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Aston Martin and DPK Racing Team Up for Future F1 Stars Aston Martin’s Driver Academy just got a major boost with a new partnership with DPK Racing, which is the official team of the FA Alonso Kart chassis. The move links Aston Martin directly with Fernando Alonso’s karting team, creating a streamlined development path for the next wave of young drivers for its newly created driver academy. “Our Driver Academy gives us the opportunity to shape the next generation of drivers, helping them grow into the complete package,” said Aston Martin F1's Andy Cowell. From physical training and media coaching to simulator sessions and trackside mentoring, the Academy promises a comprehensive program. And with DPK Racing involved, it also taps into the karting legacy of two-time F1 champion Alonso, a natural connection for a team carrying his name. The partnership follows the recent signing of 21-year-old Spanish driver Mari Boya to the Aston Martin Driver Academy. A three-time Spanish karting champion and current F3 driver with Campos Racing, Boya called it a “dream come true.” He’ll now gain access to the AMR Technology Campus and lean on mentors like Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Pedro de la Rosa. Boya’s goal? “To repay the team’s trust with strong performances.” And with this partnership, he won’t be the last. DJR Steps Back, Triple Eight Takes Over Ford’s Engine Program On the Supercars side, major changes are underway behind the scenes. Ford’s engine program will soon be led by Triple Eight Race Engineering (Red Bull Ampol Racing), as DJR (Dick Johnson Racing) hands off both its engine supply and homologation team duties. The shift ends a complicated saga that included millions of dollars in investment from DJR after purchasing the Ford engine business from Herrod Performance in late 2023. While Ford’s commitment to Supercars was once in doubt, the manufacturer now appears locked in, with a long-term deal in place and Triple Eight planning to roll out its first Mustang prototypes for 2026 testing later this year. DJR, meanwhile, sees this as a much-needed reset, a chance to refocus on performance after spreading itself thin during Gen3 development. The handover begins next week, with staff shifting back into DJR’s race operations and crucial technical data moving to Triple Eight. Officially, Triple Eight becomes Ford’s homologation team starting in 2026, but they’re already hard at work shaping the future of the Mustang on the grid. And we could see a Triple Eight Ford before 2025 ends! Haas and Toyota Bringing F1 to Fuji with Tsuboi and Hirakawa In another nod to the future, Haas F1 and Toyota Gazoo Racing are teaming up for a two-day Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) event at Fuji Speedway next month. While Ryo Hirakawa returns for another session on August 6, it’s Sho Tsuboi who will make debut on August 7 with his first-ever F1 test in a Haas VF-23. Tsuboi is not a rookie in racing, he’s the reigning Super Formula and three-time Super GT champion, but this marks his first taste of F1 machinery. Fans will be allowed to attend, and the test underscores the growing partnership between Haas and Toyota, which began last October. Sho Tsuboi “This is part of our effort to develop people drivers, engineers, and mechanics alike,” said Toyota Global Motorsport director Masaya Kaji. The sessions will also provide a learning platform for Toyota engineers, who will be embedded with the Haas team throughout the test. According to Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, “The significance of running our car at Toyota’s home circuit and giving Sho Tsuboi his first outing, is equally satisfying.” With more talent and tech flowing between Japan and Formula 1, this partnership could be key to unlocking future success for both Haas and Toyota on the global stage.

Race 20 was the shortest of the 3 throughout the weekend. Red Bull Ampol drivers Will Brown and Broc Feeney had a tough qualifying session for this race, only managing positions 14 and 20. Pole position was Brodie Kostecki. Alongside him was the Monster entrant of Cam Waters in P2, and P3 was Will Davison. Matt Payne managed to overtake quickly to attack the 2 front runners. With Brodie Kostecki on pole, it was a good day for the Shell V-Power team. Kostecki maintained his position throughout this shorter race, ensuring a P1 finish. His teammate Will Davison finished P7. He had a tough day, all things considered. Whilst Kostecki was maintaining the lead, Waters had slowly begun his attempt to gain on Kostecki, but the gap began to jump further and further. Waters, unfortunately, did not have the speed to catch Kostecki. Whilst it was a tough qualifying for the two of them, they worked hard to make their way through the field. By the end of the race, they had made it to P8 and P10. Will Brown had one of the largest gains, being up 11 positions by the end of the race.  Ultimately, Shell V-power, Tickford Racing and Team18 would benefit from race 20. Your winner was Brodie Kostecki, P2 was Cam Waters, and P3 was Anton De Pasquale RACE 21 Race 21 was one for the books. David Reynolds was on pole, with a brilliant shootout lap of 1:12.8352s. P2 alongside Reynolds was Matthew Payne. In terms of qualifying, Tickford had a tough day down in P15 with Thomas Randle and P21 with Cam Waters.  From the jump, it was Payne who took the lead before the safety car was deployed due to early contact and the stopped car of James Golding. Jaxon Evan had an even tougher situation after damage to the brake duct due to contact from the pileup. He later returned to track, completing only 13 laps.  Feeney made quick work of overtaking Jack Le Brocq, as well as Brodie Kostecki up on from James Courtney. James Courtney was unfortunately the next driver out, due to engine failure. He completed 11 laps before his DNF.  There was damage on Thomas Randle’s car very early on, with the shock absorber taking the brunt of that. Kai Allen was another driver with minor damage after an error resulted in him hitting the barrier, but he reversed it back out and continued.  There were many time penalties handed out. This included a 5-second penalty for car 01, Will Brown, another 5-second penalty for car 06, Cam Waters and a 15-second penalty for car 08, Andre Heimgartner.  Ultimately, it was a day for the RedBull Ampol driver, Broc Feeney, as he went on to win Race 21, ahead of Chaz Mostert in P2 and Matthew Payne in P3. RACE 22: Whilst this race was not as action-filled as Race 21, Race 22 was still an interesting one.  Broc Feeney was on pole with Matthew Payne in P2 and Anton De Pasquale in P3. And it was a showdown for the front end at the beginning, with De Pasquale making quick work and overtaking Matt Payne. Early on, James Golding was down 4 positions, and David Reynolds was down 3.  Waters began with the early pit stops, managing a 5.9-second stop, compared to Chaz Mostert (also 5.9 seconds) and Bryce Fullwood, with the fastest time of 5.7 seconds. A 15-second penalty was given to David Reynolds after minor contact with James Courtney.  Issues were piling on, especially for Will Davison, who ended up losing a wheel nut and had to pit to fit that issue. Matt Hill had plenty going wrong as well, including brake fluid leaking. Eventually, Hill was back out with a brand-new brake calliper, due to extensive damage to the other one.  In the end, Sunday was the day for the RedBull Ampol duo with Broc Feeney, winning again in Townsville, and Will Brown taking out P2. Chaz Mostert brought another podium for Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU), managing P3. Cam Waters with an impressive result and a P4 finish in Townsville. Your fastest lap for Race 22 was Jack Le Brocq.  Your championship remains close. Especially between the top 3 runners. The next race weekend is the 2025 Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 on the 8th-10th of August.  1 st : Broc Feeney- 1759pts 2 nd : Will Brown- 1539pts 3 rd : Matthew Payne- 1524pts 4 th : Cam Waters- 1341pts 5 th : Chaz Mostert- 1259pts 6 th : Brodie Kostecki- 1107pts 7 th : Anton De Pasquale- 981pts 8 th : Thomas Randle- 959pts 9 th : Andre Heimgartner- 951pts 10 th : Ryan Wood- 914pts

