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NASCAR

Another week, another win by one of NASCAR’s greatest road course racers right now in Shane Van Gisbergen.

He could have swept all three stage wins except when he chose to pit late in Stage 1 just to ensure he’s good for the rest but SVG never looked out of place since then.

He’s well set up to dominate the Playoffs with the extras in rugby terms like his winning kicking game celebration all the way past the two sticks or grandstands.

Great to see Michael McDowell finish 4th for Spire whose car may not have the same fire as SVG’s but he sure played his cards right with strategy including an extended run for the lead off the back of Stage 3 yellows coming from an experienced road course racer himself.

Same goes with Tyler Reddick too in the No.45 Toyota as the best mid-run Camry for 23XI having backed up another Top 10 road course result 2nd week down in 6th.

Plus, Brad Keselowski was the best mid-run Ford just outside the Top 10 in 11th for RFK Racing where he did the same thing like Tyler and McDowell. He could’ve resisted the temptation of not pitting late on yellows that would have given him a fighting chance up high & instead struggled at the restart. But not bad though with the result & there’s still time for Brad K to stamp a regular season win.

And special shoutout to Ty Dillon in the No.10 Chevy for Kaulig Racing who still found a way to stay in the in-season championship bubble at semi-finals time.

He finished 17th when his previous opponent Alex Bowman by two spots down (19th) as all he has to do is beat John Hunter Nemechek in the semi-final placing next weekend at the short track Dover and he could be in to win it come Indianapolis at the end of the month.

He’s even the only Chevy out there v three other Toyotas like JHN at Legacy, Ty Gibbs of course via his grandfather’s team, and Reddick as always with Denny’s 23XI side.

Maybe someone else should start giving Ty some additional sponsorship like from Polkadot and somehow the $$$ could be spent to help him win that in-season trophy by the time TNT airs its fifth and final race of the mid-summer & NBC takes over from August to the Championship Playoffs leg till November.

Looking at his run today, he was actually really good across the first half which was a boost with stage points. Now he couldn’t quite translate that promising start with his long runs but a few late yellows allowed TD to at least bring the car home.

All in all, another good week of road course racing where the battle of places is there as we go back to ovals on the short tracks. 

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It would have been extra cool though if the Supercars guys stick around a bit longer including Jack Perkins but then they had their own thing going on in Townsville. 

I hear someone at Erebus Motorsport is considering Jesse Love from Childress’ Xfinity team to drive that wildcard Camaro car for the Adelaide finale event once the NASCAR season is over later November even though he could go back to Toyota should Legacy MC able to add a 3rd car. 

We’ll see and if he does go to Toyota, there’s always Andretti Walkinshaw or Brad Jones Racing with the new Supras.

Sure there will be more good moments to come at Watkins Glen this September and Charlotte Roval in early/mid October.

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The king of the Chicago Street Course was here to collect yet another again win both Xfinity and Cup by none other than SVG.

He’s not just fast, he also played his cards right where he outsmarted the whole Cup field and never looked back ever since.

Second Cup win of 2025 btw.

Look further with Tyler Reddick in 3rd for the 23XI Toyota who did indeed dominate the third stage alone as if it did not count towards the final race result but still he had a front row afternoon.

So does Kyle Busch in the No.8 for Childress in 5th where he had a flying start up to 2nd in Stage 1 before he lost his way in between but slowly & surely regained a lot of ground with credit to those 2nd half and late yellows.

And the best mid-running Ford driver of the day goes to Roush-Brad K once again but it’s Ryan Preece in the No.60. 

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Now Ryan would’ve loved nothing more than a front row finish like his team-mate did last week after Brad K finished a close second to race winner Chase Elliott at Atlanta having gone with his own strategy. 

Even though that may not have panned out in spite of 2nd half yellows, Ryan still had a Top 10 car to bring that home all afternoon from 7th to finishing 7th.

