2026-09-18

Championship Winners Celebrate 2026 Peterborough Speedway Crowns

Kyle Gordon Renegade Truck champion.jpg
John Lavalle Mini Stock championship.jpg
Dan McHattie Late Model champion.jpg
Championship Winners Celebrate 2026 Peterborough Speedway Crowns
By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
 
It was another successful season of home track racing in Central Ontario. Peterborough Speedway concluded this year’s schedule Saturday, September 5th with the annual Championship Clash.
 
In many ways, the Nadeau’s Collision Service Junior Late Model racers make up the first rung on a ladder leading to the future of provincial short track action. During the recently completed season, close to 20 different drivers scored points at the home track venue. At least a pair of that line-up has already announced plans to move to a new class for the 2027 season. With a trio of main event wins, Owen Ephgrave clinched this year’s track title with a main event with that included some head-to-head laps with his brother Dylan. When the final points were tallied, his margin of victory was 24 points over Brody Coates.
 
Climbing on the car after a 2025 Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock feature win got Jacob Stavropoulos noticed by the Peterborough Speedway fans and may have paved the way for a Rookie of the Year win. Heading into the track’s 2026 Championship Clash, he trailed the overall standings by a single point. He took the lead in the season finale’s 20-lap feature and picked-up the race win, with his closest rival in the title chase finishing 3rd. In the overall standings, the driver of the No. 03 machine earned championship by 4 points over Alex Dallaire.

The SwitchTire Mini Stock field turned in a mighty performance during the 2026 season at the popular local oval. 40 different teams scored points during the recently completed schedule. John Lavalle logged some consistent runs in 11 starts during the year and wheeled the No. 6 machine to the track championship by a 53-point margin over Cameron McGlashan.
 
In honour of Mark Gordon, the No. 52 Trent Lakes Complete Plumbing Renegade Truck was shared by Kyle Gordon and James Townsend. It was a strong season for the potent pick-up. With the exception of the final night of the season – where teammate Howie Crowe had the main event win – the team was unbeatable during the 2026 schedule and finished with sizeable margin over 2nd place finisher Shawn Murray.
 
Ask a racer of any level. Once they’ve won their first race, they want to win again. Bailey Jacobs has a winning reputation since making the move from karting to stock cars. In 2015, he was named Super Stock Hard Charger and Rookie of the Year. His resume already included track championships in 2018 and 2022. At the Saturday, September 5th Championship Clash, he added the 2026 title to his list of career accomplishments. In a division that featured more than 15 different drivers during the season, Jacobs finished 42 markers ahead of 2nd place running Herb Walters.
 
The name Dan McHattie has become synonymous with Central Ontario short track racing success. The fan favourite from Cavan, Ontario recently clinched his 15th track championship in the region, with this 2026 title at Peterborough Speedway. When the final numbers were tallied, he’d defeated Ryan Kimball by only 5 points.

The home track promotional team is busy making plans for the 33rd annual B&G Towing and Recovery Autumn Colours Classic. The Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing gets underway Friday, October 9th and continues through all 3 days of the Thanksgiving Weekend. Full event details and information will be posted at www.peterboroughspeedway.com and on the track’s social media pages and platforms.
 
Photo attachment: Jessica Blair – Follow Me Photography
 
Consistency was the key to a solid year that saw John Lavalle (No. 6) clinch the 2026 Peterborough Speedway SwitchTire Mini Stock track championship.

In a ride he shared with former Late Model title holder James Townsend, Kyle Gordon (No. 52) wrapped up this year’s Trent Lakes Complete Plumbing Renegade Truck championship.
 
Bailey Jacobs (No. 60) is now a 3-time Peterborough Speedway Super Stock champion, with the 2026 crown to go along with his 2018 and 2022 titles at the Central Ontario oval.
 
Dan McHattie (No. 71) has built a solid reputation while racing in his own backyard, adding the 2026 Peterborough Speedway Late Model championship to his impressive racing resume.
 
Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 18.9.26 0 comments

Miami to Take Center Stage as Host of 2026 NASCAR Awards

Miami to Take Center Stage as Host of 2026 NASCAR Awards

 

NASCAR’s postseason celebration moves to Miami following Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

The NASCAR Channel to livestream awards ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 18, 2026) - NASCAR announced today that the annual NASCAR Awards will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, bringing the sport’s champions, stars and industry leaders together just two days after the NASCAR Cup Series championship is decided at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

The move to Miami marks the first time the NASCAR Awards for all three of the sport's national series will be held together in the city, adding a new destination and fresh energy to one of the sport’s signature celebrations. Following Championship Weekend, the NASCAR community will come together to celebrate the drivers and teams who conquered the 2026 season and claimed NASCAR’s ultimate prizes.

 

The evening will honor the newly crowned champions of the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, along with the drivers, teams and personalities who helped define the 2026 season.

