A spectacular NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series Double Header featuring the USAC National Non Wing Sprint Tour and the Grandview 358 Modifieds will highlight the Tuesday night, June 17 racing event brought to you by Alpine Building Supply. This marks the 18th Annual USAC Levan Machine & Truck Equipment Eastern Storm and after all qualifying, the main event is the 40 lap $6,000 to win Jesse Hockett Classic. For the 358 Modifieds, they too will take part in a series of qualifying events leading up to their 30 lap $3,000 to win main event. An added bonus posted is the Alpine Building Supply $2,000 first time Thunder on the Hill Modified feature winner. That makes it a $5,000 payday for just 30 laps for a first-time modified winner. Gates open at 5 PM with race time set for 7:30 PM.
The very popular Thunder on the Hill Advance ticket process is in place for the Tuesday, June 17 USAC/Modified double header. For advance tickets, please call 443 513 4456, leave your name and the number of tickets you need for June 17. You may pay for and pick up tickets at the Will Call Window after 4:15 and enter the main grandstand gate at 4:30 PM. General admission tickets go on sale at 5 PM. Adult tickets are $35, children 6 to 11 are $10 and children 5 and under will be admitted for free. The pit fee is $45 and a license is not required.
In one of the first promotions of its’ kind, Alpine Building Supply will be selling a special edition of an Alpine Thunder on the Hill Racing Series shirt. The Alpine Thunder on the Hill Series Shirt will showcase a 410 Sprint, a Non-Wing 410 Sprint and a 358 Modified on the back with the Alpine Building Supply and Thunder on the Hill logos placed on the front of the shirt. In addition, all profits from the sale of these shirts will be donated to the Big Impact Group of Schuylkill County. Big Impact Group is a mentoring program helping Schuylkill County youth for over 35 years. Through the dedication of our volunteers and strong community support we are able to make this program successful.
The Alpine Thunder Series shirts will be sold at the Alpine Building Supply display at the Grandview Speedway at all Thunder on the Hill events. Shirts will be $20 up to XL and $25 for larger sizes. Be sure to stop by the Alpine Building Supply and purchase your Alpine Thunder on the Hill shirt and support a worthy cause.
The NASCAR Modifieds are always a favorite on any Thunder Show. Eric Kormann is out to defend his win from 2024 and he’ll be challenged by expected entries Brett Kressley, Craig VonDohren, Brian Hirthler, Duane Howard, Jeff Strunk, Mike Gular and Billy Pauch to name a few. The NASCAR Modifieds will follow the weekly Grandview car specifications and rules.
The six race Eastern Storm will offer a $10,000 point fund courtesy of Levan Machine & Truck Equipment, a Berks County business. Brian Levan, President and CEO for Levan Machine &Truck Equipment is no stranger on the local racing scene and along with running a very successful business, Brian is known as someone who can get things done.
Some drivers expected to take part in the AMSOIL Eastern Storm is current point leader Kyle Cummins joined by Justin Grant, Daison Pursley, Logan Seavey, Jake Swanson, CJ Leary, Briggs Danner, Robert Ballou and Chase Stockon just to name a few. Also in the field will be Mitchel Moles of Raisin City, CA ithe defending Eastern Storm Champion.
The 2025 Eastern Storm champion will earn $5,000 of the total $10,000 Levan Machine and Truck Equipment sponsored point fund. Watch for some race night activities to be announced to include USAC driver Meet & Greets at various tracks.
Stewart Extends Point Lead After Fifth Straight Final Round
It is difficult to imagine traveling faster than 330 mph and losing a drag race by a few inches, but that was the story for Tony Stewart during the recent NHRA New England Nationals.
Racing his Tony Stewart Racing Direct Connection Dodge Top Fuel car in his fifth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel final round, Stewart suffered a narrow defeat to Brittany Force.
Stewart, the driver known as “Smoke,” qualified second on Saturday at 3.694 in the TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT dragster and drove to the final round with wins over Rit Pustari with a 3.699, Justin Ashley with a 3.733 and current World Champion Antron Brown with a 3.711. Then, in the final round, Stewart posted a spectacular 0.049 reaction time off the starting line, but Force ran over 340 mph to nip Stewart at the finish line by a mere 0.0074 seconds.
