Latest news with #JRM
Mint
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Super sub Kyle Larson battles to 2OT win at Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Crew chief Mardy Lindley called his shot. "We've got to stop to win," Lindley radioed to driver Kyle Larson, subbing for injured Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Lindley was right. Larson made a late pit stop and proceeded to win Saturday's Andy's Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in two overtimes. The victory was Larson's second of the season, his second at Texas and the 17th of his career, with Larson charging from the seventh position on a Lap 194 restart -- behind six cars that stayed out on older tires -- to win in two extra periods. On Lap 188, Larson was cruising to a probable win with a lead of more than six seconds when Corey Day -- in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Larson drove to a dominating win at Bristol in mid-April -- hit the tire barrier on the inside of Turn 3 to cause the ninth of 11 cautions. That's when Lindley made the call to bring Larson to pit road, and ultimately it paid off. After moving from third to second on the first overtime restart, Larson took the lead from defending race winner Sam Mayer in the second overtime and pulled away to win by 1.265 seconds over Taylor Gray, who "Thanks to JRM for letting me come run this thing here today. Obviously, I wish Connor was in the car, but it means a lot that they thought of me to call up to run this thing." As Larson worked his way through the field twice -- once from the 20th starting position and again after an uncontrolled tire penalty sent him to the rear after the first stage break -- Allgaier led a race-high 99 laps and kept Larson at bay until a cycle of green-flag pit stops in the final stage scrambled the running order. It was during that cycle that Allgaier's race came to an untimely end. Running 12th after pitting on Lap 153, Allgaier closed fast on the No. 5 Chevrolet of Kris Wright near the exit from Turn 4. Wright failed to hold the bottom lane and drifted up the track into Allgaier's line. Allgaier made a move toward the inside but couldn't avoid Wright's car. The No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet slammed into the outside wall in the tri-oval, slid down onto the infield grass and ended the race on a wrecker. Allgaier, who had lost position to Larson during the pit sequence, was gracious in his assessment of the wreck that ended his day. "The hard part is, ultimately it falls on my shoulders," Allgaier said. "We'd about gotten crashed a couple laps before the green-flag stop there, and I think they had some damage and he (Wright) was having a bit of a tough time with his race car, and I'm trying to catch back to the 88 and trying to push and ultimately put myself in a bad position ... "Kyle and I had a great battle, and I was having a lot of fun with it. Obviously, the guy's ultra-fast in anything that he drives ... I think probably the most disappointing part about today is that it's my mom's birthday. I would love to get a trophy and celebrate her birthday with that, but instead I'm standing here talking to you guys." Allgaier's exit opened the door for Mayer, Gray, Austin Hill and Nick Sanchez. Driving the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet, Sanchez ran consistently in the top five until the second overtime, when he hit the wall and dropped to 20th at the finish. Riley Herbst finished third after restarting sixth in the final overtime, with Hill coming home fourth, Mayer fifth and Harrison Burton sixth. Jesse Love, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones and Jeb Burton completed the top 10. NASCAR Xfinity Series Race -- Andy's Frozen Custard 300 1. (20) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 208. 2. (12) Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 208. 3. (27) Riley Herbst(i), Toyota, 208. 4. (1) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 208. 5. (7) Sam Mayer, Ford, 208. 6. (5) Harrison Burton, Ford, 208. 7. (3) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 208. 8. (31) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 208. 9. (21) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 208. 10. (4) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 208. 11. (9) Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 208. 12. (10) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 208. 13. (35) William Sawalich #, Toyota, 208. 14. (34) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 208. 15. (8) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 208. 16. (33) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 208. 17. (18) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 208. 18. (22) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 208. 19. (13) Carson Kvapil #, Chevrolet, 208. 20. (14) Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 208. 21. (32) Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 207. 22. (26) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 207. 23. (19) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 207. 24. (11) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 207. 25. (37) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 207. 26. (28) Mason Maggio, Ford, 207. 27. (16) Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 205. 