All in all, it’s been a huge fight both physically and mentally from start to finish with a series of yellows along the way – despite the last lap yellow flag call which is up for debate after Cody Ware crashed into the wall, and it took a while for NASCAR officials to go with that decision.

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Although bummer for pole sitter Michael McDowell over in the No.71 Chevy for Spire when he got away with the Stage 1 win but then had problems once he made his way for a stop and that spelled unlucky not long after with a DNF.

Sometimes it’s just unpredictable when a few Cup regulars are being put to test by another Cup regular that knows about road courses all too well both left and right turns & once SVG hugs the lead lap baton, it’s going to be a much tougher fight getting a grip of him to pass from here. 

He will have another opportunity to make it win No.3 when road course racing continues next weekend this time out West at Sonoma Raceway. Love his rugby kick victory lap there with the ball where one random fan gets to take that home whichever it lands off the boot as always.

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Going off track now and earlier this week, there were also good news from SVG but not so much though in Daniel Suarez when it comes to solving that selection headache going into 2026 by Trackhouse.

That means, Daniel and Trackhouse reached an agreement to mutually go their separate ways that goes back to its foundations back in 2021. He’s so grateful of the good times they’ve achieved over time with two regular-season wins in 2022 at Sonoma and 2024 during the 1st of two Atlanta races. 

At the same time, Trackhouse needed a new direction that focuses more on being one of the new Big 3/4 teams. With that said, it makes sense for Trackhouse to bring young gun & Xfinity Series regular Connor Zilisch onboard in his place, which is expected to happen days to weeks from now. 

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All the best Daniel Suarez either elsewhere within Cup or back to Xfinity.

Plus, glad to hear that Stellantis has re-upped their performance game lately on top of Ram’s return to Track Series racing next year, with thanks to the returning boss Tim Kuniskis in charge. 

Here comes the return of the road-going brand SRT aka Street Racing Technology that will apply across its core brands Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Trucks. 

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Don’t know when the first models will come out mainly from Ram and Dodge’s side with the 1500 and Charger respectively but should be in a few months time & who knows if those sales go up? 

Just like the win on “Sunday, Sell on Monday” approach if Ram can get the ground running.

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Oh so close by Brad Keselowski in the No.6 Ford Mustang for RFK who had a top weekend from practice to race day.

The speed is there a few times throughout the night just need to turn into race wins where Chase Elliott got the better of him at the white flag on what has been a chain-reacted night along with an unreal last-lap finish on the ride home in Atlanta.

On the face of it, those RFK Fords have been fast as of late no doubt; sure they will find a way to get onto victory lane sooner than later even if they make the Playoffs without a win but strong finishes here and there.

Top shelf by the two satellite Toyota Camry cars in Tyler Reddick at 23Xl in 4th and Legacy MC’s Erik Jones 5th.

Erik never gave up & rebound straight from yellows under green while Tyler was trouble-free all night long to Top 5 & stayed battling up front since then.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. the one who continues to deliver at caution-filled races with some good late race opportunities finished 6th for the No.47 Chevy at Hyak Motorsports.

Special shoutout elsewhere to TNT Sports who just returned to NASCAR racing to bring you the next five Cup races. 

Wish they could bring the Altcast one with Larry McReynolds and Jeff Burton on some extra stream Internationally but that one was only capped to TruTV & Max in the US. 

Same with the in-car onboard cameras that was previously available to everyone by NASCAR.com until Max took over that product when the previous 10-year TV deal lapsed at the end of last season.

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Meanwhile earlier today at Lime Rock Park in the Craftsman Truck Series, Corey Heim was too good in that No.11 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage, who continues to dominate simply everything once again.

It’s been a while to defending champion Ty Majeski who finished 2nd and so does rookie & fellow Tricon driver in the No.17 Gio Ruggiero after he came home 3rd.

Plus, shoutout to two more: one who came all the way from Supercars just for this occasion and another is an announcer with strong ties to this race track. 

