
“It’s great to continue to have this amazing support from Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops,” said Kvapil. “They’ve been behind me from the start here at JRM, and to continue that partnership into the Xfinity Series from our success in the CARS Tour for sure means a lot.”
Primary sponsorship for the balance of Kvapil’s 2025 NXS season will be announced at a later date.
In addition to their return to the NXS, Bass Pro Shops will additionally be the primary partner for two late model events for Earnhardt Jr., 20 late model events for JRM’s heralded late model team, 20 600cc Micro Sprint Car events for Miller and will continue their work with Dirty Mo Media, Earnhardt Jr.’s multimedia content network which produces his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, as well as content for various platforms and partners.
“We’re honored to expand our alliance with our long-time friends Dale Jr., his sister Kelley, her son Wyatt, and the entire family over at JR Motorsports,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Morris. “The Earnhardt’s have been true ambassadors to all who support conservation and the great outdoors for many years, and we are excited to celebrate that through this partnership.”
Bass Pro Shops has over 170 retail locations throughout the United States and Canada and is the trusted source for quality fishing, hunting, boating and outdoor sporting goods. The brand has visited Victory Lane 12 times with JRM over the last four years, including a win in 2020 in the first race of its partnership, and a stretch of eight victories in 2022 that produced a record-tying four consecutive NXS wins with the No. 9 team and a berth in the Championship 4.
Niece Motorsports officials announced Kaden Honeycutt as the second addition to its full-time driver lineup for the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season.
Honeycutt, at 21 years-of-age, has competed in a part-time schedule behind the wheel of the No. 45 Chevrolet this season, notching five top-10 results in 10 starts. He produced standout showings at Kansas Speedway, where he finished fourth in both races, and Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he was in contention for the race win before pit road issues relegated him to seventh.
The driver, who hails from Aledo, Texas, first joined Niece Motorsports for a one-race deal at Pocono Raceway in 2023. His journey included driving part-time for four different team owners before aligning with fellow Texan, Al Niece. Niece saw Honeycutt's potential and quickly signed him on for a majority role as the anchor driver for the No. 45 team this year.
Kaden's results were instrumental to qualifying the No. 45 team into the Owner's Playoffs this season, but he looks forward to his biggest opportunity with the full-time effort in 2025.
"I can't even begin to tell you how much this opportunity means to me," said Honeycutt. "Before I got connected with Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw), last year, I thought my career was over. Both of them took a big chance on me leading into this year and it's kept me hungry to make them proud. My group of guys on the No. 45 team have become brothers to me, and we've been able to share such a good relationship."
"We've had some good runs this year, and I know what our team is capable of," he continued. "Heading into 2025, I really think we'll have a great shot at competing at a high level on a weekly basis. I can't say thank you enough to Al, Cody, and everyone at Chevrolet for this. It's going to be a great year together."
Though he hasn't been in the truck at every race this year, Honeycutt's schedule was bolstered with a full-time championship bid in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series. Along with that, he's made a healthy amount of CARS Tour Late Model Stock and Hunt the Front Dirt Late Model Series starts, and even competes virtually in the eNASCAR iRacing Coca-Cola Series. He was also tabbed to run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Honeycutt's versatility to hop behind the wheel and contend in the various disciplines put him on Al Niece's radar as a top prospect, leading to his promotion.
“Kaden has shown so much potential behind the wheel this season and we are thrilled to have him on board full-time with us," said Niece. "With Kaden’s talent and our team’s hard work, we expect to be contenting for wins and championships next year. He's a true racer, and I think that he has the tools to make a great career in the sport. I'm looking forward to see what he'll be able to accomplish.”
The addition of Honeycutt marks the second domino to fall into place for Niece Motorsports' 2025 season plans. Last week, the team announced a one-year contract extension for Matt Mills to remain as the driver of its No. 42 entry. Mills will have longtime partners, J.F. Electric and Utilitra on board as his primary sponsors for all 25 races next year.
NASCAR Studios and Words + Pictures, the team behind the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries FULL SPEED, today announced the formation of FULL SPEED ENTERTAINMENT, a production partnership that will develop and produce a wide swath of premium racing content, ranging from documentaries, series and special events to studio shows, podcasts, and more.
Among the venture’s projects will be the much-anticipated second season of FULL SPEED, which will premiere on Netflix in 2025.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be expanding our partnership with NASCAR with Full Speed Entertainment,” said Connor Schell, the CEO and founder of Words + Pictures. “The first season of Full Speed was a really rewarding project for our company, and it was a thrill to work side-by-side with NASCAR Studios every step of the way. The opportunity to bring audiences more great racing content and collaborate with NASCAR opens a wealth of possibilities we can’t wait to get working on.”
The partnership will allow Words + Pictures to significantly expand their development focus in the racing space and work closely with NASCAR Studios on content all across the storytelling spectrum.
“Early into the Full Speed process, I knew we wanted to find more ways to collaborate and capitalize on new opportunities for NASCAR as cultural demand for compelling sports stories continues to grow,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief brand officer. “Words + Pictures is the premier storyteller in the sports content space, and Connor’s team excels in not just generating big ideas and visions, but executing them in ways that captivate big audiences.”
“It’s such a natural partnership for NASCAR Studios and for me personally,” said John Dahl, whom NASCAR hired in the spring as the company’s new senior vice president of content. “I have so much respect and appreciation for Connor. We’ve had a great working relationship and friendship going back to the creation of ESPN Films and 30 for 30, and I’m excited about all the possibilities we can explore in this new chapter.”
Full Speed Entertainment is in development on a range of projects, with more announcements expected soon. Emmy-winner Tally Hair, who’s an executive producer on Full Speed, will serve as general manager for the new partnership.
About Words + Pictures
Words + Pictures was founded in 2021 by Schell and Peter Chernin, and is backed by Chernin’s The North Road Company. In addition to Full Speed, W+P’s critically acclaimed documentaries and docuseries include the Emmy award-winning Super League: The War for Football (Apple), Full Court Press (ESPN), Giannis: The Marvelous Journey (Prime Video), and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (HBO/CNN Films).
About NASCAR Studios
NASCAR Studios is the dedicated hub for developing world-class, on-demand content and dynamic storytelling executions on behalf of America’s No. 1 form of motorsports, including driver-focused social content, original documentaries, series, short films and features, as well as branded content, studio shows and podcasts. Credited projects include the 2024 Netflix docuseries NASCAR: Full Speed, USA Network’s Race for The Championship, the Sports-Emmy-Award-Winning Netflix documentary RACE: Bubba Wallace, and more.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) has announced that 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Louis Foster, who just completed a dominant run to his second open wheel title in three years, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with the team in 2025 as part of a multi-year deal. Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.
Foster, 21, won a series-high eight of the 14 races this season in the INDY NXT Championship for Andretti Global. He led the series in wins (8), poles (7), podiums (12), laps led (362/640) and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points. His previous title came in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 Series, where he won seven races en route to being named the champion in the season finale.
Foster tested an Indy car for the first time in September of 2023 with Andretti Global at Road America. RLL is currently working to solidify Foster’s test program in preparation for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and that may include a test later this year.
The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 2 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 21st Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, August 31. All on-track action can be seen live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.
