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Cars That Are Dying In 2025

February 7, 2025

by Russell Campbell

While a new year brings a host of new models for us to get excited about over the coming months, it also means saying goodbye to some of our favourite cars. Those like V8 Maseratis, Jaguars (of any description), BMW’s Z4 and – worse still – Porsche’s Cayman and Boxster. These are the cars dying in 2025. (more…)

CUPRA, Supra and A Pair of BMW M4 EVOs Make Up IMSA’s New Model Year

January 16, 2025

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Every new racing season brings a few new racing cars, and 2025 is no exception for IMSA-sanctioned sports car racing. There’s a quartet of new or updated ‘Evolution’ machines to look forward to seeing in competition for the first time, including two versions of an established fan favorite and an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge contender than has not yet been seen in America on the street or the racetrack. (more…)

Toyota’s ‘Suprabird’ Pays Homage to Richard Petty In the Strangest Way

November 6, 2024

The Toyota Supra “Suprabird” pays homage to the 1970 Plymouth Superbird raced by Richard Petty in NASCAR.
The changes are largely aesthetic, with upgraded suspension being the only notable mechanical difference.
It’s on display at the 2024 SEMA Show, running November 5-8 in Las Vegas.

NASCAR has existed in the US for over 75 years, but only a few drivers—and their cars—have attained legendary status. Richard Petty is arguably at the very top of the list, and though he drove several cars throughout his long career, the 1970 Plymouth Superbird is the one people remember. It was the winged wonder of superspeedways, so dominating that NASCAR made rule changes in 1971 effectively banning the aerodynamic ‘bird. (more…)

Ryan Truex / No. 20 Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra Preview – Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway

September 19, 2024

TRUEX AT BRISTOL: Ryan Truex and the No. 20 Toyota Certified Collision Center GR Supra crew head to Bristol this weekend for the Food City 300. Truex has four prior NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the high-banked, half-mile short track, which includes, two top-10s and an average finish of 15.5. Truex has a best finish of 10^th at Bristol which he scored twice, with one in 2012 and the second coming in 2018.
LAST TIME OUT: Truex’s last start at Atlanta has its ups and downs. After starting seventh, Truex got in the wall early and fell out of the front-running pack for most of the race. Despite the setback, Truex slowly worked his way back through the field and managed to sneak back into the top-10 to come home with a 10^th place finish on the day.

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Chandler Smith – No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota GR Supra Preview – Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway

September 19, 2024

SMITH AT BRISTOL: Chandler Smith made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) last year and finished in the top-five. Smith also has four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, including a 2021 win, at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.
WATKINS GLEN RECAP: Smith ran in the top-10 consistently during last weekend’s NXS race at Watkins Glen after qualifying sixth. The driver of the No. 81 picked up a couple of positions to finish fourth in the first stage. Strategy played into flipping the second stage to start up front in the final stretch of the race. Smith survived two overtime restarts to collect another top-five with a fourth-place finish.

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Joe Graf Jr. / No. 19 CoverSeal Toyota GR Supra Preview – Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway

September 18, 2024

GRAF JR. 2024 NXS 4^th AND FINAL RACE OF SEASON: The September 17^th race at Bristol Motor Speedway will mark Joe Graf Jr.’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) 4^th and final race of the season. Joe Graf Jr. has steadily been improving on his finishes this season (17^th, 12^th, 11^th). Joe has performed well with Joe Gibbs Racing equipment with an average qualifying position of 12^th. He will aim to continue the trend collecting a top-10 at Bristol to finish off 2024 before he looks to be back in a race car in ’25.

RETURN TO JGR: Graf Jr. competed in the full, 33 race NXS season in 2023 where he had three impressive top-10 performances at Daytona, Homestead, and Kansas, highlighted by a best finish of seventh at Daytona.

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Chandler Smith – No. 81 Smith General Construction Toyota GR Supra Preview – Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International

September 11, 2024

SMITH AT WATKINS GLEN: Chandler Smith made his track debut at Watkins Glen International in last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race. Smith finished the race in eighth-place. Smith has finished in the top-10 in two road course races so far in 2024 – Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma Raceway.
ATLANTA RECAP: Last weekend, Smith returned to his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 81 started eighth and earned a few stage points with a ninth-place finish in Stage 1 and a eighth-place finish in Stage 2. Smith led twice in Stage 3 for a total of 28 laps. Smith made a run at the lead on the last lap, but fell back for a fourth-place finish.

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Aric Almirola – No. 20 Go Bowling Toyota GR Supra Preview – Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International

September 11, 2024

ALMIROLA AT WATKINS GLEN: Aric Almirola has made 14 NASCAR national series starts at Watkins Glen International. His best finish was a fifth-place result in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track in 2018.
ALMIROLA’S SEASON: Almirola has earned one win and four top-five finishes overall in six Xfinity Series races this season. He has finished inside the top five in his last four starts, including a win at Martinsville Speedway in April and a third in his most recent start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
20 TEAM: The No. 20 team is currently ranked second in the Xfinity Series owner’s points standings, only 11 points out of the top spot. Through 24 races, the No. 20 team leads the Xfinity Series in wins (seven), top-five finishes (12), and laps led (702). The team has won races with four different drivers – Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, and Ryan Truex.

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Sheldon Creed / No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Toyota GR Supra Preview – Misson 200 at the Glen

September 11, 2024

CREED AT WATKINS GLEN: Sheldon Creed heads to Watkins Glen International for the Mission 200 at the Glen this weekend with a chance to lock himself in the playoffs via points. The Glen has been good to Creed in his two prior Xfinity Series starts there, as he has one top-five, two top-10s and an impressive average finish of 5.0. Most notably, Creed finished second in the race last year, as he lost the lead in overtime to Sam Mayer after hitting a part of the track that had been treated for oil in the caution prior. The track was still slick and sent him out of the groove, leading to his chances at a win slipping away once again. With a strong run this weekend and no new winners, Creed is in a prime position to secure his 2024 playoff bid this weekend.
ATLANTA RECAP: Creed’s day was marred by issues on pit road, which led to a result that was not indicative of the speed the team showed throughout the race. After starting fifth, Creed kept with the lead pack and scored a fourth-place finish. Creed ended up falling back to 11^th for stage two, but it was not until the final stage that trouble arose. Creed started the final stage with an uncontrolled tire penalty during pit stops, and after working himself back up to the top-20, he had to pit for a cut tire under green following contact with another car. While servicing the cut tire, Creed received a pass-through penalty for having a crew member over the wall too soon, which left him three laps down late in the race. Creed ultimately finished 25^th on the day.

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Ryan Truex / No. 20 Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

September 5, 2024

TRUEX AT ATLANTA: Ryan Truex and the No. 20 Gazoo Racing Toyota GR Supra crew head to Atlanta this weekend for the Focused Health 250, fresh off back-to-back wins for the No. 20 car at Daytona and Darlington. Truex has five starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including three on the new configuration. In five starts at the track, Truex has two top-fives, four top-10s, eight laps led, and an impressive finish of 7.0. Truex has a best finish of third which he has earned twice in 2022 and 2023. Since joining JGR and running on the track’s new configuration, Truex’s worst finish at Atlanta is ninth which came earlier this year when he ran out of fuel coming to the checkered flag.

LAST TIME OUT: Truex’s last start at Daytona turned into a career highlight as he scored his third career Xfinity Series win, and his second win in just eight starts this season. Truex ran up front for most of the night as he started sixth and earned sixth and third place finishes in the first two stages, respectively. Truex led 28 laps en route to his victory, which included the final eight laps to secure the sixth win on the year for Tyler Allen and the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra crew. (more…)