28. (24) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 205. 29. (15) Nick Leitz, Chevrolet, 204. 30. (8) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 201. 31. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 200. 32. (36) Katherine Legge(i), Chevrolet, 200. 33. (30) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 199. 34. (17) Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, Vibration, 165. 35. (2) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 155. 36. (6) Sheldon Creed, Ford, Accident, 104. 37. (29) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Accident, 97. 38. (23) Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, Engine, 47. Average Speed of Race Winner: 106.424 mph. Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 55 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.265 Seconds. Caution Flags: 11 for 62 laps. Lead Changes: 12 among 6 drivers. Lap Leaders: J. Allgaier 1-24;A. Hill 25;J. Allgaier 26-49;A. Hill 50-102;J. Allgaier 103-153;S. Mayer 154-158;D. Dye # 159;K. Larson(i) 160-189;A. Hill 190-192;N. Sanchez # 193;S. Mayer 194-206;K. Larson(i) 207-208. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Justin Allgaier 3 times for 99 laps; Austin Hill 3 times for 57 laps; Kyle Larson(i) 2 times for 32 laps; Sam Mayer 2 times for 18 laps; Nick Sanchez # 1 time for 1 lap; Daniel Dye # 1 time for 1 lap. Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,88,48,21,41,00,39,20,27,42 Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,7,00,48,41,19,2,17,20,54 --Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media First Published: 4 May 2025, 04:34 AM IST
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Northern Mariana Islands: Residents Weigh The Costs Of A US Military Build-Up On Tinian
, RNZ Pacific Guam Correspondent From the air, Tinian looks like a green patch in the blue Pacific. Just six miles wide and seven miles long, you can drive across it in under an hour. Yet, it is big enough to hold a World War 2-era airbase, atomic bombs that ended the war, and the site of a current US military build-up that includes airfield expansion and training ranges. Tinian resident and local hotel owner Deborah Fleming drove me up to North Field during my 72 hour-visit to the island. It is the site of several runways north of the island built during World War 2 from which two American planes took off to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, it is being refurbished under the US military's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine, a way to quickly move forces across the Pacific to confuse and enemy and avoid concentrating forces in one place. "It alerts me, something is imminent," Fleming said when she saw more jungle being cleared as we arrived at North Field. "But it's better to be prepared." Fleming was a child when her father and other Tinian residents were debating whether to lease land to the US military for the purpose of building a base. "The promise was that they would build schools, hospitals. My elders' main interest was school," said Fleming. This was part of the agreement made between the US and the founding fathers of Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' (CNMI) back in 1975. Don Farrell, a Tinian-based military historian, explained that when CNMI's Covenant - the archipelago's governing document - was written, it outlined CNMI's right to control its internal matters while granting the federal government sovereignty over its foreign affairs and defense. As a result, the US government negotiated to lease two-thirds of land on Tinian for 50 years. "The people of Tinian are seeing approximately $1 billion dollars in [Department of Defence] contracts for construction projects here," Farrell said. "We have seen virtually nothing in the way of federal funding to support, help develop the island of Tinian for the people of Tinian. That is causing some friction. But not causing civil disobedience or anything like that." Joint Region Marianas (JRM), which oversees installation management for all Department of Defence (DoD) projects in the region, told KPRG/RNZ Pacific that there are no plans for the DoD to "construct medical facilities or a hospital on Tinian at this time." JRM added that the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Marianas real estate team is "preparing a lease amendment to accommodate the return of about 30 acres of land for a future landfill within the Atgidon military lease area on Tinian." Instead, the Defense Department proposed to create what they called the CNMI Joint Military Training Facility (CJMT) in 2015. It would serve as a training ground for the thousands of troops relocating from Okinawa to Guam's Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz to train. A blueprint of the plan included ripping out a reef to practice amphibious landings, high hazard impact training like shootings and bombings, ship-to-shore launches using howitzers, and live bombing a smaller island just north of Tinian called Pagan Island. Their plans were so outrageous that there was a huge backlash. "The Tinian's Women's Association, Guardians of Gani, Pagan Watch, The Center for Biodiversity, we pulled together and sued regarding the military build up here," Fleming said, who was a spokesperson for one of the four community groups. The case went all the way up to the ninth circuit