Joe Gibbs Racing announces that Denny Hamlin underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder earlier today.

The surgery was completed by Dr. Patrick Connor at Charlotte Surgery Center. Hamlin is expected to fully recover in time for the start of the 2024 season.

JGR PR

After what transpired during his most recent visit to California’s Merced Speedway last November, Spencer Bayston felt he had some unfinished business to attend to.

At the conclusion of 30 laps during Tuesday night’s USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship return to the high-banked 1/4-mile dirt oval, the Lebanon, Ind. racer put the finishing touches on the task that had eluded him a full year ago at the very same venue.

In November of 2022, Bayston watched his Dyson Motorsport teammate Carson Macedo win the Merced opener. The very next night, Bayston led the initial 25 laps before having his lead slip away to Buddy Kofoid with a mere five laps remaining.

This time around, the roles were reversed with Bayston, the 2017 USAC National Midget champion, taking the first-place prize after leading all 30 circuits in his Dyson Motorsport/Complete Parts & Equipment – Tarlton & Son – Empire/King/Speedway Toyota while Kofoid finished a distant second.

For Bayston, it was his first USAC National Midget feature victory since an Indiana Midget Week score at Lawrenceburg Speedway more than five years earlier in 2018. His sixth career series victory moved him to 106th on the all-time list alongside Donnie Beechler, George Benson, Dana Carter, Bob Cicconi, Robby Flock, Nick Fornoro Jr., Arnie Knepper, Cannon McIntosh, Ricky Shelton, Mike Streicher, Dave Strickland Jr., Kevin Thomas Jr. and Roger West.

Furthermore, Bayston became the first Hoosier State native hailing from Indiana to earn a USAC National Midget feature victory since Emerson Axsom almost two-and-a-half years earlier at Nebraska’s Jefferson County Speedway.

Bayston’s wire-to-wire performance puts another one in the win column for the team with the intriguing arrangement of American drivers, chassis from New Zealand and an Australian team that has now won two out of their three ever trips to Merced to go along with a runner-up result.

“It feels really good for all these Aussie guys standing back here behind me,” Bayston exclaimed. “We ran Bakersfield and Placerville and it’s hard; it’s a lot harder than I ever realized getting back into a midget and trying to keep pace with some of the top guys who run every single week. I spent the first couple of races trying to get it figured out. Last year, Carson (Macedo) won the first night out and I should’ve won the second. We knew coming into tonight our cars were going to be fast.”

Meanwhile, as one past series champion was racing his way back to victory lane, another past driving champion was busy adding a second USAC National Midget championship trophy to his case.

When Logan Seavey was pushed away for the start of Tuesday night’s feature, he clinched the season long points title for the second time in his career after previously etching his name into the record books back in 2018. It’s Seavey’s second USAC national title of 2023 after earlier securing the Silver Crown title, making him the first driver to win multiple USAC national championships in a single season since Levi Jones in 2011 (Silver Crown & Sprint).

By virtue of doubling-up with the USAC National Midget and Silver Crown titles in 2023, Seavey earned $100,000 in total point fund money alone for the year between the two divisions.

As far as the race itself, most of the fireworks occurred during the initial lap-and-a-half. Outside front row starter Gavin Miller slipped past pole sitter Bayston for the lead, but Bayston swiftly countered back under off turn four to beat Miller to the stripe and to the lap one lead by just a thread underneath a full car length.

On the second go around, Miller attempted to work the side around Bayston, but clipped his right rear tire into the outside guardrail, which sent him into a serious of six violent flips down the back straightaway and some major airtime before landing on all fours. Miller was able to escape from the wreckage and walk away under his own power.

On the resumption, Bayston shot away and instantaneously opened up a near full second lead over Tanner Carrick who slotted into second, and by the 10-lap mark, the advantage was a half-straightaway over the field for Bayston who’s made rare appearances with the midgets in recent years after winning a race and finishing eighth in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car points this season, but has never lost his touch for midget racing.

“It’s a little bit like riding a bike just with the general concept and the attitude of how the car dances around and bounces and moves,” Bayston acknowledged. “But it’s a little unnerving because you’re just so used to a wing car that has enough power to get you out of trouble and a big wing to shove you into the racetrack.”

Meanwhile, Seavey refused to rest on his championship laurels as he worked by Jesse Love for fifth with a slider on lap 16 after starting back in the 12th position. At the same time, a full straight ahead of Seavey was Bayston who remained the leader he reemerged in lapped traffic once more.

