Kakunoshin Ohta claimed a clean sweep of Super Formula victories at Motegi, as Luke Browning stormed from the penultimate row of the grid to claim fourth.

In much better weather conditions than those seen on Saturday, Dandelion Racing driver Ohta converted pole position into his eighth career win despite losing the lead at the start to the fast-starting Inging machine of Toshiki Oyu.

The safety car was called on the third lap of 37 as Rikuto Kobayashi became stuck in the gravel at the final corner, and Oyu was able to maintain the advantage over Ohta when the race resumed on lap seven even as the latter used almost all of his OTS allocation.

Oyu pitted at the first available opportunity on lap 10, but Ohta took advantage of clear air at the head of the field, pulling away by four seconds from the second Inging car of Sena Sakaguchi, who had jumped from fifth on the grid to third on the opening lap.

With a 32-second margin over Oyu, Ohta successfully overcut his way ahead, and such were Oyu’s struggles that it soon became apparent that Sakaguchi would be in position to jump ahead of his team-mate for second place.

That is exactly what transpired when Sakaguchi pitted on lap 25, coming out comfortably ahead of Oyu, who in turn was forced to fight a rear-guard action against an early-stopping Zak O’Sullivan as well as reigning champion Ayumu Iwasa.

Sakaguchi was able to close the gap to Ohta in the closing stages with the help of his fresher rubber, but the Dandelion driver held on by 0.958 seconds to complete a perfect weekend and move into an early 20-point championship lead.

Kakunoshin Ohta, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Nonetheless, second marked Sakaguchi’s first podium finish since his rookie season in 2024 and Inging's first since the same year.

Such was Oyu’s lack of pace – up to three seconds slower than Sakaguchi on fresh tyres – and the lack of degradation for those on older tyres that it opened the door for Nirei Fukuzumi to overcut his way to third place by pitting on lap 29.

That marked Rookie Racing’s first-ever podium since it joined Super Formula in 2020, as Fukuzumi surpassed the best finish of fourth achieved by Kazuya Oshima.

Browning, who had started down in 21st place in his Kondo Racing car after a disappointing qualifying, was likewise able to maintain strong pace on old tyres, leaving his pit stop until the penultimate lap to take advantage of Oyu holding up the pack.

The Williams F1 reserve driver was four seconds clear of Oyu at the finish, as O’Sullivan had to settle for sixth for Team Impul.

A side-by-side moment between O’Sullivan and Iwasa’s Mugen car on the final lap at Turn 11 put Iwasa wide and allowed Kenta Yamashita (KCMG) to sneak through for seventh.

Completing the scorers were Syun Koide, backing up his fifth-place finish from the opener, and Nobuharu Matsushita in the brand-new Delightworks Racing team.

Tadasuke Makino suffered a miserable qualifying in the sister Dandelion car, scoring his worst-ever grid position in Super Formula to line up 18th, and only recovering to 13th.

Sho Tsuboi was 14th for TOM’S having been forced to take avoiding action when Igor Fraga tipped Tomoki Nojiri into a spin on the opening lap.

Fraga escaped without a penalty on his way to 16th for Nakajima Racing, while Nojiri was 18th after having to pit on the opening lap for a fresh front wing.

Sacha Fenestraz (TOM’S) was the race’s only other retirement, slowing with a loose right-rear wheel after his stop but successfully getting back to the pits.

It was eventful and occasionally dramatic but Garrett Mitchell aka Cleetus McFarland made it to the checkered flag in his NASCAR O’Reilly Series debut at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday.

Driving the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing, McFarland finished 32nd and six laps behind winner William Sawalich and there was a lot that happened over 250 laps in the sand hills region. 

Cleetus McFarland, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet; Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

McFarland called it 'the hardest thing I have ever done in my life' but also celebrated gaining one overall position from start to finish.

“Did I ruin anyone’s day other than my own,” he asked. “I did not. This was one hell of an opportunity and I got my ass kicked but I finished the race. That was our goal. 

“So we did meet our goals. We did have higher expectations, or higher wants — I think we got to 26th for a minute and I was like so excited just to hear that that literally the next corner I went in and spun out because I was just going too danged fast for my own abilities.”

McFarland said he got too ambitious during that initial start.

"I had a ton of confidence, and then I spun out, then about 50 laps into the race, when I was kind of on my own racing those other four guys, I got my confidence back. That carried on for a while."

He said the first near-spin killed his tires for the first run and it was a lesson regarding how sensitive these tires are when they're abused. 

"At that moment I was like, 'I have put myself in the worst position I could possibly be in right now,' and 'I am way in over my head,'" he said. "But I knew we just had to get to the end and that's what we did."

At one point, teammate Jesse Love was in the back and saving his tires to restart on them come the start of the next stage. McFarland said he tried to learn from that opportunity and did.

“I was already way back in the field, I got behind Jesse Love when he was saving tires,” McFarland said. “And I could catch him, but just watching his line, I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ve been doing that wrong all day.’ Learned so much and the guys were helping me a lot on the radios. It was great.

“I mean I think I spun out 50 times, almost died 10 times. And overall I’m here with a car that’s not destroyed. I didn’t ruin anyone’s day, which was my main goal. I did want to stay out of the news more. You know, Dale Jr. said, ‘Please, stay out of the news.’ That was my goal. But several times I just over-drove the corner, and then the one time I lost it and caused a caution.”

The reason McFarland was in this race is that NASCAR had required him to participate at Rockingham as part of an approval process to race on superspeedways at the second highest level. 

There is a race at Talladega at the end of the month and the Daytona in August and Talladega again in October.

He finished fourth earlier in the day in the ARCA East race for Rette Jones Racing but still has less than a dozen full bodied stock car appearances on his resume and NASCAR doesn’t want a driver that didn’t meet an approval process potentially crashing series regulars on superspeedways. 

McFarland feels like he did enough to compete in those races.

“So all in all, I made a ton of mistakes and I learned a lot,” McFarland said. “I hope to stay more out of the news than I did but I have a lot to learn. And you know, all this internet talk, it got me thinking maybe I shouldn’t come back …

“PSYCH! See you guys in two weeks at Talladega. That’s right!”

"They might ask us to run another race..."

Richard Childress Racing’s vice president of O’Reilly Series operations, Danny Lawrence, offered a nuanced response to his driver’s efforts.

"Well, it's a big step," Lawrence told Motorsport.com. "This is a hard race track and he did really good a couple of times where he could have spun the car out in front of everybody and didn't. I think if we were to go green tomorrow, he would be way better.

"He learned a lot in a short amount of time and I think it shows everyone what a big step this is going into the O'Reilly Series. I think he did a great job but we got to be better."

So, to wit, Lawrence isn't totally sure NASCAR has seen enough to grant approval for Talladega.

