Author Archives: PressBox

July 31, 2026

Aldeguer ruled out again as Lecuona gets Gresini call

Iker Lecuona will step in for Gresini Ducati at this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone after Fermin Aldeguer was ruled out again as he recovers from a fractured T7 vertebra. Gresini confirmed on Friday, July 31, that the 21-year-old Spaniard had not yet been cleared to resume training and would miss the race as a precaution. Aldeguer has been sidelined since his crash in Dutch Grand Prix practice at Assen in late June and has already missed the Dutch Grand Prix races and the German MotoGP.

Gresini said Aldeguer has been medically cleared to resume training on August 15, with a return for the Aragon round on August 28-30 now possible. Lecuona returns to the team after previously filling in for Alex Marquez in Hungary, where he finished seventh, and he had already made a MotoGP appearance earlier in 2026. The Ducati World Superbike rider also took his first WorldSBK win at Donington earlier this month.
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July 31, 2026

Steiner warns Williams must reverse slide under Vowles

James Vowles is under growing pressure at Williams after the team’s difficult start to the 2026 F1 season, with former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner saying the team is going backward and needs a solution by the end of the year. Vowles is not in immediate danger of losing his job, but Steiner said he could run out of time if the slump continues into the first five or six races of 2027, when leadership changes could follow.

Williams missed the first week of pre-season testing and began the 2026 rules era with an overweight, off-pace car, with weight and chassis problems holding back the FW48. The team has made little progress since then and sat ninth in the constructors’ championship with 11 points heading into the summer break after a difficult Hungarian Grand Prix. Steiner said Williams had promised progress but was moving in the wrong direction, and he did not expect the team to score many more points this year.

The poor form has also frustrated Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alex Albon, with Sainz understood to be considering his options if results do not improve. Williams has slipped behind Aston Martin’s upgraded Budapest package and is also fighting Audi for eighth place, leaving Vowles’ future linked to whether the team can reverse its slide before the end of 2026 and into the start of the FW49 project for 2027.
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July 30, 2026

Bryce Harper, Kelly Slater join Legacy Motor Club investors

Legacy Motor Club expanded its ownership ranks Thursday with a new strategic group of celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs and motorsports figures, part of Jimmie Johnson’s push to build a team that goes beyond a traditional NASCAR ownership model. The newly named investors included Bryce Harper, Chase Utley, Kelly Slater, Andy Roddick, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Sam Byrne and Jen Rubio, joining previously announced investors Darius Rucker and Guy Fieri.

Johnson said the group was assembled to help Legacy become something different in motorsports and culture, with a focus on competition, leadership, innovation and long-term growth. Legacy said the investors will help the organization grow as a modern sports and entertainment brand through media, partnerships, hospitality and fan experience, while still prioritizing on-track success.

Johnson said Legacy’s ownership group includes 27 total investors, with 16 still unnamed. Legacy Motor Club is co-owned by Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, and fields full-time Cup Series cars for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, along with a third car for Johnson at select events.
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July 30, 2026

JGR Drops Claim Gabehart Led Spire Strategy in Lawsuit

Joe Gibbs Racing has narrowed its lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports by dropping a key allegation that Gabehart was running or heavily involved in Spire’s competition strategy. In a Wednesday filing, JGR said it did not have nonprivileged information sufficient to support the claim, which had asserted that a Spire employee told a JGR employee Gabehart was leading or significantly participating in Spire’s competition decision-making. The court granted JGR’s motion to strike the allegation.

The move did not end the dispute. JGR still accuses Gabehart of retaining confidential information, misappropriating trade secrets and violating his non-compete agreement after leaving JGR to become Spire’s chief motorsports officer. The team is seeking $8 million in damages. Gabehart and Spire have denied the allegations and filed counterclaims.

A federal judge has allowed Gabehart to remain in his Spire role during the litigation, but barred him from duties involving JGR while the case proceeds. The lawsuit is scheduled for a nine-day jury trial beginning Feb. 1, 2027, just before the Daytona 500.
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July 30, 2026

NASCAR 26 trailer drops as pre-orders open for Sept. 18 launch

NASCAR and iRacing Studios debuted the first gameplay trailer for NASCAR 26 on July 29 and opened pre-orders for the game ahead of its Sept. 18 launch. The title is set for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam, with a Standard Edition priced at $59.99 and a Gold Edition at $79.99. Gold Edition buyers will get three days of early access beginning Sept. 15, along with additional content and in-game bonuses.

