Author Archives: PressBox

April 20, 2026

Nate Thrasher wins Cleveland 250SX after shoulder fix

Nate Thrasher won the 250SX East overall at Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Cleveland, crediting a recent fix for an offseason shoulder problem with restoring his speed. Riding for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, Thrasher said, ‘I have won every year I have raced,’ and added the result should strengthen his position in contract talks; he said he currently has no confirmed ride for 2027.

Thrasher began the season managing the injury with results of 11th, 7th, 10th and 10th, then he led a race in Detroit before crashing in the whoops. He followed that sequence with finishes of fourth, second and first over the next three rounds before adding the Cleveland main-event victory.

The Cleveland win extended his streak of at least one 250SX victory in every season he has raced, including two wins as a 2021 rookie, one of them in Atlanta. Cole Davies finished third in Cleveland but retained the 250SX East championship lead, and the podium manufacturers were Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda.

On the 450SX side, Ken Roczen took the overall win in Cleveland, tightening that title fight, and Hunter Lawrence kept a one-point advantage in the standings.
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April 20, 2026

Tyler Courtney survives restart, beats Axsom at Tri-State

Tyler Courtney, an Indianapolis native, won the World of Outlaws 40-lap feature at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana after late contact with Michael “Buddy” Kofoid that spun Kofoid on the white flag. Courtney survived a green-white-checkered restart and held off Emerson Axsom for the victory. It was Courtney’s sixth World of Outlaws win and his second at Tri-State.

Courtney started fourth and charged to the lead early. Kofoid rallied from as low as 10th and had been seeking a fourth straight victory, and the two drivers traded heavy contact in the closing laps. Under the white flag Kofoid attempted to drag-race under Courtney, made contact and spun, and finished 19th.

Emerson Axsom recorded his first podium of the year in second, Sheldon Haudenschild was third, Brady Bacon fourth and Garet Williamson fifth. In points action Kofoid remained third while series leader David Gravel extended his championship advantage to 80 points.
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April 20, 2026

Ricky Lewis wins first USAC Southwest Sprint at Casa Grande

Ricky Lewis won his first career USAC Southwest Sprint Car feature at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Arizona. Driving the Bonneau Motorsports No. 78, Lewis started sixth and worked forward, making the decisive pass on longtime leader R.J. Johnson on lap 21 while negotiating lapped traffic. He survived a late restart after a caution for B.J. Hernandez’s spin on lap 22 and closed the door in Turn Three on the final lap to win by about two car lengths.

Dayton Shelton led early from the pole before Johnson took control on lap five and paced most of the event. The finish featured a four-lap dash during which Johnson briefly edged ahead on the final lap before Lewis regained the lead.

Observers called the win a breakout moment for Lewis in the USAC Southwest Sprint ranks. Lewis became the second different driver to take the No. 78 into victory lane at the 3/8-mile dirt oval this year, joining Kevin Thomas Jr., who took the No. 78 into victory lane on March 1.
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April 20, 2026

Kevin Thomas Jr. captures USAC CRA win at Casa Grande

Kevin Thomas Jr. won the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car main at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Arizona. He took the lead after Ricky Lewis suffered a flat front tire on lap 17 and paced the final 13 laps of the 30-lap feature to secure the victory. Thomas drove the Petty Performance Racing No. 33p Avanti Windows & Doors Sherman and collected the $5,000 winner’s purse for his second victory of the season.

Ricky Lewis recovered to finish second, and R.J. Johnson, the Friday night winner and the series points leader, finished third. Fast qualifier Cale Coons posted the Woodland Auto Display Fast Time with a lap of 15.264 seconds, won the night’s first heat and placed fourth in the main event. Eddie Tafoya Jr. finished fifth. Charles Davis Jr. won the second heat and Bruce St. James won the third heat.

Joshua Shipley earned the Hard Charger Award after rallying from 15th to 10th and collected $450. Nineteen drivers were listed on the card. The series is scheduled to return Saturday, May 2, at Ventura Raceway with USAC Western States Midgets on the program.
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April 20, 2026

Tech3 Runs Single Bike at Jerez After Viñales Surgery

Red Bull KTM Tech3 ran a single bike at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez after Maverick Viñales missed the weekend while recovering from corrective shoulder surgery. Team statements said a displaced screw was discovered after the US Grand Prix in Austin and forced Viñales to withdraw for surgery, with some reports describing the screw as displaced from an earlier operation and others linking it to his Sachsenring crash. The team said the No. 12 bike would not be on track and that Viñales was targeting a comeback at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans on May 10, 2025.

Pol Espargaró had been penciled in to replace Viñales but suffered a hand injury in the lead-up to Jerez, leaving Enea Bastianini as Tech3’s sole entry for the weekend. Bastianini arrived at the first European round on the back of a third-place Sprint finish in Austin, and the team said it hoped to build on that momentum.