Lando Norris Celebrates home victory at the British Grand Prix (Photo by: Clive Rose/Getty Images) Nico Hulkenberg celebrates maiden F1 podium in his 239th race at the British Grand Prix (Photo by: Motorsport.com ) This year's British Grand Prix was sensational for many drivers this past weekend from start to finish. Down on the grid before lights out, there were some talks about whether or not drivers would pit on the formation lap for dry tires as the track began to dry. As the formation lap went underway, multiple drivers said over their radios the track is too wet for slicks and the majority of the grid went to the grid on the intermediate tires. However, multiple drivers decided to head to the pitlane at the last moment to go onto the slick tires with those drivers being, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortoletto. Unfortunately Franco Colapinto lost power in his Alpine and was unable to start the race, making him the first person out of the grand prix The chaos didn't stop there, as the lights went out and the grand prix got underway, Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson make contact in turn 3 causing Lawson to spin and crash out of the race. Ocon also received damage but was able to continue. Lawson came onto the radio and said to his team he got hit in the rear by the haas, but what he didn't realize is Yuki Tsunoda was to the inside of Ocon and they were 3 wide into turn 3 and Lawson had no idea the Red Bull of Tsunoda was there. Due to Lawson crashing out, the virtual safety car was deployed in order for the marshall's to retrieve Lawson's car and get it off the track. During the VSC, Kimi Antonelli goes into the pits for the slick tires and the VSC ends on lap 4. Although it wasn't much later as Gabriel Bortoletto would spin in turn 1 and causing another virtual safety car. Bortoletto lost the rear of the car and backed it into the wall due to low grip as the track was not yet fully dry. He was able to drive away but not for long. As he got back going, the right side of the rear wing fell off and onto the track and the rule is, you cannot drive around the track spreading debris so he pulled off track shortly after and retired from the race. As the 2nd VSC ended on lap 7, Max Verstappen would get passed by championship leader Oscar Piastri on lap 8. On lap 10 we saw Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Antonelli pit for the intermediate tires as there was heavy rain reported to hit the track shortly after that. The stewards disabled DRS on lap 11 and that sent the message to the drivers to pit for a new set of intermediates. Also on lap 11, Max Verstappen has a big moment and goes wide losing 2nd place to Lando Norris. Shortly after, Norris' race engineer tells Lando to expect at least 10 minutes of heavy rain. It wasn't too much later the full safety car was deployed on lap 14 due to how heavy the rain was on track. During the safety car period, Charles Leclerc goes off into the grass in sector 2, but is able to keep it going. He states to the team there was water from the rain that went into his visor causing him to not be able to see well. After a couple of laps went by, the safety car ended on lap 17 and the race resumed. Isack Hadjar walking away from his Racing Bulls after crashing out of the British Grand Prix (Photo by: F1) However, shortly after the saftey car ended, chaos struck yet again, this time involving the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar and the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli. Heading into Copse corner, Hadjar struck the back of Antonelli and spun into the barrier ending his race. Visibility was still very low and many questioned why they went back racing. Antonelli recieved damage to the right side of the rake on his diffuser. Due to this incident, the safety car came out once again. During the safety car period, Esteban Ocon decided to come into the pitlane for new intermediate tires and while that was going on, Oscar Piastri reported a few puddles of standing water in turn 2 as the conditions seemed to have gotten trickier as the race went on. On lap 21 the stewards decided to call the safety car into the pitlane so the race can get underway once more. Race leader Oscar Piastri came to a halt on the hanger straight bunching the field up to create a gap to the safety car but in doing so, multiple drivers had to take avoiding action in order to not create another accident. Max Verstappen who was just behind Piastri, nearly ran into the back of him and further back in the field, Nico Hulkenberg nearly ran into the back of Lance Stroll and had to go into the grass to avoid running into the back of the Aston Martin. Just after that occurs, Max Verstappen spins just after Stowe and falls down to 10th place behind Carlos Sainz. Furthermore, as the race got back underway, Oliver Bearman spins from contact with Yuki Tsunoda and falls down to 15th. Fast forward to lap 24, Lewis Hamilton goes wide just after Copse and loses 6th place to former teammate George Russell. In addition, Kimi Antonelli retires from the race due to the contact with Hadjar. After all that occured, controversy unfolded at the halfway point in the grand prix. The FIA stewards decided that Oscar Piastri's actions under the safety car restart was enough to hand him a 10 second time penalty for the egregious decrease in speed that he did in order to give a gap to the safety car. That wasn't the only penalty handed out as Yuki Tsunoda also recieved a 10 second time penalty for the contact that sent Oliver Bearman spinning. Shortly after, Hamilton was able to pass George Russell for the 6th position he had lost a couple laps prior and also makes his way past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly for the 5th position. In addition, the track began to dry and the stewards enabled DRS on lap 34. With DRS enabled, this allowed the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg to go by Lance Stroll for the 3rd position and the next lap, Lewis Hamilton went by Lance Stroll as well moving up into 4th, with Stroll going from 3rd to 5th in the span of half a lap. Max Verstappen also moves his way up past Sainz for 9th and Charles Leclerc goes past Alex Albon for 11th. Since the track began to get more and more dry, Aston Martin made the call to bring Fernando Alonso into the pitlane to make him the first to go onto dry tires and a lap later, George Russell did the same. While that was going on, Charles Leclerc with a risky move, goes up into the 8th position past his former teammate Carlos Sainz. Sainz had to take avoiding action in order not to receive damage from Leclerc's lunge into turn 3 and he came over the radio saying "that was completely reckless from Leclerc." Fernando Alonso, who was the first to pit for dry tires, turned out to be 8 seconds slower a lap compared to those who were still on the intermediate tires. He wasn't the only one with issues as George Russell who was the other driver to follow Alonso's strategy spun in sector 2 due to the track still being too wet for the slick dry tires. Verstappen who had spun earlier in the race, kept making his way back up the field, passing Pierre Gasly for 6th on lap 41. On lap 42, multiple drivers made the call to dive into the pitlane for the dry tires as it finally was dry enough for dry tires on the majority of the track. After Lewis Hamilton made his stop for dry tires, as he exited the pitlane, he went wide in turn 2 losing a handful of time to Nico Hulkenberg for the 3rd position. On lap 44, Oscar Piastri serves his 10 second time penalty for the safety car infringement earlier in the race and hands the lead to McLaren teammate, Lando Norris who pitted a lap later than Piastri. Further back in the field, Alonso who was struggling when he first pitted for dry tires, was able to regain the lost time and pass Alex Albon for 8th. Oscar Piastri, who had given up the lead after serving the 10 second penalty goes wide in sector 2 and loses time to Lando Norris. He then comes onto the radio and tells the team the penalty was unfair and suggested the team to swap the positions of himself and Norris and then race each other. On lap 47, Charles Leclerc goes into the gravel in Copse and falls down to 14th and out of the points. After Piastri had requested for the team to swap himself and Norris, his race engineer tells Piastri they will not swap the positions and race to the end. As the laps were winding down, Max Verstappen makes it past Lance Stroll for 5th after Stroll goes wide in turn 3. Heading to the checkered, it was Lando Norris picking up his first British Grand Prix victory and claims his 8th win of his career, his 4th of 2025 ahead of Championship leader Oscar Piastri and the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg who claims his maiden F1 podium in his 239th start, snapping the longest streak of most races without a Formula 1 podium. Nico Hulkenberg being congratulated by teammate Gabriel Bortoletto (Photo by: Getty Images) The overtakes were not done yet as Alex Albon goes back by Fernando Alonso for 8th and Pierre Gasly going past Lance Stroll for 6th on the last lap. With Nico Hulkenberg earning his maiden podium, he becomes the oldest driver since 1973 to stand on a Formula one podium. This is also Sauber's first podium since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix with Kamui Kobayashi. McLaren team member (far left), Oscar Piastri (left), Lando Norris (right), and Nico Hulkenberg (far right) celebrate on top of the podium at the British Grand Prix (Photo by: Autocar India) Heading into the halfway point of the season, Oscar Piastri continues to lead the championship over Lando Norris but only by 8 points. Max Verstappen who lost more points to the Mclaren duo, is now 69 points behind and the chance at a fifth consecutive title is slowly going away. With Sauber getting their first podium of the season, they now move up to 6th in the constructor standings, their highest since 2022 under the Alfa Romeo Sauber name.

