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By Field Level Media / Monday, April 14, 2025
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Everything from balance issues with the setup on Red Bull cars to pit stops and Friday practice sessions all have come into focus.
"The concern is great," Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko told Sky Germany, per The Athletic.
"Improvements must come in the near future so that he has a car with which he can win again. We need to create a foundation with a car so that he can fight for the world championship."
Verstappen had a dominant 2023 season, winning 19 of the 22 Grand Prix races and finishing on the podium 21 times.
Last season, he won nine times but Red Bull relinquished the team Constructors' Championship to McLaren. That came, according to The Athletic, as Red Bull developed troubles with balance issues with the cars that are continuing this season. The fix, reportedly, is a long-term one.
F1 analysts like Sky's Ralf Schumacher, who won six races across 11 F1 seasons, believe Verstappen could go as far as to leave Red Bull if improvements are not forthcoming.
After the race Sunday, Verstappen posted this to X: "Difficult weekend. Struggled with the balance and overall pace. We move forward and keep pushing."
Verstappen is third in the drivers standings after four races, eight points behind leader Lando Norris and five behind Oscar Piastri, both of McLaren.
In the Constructors' Championship standings, McLaren has 151 points, Mercedes has 93 and Red Bull is next at 71.
While the 27-year-old Verstappen is under contract through 2028 with Red Bull, Marko has said there are out clauses.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Monday, April 14, 2025
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The 22-year-old Formula One rookie has been under a spotlight all season based on reports that the team might replace him with reserve driver Franco Colapinto after six races.
There have been four Grand Prix races thus far in 2025.
Speculation intensified after Doohan's poor start, including a first-lap crash at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16 and four penalty points at the Chinese Grand Prix a week later. Doohan also crashed in the second free practice session ahead of the April 6 Japanese Grand Prix.
The Australian is coming off a strong performance Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he started 11th and ran well before fading and finishing 14th.
"Jack, to give him credit, he's learning well," team principal Oliver Oakes said after the race, per Racing News 365. "You never get much credit in F1 when you're a youngster and everyone's sort of looking at what you're up to. But I think he'll definitely feel more confident after this weekend."
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Saturday, April 12, 2025
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Well, not quite all. Bowman also had to turn a blistering lap in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during Saturday's time trials at the 0.533-mile short track, and he did just that.
Bowman covered the distance in 14.912 seconds (128.675 mph) -- the fastest lap ever run at Bristol in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen car. That was good enough to hold off fellow Chevrolet driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (128.563 mph) by 0.013 seconds to secure the top starting spot for the ninth Cup Series race of the season.
It wasn't just the Busch Light Pole Award that had Bowman salivating. Extensive tire wear in the practice session that preceded qualifying compared to last year's spring event in Thunder Valley, where tire fall-off was a crucial aspect of the competition.
"I think we're all much more prepared than we were last spring," said Bowman, who ran his lap under favorable cloud cover -- with the sun coming out shortly after his qualifying attempt and warming the track slightly on an otherwise chilly day.
"I'm excited for a tire management race. It's going to be a lot of fun. We'll see what we've got," he added.
"We started practice with rubber already on the track from the Xfinity cars, peeled it right up and sawed the tires right off. Yeah, confusing why we're doing it again when we didn't do it in the fall.
"It's going to be warmer tomorrow. Maybe that changes it. It's really difficult to say. I think it's going to be like that (the spring race), but we'll find out together, I think."
Kyle Larson (128.511 mph) qualified third, after winning the pole position for Saturday's Xfinity Series race earlier in the day. Denny Hamlin, winner of the last two Cup events, was fourth in the fastest Toyota at 128.460 mph, and Ryan Blaney topped all other Ford drivers with a fifth-place qualifying lap at 128.305 mph.
In seven of the last eight Cup races at Bristol, the winner has come from the top five spots on the starting grid -- two from the pole and two from the second starting position.
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell claimed the sixth and seventh starting spots, with AJ Allmendinger, Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley claiming eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.
Kyle Busch was 15th fastest in qualifying, but he spun off Turn 4 on his second lap and flat-spotted his tires. Joey Logano, who qualified immediately after Busch, broke loose off Turn 2 and smacked the outside wall with the right rear of his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Logano will start 38th on Sunday.
Xfinity Series regular Jesse Love qualified 19th for his Cup Series debut on Sunday in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Hyak Motorsports' Ricky Stenhouse Jr. topped the leaderboard in practice at 128.082 mph ahead of Team Penske drivers Blaney (127.571 mph) and Austin Cindric (127.140 mph).
Larson (126.737 mph) and Chase Elliott (126.520 mph) rounded out the top five for Hendrick Motorsports.
Brad Keselowski (126.495 mph), Hamlin (126.461 mph), Busch (126.337 mph), John Hunter Nemechek (126.187 mph) and Bowman (126.121 mph) completed the top 10.
--Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
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By Field Level Media / Friday, April 11, 2025
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Christopher Bell's three wins in a row at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas and Phoenix Raceway may lighten the impact of what Hamlin could accomplish in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, but make no mistake, winning three NASCAR races in a row is no small feat. If Hamlin crosses the line first, it would be his third consecutive win after he collected victories at Martinsville Speedway (March 30) and Darlington Raceway (April 6).
Bristol is the perfect venue for Hamlin to go for his third win in a row. In the four Next-Gen races held at "Thunder Valley," Hamlin hasn't finished worse than ninth. That four-race stretch includes wins in the 2023 Bristol night race and the 2024 Food City 500.
His finishes at Bristol before the current era vary on a wider scale, but there's no denying that Bristol has been Hamlin's playground with the Next-Gen car.
Hamlin has no short list of rivals threatening to end his winning streak at two.
Kyle Larson hasn't finished worse than fifth at Bristol in the Next-Gen era. The winner of the 2024 Bristol night race is seeking history of his own this weekend, as he looks to be the first driver other than Kyle Busch to complete a triple sweep and win all three NASCAR races on a given weekend.
Hamlin won't win a third consecutive race without competition from the last driver to win three in a row. Bell hasn't finished worse than 10th in the four Bristol races with the Next-Gen car, and in eight races this season, he has five top-five finishes. After an uncharacteristically poor two-race stretch at Las Vegas and Homestead (12th, 29th), the No. 20 team bounced back with top-five finishes at Martinsville and Darlington.
Comparing Hamlin's potential streak to Bell's and the drivers that have won three in a row before them provides more context to Hamlin's own run. In 2021, Larson won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Sonoma and Nashville consecutively. Before Bell, he was the last driver to win three races in a row, and nearly made it four at Pocono before a flat tire on the final lap gave the win to Alex Bowman.
In 2018, Brad Keselowski won the Southern 500 at Darlington, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and the Cup Series playoff opener at Las Vegas consecutively. Like the drivers that won three in a row after him, Keselowski found his three wins at three very different racetracks.
The bottom line? It's hard to win three NASCAR Cup Series races in a row, especially in a modern era where the variety of the schedule puts different disciplines of racing on tap constantly. Only the best drivers can accomplish such a feat.
