Spire Motorsports owner Jeff **** erson responded to Denny Hamlin's bold statement about his team being an "unserious" one. The comments were made on Hamlin's "Actions Detrimental" podcast in the wake of a controversial incident involving Brad Keselowski and Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar at Darlington.
Towards the end of Stage 1 in the Cook Out Southern 500, contact between Hocevar and Keselowski sent the latter spinning. After the race, Hocevar was tight-lipped in his reaction to the incident, simply saying:
"I don't know. He spun."
Keselowski, meanwhile, had fiery comments for the driver of the No. 77 after the race."His day's coming and it's coming hard. Watch out, Carson," he said.
Hocevar said he will "tighten his belts" in response to Keselowski's comments.

#keselowski #spire

Spire Motorsports has been in the news all week for all the wrong reasons, especially for Daniel Suarez, who is in the NASCAR Chase.
Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, has grown weary of hearing about his teammate Carson Hocevar spinning out Brad Keselowski at Darlington on Sept. 6 and the subsequent criticism aimed at Spire.
He is ready to shift gears and focus on the Sept. 12 NASCAR Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (2 p.m. C.T., USA).
DENNY HAMLIN BLASTS SPIRE MOTORSPORTS: What Carson Hocevar said about Brad Keselowski's threat and Denny Hamlin's podcast comments
"It's difficult because I think we're doing a lot of great things at Spire Motorsports," Suarez said. "Carson is going to have his personality, I am going to have my personality, Michael (McDowell) is going to have his personality, and that's Ok. We have to be authentic. But we don't want to affect the reputation or the integrity or create a distraction within the team. We already have enough distractions within the team."

#suarez #personality #brad

Carson Hocevar finds himself the center of attention once again after another messy day at the race track.
With the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington for the first race of the Chase on Saturday, Hocevar was competing for points that would hopefully push him up the points standings and further into championship contention. Instead, he left with more negative attention, and more frustrated competition.
As the first stage of the race was coming to a close, Hocevar drifted up the track and spun the No. 6 of Brad Keselowski. Watching the replay, it is extremely, extremely clear what happened. Hocevar simply gets into him.
After the race, in which Hocevar finished 11th, the No. 77 driver dismissed the contact he made with Keselowski.
"Yeah he spun," he said smiling, when asked about the incident. "I don't know what happened. He spun."

#track #first #points

Carson Hocevar spun out Brad Keselowski, bringing out a caution and ending the first stage of the NASCAR Darlington race on Sept. 6.
There were still a few laps left in the stage, but when the yellow comes out so near the end, a new NASCAR rule states the stage ends.
Hocevar came close to taking out Joey Logano as well when he got into the back of Keselowski. There did not seem to be a reason for Hocevar making contact.
It was the first caution of the race.
Tyler Reddick won the stage, with Bubba Wallace second and Denny Hamlin third.

#hocevar #first

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The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the ****** e Zero Sugar 400 with the final playoff spots on the line. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season comes down to tonight at Daytona, where the ****** e Zero Sugar 400 will set the final 16-driver Chase field. With the playoffs beginning next weekend at Darlington, most of the picture is already in place, but the final race always has a way of creating chaos. Daytona's superspeedway racing means drafting help, late blocks, big wrecks, and surprise winners are all on the table, which is exactly what drivers near the cutline need.
Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski enter as the last two names still trying to force their way in, and both will need either a win or a wild night around the back end of the current top 16 to keep their championship hopes alive. For the drivers already safe, tonight is about surviving Daytona and building momentum. For everyone on the edge, it is all or nothing. After the checkered flag, only 16 drivers will still have a path to the Cup Series ****** le.
The green flag drops for the final race before the playoffs tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and racing fans can tune in with Sling TV.

#drivers #sugar

Iowa Speedway will play host to the NASCAR Cup Series' Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday. Ryan Blaney qualified for the pole position and will start out front.
The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Series points leader Denny Hamlin qualified 29th for Sunday's race. Tyler Reddick is second in season points, and he will start from the fifth position.
William Byron won last year's Cup race at Newton. Chase Briscoe finished second and Brad Keselowski was third.
Follow along below for live updates from the Iowa Corn 350.