On the 25th lap, the top of the running order experienced a shakeup when fourth-place Emerson Axsom’s ride went up in smoke, forcing him to the infield and into a 19th place result, thrusting Seavey up to fourth and Love back into the top-five with less than five circuits go.

Up front, however, Bayston was never challenged too harshly by his fellow combatants as he sped away for a 0.893 second margin of victory over Buddy Kofoid, Tanner Carrick and Logan Seavey who extended his top-10 streak to 20 in a row, the most in USAC National Midget racing since 2000 when Kasey Kahne accumulated 21, and prior to that, Jason Leffler grabbing 22-straight in 1997.

Rounding out the top-five was 2023 ARCA Menard Stock Car champion Jesse Love who took fifth in the final tally to achieve his best career USAC National Midget showing.

“Just want to say a big thank you to the Dysons for giving me the opportunity to come back and run midgets and have fun with this whole group,” Bayston praised. “Justin (Insley) did a phenomenal job on my car. I got to spend a lot of time with his family back when I used to race in New Zealand. This whole group has done a great job and it’s an absolute blast to come out here and race with them.”

In seven career USAC National Midget starts at Merced, Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) has now finished inside the top-three in six of them. The Penngrove, Calif. racer eked by Tanner Carrick on the final lap, beating him to the line by .042 sec. to finish second in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Mobil 1 – TRD – Curb Records/Lynk/Speedway Toyota.

Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif.) narrowly missed out on a runner-up finish at Merced in his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/DR Horton – CVC Concrete/Lynk/Speedway Toyota. However, he did earn his best finish of the USAC National Midget season in the process. Carrick scored a third-place result, his best finish at Merced since 2020.

Tanner Thorson’s Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifying run was the 26th of his USAC National Midget career, moving him past Gary Bettenhausen and into a tie with Jason Leffler for 15th all-time. Furthermore, Thorson’s time of 11.526 eclipsed the former record of 11.635 set by Buddy Kofoid in 2021.

It was the first of three USAC National Midget track records at Merced rewritten on Tuesday night.  Jesse Love’s 10-lap heat race victory bested Chris Windom’s 2021 record by more than five seconds while Jade Avedisian’s 12-lap time for her semi-feature win was more than nine seconds faster than Taylor Reimer’s from 2022.

===================

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: November 21, 2023 – Merced Speedway – Merced, California – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Tanner Thorson, 88, Thorson-11.526 (New Track Record); 2. Daison Pursley, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-11.569; 3. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.581; 4. Buddy Kofoid, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.581; 5. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-11.635; 6. Tanner Carrick, 98, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.644; 7. Emerson Axsom, 68, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.653; 8. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.661; 9. Spencer Bayston, 9AU, Dyson-11.674; 10. Cannon McIntosh, 86, CBI-11.689; 11. Jacob Denney, 25, Malloy-11.696; 12. Jake Andreotti, 00, Davis-11.712; 13. Jesse Love, 84, CBI-11.738; 14. Carson Macedo, 99AU, Dyson-11.776; 15. Braden Chiaramonte, 14J, Graunstadt/Streeter-11.809; 16. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.822; 17. Bryant Wiedeman, 81, CBI-11.841; 18. Corey Day, 4, Kahne-11.874; 19. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.895; 20. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-11.911; 21. Chance Crum, 68w, Six8-11.926; 22. Mitchel Moles, 19T, Reinbold/Underwood-11.938; 23. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, Engler-11.945; 24. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-11.947; 25. Mariah Ede, 71E, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.947; 26. Shannon McQueen, 7, McQueen-11.965; 27. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-11.995; 28. Michael Faccinto, 14T, Graunstadt/Streeter-12.104; 29. Peter Hunnibell, 65NZ, Covich-12.587; 30. Blake Bower, 9, Boscacci-12.625.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jesse Love, 2. Ryan Timms, 3. Cannon McIntosh, 4. Emerson Axsom, 5. Buddy Kofoid, 6. Tanner Thorson, 7. Taylor Reimer, 8. Mitchel Moles, 9. Mariah Ede, 10. Michael Faccinto. 1:54.98 (New Track Record)

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Carson Macedo, 2. Bryant Wiedeman, 3. Gavin Miller, 4. Jacob Denney, 5. Daison Pursley, 6. Logan Seavey, 7. Hayden Reinbold, 8. Peter Hunnibell, 9. Shannon McQueen, 10. Thomas Meseraull. 1:56.50

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Andreotti, 2. Spencer Bayston, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Tanner Carrick, 5. Braden Chiaramonte, 6. Brody Fuson, 7. Chance Crum, 8. Blake Bower, 9. Jade Avedisian, 10. Corey Day. NT

