Author Archives: PressBox

July 22, 2026

Ohsweken Opener Canceled, $20,000 Finale Still Set for Wednesday

David Gravel won the $20,000-to-win Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown finale at Ohsweken Speedway on Wednesday night, passing Carson Macedo around the halfway point of the 35-lap World of Outlaws feature and pulling away on the slick track surface. The victory was Gravel’s third straight at Ohsweken, making him the first driver in 15 World of Outlaws series visits to win three consecutive races at the track. It was his eighth win of the 2026 season and widened his championship lead to 136 points as he pursues a third consecutive title.

Logan Schuchart finished second, Sheldon Haudenschild was third, D.J. Christie placed fourth in his first World of Outlaws Feature start, and Donny Schatz finished fifth. Macedo had led early from the outside front row before slipping in Turn 4 and losing the top spot to Gravel.

Tuesday’s opener at Ohsweken was canceled because of heavy rain, with World of Outlaws and track officials making the call. The finale still went ahead and paid $1,500 to start. The series next moves to Weedsport Speedway in New York on July 25-26 for the Empire State Challenge as part of a four-race Ontario and New York swing.
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July 22, 2026

McLaren rolls out major upgrade package in Hungary

McLaren is bringing a significant upgrade package and an experimental rear wing to the Hungarian Grand Prix, as it looks to close a development gap and rebuild momentum in its title defense before Formula 1’s summer break. The package for the MCL40 centers on a new or revised floor, along with other aerodynamic parts, and the team said Budapest offered an important chance to add performance after seeing itself as two to three months behind rivals in aerodynamic development.

The team will run the updates in practice sessions at the Hungaroring, including Friday testing of its upside-down, Macarena-style rear wing. McLaren said the wing, which was developed after a previous version failed to debut in Austria, is part of its effort to improve competitiveness. It does not expect the experimental wing to become a full-time race component in Hungary or at the following Dutch Grand Prix.

Racing director Randy Singh said Budapest’s high-downforce, tire-sensitive layout should help McLaren gather meaningful data and head into the shutdown with positive momentum. Team principal Andrea Stella said Hungary should provide the first results of the team’s development direction and said more upgrades are expected after the break. McLaren is third in the constructors’ standings, 163 points behind Mercedes after 10 races, and has said the updated parts will be evaluated across all three practice sessions. Leonardo Fornaroli will replace Oscar Piastri in Friday’s FP1 session for his second rookie outing of the season.
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July 21, 2026

Blaney, Gilliland meet for $1 million NASCAR final

The 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge has reached its final round, with Todd Gilliland and Ryan Blaney set to race Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a $1 million prize. The winner will be the driver who finishes higher in the race, and the matchup has been framed as a David vs. Goliath showdown, with Gilliland, the No. 25 seed from Front Row Motorsports, meeting Blaney, the Team Penske driver and 2023 Cup Series champion.

Gilliland reached the final by upsetting Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott. Blaney advanced by beating Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, William Byron and Christopher Bell. Top seed Tyler Reddick was eliminated before the final round, as the 32-driver tournament narrowed to its last two competitors.

Blaney is set to make his 400th career Cup Series start this weekend, and both drivers said they are focused on the race itself rather than the tournament storyline. The final also carries a family connection, since Blaney and Gilliland are both third-generation racers and their fathers also competed in NASCAR. Blaney has three top-10 finishes in his last four Indianapolis starts, and Gilliland has finished sixth in both of his Cup Series appearances at the track.
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July 21, 2026

Gray Signs One-Year Extension With Joe Gibbs Racing

Taylor Gray signed a one-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that will keep him in the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. The 21-year-old New Mexico native joined Joe Gibbs Racing from Toyota’s development system and made his series debut with a third-place finish at Richmond in March 2024 before moving into his first full-time season with the team in 2025. JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs said the team looks forward to building on this season’s progress in 2027.

Gray has won twice for Joe Gibbs Racing, first at Martinsville Speedway in his rookie season in 2025 and again at Kansas Speedway this season. He finished seventh in the standings as a rookie and is 12th with three races left in the regular season. Through 21 races this year, Gray has one win, three top-five finishes, a 17.7 average finish and 189 laps led, which ranks fourth in the series.

Gray said he is grateful for the opportunity and plans to keep working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who will remain with the team. Gray said the familiarity of the arrangement and the chance to keep building with the same group for a third straight year were major reasons for his decision, and he said he is confident the No. 54 team can contend once the playoffs begin. Joe Gibbs Racing said it is pleased with Gray’s development and expects to build on its success next season.
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July 21, 2026

Fornaroli to drive Piastri’s McLaren in Budapest FP1

Leonardo Fornaroli will make his second Formula 1 practice appearance when McLaren runs him in Friday’s FP1 session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the 21-year-old Italian set to drive Oscar Piastri’s car at the Hungaroring. The outing gives McLaren another chance to evaluate its junior driver as the team works through the rookie running required in four mandatory FP1 sessions this season.