"Well, they'll look at everything," Lawrence said. "They might ask us to run another race because the thing about it is we didn't get to do a live pit stop. There were a lot of things they wanted to see happen that didn't happen.

"When he got sideways early, we automatically went into this conservation mode of just keep rolling and don't push it too hard. So, it's going to be close, but I would not be surprised if NASCAR didn't want us to run another race before we got to Daytona and Talladega. Everything happens so fast there that we all want to be prepared when we do take him there."

Justin Allgaier, the 2024 series champion praised McFarland for staying out of the way every time they lapped him, without incident.

“I thought Cleetus did a great job,” Allgaier said. “You know, he did a really good job this morning in the ARCA race to come home with a top-five was just trying to figure out where he needed to be at today. He had one spin off Turn 4 and I don’t know what happened but I do not envy his position at all.

“I know that today had to be really tough on him, especially with some of the social media stuff that he’s had going against him the past few weeks, so I’m proud of him. He put in the effort and tried to make sure he was where he needed to be to have s a solid day.

“I think he did exactly what he needed to do and hopefully he had a good time.”

Would Allgaier trust McFarland enough to push him in the draft?

“Look man, I can't answer that because I think there's a couple that we race with weekly that I don’t know that I would want to draft with at Talladega,” Allgaier said.

Allgaier reiterated what he said earlier in the weekend in stating that he believes the YouTube sensation has a greater respect and appreciation for what the NASCAR regulars do each week.

“It’s not that I don’t think he respected it when he started, but I think he respect more the time and effort that goes into this than he did before,” Allgaier said. “Like I said, I hope he had a great time and runs 100 races or he runs one more, I had no problem racing with him today. He did a good job.”

Cleetus McFarland earns impressive top five finish in ARCA East Rockingham

What NASCAR O'Reilly Series field expects of Cleetus McFarland at Rockingam

Why Cleetus McFarland is a sound investment for Richard Childress Racing

William Sawalich has been beaten up and emotionally challenged but it all culminated in his first NASCAR O'Reilly Series victory on Sunday at Rockingham Speedway.

As a (younger) teenager, Sawalich won at every step along the way, including 13 victories in the ARCA Racing Series, but went 0-for-41 upon reaching what used to be called the Xfinity Series. There were some ugly crashes along the way too.

He didn’t make the playoffs last year and this season showed promise but not the results until Saturday at the North Carolina Motor Speedway when he nailed the final restarts and executed through traffic in the closing laps.

“Obviously, last year was not going to plan,” Sawalich said. “We started to pick it up in the second half of the season, and my guys stood behind me, and that helped keep my head up after that first half of just bad luck and making some mistakes.

“But I’ve learned from those mistakes and honestly believe they have helped me get to where I am now. Even the start of this season hasn’t gone great but I have a lot of confidence going into Bristol. I think our points situation is good. This team is showing what we can do now.”

Sawalich is generally liked by his peers. The 19-year-old is regarded as an affable presence in the garage and both drivers who finished behind him on Saturday was happy to see him break through. That includes Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones, who previously worked with crew chief Jeff Meendering, and Justin Allgaier.

“I’ve been where he is,” said Jones of his 100-plus winless streak to start his own career. “Been there, done that. It is frustrating. It is difficult.

“But man, they ran a flawless race today. I really saw it. He flawlessly executed that restart, and it’s hard to do when you don’t have as many shots at it, that many chances, and it just makes me really proud of everyone at JGR.”

Allgaier offered all the empathy possible.

“Oh man, I can’t even imagine the emotions going through his mind right now,” Allgaier said. “Look, nobody wants to struggle. Nobody wants to have those tough days, but you can't realize how important today is without those struggles, right?

“And a lot of these younger guys, they win at every level at really an alarming rate, and you get here and expect it to be the same and it just doesn’t go that way. You start questioning everything – the team, the people and yourself – and it’s a hard place to be in.

“I've gone through it. I've lived it. But when you have a day like today and you're able to persevere and do a masterful job, I wouldn’t be surprised if it opens the door for him to go on a tear now.”

Sawalich said he just needed to compartmentalize.

“Resetting every week was probably the toughest part,” Sawalich said. “It definitely mentally impacts you when you carry a bad finish over to the next week. I’ve had to learn to apply the positives to even bad finishes. Confidence is a huge thing for a driver and I’ve learned a lot about that over the past year.”

Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race ended with a first-time winner as William Sawalich captured the checkered flag in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

The win came in Sawalich's 42nd career start, and ended JR Motorsports' five-race win streak. His Rockingham win came in a Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2, beating teammate Brandon Jones to the win.

“It means everything," said Sawalich. "Honestly, tough year last year and tough start to the year this year. These boys mean everything to me. They were here with me through everything and my family. Gosh, it feels good to get it done here in Rockingham, in front of an awesome crowd. Thank you to everyone for coming out. Our Supra was on rails today. Good in stage one and stage two, and obviously amazing in clean air.” 

Justin Allgaier finished third, extending his championship lead to 126 points over Jesse Love. Rajah Caruth finished fourth, Carson Kvapil fifth, Sheldon Creed sixth, Taylor Gray seventh, Parker Retzlaff eighth, Ryan Sieg ninth, and Corey Day tenth.

Making his NASCAR O'Reilly debut, Cleetus McFarland finished 32nd for RCR, following a top five result in the ARCA East race earlier the same day.

Cleetus McFarland earns impressive top five finish in ARCA East Rockingham

Stage 1

Day led the race from the green flag, and Retzlaff nearly lost it on the opening lap from third on the grid. Back in the pack, Cleetus tried to go three-wide early for 30th, and spun sideways, dropping him to the back of the field.

Up front, Day remained in complete control of the race as Allgaier made an aggressive three-wide pass in traffic to take second from Love.

The first caution flew for Blake Lothian spinning out. He slid back down the track, and Cleetus narrowly avoided plowing into the side of the No. 55 car. At that point, he had fallen one lap down.

During the caution, Gray and three others stayed out, prevented drivers like Cleetus from taking the wave-around.

It was a hectic restart with Love and S. Smith nearly crashing at the exit of Turn 2 while trying to make headway. Day still made it back to the lead, winning Stage 1 over 

Elsewhere in the field, Mayer fell several laps down due to mechanical gremlins impacting his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet. 

Stage 2

Day continued to lead the race. In the middle of the field, Love touched the wall after contact from Caruth, just one week after they had a run-in at Martinsville.

Dean Thompson made an unscheduled pit stop for a flat tire, but the race remained green until Jeremy Clements spun from inside the top ten.

Love decided to pit during this caution due to a loose wheel and rode around at the back, conserving his tires for the final 20 laps of the stage.