It’s Cameron Waters from Tickford Racing where he benefitted off a late yellow & also restart in 5th after running mid-pack for the most part with ThorSport Racing (No.67 Ford F-150) while Mike Joy from FOX NASCAR was there as an honorary guest rather than calling this race when it’s only Cup (usually the first half year).

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He could’ve also called the Indy 500 that could make Mike call both 500s all in the one year but only Chris Myers achieved that since he’s always a studio host and Will Buxton from the UK is in good hands.

Wish Cam could stay on for another week but for the Chicago Street Race since there’s no Truck racing for the next few weeks when Will Brown from Triple Eight will be back this time in a part-time Chevy for Kaulig Racing’s Cup team & so does Jack Perkins by surprise but in a Toyota Supra at Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity team.

Maybe Rick Ware Racing should call Cam up right now to have him race the No.01 part-time Ford then? Then somehow we could have three Supercars drivers if not four if you count SVG racing NASCARs all on that one awesome race weekend.

RWR’s future has been secured the other day thanks to new majority owner TJ Puchyr with the eventual goal of running a competitive three-car Cup team in the model of his old team that he co-founded so many years ago at Spire Motorsports.

What they’re doing right now when it comes to their competitive state and the way RWR treats their charters is more to do with just business than anything trying to reach some Top 10s every week.

However, for once, let’s hope TJ can finally help RWR tell the rest of the field that they’re here to win races rather than just sticking themselves at the back.

They could even be a Dodge team at the right time someday with Ram coming back to Trucks as soon as February next year at Daytona. 

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You just cannot believe what RFK Racing has been up to today where they had all three cars in the Top 10 with Chris Buescher leading the way in 4th.

A win would’ve been all but awesome having started from 2nd.

Even though he may not been able to find a way to outsmart those Toyotas, it’s still a top day though finishing inside Top 5 who deserves a regular season win soon.

Same with team-mates Ryan Preece and Brad K, both of whom also benefited greatly with a mix of yellows and strategy including an extended shot upfront by Brad, when things were up and down earlier on but both finished not bad in 8th and 9th.

And there’s another team out there that usually benefitted from the larger ovals with no need for an intro to Legacy MC. 

Top weekend with a top setup where John Hunter Nemechek in the No.42 Toyota went all in for the overall result & JHN caught that one beautifully in 6th.

Your winner today at Pocono is Chase Briscoe also a Toyota but in a top team at Joe Gibbs Racing.

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He had a flying start from 6th to 4th Stage 1 where it took figuring out for Chase and his Aussie crew chief James Small to force their No.19 Camry up front. From there off the back of yellows, that effect seems to have worked on their favour and they’ve never looked back ever since – how good!

It could’ve been Denny’s day over in the sister 11 car after he spent the rare weekend off last weekend when NASCAR crossed borders to Mexico City due to the birth of his third child –  a baby boy. 

But at the end of the day, it’s all about planning that 200mph chess (new term there made by Steve Letarte) right rather than just being fast if it wasn’t for yellows, and also weather plays a big factor too. 

That’s how Chase went on to win saying “checkmate” over Denny fair and square.

Not a lot of Chevys down the Top 10 other than just the Hendrick duo of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in between 5th & 7th with Daniel Suarez being the best Chevy mid-pack runner in 5th following a tough afternoon from these cars when it comes to Chevy’s satellite teams.

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But the only and only best Chevy moment from the weekend was the Saturday Xfinity race where Connor Zilisch got away the win over Jesse Love only laps before the finish line with Dale Jr. by his side from the pit box for just one race when Connor’s usual crew chief had to sit out by NASCAR officials.

At only 18 soon to be 19 next month, he continues to be one hell of a talent being Chevy’s own Ty Gibbs. Time will tell if he will get his chance full-time next season at Trackhouse at Cup or there’s always Spire or even Hendrick although we know he’s a Red Bull athlete much like SVG and they are both tied to Trackhouse.

Off the back of Daniel’s Xfinity and SVG’s Cup wins at the same Mexico City place last weekend, hate to see either one of them go when Trackhouse isn’t new at having to fit in drivers every year. But here’s hoping Justin Marks will find a compromise somehow that can hopefully help Chevy win championships again.