Just take a look at those who came before Keselowski, Larson and Bell. Jimmie Johnson won four Chase races in a row in 2007 en route to his second consecutive championship, while Mark Martin won four in a row in the summer of 1993. In 1992, Bill Elliott won four of the first five races of the season before ultimately falling just shy of the 1992 championship.
Hamlin's resume and legacy already rival those whose feat he will try to match inside the "Last Great Colosseum" on Sunday, but winning three races in a row would just be another accolade on a long list of them for a man who is currently the best driver in NASCAR history to never win a Cup Series title.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Tuesday, April 8, 2025
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In the appeal, NASCAR contends that 23XI and Front Row sought and received injunctions binding them to the 2024 charter agreement despite contending that the charter violates antitrust law.
NASCAR asserted that U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell misapplied antitrust laws and portrayed the release of claims as standard business practice, not anti-competitive conduct. NASCAR argued that businesses, per case law, have a right to choose the terms and conditions of their agreements and that it's the teams' choice to accept or decline those terms.
NASCAR wrote in its appeal that it views 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports as investments by entrepreneurs such as Jordan. The company also explained the competitive nature of attracting capital, owners and fans, while noting the turnover rate and the need to keep investing to meet their needs.
Per the appeal, NASCAR went on to defend limited non-compete clauses and exclusivity agreements with racetracks as part of its business practice, nothing the importance with regards to race operations and controlling costs.
Meanwhile, 23XI and Front Row in court filings have maintained that NASCAR's business practices are monopolistic and anticompetitive and deny teams a fair shake.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Saturday, April 5, 2025
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Byron's lap of 170.904 mph around the iconic 1.366-mile oval set fast lap early in Busch Light Pole Qualifying on Saturday afternoon and set up a front row that will also include Ryan Preece in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford -- Preece's best start since winning his only career pole position at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in Spring, 2023.
It's the 15th pole position of the 27-year old Byron's eight-year career, his second of the season (also Phoenix in March) and second at the notoriously tough Darlington track.
"I felt good about it today, felt like we had a good plan going into practice and that we are always strong here,'' said this year's Daytona 500 winner Byron, who won at Darlington in 2023 and said it may well be his "best track."
"Tried to find a decent balance there, worked on it and got better and finished practice pretty strong so I felt like I had some confidence going into practice. Was just nervous going early. Having an earlier draw was not ideal, but it seemed like the track temp was going up so it wasn't the worst thing. ... Proud of our team, we had a really good week of prep.''
Although Chevy and Ford split the front row. Toyotas filled out the rest of the top-five on the grid. Last week's Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin -- Darlington's winningest active driver (four wins) -- was third fastest in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. His teammate, Daytona 500 polesitter Chase Briscoe, was fourth quickest in the No. 19 JGR Toyota followed by 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace, who will roll off fifth in the No. 23 Toyota that Hamlin co-owns.
Austin Cindric will start sixth in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, followed by 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (Toyota), Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch (Chevrolet), Penske's Ryan Blaney (Ford) and Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell (Chevrolet).
Although the Hendrick team is ranked first, second (Kyle Larson), third (Chase Elliott) and fifth (Alex Bowman) in the championship points, his teammates did not fare as well in Saturday's time trials. Elliott will start 19th. Larson, who won at Darlington in 2023 will start 19th and Bowman will roll off 33rd.
"It may be tricky strategy-wise and you can get stuck back there, so (qualifying) matters maybe just a tick more than other places," Byron said, noting of his teammates, "These cars are really finicky so hitting the balance and just hitting the lap the way you want it to be can be really difficult. So I'm not surprised because there's a lot of parity in the Next Gen era and especially in qualifying so you can be just that little bit off.
"I feel like our team has really good notes from qualifying though and that will really help.''
Defending race winner Brad Keselowski, co-owner and driver of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's No. 6 Ford will start 20th.
NASCAR HOLDS COMPETITION MEETING WITH XFINITY SERIES DRIVERS
*NASCAR officials met with the entire field of Xfinity Series drivers early Friday morning before any track activity at Darlington Raceway - a meeting triggered by an especially aggressive showing for the series at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway short track a week ago - a race so chaotic that Chase Elliott - a former Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series champ - called it "embarrassing" for the sport.
Although aggressive moves characterized much of the second half of the race, a big wreck on the final lap started up front with then leaders -- Joe Gibbs Racing's Taylor Gray and JR Motorsports' Sammy Smith -- precipitated some angry confrontations post-race. Gray (off track) and Smith (on track) were both penalized for their actions.
Veteran Austin Hill was the big beneficiary of the on-track situation between the two, driving through the melee up front to claim his second win of the year - credited with only leading that last lap. Hill shared that the meeting went well and that he expects his fellow drivers to be more mindful of the way they race going forward, calling NASCAR very "firm" in its morning message.
"I think it's going to calm down a lot more than you think today," Hill said of Saturday afternoon's Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington. "We'll have to wait and see but I think we're all going to still be aggressive and trying to win the race but it's going to be a very respectful race."
The series' next trip to Martinsville in late October determines which four Playoff drivers advance to the Championship 4 with a shot to win the 2025 title.
"NASCAR made it very clear they don't want to be in the ball-and-strike business, they don't want to be making all these calls so they said for us to help them with that,'' Hill said. "They (NASCAR) also said if they have to step in and start making calls and black-flagging people and parking people and all those things, they'll do it. I agree with where NASCAR stands with that but I also think we in the Xfinity Series need to do a better job going forward and not putting it in NASCAR's hands.''
KESELOWSKI OPTIMISTIC DESPITE CHALLENGING EARLY SEASON
*The last Spring weekend Brad Keselowski spent in Darlington, S.C., he left South Carolina with a big trophy. It was the first victory the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion had earned as co-team owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. As importantly it marked a highlight in a challenging new role as owner and driver.
Darlington, in particular, has been a recent highlight reel for Keselowski whose average finish (6.4) in the last five races in best in the field. He has plenty of reason to be optimistic about this Spring run of races -- at Darlington, Bristol, Tenn., and Talladega, Ala. -- venues where he is a multi-time winner.
He comes to South Carolina without a single lap led and is still looking to claim his first top-10 finish of the eight-race season. His best showing in the No. 6 RFK Ford is 11th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He's finished 26th in the two races (at Homestead,Fla. and Martinsville, Va.) leading into Darlington.
"I feel like we're doing all the right things and get to where we need to be, we just haven't gotten the results,'' said Keselowski, who qualified 20th for Sunday's race, "We haven't qualified as well as we liked to have.
"In the race we haven't been able to put together for a number of reasons some of it in our control, a lot of it not in our control, so it's been frustrating. But kind of have the feeling we're getting the bad luck out of the way early in the season, that's kind of the overwhelming sentiment and if we stay the course, it will come back to us.''
VETERANS HAVE THE DARLINGTON EDGE
*Darlington Raceway is known as the track "Too Tough to Tame" -- and perhaps too that end, its long and distinguished list of winners includes a noticeable group of veterans. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers with four victories, another four runner-up finishes and also bests the grid in top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and overall average finish (8.2).
NASCAR Hall of Famers such as Jimmie Johnson (three wins), Bill Elliott (five wins) Jeff Gordon (seven wins) and the late Dale Earnhardt (nine wins) were all so good at the 1.366-mile oblong oval.
