PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

August 29, 2026

Johnson reveals tribute No. 48 for final Daytona 500 start

Jimmie Johnson and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB unveiled the No. 48 Toyota Camry XSE he will drive in the 2027 Daytona 500, the final NASCAR Cup Series start of his career. The reveal came during the Coke Zero 400 pre-race show at Daytona International Speedway, and Johnson later drove a ceremonial lap at the track ahead of the farewell race scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027.

The one-race car carries a blue-and-silver livery inspired by Johnson’s 2016 championship season and features fluorescent No. 48 numbering. Lowe’s, Ally and Carvana are all part of the scheme, which marks the return of Lowe’s to NASCAR after the 2018 season. Johnson said the car brought back a lifetime of memories and called the project a full-circle moment.

Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports and Ally agreed to loan the stylized No. 48 for the tribute, and Johnson said Hendrick helped bring together Lowe’s, Ally, Carvana and Toyota for the effort. Toyota is backing a design tied to the Chevrolet-backed number Johnson used during his championship years. Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion and 83-race winner, has also won the Daytona 500 twice, in 2006 and 2013, and he is expected to make his 703rd career start and 24th Daytona 500 appearance in the race.
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August 29, 2026

Burton replaces Herbst in 23XI’s Daytona No. 35

Riley Herbst missed Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway after waking up with lingering effects from a crash the previous weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 23XI Racing said Herbst and the team decided it was best for him to step out of the No. 35 Toyota after he qualified fifth for the 160-lap race.

Harrison Burton replaced Herbst and took over the No. 35 Toyota. The team said the driver change sent the car to the rear of the field, and Burton received credit for the finish. Burton was making his first Cup Series start since 2024 and returned to Daytona after winning the 2024 summer race, when he earned his first Cup victory for Wood Brothers Racing.

The Daytona race was the regular-season finale and carried playoff implications. Herbst entered the event with three top-10 finishes, no wins and 26th place in the 2026 standings. 23XI Racing has already announced that Corey Heim will take over the No. 35 car in 2027.
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August 29, 2026

Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway join ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel in 2028

Tom Cruise announced at Daytona International Speedway that he will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a sequel to “Days of Thunder,” with Paramount Pictures setting the film for release on June 2, 2028. Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer, and Cruise marked the casting by posting a promotional image of the two on a NASCAR track.

Variety reported that the film will be shot for IMAX and receive an exclusive theatrical release, with planned formats including Dolby Cinema and 4DX. Jonathan Levine is directing from a script by Will Staples, and Cruise is producing with Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. Plot details remain limited.

The project arrives nearly 40 years after the original 1990 Tony Scott film, which starred Cruise in a role loosely based on Tim Richmond. Variety reported that the sequel gained momentum after the success of “F1.” The original “Days of Thunder” grossed $157.9 million against a $60 million budget.
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August 29, 2026

Cole Davies tops 250MX qualifying at Ironman Raceway

Cole Davies led 250MX qualifying at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, as the Pro Motocross Championship finale opened with both titles still undecided. Davies topped the combined 250 qualifying results over three sessions with a fastest lap of 2:10.092 on a Yamaha, earning pole position ahead of Chance Hymas, who was second at 2:10.505. Caden Dudney was third, Levi Kitchen fourth and Julien Beaumer fifth, with Preston Kilroy, Kayden Minear, Pierce Brown, Landen Gordon and Nate Thrasher completing the top 12 among 73 riders.

In 450MX qualifying, Jorge Prado was fastest overall and topped both sessions. Hunter Lawrence was second and Jett Lawrence was third, setting up a close fight for the championship heading into the motos.

Hunter Lawrence entered the final round with a one-point lead over Jett Lawrence in the 450MX standings. In 250MX, Davies arrived with the red plate after taking over the points lead the previous weekend and carrying a lead over Levi Kitchen into the finale.
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August 29, 2026

Haas prioritizes 2026 fix before 2027 lineup call

Haas is taking its time on its 2027 Formula 1 driver lineup, with team principal Ayao Komatsu saying the team is not in a rush to make a decision as it continues to evaluate interested drivers behind the scenes. Oliver Bearman is expected to stay with the team, while Esteban Ocon’s seat remains under review. Both drivers are out of contract at the end of the 2026 season.

The latest evaluation effort came during a three-day Testing of Previous Cars run at Portimao from Aug. 26-28, where Ryo Hirakawa, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara drove the 2025-spec VF-25. Haas also held a similar test last month at Fuji with Sho Tsuboi and Nirei Fukuzumi.