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-7 transfer to the feature) 1. Jade Avedisian, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Corey Day, 4. Hayden Reinbold, 5. Logan Seavey, 6. Chance Crum, 7. Mitchel Moles, 8. Mariah Ede, 9. Taylor Reimer, 10. Brody Fuson, 11. Shannon McQueen, 12. Peter Hunnibell, 13. Blake Bower. 2:18.06 (New Track Record)

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Spencer Bayston (1), 2. Buddy Kofoid (5), 3. Tanner Carrick (4), 4. Logan Seavey (12), 5. Jesse Love (8), 6. Tanner Thorson (10), 7. Carson Macedo (9), 8. Jacob Denney (14), 9. Ryan Timms (16), 10. Jade Avedisian (11), 11. Daison Pursley (6), 12. Justin Grant (22), 13. Corey Day (18), 14. Bryant Wiedeman (17), 15. Hayden Reinbold (19), 16. Taylor Reimer (23-P), 17. Cannon McIntosh (13), 18. Braden Chiaramonte (15), 19. Emerson Axsom (3), 20. Jake Andreotti (7), 21. Chance Crum (20), 22. Gavin Miller (2), 23. Mitchel Moles (21). NT

(P) represents a provisional starter

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Spencer Bayston.

**Gavin Miller flipped on lap 2 of the feature.

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-1653, 2-Justin Grant-1404, 3-Bryant Wiedeman-1347, 4-Daison Pursley-1335, 5-Ryan Timms-1331, 6-Jade Avedisian-1313, 7-Jacob Denney-1267, 8-Gavin Miller-1180, 9-Cannon McIntosh-1157, 10-Taylor Reimer-1112.

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-198, 2-Logan Seavey-172, 3-Justin Grant-134, 4-Emerson Axsom-117, 5-Shane Cottle-106, 6-Matt Westfall-105, 7-Robert Ballou-100, 8-Chase Stockon-95, 9-Brady Bacon-92, 10-Mitchel Moles-91.

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: November 22, 2023 – Merced Speedway – Merced, California – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Tanner Thorson (11.742)

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Tanner Thorson (11.526)

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Jesse Love

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Carson Macedo

T.J. Forged/Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Jake Andreotti

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Jade Avedisian

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Spencer Bayston

Hard Charger: Justin Grant (22nd to 12th)

USAC PR

It's the 75th anniversary of NASCAR and there are many reasons to throw a big party all over the world, including Germany. The Essen Motor Show 2023 will feature a special show featuring NASCAR cars from the USA and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, who will provide two V8 beasts to celebrate the birthday of the most exciting racing series on the globe. EuroNASCAR has also teamed up with Bremotion to promote the series in Essen from December 1 to 10 and to share the Pure Racing passion with racing fans. Many NWES drivers will travel to the western part of the country and be part of an entertaining program in Hall 3, where both the special show and the NWES / Bremotion booth will be located.

The 75th NASCAR Anniversary Special Show is organized by the Essen Motor Show and features amazing cars like a Jeff Gordon Rainbow Warrior #24 or a Matt Kenseth Car Of Tomorrow. Marko Stipp Motorsport will be present with the #48 Chevrolet Camaro, the 2023 Rookie Trophy winning car driven by Jack Davidson. The NWES organization will bring a 2024 Chevrolet Camaro to Germany to showcase the upcoming NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. The special show will take place in the famous Hall 3.

Not far from the special show, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Bremotion will join forces to promote the 2024 season, which will take place on seven tracks in seven European countries. The double-winning #99 Chevrolet Camaro of Tobias Dauenhauer will be on display and EuroNASCAR will have its experts and drivers available to discuss racing and exchange information. Don't miss the opportunity to meet the stars and the series and learn all about Europe's premier touring car championship.

The following drivers are confirmed for the Essen Motor Show 2023: Tobias Dauenhauer (Bremotion), Matthias Hauer (Speedhouse), Nick Schneider (Marko Stipp Motorsport), Dominique Schaak (Bremotion), Gil Linster (Hendriks Motorsport), Alina Loibnegger (Racingfuel Motorsport) and Jack Davidson (Marko Stipp Motorsport). Joining the drivers as part of the show are Team Principals Patrick Brenndörfer (Bremotion), Marko Stipp (Marko Stipp Motorsport) and Dennis Hirtz (3F Racing). German NASCAR experts and commentators Pete Fink and André Wiegold will be on hand as well. NWES President and CEO Jerome Galpin and NWES PR Manager Gian Luca Guiglia will also travel to Germany to meet the enthusiastic racing fans. EuroNASCAR will post daily updates from Essen to announce who's in attendance.