Kyle Larson will appear on the cover of NASCAR 26, which will include all four NASCAR national series, the Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series. The game also adds Dynamic Track technology, cross-platform multiplayer, an enhanced driving model, burnout celebrations, a standalone mode built around The Chase and a new Peak Performance training mode.

NASCAR 26 will also expand its Career Mode with facilities and team upgrades. The game will add Chicagoland Speedway, St. Petersburg and the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado to its track list.
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July 30, 2026

PBR Teams Sets Wildcatters’ Lone 2026 Home Stand in Oklahoma City

Wildcatter Days brings PBR Teams to Paycom Center in Oklahoma City from July 31 through Aug. 2, giving the Oklahoma Wildcatters their only home stand of the 2026 regular season and the league’s first three-day homestand of the year. The event is the season’s second stop and will feature all 10 teams in five-on-five bull riding, with the Wildcatters making their first home event under coach Greg Rhodes after a 1-1 opening weekend in Fort Collins.

The weekend begins Thursday night with the Heroes & Legends inductee dinner at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, followed by Friday’s PBR Heroes and Legends Ceremony on PBR’s YouTube channel. Coverage starts Friday on Paramount+, continues Saturday and Sunday on The CW, and CBS will air Sunday’s Day 2 featured matchups at noon ET.

The Texas Rattlers enter Oklahoma City amid conflicting reports on their start, with one account listing them 6-for-10 and another calling them undefeated. The defending champion Carolina Cowboys are looking to rebound after an 0-for-5 finish in their final Fort Collins game, and Clay Guiton is set to return after a February wreck. Florida Freedom rider Austin Richardson also heads to Oklahoma City after a 2-for-2 opening weekend that included a 90-point ride.
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July 30, 2026

Aston Martin gives Honda’s new F1 engine first public run

Honda’s revised Formula 1 power unit completed its first on-track running at the Hungaroring during an Aston Martin filming day on Wednesday, giving the team its first public look at the upgraded engine package ahead of its planned race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix next month. Honda said the unit ran for 46 laps with Jak Crawford driving, and that more mileage was planned at Zandvoort. The company said the new-spec engine included an updated combustion chamber, changes to the pre-chamber, reduced friction from a revised lubrication system and improved reliability. Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said the target was “a reasonably big step in performance” rather than a small one.
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July 30, 2026

Dietz Gives PA Posse Home Win in Bricker’s Bash

Chase Dietz gave the Pennsylvania Posse a home-track win over the World of Outlaws on Wednesday night, winning the Bricker’s Bash at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania. Dietz started on the outside of the front row and took the lead at the start, then held off late pressure from Buddy Kofoid and David Gravel, including traffic, to win in the Stehman Motorsports No. 23D.

The victory was Dietz’s second career World of Outlaws win and his 18th overall 410 Sprint Car triumph. Five of those 18 wins have come at BAPS, and the Bricker’s Bash result also moved the season rivalry between the World of Outlaws and the PA Posse to a 2-2 tie.

Kofoid finished second, Gravel was third, and Carson Macedo and Sheldon Haudenschild completed the top five. Dietz became the 17th different World of Outlaws winner through 44 races this season.
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July 30, 2026

MotoGP show bikes could lap COTA during U.S. Grand Prix

Liberty Media is working on a MotoGP exhibition during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, a project aimed at growing MotoGP’s fan base in the United States. The proposed showcase could debut at Circuit of The Americas at the end of October and would feature MotoGP machinery on track during the F1 weekend for a few demonstration laps, not a race.

The plan is expected to use MotoGP Show Bikes, with former riders likely to pilot them because regular MotoGP riders are expected to be at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island that same weekend. No participants have been selected yet, and one early concept involved former riders handling fully operational show bikes based on current or previous prototypes.

MotoGP’s promoter, SEG, has already discussed the idea with manufacturers, but the project still faces unresolved logistics and funding questions. Organizers have yet to decide who would cover the cost of transporting the bikes and staffing the event, and there are no concrete plans for a combined Formula 1 and MotoGP points-paying weekend.
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