Racing Notebook
Racing Notebook: Gravel Wins At Eldora; Mid-Ohio Gearing Up For IMSA; Briscoe On Xfinity Pole and more

PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – The latest edition of The Pittsburgh Racing Now Notebook recaps David Gravel’s win at Eldora, IMSA’s trip to Mid-Ohio this weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting lineup at Las Vegas, the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series lineup and pilot error cited in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2019 plane crash.
Gravel Wins Governors Reign At Eldora:
- David Gravel held off Kyle Larson to win The Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions Governors Reign at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night. Gravel started on the pole position and led all 35-laps but not without a fight from Larson. Larson started 10th and worked his way into the top 5 before the midway point and into second place after a restart following a lap 20 caution. Gravel took off on that restart but Larson kept chiseling away at Gravel’s lead, trying a slide job on the last lap only to lose the drag race to the checkered flag. Gravel took home $52,000 for the win.
Mid-Ohio Preparing For IMSA Weekend:
- The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is gearing up for a weekend of sports car racing as the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) brings four series to the 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural terrain road course. The Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio showcases the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is Sunday’s headliner. The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races on both Saturday and Sunday. The IMSA Prototype Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA will hold a triple header while the Mazda MX-5 Cup will hold a doubleheader. A limited amount of fans will be permitted to attend but must purchase tickets online at www.midohio.com because tickets will not be sold at the gate.
Chase Briscoe Awarded Xfinity Series Las Vegas Pole:
- Stewart Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe has been awarded the pole position for Saturday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 Playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric will start second. JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier will lineup third with Kaulig Motorsports Ross Chastain starting fourth. The lineup was set by NASCAR’s ‘performance matrix’. Briscoe and Cindric both open the playoffs with 2050 points but Briscoe is first due to a series-high 7-wins. The green flag flies Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Xfinity Las Vegas Starting Lineup
Brett Moffitt Awarded Las Vegas Truck Series Pole:
- GMS Racing’s Brett Moffitt has been awarded the pole position for Friday night’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the second of the NASCAR Playoffs for the Truck Series. Moffitt finished second in last weekend’s playoff opener at Bristol Motor Speedway. Moffitt’s GMS Racing teammate Sam Mayer, who is running a part-time schedule won that race. The green flag for the Westgate 200 drops at 9:00 p.m. ET. NASCAR Trucks Las Vegas Lineup
Pilot Error Cited In Dale Earnhardt Jr Plane Accident:
- The National Transportation Safety Board is blaming the pilots for the crash August 2019 crash involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family. Investigators said the probable cause of the incident was decisions by the pilots, including approaching the runway too fast and a failed attempt to abort the landing. The report says the plane bounced four times and “the airplane touched down hard and the right main landing gear then collapsed under the wing.”
IndyCar
Barry Wanser and Russ Thompson win the Robin Miller Award at Indianapolis

SPEEDWAY, IN (May 23, 2025) – Barry Wanser of Chip Ganassi Racing and broadcast statistician Russ Thompson are joint winners of the Robin Miller Award, named after the legendary Indianapolis journalist who died in 2021.
The award honors “an unheralded individual who’s devoted a significant portion of their life to IndyCar racing while bringing unbridled passion and unrelenting work ethic to enrich the sport.”
Wanser (pictured above with Alex Palou) has certainly done that in his tenure at CGR, where he is a team manager and race strategist on the No. 10 DHL Honda, driven currently by three-time Champion Alex Palou. Wanser has worked with some of the best drivers that have ever strapped into one of CGR’s race cars including, Alex Zanardi, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and now Palou.
“This is a true honor,” said Wanser. “A surprise. Robin was a close friend of mine. I’m honored to represent him in this award, and certainly the team. I prefer being a behind the scenes guy and not thrust into the spotlight, but being here today, being honored, being completely surprised… thank you.”
“Barry’s been one of these guys that’s been with us for over 20-years and he’s so much more to the team than just a team manager,” said team owner Chip Ganassi.
“Every team needs a leader and the 10-car is Barry,” Dario Franchitti, who drove the No. 10 from 2009 – 2013 winning 3-Championships and 2-Indianapolis 500’s, told RACER. “When you think about the lottery of the people you get to work with, the fact that I got to work with that guy as my strategist, as our team leader….I won the lottery there.”
“We started together working on Juan Montoya’s car,” said Ricky Davis, Crew Chief on the No. 10 Honda. “He’s got the intelligence, he knows racing, he understands it and he has the ability to deal with things that most people – their heads would probably explode.”
Thompson has been a statistician for 35-years and has provided the television broadcast talent the little nuggets of information that fans soak up during broadcasts.
“On behalf of myself and my family, this award just means everything to us, to think that all of you honor (Robin) once a year, these incredible people that are part of this fabulous race and this fabulous race track,” said Robin Miller’s sister Diane, who was on-hand for the award ceremony. “And this is Robin’s home. I mean, he might be sprinkled here a little bit, but he’s always here in spirit, and I know this week he’s really been here in spirit. I can’t think of two more deserving individuals to get this award.”
The first recipient of the award was Miller himself (2019), followed by Bob Jenkins (2021), Judy Dominick and the late T.E. McHale (2022), Ziggy Harkus (2023) and Anne Fornoro (2024).
Racing Notebook
Racing Notebook: Porsche Penske again in IMSA; Alex Bowman on NASCAR Cup Pole; Andretti locks out INDYCAR front row and more