Day went on to sweep the stages, winning Stage 2 over

Stage 3

Love inherited the race lead, staying out. Due to some two-tire calls, Day restarted back in seventh for the restart. R. Sieg restarted on the front row with Love.

On the restart, JGR teammates Crews and Sawalich made door-to-door contact, and Crews went on to take the lead from Love. Allgaier followed him through, taking second.

Back in the pack, Cleetus came down on another car and got spun sideways, but he straightened it out and avoided a caution.

Love slowed and made an unscheduled stop due to an issue with the right-front. He lost three laps on pit road.

Despite dominating the first two stages, Day was unable to make much headway from the restart. 

With 85 laps to go, Alfredo spun and triggered a caution. He had a flat tire that proceeded to tear the right-front fender apart.

The entire field came down pit road, with Crews holding the lead over Allgaier as Day lost even more positions. Sawalich took the lead on the ensuing restart, but the caution quickly flew for Clements backing into the outside wall. He then dragged an entire roll of tape out onto the track, leaving the box before the team was done with repairs.

The seventh caution of the race flew when Cleetus spun around at the exit of Turn 4, but escaped without any significant damage.

The stalled car of Kyle Sieg delayed the next restart, with the green flag finally waving with 38 laps to go. Austin Green made a fantastic save, but then got up into the marbles and slammed the wall, forcing him to make an unscheduled pit stop.

Up front, Crews started to fall back from third, and had to pit with a potential tire issue. Sawalich continued to lead, about two seconds clear of Jones.

He maintained that advantage, and never had to deal with real pressure from behind as he captured the win for JGR.

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz are set to reunite in an upcoming video for Quadrant. The announcement has already sparked excitement across social media as fans await the return of the famous 'Carlando' dynamic.

The friendship between the British and Spanish drivers blossomed when they were team-mates at McLaren in 2019 and 2020. Fans affectionately branded the pair as 'Carlando' as they became known for their hilarious banter, competitive golf matches and infectious laughter during media duties.

Quadrant, which is an Esports, lifestyle and apparel brand founded by Norris in 2020, shared the teaser to fans on social media. "The collab of my dreams," one fan commented, while another wrote: "This video is going to be amazing, I missed Carlando content so much. Thanks Quadrant."

Sainz left the Woking outfit at the end of 2020 to join Ferrari. He later left the Maranello outfit after four seasons when he was replaced by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Norris, on the other hand, has remained with McLaren.

Norris spoke about his friendship with Sainz when the Spaniard left the Woking outfit. "I didn't know Carlos at all before we became team-mates," he told F1.com at the time. "Of course I knew of him and so on, but we never spoke, I didn't know him that well at all, so I went in with a knowledge of very little and we became good mates both on track and away, and fierce competitors."

Sainz added: "This came super natural, since the first day I met Lando. I just got on well with him and we kind of had this situation, we were super competitive… but at the same time, I guess we have a lot of respect for what we do and we try and enjoy Formula 1.

"I want to say I get on well with all my team-mates. Obviously with Lando, it's special but I'm not expecting it that every time I meet a new team mate, it's going to be a new Lando."

Ahead of his highly anticipated NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham, popular YouTuber Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) took part in the ARCA Menards East Series race at The Rock, finishing fourth in his career-best result.

"After climbing from the car, a very excited Cleetus said: "Honestly, I just went out there and turned left for Greg Biffle. I had more confidence today than I've ever had in a stock car. Even though I got the world against me, I got all these people here rooting for me. I was feeling good ... the Rette Jones Racing No. 30 was turning so good. I mean, I had the leaders in my sights the whole time. I was a little off-pace, but I can't believe it. I'm fired up and feel good!"

Speaking more on Biffle, the NASCAR legend who mentored Cleetus before losing his life in a tragic place crash last December, Cleetus added: "I think he'd be happy I didn't do anything stupid. Biff didn't teach me dumb stuff, so I didn't do any dumb stuff today. I tried to use everything he's ever taught me."

What NASCAR O'Reilly Series field expects of Cleetus McFarland at Rockingam

Why Cleetus McFarland is a sound investment for Richard Childress Racing

He qualified seventh in the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Chevrolet for the ARCA East race. In five previous starts at the top level of ARCA, he has two top tens but no finish better than ninth.

He was joined by friend and fellow content creator George Siciliano (better known as Squirrel McNut online), who recently made his ARCA East debut at Hickory. He was a teammate to Cleetus, driving the No. 0 for Rette Jones Racing.

At the start of the Rockingham race, Cleetus quickly passed Isaac Kitzmiller around the outside for sixth, and held that position for much of the first run. When Max Reaves fell multiple laps down due to a cut tire, it bumped Cleetus up inside the top five. Soon after, Gavan Boschele slammed the wall with a flat tire, moving Cleetus up to fourth in the running order. Siciliano was also having a decent day, running ninth, but fell a couple of laps down.

Cleetus remained on the lead lap, and went back-and-forth with Kitzmiller over fourth-place on multiple restart, with Cleetus prevailing just before the halfway break.

In the second half of the race, Cleetus fell back behind Kitzmiller, but he didn't remain fifth, passing Connor Hall for fourth.

With 45 laps to go, Siciliano went for a half-spin and while he suffered no damage and lost no positions, it did bring out a caution.

Cleetus held fourth until the next caution, which flew with 15 laps to go. The race was halted for cleanup with 12 laps remaining in the race.

The race resumed with just nine laps to go, and nothing changed up front. Cleetus finished fourth, scoring his first top five in any NASCAR-sanctioned event, while Siciliano placed four spots better than his last outing, finishing ninth.

Tristan McKee won the race ahead of Carson Brown Kitzmiller, going back-to-back to open the 2026 ARCA East season.

P32 in NASCAR O'Reilly debut

Cleetus McFarland says see you at Talladega; RCR says 'we need to be better'

Later in the day, he started 35th in the NASCAR O'Reilly race, driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. As expected, it was a lot more difficult as Cleetus adapted to faster cars and the second-tier of the three national divisions. He had a handful of half-spins and one full spin during the race, but the car remained mostly clean throughout the day.

He cracked the top 30 at one point, but ultimately finished 32nd, six laps down, nursing a tire issue in the final laps. 

"That might be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," he said on the radio after reaching the finish line.

Motorsport.com was part of a media scrum that heard more from Cleetus after the ARCA and O'Reilly races, which you can watch below:

Sergio Perez has denied claims from Mario Andretti that he’s a “bit rusty” upon his Formula 1 return, saying he’s “performing on a very high level”.

Perez was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2024 following an extremely poor season and took a sabbatical before signing with F1 debutant Cadillac for 2026.

It has been a relatively tough start to the season though, with zero points across the opening three rounds, but the American outfit starting 2026 as a backmarker was entirely expected.

Cadillac is two to three seconds off the pace and often endures some kinds of technical faults, but being above Aston Martin in the championship is at least one positive.

