Author Archives: PressBox

August 20, 2026

Holmes Leads Early, Reutzel Rallies to Win at Santa Maria

Aaron Reutzel opened Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing’s 10-race West Coast swing with a win Thursday night at Santa Maria Speedway, taking the 35-lap feature by 1.907 seconds in the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87. Reutzel started on the pole, but Tanner Holmes led the first 18 laps before James McFadden briefly took over on Lap 21. Reutzel regained the lead on Lap 22 and held on for his ninth victory of the season and 16th career High Limit Racing win, a result that moved him back into the championship lead.

The race shifted after a caution and red flag for Corey Day’s violent flip into turn one. Holmes stayed in front through traffic before the interruption, and McFadden challenged for the lead before Reutzel took control for good with 15 laps left and pulled away late. McFadden finished second, Holmes third, Tim Kaeding fourth, Brent Marks fifth in his High Limit debut with Chase Briscoe Racing, and Sye Lynch sixth.

The Santa Maria race launched a 10-race, 17-day West Coast swing for the series, which continued Friday at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway and Saturday at Placerville Speedway. The run also includes six-figure events at Silver Dollar Speedway and Skagit Speedway. Entering the swing, Rico Abreu led a championship race with six drivers separated by 139 points or fewer, and nine Knoxville Nationals A-Main starters were headed west, including Kasey Kahne, James McFadden and Abreu.
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August 20, 2026

Mike Perry’s BKFC future hinges on Danis fight, Feldman says

Mike Perry’s next steps remain tied to both his Aug. 29 MMA bout against Dillon Danis and his BKFC future, with president David Feldman saying he is not ready to say whether Perry will return to bare-knuckle fighting. Perry is set to headline Duel Arena 1 in Orlando, Florida, and Feldman said the result of that fight, along with contract talks, will help determine what comes next for the former BKFC champion.

Feldman said he still believes Perry could eventually face Darren Till in a BKFC grudge match, possibly in early 2027, but only if the Danis fight and negotiations line up. He also said Perry still has fights left on his BKFC contract. Feldman added that Perry would beat Danis if the fight stays standing, calling Danis a grappler and Perry “too tough” for him.

Perry has not fought in BKFC since October 2025, when he stopped Jeremy Stephens with a fifth-round TKO at BKFC 82 to retain the King of Violence title. He later returned to MMA in May and beat Nate Diaz by corner stoppage before the third round at MVP MMA 1, the first MVP MMA card on Netflix, which was headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.
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August 20, 2026

Two races remain as Daytona and New Hampshire decide Cup field

New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Dollar Tree 301 lands as the next-to-last race before the NASCAR Cup Series Chase, with two races left to set the playoff field. Seven drivers have already clinched spots, including Chase Elliott for Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing arrives with all four of its drivers locked in. Denny Hamlin leads the standings by 115 points over Ryan Blaney after Richmond, and he brings four wins in 2026 and four straight top-five finishes into Loudon.

The race also shapes up as a test of track position and manufacturer strength. Toyota has won three of the four Next Gen races at New Hampshire and brings the deepest lineup, with five drivers already posting at least 10 top-five finishes. Christopher Bell, who has won at Loudon in 2022 and 2024, and defending winner Ryan Blaney are among the favorites. DraftKings lists Blaney at +450, Bell at +550, Hamlin and Joey Logano at +600, Chase Briscoe at +800 and Kyle Larson at +900. Toyota also has Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe in the playoff field, while Chevrolet has not won at Loudon since 2012 even though it owns a track-best 19 Cup victories there.

The playoff bubble gives the weekend added weight, with New Hampshire and Daytona left to decide the field. Ross Chastain is two spots outside the cutline, and Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones are also outside it. Shane van Gisbergen has a 50-point cushion over the cutline, Austin Cindric is 57 points above it, and Larson, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Carson Hocevar can still lock in spots on points. The undercard includes Josh Berry, who has three straight top-10s and finished second at New Hampshire last year, plus Connor Zilisch, who is set for his first NASCAR national-series start and will run both the Truck and Cup races, and Austin Hill, who will make his first Cup start at New Hampshire.
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August 20, 2026

Jets owner Woody Johnson takes stake in Aston Martin F1

Woody Johnson has bought a minority stake in Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team and will join the board as vice chairman immediately, the team said. The size of the investment was not disclosed. Aston Martin said Johnson will help drive commercial growth, especially in the United States, and will not have a day-to-day management role.

Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, said he wants to help Aston Martin compete at the highest level and grow its U.S. fanbase. Reports also said he has a stake in Crystal Palace, with one source putting that holding at 43% and another describing it as a major stake acquired last year. Johnson is an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021.

Lawrence Stroll remains Aston Martin’s executive chairman and controlling shareholder. Stroll said Johnson’s experience and investment strengthen the team as it enters its next phase. The deal comes as Aston Martin sits 10th in the Constructors’ Championship after a difficult start to the season, with an upgrade brought to the Hungarian Grand Prix and a Honda engine upgrade scheduled for the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend.
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August 20, 2026

Johann Zarco targets Aragon MotoGP return after knee injury

Johann Zarco was set to make his MotoGP comeback at the Aragon Grand Prix after more than three months out with serious knee injuries from a crash at the Catalan Grand Prix in May. LCR Honda said the return depended on a mandatory medical examination at the circuit on Thursday, with medical clearance needed for him to ride from Friday at the Aug. 28-30 event. If he passed the fit test, Aragon would be Zarco’s seventh appearance of the 2026 season.