Fornaroli made his F1 weekend debut in Barcelona earlier this year, when he drove Lando Norris’ car and finished fifth in FP1. He joined McLaren in December after winning back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles, and had not previously been affiliated with an F1 team. He has also completed a two-day TPC test for Haas at Jerez in the VF-25, with rumors linking him to a possible future seat there, and said he has spent recent weeks preparing in McLaren’s simulator and performance hub.

McLaren is using the Budapest weekend to gather data on a revised car as it brings an important upgrade package that includes a new floor and other aerodynamic parts. The team is trying to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, and it will test a developed version of its experimental rear wing only in FP1, not as a full introduction in Hungary or at the next race in the Netherlands. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team is also exploring ways to place Fornaroli on the grid.
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July 21, 2026

Silver Cup XXXV postponed as Pittsburgh storms intensify

Severe storms forced officials to postpone the 35th Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, from Tuesday, July 21 to Wednesday, July 22. The delay came as the Pittsburgh area faced damaging winds, flash flooding and a chance of isolated tornadoes.

The rescheduled race, Silver Cup XXXV, will be the 10th Roto-Rooter Midweek Series event of the season and the first of five consecutive Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing events. The stretch continues Thursday at Ransomville Speedway, Friday at Stateline Speedway, Saturday with the $15,000-to-win Greg Hodnett Classic at Port Royal Speedway, and Sunday with the $100,000-to-win Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal.

Entering the event, Brent Marks led the Roto-Rooter Midweek Series standings by 19 points over Rico Abreu. Aaron Reutzel, Giovanni Scelzi and Justin Peck were also in pursuit of the mini-series standings.
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July 21, 2026

Sky Sports, NOW, Channel 4 Cover Hungary Grand Prix

F1’s Hungarian Grand Prix runs July 24-26 at the Hungaroring in Budapest as the 11th round of the 2026 season and the final race before the summer break. In the UK, Sky Sports F1 will show every session live, while non-Sky customers can stream through a NOW day pass or month pass, as well as NOW and Sky Go. Channel 4 will air free highlights of the weekend.

The F1 timetable opens with practice on Friday, followed by qualifying at 3 p.m. on Saturday UK time and the race at 2 p.m. on Sunday UK time. In the United States, viewers can watch sessions on Apple TV through a new F1 channel, and F1 TV Pro is available in regions without exclusive TV contracts. The Hungaroring is a tight circuit where overtaking is difficult, and dry conditions are expected throughout the weekend, with race-day temperatures forecast to reach 31C.

F3 also races in Budapest as round 7 of its 2026 season and its final round before the summer break. Free practice is set for Friday at 09:55 local time and lasts 45 minutes, qualifying follows on Friday at 15:00 for 30 minutes, and the sprint race is on Saturday before the feature race on Sunday. Every F3 session will be shown live on F1TV. Kimi Antonelli arrives in Hungary after winning the Belgian Grand Prix and leads the Drivers’ Championship by 45 points.
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July 21, 2026

Honda signs David Alonso for 2027 MotoGP plans

Honda Racing Corporation confirmed it has signed 20-year-old David Alonso to a multi-year MotoGP contract for 2027 and beyond, adding one of the series’ brightest young prospects to its plans for the 850cc era. Honda did not say whether the Colombian rider will join its factory team or LCR Honda, and it did not disclose the contract length. Autosport reported the agreement is longer than the usual two-year term.

Alonso, who was born in Madrid and races under the Colombian flag, won the 2024 Moto3 world championship after finishing third as a rookie in 2023 and then dominating the class the following season. He moved up to Moto2 with Aspar last season and has one win in 2026, while sitting fourth in the championship, 79.5 points behind leader Manuel Gonzalez. He has also been dealing with a shoulder injury that affected several rounds. Across Moto3 and Moto2, Alonso has 20 wins, 30 podiums and nine pole positions.

Honda said Alonso will make his first on-track appearance on its 2027 bike at the post-race Valencia Test. His signing comes as Honda continues to sort out its 2027 rider lineup, with the factory squad still the only team on next year’s MotoGP grid without a confirmed lineup.
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July 20, 2026

Red Bull moves to hire Mercedes junior chief Gwen Lagrue

Red Bull is set to hire Mercedes junior driver programme chief Gwen Lagrue in a move aimed at strengthening its driver development operation, with the role described as similar to the one previously held by Helmut Marko. The move has not been finalized and no start date has been agreed, as Mercedes and Red Bull continue to negotiate Lagrue’s release from his contract.

Lagrue has led Mercedes’ junior programme since 2016 and played a central role in the development of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whom Mercedes signed at 11 and promoted to Formula 1 in 2025. Lagrue also helped support Esteban Ocon, Frederik Vesti and Alex Albon during their time in Mercedes’ driver programme. Before joining Mercedes, Lagrue ran Lotus’ junior program after being recruited in 2011 and helped bring through Ocon and Albon.

Neither Red Bull nor Mercedes has confirmed the move. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend that discussions were ongoing and that nothing had been agreed or decided. If completed, the appointment would add a highly regarded talent spotter to Red Bull’s junior pathway, with Lagrue expected to work alongside team principal Laurent Mekies as the team reshapes its driver recruitment structure.
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