PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

August 28, 2026

Marc Marquez tops Aragon FP1 as Ducati pace sets the tone

Marc Marquez topped Friday morning’s MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix FP1 at MotorLand with a best lap of 1:47.532 on the factory Ducati, 0.035 seconds clear of Raul Fernandez. Marco Bezzecchi was third and Alex Marquez fourth in the dry session, which saw Marquez post the quickest time in the 22-rider field and extend his unbeaten run at Aragon since joining Ducati in 2024.

Pedro Acosta completed the top five despite crashing late at Turn 12, and he was unharmed in the fall. Jack Miller finished sixth, while Franco Morbidelli, Fabio di Giannantonio, Fermin Aldeguer and Fabio Quartararo also placed inside the top 10. Aldeguer was ninth in his return from injury.

Johann Zarco returned to MotoGP action and finished 11th, while Lorenzo Savadori substituted for the injured Ai Ogura and ended the session 22nd. Francesco Bagnaia struggled to 20th, and Jorge Martin was 18th.
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August 27, 2026

SMX Next brings 25 prospects to Ironman Raceway combine

SMX Next Motocross will stage its second and final Scouting Moto Combine of the summer this weekend at Ironman Raceway, running alongside the U.S. Army Ironman National Finals Presented by Tucker Freight Lines during the season-ending Monster Energy SMX World Championship weekend. The combine closes the 2026 Pro Motocross regular season and will feature 25 elite amateur prospects from three countries.

The field was selected with input from Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha, and the riders will be coached by Broc Glover, Kevin Windham, Michael Byrne and Gareth Swanepoel. Leading entrants include Landon Gibson, Carson Wood, Tristan Prueitt, Tanner Dorman, Dane Pappas, Jesson Turner and Riley Busse. The provisional Ironman entry list also includes Kade Johnson, Colby Lessar, Kane Bollasina and Gabriel Andrigo.

The amateurs are scheduled to take part in classroom sessions on health, fitness, nutrition and media training, along with a 10-minute practice session before Saturday’s National. Friday’s program will feature two 25-minute-plus-one-lap motos to decide the overall winner and podium finishers.
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August 27, 2026

Kyle Cummins Wins Kokomo Opener at Smackdown XV

Chili’s Sprint Car Smackdown XV opened at Kokomo Speedway in Indiana with more than 50 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car drivers entered, a field that includes past winners Justin Grant, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Kyle Cummins. The three-night event runs through Saturday and features 30-lap races on Thursday and Friday, along with a Saturday finale that pays $30,000 to win, $1,500 to start, and bonuses that could lift a perfect 40-lap run to as much as $50,000. Saturday’s program also includes a top-eight points lock-in, a King of the Hill bracket, a championship belt, and at least 13 first-time entrants chasing Rookie of the Year honors.

Cummins gave the weekend its first feature winner on Thursday, taking the 30-lap opener at Kokomo Speedway. Gavin Miller led the first 15 laps from the pole before Cummins passed him on lap 16 and stayed out front the rest of the way. Justin Grant was the top qualifier with a lap of 12.648 seconds, and Cummins also won his heat race. He finished ahead of Grant, Cale Coons, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Jadon Rogers.

The opening night also brought two flips, with Eli Wilhelmus going over in the second heat and Jake Swanson flipping on lap 13 of the feature. Grant entered the event as the winningest driver in Smackdown history with 10 victories and was listed among the veterans still seeking another final-night win, along with C.J. Leary, Robert Ballou, Chase Stockon, Thomas Meseraull, Logan Seavey, Briggs Danner, Mitchel Moles and Brady Bacon.
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August 27, 2026

Prime Video orders Lando Norris documentary for 2027

Prime Video has ordered a three-part documentary series about F1 driver Lando Norris, working under the title “Lando,” with a premiere planned for 2027. Box to Box Films, the company behind “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” is producing the project, which has already been filming throughout the current season.

The fly-on-the-wall series will follow Norris on and off the track, including his time with friends and family, the pressures of being one of F1’s biggest names and scenes from his season, including his first Grand Prix win of the year. Prime Video said the project will give viewers more access than ever before.

Norris said the documentary will show behind-the-scenes moments and “stuff that you never really see,” and described it as much larger than his “Lando logs” videos. He said he has been involved in the project and has been filming for some time, with the goal of giving fans a fuller view of his journey.
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August 27, 2026

NASCAR says Hocevar backlash boosts his profile and sales

Carson Hocevar has emerged as one of NASCAR’s most polarizing drivers this season, drawing criticism from Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney and Zane Smith over his aggressive driving and on-track antics. Larson said Hocevar spun at New Hampshire “1000% just to get on TV,” Wallace said his approach was “creating a lot of enemies,” Blaney called him an “absolute weapon” and a “moron,” and Smith accused him of putting on “an act.”

Joey Logano offered a different view on the Racin’ With The Boys podcast, saying he does not see Hocevar as a younger version of himself and that NASCAR’s standards for aggressive driving have changed since he entered the Cup Series as a teenager in 2009. Logano said moves that once angered drivers such as Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart are now common, pointing to frequent three-wide racing and occasional four-wide racing. He said some of Hocevar’s moves are hard to justify when they do not appear tied to trying to win a race, though he also said he has likely been part of Hocevar’s list of on-track contacts and found Hocevar’s pace-lap spin before New Hampshire amusing.

