PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

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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August 27, 2026

Beta adds McElrath to 450SX roster through 2028

Shane McElrath has signed a two-year deal with Beta USA and Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing, a move that adds the Canton, North Carolina rider to the team’s 450SX program for the next two seasons. He is set to race the Factory Beta RX 450F and make his debut at the opening round of the SuperMotocross Playoffs in Columbus, Ohio, with the deal covering the 2027 and 2028 seasons and keeping him with the team through the end of 2028.

McElrath will join Benny Bloss on Beta’s 450SMX roster and is expected to line up in the LCQ alongside Bloss and Honda-bound Mitchell Oldenburg. Beta announced the roster before the 2026 SMX World Championship had ended, and the team has not yet finalized its 250SMX lineup. Derek Kelley is reportedly expected to fill one of the open 250SMX seats, while the second remains open.

McElrath turned pro in 2013 and has won two FIM World Supercross Championships, taking SX2 titles in 2022 and 2024. He also has three AMA 250SX runner-up finishes, in 2015, 2017 and 2020, along with multiple AMA Pro Motocross and Supercross wins. Beta team director Carlen Gardner said McElrath’s experience, championship mindset and bike-development knowledge would help the factory program over the next two seasons. McElrath said he was excited to partner with the team for the next two years and beyond, and he arrived from Quad Lock Honda after qualifying for all 17 main events in the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, with five top-10 finishes and a best result of sixth in Philadelphia.
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August 27, 2026

Yamaha promotes Izan Guevara to Pramac for 2027 MotoGP

Yamaha confirmed that Izan Guevara will move up from its Moto2 program to the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team for 2027, where he will replace Jack Miller and race alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu. The move completes Yamaha’s 2027 rider reshuffle ahead of MotoGP’s new 850cc regulations and a new tire supplier, and Miller is set to be left without a MotoGP seat after this season. Yamaha also said it has signed Jorge Martin to replace Fabio Quartararo and Ai Ogura to replace Alex Rins as part of the broader lineup changes.

Yamaha said Guevara’s promotion is tied to its BLU CRU rider development program and is the first promotion from that pipeline with Pramac. Paolo Pavesio, Yamaha’s managing director, said the timing fits MotoGP’s new technical era in 2027. Guevara, the 2022 Moto3 world champion, has been a frontrunner in Moto2 in 2026 and was second in the standings, 42.5 points behind the leader after the British Grand Prix.

Guevara said the move was a dream come true after testing a Yamaha MotoGP bike in Valencia last November. He thanked Yamaha and the people who supported his career, and said he is focused on finishing the current Moto2 season before targeting a smooth transition to MotoGP in 2027.
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August 27, 2026

Alpine confirms 2027 F1 lineup with Colapinto, Gasly

Alpine has confirmed its 2027 Formula 1 driver lineup, with Franco Colapinto staying alongside Pierre Gasly after signing a one-year extension. Colapinto will spend a second season as a full-time race driver with Alpine after joining the team in 2025 as a reserve driver and later replacing Jack Doohan from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Colapinto has grown more consistent in 2026 after a difficult start to his F1 career. After 12 rounds, he has 19 points, six points finishes and best results of seventh in Miami and sixth in Montreal. He is 12th in the drivers’ standings, while Gasly has 44 points and Alpine has scored 63 points overall to sit sixth in the constructors’ championship.

Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore said consistency was important and said Colapinto had shown growth and maturity and belonged in Formula 1. Colapinto said he felt settled and grateful for the team’s trust. Briatore also said Alpine’s main priority remained building a faster car to fight at the front, and the Enstone-based team has improved in 2026 after a difficult 2025 season, switched to a Mercedes customer team and returned to midfield competitiveness.
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August 27, 2026

Williams gives Luke Browning Monza FP1 run for Italian GP

Williams is set to give reserve driver Luke Browning another Formula 1 practice outing at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where he will drive Alex Albon’s FW48 in FP1 on September 4 at 12:30 local time. The session will be Browning’s second practice appearance of the 2026 season and his sixth FP1 run overall for the team.

Browning joined the Williams Driver Academy in 2023 and became Williams’ reserve driver for 2026. He made his Formula 1 practice debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has since built more mileage in the car, and also races for Team Kondo Racing in Japan’s Super Formula championship. Williams previously planned to run him in Barcelona and Austria this season, but an electrical fault stopped him from taking part in the Spanish session. He made his first official appearance of the season at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he finished 18th in FP1, three-tenths behind Albon.

Williams said the Monza run will satisfy its second mandatory rookie practice session of the year, while also helping collect data, support Browning’s simulator work at Grove and continue his development. Browning said he was thrilled to get another chance in the FW48 and wants to use the session to help Williams gather data and improve its result at Monza.
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