'PURE INSANITY' IS UNLIMITED CLASS WINNER AT ST. JOHN
The Lewiston, Idaho team, “Pure Insanity,” dominated from start to finish and collected the Unlimited class championship in the June 21 sprint boat race on Webb's Slough in St. John, Washington. The boat is driven by 20-year-old River Rogers along with navigator, Cole Keatts. The Jolly Rogers team of driver Eric Wener, Arlington and navigator, Samantha Hughes, both Spokane, were modified winners. The teams return to race Aug, 23.
BRISCOE OUTLASTS HAMLIN AT POCONO
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
Pocono (Penn.) June 22, 2025 — Chase Briscoe has earned a NASCAR Cup Series season-best four pole positions and led laps in eight races in his first season driving the famous No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and finally – finally - on Sunday afternoon that hard work translated into his first trophy, edging his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin in The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com at Pocono Raceway.
It came down to the suspenseful very final laps, Briscoe having to save as much fuel as possible while maintaining the lead the last 34 laps with Pocono’s all-time winningest driver Hamlin and a two-time Pocono winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney directly in his rearview mirror, pushing him lap after lap.
But Briscoe did it — perfectly executing throttle control to maintain the lead and not run his Toyota Camry out of gas — ultimately beating Hamlin across the line by .682-second to formally punch his win-and-in 2025 Playoff ticket.
The 30-year-old Indiana-native led a race best 72 of the 160 laps on the day and even had enough fuel for the well-deserved victory celebration.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Briscoe conceded. “It was kind of weird. I wasn’t driving hard so it’s not like I was on the ragged edge, but it was just so hard having a guy chasing you, especially the guy that’s the greatest of all time here, to be trying to save fuel and everything else.
Hamlin, a three-time winner this year who is returning to competition after missing last week’s Mexico City race to be home in North Carolina for the birth of his son, showed why he is a seven-time Pocono winner, the track’s all-time best.
His runner-up finish marks the 10th time he’s finished first or second at the unique 2.5-mile three-turn Pocono oval. He won in 2023 and now has finished second in the two races since.
Blaney, who earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono in 2017 and answered with a win last year, finished third-place finish - especially impressive considering he started from the back of the grid after making adjustments on his car following qualifying.
Chris Buescher, who like Blaney earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono (2016), started his No. 17 Ford on the outside of the front row and was among the day’s nine leaders – ultimately finishing fourth. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was fifth with back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time this year.
Briscoe’s victory – the third of his career - makes him the 11th driver to earn a position in the 16-driver Playoff field – the sixth different in just the last eight weeks.
With nine races remaining to set the Playoff field, Hendrick’s Alex Bowman sits in that 16th-place position, 20-points up on Preece for that final points-only transfer position.
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway for the June 28 Quaker State 400 the In Season Bracket Challenge Round 1 race of the $1 million to-win five-race series.
PROCK, LANGDON, HERRERA FIND WINS IN VIRGINIA
DINWIDDIE, Va. (June 22, 2025) – Funny Car points leader and reigning world champion Austin Prock won for the second straight year at Virginia Motorsports Park on Sunday, defeating John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the final round of the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia Nationals.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the ninth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
In the final round, Prock went 4.061-seconds at 318.02 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car, holding off Beckman at the finish line and picking up his third win of the season.
It was also an emotional win for Prock, as the matchup between JFR teammates took place a year after legendary Funny Car driver John Force was involved in a massive crash at Virginia Motorsports Park.
“A lot of emotion for sure,” Prock said. “Getting to win last year, that was huge and being able to take the Wally to John as a team, that’s what we wanted to do again today, and I’m happy that we could go back-to-back and get the job done for him,”
In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon finished the job this year at Virginia Motorsports Park, taking his third win of 2025 with a run of 3.940 at 319.67 in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster to get past Justin Ashley in the final round.
“In qualifying, we kind of knew what we’re going to be in for on Sunday, so we really tried to get the car to where we felt comfortable with it on a hot surface,” Langdon said.
Gaige Herrera had to chase down Angie Smith in the finals in Pro Stock Motorcycle, but the points leader won for the second straight year at Virginia Motorsports Park with a run of 6.826 at 198.79 in the final round on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Smith left first on the back-to-back world champion, going 6.853 at 196.76, but Herrera had just enough to get past her at the finish line.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 26-29 with the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
JOE KOPP EARNS PLACE IN AMA HALL-OF-FAME
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (June 18, 2025) — After several weeks of voting, in which thousands of ballots were cast, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame announced the six esteemed inductees to be honored at the 2025 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Oct. 23.
Among those are Mica, Wash. native, Joe Kopp who will join Dana Bell, Chris Carter, Colin Edwards, Chad Reed and Ryan Young in the club.
Kopp reached the pinnacle of Flat Track competition by winning the 2000 AMA Grand National Championship. He also dominated the AMA Supertracker National Championship, taking home the 1999 and 2000 titles.
His impressive record in AMA Grand National events includes 21 career wins, placing him 17th among the all-time greats, and 81 career Grand National podium finishes, ninth all-time.
Kopp is also one of 15 riders to complete the prestigious Dirt Track Grand Slam, winning at least one race in each of the four dirt track disciplines: Short Track, TT, Half-Mile and Mile.
“This distinguished group of motorcyclists exemplifies the spirit, diversity, and dedication of the motorcycling community,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Each has made a lasting impact on our sport and lifestyle — whether through competition, advocacy, innovation, or inspiration. Their contributions, from racetracks to legislative chambers to the open road, have shaped motorcycling as we know it, and we are proud to recognize them with this well-deserved honor.”
The AMA Induction Ceremony will kick off AMA Hall of Fame Days, set to run Oct. 23-26, which will include an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Night and open house at the AMA Hall of Fame Museum on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The AMA Induction Ceremony will be held at the Violet Township Event Center on Thursday, Oct. 23, and will be followed by a cocktail reception at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.
Hall of Fame inductees are selected from eight areas of influence: Ambassadors & Industry, Design & Engineering, Dirt Track, Leadership & Motorcycle Rights, Motocross & Supercross, Off-Road, Road Racing and Specialty Competition.
SWEET SIX' AFTER ROAD AMERICA VICTORY
From Indycar.com Media
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 22, 2025) – After 55 laps of ferocious, frantic uncertainty, about the only certain thing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES happened again at Road America — Alex Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew standing in victory lane.
Palou stretched the available fuel in his No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at the end to earn his sixth victory in nine starts this season in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR, becoming the first INDYCAR SERIES driver to take the checkered flag at least six times in a season since Will Power in 2011.
“It was a crazy race,” Palou said. “There were moments I thought we were losing a ton of positions. It was a tough race for everybody. Kudos to the team for the amazing strategy and Honda for giving us the fuel mileage we needed at the end to make it.”
Three-time series champion Palou expanded his lead to 93 points over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood with the victory in a race of varying fuel and tire strategies as the season passed its halfway point, with eight races remaining on the 17-race schedule.
Felix Rosenqvist was unshackled from a fuel-saving strategy over the closing laps in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian but fell 2.1725 seconds short to finish second.
Santino Ferrucci had just enough Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel to hang on to third in the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, his fourth straight top-five finish this season.
There were a race-record nine leaders today, with Palou taking the top spot for good on Lap 53 of the 55-lap race when teammate and leader Scott Dixon couldn’t pull off another miraculous fuel save and was forced to pit in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
The next race is The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the all-new 2026 Passport on Sunday, July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