Since its inception in 1968, the Essen Motor Show has become one of the most popular and famous automotive, tuning and motorsports exhibitions in Germany. Each year, more than 200,000 visitors enjoy the diverse and exciting cars and products displayed by the exhibitors. The 2023 edition will begin on December 1 with the official preview day, followed by the official opening on December 2. The final day will be Sunday, December 10. Join EuroNASCAR in Hall 3 and have a chat with the amazing guests highlighting a must-see for NASCAR fans

NWES PR

Spencer Bayston led all 30 on the way to winning the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series’ feature at Merced Speedway, Tuesday, with Buddy Kofoid finishing second and Tanner Carrick third in a Toyota one-two-three finish on the night.

Bayston, a regular in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, won the 2017 USAC Midget title with Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) and Toyota has returned to a midget for the USAC West Coast Swing with Dyson Motorsports. It his 13th career national midget feature win and the 39th for a Toyota-powered driver in 2023.

Starting from the pole, Bayston went straight to the lead and pulled away from the field early, stretching out a 1.248-second lead over Carrick by lap 10 and would extend that to over 1.4 seconds by the midway point of the race and to 1.6-seconds by lap 23. 

Lapped traffic would play a role late, though, as Carrick cut the lead to .59 seconds with just three laps to go. As Carrick closed on Bayston, Kofoid was doing the same thing to Carrick and would eventually get past him for second on the final lap. Bayston would take the win by .893 seconds over Kofoid with Carrick in third. Jesse Love placed fifth to give Toyota four of the top five finishers on the night.

Four more Toyota-powered drivers secured top-10 finishes on the night as Carson Macedo was seventh, followed by Jacob Denny in eighth, Ryan Timms was ninth and Jade Avedisian came home in tenth.

The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series returns to Merced Speedway Wednesday night before closing out the 2023 season with the 82nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway, November 25.

Quotes

Spencer Bayston, Dyson Motorsports Toyota: “It feels really good. Getting back in a midget is a lot harder than I realized it was going to be. We knew we were going to be fast. A huge thanks to the Dyson Motorsports team. They’ve done a phenomenal job. It’s a blast coming out here and racing. It’s a fun challenge to try to put it on top of the podium.” 

Buddy Kofoid, Keith Kunz Motorsports Toyota: “I feel like Merced fits my driving style well. Ever since I first started racing here, I fell in love with it.  I wanted to win that one. I felt like we were catching him. My car kept getting better as the race went on. Overall, a good night. I ran second the first night here last year and won the second night, so let’s hope that trend continues tomorrow. I can’t thank the KKM team enough for all their hard work and Pete Willoughby and Keith Kunz for giving me the opportunity to drive this Mobil 1 Toyota.”

Toyota-Powered Drivers USAC Merced Speedway Sunday Feature Results

Spencer Bayston – 1st

Buddy Kofoid – 2nd

Tanner Carrick – 3rd

Jesse Love – 5th

Carson Macedo – 7th

Jacob Denney – 8th

Ryan Timms – 9th

Jade Avedisian – 10th

Justin Grant – 12th

Bryant Wiedeman – 14th

Taylor Reimer – 16th

Cannon McIntosh – 17th

Emerson Axsom – 19th

Gavin Miller – 23rd

TRD PR

Rising open-wheel star Brayden Chiaramonte will close the outdoor portion of his 2023 racing schedule this week with races at the Merced Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday, November 21^st and 22^nd, and Saturday at the Ventura Raceway in the 82^nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. All three shows will see the talented driver competing in Matt Streeter's fast #14 USAC Midget.

The teenage driver enters the final week of USAC competition after competing in the USAC National Midget Series races last Tuesday at the Bakersfield Speedway and Friday in the Hangtown 100 at the Placerville Speedway.

Bakersfield Speedway, November 14^th

Thirty-six UASC National Midgets showed up at the Bakersfield for the first of six races in California.  Making his first appearance in a midget in 10 months dating back to the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Oklahoma, Chiaramonte came out flying in qualifying.  The 16-year-old from El Cajon, California turned in a lap of 12.900.  That was good for the 11^th fastest time in the 36-car star-laden field.

Chiaramonte found himself outside row two in the third heat race.  Running in the top four most of the way, he was clearly one of the fastest cars in the group.  However, a late-race stop sent him to the back of the pack for a restart.  He fought his way past one car when the race went back to green but time ran out and he finished eighth.  That meant he had to contest the 12-lap B main.