There was plenty of drama and chaos expected, given that the weather is always unpredictable in England. We saw Alpine’s Franco Colapinto forced to DNS, due to stalling the car and being unable to get out of 2nd gear. Will that be the last time we see Colapinto in F1?  2025 British Grand Prix Race Start- Source: Getty Images 5 drivers chose to come into the pits for the race start to switch out tyres. George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Ollie Bearman all switched to a set of slicks due to the track slowly drying from the rain earlier that day. This would ultimately not pay off, given the further wet weather conditions on the way. Liam Lawson was our first DNF and VSC due to a collision with Esteban Ocon. There was no investigation between the two, although Lawson was not happy about being pushed off the track. Gabriel Bortoleto soon joined Lawson with a DNF due to the conditions; this was our 2nd VSC of the day. Although able to keep the car going, due to the significant damage to his rear wing, he was not able to continue his race.  When we finally got back to racing after the 2nd VSC, Oscar Piastri officially took the lead from Max Verstappen, in a chaotic battle between the two. However, this would only last so long. As Piastri gained a massive 13-second lead on Verstappen, a Safety Car was called due to the wet conditions and lack of visibility. This brought the pack back together very quickly.  After the first safety car release, a second Safety Car was called due to Isack Hadjar after he ran into the back of Kimi Antonelli due to poor visibility. This incident also eventually resulted in a DNF for Kimi Antonelli as well.  After the Safety Car was released from the pack, Oscar Piastri was noted for braking too fast and almost causing an accident with Verstappen. This would eventually result in a massive 10-second penalty for Piastri. But not before a crazy restart with Max spinning and dropping down to P11, he had his work cut out for him.  Yuki Tsunoda also received a 10-second time penalty for a collision with Ollie Bearman. It was a difficult day for RedBull as they tried to recover themselves back up the field.  With many beautiful pirouettes and lawnmower moments throughout this race, it is sure to say it was a difficult race for everyone. This was a race purely built up to strategy.  And for the first time in his career, Lando Norris won his home race. It was another 1-2 finish for the McLaren pair, with Oscar Piastri finishing P2 after a tough day with his penalty.  2025 British Grand Prix Podium with McLaren drivers Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri and Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg- Source: Getty Images But the most exciting part for every F1 fan was for the first time in 239 race starts and starting from P19 at the British Grand Prix, Nico Hulkenberg officially got his first ever podium. It was a moment to be seen, as many of us were never sure if we would witness it.  Your top 10 finishers in Great Britain: P1: Lando Norris - 25pts P2: Oscar Piastri - 18pts P3: Nico Hulkenberg - 15pts P4: Lewis Hamilton - 12pts P5: Max Verstappen - 10pts P6: Pierre Gasly - 8pts P7: Lance Stroll - 6pts P8: Alex Albon - 4pts P9: Fernando Alonso - 2pts P10: George Russell - 1pts Now we get the race blues whilst we await the next race weekend, which is the Belgian Grand Prix and takes place on July 25th-27th.

Now that we’re halfway through the year, I wanted to put together my list of the best 10 drivers under the age of 25. I based this on how they’re performing against expectations and how they’ve looked all year long. FYI this list is for drivers who were 25 or younger on January 1st. This wasn’t an easy list to make. A lot of drivers just missed the cut, so I’ll give a quick shoutout to some honorable mentions: Andrea Kimi Antonelli (18), Jesse Love (20), Marcus Armstrong (24), and Fermín Aldeguer (20). 10. Corey Heim (23) Starting off the list is Corey Heim, who’s been dominating the Truck Series this year. It’s honestly gotten to the point where he could’ve won nearly every race if not for a little bad luck or some chaos around him. He’s also done some Cup and Xfinity with ok showings, but it’s a small sample size. That, combined with the limited depth in Trucks, is why I’m keeping him at 10. Still, he’s on the doorstep of a full-time Cup opportunity, and if he keeps this up, it’ll be impossible to overlook him in 2026. 9. Phil Hanson (26) / Yifei Ye (25) I’m grouping these two teammates together. These two are coming off a win at Le Mans and are right in the thick of the WEC championship fight. They’ve both taken massive steps forward in the World Endurance Championship, and that win at Le Mans the biggest race of their careers so far, and it proved they belong at the top level. Spa wasn’t their best weekend, but I’m not going to hold one off weekend against them when the highs have been so high. They’re second in points and look poised to push in the second half of the year. 8. Matthew Payne (22) Payne was in my list at the end of last hear for the best up and coming drivers. This year, Matthew Payne has fully arrived. He’s sitting third in the championship and has clearly taken the reins as the team leader at Grove Racing. His pace has been strong, he’s been smart in wheel-to-wheel battles, and he’s starting to consistently show podium potential. The growth from year one to now has been impressive, and he’s still got a lot of ceiling left. With Broc Feeney making headlines, Payne is making sure his name stays in the conversation too. 7. Christian Lundgaard (23) Some people called Lundgaard an F1 reject. But thankfully he’s found a home in IndyCar, and this season he’s been one of the most consistent drivers. Currently sitting fifth in the championship, he’s been delivering strong runs and getting podiums. The confidence is there, the chemistry with the team is solid, and you can tell he’s comfortable now. He even seems happier off-track, and I think that’s fueling his performance on it. He could be a real title threat next season or two. 6. Pedro Acosta (21) Pedro Acosta is doing exactly what I expected in MotoGP pushing way beyond his experience. He’s the top KTM rider and sitting comfortably in the top five of the championship. If KTM can fix their issues, Acosta would be right in the title fight. He’s smooth, aggressive when he needs to be, and brings a smart approach to every weekend. The kid just doesn’t seem fazed by anything. He’s still learning, sure, but everything points to him being a future world champion. And honestly, that future might not be very far away. 5. Isack Hadjar (20) Hadjar is quietly becoming one of the breakout stars of 2025. After low expectations in the winter, this season has been different. In F1 he’s looked confident and composed. He’s still outperforming expectations and been dogwalking to his current teammate Liam Lawson in my opinion. He’s been consistent, fast, and mentally sharp, and that’s what sets him apart this year. If Red Bull reshuffles the deck again, Hadjar’s name might be at the top of their call list. But after seeing what happened to Yuki it might be a good call to stay home. 4. Connor