"This sport is so week-to-week it's hard to say (the track favors veterans) but you can't argue with results,'' said Hamlin, who has led laps in the last 10 consecutive Darlington races -- and has led more than 100 laps five different times in his career.
"It lends itself to the best drivers and the best teams. I think it's a great combination of, you've got to have everything. ... the driver has to just be really good at his craft and know when to push and when not to.
"It's going to be mentally taxing knowing you've got to hit your marks just perfectly,'' he continued. "And just the mental side of it, with 35 other guys that aren't there to let you win. It's really hard to navigate that. .. it just takes its toll, it has for me on my body and mind every time I race here. As far as the veteran side of it, I think certainly it seems that those that have lots of experience on this track and more than likely the guys have been successful because they know that feel they need to be fast here and continue to replicate it."
AN EVERYDAY EARNHARDT THROWBACK
*There is no question that NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar is a huge fan of late seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt. The driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet recently purchased online a Chevrolet pick-up truck with a paint scheme identical to one of Earnhardt's iconic No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolets. He says it's his "daily drive" and actually drove the truck from his Charlotte-area home to Darlington for the race this weekend.
"Basically I wanted something old-school car-wise,'' said Hocevar, who posted a photo of the truck parked at Darlington on his social media. "I just thought it would be fun and interesting to have. So I got it.''
ZILISCH TO MAKE 2ND CUP START
*On Thursday, Trackhouse Racing announced that 18-year-old driver Connor Zilisch will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start for the team in the sport's longest race, the May 25 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The North Carolinian Zilisch is in his first full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season driving the No. 88 Chevrolet as a development driver for JR Motorsports and has already won an Xfinity race this year -- from the pole position -- claiming the trophy at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course in March. He's currently sixth in the Xfinity Series championship standings.
"It's awesome to have the opportunity to race in one of NASCAR's coolest events," said Zilisch, who has shown great talent competing in endurance races - winning in his class in both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA races last year.
"The Charlotte 600 is one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. It's going to be a physical and mental challenge because that race is so tough."
--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
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By Field Level Media / Thursday, April 3, 2025
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At 44 years old, Hamlin is around the age where drivers tend to slow down. The trips to victory lane become few and far between, and top-10 runs become the new standard for success.
For Hamlin, however, that doesn't appear to be the case.
Hamlin brought a 31-race winless streak into Martinsville and left with a grandfather clock after leading 274 of 400 laps. It was a performance that showed Hamlin still has plenty of gas in the tank, and one that should inspire confidence in Hamlin as the season rolls on.
According to those around him, Hamlin has had to ramp up his training and preparation as the years have stacked up.
"He's probably in the simulator more than anyone," car owner Joe Gibbs said of Hamlin. "I think it says a lot about him. He works his rear end off."
"I'm surprised at how hard he does work," crew chief Chris Gayle said. "Like (Gibbs) is talking about, we (Gayle and Hamlin) were texting last night; he was watching 2022 SMT data from here. He's had to ramp up the amount of work he's done where he may have gotten by earlier (in his career) without doing that. I think he still has a drive and determination to win."
That drive comes from a part of Hamlin that is still goal-oriented. On Sunday, Hamlin tied 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time wins list with 55 Cup Series victories.
"There are still goals left for him at this age," Gayle said. "I think it's no secret he wants to get 60 wins. It's one thing to talk about it, but I'm starting to see the amount of effort he puts in. He's with us in the simulator six or seven days a week. He does it to help the team. I think that speaks to where his head is at this age."
As Hamlin climbed atop his Toyota to celebrate the win, his crew members handed him a flag that was given to the No. 11 team by a group of Hamlin's fans. Amidst a light-blue background were the words, "11 AGAINST THE WORLD."
If you know anything about Hamlin, however, the flag was more than a funny slogan. It encapsulates an athlete that has embraced his role as one of NASCAR's most controversial drivers, and done so while still being near the top of his game.
"Why not?" Hamlin said when asked why he held up the flag in front of the Martinsville crowd. "That's me. Go shoot hoops with me, go play pickleball with me, go play golf with me -- if I can't (trash)-talk, it takes my superpower away. It really does. I'm not nearly as good."
Hamlin's methods of motivation and celebration have earned him plenty of detractors over the years, but it's that same mentality that has carried the future Hall of Famer to victory lane 55 times. After winning the 2023 Bristol night race, Hamlin quipped to the crowd that he had "just beat their favorite driver" -- a quote that earned a sequel after Hamlin won the Clash at the LA Coliseum in February 2024.
The fiery, competitive side of Hamlin could be credited with keeping the 20-year veteran of NASCAR's top echelon motivated as he approaches the twilight of his career. And while his victory at Martinsville was important in the moment, it also paints a picture of a No. 11 team poised for another deep playoff run.
While Hamlin hasn't made the Championship 4 since 2021, he hasn't missed the Round of 8 since 2018. He may not be in his prime anymore, but he is a perennial threat to make the penultimate round of the playoffs at the least -- and with NASCAR's current playoff format, anything is possible if you can make that far.
In the short-term, upcoming races at Darlington (April 6) and Bristol (April 13) play right into Hamlin's strengths. Hamlin is the defending winner of the Bristol spring race, and has led 256 laps over six Next-Gen races at Darlington. There's no reason to think his performance at Martinsville was a fluky one-off, especially considering how many tracks there are on the schedule where he could be considered the odds-on favorite to win.
Hamlin may not be at his statistical or physical peak anymore, but he's doing what many drivers before him failed to do as they aged -- consistently win races and be in championship contention, all while becoming more motivated with every passing year.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Wednesday, April 2, 2025
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Speaking to F1's official website on Tuesday, the former Red Bull driver and 14-year veteran of the circuit said he is talking to multiple teams about returning to racing in 2026 as he spends this year away from the circuit.
"I've been approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi," the 35-year-old told F1.com while speaking from home in Mexico. "Right now, the season has started so a few things will open up in the coming months.
"We are talking to a few parties out there. Once I know all my options, I will make a decision. What is very clear to me is that I'm only coming back if the project makes sense, and it's something I can enjoy."
After the season finale in Abu Dhabi in December, Perez and Red Bull announced they were cutting ties despite Perez having two more years left on his contract. After finishing second in the standings to teammate Max Verstappen in 2023, Perez struggled last season. He failed to win a race for the first time since 2019 and had only four podium finishes. (He had 20 over the two previous seasons.)
In 281 career races, Perez has six wins, 39 podium finishes and four top-five finishes in the standings. A majority of that success (including three of the top-five finishes) came in his four seasons with Red Bull.
"Everything happened really late in the season," Perez told F1.com. "I wasn't really expecting it to happen. It only became clearer once we were in Qatar, and we started to discuss and negotiate my exit of the team. It all happened very quickly."
Among the teams rumored to be speaking with Perez is American manufacturer Cadillac, which will enter F1 competition next season.
New Zealander Liam Lawson, Perez's replacement at Red Bull this season, has struggled enough that he was replaced after just two races. Yuki Tsunoda will take his place at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
One commonality between Perez's struggles last season and Lawson's so far this season is the RB20 car designed by Red Bull and first used in competition by Perez last season.