With Stewart’s fifth straight final round appearance, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, who has won NHRA Top Fuel races at Las Vegas and Chicago this year, extended his NHRA Mission Top Fuel points lead to 71 over Shawn Langdon as the 20-race series moved to Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway this past weekend.
“I’m very happy with the weekend,” said Stewart. “We gained points in qualifying in two of the rounds. We came into eliminations today as the number two qualifier, which was great. We had a solid day. We fell a little short in the finals, but I’m happy with my lights in the semifinals and the finals. I’m proud of my reaction times, and I’m proud of our team for making five finals in a row. We’re the only team in Top Fuel that has made it past the first round in every race.
“Neal (Strausbaugh – crew chief), Mike (Domagala – co-crew chief), Ryan (McGilvry – car chief), Phil (Shuler – Hagan’s co-crew chief) and all the guys are just crushing it right now. We have a racecar now. We’re showing up to race and that’s exactly where I want to be. We’re running with the big dogs and we’re more consistent than a lot of them. So, we’ll look forward to going to NASCAR country next weekend at Bristol and having some fun.”
Hope his good fortune continued.
'I'm gonna have to pee in this thing': Conor Daly admits to urinating in his Indy 500 car
Portrait of Scott HornerScott Horner
Indianapolis Star carried this story. Nature delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500. It also called Conor Daly.
The eighth-place finisher in Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway revealed Monday night that he had to go as he sat in his car awaiting the start.
"Never in my life have a I urinated in my car until Sunday. I was sitting on the grid, and I was like, 'This is the best car I've ever had in my whole life. … I'm gonna have to pee in this thing.' I kid you not," he said at the victory celebration.
A brief rain shower delayed the Indy 500's start by about 45 minutes. Daly led 13 laps (120-133), but issues with his right rear tire forced him to pit earlier than he wanted, costing him a chance to compete for the win.
"I had to go really bad," Daly said. "I don't if it was the diabetes or I'm just getting really old. Helio (Castroneves) should know. He's halfway to 100. I don't know if that happens to him a lot.
"I literally did the whole race sitting in my pee."
Kaulig Racing says A.J. Allmendinger will return to Cup next season
It came as no surprise … that Allmendinger was uncertain about his status for next season — he has bounced between Kaulig’s Cup and Xfinity programs in recent years — when asked by The Athletic. Allmendinger said he wasn’t sure where things stood, but was happy to do whatever team owner Matt Kaulig and president Chris Rice thought best.
While Allmendinger’s future may be unclear, Rice left no doubt about which series Allmendinger will be competing in next year, stating that “100 percent” Allmendinger will remain as the driver of Kaulig’s No. 16 Cup entry. Keeping Allmendinger in the Cup makes sense, considering how much he has elevated the team’s performance.
— The Athletic —
Ernesto!!!
I miss you buddy! Was thinking about you last Saturday when I tried my hand at announcing for Shellhammers Dirt Track, when regular announcer James Hamilton couldn't post...it sure is harder than it sounds, lol . After all these years, I still enjoy your column every week and your outlook on many of the current topics are always on point. Especially NASCAR decision to sell out to 'pay per view'. Totally bogus, losing viewers by the tens of thousands weekly can't be great. I would love to announce a new sponsor coming on board my "G" car 600 micro wingless for 2025... Kelly's Security a tri-state security firm family -owned has decided to re-join the fun on the Cathy Green and Sally Bauernschmidt crewed "G" team this season after a short break since being on my 358 modified back in 2017. Also partnering up with us for their 5th year straight are ACE Hardware of West Chester and Caln Pizza and Pasta as both companies love the exposure and enjoy joining our team at special events. A special shout out to the Green family for allowing me to have some space in their garage for the past few years enabling me to continue to enjoy this wonderful sport for wingless wednesdays going on five years now. Gavin Green, son of former Grandview late model driver Dan Green continues to be a top performer weekly and Champion in 2024 in the karts at Shellhammers Dirt Track, is joined every saturday by grandparents Cathy and Scott Green and aunt Debbie at the track. This is Shellhammers Dirt track 50th year anniversay well run by Brenda and David Cordier Jr. For a 61 year-old Geezer like myself, I feel like the luckiest racer ever continuing to have fun, and enjoy the good things related to this wonderful sport of dirt track racing 'til I can't' lol . On my bucket list still is to play golf with you someday can we make that happen? Please keep in touch and let me know how you're doing.