Zilisch (18) Before you NASCAR fans get the pitchforks out just remember what you tell your F1 cousins when it comes to watching different series. Connor Zilisch might not have the full Xfinity season under his belt just yet, but the flashes of brilliance are impossible to ignore. As he improves his racing IQ, and improving speed on ovals but at such a young age, you can just tell he’s different. People want to rush him to Cup next year, but I think letting him bake a bit longer could turn him into something really special. He still makes mistakes from tie to time in practice and needs to figure when to push and when to ride around but he is on a great path. If he grabs a few more Xfinity wins on ovals and continues to grow, we could be watching the next face of NASCAR and American motorsport before our eyes. 3. Pato O’Ward (26) Pato is one of the most interesting cases on this list. Whether it’s fans begging for him to get the Cadillac F1 seat or him going head-to-head with Alex Palou, he’s proven he isn’t slowing down. He’s currently the lead McLaren Indy driver and sits 3rd in the IndyCar championship. Like Lundgaard, he’s pushing hard for to get wins but has stacked up podiums along the way. He’s chasing down Kirkwood and pressuring Palou, it’s been fun to watch. 2. Broc Feeney (22) If you’re not watching Supercars, start. Please I beg. Broc Feeney is putting on a clinic. This year has been all him. He’s leading the championship by a healthy margin, has wins across a variety of tracks, and swept Darwin weekend with pole, fastest lap, and for all three race wins. That’s not just good….. that’s elite. He’s carrying the Red Bull Ampol torch with maturity well beyond his age. Many already want to see him in NASCAR, GT series, or even open wheeled stuff. He’s ready for the next challenge whenever it comes. but what is guaranteed he will win multiple Supercars Championships and will be on of the faces of Australian motorsport for a long time. 1. Oscar Piastri (24) Oscar Piastri is the best under-25 driver in the world right now. He’s leading the Formula 1 World Championship in just his third season, going head-to-head with the likes of Verstappen, Norris, and Leclerc every weekend. What stands out most is his calm demeanor. He doesn’t get rattled. He just shows up and races all with the same emotion and tone of voice no matter what happens. In my opinion he may have Lando rattled and is making him second think who runs that McLaren team. If Piastri can hold on and win this championship, we’re looking at the start of a new F1 era led by the quietest killer on the grid. He’s a silent assassin

After a wild weekend in Chicago and a sweep from Shane Von (IYKYK) here are the updated NASCAR power rankings . Honorable Mention: Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs both get an HM this week. Briscoe’s on his way out, and Gibbs is on his way in. After a, quite frankly, lucky win at Pocono, Briscoe’s been on a downward spiral. A decent day at Chicago went belly up late for Briscoe. Ty Gibbs, unlike his teammate, is on the up and up. After the best run of Gibbs’ career at Mexico, he followed it up with a solid run at Pocono, a strong run at Atlanta, and a race-winning run at Chicago. Match that with the fact that veteran Chris Gabehart is now atop the box to help this team into the playoffs, it’s clear the 54’s here to play. He seems to be the only one who can match SVG on the road courses, which bodes well considering where the Cup Series is heading this week. 10. Ryan Preece has figured out the road courses, it seems. After winning a stage at both COTA and Mexico, he finished P7 at Chicago. He heads to another road course this week, but has never finished better than 13th there, with 3 sub 15th place finishes. Preece has been incredibly consistent this year, however, and he could surprise some people this week. 9. Chris Buescher seemed to bring a fast car to Chicago…until lap 4 hit.  Engine issues plagued the 17, relegating him 2 laps down at one point. He rallied for 18th, but an overall disappointing day that saw him dropped a spot in the playoffs and lose about 15 points to the cutline. However, spirits should be up at Roush this week, as Chris hasn’t finished worse than 4th at Sonoma since the next gen car was introduced. If there’s ever a place for Buescher to lock into the playoffs, it’s here. 8. Back to back race winning runs has brought Tyler Reddick back into the top 10. He backed up a 4th at Atlanta with 3rd place runs in all three stages, earning him the most points on the day. Reddick’s put himself to 143 points above the cutline, and barring a generational falloff and many new winners, Reddick should make the playoffs. At this point, it’s time for the 45 to get back to victory lane. 7. Ross Chastain had an eventful Sunday, tangling with Joey Logano late. However, he had another strong run with a top 10 in the first and 3rd stage. He heads to Sonoma with an average finish of 7.25 minus his 33rd place run with Premium Motorsports in 2019. Since being in top equipment with Chip Ganassi, Chastain hasn’t finished worse than 10th. 6. I’m lost on CBell. Backing up a bad run with another bad run, Christopher needs some momentum…bad. The only thing keeping him this high on the list is the fact that they can win anytime, anywhere, and they’ve proved that many times with their must win situation victories in the playoffs. After 2 sub 20th place finishes his first 2 years, he has finished 9th the last 2 years at Sonoma. I’m sure after my negative words and how I’m losing faith in Bell, he’ll have a really good run and finish 4th this week.   5. Kyle Larson’s weekend started out rough, to say the least. After receiving some damage in practice and qualifying, the team opted to repair it and start from the back. Larson rebounded for a 14th, but still hasn’t led a lap since the 600. Sonoma’s been kind to Larson, however, as he has 2 wins here, including last year’s race. 4. Ryan Blaney had a solid day at Chicago, winning stage 2 and finishing 13th.  3. Chase Elliott captures his first win of the year and his 3rd top 5 in a row on 3 completely different racetracks. Chicago is far from his best road course, but it’s a road course nonetheless. He’s looking to continue his momentum. He finished 3rd here in 2023, thanks to some strategy, but last year had a rough race and finished 21st. His qualifying here doesn’t bode much confidence either, but at the same time, no one is hotter in the garage right now. 2. William Byron was also involved in the big one. I genuinely have nothing else to say as I never even saw him. He heads to a track where he has never finished worse than 13th before, while also being a sneaky good road course racer.  1. Denny Hamlin got wrecked, totaled, destroyed. But so did a lot of other people. He keeps his #1 spot, but I don’t like his road course numbers. He sat on the pole for the first ever race here, and ran decent, picking up an 11th, but since that race, Hamlin has lost his groove. Other than a 2nd at Watkins Glen and a pair of 14th’s at COTA and the Roval, his best road course finish is only 19th, with 3 sub-30th place finishes. I don’t see him staying at the #1 spot after this weekend.