court. They lost. "I don't believe we lost," Fleming said, adding that a result of this lawsuit led to the scaling down of CJMT. "There's not going to be a multi-spectrum bombing range here. Now, it's going to be a firing range. More small scale." But those airfield runways? Hundreds of acres of jungle are still being cleared. While vegetation removal efforts are underway across North Field, austere landings are already happening. A Divert Airfield near Tinian's airport is expected to finish construction by 2027. It'll provide an alternative landing site for the US Air Force in case Guam's Andersen Air Force base in unavailable or down. According to Tinian's mayor Edwin Aldan the military build-up has brought a "big change" for the island. "The impact on this military build-up has brought the economic base for Tinian Island hundred folds in taxes and job opportunities," said Aldan, who was a former police officer for the island home to just about 2,000 people and has a minimum wage of $7.25. U.S. military contractors are offering more than twice that amount for starting wage ($17.25 to be exact). Aldan said that's a lot of money for locals with little to no work experience. "But I just want to make sure that when [the military] leave, we got something behind to sustain ourselves, which is tourism," Aldan said. Most hotel accommodation on Tinian have been booked for two to three years on end due to military developments. "We're having trouble and problems in trying to make the tourists stay for longer - three, four days - because all of these rooms are taken," he said. The build-up and influx of contractors have also sent housing costs soaring. Prior to 2018, Aldan said a two-bedroom home would cost around $80,000. Now, a one-bedroom can go up to $180,000. "The demand was huge. The supply was limited," Alan Perez said, financial advisor to the mayor. "Prices have gone up considerably." Deborah Fleming is a witness to this. "It's hard on the locals, and even the contractors. There's just no housing," she said. "It's extremely expensive." While some people might see it as a problem, Aldan said the build-up is necessary as it's creating job opportunities for people and helping the economy. Historian Don Farrell agrees, noting that most residents have no say about what happens. "The people of Tinian don't have direct access to decision makers, right? That's all in Saipan through the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs. They talk, but they don't communicate with us either," he said. "So we usually don't know what's happening, as far as the military is concerned, until something happens, and we get some kind of a public information release. So everybody here is essentially in the dark." Farrell emphasised that the build-up is a federal issue. "We are outside of the loop and communications." This does not deter Fleming. "Honest to God, I'd rather be an American than under Chinese or even Russia," she said. "Because there's due process. You have the freedom to speak. You're guaranteed the right to speak. That's important for self-preservation, for the preservation of our community, our culture, our thinking."
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Connor Zilisch to miss Saturday's Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway
Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch, one of NASCAR's top rising stars, will miss Saturday's race at Texas Motor Speedway due to lower back injuries from a hard crash during last week's race. The 18-year-old was leading on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway when contact from Jesse Love turned Zilisch, causing him to spin and crash into the inside retaining wall. Zilisch impacted the wall so forcefully that all four wheels lifted off the ground. Advertisement Once his car stopped, Zilisch told his JR Motorsports team over the radio that he was in pain and his back hurt. He was able to get out of the car on his own without assistance and was taken to Talladega's infield care, where he was 'evaluated and released,' though he was observed walking gingerly. 'I'm all good, thankfully,' Zilisch said after leaving the care center. 'This is one of those wrecks where you just kind of tingle your toes and move your legs and make sure you're still good. It hurt, and I'll be sore, but very grateful to walk away.' When asked about his back by The Athletic, Zilisch said: 'X-rays were all good. Just a big hit like that, everything compresses and you feel it. So, yeah, I'm all good.' He went on to say he would be good to race at Texas but likely would visit a doctor mid-week 'to make sure everything's OK and get a final check.' The extent of Zilisch's injuries was not disclosed Wednesday, nor was the timeline for his return. The Xfinity Series is off for the next two weeks, with its next race not until May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With Zilisch sidelined, JRM named Kyle Larson to drive its No. 88 Chevrolet at Texas. Larson drives in NASCAR's premier Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, which has a tight affiliation with JRM, co-owned by former Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Zilisch is in his first full season in NASCAR's second-tier series, where he is the leading Rookie of the Year contender. He has one win and three top-10 finishes in 11 races and ranks fourth in laps led.