Why Aston Martin has no need to “make peace” with Honda

Nevertheless, Andretti, one of the original driving forces behind the Cadillac project, expressed doubt about the drivers as Perez’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas also returned to a full-time seat following his Sauber exit in 2024.

“To be honest with you, I think they’re both just a little bit rusty,” the 1978 world champion, who is the inspiration behind the Cadillac chassis name (MAC-26), told the Drive to Wynn podcast.

Mario Andretti

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

“They’ve both been out of the cockpit for at least one season. With the new package and everything else, they’re being very careful just to participate and not set anything back by maybe going out there and creating more work that’s needed.”

But Perez has disagreed with that notion as himself and Bottas are simply making do with the machinery that’s at their disposal, as the MAC-26 is just lacking overall speed.

“To be honest I think we've been performing on a very high level,” the six-time grand prix winner said ahead of last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. “I was very happy with my weekend in Melbourne, my first qualifying, I was quite happy with it.

“In the race we had very different scenarios, we had a lot of damage. So it hasn't been really straightforward. Shanghai wasn't a straightforward weekend, I had a lot of damage in the race.

“I haven't had a complete weekend let's say, but I think in terms of my performance I'm fairly happy with it. Coming back and straight away I was on the pace within a couple of days. I believe I'm in a good place in regards to driving.”

Perez was even more upbeat following Suzuka as he finished on the lead lap for the first time in 2026, having also achieved his smallest deficit to the leader in Q1 – 2.171s compared to 3.098s (Melbourne) and 3.601s (Shanghai).

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

“It was quite interesting. When I was following – I was racing at the time the Williams, the Alpine – I could see that they're not too far away, they're just able to consistently keep finding pace and pace and pace,” said Perez.

This comes ahead of an April break before round four in Miami next month, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East caused the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain grands prix to be cancelled.

“It's clear that we need a second now and I really hope that we are bringing a big upgrade for Miami,” added Perez.

“I think that will be the biggest test for the team. We've been progressing every grand prix, this is the first grand prix that more or less everything has been straightforward, apart from the deployment issues I had yesterday, everything has been straightforward.

“So, yes, I really hope that we can make that step to be in the mix with the midfield.”

In many two-child families, parents are often required to step in and mediate domestic disputes driven by rivalry and ego. Transpose that dynamic to the MotoGP paddock, and Ducati has effectively been playing that role for several years between its two satellite teams, VR46 and Gresini.

Ask around either garage about the state of their relationship and the answer is consistent: “We don’t get along at all.”

Ducati insiders go a step further. “That’s exactly it – it’s like constantly having to mediate between two children who are always fighting. It’s exhausting,” a senior executive from the Borgo Panigale manufacturer told Motorsport. The Italian brand has long had to balance relations between Valentino Rossi’s VR46 structure and the team founded by Fausto Gresini, now led by Nadia Padovani following his passing due to COVID.

Tensions between the two outfits escalated further following the decision to move Fermin Aldeguer to VR46 from 2027. The Spaniard – currently partnered with Alex Marquez at Gresini and named Rookie of the Year in his debut MotoGP season – will switch teams under Ducati’s impetus, a move that has not gone down well with Gresini management.

The reaction in Faenza was strong enough to briefly cast doubt over the renewal of Gresini’s contract with Ducati, which expires at the end of the season. Aldeguer’s own wishes were not enough to alter the outcome: he had consistently stated that he would prefer to stay put if given the choice.

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

With Alex Marquez already set to join KTM, replacing that line-up will be extremely difficult. That is precisely why Gresini had hoped to retain Aldeguer – an objective that ultimately proved unattainable for several reasons, some of them directly linked to VR46.

A key factor lies in VR46 inheriting the factory-supported status previously held by Pramac, which switched to Yamaha in 2025. The Tavullia-based outfit signed a two-year deal (2025–2026), with an option to extend for a further three seasons (2027–2029) – a clause that has already been activated, albeit not yet officially announced due to the manufacturers’ (MSMA) ongoing negotiations with MotoGP’s commercial rights holder.

That factory-backed status grants certain advantages over Ducati’s other customer teams, although in the past two seasons it has not translated into results or visibility.

In 2024, much of the spotlight fell on Marc Marquez who, alongside his brother, finished ahead of both Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli in the standings.

In 2025, Alex Marquez secured the runner-up position in a standout campaign – three wins and 12 podiums – in stark contrast with the more subdued performances from Di Giannantonio (four podiums, sixth overall) and Morbidelli (two podiums, seventh). Aldeguer finished just behind the latter, although his victory in Indonesia and three additional podiums made him a frequent headline-maker.

There is a school of thought suggesting that the Desmosedici GP24 ridden by Alex Marquez in 2025 was more balanced than the GP25 used by Di Giannantonio – a claim few would have predicted beforehand.

Understanding Aldeguer’s move also requires examining his contract situation. The Spaniard is directly tied to Ducati through a deal signed in his final Moto2 season, running until 2028. Despite ambitions of joining the factory team alongside Marc Marquez in 2027, he ultimately accepted the pathway outlined in that agreement.

A salary increase also played a decisive role, making him the first non-Italian rider to join VR46 – a team with greater financial resources than Gresini.

Aldeguer is therefore set to receive the latest machinery specification, matching that of Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta, even if all Ducati bikes are expected to converge technically under the new regulations coming into force in 2027. From that point, development throughout the season is likely to be the key differentiator between factory-supported riders and the rest.

Motorsport understands Aldeguer’s future team-mate is expected to run a standard package. Di Giannantonio’s current form places him in a strong position to retain his seat, although VR46 is also open to the possibility of signing Nicolo Bulega, a former member of the VR46 Academy.

Nicolo Bulega, Ducati Team

Foto de: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Aldeguer’s departure has acted as a trigger for Gresini to explore alternative manufacturers. However, the options are limited. Relations with Aprilia are strained – if not worse than those with VR46 – following the fallout that ended their partnership in 2021, when Aprilia transitioned to full factory status.

Gresini also held discussions with Honda, though it remains unclear whether a genuine opportunity existed to rekindle a partnership that once delivered runner-up finishes with Sete Gibernau (2004) and Marco Melandri (2005), or whether the talks were primarily a negotiating tactic to strengthen its position with Ducati.

Either way, the Honda route did not materialise. With Yamaha currently lacking competitiveness, continuing with Ducati has emerged as the most viable option.

On the rider front, Dani Holgado is set to be the first addition to Gresini’s future line-up. The Spaniard, currently third in the Moto2 standings, had been in talks with Yamaha but is understood to have informed the Iwata manufacturer of his decision in recent days.