Can’t wait for the night race for the first time in 2025 when NASCAR returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway and also a first of returns too by TNT coinciding with the all-new in-season knockout competition.

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It’s been a while but great to see Layne Riggs back in victory lane for the first time in 2025 for Front Row Motorsports.

He may have Corey Heim running in and out right next to him for the most part having won the opening Stage.

But Heim’s unexpected late race issue in Stage 3 puts Riggs on the clear & now he’s got a Playoffs spot guaranteed.

He’s come from a long way when he first came into the organization as a Truck Series starter last year and although he made a few mistakes here and there but he’s got talent and the speed to bring those good finishes home. 

As long as he keeps on running up front, you never know –  it could be a championship like Zane Smith (FRM guy again in the No.38 Cup) did back in 2022.

Tanner Gray had a stellar afternoon also from 6th with an excellent strategy and long-run race pace particularly with an improved Stage 3 to finish 2nd.

I thought it was Taylor Gray but he’s committed to running Xfinity full-time this season; More on him coming tomorrow when he will be back in the No.19 Toyota Supra for Joey Gibbs Racing.

And Kaden Honeycutt finished 3rd coming off from 2nd for the No.45 Niece Motorsports Chevy. There were issues in the first half where he may not be able to hold onto the race leader but a run of yellows though with the right adjustments showed signs of rebound back to Top 3.

All in all today’s Truck Series race was half green and half yellow but a few yellows in Stage 3 got the best or worse from a few drivers.

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That’s the first race out of three across the Pocono weekend now done with an interview on the Kevin Harvick podcast already out yesterday with Tim Kuniskis (the returning CEO in charge) from Dodge and Ram, who talked about Ram’s official return to Truck Series racing with the 1500 model ready to go, that will begin next season. 

Let’s hope we can see Dodge back at Cup level by 2027 or more realistically 2028 – exciting times ahead.

I don’t know about their views on going back to Xfinity from Dodge’s standpoint but I guess that goes with it alongside Cup since Toyota and Ford only has one factory supported race team.

Also good to see Kevin back in the booth for this one as an analyst rather than the announcer with Jamie Little as always even though Fox decided to call the race from the studio than the race track.  

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No need for an introduction when someone like SVG who has done them all in road course racing before & he continues to dominate that with the win once again at Cup level in Mexico City.

Yes, things may be bit different from the start especially from pole & there was rain along the way. 

But he simply played his cards right when it’s all about the race win and now SVG will compete in the Playoffs later this year with the trust of Justin Marks at Trackhouse.

I know there’s Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings but to keep some stability, it’s best they hold onto both SVG and the weekend’s Xfinity winner Daniel Suarez at least one more year. 

At the end of the day, this wasn’t the first time Trackhouse had to go through this headache, especially when both drivers’ contracts probably expire at season’s end – just ask Zane Smith! 

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He was a Spire driver last year but on loan from but then largely inconsistent results would mean that Zane had to be released from his contract to make way for SVG.

Zane is back at Front Row Motorsports right now who is no doubt still a capable Cup driver.

Fantastic to see another natural road course specialist Michael McDowell with his first Top 5 of 2025 at Spire in 5th. 

A win would be anyone’s best thing all day everyday but at least he had a solid Top 5 car all afternoon & don’t forget there’s always the big tracks he can take advantage of the other way.

Great to hear from Legacy MC also following another good result in a different kind of race track in John Hunter Nemechek where he made a lot of ground plus avoiding yellows in 6th.

Then here comes the best Ford top-finishing driver of the race Cole Custer for the first time Top 10 in 2025 under the one and only brand new Haas team in 8th. 

He’s someone who rocked up out of nowhere following an indifferent first half before his long game strategy including dodging yellows at the right time proved that he can secure Top 10s – well played Cole.