Zarco’s injuries came in a Turn 1 crash at the restarted Catalunya race that also involved Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini. His left leg was trapped in Bagnaia’s Ducati rear wheel, and early concerns included ligament and meniscus damage and a possible fibula tear. Later scans showed his MCL and PCL were healing well, and surgery was not required. Zarco had missed six grands prix, and his planned return to racing had been moved back from an earlier target at LCR’s home round in Misano.

His recovery included gradual training on a supermoto bike and a Honda CBR1000RR-R, along with riding in Andorra. Zarco’s personal doctors had already cleared him to attempt the comeback, and LCR said Cal Crutchlow, who filled in for six races during Zarco’s absence, would travel to Aragon as backup if needed. Zarco was also set to serve a double long lap penalty for causing the Catalunya incident in his next grand prix.
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August 20, 2026

Cadillac Quashes F1 Sale Rumors Amid Walter Scrutiny

Cadillac dismissed speculation that its Formula 1 team could be sold as federal scrutiny continues around majority owner Mark Walter and his business empire. At the Dutch Grand Prix, General Motors motorsports communications executive Adrian Atkinson read a TWG Global statement saying the company is not considering a sale of the Cadillac team or any other part of TWG Motorsport. Atkinson said CEO Dan Towriss was in Washington, D.C., for an IndyCar race. Cadillac said it remains focused on building its F1 operation.

The rumors followed Walter’s record $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers and reports that he may sell part of his Chelsea stake, which fueled questions about whether other assets could change hands. Walter, who leads Guggenheim Partners and co-chairs TWG Global, owns TWG Motorsports, the majority stakeholder in Cadillac F1. TWG Global said it is cooperating with the inquiries, and no formal charges have been filed against Walter.

U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission inquiries are examining how investments and loans were classified across Walter’s affiliated financial entities. Several businesses tied to him have received subpoenas, although Walter and the companies involved have not been accused of crimes. New team principal Marcin Budkowski said there had been no discussion of a sale before he took the job and pointed to the team’s new factory and planned personnel announcements as signs of commitment. Cadillac F1 is in its first season after being approved in March 2025, and the team said its operations remain active.
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August 20, 2026

NASCAR releases Cup and Truck orders for New Hampshire race weekend

NASCAR heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for a New England doubleheader, with qualifying orders set and the schedule locked in for Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series action. The Cup Series practice is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by single-car qualifying at 11:35 a.m. ET on truTV. The Craftsman Truck Series will practice Friday at 4 p.m. ET and run single-truck qualifying at 5:05 p.m. ET. NASCAR’s Cup and Truck qualifying orders were released based on metric scores that determined the lineup.

Cody Ware leads the 36-car Cup Series qualifying order, with Ty Dillon second and Zane Smith third. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano are listed at the back of the field. In the Truck Series, Dawson Cram and Michael Christopher Jr. are at the top of the 41-truck qualifying order, followed by Dawson Sutton. Connor Mosack, Kaden Honeycutt and Christian Eckes are listed at the end of the order. Kaden Honeycutt was also listed last in one source, while another placed Connor Mosack, Honeycutt and Eckes at the end.

The Cup race, the Dollar Tree 301, is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network and HBO Max, with coverage also on PRN and SiriusXM. It is the penultimate race before the 2026 Chase field is finalized. The Craftsman Truck Series Team EJP 175 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday on FS1 and FOX One, and the Truck race will decide its postseason field after the weekend. Friday’s schedule also includes Whelen Modified Tour and Truck Series practice and qualifying sessions, and the Whelen Modified Tour Mohegan Sun 100 is set for 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday on FloRacing.
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August 20, 2026

Red Bull locks in Verstappen through 2030

Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future was settled on Friday when Red Bull announced a new long-term contract extension that will keep the four-time world champion with the team through the end of 2030, ending months of speculation over his next move. The deal was announced ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen’s home race.

The extension came after reports that Red Bull and Verstappen were still negotiating and not close to agreement. Those reports said his previous contract ran through 2028 and included performance-based exit clauses, while Red Bull wanted to remove those clauses and Verstappen was seeking a richer financial package. Verstappen had been linked with Mercedes and McLaren, but a move in 2027 had looked unlikely because those teams were tied to their current lineups.

Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016 and has won 71 races and four Drivers’ Championships with the team. His most recent win came in 2024, and he missed out on a fifth title by two points to Lando Norris as McLaren won both championships last season. Verstappen said he was excited to keep working with Red Bull, called the team a “second family,” and said its main goal remained getting back to the top.
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August 19, 2026

Turner Carries 15-Point WMX Lead Into Budds Creek

The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship heads to Budds Creek Motocross Park in Southern Maryland for its penultimate round, with Lachlan Turner holding a 15-point lead over Charli Cannon entering the final two rounds and four motos of the season. Turner, Cannon and the rest of the WMX field will race at the Yamaha Racing Budds Creek National.

Budds Creek also will serve as Round 27 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship and the penultimate race of the Pro Motocross season on Saturday, Aug. 22. The 450SMX and 250SMX title fights will move closer to their conclusions, with Jett Lawrence leading Hunter Lawrence by 10 points in 450SMX and Cole Davies trailing Levi Kitchen by one point in 250SMX. Jorge Prado and Haiden Deegan remain in contention in the 450SMX title chase, and both Davies and Kitchen have previously won at Budds Creek.

Yamaha Motor Corp. USA is providing title support at Budds Creek for the fourth straight year. The weekend also will feature expanded WMX broadcast coverage, with Friday’s moto streaming on YouTube and SMX Video Pass and Saturday’s deciding moto airing on Peacock, SMX Video Pass and NBC.
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