In a hard-fought, 16-car, star-filled B, Chiaramonte ended up seventh, missing a transfer to the A main by one position.

PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY, NOVEMBER 17^th

Chiaramonte and his team journeyed 300 miles north from Bakersfield to Placerville for Friday’s opening night of the Hangtown 100.  Before they got there, the track had been pounded by rain.   The track staff did a stellar job getting the track good enough to race on.

Qualifying was split up by heat race groups and Chiaramonte was third fastest in his group of nine cars with a lap of 12.407.  That was good for the 17th-best time of the 36 cars on hand.

While the track crew got the clay surface raceable, the rain made for technical, “cowboy up” conditions.  With drizzle hitting the track for his heat, Chiaramonte started sixth.  Unfortunately, a car spun to a stop in turn four in front of him on lap one.  With nowhere to go, he nearly got past the stopped car, but nicked it with his right rear.  The yellow for the spinner necessitated a complete restart.  Battling for the fourth and final transfer spot, track conditions saw him bicycle in turn three with two laps to go.  He quickly recovered but slipped back to sixth.  That is where he finished and it forced him to contest the B main.

Starting on the pole in the B, Chiaramonte tamed the track and led the first two circuits before slipping back to second on lap three.  Going into turn one on the fourth go around, the new leader got upside down bringing out a red flag.  Simultaneously, the heavens opened up again and saturated the track.

By the time the rain stopped and the track crew had worked the surface back in, the action had been delayed for 45 minutes.  When racing resumed, Chiaramonte started first and kept the black #14 in front over the final nine laps for the victory and his ticket into the main event.

He started 20^th in the 30-lap main event that went green to checkers without a caution or a red flag.  The final rain made the track hard to pass on and the young driver ended up 22^nd in the main event.

Chiaramonte will conclude the outdoor portion of his season this Friday and Saturday in the 82^nd Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway.  Friday will be practice for the USAC National Midgets with their racing on Saturday.  Advance tickets are available and advised at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/82nd-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-629591554287?aff=oddtdtcreator.  Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day.  The track is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001).  The website is http://venturaraceway.com/ and the office phone number is (805) 648-RACE.

For fans who cannot make it, both nights will be streamed live on Flo Racing.  For more information or to order please visit https://www.floracing.com/.

Chiaramonte would like to thank all his sponsors who have made his racing efforts possible.  RTL Traffic Control, AM Ortega, Hyper Racing, Chop Design, Adams Motors, Hacienda Casa Blanca Fine Mexican Dining, Evil Plus Injection, King Racing Products, Tiner-Hirst Enterprises, and Keizer Wheels.

Chiaramonte and his team are in the midst of a busy racing season. If you are interested in becoming a marketing partner with one of the most talented and personable young drivers in the sport, please feel free to call or e-mail Daniel Chiaramonte This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (619) 988 7563. 

Braden Chiaramonte PR

Over the course of the offseason, we will go back and recap each race of the 2023 ASA STARS National Tour season.  The inaugural season featured seven different winners in ten races at ten different tracks, with a points battle that went down to the wire.

Race No.1 – Sunshine State 200 at Five Flags Speedway

The long awaited and much anticipated debut of the ASA STARS National Tour season opener finally came in early March 2023. The inaugural race for the ASA STARS National Tour was held at Pensacola, FL’s Five Flags Speedway on Saturday, March 11, and a total of 36 cars made the trip to the Florida Panhandle to kick off a new era of Super Late Model racing.

Two days of practice led to Go Fas Racing Pole Qualifying on Saturday afternoon.  In his first start with Shafer Motorsports, reigning Snowball Derby champion Derek Thorn won the Go Fas Pole Award, while Bubba Pollard and Matt Craig started on the front row after the invert.

Stage racing would be introduced during the Sunshine State 200, as Craig shot out to an early lead, pacing the first 79 laps and winning stage one in the process.  Stage two saw its share of attrition and leaders, with five different drivers leading laps during the second stage.  Ultimately, it was Pollard beating Preston Peltier in a photo finish for the stage two win after starting the stage two laps down.

After a pit strategy call, Gio Ruggiero restarted the final stage as the leader, leading 15 laps before Pollard and Casey Roderick.  The biggest moment of the race happened just five laps later.  As the yellow was being waved for an incident involving Preston Peltier, Roderick got into Pollard and sent the No.26 around on the frontstretch, collecting several cars and ending Pollard’s night.

The final 30 laps went caution-free, with Casey Roderick becoming the first driver to win an ASA STARS National Tour race.  Eventual Blizzard Series champion Jeremy Doss drove from 20^th to finish second, while Ty Majeski finished third after starting 16^th.