#corn #race #speedway

NASCAR is gearing up for the 25th race weekend of the 2026 season at Iowa Speedway, and the Cup Series is bound to put on a show. In 2025, William Byron beat Chase Briscoe for his second win of the year. Now, the sport will head to Iowa with a substantial amount of money on the line.
The purse for the Cup Series race at Iowa will be $11,233,037 on Sunday afternoon. NASCAR doesn't release the earnings for the winning driver anymore, meaning it's impossible to tell how much of the $11,233,037 will go toward the team in victory lane. Last year, the purse for Iowa sat at $9,797,935, which is a $1,435,102 increase.
It will be fascinating to see which NASCAR driver will earn the most money at Iowa this weekend. Byron is looking to go back-to-back in the race at Iowa, but Briscoe and Brad Keselowski had good cars in 2025. Iowa always puts on a show, and this weekend should be no different.
NASCAR qualifying order for Cup Series at Iowa in August 2026
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR purse for Cup Series race at Iowa in August 2026

#iowa #series #purse #byron

Tyler Reddick made up a little bit of ground on Denny Hamlin in the fight for the regular season championship lead, closing from 44pts behind to 24pts back after Atlanta. There are now just six races until the Chase grid is set.
After Atlanta, both Hamlin and Reddick also mathematically clinched a spot in the 2026 Chase field.
In the battle around the cut-line, Shane van Gisbergen is 31pts above after another oval top ten, while Erik Jones remains on the bubble, eight points ahead of Joey Logano. Ryan Preece is -26pts, Brad Keselowski -43pts, and Ross Chastain -45pts.
Chastain was also the biggest mover in the standings, jumping two positions from 22nd to 20th, while A.J. Allmendinger was the biggest loser, falling three positions from 19th to 22nd.
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Brad Keselowski's hopes for a strong finish at EchoPark Speedway took an early hit Sunday after the RFK Racing driver brushed the outside wall during the opening laps of the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
Keselowski, who started 10th after a strong qualifying effort, reported over the radio that his No. 6 Ford became tight before the right-rear tire appeared to lose grip.
The contact with the wall dropped him through the field, although the damage was not severe enough to require an immediate pit stop. Keselowski remained on the track but fell to the back of the running order as the race continued.
The difficult start carries significant implications for Keselowski's playoff hopes.
As the field settled into the opening stage, Keselowski was shown running 37th, a dramatic swing after beginning the afternoon inside the top 10. With the race unfolding, he also slipped to the provisional cutoff area in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.

NASCAR is gearing up for the 22nd race weekend of the 2026 season at EchoPark Speedway, and the Cup Series is bound to put on a show. In 2025, Chase Elliott beat Brad Keselowski for his first win of the year. Now, the sport will head to EchoPark with a substantial amount of money on the line.
The purse for the Cup Series race at EchoPark will be $11,233,037 on Sunday night. NASCAR doesn't release the earnings for the winning driver anymore, meaning it's impossible to tell how much of the $11,233,037 will go toward the team in victory lane. Last year, the purse for EchoPark sat at $11,055,250, which is roughly a $180,000 increase.
It will be fascinating to see which NASCAR driver will earn the most money at EchoPark this weekend. Elliott is looking to go back-to-back in the summer race at EchoPark, but Keselowski and Alex Bowman had good cars in 2025. EchoPark always puts on a show, and this weekend should be no different.
More: How to watch NASCAR live at EchoPark in July 2026, full schedule
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR purse for Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway in July 2026

Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag Sunday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in one of the closest qualifying sessions of the 2026 season.
Hamlin turned a lap of 30.296 seconds (178.241 mph), edging Kyle Larson by just 0.001 seconds. Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski continued RFK Racing's strong weekend by qualifying third and fourth, while Ty Gibbs completed the top five.
Toyota placed five drivers inside the top eight, while reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano will have plenty of work to do after qualifying 31st.
Here's the complete starting lineup for Sunday's Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Denny Hamlin

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Denny Hamlin has the pole position for a NASCAR Cup Series race. Again.
Hamlin had a lap time of 30.296 seconds and a best speed of 178.241 mph on Saturday in qualifying for the first Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in seven years. It was just enough to edge Kyle Larson in second at 30.297 seconds and 178.235 mph in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
It was Hamlin's third straight pole on an oval track. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four poles this season in his No. 11 Toyota and 52 for his career, snapping a tie with Ryan Newman for ninth on the NASCAR list.
Larson was followed by RFK Racing drivers Chris Buescher (178.153 mph) and Brad Keselowski (178.089 mph). Ty Gibbs (178.083 mph) rounded out the top five for Sunday's race.
___