Your Pal, Joe 'Geezer' Fanelli
Why Kyle Larson says he won't try Indy 500, NASCAR Cup Coca-Cola 600 double again according to Mike Organ in the Nashville Tennessean.
Kyle Larson says he will not attempt "the double" — racing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 — again.
Larson cited logistical challenges, not his crashes in both races this year, as the reason.
Kyle Larson said he would not try "the double" again — the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Cup Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — after attempting it the past two years.
Larson crashed in both races on May 25, but said that was not the reason for not trying it again. The logistics are simply too difficult to compete in two races nearly 600 miles apart on the same day.
Larson, 32, said he still would like to run the Indy 500 again, perhaps after he retires from NASCAR.
"Because everything has just got to go perfect. Even looking at the year before, there was a crash (in the Indy 500) toward the end and a wheel went over the fence and there was a long delay," Larson said on May 31 at Nashville Superspeedway before Cracker Barrel 400 qualifying. "Even something like that, that's not even weather-related, would probably limit me, or anybody, attempting the double. You just don't have much time."
Larson said there was little that could be done to make the double easier to accomplish.
"Logistically, it's just really, really tough," he said. "I think the Indy 500 starts plenty early and I think the 600 can't start any later. It just makes it tough."
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick said on his "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour" podcast that Larson could have won the Coca-Cola 600 race if he had not attempted to run in the Indy 500 as well.
Larson did not agree with the notion that he was not prepared mentally for the NASCAR Cup race after crashing in Indy.
"You never know, but I wouldn't say that's accurate," Larson said. "It's easy for the public or whoever to say, 'Mentally he wasn't there. He wasn't ready for a reset after crashing in the 500.' Honestly, I felt really good. The plan flight went really well. We were cracking normal conversation and I'd forgotten (about the wreck) by the time I got in the Cup car. I just made a mistake in the Cup car and got loose and hit the wall. That had nothing to do with what went on at the 500."
NOT SURPRISING. Kyle Larson leading 2025 merchandise sales
Kyle Larson is the leading NASCAR driver in merchandise sales halfway through the 2025 regular season, another indicator that he’s contending with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott to be the sport’s most popular figure as the series holds a tripleheader at Nashville Superspeedway (including the 14th of 26 points races for the Cup Series).
Halfway through the regular season, NASCAR Holdings provided a top 15 ranking of merch sales this season, with the NASCAR brand itself coming in at No. 1. When it comes to drivers, Larson was No. 1, followed by Elliott, who has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award seven consecutive years. He was followed by Kyle Busch, then Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney. As always, the Earnhardts were on the list, as was their usual Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier after he drove in JR Motorsports’ Cup Series debut at the Daytona 500 in February.
Larson’s popularity has been increasing in recent years as he becomes a more standout performer in the Cup Series and made two headline-grabbing appearances in the Indy 500. In 2024, Elliott was No. 1, the NASCAR brand was No. 2 and Larson was No. 3, and in 2023, the NASCAR brand was No. 1 while Elliott was No 2 and Larson No. 3.
DirecTV for Business to stream Amazon Prime NASCAR races
US cable TV heavyweight DirecTV has expanded its sports offering with a pair of new rights carriage deals across soccer and motorsports.
Courtesy of a new deal with e-commerce giant Amazon’s Prime Video OTT streaming service, DirecTV’s out-of-home business broadcast platform will air the streamer’s slate of live broadcasts from US stock car racing’s Nascar.
The addition of Prime Video’s five-race package means that DirecTV for Business, which boasts over 300,000 commercial premises as customers, will carry every NASCAR race through the remainder of the 2025 campaign, the only commercial broadcast service to do so.
The deal began with the June 2 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville
Brad Keselowski said RFK Racing has made some small changes and talked about the “complexities” and team burdens under the NASCAR rulebook after an appeal reduced a penalty given to driver Chris Buescher and his team at Kansas Speedway.
Keselowski compared the NASCAR rulebook a bit to the IRS tax code during practice and qualifying Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway for Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400.
“You read this paper and then you got to reference this paper to reference this paper to reference this paper, and when your head’s down and digging and you’re running 38 weeks a year, oversights are going to happen,” Keselowski said.
The co-owner of RFK Racing said that’s not an excuse. Keselowski said the team changed some roles and responsibilities this week to help the team be “better prepared and more mindful of what it takes to be in compliance.”
