Dominic Scelzi captured his first podium finish of the season in only his second race of 2019 last Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway.
Scelzi had a stout debut in a Roth Motorsports entry, improving every time he hit the track before scoring a third-place run in the main event to cap the night.

"We gained on it a lot," he said. "That makes me feel good. I know we have a heck of a race car and I see a lot of potential for it. Thanks to Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity as well as Todd Ventura, Jeff, Brandon and Scotty for their hard work."

Grandstand tickets, race weekend experiences (hospitality, pre-race pit passes and other enhancements) and camping for Darlington Raceway’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 and NASCAR XFINITY Series  Sport  Clips Haircuts VFW 200 on Aug. 31-Sept. 1, are now officially on sale to the general public.
 
Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-459-7223, visiting www.DarlingtonRaceway.com or by going through the track’s mobile app. Fans may visit the Darlington Raceway ticket office during normal business hours – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Brad Keselowski nursed flu-like symptoms throughout Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, a stroke of good fortune and a a fast car gave Keselowski the best medicine: his first win of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

One day after having Austin Cindric fill in for him during practice, Keselowski went the distance in successful fashion. He battled for the lead with Team Penske teammate Joey Logano as the race wound down, but a loose wheel forced Logano – the defending series champion – to pit road and knocked him out of contention. Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 champion, made a spirited charge over the final four laps to nearly steal the victory away from Keselowski.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced that he will compete in Darlington Raceway’s NASCAR XFINITY Series  Sport  Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race, scheduled for Saturday, August 31 (4 p.m. live on NBC and MRN), at the track Too Tough To Tame.
 
“There are many things I love about Darlington that contributed to my decision to run there this year, but the main reason is the track surface,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I love races where you have to be smart and manage your tires. Darlington is slick, and it wears out tires. It’s one of the few stops on the circuit that provides that challenge.”
 

MAHLE Motorsport now offers a PowerPak Piston Kit for Wissota concept engines for both small block Chevy and small block Ford.  Featuring MAHLE Motorsport’s lightweight yet strong, low drag slipper skirt forging, dual coatings and precision ring grooves for maximum sealing and power, this new PowerPak is approved for Wissota Auto Racing and Wissota Late Models known for 347 - 360 cubic inch engines generating 500+ HP.

Kyle Busch’s reign as the ultimate NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series competitor reached a new level on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

After leading a race-high 92 of 130 laps in Saturday’s Ultimate Tailgating 200, Busch recorded his record 52nd career Truck Series victory in dominant fashion. The owner of his eponymous team, Busch beat Johnny Sauter by .932 seconds following a five-lap dash to the finish.

NASCAR is changing this year. I don’t know exactly how yet. Racing changes every year. As long as interest keeps going down, I reckon it’s going to keep on changing. If the reason it’s declining is the constant change, I guess the folks in charge haven’t noticed, being as how it’s only been a decade, give or take a few years. They seem to think if they change enough, eventually they’ll get it right. I really hope that’s this year.

Circumstances have progressed to the point where I am a writer of the macro, not the micro. Ever since NASCAR implemented phases and stages, circles and cycles, and themes that we’ve all seen before (Willie Nelson song), I’ve sort of followed the alleged philosophy of a baseball manager not known for tinkering: Let them play (race) and see what happens.

At a track known for making history, Aric Almirola did something on Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that he hadn’t done in nearly seven years: win the pole for a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

“In the final round, (it was) just really good execution by the whole team. The changes that the engineers and Johnny made to the car – honestly, just the car the guys brought – we had a really good car right off the truck. We were second in practice and just kind of carried that speed through qualifying. In that final round, I knew a second lap was going to be faster than the first. I sort of decided to throw the first lap away building the speed up and in the second lap, I just really executed, hit all my marks perfectly and was able to be good enough and (post) a really fast lap to get the pole, which is cool because I haven’t done it in like seven years. It was pretty neat.”

Christopher Bell had no equal on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver swept all three stages of the Rinnai 250, leading 142 of 163 laps in securing a convincing victory in the second race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Bell – considered one of the series’ foremost championship contenders – wasted little time in asserting his dominance.

Despite starting third, Bell roared to the lead on Lap 1 of Saturday’s event. He paced the field for much of the afternoon and appeared to have victory in hand before a late caution flag saw the lead cars head to pit road, change tires and gear up for a three-lap assault.

The launch of the 2019 MAHLE “Drive with the Original” Technician Promotion – featuring a one-of-a-kind 426 cubic-inch Hemi Dodge Challenger giveaway as grand prize – was announced at the Daytona 500. The car, to be built by Petty’s Garage, will be finished and tested in time to be awarded to the winner at the Automotive Aftermarket Product Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas, taking place from November 5 to 7, 2019.

“Last year’s “Drive with the Original” promotion received over 70,000 total entries and was a huge hit at AAPEX,” said Jon Douglas, General Manager, MAHLE Aftermarket North America. “We’re excited to again be partnering with Petty’s Garage and feel this year’s Dodge Challenger is going to be a real showcase for MAHLE gaskets, filters, pistons and rings, Clevite engine bearings, and MAHLE engine parts.”