For the second seat, several candidates are under consideration. The leading option is Enea Bastianini, who is keen to return to the team where he secured his first MotoGP victories in 2022. However, the Italian remains tied to KTM, which holds an option on his contract for a third season – a clause that would need to be waived for the move to happen.

How Jorge Martin has gone from hell to heaven in just one year 

Formula 1 fans have lost it after Esteban Ocon cheekily suggested that seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton would be the perfect candidate for his own reality TV programme, dubbing it 'Keeping Up With The Hamiltons'.

Poking fun at the rumours that have suggested that the Ferrari driver is in a relationship with reality TV star Kim Kardashian, Ocon suggested the show when asked by F1.com which driver was most likely to go on a reality TV show.

"Holy moly Esteban, I was not familiar with your game," one fan wrote on Reddit, while another added: "You can see the moment the thought popped into his head."

"His answer and Lando's made me laugh so hard. Cheeeeeeky boys," someone else posted, referring to Lando Norris's response to the same question. The McLaren driver simply said, "Lewis Hamilton. IYKYK".

Other reactions included: "Cheeky boy. The man has great banter," and "When paired with Alonso, we saw the worst side of Esteban. Since leaving Alpine, he's turned into quite the comedian and becoming a likeable character."

Some fans even suggested that they would watch the hypothetical Keeping Up With The Kardashians spin-off. "Imagine Lewis walking into the paddock with a confessional cam crew F1 meets Kardashians, I’d watch that chaos unfold," one commented.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I despise reality television, but I'm ashamed I would watch if it were Lewis. Deeply ashamed. But would definitely watch," another added.

Reports emerged in early 2025 that Hamilton was in a relationship with Kardashian, and the pair have since been seen together at the Super Bowl and in Tokyo ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Neither party has confirmed the rumours. 

When asked the same question in the same F1 Drivers Play Fill In The Blanks video, Ollie Bearman, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad all chose Norris, while Alex Albon said Liam Lawson. 

Lawson and Oscar Piastri chose George Russell, and Russell and Franco Colapinto opted for Pierre Gasly.

Joining Ocon in choosing Hamilton were Gabriel Bortoleto, Fernando Alonso and Gasly.

Alpine Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly has landed a new role with Lacoste, becoming an ambassador for the French fashion brand.

As part of his new role, Gasly will be the face of the famous Lacoste polo shirt, which the F1 driver described as the French designer's "strongest expression: a piece born on the tennis court that has become a symbol of effortless elegance," according to WWD.

Eric Vallat, Lacoste's chief executive officer, said that Gasly "perfectly embodies the spirit of performance and tenacity", and added that "his international career, his high standards and his affinity with disciplines such as tennis and golf strongly resonate with our universe.

"We are delighted to welcome him among the maison’s ambassadors and to open a new chapter with him."

Lacoste shared the news on social media, posting: "We are proud to welcome Pierre Gasly as our new Brand Ambassador. His determination, high standards and refined sense of style—along with his passion for disciplines like tennis and golf—naturally reflect the values that continue to shape the Maison today.
 
"A natural connection, captured in the details as he wears the iconic L.12.12 polo."

Gasly has often spoken about his love for fashion and has championed Lewis Hamilton for paving the way for the younger F1 drivers to follow in his footsteps within the paddock. "It's important to say that without him, things would be different these days," Gasly told Sky Sports F1 in 2023. He attended multiple shows during Paris Fashion Week and sat front row for the Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Bluemarble shows.

On track, Gasly has also had a strong start to the 2026 season. After finishing 10th, eighth and sixth in the first three grands prix, he sits eighth in the drivers' championship standings. Alpine, which is now a customer team of Mercedes, is currently fifth in the constructors' standings.

Kakunoshin Ohta won the opening race of the new Super Formula season at Motegi in wet conditions, taking advantage of a safety car restart to pass defending champion Ayumu Iwasa.

Heavy rain at the Tochigi Prefecture track meant the race was red-flagged after just three laps of the scheduled 37 as the drivers struggled with both visibility in the spray and aquaplaning.

Proceedings were delayed by more than an hour, and even when the race finally resumed with 50 minutes left on the clock, the field circulated behind the safety car before the pack was finally unleashed on lap 16, with Iwasa maintaining the advantage ahead of Ohta.

Moments later the safety car was deployed again as both Kamui Kobayashi and Ukyo Sasahara hit trouble – the two made contact at Turn 5, leaving Kobayashi’s TGM Grand Prix machine stranded and Sasahara’s Kondo Racing car with terminal damage.

The race went green once again on lap 20, and Dandelion Racing driver Ohta immediately pounced on Iwasa at Turn 1 to grab a lead that he wouldn’t relinquish.

Ohta's win was all but secured when the safety car was called again almost immediately as Juju Noda beached her car in the gravel at Turn 5.

With time expiring after 23 laps, Ohta took victory ahead of Team Mugen’s Iwasa, with only half points being awarded as the race did not reach 75% distance.

It marks Dandelion’s fourth consecutive win at Motegi and Ohta’s seventh in the series, putting him in the early championship lead by 1.5 points.

The names to watch out for in Super Formula despite Rovanpera’s late dropout

Ren Sato converted his third-place start to the same position at the finish ahead of Nakajima Racing team-mate Igor Fraga, who passed Yuto Nomura on the first restart.

B-Max Racing rookie Nomura struggled to get up to speed and lost further positions to both Syun Koide, who went on to score ThreeBond Racing’s best-ever Super Formula finish in fifth, and the leading Toyota-powered car of Sacha Fenestraz (TOM’S).

Completing the scorers were Tomoki Nojiri (Mugen) in his 100th Super Formula start, Sho Tsuboi (TOM’S) and Formula 2 graduate Roman Stanek, who stunned the paddock by making it into Q2 and qualifying ninth for Buzz MK Racing on his series debut.

Stanek's fellow F2 convert Luke Browning finished his first Super Formula race 14th on the road in the surviving Kondo car, but was involved in a scary incident with fellow Briton Zak O’Sullivan on the back straight approaching the downhill Turn 11 right-hander.

Unsighted in the thick spray, Browning had to take avoiding action to miss the Cerumo/Inging car of Sena Sakaguchi in the braking zone, and clipped the front-left corner of O’Sullivan’s Team Impul machine in the process.

That contact was enough to put O’Sullivan out of the race, but Williams F1 reserve Browning was able to continue seemingly without damage after a spin.

However, Browning was later awarded a 30-second time penalty for causing a collision, dropping him from 14th to 20th.

Of the other newcomers, Charlie Wurz was 15th for Team Goh and Rikuto Kobayashi was 18th in his TGM machine, ahead of Nirei Fukuzumi (Rookie Racing), who ended up 19th after being excluded from qualifying for an underweight car.