NBC Sports
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
JR Motorsports takes top three spots in NASCAR Xfinity qualifying at Las Vegas
JR Motorsports, led by Sammy Smith, swept the top three spots in Friday's NASCAR Xfinity qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the third time JR Motorsports has swept the top three spots in Xfinity qualifying. MORE: Las Vegas starting lineup The 20-year-old Smith scored his third career pole with a lap of 183.455 mph on the 1.5-mile speedway. Smith's teammate, Carson Kvapil qualified second with a lap of 183.038 mph. It is the best starting spot in the Xfinity Series for the 21-year-old Kvapil, who will be making his 14th career series start Saturday. Zilisch completed the top three for JR Motorsports with a lap of 182.655 mph. Nate Ryan, Taylor Gray (182.482 mph) will start fourth. He has started in the top 10 in all five races this season. Sam Mayer (182.223) completed the top five. Justin Allgaier (182.174) qualified sixth, putting all four JRM cars in the top six. Aric Almirola, who won last weekend at Phoenix, qualified 11th with a lap of 181.757 mph. The green flag for Saturday's Xfinity race is scheduled to wave at 4:40 p.m. ET on the CW Network. The race is the qualifying event for the Dash 4 Cash. The top four eligible finishing drivers Saturday will race for $100,000 next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not Expecting 'Charter Fairy' to Pave Way to NASCAR Cup Series
By just about any metric, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s return to the NASCAR Cup Series with JR Motorsports at the was a success. The race was the lone NASCAR Cup Series race on the team's schedule for 2025. As much as Earnhardt would like to return to the Cup Series as an owner, the $40 million or so needed for a charter isn't in the cards right now. About the only thing every Daytona 500 fan cheered was the presence on the grid of owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports team. It was the company's first Cup Series race and the first time a 'Dale' had been around on a Sunday afternoon since Junior's last Daytona 500 in 2017. It was, in almost every way, a smashing success. While plenty of fans used chatrooms and message boards to complain about almost anything 500-related, those same chatrooms and message boards overflowed with praise for Junior and his driver, ninth-finishing Justin Allgaier. It was almost as if the Hall of Fame superstar were back racing. Several fans said they'd start watching Cup again if Earnhardt Jr. were involved. 'Sweet,' another said. 'I have someone to cheer on.' Yet another said what millions probably were thinking: 'I love Junior's passion and love for NASCAR. He's such a great guy—realistic, and relates to old-timers and new fans. I hope he stays a part of this sport for years.' There's almost no question that Junior and JRM will be part of NASCAR for years. He and his sister, Kelley, have built a thriving business with hundreds of employees fielding four Xfinity Series teams and teams in the Advance Auto Parts weekly Late Model and the CARS series. The 20-year-old organization has always been successful. Allgaier (2024), Tyler Reddick (2018), William Byron (2017) and Chase Elliott (2014) have delivered driver and owner championships to JRM. Twenty of its 63 drivers have combined for 35 poles and 88 victories, all in Chevrolets Among them: future Cup champions Elliott, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., and Tony Stewart. There were times when Mark Martin drove for JRM, as well as Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick, Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray, and Kasey Kahne. An impressive list of alums, to be sure. Qualifying for the 500 and finishing ninth almost moved Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley to tears. While Byron did his winner's burnouts for the second consecutive year, the Earnhardts and their crew were celebrating with well-wishers along pit road. It was reminiscent of the outpouring of support when Dale Earnhardt finally won the 500 in 1998. But left hanging is the biggest question: when will it happen again? When will JR Motorsports enter another Cup race with Allgaier and the No. 40 Chevrolet? Will it ever have a NASCAR charter and run the full Cup schedule? The short answer is … it depends on money. On a recent podcast, Earnhardt Jr. said he'd consider another Cup race with Allgaier at Daytona or Talladega if a suitable sponsor signed on. Lacking that, the Daytona 500 is JRM's lone Cup start for 2025. 