"Especially last year, I didn't get to show what I'm able to do as a driver," Perez said. "Now, all of a sudden, people realize how difficult the car is to drive."
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Monday, March 31, 2025
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Phelps, 62, had been serving as president of NASCAR since 2018. In the newly created role, he will oversee all aspects of the sport that include the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) and all 15 NASCAR-owned or operated tracks.
Steve O'Donnell was promoted from chief operating officer to succeed Phelps as president. O'Donnell is responsible for the day-to-day leadership of all three NASCAR national series (Cup Series, Xfinity and Trucks) and all commercial, media and track operations as well as four international series and multiple properties.
"We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR's first Commissioner," said NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France. "His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport. With more than 50 years of expertise between them, both Steve Phelps and Steve O'Donnell bring tremendous expertise, stability and a commitment to the bold racing innovations that will continue to serve fans, teams and stakeholders for many years to come."
Phelps originally joined NASCAR in 2005.
"I'm honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I've loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports," Phelps said. "I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership and, most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago. This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I'm privileged to continue as part of that legacy -- and especially its bright future."
O'Donnell becomes the sixth president in the sport's 77-year history.
"In my 30 years in NASCAR, I've been most inspired by the passion of race fans at tracks across the country. It has been a privilege to help bring our sport to those fans through incredible new venues and innovative engaging content that showcase the best racing in our storied history," O'Donnell said. "I believe we're the best in the world at creating 'Bucket List' events that merge sports and entertainment with tailgating, camping and the most immersive fan experience in sports. I'm honored to continue that mission and build upon the collaboration and innovation with our teams and partners to deliver the best racing to sports fans everywhere."
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Saturday, March 29, 2025
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The 17th driver to make a run during time trials, Bell navigated the venerable 0.526-mile track in 19.718 seconds (96.034 mph) and waited as the 21 drivers who followed took their respective shots at the standard he set.
No one was up to the task, and Bell had his first Busch Light pole award of the season in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota -- also his first at Martinsville and the 14th of his career.
Chase Elliott came closest to matching Bell's lap. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet covered the distance in 19.735 seconds (95.951 mph), just 0.003 seconds faster than teammate and third-place qualifier Alex Bowman (95.937 mph).
Despite turning the second-fastest lap in Saturday afternoon's practice, Bell wasn't optimistic about his chances for the pole.
"I was kind of down in the dumps after practice (because of the position in the qualifying order)," Bell said. "But that was definitely the best qualifying session I've ever felt out of my car at Martinsville. It was just easy.
"I went out there and the car just had so much grip," Bell continued. "I'm really proud of this (No.) 20 team. They've been working hard on this Martinsville package. We'll see what happens (Sunday), but obviously, starting up front will be a big help."
Kyle Larson, last Sunday's winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway, qualified fourth at 95.854 mph. Bell's teammate, five-time Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin, was fifth at 95.840 mph.
Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and defending race winner William Byron filled out the rest of the top 10 on the grid.
Casey Mears, whose No. 66 Ford failed inspection twice before qualifying, will start 37th in his first Cup Series race since 2019.
--By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 28, 2025
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Martinsville has been on the NASCAR schedule since the first season of competition in 1948. The half-mile oval, known for its long straightaways and tight corners, is famous for pushing man and machine to their absolute limit over the course of an afternoon.
A few drivers have made Martinsville their playground over the years. Richard Petty is atop Martinsville's all-time wins list with 15 victories, while those below him also are known as true Martinsville masters.
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each won nine grandfather clocks, given to the drivers that can keep time the best on the Cup Series' shortest track. Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace won at Martinsville 11 and seven times, respectively. Denny Hamlin is the active wins leader at Martinsville with five victories.
Martinsville lends itself to those who toe the line between aggression and foolishness. It's a track where drivers have to keep both themselves and their car cool, as tempers and brake issues have been the focal point on a number of occasions.
The tight confines favor only the best drivers in the sport -- you won't find fluke winners at Martinsville under normal circumstances. Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell -- four of the best drivers currently competing in the Cup Series -- are the four most recent Martinsville winners.
Simply put, Martinsville is a track that favors the best.
Ahead of the Cook Out 400, here are the drivers to watch during Sunday's race:
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford, Team Penske
It's not a stretch to call Martinsville Blaney's best track. In 18 starts, Blaney has 12 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 8.3. He hasn't finished worse than 11th at the half-mile short track since October of 2018, and in the six races run at Martinsville with the Next-Gen car, Blaney hasn't finished worse than seventh. He's also won the last two fall races at Martinsville, and he'll be hungry for a win after a dominant performance at Homestead was negated by a blown engine.
William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Byron is the defending winner of the Martinsville spring race and also won at Martinsville in the spring of 2022. He has eight top-10 finishes in 14 Martinsville starts, and has quickly turned into a consistent favorite whenever the Cup Series pays a visit to the asphalt straightaways and concrete turns. Byron has been one of the best drivers to start the 2025 season, and a win at Martinsville on Sunday would be a nice compliment to his season-opening win in the Daytona 500.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin hasn't won at Martinsville since 2015, but he didn't win five races at his home track by accident. In 38 Martinsville starts, Hamlin has 20 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 efforts. The last time the Cup Series visited Martinsville, Hamlin started 37th and finished fifth in one of his best drives in recent memory. He hasn't won at Martinsville in a decade, but he has an excellent shot to break his 10-year Martinsville drought on Sunday.
Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
For the first time in his young Cup Series career, Berry can't be called an underdog. After collecting his first career win at Las Vegas on Mar. 16, Berry enters Martinsville looking to add to his impressive short-track resume. His two Cup Series starts at the track yielded finishes of 25th and 16th, but he does have three top-five finishes at Martinsville in Xfinity Series competition. In his first Xfinity Series start at Martinsville, Berry collected the first win of his NASCAR career, which effectively turned him into a star overnight. Four years later, Berry returns looking for the second win of his Cup Series career, while trying to establish himself as a weekly contender.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 28, 2025
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Red Bull announced Thursday that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Lawson at the Japanese Grand Prix and going forward. The move to promote Tsunoda from its Racing Bulls team to partner with four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen comes after Lawson struggled during both the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix.
"Being a (Red Bull Racing) driver has been my dream since I was a kid, it's what I've worked towards my whole life," Lawson wrote on Instagram, complete with photos from his school days.
"It's tough, but I'm grateful for everything that's brought me to this point.
"To every one of you who's stood by me, thank you for all the support, it means the world."
Lawson, 23, was selected in December by Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner to replace Sergio Perez, who reached an agreement to part ways with the club after four years. Tsunoda was among those who also was in consideration for the seat, as was Isack Hadjar.
However, the team ultimately decided to go with Lawson, who had been on the Red Bull junior team since 2019 and took over Daniel Ricciardo's seat during last season.
The New Zealander entered 2025 with 11 F1 starts to his credit but has been unable to keep pace to begin 2025 in the RB21 car. Lawson has yet to register a point for the team with a did not finish in Australia and a P12 finish in China. He was the slowest car on the grid during both the sprint and Grand Prix qualifying sessions in China.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Thursday, March 27, 2025
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The move to promote Tsunoda from its Racing Bulls team to partner with four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen comes after Lawson struggled during both the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix.
