By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio FORT WORTH – Anchored by NASCAR’s tripleheader weekend May 2-4, Texas Motor Speedway’s 2025 events calendar lists 22 events showcasing a variety of motorsports and non-sporting activities encompassing 44 days. “Texas Motor Speedway is proud to once again provide our fans with a wide array of ‘can’t-miss’ events during our 29th season of operation,” TMS Executive Vice President/General Manager Mark Faber said in a news release. “From the May 2-4 NASCAR tripleheader weekend to Goodguys Rod & Custom shows and new events like FoodieLand, there’s something for longtime racing fans and first-time visitors to…
Author: John Sturbin
John Sturbin
John Sturbin is a Fort Worth-based journalist specializing in motorsports. During a near 30-year career with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he won the Bloys Britt Award for top motorsports story of the year (1991) as judged by The Associated Press; received the National Hot Rod Association’s Media Award (1995) and several in-house Star-Telegram honors. He also was inaugural recipient of the Texas Motor Speedway Excellence in Journalism Award (2009). Email John Sturbin at jsturbin@hotmail.com.
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in next month’s 2025 season-opening Daytona 500. Castroneves has been assigned the No. 91 Chevrolet as part of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 for “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16. A three-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona on the DIS “Roval,” Castroneves has assembled a lengthy and successful career in open-wheel and sports car racing. A native of Brazil living in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Castroneves is a 30-time INDYCAR race-winner _ 24…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Colton Herta’s INDYCAR career could be heading into its final, lifestyle-altering season in 2025. Herta has emerged as the first American driver likely to be signed by Cadillac Formula One for the team’s debut season in 2026, when General Motors’ flagship brand will enter the FIA’s globe-trotting series as its 11th fulltime team. Herta’s name was dropped by motorsports icon Mario Andretti, one of only two American F1 World Driving Champions, during a recent interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH. Dpa international is a German-based news agency. “I think the focus is to have at…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Extended pre-race coverage of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 is among several features included in FOX Sports’ 2025 NTT IndyCar Series broadcast schedule. INDYCAR’s new broadcast partner and the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body confirmed race broadcast start times on Wednesday. Announced in June as part of the media rights deal between FOX Sports and INDYCAR, an NTT IndyCar Series record 17 races will be available on broadcast television _ offering a massive increase in exposure. The NTT IndyCar Series is poised to become the only premier motorsport series in North America with all…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Joseph Newgarden’s back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories officially have been immortalized side-by-side on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Newgarden unveiled his likeness on the Borg-Warner recently during a ceremony in Indianapolis, one of the most significant perks since the Team Penske ace won his second Indy 500 on May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A 33-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn., Newgarden earned his second victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” wheeling the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden delivered a record-extending 20th Indy 500 victory to team-owner Roger S. Penske. In addition,…
Courtesy of NASCAR at COTA AUSTIN, Texas – NASCAR fans can now enjoy financial flexibility while securing their seats for the Feb. 28 – March 2 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). NASCAR at COTA has partnered with three leading digital financial services companies – PayPal, Klarna and Zip – to allow fans the ability to purchase their seats now and pay later. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner of NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports. PayPal, which operates globally in more than 200 markets and has more than 400 million active…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio NHRA management and a handful of championship-caliber drag racing teams will be going places without Toyota following the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Toyota Motor North America announced its planned departure from the sport Wednesday from its headquarters in Plano, Texas. Among the teams affected will be Torrence Racing, located in Kilgore, Texas, and home to four-time Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence and his father Billy. “Our NHRA Drag Racing involvement has brought much success and pride across our entire organization,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager, motorsports, TMNA. “Our NHRA drivers…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Robert Wickens’ story is a perfect fit for Thanksgiving Weekend 2024. It’s the story of resilience, persistence, love of family and the innovative technology and competitive compassion of the motorsports industry. Wickens has been paralyzed from the waist down since Aug. 19, 2018, the result of extensive injuries suffered in a grinding INDYCAR crash at Pocono Raceway. Fast forward to Tuesday, when Wickens met with media members via ZOOM to discuss his groundbreaking driving effort in DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Wickens will compete in five sprint races in the…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio An offseason of perks for two-time/reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden will accelerate next week with a repeat Borg-Warner Trophy moment. Team Penske ace Newgarden, winner of the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, will unveil his likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy at approximately 5 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Dec. 4, at CoHatch Polk Stables in Indianapolis. Newgarden won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the second consecutive year last May 26 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden will be joined for the ceremony by Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J.…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Penske Entertainment tightened its grip on INDYCAR and the NTT IndyCar Series with the recent acquisition of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, LLC, from longtime owner Gerald R. Forsythe. Announced on Nov. 14 as part of Penske Entertainment’s self-described “ambitious INDYCAR growth agenda,” the GPA has overseen the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach _ domestic open-wheel racing’s crown-jewel street event. The race’s landmark 50th edition is scheduled for Sunday, April 13, 2025 with network television coverage provided by new series partner FOX Sports. “We’re incredibly proud to be the new…