Tech3 management, including CEO Guenther Steiner, described the one-bike plan as a short-term interim operational adjustment to concentrate resources while managing rider fitness and recovery timelines, and said the twin setbacks forced rapid changes to race operations.
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April 20, 2026

NLL Sets April 24-25 Quarterfinal Schedule

The NLL announced its quarterfinal schedule for the 2026 playoffs, set as four single-elimination games on April 24-25. All times are Eastern. No. 8 Halifax visits No. 1 Vancouver at Rogers Arena in Vancouver at 10:00 p.m., No. 6 Toronto visits No. 3 Saskatchewan at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon at 9:00 p.m., and No. 7 San Diego visits No. 2 Colorado at Ball Arena in Denver at 9:00 p.m.

The fourth quarterfinal pairs No. 5 Buffalo and No. 4 Georgia on Saturday, April 25, with the host site dependent on Georgia’s earlier result against Rochester that day. If Georgia beats Rochester, Buffalo will travel to Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA, for a 7:30 p.m. start. If Georgia loses to Rochester, Georgia will travel to KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, for a 7:00 p.m. start.

Quarterfinal winners advance to best-of-three semifinals beginning the weekend of April 30-May 3, with May 7-10 reserved if a deciding game is necessary. The best-of-three final is scheduled for May 14-17, with May 21-25 held as backup dates. Vancouver clinched the top overall seed and will have home-floor advantage throughout the postseason.

All playoff games will stream on ESPN+, TSN+ and NLL+, subject to territory restrictions. The league said it drew more than one million fans for the fourth consecutive year in 2025-26.
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April 20, 2026

Madsen takes pole, leads 30 laps to win Diamond Classic

Kerry Madsen won the FK Rod Ends Dash to start on the pole and then led all 30 laps of the A-Main to win the Diamond Classic in the Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint division at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, Saturday night, holding off Sye Lynch and Tanner Holmes.

Sources differ on his age, one listing him as 55 and another as 54. He is a native of Australia based in Knoxville, Iowa.

The result was reported as Madsen’s first High Limit series win in his 30th start and the first High Limit victory for car owner Tony Vermeer, and it made him the second Australian to win in the series, after James McFadden. One report’s claim that the result was Madsen’s 25th visit to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane in the High Limit series conflicts with the characterization of the Diamond Classic as his first series win; that discrepancy remains unresolved in the available sources.

After the race Madsen moved to sixth in the High Limit standings, 78 points behind leader Tanner Thorson. The series will stop at Eagle Raceway for the Speedway Motors Spring Jackpot on April 21, and the Roto-Rooter Midweek Series will air live on FS1 at 8 p.m. CT.
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April 20, 2026

Davenport Leads All 60 Laps, Beats Ricky Thornton Jr.

Jonathan Davenport won The Gauntlet dirt late model feature at Davenport Speedway in Bulls Gap, leading all 60 laps of the 60-lap race. It was Davenport’s seventh win of the season, and promoter Vic Hill had posted a $100,000 bonus that boosted Davenport’s total take for four nights to more than $137,500.

Ricky Thornton Jr. finished second, Mike Marlar third, Cody Overton fourth and Chris Madden fifth. Organizers scheduled a Saturday finale that paid $30,000.

Chris Madden won the Friday-night 50-lap Gauntlet preliminary at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap. Starting from the pole, Madden took the lead on lap 30 after Davenport suffered mechanical issues and fended off a late challenge from Zack Mitchell to earn $20,000. Some reports said Davenport’s Saturday victory “capped a sweep” of the weekend’s high-paying programs, and those accounts conflict with preliminary results showing Madden’s Friday $20,000 win.
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April 20, 2026

Incheon Seeks KRW1.04t to Fund Songdo F1 Bid

Incheon has advanced a bid to return to the Formula 1 calendar, proposing a 4.96-kilometer street circuit routed through Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is leading the push and has proposed a five-year hosting stint. Early plans call for the circuit to use existing roads in Yeonsu-gu, a new pit building and temporary grandstands for up to 120,000 spectators, and to take advantage of proximity to Incheon International Airport and Subway Line 1. City officials began promoting the idea in April 2024 and have targeted 2028 for a race, including a request to stage a double race that year.

A feasibility study led by the Korea Industrial Development Institute in partnership with German circuit designer Tilke, which began in June 2025, confirmed the site’s potential. The study estimated tourism revenue of roughly 580 billion to 590 billion won and projected creation of about 4,800 to 5,000 jobs. Officials put the project cost at about KRW1.04 trillion, with an estimated funding split of KRW237.1 billion from government and city coffers and KRW802.5 billion from private investors. Mayor Yoo said the Grand Prix could “transform Incheon from a transit hub into a global destination.”

Organizers still need backing from local and national governments, a promoter to win a tender and formal approval from Formula 1. They must satisfy technical, financial and political requirements and plan to identify private partners by the end of the year. Political support is divided and looming local elections add uncertainty, and planners say they must demonstrate long-term financial viability to avoid a repeat of the previous Korean Grand Prix at Yeongam, which ran from 2010 to 2013 before falling off the calendar amid cost concerns and waning local interest. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has described South Korea as an “untapped, social-media-connected market.”
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