"It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch," Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner said. "We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the World Drivers' Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors' title and this is a purely sporting decision.
"We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki's experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the Team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21.
"We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a Team he knows very well."
Lawson, 23, was selected in December by Horner to replace Sergio Perez, who reached an agreement to part ways with Red Bull after four years. Tsunoda was among those who was also in consideration for the seat, as was Isack Hadjar.
However, the team ultimately decided to go with Lawson, who had been on the Red Bull junior team since 2019 and took over Daniel Ricciardo's seat during last season.
The New Zealander entered 2025 with 11 F1 starts to his credit but has been unable to keep pace to begin 2025 in the RB21 car. Lawson failed to get out of Q1 in Australia and China and has yet to register a point for the team with P15 and P12 finishes. He was the slowest car on the grid during both the spring and qualifying sessions in China.
Honda has been a significant proponent of Tsunoda's, reportedly offering millions of dollars for the 24-year-old Japanese star to get an opportunity to race alongside Verstappen in his fifth F1 season.
Red Bull finished third in the 2024 constructors' championship, and currently sits behind McLaren and Mercedes two races into 2025. That's with Verstappen contributing all 36 points to the team so far.
The Racing Bulls are ninth, with Tsunoda contributing all three of the team's points while showing impressive pace.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Wednesday, March 26, 2025
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Following an emergency meeting in Dubai, the F1 team has decided to promote Yuki Tsunoda from its Racing Bulls team to partner with four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen, according to Dutch outlet De Limburger.
Lawson, 23, was selected in December by team principal Christian Horner to replace Sergio Perez, who reached an agreement to part ways with Red Bull after four years. Tsunoda was among those who was also in consideration for the seat, as was Isack Hadjar.
However, the team ultimately decided to go with Lawson, who had been on the Red Bull junior team since 2019 and took over Daniel Ricciardo's seat during last season.
The New Zealander entered 2025 with 11 F1 starts to his credit but has been unable to keep pace to begin 2025 in the RB21 car. Lawson failed to get out of Q1 in Australia and China and has yet to register a point for the team with P15 and P12 finishes. He was the slowest car on the grid during both the spring and qualifying sessions in China.
Honda has been a significant proponent of Tsunoda's, reportedly offering millions of dollars for the 24-year-old Japanese star to get an opportunity to race alongside Verstappen in his fifth F1 season.
Tsunodo is expected to take over Lawson's seat at his home circuit at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Lawson returning to team with Hadjar at Racing Bulls. According to the Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Verstappen "disagrees with management's decision to intervene so soon."
Red Bull finished third in the 2024 constructors' championship, and currently sits behind McLaren and Mercedes two races into 2025. That's with Verstappen contributing all 36 points to the team so far.
The Racing Bulls are ninth, with Tsunoda contributing all three of the team's points while showing impressive pace.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Tuesday, March 25, 2025
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The 43-year-old Spaniard has yet to score a point and was forced to retire four laps into Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix. Alonso revealed afterward that he has been coping with a neck injury.
"I was wearing some neck protection because I've had a pinched nerve or something these past few days," he told Spanish media, per the Mirror. "But in the end, it didn't help much because I didn't do many laps.
"We had a brake issue. The rear brakes were very hot from the first lap and on the last one before retiring, I hit the brakes into turn one and the pedal went all the way down with no braking power.
The two-time world champion has not won a race since 2013 and is still seeking an elusive 33rd career F1 victory. Currently, Alonso sits at the bottom of the driver standings with four others who have yet to register a point, and he is 10 points behind Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.
Alonso crashed out of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and said that he was "lucky" to have not taken out other cars when his car began to fail in Shanghai.
The Aston Martin team has a few weeks to address issues with Alonso's car before the next race in Japan on April 5, which begins a stretch of three consecutive race weeks.
"Now we need to understand what happened and next is a triple-header," Alonso said. "Hopefully, I can see the checkered flag for the first time this year and we can turn things around in Japan."
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Saturday, March 22, 2025
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With only four cars remaining in the session, Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet set fast lap of 168.845 mph around the 1.5-mile track, knocking Front Frow Motorsports' Noah Gragson from the lead position that he had held for the majority of the qualifying session.
Last week's Las Vegas race winner, Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry took the track immediately after and nearly equaled Bowman's lap -- instead his No. 21 Ford coming a mere .073-second off the pole-winning pace but earning a front row position alongside the Hendrick driver.
This is Bowman's sixth career pole position and first at Homestead, a place the 32-year-old Arizona-native doesn't necessarily consider one of his historically better tracks. He has only a pair of top-10 finishes, but his best outcome -- seventh place -- came in the series most recent Homestead visit last October.
"There were some cars not so great on the short run and really fast on the long run and we were kind of the opposite of that practice, we were really faster in the short run and not great on the long run stuff so I knew qualifying was going to be really important because of that and that we had some work to do for tomorrow," Bowman said, "But for me, I had a pretty clear cut plan for qualifying and I thought I was able to execute that pretty well and my race car gave me what I needed to do that."
Gragson will start third, followed by Daytona 500 polesitter, Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Toyota and current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet.
"We're still really fast, but I've never gotten a pole in the Cup Series, but our Beef A Roo Mustang is pretty quick on the short run," said Gragson, driver of the No. 4 FRM Ford. "We just need to get a little better for the long run and we're up in the hunt, so that's good."
Intermittent clouds cooled the 74-degree afternoon and as Bowman alluded to, several of the fastest cars in practice did not necessarily fare as well in actual qualifying.
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace set top pace in Group B practice, for example, but was only ninth quickest in qualifying. Fellow Toyota driver, Legacy Motor Club's Erik Jones was second -- just behind Wallace -- in that practice session but ended up only 28th quickest on the starting grid.
Conversely, Kaulig Racing's A.J. Allmendinger, who was 25th fastest in that Group 2 practice session will start the race from 10th position. Berry, still basking in his first career win last week at Las Vegas, was 31st in practice but will start from the front row.
Defending race winner Tyler Reddick was 20th in qualifying. Kyle Larson, who is attempting to win in all three national series races this weekend will roll off 14th in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
And the season's winningest driver, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell was 16th in qualifying. A three-time winner already, he is trying to become only the third driver in NASCAR history -- joining Hall of Famers Bill Elliott (1992) and Dale Earnhardt (1987) as the only competitors in the modern era to win four of the opening six races.
NOTEBOOK ITEMS:
*BERRY INSISTS SUCCESS NOT A FLUKE
*First-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team come into Homestead race week still enjoying the legendary team's 101st victory at Las Vegas last Sunday -- a huge career achievement for Berry, personally, and only the second win for the team in the last nine years.
Only five races into his tenure, Berry has already delivered an early-season Playoff berth for the team and by the looks of the strong showing may well win again in the months before the championship march starts. He was adamant that the Vegas win wasn't a "fluke' and is one of only four drivers with multiple top-five finishes on the year.