After a rollercoaster season filled with injury setbacks, Jorge Martin is finally nearing his return to MotoGP action. The reigning world champion has been sidelined for over three months but is now set for a pivotal test session with Aprilia at Misano. Meanwhile, in Formula 1, Gene Haas has reportedly rejected several buyout offers to stay firmly at the helm of the Haas F1 Team, underlining his long-term commitment to the sport. And in a significant political move, American motorsports executive Tim Mayer has officially launched a campaign to challenge Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the presidency of the FIA later this year. Martin Set for Aprilia MotoGP Test Ahead of Czech Return Aprilia has confirmed that Jorge Martin will undergo a private MotoGP test at Misano on Wednesday, July 9, as he eyes a return to racing at the Czech Grand Prix next week. Martin has missed six consecutive Grands Prix due to a series of injuries, starting with a crash in Qatar and setbacks that followed, including missing rounds in Jerez, France, Britain, Aragon, Mugello, and the Netherlands. The Misano test is permitted under new rules pushed by Aprilia, that allow a rider returning from injury after missing at least three Grands Prix to test a MotoGP machine before resuming competition. Martin has already completed two unofficial sessions on an Aprilia RSV4 at the Circuit de Barcelona, doing nearly 100 laps to assess his fitness. He passed the preliminary medical checks necessary to ride, and while he won’t compete at the German GP this weekend, the Czech Republic Grand Prix looks set to mark his comeback. Returning before the summer break is crucial, not only to prevent further rust but to use the break to recover from his first race back and regain momentum in the title defense. Gene Haas Rebuffs Multiple Offers to Sell F1 Team While the Formula 1 paddock has been rife with rumors about team sales and investment shakeups, Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has put speculation to rest. According to Komatsu, team owner Gene Haas has rejected "numerous offers" to sell the team over the past 18 months. Despite the challenges the team has faced, including a poor showing at Silverstone and sitting ninth in the Constructors’ standings. Haas remains committed to staying in F1. “He enjoys being the owner, one of ten teams (soon to be one of eleven). It’s such a privileged position to be in,” Komatsu said. “He came in at a time when F1 wasn’t like this and stuck with us through Covid. He’s enjoying it. He’s not interested in selling at all.” To celebrate the team’s 10th anniversary and 200th Grand Prix, Haas and Komatsu will both get behind the wheel of the VF-23 and VF-24 at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. For Komatsu, it’s a symbolic moment: “When I asked him in Miami to drive the car, I said, ‘You’ve built this team, go enjoy what you created.’ He was nervous but agreed.” Tim Mayer Announces FIA Presidential Bid In a surprising turn of events within motorsports governance, American executive Tim Mayer has officially announced his candidacy for FIA President, setting up a challenge to incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December’s election. Mayer brings over three decades of motorsport experience and has held roles across a wide range of disciplines from Formula 1 to IndyCar, IMSA, Formula E, and WEC. He’s also no stranger to the FIA itself, having served as a member of its World Council and chairing the panel of F1 stewards for eight years before being removed from the role by Ben Sulayem last year. Now, Mayer is looking to bring what he calls “professionalism, transparency, and reform” back to the FIA under the banner of his “FIA Forward” campaign. “We need a professional organization that values our volunteers and Member Clubs and is looking for growth especially in underserved countries,” Mayer said. He praised Ben Sulayem’s 2021 manifesto for its ideals but criticized the lack of follow-through. “Four years ago, Mohammed came up with some very good ideas… but we’ve never had less transparency than we do now.”

Honorable Mention: Tyler Reddick had a good performance Saturday. He arguably had a race winning car, but a pit road penalty late relegated him to deep in the field. He still rebounded for a top 5 finish, but if he wants to make it back to the top 10 for rankings, I need to see some speed in a race that isn’t a superspeedway (much less a superspeedway with only half the field still intact after stage 2). 10. Ryan Preece Ryan Preece seemed to have yet another good run going before he was caught up in the lap 69 big one. Despite that, Preece still led a few laps and managed a top 15. He ran well at Mexico City a few weeks ago and won a stage at COTA earlier this year, but his best finish at Chicago is only 15th. RFK seems to be qualifying better though, and Preece will be looking for another good run. 9. Chase Briscoe One of the few people I’m moving is Chase Briscoe. Although we didn’t see much of him, I was not at all impressed. While running in 27th, Briscoe was swept up in the big one. Some might argue that he was riding in the back to get to the end, but the whole point of that is so that you can miss  the wreck, not piledrive into it. His best street course finish is 20th, so I’m not feeling much better this week either. 8. Chris Buescher Chris Buescher put together another good run at Atlanta, missing the big one with some strategy that put him on the front row as the wreck ensued behind him. From then on, he went on to lead 15 laps. Chris stalled late and ended up finishing 9th, but a solid run for the 17 is exactly what this team needed. He distanced himself on the cutline, and he‘s headed to a track where he has a top 10. 7. Ross Chastain Ross Chastain was also swept up in the big one tonight. However, unlike Briscoe, Ross was in 11th during the wreck, and I can’t judge him the same way I did Chase. While Chastain is a good road course racer, he has a best finish of 22nd atChicago, and a worst finish of…also 22nd. 6. Kyle Larson Kyle Larson finished at Atlanta after being caught up in q few wrecks. As a Larson fan, you’ve got to be pleased about that. Larson finished 4th in the inaugural race at Chicago, but last year, he took himself out early and finished 39th. If he keeps it clean, he’ll be fast. However, judging recently for Larson, that might be a big if.   5. Christopher Bell Christopher Bell had a bad night, to say the least. He lost his racecar late in stage one, taking out Ryan Blaney and damaging Bubba Wallace, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch and Kyle Larson in the process. Most Bell fans will be thrilled to head to a road course, but his best finish on the streets is only 18th. He has started both races inside the top 7, however. If he can find some race pace to match his qualifying efforts, the 20 might be a factor come Sunday. 4. Ryan Blaney Ryan Blaney never got a chance to show what he had. He played blocker for Joey Logano before pit strategy shuffled him behind the pack, to which Christopher Bell KO’d him. Blaney finishes last in an unfortunate showing at a track he’s found relative success at before. He heads to a track where he finished top 10 at last year. 3. Chase Elliott Chase Elliott captures his first win of the year and his 3rd top 5 in a row on 3 completely different racetracks. Chicago is far from his best road course, but it’s a road course nonetheless. He’s looking to continue his momentum. He finished 3rd here in 2023, thanks to some strategy, but last year had a rough race and finished 21st. His qualifying here doesn’t bode much confidence either, but at the same time, no one is hotter in the garage right now. 2. William Byron William Byron was also involved in the big one. I genuinely have nothing else to say as I never even saw him. He heads to a track where he has never finished worse than 13th before, while also being a sneaky good road course racer.  1. Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin got wrecked, totaled, destroyed. But so did a lot of other people. He keeps his #1 spot, but I don’t like his road course numbers. He sat on the pole for the first ever race here, and ran decent, picking up an 11th, but since that race, Hamlin has lost his groove. Other than a 2nd at Watkins Glen and a pair of 14th’s at COTA and the Roval, his best road course finish is only 19th, with 3 sub-30th place finishes. I don’t see him staying at the #1 spot after this weekend.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Reddick is on the biggest slump of his career since he started winning races. He hasn’t won since October of last year, and only has 3 top 5s on the year. The only reason he’s even getting a mention is because of the speed this team showed last year. It’s panic time for Tyler Reddick, and if a few more people below the cutline win races, it’s a legitimate possibility that Reddick could miss the playoffs.  10. Ryan Preece has to be the surprise of the year so far. Many, including myself, an RFK fan, labeled him at most as a top 20 points finisher and a possible winner at a short track. Now? Preece looks like a threat almost every week, and it’s not that impossible to believe that he could make the playoffs with a win before the playoffs. RFK has struggled at Atlanta, but Roush Yates engines are always a playing factor at superspeedways. 9. Chris Buescher is going to win sooner rather than later. Book It. (Not biased). He may have had the fastest car on Sunday, but dirty air mired him back in 4th. Chris might be the hottest driver right now who hasn’t won a race, other than one other driver. Buescher hasn’t found success at Atlanta recently, although he does have a superspeedway victory at Daytona in 2023. 8. Ever since his Coke 600 victory, Ross Chastain has cooled off tremendously. He was a relative no-show at Pocono, finishing 26th and collecting no stage points. Chastain needs a shake up to break this slump, and he might be getting exactly what he wants. Since the superspeedway repave, Chastain has 2 runner ups at Atlanta, both in 2022, and other than a wreck in 2023 that relegated him to 35th, he hasn’t finished worse than 13th. He’s also led laps in 5 of the 7 Atlanta superspeedway races.  7. As I mentioned last week, the qualifying speed for Chase Briscoe has faltered a little. Also as I mentioned, this seemed to be a good thing. And a good thing it was. Briscoe picked up his first black and white tablecloth of the year at Pocono, holding off the track’s best to do it. It’s the first time the 19 team has celebrated since 2023. They may as well keep celebrating all week and forget about Atlanta, as Briscoe has only one top 15 there since the repave, a measly 15th in the inaugural race. He’s only led 10 laps total, and I don’t see him being a factor at all. 6. Chase Elliott’s problem is he’s good…when everyone else around him is great. He captured his first back to back top 5s of the season and finally looks to have competitive speed. He’s arguably the hottest guy in the sport right now, and he heads to a place he’s all to familiar with. Elliott will be back at his home track, a place that shined brightly on him back in 2022. His worst finish since the repave has only been 20th, and he has 5 top 15s and 3 top 10s. Elliott looks to lock up another win in front of the hometown crowd come Saturday.   