 

“The championship is the culmination of everything our drivers and teams work for all season, and we want the celebration that follows to feel just as big,” said Michael Verlatti, NASCAR Vice President, Signature Experience Group. “Miami is one of the world’s most dynamic cities, and it provides an incredible backdrop to celebrate our champions and bring the energy of Championship Weekend into a new setting. We’re excited to give our fans and industry a NASCAR Awards experience unlike any we’ve had before.”

 

The celebration begins Sunday, Nov. 8, when the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway crowns the 2026 champion. Two days later, the spotlight shifts from the racetrack to Miami for an evening celebrating the season’s biggest moments, most memorable performances and newest champions.

 

The NASCAR Awards ceremony will be livestreamed beginning at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10 exclusively on the NASCAR Channel, giving fans around the world a front-row seat to the postseason celebration. The NASCAR Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming channel available on Xumo Play, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video.

 

The NASCAR Awards were most recently held in Scottsdale, Arizona last season. The move to Miami underscores NASCAR’s continued commitment to bringing its biggest events and experiences to dynamic markets and creating meaningful opportunities to connect the sport with fans beyond the racetrack.

 

NASCAR will host a celebration for the NASCAR Regional Series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series) and the NASCAR International Series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), on Friday, Nov. 20 in Charlotte, N.C. at the Charlotte Convention Center.

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Facebook.  

 

Contact:

Jennifer Knoeppel


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 18.9.26 0 comments

Kyle Larson Is Good Again

Kyle Larson Is Good Again

NASCAR 26 Cover Athlete Back to Being the Class of the Field since Knoxville Win

 

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a semi-regular series of fun, storyline-driven releases. We skipped last week because Hocevar and Keselowski already did the heavy lifting for us, and we didn’t want anyone to lose their minds about us promoting a rivalry that may later lead to a penalty. We’re glad that decision paid off, everyone remained calm and it wasn’t a topic of conversation.

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 17, 2026) – There is no cover jinx in NASCAR, as NASCAR 26 Cover Athlete Kyle Larson turned up the heat just days prior to the flagship game’s official release date with a statement win at World Wide Technology Raceway. (By the way, download it on PS5, Xbox and PC today!)

 

But toward the latter end of the season’s summer stretch, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion was frigid.

 

In the five races that spanned across Chicagoland through Iowa, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet ranked 35th among full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average finish (31.0), 36th in average positions gained (-22.2), 25th in average running position (21.4), and 35th in laps completed on the lead lap (669 of possible 1,490). Add this to a nagging winless streak dating back to Kansas Speedway last May, and any hope for a third Larson title felt mildly laughable – he was 10th points at the time, after all.

 

Then, the weekend of Richmond came along, scheduled concurrently with a prestigious dirt sprint car race happening over 1,100 miles away: the Knoxville Nationals. Those who know Larson understand that the only thing keeping Kyle Larson away from a dirt track is another race on a different track. And thus, it seemed as if he’d solely be strapping in for a night of racing on asphalt in the Commonwealth of Virginia amidst one of the worst slumps of his career.

 

But due to the grace of Mother Nature and the ever-so kind, considerate, and intuitive thinking of NASCAR Communications, Larson was told midway through the race that he’d be able to forgo his post-race media responsibilities in an attempt to get him to Knoxville in time to race. After a sixth-place result, he booked it to his plane, traveled to the Heartlands, and made it to start from the pole and earn his second coveted Knoxville Nationals title.

 

Since that night, Yung Money has been cashing in.

 

In the five races between Richmond and Gateway, Larson has improved massively to fourth in average finish (9.6), fourth in average positions gained (5.6), second in average running position (10.1) while being third in laps led (201) and fifth in laps in the top five and top 10 (551 & 888, respectively). He has also yet to finish outside the top six in this stretch apart from Daytona, which if you ask his son Owen, he just needs to try harder “because he’s not good at superspeedways.”

 

Larson was most recently able to end his notable winless drought at 51-races at a track Hendrick Motorsports had only two top-fives at in four previous trips to St. Louis.  

 

“Feel like we got our swagger back a little bit,” he said on the frontstretch after his 33rd career victory, and simultaneously moving up five positions in the Chase standings to second – nine points behind Denny Hamlin.

 

And if his outing at Gateway wasn’t enough to put his competitors back on notice, Larson and the No. 5 team head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend where no group has been more dominant at a certain track in the Next Gen era.

 

On the traditional, paved configuration since 2022, Kyle Larson is tied for first in wins (2) while outright ranking first in top fives (6), average finish (7.0), and laps led (1,230) in the last seven races among all Cup drivers.

 

The outlook doesn’t get much better for the rest of the Cup field as you look at the rest of the Chase as a whole either, as 14 of his 33 total career wins come at seven of the eight remaining tracks on the schedule, while being a heavy favorite at a handful such as Kansas, Las Vegas, and most certainly Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Watch as Larson looks to make his competitors further fear what might be: a late rally to a third championship with plenty of checkered flags to go with it. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway marks the third race of the Chase and fires off Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 

 

About NASCAR     

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 15 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.  

For more information visit  www.NASCAR.com and  www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Facebook.

 

Contact:

Trey Gomez

NASCAR Communications


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 18.9.26 0 comments

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