'Travellers (whiskey) and those folks had a really great time,' he said of the team's Daytona 500 sponsor. 'If they feel it's worthwhile to do another investment, to run another race with that car at Talladega or Daytona … well, that's to be determined. If they want that, we'd probably do it. Yeah, we'd crank it up and rerun everything. Otherwise, I don't know that we'll run another Cup race this year.' Getting a one-off sponsor—even for someone as enormously popular as Earnhardt Jr.—is one thing. Finding suitable partners and well-heeled sponsors to help buy a NASCAR charter is something else. 'People are a bit confused over how this process works,' he said. 'They don't know if I've given mixed signals about where I am in terms of what I'd invest or not invest, or what I expect. 'Here's how it would work: say the charter—and I may be naïve; maybe it's not this simple—but let's say a charter goes for $40 million. That's a lot. I was hoping it would cost me $25 million, but the ones available today are $40 million. I'm not giving you $40 million for a charter. It's not something I'm interested in … and that's my prerogative. What needs to happen is an investor comes in, somebody who wants to partner with us. 'I'd invest $5 million or $10 million in the right situation. Say, $5 million. Absolutely, maybe more. That's about 20% ownership and a very comfortable place for me. I'm bringing to the table my sister and our history of owning and operating this race team. Our success stories aren't only on the racetrack, but in licensing, marketing, engagement, and activation. Almost every single partner we've had that's left and gone somewhere else has come back and said, 'y'all do it better.' We're bringing all that to the table; the rest of the money has to come from somewhere. 'It has to come from somebody who wants to invest in the idea that a $40 million charter will be worth $100 million or $150 million or $250 million down the road. Two years? Ten years? Whatever it is. I believe that's true because I believe that's real; that's a possibility. I wouldn't put $5 million or $10 million into this if I didn't think it was going to turn into something more.' The Earnhardts are savvy enough to realize they have leverage. They've listened to enough sponsor spiels to know acceptable ones from the others. They're not going to fall for the first pretty face who comes in with a bag of money. 'The person who comes in can't be just anybody," he said. 'You don't partner with just anybody you'll compromise with, make decisions with, and communicate with for a 10- or 20-year process. It can't be someone you're going to be arguing and fighting with over management decisions in two or three years. That's not an easy thing to come to terms with or understand. 'That's why, if it happens, it happens. That's how you've got to feel about it. I don't know when that person might walk in. There have been people who've wanted to invest, people we've sat down and talked with about the money; people who had the money. But we didn't do it because it wasn't the right fit for Kelley and me. We're not going to do it with risk involved … and I'm not talking about financial risk. I'm talking about our employees here; everything we're doing in this building is working well. We can't upset that. 'We've got to make sure we're going into a partnership with somebody we can live with and love and want to be with and work with. And I'm not wanting it for free … not at all, and I don't expect that. I don't expect NASCAR or the charter fairy to drop one in my lap. That's not what I think should happen or what I think will happen. 'I'm willing to invest real money into it. Absolutely, especially when I know that it's a win-win across the board.' Meanwhile … millions of JRM fans remain hopeful there is, in fact, a charter fairy.