5. Kyle Larson is in a long slump right now…or at least a long slump for him. Larson hasn’t won in a whole 5 races. Like I said, a long time. With that being said, it’s been a minute since he’s even had a race winning car, and I don’t see that changing Saturday. Other than a bronze medal in the spring, Larson hasn’t finished better than 30th but once, a 13th place run in 2022. Atlanta has not been kind to the 5 team.  4. Ryan Blaney looked back to normal after a few weeks off. Twice on Sunday, he drove from deep in the field to the front. If dirty air wasn’t such a factor, it’s very possible that he’d have Pocono win #3 of his career. Instead, he had to settle for 3rd. Blaney has 4 superspeedway wins, with one at Daytona and 3 at Talladega. Other than his first outing at the track with a 17th place run, Blaney has a worst finish of 9th at Atlanta. You heard me: 9th. Blaney last 3 finishes at Atlanta have been 2, 3, 4 in that order, and he’s looking for Atlanta win #1. 3. Christopher Bell is an oddity. He started off hot and has dramatically cooled off. Every couple of races, he brings a race winning car sandwiched between a few mediocre runs. Sunday was a stale piece of bread in that sandwich, as he came home in 17th. Bell was quoted earlier in the year, saying, “I hate superspeedway racing.” His opinion changed, however, after he won at this track earlier in the spring. While he’s not my first pick at Atlanta, he is the most recent winner. 2. William Byron just came off the most disappointing weekend of his life. Rumblings were that this car was bad fast, and it showed in practice. He was top of the charts, and he looked to do the same in qualifying…until he spun out and started 31st. An up and down day resulted in a 27th place finish. An untimely caution trapped them deep in the field late in the race, and unlike Brad Keselowski, who restarted next to him, Byron couldn’t make up hardly any spots. He does have a few wins at Atlanta, though, and could easily turn around his luck this weekend.  1. It's hard to miss a race and go to #1 on the rankings, and yet, that’s exactly what Denny Hamlin did. He picked up where he left off at Michigan with a pole. He led every lap of stage 1 and worked his way back to the front late. This race seemed on lock as Chase Briscoe, who leapfrogged him on pit road, was going to run out of gas, until a caution came out, giving Briscoe just enough gas to get to the end. Hamlin finished P2, and he heads to a superspeedway, something he’s very good at (although, his Atlanta finishes don’t inspire much confidence).

Broc Feeney Is A 22 Year Old Phenom From Australia Broc Feeney’s rise in the world of Australian motorsport has been nothing short of impressive. At just 22 years old, he's already a multi-race winner at the highest level of Supercars, and has claimed marquee wins like the Adelaide 500, and is carrying the torch for one of the most iconic teams in the sport, the Red Bull Ampol Racing team as a part of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s driver lineup. But before he was flying down the streets of Surfers Paradise in a beautiful Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaro, Feeney’s first foray into racing wasn’t on four wheels. “I grew up following my dad’s footsteps on motorbikes,” he said in our exclusive interview. “But we went on a holiday to Thailand and went to the hire karts and fell in love with it. We were good friends with the Doohans and Jack had started karting, so we went and watched him and then got into it.” as he talked about his transition to 4 wheels. Feeney Originally Started Racing On Two Wheels But Quickly Made The Move To Karts That passion quickly evolved into a career path, though the road in Australia is more focused on one Series compared to those growing up in the United States, where young racers can choose from NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, or even Supercross. “We only have the one premier category in Australia,” Feeney explained. “We find young kids these days try their luck in Europe, but I think there is now a good pathway to Supercars with the Toyota 86 Series and Super2. But of course, it’s super difficult and expensive, as all motorsports is.” Since debuting in Supercars in 2020, Feeney has grown tremendously, and he credits much of that personal and professional development to the environment at Triple Eight Race Engineering. “I think I’ve matured quite a bit, and that’s a big reason why I love 888 so much, I have a group of people that I look up to and want to grow up around. Lucky to be in such a good team with good morals.” With young drivers now having access to more data than ever before, there's an ongoing debate about whether it helps or hinders natural race craft. Feeney is firmly in the camp that believes data is a tool if used correctly. “I think data is great, there is no hiding. I really delve into the data and try to understand everything going on. I think the more you can use it and understand, it will only help.” That attention to detail is something Feeney picked up from seven-time champion Jamie Whincup, who now serves as his Team Principal and Managing Director of Triple Eight Race Engineering. “It was super special to come in under Jamie,” Feeney said. “The first part where I really started to notice was the first year when he co-drove with me at Bathurst. I learned so much about his preparation and how he sees things differently to everyone else. I’d like to think that has now washed onto me and I’m much more critical of the little details.” 7 Time Champion Jamie Whincup Has Been Key In Feeney's Growth Outside of Supercars, Feeney has been exploring opportunities in GT and open- wheel cars to sharpen his skills. “I’ve just been trying to race more. With 14 events a year, there is plenty of time to expand my skill set and try to improve. I really enjoy challenging myself and keeping active in the car.” That openness to new experiences has fuelled rumours that Feeney could be among the next wave of Supercars stars to race in the US, following in the footsteps of Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin and current teammate Will Brown. “I think since SVG has done it, it’s much more appealing,” Feeney admitted when talking about a potential NASCAR ride. “I’d love to challenge myself, especially on a road course. It looks somewhat similar to a Supercar and I want to see what it’s about and try to learn some new things.” We got a quick word with Van Gisbergen on his way to the grid at Pocono, we asked him is the sky the limit for his former teammate and he smiled and said "of course". While Feeney isn’t one to tweak some parts on the car himself, he takes pride in being hands-on with preparation and decision-making. “I don’t touch the car at all, but I’d like to think I am hands-on away from the track. I focus a lot on preparation by using documents to fill out before and during each event. I try to learn as much as I can. It’s hard to develop with these current cars, but it’s something I’ve probably taken more on since Shane left. We have two young guys now and I really enjoy being a big part of the decisions we make in and out of the car.” Feeney Is Only 22 And Already Has 20 Supercars Wins With 14 events on the Supercars calendar, Feeney believes there’s room to grow. “For sure, I’d like to do a few more rounds maybe 15. It allows me to race outside of Supercars, which I really enjoy. So I hope we get a few more, which still allows me to race other series.” When asked how he would describe Supercars to someone unfamiliar, especially fans in the U.S. just now discovering the series, Feeney put it simply: “I’d say it’s Aussie NASCAR but only on road courses. It’s some of the closest racing in the world. Fields separated by only tenths of seconds on a track.” Also like NASCAR the Supercars series uses Chevy Camaros and Ford Mustangs with the Toyota Supra coming soon, who knows maybe Dodge gets in the mix. Although he only had one full season in the Gen 2 era before the switch to Gen 3, Feeney already has opinions on what could be improved. “There are still some things that could be improved, but I do really enjoy the car. The steering has been brought up a lot it’s still far from perfect but much better than when we started. We interlock wheels a lot when we race, causing quite a few crashes. And we should continue developing the tires. Our new tire is a step in the right direction but still can continue to improve with heat.”  If he could add tracks to the calendar, his answer was simple. “I think more street races for us. I’d love to race ONE RACEWAY,” he said. And when I asked what he wants his trophy cabinet to look like decades from now, he said, “My goal at the moment is Supercars Championships and the Bathurst 1000. They are the biggest trophies in Australia. But I’d like to have some of the big 24-hour races. I’m not so worried about what’s in the cabinet apart from Supercars, but I’d love to compete in some of the biggest races in the world.” With all the discourse and online think pieces on who is better between NASCAR champion Kyle Larson or F1 champion Max Verstappen, I presented with the hypothetical of would win in a Supercar showdown between Max Verstappen and Kyle Larson, Feeney gave a great answer. “I think it’s tough in a Supercar. Depends on how much track time they get. Out the gate, you’d think Kyle due to it being so similar, but someone like Max is going to get extremely fast. Hopefully Kyle comes and races Supercars soon.” Many Believe Feeney Is The Next Supercars Superstar Out of all the wins in his young career, none meant more to him than his first. “Adelaide 500 just being the first win, but also because it was the last for Holden,” Feeney said. Finally, when asked if Supercars should adopt a NASCAR-style program where drivers can win money out of a pool of $1 million USD for doing appearances in commercials, activations and more, Feeney was honest. “Obviously I like the idea of money, but it might be a stretch for us in Aussie. I think we’d be more happy to do more appearances if there was more of an incentive, but I’m not worried. To be honest, I wouldn’t do more just because of the money.” Whether it’s chasing a Supercars title or trying new disciplines abroad, Broc Feeney is building a career that blends raw talent, growth, and a deep respect for motorsports. As fans in both Australia and around the world start to pay closer attention, one thing is clear: Feeney’s journey is only just beginning and nothing will stop him.