For years, NASCAR’s biggest battles played out on pit road, atop the pit box and behind the wheel.
Brad Keselowski believes the sport’s most important competition has moved somewhere else.
Speaking Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, the RFK Racing co-owner offered one of the most revealing ******* sments yet of why Toyota has dominated the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, arguing the manufacturer’s greatest advantage isn’t horsepower or aerodynamics. It’s organizational philosophy.
Toyota teams have won 11 of the season’s first 18 races entering Chicagoland. Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing have combined to establish themselves as the benchmark in the Cup garage, and Keselowski says that success didn’t happen by accident.
Instead, he believes Toyota found a formula the rest of the industry has yet to duplicate.

Ryan Preece might be dealing with the most unique situation in the NASCAR garage. RFK Racing only has two charters for three drivers, and Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher are locked in long-term. Preece could be on the outside looking in next season, but will he actually leave RFK Racing?
Motorsports Wire is predicting that Preece will return to the No. 60 car for RFK Racing in 2027. The issue for the NASCAR organization will be losing a charter, but the driver of the No. 60 car will run as an open entry. This will hurt RFK Racing financially, which could affect their overall performance.
Preece doesn't deserve to lose his ride, and RFK Racing wants to continue as a three-car team. If push comes to shove, RFK Racing should keep Preece in the No. 60 car moving forward. There shouldn't be a scenario in which he leaves unless RFK Racing believes it is too much of a financial burden.
More: Predicting Hendrick Motorsports' driver lineup for 2027 Cup season
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Ryan Preece's 2027 prediction: Will he return to RFK Racing?

Chris Buescher isn't going anywhere. Buescher has signed a long-term contract extension to remain in the No. 17 car for RFK Racing beyond the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The driver of the No. 17 car has impressed as the top RFK Racing driver in the point standings this year.
Buescher would have been a very hot commodity in NASCAR silly season, but RFK Racing didn't want to let him leave. It is understandable, as Buescher is a proven winner in the Cup Series. The only issue for RFK Racing is that they have two charters for three drivers in 2027.
More likely than not, Brad Keselowski will return to the No. 6 car, meaning Ryan Preece will be driving an open entry if he stays with the organization. As for Buescher, he is locked into the No. 17 car moving forward, and RFK Racing hopes that he can reach new levels on his next contract.
More: How to watch NASCAR live at Sonoma in June 2026, full schedule
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Chris Buescher signs contract extension with RFK Racing

Trackhouse Racing will lead the NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for the race at San Diego in June. Shane van Gisbergen won the pole for the 2026 Andruil 250 at San Diego this weekend. Carson Hocevar will join van Gisbergen on the front row for Sunday afternoon's event. It is van Gisbergen's second pole position of the 2026 season.
Ryan Blaney and Zane Smith will follow the two drivers on the second row. Most notably, Alex Bowman, Kevin Magnussen, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Jimmie Johnson, and Christopher Bell will all start 20th or worse for Sunday afternoon's event. Hocevar, Preece, Keselowski, and Wallace all had issues on their runs.
The full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at San Diego in June 2026 is below!
No. 97 Shane van Gisbergen
No. 77 Carson Hocevar

On the official NASCAR Hauler Talk Podcast, Senior Director of Racing Communications Amanda Ellis detailed the decision from the Sanctioning Body to not penalize Austin Dillon for what Brad Keselowski and spotter TJ Majors felt was intentional retaliation on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.
The entire ordeal began on Lap 145 when Dillon was spun off a chain reaction of events. There was a bottleneck on pit entry and coming down the frontstretch, Keselowski shaded low and stalled Dillon, who spun off the nose of Keselowski.
Dillon blamed Keselowski in real time.
Then, 47 laps later, there was a stack-up on a restart and Dillon followed Keselowski down the apron. Dillon connected with Keselowski, and crashed him as a result. In real time, Majors told Keselowski that he felt it was intentional payback and Keselowski himself indicated the same conviction
“You know, I felt like we had just made the adjustments on the car we needed to be competitive … and it’s pretty clear he wrecked me intentionally after seeing that replay,” Keselowski said on the Prime Video broadcast. “So, turnabout is fair play.”