Latest news with #QuakerState400


Newsweek
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Kyle Busch Warns Young NASCAR Drivers Will have Incomes Reduced by Half
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has warned that new-generation drivers may have to race beyond their forties, considering that the earnings of drivers have been down by nearly fifty percent. The sport witnessed a big boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, offering drivers big paychecks. However, Busch suggested that as the years went by, the earnings of drivers dropped significantly. As a result, if young drivers wanted to earn as much as veteran drivers earned throughout their careers, they would be forced to race for a much longer time. At 40 years old and with two Cup Series championship titles, Busch is among the few drivers on the field to race into his forties with no signs of stopping. Denny Hamlin, who is 44, recently signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, knowing that it could be his last deal with the team. Speaking to Frontstretch, Busch explained with an example how young drivers could be pushed to race longer. He said: "I'm just making up a number - if we've made $50 million over our career, they're probably only going to be around the $20–25 million range over the course of their career. So, they may have to go - they may have to go further." Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 SENIX Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 27, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 SENIX Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 27, 2025 in Hampton, on when a driver should retire, Busch added: "This car is harder on you, so I don't know. I think there's a lot of factors that'll go into that, right? So, um, I don't want to speculate as to when drivers should hang it up or whatever. But, I mean, if you're competitive and winning and you know you're making the most of your team and everything else with what you got, then keep going as long as you're happy." Busch spoke about his retirement in March, admitting that he considered it seriously three years ago, but now, he just wants to drive through victory lane with his team, Richard Childress Racing. Newsweek Sports reported his comments: "It was a consideration three years ago. I think daily, you kind of work through those things and thoughts and where you wanna be and what you want to do. When you're still out here being able to enjoy what you're doing, working with your team and continuing to try to improve RCR and improve the program and get it to where we all want it and put ourselves in Victory Lane, we're gonna keep working at it."
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Chase Elliott ends winless streak as NASCAR In-Season Challenge begins
By the time Chase Elliott climbed out his car after a celebratory burnout, yanked off his helmet and started his post-race TV interview, the right words were still difficult to come by. 'Unbelievable,' Elliott said. 'How about that? Are you kidding me? I've never in my life. I've never in my life. This is unbelievable.' Advertisement 'Unbelievable' might be a stretch with as much chaos as occurred June 28. But yes, following a 44-race winless streak, the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports is back in Victory Lane. With a push from teammate Alex Bowman and a last-lap pass of Brad Keselowski, Elliott won the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway, his home track. Keselowski and Bowman ranked second and third, respectively. The event featured 45 lead changes and 10 cautions. 'I just think that, honestly, all the cars fell in the right places there those last couple laps,' Elliott said. 'What a crazy race, man. I don't know if y'all had fun, but it was wild from my seat. Glad we got to run that thing out there till the end.' Advertisement Let's break it down with three takeaways. VOTE: Where should NASCAR host next international race? 1. Chase Elliott ends year-long winless streak Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA/Children's Chevrolet, celebrates with fans after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 28, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. Elliott survived Saturday. He shook off a rain delay, sprinted back to the front pack late after leading 39 laps earlier in the evening and closed as one of only four cars not involved in a wreck. It's the second career win at Atlanta for the 32-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native. He now holds 20 Cup Series victories. But prior to the Quaker State 400, he had not collected one since April 14, 2024, at Texas Motor Speedway. 'Thank you guys so much,' Elliott said. 'Just what a special car ... It was a lot of fun. This right here is something I'll never forget.' Advertisement 2. NASCAR in-season tournament flipped by Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe eliminations Well, a plate race as the first event of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge always possessed volatile potential. And it delivered. The top two seeds — Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe — lost their head-to-head matchups, dropping them from the 32-person bracket in the first round. Hamlin placed 31st at Atlanta, and Briscoe followed in 35th. Hamlin lost to Ty Dillon, who finished eighth. Briscoe fell to Noah Gragson, who ranked 25th. Other notable drivers who were knocked out: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Advertisement The tournament will continue for four more weeks, with the field slicing in half each round. As No. 3, Chris Buescher remains the top seed standing. 3. NASCAR schedule: What's next? Jul 7, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) reacts after winning the Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Race. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports NASCAR heads back to the road next week. The Cup Series will run the Grant Park 165 — aka the Chicago Street Race — at 2 p.m. July 6. The 75 laps will span 165 miles through Chicago. This will be the third iteration of the race. In 2023, Shane van Gisbergen ran away with it in his NASCAR debut. Last year, Bowman brought home the victory. He is still searching for his first win since then. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR results: Chase Elliott is Quaker State 400 race winner