Layne Riggs is a second-generation driver from Bahama, North Carolina, deep in ACC country right outside the campuses of Duke and UNC, and now even deeper into his rise in the NASCAR world. We caught up with him in his hauler at Pocono Raceway just after he scored the pole position for the Truck Series race, and what stood out immediately wasn’t the excitement or nerves. It was calm. Quiet confidence. The kind of quiet that can’t be faked earned only through years of racing, building, and learning. Despite carrying the name of a Cup Series veteran, his father Scott Riggs, Layne’s journey has been anything but handed to him. Yes, his dad opened some doors, but as Layne put it, “...the hard work paid off, and all those late nights and phone calls and cold calls ended up making sense.” For every connection that came from his last name, there were countless hours of grinding behind the scenes, much of it handled by Layne and his longtime agent Jay, who also represented his father back in the day. It’s a generational effort, but make no mistake, this is Layne’s career to build. He started racing at 12 in Late Model Stocks and quickly rose through the short track ranks. The big breakthrough came in 2022 when he captured the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship. That same year, he was balancing life as a full-time mechanical engineering student at UNC Charlotte. He told us that there was a point where he nearly walked away from it all: “I told myself, before I got this opportunity [with Front Row Motorsports], if I didn’t have a national series ride by graduation, I was going to hang up the helmet and get a ‘real job’.” The opportunity came just in time. Like Many Drivers In The US, Layne Riggs Started On The Short Track Circuit When asked whether he considers himself a Front Row Motorsports up and comer, a Ford driver program guy, or a lone wolf looking for the best path forward, he gave a thoughtful answer. “I’m fully dedicated to Front Row Motorsports, they’ve given me my first opportunity… but you know, no matter what, if a great opportunity comes, it'd be hard to pass.” That kind of honest, forward-thinking mindset is exactly why Layne is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the sharpest young racers in the garage. And that loyalty speaks volumes where some drivers are moving teams every year, Layne is taking things at his pace and won’t put himself in a bad position. It doesn’t make sense to go from winning in Trucks to running 30th in Cup just because you want to say you’re a cup driver. While Front Row Motorsports is not just a Truck team they also field a competitive Cup team, I asked Layne on how things have been working under the same roof as them. Layne told us how the Cup guys let him do his thing “Zane (Smith) raced this Truck before me,But you know a lot of the time they just kind of let me do it and they trust me”.  Shortly before the Cup race I got to talk with Zane and asked him to describe Layne in three words he replied with a smile and said “Unique,Funny, and Country”  anf that shows on how close the FRM bunch it is across both series and how they are letting Layne do his thing and be fast. Scott Riggs Raced In All 3 NASCAR National Series His thoughts on the current state of the Truck Series were refreshingly blunt. He called it “Aggressive, Desperate, and Inspiring,” noting that the field has shifted from seasoned short-track veterans to mostly young drivers fighting to make a name for themselves. That change has made it more intense but also more chaotic. He’d love to see more class return to the series but knows the format incentivizes risk-taking. On the topic of improvement, Layne said the schedule could use work. “Before last weekend, we raced seven in a row, then after Lime Rock it’s three weeks off.” That imbalance can put certain teams, especially smaller ones at a serious disadvantage. When asked about the differences between the open ladder of American stock car racing and the more rigid paths seen in European motorsports, Layne said he preferred the American model, where there are multiple ways to reach the top. But he was quick to point out its flaws too, particularly how money can outshine talent. “We need a system to reward talent over who bought the best equipment.” Coming from someone who has lived both sides of the grind hard to show off his talent and not having the massive financial backing that other young drivers have, that message carries real weight. We even talked about the idea if NASCAR had some kinda draft system which is fun in theory but would probably never happen Layne Won Pole And The Race At Pocono But don’t mistake Layne Riggs for someone playing the victim with his view. He’s quiet, but he’s not passive. He’s not afraid to race hard and mix it up whether it results in a win or loss, especially now that he's part of a team where he feels supported. His support system includes his right-hand man Alex and his trusted agent Jay. As for his racing mindset, it's pure: he’s not here for the fame or the spotlight. He just wants to go fast, have fun with his friends and family, and most importantly win. We also talked a bit about the culture and character that surrounds the sport. His favorite racing movies? “Cars, Days of Thunder, and Talladega Nights.” That last one especially hits home, his dad Scott was actually sponsored by the Cars  movie in 2006, and Layne got to see the film before anyone else. “Dad was sponsored by the Cars movie in 2006, and we got to see the movie before anyone else,” he recalled with a grin. 6 year old me is extremely jealous right now. Scott Riggs Racing With A Cars Movie Themed Paint Scheme And yes, we had to ask, did he pass his driver’s test on the first try? “I did okay. You can miss like five questions, and I missed four.” His first car? A truck his dad bought in 2002 handed down by his dad, which he drove all through high school. With talk swirling about whether he’s ready for a move up to Cup or Xfinity, Layne doesn’t seem flustered. He’s focused on winning now, in trucks, with the team that believed in him. What happens next will come when it’s time. But he made one thing clear: this isn’t just a career. It’s a mission. In his own words, “I just want to race the best and show what I can do.” Whether that happens next year or the year after, one thing’s certain: Layne Riggs isn’t following someone’s script. He’s writing his own and it’s getting harder to ignore with every lap. And he backed things up by winning the Truck race a couple hours after our talk in great fashion Riggs Won At Pocono After Our Interview With Him

Recently we got to sit down and talk with Tabitha Ambrose, a 19 Year old driver from Australia. Now as you may know the motorsports world has always walked a fine line between heritage and individuality between honoring those who came before and defining one’s own future. For Tabitha Ambrose, that line isn't theoretical. It’s a lived reality. The daughter of Marcos Ambrose, a two-time V8 Supercars champion and the first Aussie to win a NASCAR race in the modern era, Tabitha grew up on both sides of the Pacific, surrounded by the smell of burning rubber, the roar of engines, and the complexities of balancing racing and life. But to understand Tabitha, you have to set aside the last name for a moment. She’s not interested in merely continuing the already written legacy. She’s determined to build something of her own, a new chapter in a family book already thick with racing lore. In a recent conversation conducted by Cassandra, we were given a front-row seat into that process: the ups, the struggles, the little joys, and the massive ambition that drives Tabitha forward. Tabitha Ambrose Races the 45 Pirtek Car In Formula Ford From the beginning, she’s been around racing. “I