Haas Formula 1 boss Ayao Komatsu has warned against any “knee-jerk” reactions to the incident between Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bearman was around one second behind the Alpine through Suzuka’s sector two, but suddenly closed at Spoon as Colapinto harvested energy causing a 45km/h speed difference.

The Haas driver was therefore forced into evasive action, and after taking to the grass, he spun into the barriers at 50G, prompting more questions about the contentious 2026 regulations.

This time it was in relation to the closing speeds, which had already been a talking point through pre-season, that have become more severe due to how drivers opt for different battery management strategies.

Stella was right about F1's closing speed problem - but here's why there's no simple fix

Colapinto claimed it can become “really dangerous”, Carlos Sainz said “it was only a matter of time” before such a collision occurred, whereas Lando Norris thinks a driver is at the “mercy” of the power unit.

So there have been calls for changes, something that’s already occurred with the energy recovery limit in qualifying, ahead of a meeting between F1, its teams, power unit manufacturers and governing body the FIA on 9 April.

But Komatsu is eager to not see changes for the sake of it, as he told Sky Sports: “We’re looking at it from all dimensions because, when we make changes, we’ve got to make the correct ones.

“We cannot be making knee-jerk reaction changes and then a few races later be saying, ‘that was the wrong option’.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Haas F1 Team

“The good thing is that the F1 community, all the teams, the FIA, F1, we’re all working together in a really open and transparent manner, which I don't think I’ve seen to this extent before.

“I’m pretty confident that F1, as a community, we’ll find the right solution to whatever things we need to improve.”

This comes amid a set of regulations which have certainly divided opinion due to their increased reliance on electrical energy – with Max Verstappen, for example, saying drastic changes are needed.

But Komatsu doesn’t think the situation is as severe, believing only tweaks are needed, citing the qualifying change because it allowed drivers to lift off later into corners at Suzuka.

“Already taking action, a small step for qualifying by reducing the amount of energy you can recover, so that was one good step,” Komatsu told print media in Suzuka.

“But we already identified several areas. The small differences – that can improve some of the issues we saw in Melbourne and Shanghai, and then this is another example.

“So we are collectively learning so many things, but I'm sure if we put those, let's say, relatively even minor improvements, I think you can drastically improve the show as well as the safety.

“So again, sitting here, I don't know exactly what mechanism we should do for that particular incident, but for instance, things happen in Melbourne and Shanghai, at least in my eyes, there's a pretty clear solution we can take, and which is not big.”

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording

Pierre Gasly: "Too much negativity" around F1 2026 as driver skill still matters

Rodney Childers is amongst the first to clock in every morning at JR Motorsports and amongst the last to clock out several months into the next chapter of a no-doubt NASCAR Hall of Fame career.

That’s how you know this is working out for the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief now tasked with leading a No. 1 car split between Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. After spending most of last season on the outside looking in following his departure from Spire Motorsports, Childers wasn’t sure he would find this kind of passion and motivation again.  

“The biggest thing about being at JRM is the way it operates,” Childers told Motorsport.com on Friday. “I feel at home and I wake up every morning excited. I’m still about the first one there and the last one to leave and have a lot of ideas and thoughts about how to make things better.

“I don’t know what anyone else would say, but I do feel like I have made the whole place better, and that’s important to me. That’s what my main goal was, not to just make the No. 1 car run good, but to make the whole organization better with a lot of small details that some people don’t think matter.

“But to have five wins in a row, and to see the smiles on Dale and Kelley’s face every week, and everyone in the building, that’s really important to me.”

So Childers will be pleased to learn that others in that building indeed do feel as though the addition has been significant. For example, Justin Allgaier is leading the championship with three wins paired with Andrew Overstreet but was quick to praise the entire group, including the 40-time winner at the highest level.

“I think anytime you’re on the Cup side, and you understand the Cup process and details, I think there are a lot of things on the O’Reilly Series side that we don’t have access to,” Allgaier said. “Whether it’s details, personnel, data or manufacturer stuff, Rodney has seen it all and been ultra-successful at the highest level for a long time, you don’t see it a lot, that guy coming back down and bringing all that knowledge with him.

“It’s the same as when you see Cup drivers come down and race here. Yes, they are ultra-talented, no question, but they also can gather way more information and a lot higher sampling rate.”

He’s speaking from experience right now because he’s now that guy doubling his seat time and download bandwidth now that’s he driving the No. 48 for Hendrick Motorsports until Alex Bowman can return.  weekend that I'm running the Cub car here, just last few weeks, I'm doubling or tripling the amount of laps that I'm running on that race service every weekend, right?

“So, a guy like Rodney, who has done it all and seen it all, he brings a competitiveness and a willingness to say good enough is never good enough, right,” Allgaier added.

He said the same can be said Overstreet, Mardy Lindley and Phillip Bell too, that everyone in the building is pushing each other and that Childers has simply elevated the bar within the company ever so higher.  

“I’m super proud of that,” Allgaier said. “That’s what you’re looking for and as a company, when you have that, we better make the most of that opportunity. Andrew has done a good job of that.

“We’ve always had good people and good tools around us that we’re able to build from, and I do think Rodney has been great, but it’s just elevated the whole company and each of us are reaping the benefits of that.”

To wit, Kvapil is still seeking his first career victory but has been right there in the mix with Allgaier for wins and arguably should have outdueled the No. 7 at Phoenix but didn’t nail the last restart.

So on one hand, the pressure is mounting but there’s also confidence at the two-time CARS Tour champion could win on any given Saturday when he’s driving the No. 1.

“I think Rodney coming on board has been huge for me,” Kvapil said. “Not just in the aspect that the cars are fast but he’s just a good leader for the whole team. Everyone loves him. I don’t think I have met one person so far that dislikes Rodney Childers.

“When people feel that way about you, they give you 100 percent. If I make a mistake, I feel bad because what it makes Rodney feel, if that makes sense. He’s just a good leader and everyone on this 1 team, drivers, road crew, we all want to do our best for him.

“So our cars are really fast and we’re running in the top-5, but top-5s aren’t great days for us. We should be top-three.”

Childers says part of his role with Kvapil, especially as he nears his first win at this level, is not over-coaching him. The 49-year-old says he motivates through conviction and not heavy-handedness.

“The biggest thing to me, in talking to him over the winter, was that Carson was overthinking everything,” Childers said. “He had like information overload. I think they were throwing too much at him, telling him how to drive every lap.

“I told him I’m not going to tell him how to drive of SMT that isn’t always very good. He got here because he knows how to drive. It’s up to us to give him the car he wants to drive. I say it all the time, it goes back to what Kevin (Harvick) always said about how you can’t drive a slow car fast. He hasn’t had slow cars but it’s my job to make the car faster. We’re going to win because we gave him the fast car and it’s going to come together on the day he has that and everyone executes.”

Again, all told, Childers feels at home at JR Motorsports.