Newsweek
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Denny Hamlin Makes Shocking Claim After 23-Car NASCAR Wreck
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Denny Hamlin made a shocking claim by saying that the 23-car wreck in Atlanta was the "best thing that ever happened" to the NASCAR Cup Series race. Notably, Hamlin was part of what triggered the massive pile-up after he made contact with John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 69. The impact caused Nemechek to hit the wall, leading him to take out several other cars at the same time. Many big names from the field were affected by the incident, including Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson. Hamlin believed that the wreck created space between the cars, which wasn't present earlier. He said on his Actions Detrimental podcast: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 King's Hawaiian Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway... Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 King's Hawaiian Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 28, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. More"That wreck was the best thing that happened to that race. There's no question about it whatsoever. What it did was it created space between the cars. We're not log-jammed two by two by two by two by two. There was space. "There was only 15 cars, maybe, that were not damaged. If you look, all the passing that was done at the end of that race, it was created through space of the cars, and that's what we used to have on superspeedways is space to work." He added: "Atlanta cleared out the field to create the space to create great racing." Chase Elliott went on to win the Atlanta race, while drivers like Corey LaJoie remarked that drivers were pushing like they were driving "bumper cars at Frankie's Fun park." Addressing the crash after watching the replay, he said: "We see people pushing like dummies early, and then I just come in here and get pushed into it. I come out of the smoke and every corner on my Mustang was knocked off of it. Unfortunately, that was the end of my day. "I don't know what we're doing. We just started the second stage. I don't know why we're pushing like we're damn bumper cars at Frankie's Fun park. That's not to be surprised. I think there's a lot of guys who don't make wise decisions driving these things on speedways." Chase Briscoe added that he was not allowed to go back into the race. He said: "Yeah, I don't know how bad our damage was. They were fixing it, and we were about ready to go, and I guess NASCAR came over there and saw that our chassis was broke or bent or something and were like, you can't go back out. So, kind of a waste of 30 minutes working on it. Just unfortunate night for our Bass Pro Shops Toyota."


Newsweek
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Trackhouse Racing Confirms Daniel Suarez's Future Ahead Of Contract Expiry
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Daniel Suarez has confirmed that he and the Trackhouse Racing team have "mutually agreed" to part ways after the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The 33-year-old driver has clinched two Cup Series victories over his five-year period with the Justin Marks-led team. He joined the team in 2021 and celebrated his best season finish in 2022, when he finished 10th in the standings. The Mexican driver confirmed with a message on social media: "Trackhouse and I have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2025 season. ... I wish Trackhouse nothing but the best, this 99 team will always be special to me. And I like I always say, The best is ahead!" A message to my amigos ⬇️ — Daniel Suárez (@Daniel_SuarezG) July 1, 2025 Team owner Justin Marks also commented in a statement: "The role Daniel has played in the Trackhouse origin story and its first five years will remain a valued part of the company's history forever. "His commitment, work ethic and dedication to the effort is one of the most impressive things I personally have seen in my career. Daniel Suarez, driver of the #99 Quaker State Chevrolet, greets fans prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 28, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. Daniel Suarez, driver of the #99 Quaker State Chevrolet, greets fans prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 28, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia."We will forever be thankful and honored that Daniel chose to spend many incredible years with us. We are proud of his wins, his successes, the growth of his brand, and his emergence as a valuable athlete in America's greatest motorsport. "But, most of all, I'm proud of him as a friend. I'm truly excited to see what awaits him in the next chapter of his amazing career. We are grateful for the professionalism, effort and heart he's brought to our organization." NEWS: We've mutually agreed to part ways with @Daniel_SuarezG at the end of the season. — Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) July 1, 2025 In the formal statement, Suarez explained, "I've had some of the best years of my Cup Series career at Trackhouse. We had great successes as a team and I gained some incredible friends. We took a team nobody had even heard of in 2021 and in just a couple of years we were winning races and running up front on a weekly basis. "Just like the seasons in a year, sometimes things change and we have mutually agreed to each go in our own direction. I wish Trackhouse nothing but the best, this No. 99 team will always be special to me. And like I always say, the best is ahead!" Suarez is yet to confirm his next steps in his career. Similarly, Trackhouse Racing has not announced who will replaced the Mexican driver from 2026 onwards.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta patient designs paint scheme for Chase Elliott's winning car
NASCAR star and Dawsonville native Chase Elliott won for just the second time in his home state track with his win in the Quaker State 400 on Sunday. But this victory was made even more special because of who designed the paint scheme on his winning car. Advertisement [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Elliott has been partnering with Children's Healthcare for his 'Design to Drive' program for the past nine years. For this race, the program selected Rhealynn Mills, an 11-year-old pediatric cancer patient. Not only did she design Elliott's car and his fire suit for the race, but she got to join him in victory lane at EchoPark Speedway. 'Everything that has gone into making our foundation efforts and everything with CHOA and just the whole deal has been incredible,' Elliott said. 'I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate nine years years than to put the nine in victory lane here at home. This is just one of those nights that you never forget." You can learn more about Design to Drive here. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]