NASCAR said Hocevar’s profile has grown along with the backlash. The series said his combined social media audience rose 70.6% from January through May, adding nearly 200,000 followers, while a shirt-swap promotion tied to Smith’s criticism produced 77 shirts and his Lionel Racing diecast posted the highest 24-hour sales after a NASCAR race since the partnership began in 2010. Hocevar has also expanded his reach through appearances at the Met Gala and TIME100 Sports Gala, streaming on Twitch and merchandise sales that surged after his first Cup Series win at Talladega. Logano said Hocevar is “great for the sport” because he brings in new and different fans, and Hocevar was scheduled to race in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 29.
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August 27, 2026

Three Playoff Spots Open for Daytona’s Coke Zero 400

Daytona’s regular-season finale came with three playoff spots still open and five drivers chasing them, putting the spotlight on the bubble battle at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Bubba Wallace was 75 points above the cutline and needed two points to clinch a playoff berth, while Austin Cindric, Shane van Gisbergen, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski were also in the mix. Wallace and Cindric appeared safest, van Gisbergen was in better shape than Preece and Keselowski, and Preece and Keselowski likely needed a win to advance.

Ryan Preece entered the race 31 points behind the cutline after a 25-point penalty and a $50,000 fine tied to an incident at Texas Motor Speedway involving Ty Gibbs. Denny Hamlin had already locked up the No. 1 seed for the postseason, and most of the other Chase qualifiers were already set on full-season results. NASCAR was not awarding a regular-season championship trophy.

The race also came with an uncertain wrinkle in the form of a new aero package, featuring a smaller rear spoiler and reduced horsepower. There was no practice before the race, and the effect of the package on passing and strategy was unclear. Daytona’s history pointed to another tense finish, with 12 of the last 18 summer races going to overtime and the last four decided on the final lap, adding to expectations of a chaotic night.
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August 27, 2026

Márquez expects Aragon rebound after Silverstone setback

Marc Márquez said he is convinced he will be back in the MotoGP fight at Aragon after a difficult Silverstone weekend exposed lingering problems in his right arm and left him 40 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin. Márquez said Silverstone was his worst weekend since shoulder surgery in May, and he believes the extra two weeks of recovery should put him much closer to the front group and in contention in both the Sprint and Sunday race at MotorLand Aragon.

He said he needs to manage his energy more carefully on Fridays after realizing he had pushed too hard at Silverstone, where he was frustrated by what he described as having no control over his right arm. Márquez linked the issue to the seven surgeries on his right shoulder and said he had expected to feel better after the summer break. He also said he must beat the fast Aprilia riders to stay in the title fight, even as Aprilia’s Ai Ogura withdrew from the weekend after a hand injury in training.

Aragon offers Márquez one of his best chances to recover ground. The circuit has brought him eight career wins, including seven in MotoGP, and over the past two years he has taken pole and won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix there. He said the layout suits both his riding style and the Ducati, and Francesco Bagnaia also said he expects to be near the leaders at a track that was special to him for his first premier-class win and first victory with Ducati in 2021.
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August 27, 2026

Sammy Smith to leave JR Motorsports after 2026 season

Sammy Smith said he will leave JR Motorsports after the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, ending a three-year run in the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet. Smith said he will move to a new team for 2027 and thanked JR Motorsports for the past three years, adding that his focus remains on the current championship run.

Smith joined JR Motorsports at the start of the 2024 season after driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has three career wins in the series, with victories at Phoenix in 2023, Talladega in 2024 and Rockingham in 2025, and two of those came with JR Motorsports. He is eighth in the 2026 standings, has not won through the first 23 races of the season, and entered the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway eighth on the playoff grid with six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s.

JR Motorsports announced that Carson Kvapil will return to the team for the 2027 season and take over the No. 8 Chevrolet after Smith departs. The roster change opens the seat Smith has driven since 2024.
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August 27, 2026

Russell says McLaren has overtaken Mercedes in F1

George Russell said McLaren had passed Mercedes as Formula 1’s team to beat for the rest of the 2026 season, with upgrades introduced in Hungary and the Netherlands helping Lando Norris win the last two races. Russell said McLaren had started the year badly, including a double DNS in China, but had become especially strong on high-degradation circuits, a type of track that has also exposed weaknesses for him and Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes were no longer the fastest car after finishing second at Zandvoort, where Norris won, and said the team was probably the second- or third-fastest outfit. Norris said McLaren’s gains had come mainly in high-speed corners, while Mercedes still held an advantage in slow-speed sections. Russell expected Mercedes to be a little more competitive at Monza, and he said Ferrari’s coming engine upgrade made the picture less certain.

Norris’s back-to-back victories at Hungaroring and Zandvoort have revived the title fight, even as he said McLaren’s MCL40 was still difficult to drive. He said he was getting better at understanding the car and giving clearer feedback to the team, and said the Zandvoort win came after overnight work improved race pace. Norris said McLaren now had a car capable of beating Mercedes, but he still viewed Mercedes’ W17 as the better all-around package. He also said his recent results reflected both better driving and stronger work away from the track.

After 12 rounds, Antonelli led the championship on 242 points, with Norris fourth on 159 and 83 points behind. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were tied on 183 points, while Charles Leclerc sat fifth on 155 and Max Verstappen sixth on 112. Former driver Riccardo Patrese said Norris looked more relaxed and confident and that the Norris-McLaren pairing was getting stronger, but he still called Antonelli the leading title contender because of his points lead and consistency. Patrese also said Antonelli’s form was troubling for Russell and that Antonelli had been stronger when both Mercedes cars were running well.
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