It’s not exactly home like Stewart-Haas Racing was or even last year in Late Model Stock Cars with Kevin Harvick Inc. but this new home has a little bit of everything he was doing before.

“It's different,” he said. “There are some weeks this feels like old Cup racing and there’s some weeks we feel like we’re ARCA Racing in the sense that it’s second fiddle and you feel like people aren’t paying as much attention. But there are weeks where it feels like Cup racing back in the day and that’s so much fun.

“I just have really enjoyed being around Carson and I love his personality and the way he grew up, the way he thinks, and he reminds me of me. He fits our team really well. We’ve ended up with a great race team … and we have speed. We’ve qualified on the front row three of the first six races or something like that.

“Everyone is doing a great job and hopefully we can get one here before long.”

Post-race inspection for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Rockingham is complete, and there were no issues with the race-winning No. 1 Tricon Toyota of Corey Heim.

However, fourth-place finisher Chandler Smith, who was leading the Truck Series championship standings, has been disqualified. In post-race inspection, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford failed to meet rear body inspection height requirements, which results in an automatic DQ.

Smith was set to leave Rockingham with 33 points and the championship lead, but will instead be credited with zero and a last-place finish (36th).

The inspection failure and resulting penalty drops him out of the points lead, and down to fourth in the standings. He is now 17 points back of the lead. Heim, while ineligible for the title due to the fact that he hasn't attempted every race (has missed two of five), is currently scored as the points leader after back-to-back race wins. He is tied with Tricon teammate Kaden Honeycutt atop the standings.

The updated results move Stewart Friesen up to fourth, and Grant Enfinger moves inside the top five. Tyler Ankrum will be sixth, Corey LaJoie seventh (matching Ram's best finish since returning to Trucks), Ty Majeski eighth, Jake Garcia ninth, and Cole Butcher moves up inside the top ten.

The last post-race inspection failure in the NCTS was for Stewart Friesen at IRP last July.

Corey Heim holds off teammate in dramatic 0.090s finish at Rockingham

NASCAR O'Reilly Rockingham starting lineup: Corey Day earns first career pole

Corey Heim absolutely dominated Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Rockingham, but he had to fight for it in the closing laps. 

Heim suddenly began to struggle with his No. 1 truck, wondering on the radio if he had a tire going down. As he navigated slower traffic, teammate Kaden Honeycutt ran him down, setting up an incredible battle for the win. They were side-by-side on the final lap, and Honeycutt even surged ahead before Heim drove deep into the final corner, just barely hanging onto the lead.

"I didn't feel like I was pushing any harder than the previous run, so I didn't feel like I did any more damage to the right front, but all of sudden with about four to go, I had to turn more right on the straightaway to keep it straight," said Heim, who now has 25 career NCTS wins. "It was clocked like 20 degrees to the right and it was chattering really bad in the corner. I was like 'oh boy, here we go, we're going to lose this one in the worst way possible.' But we hung in there. Just had to use a couple of lapped car picks to defend. Respect to Kaden for racing clean. I did what I had to do there at the end."

He won the first Triple Truck Challenge race at Darlington, netting a $50,000 bonus. Rockingham was the second, earning him an additional $100,000. If he wins the final Triple Truck Challenge race next weekend at Bristol, the prize money increases to $500,000 for sweeping all three races.

"Maybe I could have pinched Corey going off into Turn 3," said Honeycutt in a post-race media scrum that Motorsport.com was part of. "But at the same time, he was there, so I can only push myself so far before I crash myself, right? I think at the end of the day, that would have been a terrible look for us as an organization and I have a ton of respect for Corey. He's done a lot for this organization, so I just wanted to make sure either one of us won, whether it was me or him."

Behind Heim and Honeycutt, it was the Front Row Motorsports duo of Layne Riggs third and Chandler Smith fourth. However, Smith was later disqualified for failing post-race inspection. 

After the DQ, Stewart Friesen will finish fourth, Grant Enfinger fifth, Tyler Ankrum sixth, Corey Lajoie seventh, Ty Majeski eighth, Jake Garcia ninth, and Jake Garcia tenth.

Truck points leader Chandler Smith disqualified, stripped of fourth-place finish

Stage 1

Corey Heim leads the field, No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

Tanner Gray took the lead from pole-sitter Garcia at the very start, but it wasn't long until Heim passed them both. 

Andres Perez got into the wall early, damaging the right-rear of his truck and falling back through the pack.

Heim went on to win Stage 1 over Majeski, Honeycutt, Riggs, Tan. Gray, Butcher, Garcia, Eatman, Ruggiero, and Lewis.

Stage 2

Ruggiero was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road, and Hocevar entered a closed pit so the No. 77 Spire team could work on some issues with his truck.

Enfinger, who only took two fresh tires, actually moved into the lead on the restart with a helpful push from Majeski. It did not last long though, as Heim quickly regained control of the race.

Moments after the lead changed hands, the first natural caution of the race flew as Adam Andretti nosed his No. 5 truck into the inside wall on the backstretch.

Watch: Adam Andretti spins, wrecks down the backstretch early in Stage 2

On the ensuing restart, Brenden Queen -- who was the top-running Ram driver at the time -- smacked the wall and fell to the back of the pack.

Heim swept the stages, winning Stage 2 over Majeski, Honeycutt, Riggs, Enfinger, Tan. Gray, Friesen, Hemric, Butcher, and Garcia.

Stage 3

Corey Heim, No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota; Kaden Honeycutt, No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

Heim continued to dominate throughout the final stage, as Hocevar fell out of the race with mechanical issues.

With just over 50 laps to go, a round of green-flag pit stops began. However, Heim waited a bit longer. 

It was a smart decision to wait as Michael Christopher Jr. got sent sideways, triggering a caution that trapped several trucks that had already pit. 

Watch: Hemric involved in late-race incident at Rockingham

The green flag waved with 28 laps to go, and Heim once again drove away. However, it did not last, as he reported a possible tire issue in the final five laps. Honeycutt ran him down and almost got to his outside with three laps to go. Honeycutt caught a slower truck at a bad time, but quickly ran Heim back down.

At the white flag, Honeycutt got to Heim's outside and the two teammates were side-by-side for most of the lap. At the exit of Turn 2, the lapped track of Tanner Gray -- a teammate to both Honeycutt and Heim -- was directly in Honeycutt's path. He shoved him ahead, and nearly cleared Heim before reaching Turn 3.

However, Heim still had a fender there, so he drove it in deep and slid up in front of Honeycutt, who crossed the line glued to Heim's back bumper. Just 0.090s separated the two drivers, with Honeycutt still searching for his first career win.

NASCAR O'Reilly Rockingham starting lineup: Corey Day earns first career pole

What NASCAR O'Reilly Series field expects of Cleetus McFarland at Rockingam

Corey Lajoie stopped by one of his favorite coffee shops on the way to Rockingham Speedway on Friday morning.