Komatsu said Haas’ immediate priority is improving performance in 2026, with the team focused on getting the best from Bearman and Ocon and giving them a better car and setup. He said Haas has slipped after a strong start to the 2026 season, as rivals developed faster under Formula 1’s major regulation change. Komatsu added that Haas is working to address its downforce and drivability issues, and that the team’s 2027 driver decision remains open for now.
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August 29, 2026

Bobby Pierce Wins First Outlaws Race at Corning

Bobby Pierce won the first World of Outlaws Late Model Series race ever held at Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, extending his record with a 20th series victory this season. Pierce took the lead from pole-sitter Nick Hoffman on Lap 28 after Hoffman bobbled in Turn 4, then led the final 18 laps to secure his second straight win at the track and his seventh career World of Outlaws victory in Iowa.

The victory was Pierce’s 62nd career World of Outlaws win, leaving him 12 behind Darrell Lanigan’s third-place total on the all-time list. Tim McCreadie ran second after starting 13th, with Hoffman third, Tyler Erb fourth and Ryan Gustin fifth.

The World of Outlaws series was scheduled to close its Iowa swing at Shelby County Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 29.
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August 29, 2026

Rico Abreu Outlasts Brent Marks for Third Gold Cup Crown

Rico Abreu won the 72nd Mike Curb Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California, collecting $100,072 after a late red flag turned the finish into a six-lap sprint. Brent Marks had led from lap 17 and was ahead by 2.924 seconds on lap 34 before the stoppage, but Abreu got by on the restart and beat him by 0.460 seconds. James McFadden finished third, Shane Golobic was fourth and Daison Pursley placed fifth.

The victory gave Abreu his third Gold Cup title and made him the fifth driver to win the event three times, alongside Steve Kinser, Al Pombo, Jac Haudenschild and Corey Day. It was also his 31st career Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing win and his third six-figure payday. Abreu left Chico with a 50-point lead in the series standings after 37 of 54 races. The finale featured multiple cautions and red flags, with crashes involving Max Mittry and Justin Peck, both of whom climbed out okay.

Abreu’s Gold Cup weekend also included an earlier 30-lap feature win from ninth on the grid, his 30th career High Limit Racing victory and fifth of the season for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing. In that race, he passed for the lead on lap 28 and held off Kaleb Montgomery, while McFadden finished third, Max Mittry fourth and Shane Golobic fifth. Dylan Bloomfield also broke through for his first career High Limit Racing win in a preliminary feature, starting fifth and beating Abreu and Daison Pursley after multiple cautions and red flags. Bloomfield, Abreu, Pursley and Golobic were locked into the $100,072-to-win finale, and the series was set to continue its West Coast swing in Oregon on Aug. 31.
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August 29, 2026

Williamson, Macedo split North Dakota Outlaws victories

The World of Outlaws’ North Dakota swing produced back-to-back storylines at the start of the series’ second leg, as Garet Williamson scored his first career victory Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks and Carson Macedo ended a 24-race winless streak Saturday at Fix It Forward Speedway in West Fargo. The two races came during the middle of the series’ North Dakota tripleheader, with the weekend set to finish Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot.

Williamson, starting on the outside of the front row, passed David Gravel on Lap 26 of the 40-lap feature in Turns 3 and 4 and held on for the win. Gravel led the first 25 laps after setting fast time and winning the Dash, then finished second. Michael “Buddy” Kofoid placed third, followed by Spencer Bayston and Logan Schuchart. Williamson became the 159th different driver to win a World of Outlaws race, the fourth first-time winner of 2026, and the 20th different winner this season.

Macedo started sixth in the 35-lap Danny Schatz Memorial and climbed to second by Lap 12 before taking the lead from early pacesetter Bill Balog three laps later. He went on to collect his fifth victory of the season and the 63rd World of Outlaws win of his career. Garet Williamson finished second in that race, with Balog third, Gravel fourth and Kofoid fifth. The win came one night after Jason Johnson Racing dealt with hauler problems and Macedo crashed in a backup car.
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August 28, 2026

Ryan Sieg wins Daytona overtime for first NASCAR victory

Ryan Sieg won the Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway in overtime, capturing his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in his 424th start. Sieg used a late two-tire pit stop to get into contention, started the two-lap restart from the second row, and beat Austin Hill to the line by 0.149 seconds in the No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet. The win ended a decade-long winless streak for RSS Racing.

The finish locked in the 12-driver Chase field and reshaped the cutoff. Austin Hill won Stage 1 and Rajah Caruth won Stage 2, then Caruth used the stage points to survive after spinning on Lap 97 and finishing 32nd. Taylor Gray advanced by avoiding a five-car wreck and finishing 26th. William Sawalich and Brent Crews were eliminated in crashes, and Harrison Burton also missed the field.

Carson Kvapil led a race-high 50 laps but fell to third after a last-lap caution sent the race to overtime. Anthony Alfredo finished fourth, Brandon Jones was fifth and Justin Allgaier was sixth. Allgaier ended the regular season as the points leader and top seed for the Chase. Post-race inspection found one unsecured lug nut on the Nos. 1 and 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolets, which cost Kvapil and Allgaier pit-stall selection at Darlington but did not change their finishes or points.
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