was born in 2005, and within two months, we moved to America for Dad’s NASCAR career,” she recalled. “So, from the time I could form memories, the track was just part of life. That’s where weekends happened. That’s where family time happened. It didn’t feel like a job or a spectacle it just felt normal.” Tabitha spent nine years in the U.S., soaking in the NASCAR atmosphere in its prime. She remembers playgrounds tucked into the infield of sprawling ovals, days spent in the Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) daycare program, and nights watching her dad prep for battle on circuits from Talladega to Sonoma. “Some of my earliest and clearest memories are from MRO,” she said with a smile. “It was more than a babysitting service. It was a whole world  our world. All the drivers’ kids were there. It had toys, playgrounds, crafts. That was our paddock.” She also remembers the celebrities. “Meeting Richard Petty was definitely a highlight. He’s just so cool. And the hat is iconic,” she said. “But honestly, it was the little stuff sitting in the car, playing with tools in the garage, getting picked up by dad after the race that made it so special.” Now, Tabitha’s the one in the cockpit. She’s racing in Australia’s Formula Ford Super Series, a raw and technical open-wheel category that’s forged the careers of some of the country’s greatest drivers. “They’re brutal,” she admits. “There’s no power steering, no downforce, no frills. Just you, the car, and the road. But that’s what makes them so rewarding. Every corner teaches you something.” Her 2025 campaign has been a steep learning curve, but exhilarating. “It’s been a challenge, but I feel like I’m progressing every weekend,” she explained. “I can feel myself getting better. I watch the onboard, and I’m like, ‘Hey, that’s not too bad!’ But really, I’m just having a blast. I love this stuff.” That love comes with deep roots. “Dad’s been through it all, so he gets it. He’s so supportive, never pushes, never pressures. He always says, ‘If you’re not enjoying it, let’s stop. It’s not worth doing if it’s not fun.’ But I do love it. I’ve got the bug. I don’t want to stop.” There’s also continuity in her racing journey, particularly through her partnership with Pirtek. “They’ve been with us forever, they sponsored Dad in the Supercars era, and now I get to represent them too. We’re running the Pirtek No. 45 to mark their 45th anniversary, which is so special,” she said. “They’re a generational business, and so are we. Some of the store owners’ kids are taking over now, just like I’m taking the reins from Dad. It’s all connected.” Despite her pedigree, Tabitha insists that the support she’s received has never felt conditional or performance-based. “Even from fans or people in the paddock it’s always been positive,” she said. “I think people understand that I’m learning. I’m trying to build something. And they’re on board with that. There’s not this constant comparison to Dad that you might expect.” Marcos Ambrose Won 2 V8 Supercars Titles When Cassandra asked about the differences between Australian and American racing culture, Tabitha offered an insightful breakdown. “America is just so driven. It’s like, ‘Let’s race. Let’s win.’ There’s this relentless push. Australia’s similar, but we’ve got more European influence — especially now with the F4 Australia series and stuff. It’s a bit more methodical. I’ve been lucky to experience both. And I think it gives me an edge.” While talking to Tabitha about her time in the U.S Cassandra referenced a very funny moment of Marcos Ambrose's career when he got the NASCAR broadcast team to try vegemite sandwiches. When asked if she has the same taste for Vegemite Tabitha laughed as she said “..I LOVE Vegemite, You’re not Australian if you don't like Vegemite”.  She also has plans that stretch well beyond Formula Ford. “I’m looking at dirt racing this summer,” she said. “I want to try the Little 600 or maybe the 500 cars. Just get sideways a bit. But long-term, I’ve got my eyes on Trans Am. I think it’s the perfect bridge to the U.S. If I can make it work, and I’m good enough, I want to end up there. Maybe even run some ovals. That’s the dream.” When talking about her time in Formula Ford Tabitha lit up when talking about the cars and what it takes to handle them. She really likes how they are lightweight and are low on grip so it provides some great racing and allows drivers to try different racing lines to battle and pass others. And the extra challenge of no power steering makes it even more fun. Maybe some Indycar or High Limits dirt racing is in her future. Many Great Australian Drivers Started In Formula Ford Her ambition is steady and focused, but there’s no bravado, just determination. And part of that drive comes from knowing she represents something larger than herself. As a young woman in motorsport, Tabitha knows she’s part of a growing movement, one that’s opening doors and shattering assumptions across the industry. “It’s so exciting,” she said. “When I raced karts in Tasmania, I was the only girl in my class. But now? We’ve got races like the Pink Plate all-girl karting events where you race your mates and just have fun. It’s all about building community. And it’s working.” She’s quick to credit the people around her. “The support in Australia has been amazing. I’ve never really had anyone say, ‘You shouldn’t be here.’ Everyone’s been great. And we’ve got so many women now in engineering, officiating, mechanics. It’s not just drivers. It’s everywhere.” Still, she doesn’t let that identity overshadow her goals. “When I put the helmet on, I’m a racer. That’s it. I don’t want to be ‘the girl racer.’ I want to be fast. I want to improve. I see someone set a quick lap, I want to beat it. That’s how I think. And the track doesn’t care who you are it just cares how you drive.” We also asked her what her view is when it comes to advancing women who are on the driver path. Is it better to have a scholarship system that will fund a driver in any series she wished to participate in or an all women championship like F1 Academy. In her response she said “I find it hard having a women’s only championship. Because I think for racing you just want to race against the best..” Which seems to be the sentiment. She didn't discount the work F1 Academy has done, but just thinks it would be better to integrate rather than segregate racing series. 2025 Is Tabitha's First Season In Formula Ford We were also able to add in some fan questions. One fan asked “Can you describe Formula Ford in 3 words?” Ambrose responded with “Open,Tough,Challenging” which shows the grit Australian racers have like her father Marcos, Will Power, and others have shown. Another fan asked “ What is the most challenging thing when competing in motorsport?” Tabitha reflected on the post race blues after having a tough race or session where you know you could have done something different. But the easiest part in her opinion would be the hard work she puts in. And yes we asked the most important question of all. Who’s her favorite character from Cars. Between Mater and Lighting McQueen, Tabitha selected the legendary Light McQueen. As the conversation wound down, it was clear that Tabitha Ambrose is building something not just a career, but a narrative that’s entirely her own. It’s one of joy, effort, evolution, and purpose. And it’s still just getting started. Marcos Ambrose Also Won Races In NASCAR “I don’t know exactly where I’ll end up,” she said. “But I’m gonna give it everything. One corner, one race, one season at a time.” Whether she ends up in a Trans Am paddock, dirt track oval, or top-tier formula series, one thing’s for sure: she’s not following anyone’s path. She’s carving her own. And that might just be the most Ambrose thing of all.