Local Patriot Roasting Company

While there, and after placing his order, engaged in a conversation that kind of encapsulated the head space for the 34-year-old heading into this new opportunity in the Craftsman Truck Series with RAM and Kaulig Racing.

“We were just chopping it up while I’m waiting on my coffee,” Lajoie told Motorsport.com on Friday. “I’ve got this shirt on and he asks, 'do you work for a RAM dealership' and I’m like 'kind of' and then I tell him I work for RAM in NASCAR.

“He goes, 'man, you got a cool job,'and I’m like, 'yeah, it’s a pretty cool job,' and I haven’t always thought about it because there was always the next thing I needed to do, the next step in the rung of where I wanted to go, but I left there thinking this is my cool job for the foreseeable future.”

With the parting of ways between Kaulig, RAM and Daniel Dye, Lajoie got the call from team president Chris Rice and company and said it was 'a pretty quick yes,' but not for the reasons some might think.

“I miss working towards a goal,” Lajoie said. “I have this carbon fiber short track seat business that’s had some set-backs but it’s coming along but I like the stress and the constant battle within yourself.

“I like being part of a team and in the trenches, within the nitty gritty of packers and shims, and set-up philosophies. Where this RAM project is at right now, they need someone like that, right?”

Daniel Dye, #10 Kaulig Racing Ram

Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images

To wit, this Kaulig and RAM project is the ultimate NASCAR DIY program because it’s only four races old and doesn’t even have an operational simulation program yet. That's coming along through Pratt Miller but it’s going to take some time.

In the meanwhile, RAM and Kaulig needed someone driving that No. 10 truck that knows what direction this program is supposed to go and what it's supposed to feel like. After all, he’s been part of building a project out before at Spire. 

“If you look at my Racing Reference, there’s nothing sexy about it,” Lajoie said. “Why? Because I have chosen the hard way of getting in with teams that were in a deficit for six or seven years in my career, especially at Spire, starting with nothing.

“And we built that into a place where it became a respectable organization. We had great partners and it took a lot of wind out of my sails when I felt like that rug was ripped out from under me, right?

“Right when we got to the point where we were getting good people in the building and the cars were getting faster, they made a hard decision and I don’t have any ill-will towards those guys, but it just took the wind out of my sails.”

Lajoie said it took him about a year to figure out there was more to life than making it to Cup, succeeding in Cup, and eventually winning at the highest level. And when it seemed like that chapter ended, Lajoie didn’t entirely know what to do with himself.

The controversial '12 fans' comment

He made some mistakes, telling FOX Sports that he didn’t want to take a Truck Series ride, and ‘race in front of 12 fans.’ He was just not in the right head space to contemplate a life outside of the Cup Series.

“It was wrong,” he said. “I felt defensive. I felt all these things. I was still trying to keep a seat at the table. But with this deal being on Fridays, no sim yet, and the workload being pretty low, it was an easy yes.

“But once we get this stuff going, I’ll be going over to Pratt Miller more, and be at the shop more. But right now, it’s an easy place for me to want to be because I show up at meetings, shake hands, go to battle at the track, and it's 'see you next Friday.'

“Big picture, this is a good opportunity with a high ceiling when you consider the tools Kaulig Racing has and the people they have in the building. Then you consider the expectations that RAM has on and off the race track, I believe this has a higher ceiling that what we had at Spire.”

A pathway back to Cup?

It’s not lost on Lajoie that RAM parent company Stellantis is working towards a return to the Cup Series with the Dodge marque and this might be a chance for him to finish the story he was denied at Spire.

“Ultimately, I have to win, right,” Lajoie said. “That’s always the knock on Corey Lajoue. 'I have the same number of wins as Corey Lajoie.' That’s what they say. I see it. But again, I have chosen to take the long road without a destination and we were getting to a destination with Spire but never got to see it fully to fruition.

“Hopefully we can see something to fruition. I don’t know what that is yet. I sure would love to win. I sure would love to help.”

Lajoie says the difference between himself at Spire and himself now is that he wants to be a mentor to his teammates. He says he wants to see Brenden Queen and Mini Tyrrell succeed. He called a post-practice meeting at Rockingham just because he felt like it would be a productive thing to do.

“I’ve had a peek behind the curtains at Hendrick,” Lajoie said. “I had a peek behind the curtain at RFK. I feel like I have an idea of what those teams do that make them successful. I want to contribute here and hopefully we can see some progress happen over the course of the year.”

Specifically, Lajoie believes the RAM Kaulig program should regularly be racing for top-10s come the start of the Chase for the Championship. All told, he spoke with a sense of purpose on Friday that was a little different than the Corey Lajoie the industry would recognize.

Corey LaJoie

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Is there something to that?

“I don’t know,” Lajoie said. “I just think, with the chapter of life that I’m in, where I’m not trying at all costs to be a Cup Series winner or champion, and all the selfish pursuits I had behind the wheel ...

“Now, I just like the community. I like having this battalion of people that I go to the race track with. So this is a different approach, much less selfish, and just holding it loosely. If I’m not careful, I will live and die with this in a way that’s not healthy.”

He doesn’t want to get sucked into things that way but he does want to be part of the solution towards building the best Kaulig Racing and RAM Truck Series team possible.

“Granted, Rockingham is my favorite race track in the entire world, but I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to drive to the race track,” he said. “I mean, Daytona with RFK, I was optimistic, and content, but I didn’t want it to go bad and it went the worst way possible.”

He missed the Daytona 500.

“But today, it’s like, man, even if it goes bad, I am excited to be a damn race car driver today.”

Kaulig Racing has announced Carson Ferguson as the next driver of the team's No. 25 Ram 1500 'free agent' truck, with the accomplished dirt racer making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Bristol next weekend.

Ferguson was the runner-up in the 'Ram: Race for the Seat' competition, which decided the full-time driver of the team's No. 14 truck for the 2026 season. He lost out to Mini Tyrrell, but now they will be teammates next weekend at Bristol.

Kaulig has used a variety of drivers in its No. 25 truck this year, planning to have a rotating driver lineup throughout the year. So far, the truck has featured Tony Stewart, Colin Braun, Ty Dillon, and Corey LaJoie.

Kaulig is fielding five trucks as part of Ram's return to NASCAR, and the entire organization is still working on catching up to the competition. Kaulig has three top tens across the fleet with 2025 ARCA champion Brenden Queen earning the team's best result of seventh at Daytona. Braun finished ninth at St. Petersburg, and Justin Haley was tenth at Atlanta.

Ram: Race for The Seat winner revealed, earning Kaulig NASCAR Truck ride

Daniel Dye won't return to Kaulig Racing Ram team