"Without a doubt I feel like I had things to prove," said the 34-year-old Berry, who is beginning only his second fulltime season in the Cup ranks. "Obviously, coming off of last year and everything we went through, I think people were still looking at all four of us that were part of that program with a lot of question marks, so, to me, I wanted to go out and prove myself all over again in the Cup Series.
"I felt like this was probably the opportunity for me. I think if I fail at this one, I don't think there's probably another one lined up for me, so most definitely there was pressure to go out and perform. During the offseason we just really buckled down and obviously getting to know and working with my new crew chief, Miles.
"We put in a lot of work over the offseason to be prepared when the season started and I feel like that obviously paid off. Honestly, our results and performance has exceeded our expectations, so I'm super happy with that and winning a race in the Cup Series is a big deal."
Berry's second place qualifying lap marks the fourth time in the past five races he's secured a top-10 start.
*LARSON'S TRIPLE QUEST
No driver is busier than Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson this weekend and the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is already batting a thousand in his quest to win trophies in all three national series races at Homestead.
He earned his first trophy with a dramatic comeback victory in Friday's NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race making the pass for the lead with only two laps remaining. It adds to an already-impressive resume here for Larson, who is a former winner in both Saturday's Xfinity Series 300-miler (2015) and Sunday's NACAR Cup Series race (2022) at the South Florida 1.5-miler.
He comes into Sunday's race ranked sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, with three top-10s and a pair of third place finishes through the opening five races.
"I felt like the Truck race was probably going to be the toughest to win, I don't have much experience in them and the runs are typically shorter," Larson said. "I feel better about Xfinity and Cup but the competition keeps getting tough and tougher as you get on with the weekend, but we'll see. Off to a good start."
*HOMESTEAD A FINALE FAVORITE
NASCAR just raced at the Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-miler during the October 2024 Playoff run and this weekend marks the first time it has been a Spring event since 2021.
Ask the drivers where they'd like to see the former, longtime season finale venue on the schedule and the consensus is, they'd love to see it return as the championship race one day.
"I certainly would like to see it play a bigger factor in our championship, whether it's in the Playoffs or part of the championship race round or whatever it might be," said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, whose three wins are most among active drivers. "I'd just like to see it a part of that because we just talked about how the driver makes a bigger difference at the is race track than the car."
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney took it a step further.
"All the above, really," Blaney responded with a grin when asked if he preferred the spring or fall Homestead placement on the calendar.
"I'll be honest, it doesn't matter to me when we come here, spring all, in the playoffs, championship race, as long as we're coming here. I think if you asked, some guys would love to come here twice, once in the spring and once in the fall, where that race in the fall lays, I don't care. Do I think the championship race should rotate between a few tracks? Yeah. And this should be one of them. This place puts on a great show no matter what."
*THE WINNING Bs
The five NASCAR Cup Series races have all been won by drivers whose last names begin with the letter "B." Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron won the Daytona 500. Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell won the next three races -- at Atlanta, Circuit of The Americas and Phoenix -- and Berry picked up his first career win at Las Vegas last weekend.
Saturday's Homestead pole winner? Alex Bowman.
Several drivers conceded that B letter trend could likely continue this weekend at Homestead with 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champ Ryan Blaney considered a favorite. He started the season with a pair of top-10 finishes and won the pole position at Atlanta but has back-to-back showings of 28th and 35th in the two races heading to South Florida -- suffering an engine failure at Phoenix and crashing last weekend at Las Vegas.
"I thought our car was really good last week until I wrecked all of us on the back stretch so just hope to keep that same pace but I feel good with where our program is at right now," said Blaney, who has finished runner-up in the last two Homestead races.
"Just a matter of trying to get some stuff to go our way."
*SEASON OF LEARNING
One of the more heralded rookies this season is former Australian SuperCars champion Shane Van Gisbergen, who turned heads and earned high praise for his historic victory at the Chicago Street Course two years ago in his first ever NASCAR Cup Series start.
With a strong background in road and street courses before coming to America as a fulltime NASCAR Competitor, the 34-year-old New Zealand-native said it has been a legitimate learning curve in the NASCAR Cup Series on the ovals.
His lone top-10 result of the year in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet came at the Circuit of The Americas road course. He says it has been an education on the assortment of long and short ovals in this first full NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Twice -- in the last two races at Phoenix and Las Vegas -- he's been collected in crashes not of his own doing.
"I feel like we've showed a lot of promise but we have nothing to show for it, really," Van Gisbergen said. "COTA was a good day, but on the ovals we've really struggled and we've had a lot of accidents and they haven't really been our fault.
"It's really tough results-wise but I see a lot of potential and speed. Just got to put it together and get to the end of the races and things will start clicking for us, I think."
"It has been hard because I'm not really known for crashing too much and not finishing, so it's been a bit of a pain really," Van Gisbergen added. "Just have to stay out of trouble and get through it. The first stage we're always going good and improving and thinking the rest of the race is going to be good then something seems to happen, so hopefully we stop that this weekend."
--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 21, 2025
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Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Aside from a fourth-place finish in the Daytona 500, Briscoe's maiden voyage with Joe Gibbs Racing has not started off on the right foot. Briscoe sits 20th in points five races into the season, and is yet to put forth an eye-catching performance this year. A good run at Homestead would go a long way toward the No. 19 team getting back on track and performing to the expectations that were set for them before the season began.
Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
While Jones' teammate John Hunter Nemechek consistently competes in the top 20 and sits 15th in points, Jones is 25th and hasn't finished better than 18th over the last four races. Jones has long been touted as one of the most underrated drivers in the Cup Series, but his start to the 2025 season hasn't exactly been indicative of that. Jones didn't have the same expectations of several other drivers on this list, but his slow start has been disappointing nonetheless. A top-15 performance on Sunday seems necessary for the No. 43 team to get back on track, especially if Nemechek once again runs well.
Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota, 23XI Racing
This isn't a knock on Herbst, who is still learning and adjusting in his first year at the Cup level. However, Herbst sits 27th in points after five races -- a far, far cry from teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, who sit third and 11th, respectively. It's far too early to hit the panic button on a Cup Series rookie, but a good run in South Florida would do wonders for a young driver looking for momentum early in the season.
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford, RFK Racing
Keselowski's 2025 season has been defined by bad luck. Decent finishes of 15th at COTA and 11th at Las Vegas were negated by finishes of 26th at Daytona, 39th at Atlanta and 33rd at Phoenix. The 2012 champion sits 30th in points after five races, and needs to start stringing together good finishes in order to claw his way towards the playoff cut line. Keselowski is still capable of winning races, but showing pace at Miami almost seems like a necessity if the No. 6 team wants to get the ball rolling.
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Five races into 2024, Gibbs was third in points and had scored four top-10 finishes. His widely publicized slump to end his sophomore season has carried over to the start of 2025. Five races into his third Cup Series season, Gibbs sits 34th in points with an average finish of 25.8. He's above only two other full-time drivers -- Cole Custer and Cody Ware -- in the standings. When he hasn't been involved in an incident this year, there's been little speed under the hood of the No. 54. Gibbs' third Cup Series campaign risks outing him as a prospect who is slowly flaming out. One race may not be enough to completely turn the narrative surrounding Gibbs' slow start, but a top-10 effort underneath the Florida sun could turn the tide for a young driver who needs to reaffirm that he's a threat on a weekly basis.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 21, 2025
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Hamilton was a mere 0.018 seconds faster than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc set to start fourth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished third in sprint race qualifying.