The stout field of cars led to many comers and goers, with stage racing strategy and numerous cautions shuffling the running order.  There were 10 lead changes among seven drivers, and 20 different drivers earned bonus points via the stage racing format.

Sunshine State 200 – Five Flags Speedway
Entries: 36
Started: 35
Go Fas Racing Pole Award Winner: Derek Thorn
Stage Winners: Matt Craig/Bubba Pollard
Lead Changes: 10
Leaders: 7
Most Laps Led: Matt Craig (79)
Winner: Casey Roderick
Full Results

For more information on the ASA STARS National Tour, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: ASA STARS National Tour | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).

ASA STARS PR

The stage is set for The NASCAR Foundation’s Taste of the 24 presented by Foundation Risk Partners. The annual dining event occurs on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Daytona International Speedway during the 62^nd running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, North America’s most prestigious sports car race.

“Each year, Taste of the 24 serves as a tasty kick-off to the year,” said Nichole Krieger, Vice President and Executive Director of The NASCAR Foundation. “We continue to be impressed with the amazing cuisine our restaurants serve during the event.”

Patrons enjoy an unrivaled dining experience featuring live entertainment and local restaurant fare in the Midway Suites of the World Center of Racing amid the backdrop of the season-opening race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Participating restaurants include 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Big Tuna's Beach Bar & Grill, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Bull and Boar Barbecue Shop, Ciao Bella, Crab Knight, Crumbl, Cupcake Metropolis, Foxtail Coffee Co., Fysh Bar and Grill, Kale Café, Limoncello South, Little Italy’s Ristorante, Outriggers Tiki Bar and Grille, PF Chang’s, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, Stonewood Grill & Tavern and Treats & Sweets Cakery.

“We are excited to return as the presenting sponsor for The Taste of the 24,” stated Charles Lydecker, Chairman and CEO of Foundation Risk Partners. “This signature event in Daytona Beach is a wonderful opportunity for our local community to come together and mingle in the spirit of good food and fast-paced entertainment to raise funds and support children who need our help.”

Event sponsors joining Foundation Risk Partners include Coleman Goodemote Construction Inc., Dave Turner Inc., Daytona Auto Mall, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Jeep Beach, Lentz Plastic Surgery, PLLC, LPGA, McKim & Creed, Radiology Associates, SeaGate Homes, Stella Artois, Truist Bank, Wholesale Lighting.

Ticket packages are on sale now, including a limited number of all-inclusive VIP tickets priced at $170 per person. Taste of the 24 ticket options include:

• VIP Tickets, priced at $170 per person, include:

• Early Entrance to Taste of the 24 at 5:30 PM
• Dedicated VIP entry point
• A two-day pass to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA that includes access to the infield, UNOH Fanzone, Garage Access, and general admission frontstretch seating for two exciting days of on and off-track action
• One raffle ticket for a chance to win a Rolex Watch
• One complimentary drink ticket

• General Admission tickets, priced at $120 per person, include:
  • Taste of the 24 admission in the Midway Suites at Daytona International Speedway
  • A two-day pass to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA that includes access to the infield, UNOH Fanzone, Garage Access, and general admission frontstretch seating for two exciting days of on and off-track action
  • One raffle ticket for a chance to win a Rolex Watch

• Children’s tickets, priced at $24 per person for children 12 & under, include:
  • Taste of the 24 admission in the Midway Suites at Daytona International Speedway
  • Free access to Rolex 24 At DAYTONA with parent ticket purchase

Ticket options are also available for patrons who have already purchased Rolex 24 tickets.

Taste of the 24 tickets are available by calling (386) 310-5710 or visiting NASCARfoundation.org/Taste24.

Proceeds from the event benefit The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund, dedicated to providing medical care and health and wellness resources to children in Florida and across the country.

Rolex 24 At DAYTONA is the ultimate test of endurance, speed, and skill for world-class competition at the World Center of Racing. The world-wide known “around the clock,” iconic event will open the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

NASCAR PR

Beginning in 2024, NASCAR's Canadian series will be known as the NASCAR Canada Series with Evirum and Pinty's serving as Presenting Partners. The series, currently the NASCAR Pinty's Series, is entering its 18th season as the top national motorsport in Canada.

NASCAR officials also unveiled the 2024 schedule for the NASCAR Canada Series, which features 13 races across six provinces.