(April 13, 2025) – Porsche Penske Motorsports remains perfect in IMSA competition in 2025 plus Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman wins the NASCAR Cup Series pole position in Bristol. The USF 2000 and USF Junior’s take on NOLA Motorsports Park. Chip Ganassi Racing and Journie Rewards announce their driving academy class of 2025.
Porsche Penske Win At Long Beach
- Porsche Penske Motorsports (PPM) is perfect so far in 2025 in IMSA as Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy captured their third consecutive overall and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class win in Saturday’s Long Beach race. PPM completed its second straight 1-2 finish, with Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell again finishing second in their No. 6 Porsche 963. The No. 24 BMW, started by Dries Vanthoor and finished by Philipp Eng, came home third for both the pair and the team’s first GTP podium finish of 2025.
Alex Bowman on Bristol Cup Pole
- Alex Bowman’s fast lap of 14.912-seconds (128.675 mph), the fastest lap ever run at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series Gen 7 race car, was good enough to hold off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 0.013 seconds (128.563 mph) to earn the pole position for Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race. Kyle Larson (128.511 mph) qualified third. Denny Hamlin, winner of the last two Cup events, was fourth at 128.460 mph and Ryan Blaney topped all Ford drivers with a fifth-place qualifying lap at 128.305 mph. Bristol Cup Lineup
Journie Rewards Driving Academy Class of 2025
- Journie Rewards has selected three drivers to participate in the 2025 edition of the Journie Driving Academy (JDA). Decklan Deonarine (13, Ontario) will compete in the Rok Cup, Rotax Max Challenge and Kartstars championships this season. Jack Klym (9, Saskatchewan) will compete in the Rotax Max Challenge this season. Nathan Reddish (13, Ontario) will compete in the Briggs Junior Light division of the Mosport International Karting Association (MIKA) schedule in what will be his first season of club competition. To learn more about the JDA, visit chipganassiracing.com/jdac.
McNeilly Dominates First Leg of USF2000 Tripleheader at NOLA
- Liam McNeilly was peerless today in the first of three USF2000 races at NOLA Motorsports Park. McNeilly led throughout the 15-lap race under sunny skies to secure his third win in as many races for the Jay Howard Driver Development team. Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, finished second for Exclusive Autosport, while Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, climbed from his 10th starting spot to finish third for VRD Racing.
Vergara Edges VRD Teammate Wheldon in USF Juniors Opener
- Joao Vergara narrowly beat VRD Racing teammate Oliver Wheldon to win the opening race of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire season at NOLA Motorsports Park. Vergara took the lead from early pacesetter Leonardo Escorpioni (Zanella Racing) on the sixth lap and fought off a determined challenge from Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., to secure a well-deserved maiden USF Juniors victory. Escorpioni rounded out the podium in third.
Racing Notebook
Racing Notebook: William Byron wins Cup Series pole plus rain washes out PPMS, Lernerville; INDY NXT testing and more

(April 6, 2025) – William Byron wins Cup Series Darlington pole plus Mother Nature washes out Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and Lernerville; Marcus Armstrong to run Root colors at Long Beach; Dennis Hauger leads INDY NXT testing at Nashville; Robinhood joins 23xi and more in Sunday’s Racing Notebook;
William Byron Wins Cup Series Pole
- Hendrick Motorsports William Byron will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag Sunday at Darlington Raceway. Byron’s fast lap of 28.774 (170.904 MPH) edged Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Ryan Preece, who posted a fast lap of 28.858 (170.407 MPH). Last week’s winner Denny Hamlin will start third. Darlington Cup Starting Lineup
Mother Nature Wipes Out Western PA Weekend
- Mother Nature was the winner this weekend in Western PA as Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway was forced to cancel their 47th season opener Saturday night. The PPMS cancellation came on the heels of Lernerville Speedway being forced to cancel their test & tune session Friday night. PPMS will try to open their regular season this coming Saturday. Another Test & Tune night is currently on tap for Friday, April 11 at Lernerville with opening night April 25th.
Marcus Armstrong to run Root colors at Long Beach
- Marcus Armstrong and the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda will be carrying the Root Insurance colors when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to action next weekend with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Root Insurance’s title partnership will extend to three additional races: the Detroit Grand Prix (June 1st), the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca (July 27th) and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway (August 31st).
Hauger Leads INDY NXT Testing At Nashville
- Andretti Global’s Dennis Hauger led all drivers with a fast lap of 187.564 mph on his first day of ever driving on an oval. Myles Rowe was second fastest at 187.491 mph. Rookie Lochie Hughes helped Andretti Global produce a 1-3 finish on the speed charts, as he was third at 186.651. Nashville Superspeedway will host the 2025 series finale Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 31.
Robinhood Partners with 23XI Racing
- Financial Service company Robinhood is partnering with 23XI Racing. At select NASCAR Cup Series races this season, Bubba Wallace and 23XI development driver Corey Heim will pilot Robinhood-branded cars. For the remainder of the season, Robinhood branding will also be placed on Wallace’s and Heim’s uniforms and team equipment.