Hamilton moved to Ferrari this season after racing for Mercedes from 2013-2024 when he won six of his seven drivers' championships.
"We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready," Hamilton said. "I'm a bit in shock. I can't believe we got a pole in the sprint."
In his Ferrari debut this past weekend, Hamilton finished in 10th place during a rainy Australian Grand Prix.
China is one of six locations that will have a shorter sprint race attached to the main event. Another round of qualifying will take place Saturday in advance of Sunday's 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Wednesday, March 19, 2025
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The two-race suspensions were issued to members of Busch's No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team and Briscoe's No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team after wheels became unfastened during the Pennzoil 400.
The suspensions will cover Sunday's race at Miami and the March 30 race at Martinsville for No. 8 crew members Dylan Moser (jack) and Shiloh Windsor (rear-tire changer) and No. 19 crew members Caleb Dirks (jack) and Daniel Smith (rear-tire changer).
Briscoe finished 17th in the race won by Josh Berry in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. Busch's day ended after 35 laps.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Tuesday, March 18, 2025
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It beat the previous mark of 659,000 viewers in 2019, and was up 541,000 from last year's race broadcast on ESPN2. The 2025 race, which began at midnight Sunday ET, also averaged 560,000 viewers in the coveted 18-49 year-old demographic.
The record viewership for the Australian GP comes amid reports that ESPN will not pursue the U.S. broadcast rights to F1 once the network's media deal expires after this season. However, F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said at last month's Liberty Media earnings call that discussions continue despite ESPN's exclusive negotiating period having passed.
ESPN has aired F1 races since 2018 and is in the final year of a three-year extension that has the network paying about $90 million per season for media rights.
NBC Sports and Netflix are potential replacements after both met with F1 last month, according to Front Office Sports.
NBC Sports aired F1 from 2012 to 2017, while Netflix has helped boost F1's popularity in the U.S. with its "Drive to Survive" docuseries, which recently released its seventh season.
The second race of the 2025 season is Sunday, with the Chinese Grand Prix scheduled to begin at 2:55 a.m. ET on ESPN. The F1 season includes United States stops in Miami (May 4), Austin, Texas (Oct. 19) and Las Vegas (Nov. 22).
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 14, 2025
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That was 0.124 seconds quicker than Oscar Piastri, who clocked the second quickest time ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Norris enters the season-opener as the early favorite to claim his first world championship.
"But certainly not happy, like not confident with the car in terms of finding the best balance and being consistent enough, especially on low fuel," Norris told reporters.
"High fuel, I felt good. Just low fuel was still similar to Bahrain, too many inconsistencies, too many problems, so a bit of a struggle."
Yuki Tsunoda was fourth in the practice session. Then came seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was 0.42 seconds off the pace of his new Ferrari teammate.
Hamilton, 40, is making his debut for the Italian team after 12 years at Mercedes, and acknowledged that he faces a steep learning curve ahead of Sunday's season-opener.
"I'm just going to try and enjoy it. I've got some pace to find, I know where I'm going to find it. It's just about going out and doing it," Hamilton told reporters when asked if earning the pole during Saturday's qualifying session is possible.
"I'm really still getting used to all the setup changes so it's like I don't have them on call like I used to have obviously at Mercedes."
RB2's Isack Hadjar was sixth during FP2, followed by defending champion Max Verstappen. The four-time defending world champion was fifth and seventh during the two practice sessions, while Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson finished 17th after brushing the wall in the first session and needing to have work done on his car.
"The problem is that it's not really like I have major balance problems, so I think it will be a bit hard to fix," Verstappen told reporters. "But it's also nothing that I didn't expect when I arrived here, so I'm not positively or negatively surprised with the pace that we are showing."
George Russell was the fastest of the Mercedes cars, finishing 10th and struggling to keep pace over the course of a full lap. It was an improvement on the first practice session, when Russell spun off the track.
That was still a far better day than rookie Oliver Bearman, who damaged his Haas after spinning across the track and sliding through the gravel. The 19-year-old took full responsibility for the spin.
Carlos Sainz, who signed with Williams after losing his Ferrari seat to Hamilton, finished in 11th ahead of teammate Alex Albon.
Another rookie, Mercedes' 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, finished 16th in FP2 after being 14th in the first session.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Friday, March 14, 2025
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Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world when he signed with the iconic Italian team in February 2024 before closing out his historic 12-year run with Mercedes. While Mercedes struggled, Ferrari finished second in the constructors standings.
Hamilton has now replaced Carlos Sainz, who moved on to Williams, and has teamed with Charles Leclerc to form one of the top driver tandems on the grid.
With Ferrari coming off a second-place finish last year and adding arguably the sport's greatest ever driver, expectations are heightened for 2025. The 40-year-old Hamilton is seeking an elusive eighth title while Ferrari is looking for its first championship since 2008.
"I don't feel the pressure," he told reporters on Thursday. "The outside pressure is non-existent for me. The pressure is from within and what I want to achieve.
"I'm not here to prove anything to anybody. I don't feel I have to do anything. I've been here a long, long time and done it time and time again."
Between McLaren and Mercedes, all of Hamilton's world championships have come while driving cars powered by Mercedes engines. The Briton also is transitioning from the United Kingdom-based Mercedes to the Italian outfit.
"I'm under no assumptions that it will be easy. It is not," he said. "I'm back at square one.
"I'm still learning this new car that's quite a lot different to what I've driven for all my previous career in the sense of Mercedes power. Coming into Ferrari power, it's something quite new -- different vibration, different feel, different way of working.
"The whole team works completely differently. I was just sitting looking at the race trace from last year, and it's upside down compared to the previous one. You're looking at things from a different perspective, which makes it exciting and challenging."
A two-time winner in Australia, Hamilton insisted he did not have any expectations entering the weekend other than joking that he hoped to finish in the points. He will get two practice sessions on Friday ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
"This is the most exciting period of my life, and so I'm really just enjoying it," he said. "I'm so excited to get in the car tomorrow."
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Wednesday, March 12, 2025
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The new deal replaces Piastri's contract that ran through 2026 and was set to pay him over $7 million per season.
"It's a great feeling knowing that I'm part of McLaren's long-term vision," Piastri said in a release. "The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we've gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible.
The 23-year-old Australia native won a pair of races in 2024 and finished fourth in the driver's standings with 292 points, while teammate Lando Norris was the runner-up with four wins and 374 points. Norris signed a long-term extension before the 2024 season.
The McLaren constructor's title ended a two-year title run for Red Bull and gave the team its first championship since 1998.
Piastri's deal comes just as F1 is set to open its 2025 season with the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday in his hometown of Melbourne.
--Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Monday, March 10, 2025
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With victories at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas and Phoenix, the Norman, Okla., native is the first driver to win three Cup races in a row since Kyle Larson did so in 2021. He is also the first driver to win three out of the first four since Kevin Harvick in 2018.