And thanks to Mexico City on bringing the electric atmosphere into life including the stadium section that is such a perfect match for hosting major motorsports events including the first overseas points Cup race since 1959/1960.

Once again SVG is rolling road course fever ahead of everyone as the next driver to book in a Playoffs spot following his phenomenal afternoon in the No.88 Chevy.

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What a race win in the Xfinity Series by Mexico’s Daniel Suarez in front of his home fans – with special stuff right there.

He credits that fast No.9 Chevy by JR Motorsports even though he had to use a back up one from the back & yet Daniel was simply unstoppable having went on to defend his top spot so beautifully towards the checkered flag.

So close from Taylor Gray who almost got it off the back of the last late yellow restart but he still had a fast afternoon off his starting 8th spot with a lot of 2nd place stage and overall points.

There’s a few other drivers that gained or regained some ground at the same time but gotta say Austin Hill ticked off all the boxes both his speed and strategy – he too supercharged & stayed there in 3rd.

Other than dominant Toyota and Chevy day, Harrison Burton was the best-placed Ford driver there out in 9th in the No.25 for AM Racing. 

Now his first half run may be quiet through the middle to rear of the pack but he’s another driver who made progress with a mix of good pit stops, strategy and avoiding yellows, as it’s all about getting home with a good result – despite not having the best car to challenge the front-runners. 

So hats off to Harrison with a solid Top 10-15 result in Mexico City.

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What now for Daniel? He has another race to do when it comes to the Cup race tomorrow where he will start from 10th.

It was actually a good weekend so far from his Trackhouse team with NZ’s Shane Van Gisbergen having a blast too after he was the fastest out of everyone in qualifying & he will lead the line from pole.

This race is all about what’s best for this team going forward like 1-2 years from now when you’ve got the young Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings either for SVG’s or Daniel’s race seat. Justin Marks who is a brilliant team owner and former racer himself with a road course background has a lot of thinking to do before Trackhouse can set sights towards winning a championship someday.

But again will tomorrow’s race be SVG’s time to shine or can Daniel make up another homecoming victory this time at the top level? Bring it on.

Speaking of Mexico, there’s a Gold Cup soccer match to start soon when they will begin their campaign against Dominican Republic at the SoFi Stadium in LA. That’s the swimming venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics where a football stadium will be converted into a swimming pool for the week and then back to the grass again.

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Finally, shoutout to Nine for finally putting the WWOS watermark logo on when it comes to free-to-air motorsport for their limited live 24 Hours of Le Mans coverage that went between 12-2am at overnight.

You gotta put the best presentation out there to justify the investment of airing motorsports coverage even if it’s through a paid platform that shares an FTA component but it’s still under the responsibility of Nine and glad they’ve listened. 

Whoever saw that in the past with my feedback here, we thank you for this and let’s hope they can stay that way next time. 

The race is still ongoing also overnight in France where Stan Sport has the rest of that live access & also highlights/replays on-demand where you can watch it right now until the race finish by the end of tonight.

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Happy for Denny Hamlin with the Michigan win who knows what it takes to take that opportunity that late with both hands and yet he’s done that again when others eventually fell away on his 701st Cup series start. Am convinced that Chris Gayle his new crew chief will help Denny deliver more wins including the next Playoffs that could finally turn into his drivers’ championship year at season’s end.

I know that win would be worth so much more than anything second best but Chris Buescher had a solid afternoon including all other Roush cars in the Top 10 by Ryan Preece (9th) & Brad Keselowski (10th).

If it wasn’t for those yellows and that little slip up somewhere in Stage 3, the race could’ve been his to take by far just like we saw with Denny en route to the finish line.

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Top finishes all day also going to Denny’s 23XI Toyota employee Bubba Wallace who finished the race strong in 4th.

Then Ross Chastain at Trackhouse with a quiet and improved afternoon off the back of the Stage 2 yellows & never looked back since then where he did the best possible to collect them all on track position in 6th.