“Canadian motorsports fans are incredibly passionate, and the new NASCAR Canada Series name appropriately captures their nationalistic pride,” said Chad Seigler, NASCAR chief international officer. “The series features Canada's biggest racing stars, competing at the top tracks across the country. With an influx of talented young drivers and a garage full of healthy and competitive teams, interest in the series is at an all-time high. We are excited to build off recent momentum and deliver great racing to fans across Canada.”

Pinty's, which has served as series entitlement partner since 2016, and Evirum are Presenting Partners of the series, with each investing across the industry, including teams, tracks and fan promotions.

“Evirum is excited to join NASCAR Canada as one of their Presenting Partners and as its Official Residual Materials Management and Environmental Solutions Provider,” said Julien Remillard, Evirum president. “Our involvement in this thrilling series dates back to last season, where we offered support to some drivers, race promoters and race track operators. When the opportunity to become a Series Partner presented itself, it was a natural progression in alignment with our expanding presence across Canada and the United States. We eagerly anticipate sharing our expertise with NASCAR Canada and its stakeholders to strengthen their recycling and sustainability efforts.”

“Once again, we are very proud to associate the name of our Pinty's brand with NASCAR Canada as a presenting partner, thus supporting motorsport in Canada, which will now have a new race in Quebec,” said Yanick Gervais, Olymel president and CEO.

The schedule for the 2024 season features a mix of traditional events with a new season finale at Autodrome Montmagny – the first visit to the track for the NASCAR Canada Series and the first series finale to be held in Quebec (Sept. 22). The season will open at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on Victoria Day weekend (May 19) as it does every year from 2011-2019.

In between, the series will again race at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia with a doubleheader weekend (June 29-30), creating an East Coast Swing following the race at Eastbound Speedway in Newfoundland and Labrador (June 22).

The popular dirt race at Ohsweken Speedway will return for the third year and will move to July 11, before the traditional Western Swing to Sutherland Automotive Speedway in Saskatoon (July 20) and Edmonton International Raceway (July 27).

The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, which has been running since 1967, returns on Sunday, August 11.

NASCAR also announced that longtime Canadian motorsports executive Alan Labrosse has been named General Manager of NASCAR Canada. Labrosse, a member of the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, will be charged with growing and promoting NASCAR throughout Canada, which includes oversight of the NASCAR Canada Series. Following a successful career as a driver, Labrosse transitioned to the business side of the sport. He owned and operated Autodrome St-Eustache for 13 years and has served as a promoter, team owner and agent.

All NASCAR Canada Series races air on TSN and RDS in Canada and FloSports in the United States. The full broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

Fans can stay connected to the NASCAR Canada Series – and all things NASCAR in Canada – at www.nascar.ca , on X, Facebook and Instagram.

2024 NASCAR Canada Series Schedule

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

NASCAR Canada Series PR

Mixed conditions made the 2023 November Driver Recruitment Program test at Fontenay Le Comte a real challenge for the eight drivers who signed up for the first leg of the official NASCAR Whelen Euro Series discovery tests. Not only did the drivers experience a pure 400 horsepower race car on the track without any electronic aids, but they also met the NWES organization led by EuroNASCAR President and CEO Jerome Galpin. All drivers were amazed by the unique character of the car and are now looking for opportunities to join the series for the 2024 season.

Eight drivers took on the Circuit de Vendee: Henry Clausnitzer (GER), Sasha Radola (HRC), Constantin Schoell (AUT), Julien Noel Rehberg (GER), Thomas Blumberger (GER), Daniel Boys (UK), Kelvin Hassell (UK) and Florian Moral (FRA).

Henry Clausnitzer, 35-year-old from Annahutte, Germany has a rich background in open wheel and touring car racing, but is looking to take the next step in his career. The reigning Boss GP Champion enjoyed the raw power of the EuroNASCAR car and handled the H-pattern shifts like he had never done anything else in his life. After his first stint, Clausnitzer was impressed with the handling of the car.

"I've been following the EuroNASCAR Series for a few years now and I'm really happy about the opportunity to test at Fontenay Le Comte," he said. "It was a nice experience to drive the car, meet the organization team and enjoy the environment. The mixed conditions gave me the chance to feel the different handling of such a pure race car. It was also nice to talk to Jerome Galpin about the many possibilities to be involved in EuroNASCAR in the future. I enjoyed every single second of the whole day here in France.”

Traveling to France from Croatia was Sasha Radola. The 34-year-old is a hillclimb legend in his home country, but wants to add road course racing in the future. That's why Radola took the opportunity to participate in the 2023 DRP and test one of the EuroNASCAR race cars. Under the guidance of EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Paul Jouffreau, NWES President Galpin and 2023 Rookie Trophy contender Thomas Dombrowski, the Croatian showed good progress in his sessions. The Croatian Hillclimb Champion was very happy with the day.