Compared to Harvick's early-season thrashing of the field seven years ago, Bell hasn't been quite as dominant. That's not a knock on Bell, but rather an indication of how NASCAR's schedule has changed. The first four races of 2025 featured two superspeedways, a road course and a one-mile oval. The first four races of 2018 featured Daytona being followed by three conventional ovals in a pre-reconfiguration Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
During his three-race win streak at the start of 2018, Harvick led 433 laps, compared to Bell's 114 over his three-race win streak. During his streak, Harvick scored a combined 149 laps, compared to Bell's 139 over his three-race streak.
As Bell prepares to race for a fourth consecutive win at Las Vegas on Sunday, it's worth looking back at Harvick's attempt at a fourth straight win in 2018. Harvick was involved in an early crash at that year's Auto Club 400 and finished 35th. It was a race indicative of the nature of NASCAR: no matter how high you are, you can always be brought down. Bell hopes to avoid a similar fate at Las Vegas.
Harvick's fourth win of 2018 came seven races after his third in the AAA 400 at Dover. While Harvick made the Championship 4 for the fourth time in five seasons, he and the rest of the 'Big Three; that included Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. saw their title hopes crushed by Joey Logano.
When looking for the best start to a season in Cup Series history, Bill Elliott's 1992 season has to come to mind. After leaving Melling Racing at the conclusion of 1991, Elliott landed with Junior Johnson as the driver of the flagship No. 11 car. While his season would ultimately end in a heartbreaking championship defeat at the hands of journeyman Alan Kulwicki, nobody could touch Elliott over the first five races of 1992.
A 27th-place finish at Daytona was disappointing for the two-time Daytona 500 winner, but over the next four weeks, Elliott was far and away the best driver in the field. Wins at Rockingham, Richmond, Atlanta and Darlington solidified him as a championship threat, though he remained behind fellow title contender Davey Allison in the points standings despite his tear.
Different points systems and race lengths prohibit a cross-examination between Elliott and Bell's respective streaks, but it should be noted that Elliott led 747 of a possible 1,587 laps during his win streak.
Unfortunately for Elliott, his dominance ran out in race six at Bristol, where he finished 20th -- 30 laps down. Following his four-race win streak, he would fail to find victory lane again until the infamous season-finale at Atlanta, where Elliott's fifth win of 1992 failed to deliver him a second Winston Cup title.
Bell now shifts his attention to going for a fourth consecutive win, a feat accomplished by the aforementioned Elliott, Harry Gant -- AKA 'Mr. September' for winning four races in a row in September of 1991 -- and Richard Petty, who won 10 in a row in 1967, among others.
The bad news for the field? Bell is due for a trip to Victory Lane in Sin City.
In his past four starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bell has three top-five finishes and has led 216 laps. Of those 216, 155 of them came in a dominant performance at LVMS in October of 2024, where Bell saw Joey Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe steal a win that catapulted the No. 22 team to the Championship 4. That race wasn't just a heartbreaking loss on an otherwise dominant day for Bell, but also ended up being the difference in Bell missing the Championship 4.
The spring race at Las Vegas hasn't been quite as kind to Bell as its fall counterpart, but with how fast Bell is at the moment, that might not matter. He'll undoubtedly be near the top of the list of race favorites this week and in the weeks following.
A glance further down the Cup Series schedule shows tracks where Bell can continue his white-hot start. Should Bell win his fourth consecutive race at Las Vegas, the chance for a fifth at Homestead-Miami glimmers in the Florida sun.
Bell has top-five finishes in the past two Homestead races, including a win that lifted him and the No. 20 team to the Championship 4 in 2023. The week after Homestead, the Cup Series travels to Martinsville, where Bell won in the fall of 2022 to advance to what was his first Championship 4.
With Darlington and Bristol leading off the month of April, Talladega on April 27 may be Bell's biggest hurdle until the summer. Then again, superspeedway races likely seem less daunting to the No. 20 team following Bell's victory at Atlanta.
Whether Bell's streak ends next week or continues at Las Vegas and beyond, his three-race win streak has been an historic and undeniably impressive run that has the opportunity to grow and place him alongside the sport's greats.
If you still don't have Christopher Bell on your radar as a championship favorite, it's past time to declare him the biggest threat the Cup Series field as seen since Larson in 2021.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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By Field Level Media / Saturday, March 8, 2025
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The 27-year-old North Carolinian conceded he wasn't expecting his chart-topping lap of 133.680 mph (26.93 seconds) but is ready to seize the strong start for Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
"I did not hit my marks, I was sideways and carried a ton of entry speed, missed the middle of the corner, and coming off the dogleg I was so loose," Byron said of his fast lap on the 1-mile Phoenix oval, the 14th pole of his career. "I was just going to try to commit to the exits and see how much I could get out, even though I missed the center (of the turn).
"Just a fast car," said Byron, who leads the NASCAR Cup Series championship and has two top-two finishes in the season's first three races. "Thanks to my whole team. They've been bringing fast cars, and we've been doing a really good job of executing. So definitely want to go out there and have a great day tomorrow."
Team Penske's Joey Logano will start alongside Byron, marking his third front-row start in four races this year. The three-time and reigning series champion turned a lap of 133.195 mph (27.028 seconds in his No. 22 Ford Mustang in Saturday's single-round NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session.
"I don't like William Byron anymore," Logano said with a laugh. "Man, that stinks. I just got through telling (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) that it would really suck if the last car beat us.
"That was going to be Penske's 700th pole across all motorsports, so we'll have to go try and do that next week. But overall, proud of the effort."
Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar will start his No. 77 Chevrolet third, leading an impressive weekend for the Spire team. For the first time ever, all three of its cars will start among the top eight on the grid. Michael McDowell (No. 71) and Justin Haley (No. 7) will start seventh and eighth, respectively.
Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry was fourth quickest in the No. 21 Ford, followed by Legacy Motor Club's Erik Jones in the No. 43 Toyota.
Defending Phoenix spring race winner Christopher Bell, who brings a two-race winning streak into Phoenix, was 11th quickest.
Katherine Legge, making her NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend, qualified last among the 37 cars. However, she improved her practice speed in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet by more than 2 mph in qualifying -- a strong sign of progress for the sports car and open-wheel driver.
Logano, who won the last NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix in November, is the last driver to win a race from the pole at the desert 1-miler, claiming that win in fall 2022. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson (2021) and Chase Elliott (2020) are the only other active drivers with a Phoenix victory from the pole.
Hocevar was not only quick in qualifying but also fastest in Saturday afternoon's practice using Goodyear's "option" tires. His Spire Motorsports Chevrolet teammate McDowell was second-fastest, with 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (Toyota), Team Penske's Austin Cindric (Ford), and Roush Fenway Keselowski's Chris Buescher (Ford) rounding out the top five.
Teams tested the option tire in the 45-minute practice session to evaluate its impact in race trim. Race conditions are expected to differ, with temperatures forecasted to be at least 10 degrees warmer. Every team will have two sets of the option tire and six of the Goodyear primary sets.
"I don't know, but it's definitely a much faster tire and pretty strong as well," Larson said of running practice laps on the option tire. "It's going to be interesting."
--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
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