There’s another Ford that made solid ground especially under green by Zane Smith after he finished 7th for Front Row Motorsports.

Didn’t hear much from Kyle Busch when he rolled off 2nd but stayed out of trouble though all afternoon & regained up to 8th at Childress. He’s happy with the practice and qualifying speed so he can make up those best options available come race day where you never know what to expect other than finishing Top 10s every week. 

A win? Yes, that would be awesome when this car needs help to challenge the front runners like RFK & 23XI. But good consistent results and hanging in there through four odd hours shows he’s still got it & maybe he might win again after all.

Lots more drivers also benefitting a good end to the afternoon if you stretch all the way to the Top 15 but again, gotta say the local guy from the Michigan township of Byron, Erik Jones finished 11th in the famed No.43 Toyota with Legacy MC.

He’s another driver like many others as witnessed when others drop off firstly with cautions and later on fuel and race strategy under green. Now things may not have been the same when trying to keep hold of the Top 20 by the looks of his car’s long game although we know Legacy MC can stir up a surprise at the bigger track races but at least he ran not too shabby. 

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One too many end of Stage 3 yellows but great afternoon by Stewart Freisen and his family-run Truck Series organization.

Not only he waited for the right moment, he picked and held off the winning moment at overtime and did just that at the finish line – well deserved right there.

So close from Grant Enfinger when he thought the door was open for his to take and stay up front but then repeated overtime yellows and restarts puts him at second best just like a few other front-running contenders through the field.

Cool moment from polesitter Luke Fenhaus in 3rd; not much for the most part but at least he kept it clean & somehow he finished what he built.

Those blocks goes to show that Luke can cut it as he just needs a smooth long run finish more often whenever he’s back in the ThorSport Ford truck next time & you never know what could happen next.

Ben Rhodes posted his best result so far this year in 4th also at ThorSport & Corey LaJoie back in Spire colours part-time who made a lot of ground in Stage 3 with a extended shot before he signed off in 5th.

You can also catch Corey again but in a different view as a studio analyst for Amazon Prime tomorrow’s Cup day coverage since Amazon has three races left before TNT takes over from there.

Big Sunday coming up tomorrow with Cup racing to settle like Kyle Busch in the 8 Chevy for Childress from 2nd as well as a bunch of mid-pack Fords filling in the Top 10 following a great qualifying session.

Three Ford drivers from three of their own teams are looking to rip out the top ones by making this race their own, especially at the Motor City like Michigan.

There’s Chris Buescher at RFK Racing starting 6th ahead of Las Vegas march winner Josh Berry 7th in the Wood Brothers 21 and Zane Smith 10th in the 38 Front Row despite not having a charter.

Also look out for some off-track news with some other previous car maker now wanting to re-enter the sport initially at Trucks level starting next season towards an eye on Cup racing again at some point. 

This has been going on since the start of 2025 and it’s been widely expected that Dodge via Ram Trucks will be back in it once again with Cleetus McFarland onboard as the brand ambassador.

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Ryan Blaney may be the race winner but Carson Hocevar is 1st out of the mid-running teams from early Stage 2 cautions to Stage 3 green-flag pit stops where others struggle while he strives for track position.

Lots to be proud from the No.77 with Carson’s 1st career Cup win not too far away as long as he stays Top 10 every week – could’ve been a Spire double Nashville special if you look at Rajah Caruth’s win the other day in Trucks.

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Great shift from the Toyota satellite teams like the 23XI pair of Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick who both had the same progress as Carson in between 6th and 9th with Erik Jones able to stay running Top 10 all night long in the No.43 for 7th.

And Kyle Busch after finished 12th having also got away from avoiding yellows that turned into a steady 2nd half run – he’s still hanging in there just within that Top 16 points bubble.

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#NASCAR #CrackerBarrel400 #CarsonHocevar #SpireMotorsports #Toyota #23XIRacing #BubbaWallace #TylerReddick #ErikJones #KyleBusch

#LegacyMotorClub #Chevy

#RichardChildressRacing

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