"It was a very interesting day for me," he said. "There is no race series that offers such opportunities. It's a good way to learn how everything works in EuroNASCAR and to try out the car. The car is different from what I used to drive, just wow! It was easy to control the car in the wet, but in the dry I learned how hard it is to get the right pace. You have to be very precise and find the perfect line. For 2024 I will work hard to be on the grid and be part of the series.”

Other notable pilots participating in the 2023 November 2023 were Constantin Schoell and Julien Noel Rehberg. Schoell has already competed in the 2023 Club Challenge with Bremotion at Circuit Zolder. The 25-year-old Austrian has already raced in top GT series in Germany and has a lot of experience. Rehberg is 17 years old and wants to make the step from karting directly into auto racing by joining the NWES in 2024.

But the DRP was not the only reason the V8 beasts were on the track in France.

NWES president and CEO Jerome Galpin was testing some parts for the 2024 season "to improve the performance and driveability" of the car. The head of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was behind the wheel himself and said that "the DRP was also a successful day of testing to develop new technical solutions to make EuroNASCAR even better in 2024”. More information on the 2024 specification will follow after all possible options for the upcoming championship have been explored.

The DRP will continue in 2024 with another preseason test in France on February 29th and March 1st and interested drivers can apply by visiting EuroNASCAR.com/drp. The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will begin April 13-14 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

NWES PR

Those who finish second are often considered the “first loser”. They are the individual that is forgotten, as only the winner is remembered. Unfortunately, in an event involving competitive racing, someone has to finish in that position.

Formula 1 has had its fair share of memorable winners, with Max Verstappen the latest to be etching his name into glory and being a famed driver. Whether he manages to reach the heights of past iconic competitors like Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna remains to be seen. However, it would be a safe bet to think he would reach that level sooner than later, given what he has been achieving for Red Bull Racing over the last few years.

However, while Verstappen’s name is likely to go down in racing folklore and history once he has had his time, there are many who may find their names harder to remember. These can be the drivers that are known as the F1’s silver medalists.

They are individuals who, in their own right, were exceptional drivers but could never really get the job done for a variety of reasons. They may have been part of an era that had a driver who was a “once in a generation” talent that they could not beat - think Schumacher and Miki Hakkinen’s epic rivalry during the 90s and 00s - or they may not just have had the next gear to close the gap between them and first place.

Some of F1’s most famous silver medalists

While the current F1 Championship is already wrapped up with Verstappen the champion and likely to be the next season’s winner too, given the prices that have been made available at a site that provides the ability to Bet online with the best odds already, there are some that may become silver medalists in their own right.

Verstappen’s 1/4 makes him a clear favorite for the upcoming season, with Lando Norris priced as the next-best at 6/1. Fernando Alonso (10/1) and Lewis Hamilton (12/1) are former multi-time champions, thus making the Brit the one individual in the top four not to have done so. He will be hoping to add a world championship to his trophy cabinet some day and not join some of the more memorable silver medalists of the sport…

Rubens Barrichello

Perhaps more shocking that he did not win a single world championship during his racing career, Rubens Barrichello is one driver who really was a victim of an elite competitor being on the grid at the same time he was. At least it was at Ferrari with Schumacher being a teammate.

The Brazilian is one of the most experienced F1 drivers in history, having completed 322 races in his career. However, he won only 11 of those races and obtained 14 pole positions. He did manage to get on the podium 68 times throughout his career. His list of accomplishments includes being a five-time constructors champion, but he was second in 2002 and 2004 for the world championship.

Gilles Villeneuve

A career that did not go to plan in terms of how long it should have lasted, Gilles Villeneuve was an incredible driver who may have actually won a championship if it had not ended fatally in 1982 at the Belgian GP. He attempted to pass Jochen Mass in qualifying but his car was launched into the air at around 140mph.

In six seasons, he managed to have an impact on motorsport immediately. In 1979 - his second year - he missed out on the world title to his teammate, Jody Scheckter, by four points.

David Coulthard and Mark Webber

David Coulthard and Mark Webber were nearly men during their time behind the wheel. The Scottish driver was second when he drove for McLaren in 2001, finishing behind Schumacher but improving on four third-place world championship finishes during his career.

The Australian was successful during his time with Red Bull Racing, and almost came close to winning the grand title in 2010. However, an issue with a tire cost him dearly. He would wind up finishing third in the championship on three occasions throughout his career, which as a No. 2, was not bad going, especially when he teamed with the highly successful Vettel.