Just weeks after celebrating his third consecutive Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified championship John Beatty Jr. of Merrick disclosed on social media that he along with car owner Mark S. Mina had their entire operation available for purchase. The whispers and rumors began to swell, what’s the story? Are they changing chassis types? Are they splitting? Monday afternoon John Beatty Jr. made it official when he announced he would retire from driving after he and the MSM Elite Motorsports teams historic three straight championships. Beatty’s retirement leaves the chase for the 2026 Riverhead NASCAR Modified title wide open.
Chase
Quebec Champion Jeff Côté to Chase the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour in ‘26
Barre, VT — Following Raphael Lessard’s landmark run to the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour championship in 2025, another strong Quebec standout is looking to take his operation stateside in 2026. Jeff Côté of Beauceville, Quebec has officially thrown his hat in the ring to tackle the fourteen-strong Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour this summer after taking the CAN-AM 200 at Autodrome Montmagny in a photo finish last July. 2026 will mark Côté’s first full-time run in the US-based series after earning his first Serie ACT Quebec championship last season.
Hettinger Racing To Contest Full 2026 zMAX CARS Tour Schedule With Driver Chase Burrow
21-Year-Old Virginia Native Chase Burrow Will Drive No. 5 Late Model
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 29, 2026) – Hettinger Racing made its name in grassroots Late Model racing, and it’s where the team will continue to develop the next generation of racing talent.
While expanding his operation to compete fulltime in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, team owner Chris Hettinger will again field an entry in the Late Model Stock division of the zMAX CARS Tour.
Teddy Hodgdon To Chase NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rookie of the Year
Hodgdon Also Pairing With JMA Motorsports For Full-Time Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series Effort
A minimum of 25 races are on the calendar for Teddy Hodgdon for the 2026 short-track Modified racing season.
Hodgdon plans to compete full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in search of the Rookie of the Year award in the familiar No. 55 entry, for all 16 events.
Luke Baldwin To Chase Unprecedented Third Straight SMART Modified Tour Championship With Sadler-Stanley Racing
Sadler-Stanley Racing announced Wednesday that Luke Baldwin will return to the Pace-O-Matic No. 7VA for another season of SMART Modified Tour racing in 2026.
Baldwin will be searching for an unprecedented third straight championship on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, after capturing the title in his rookie season in 2024, and following it up with another crown in 2025.
Gabe Brown Takes Down Win #4, Tightens Milton CAT Championship Chase at Oxford
Oxford, ME — Fifty-two Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour-sanctioned racers packed the pit area Saturday morning as part of the action-packed Spencer Group Paving PASS 400 Weekend. Originally set for an early-season April showdown, the Pine Tree State 125 presented by Wellman Paving was rain delayed by 175 days for the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour’s third visit to Oxford Plains Speedway this season with thirty cars making the trip. Saturday’s showcase was also a shining moment for the ACT Flying Tigers, rounding out this year’s three-race Tri-State Series with the Vacationland 75.
Chase Briscoe Looks To Solidify Position In NASCAR Cup Round Of 8
Chase Briscoe is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to have scored top-10s in each of the first five postseason races this year.
But in the “What-have-you-done-for-me-lately?” world of auto racing, that model of consistency provides the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota minimal comfort heading to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Chase Elliott’s Win At Kansas Leaves Toyota Drivers Licking Their Wounds
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — There are no team orders in the Toyota camp. That much is clear.
In Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the second race in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the Camry contingent squandered a chance at a likely victory despite lining up in the first five positions for a final overtime restart.
NCS Race Recap: Opportunistic Chase Elliott Steals A NASCAR Cup Playoff Win At Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the last few feet of race track in the second overtime Sunday afternoon, Chase Elliott came from oblivion to steal the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET and earn a berth in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
As his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sped wide open through the final corner on Lap 273 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott’s car bounced off the side of Denny Hamlin’s Toyota on the way to the finish line.
Chase Grennan Continues Signature Race Prowess Scoring Clean Sweep Of Cecil Palm Tree 66 At Riverhead Raceway
One thing is becoming abundantly clear with the budding driving career of 18-year-old Chase Grennan of Glen Cove, the bright spotlight of signature NASCAR Modified events at Riverhead Raceway doesn’t intimidate him at all. In fact, he thrives on them and has been dubbed with the moniker “Big Time”. Saturday, the college freshman set fast time and led all but the first lap of the Cecil Palm Tree 66 for his third win of the season, all Crown Jewel Series events for the Ted Christopher Cup. Add his upset win in the 2024 Islip 300 and the only left for “Big Time” Chase to accomplish is to win a 50-lap weekly event.