One of NASCAR’s biggest weekends on the calendar is here! It’s Brickyard 400 weekend, and we’re kicking things off in style. Tonight, Friday, July 25, 2025, we’re getting a double-header from the bullring just outside of Indianapolis. The ARCA Menards and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series take to the Lucus Oil Raceway Park (formerly the Indianapolis Raceway Park) for some beating and banging short track racing!
First up was this afternoon’s ARCA race. There were a couple of things to look for heading into this race. For starters, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen came into the race with the points lead. He held a 26-point advantage over Lawless Alan ahead of this afternoon’s event. While he didn’t feel comfortable with that lead, he knew that wins were the answer. He had 4 this year before this race. Queen was looking to add to his win total today from the pole.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s top prospect, Brent Crews, was back in the JGR No. 18. He was one of the few drivers who would have anything for Queen in this race. So, what went down? Let’s talk about it. Here’s Everything that Happened in the ARCA Menards Series race at IRP.
The likes of Queen and Crews dominated the opening laps of this race. While they were able to extend a sizeable lead over third place Lawless Alan, Queen and Crews remained nose to tail with one another for the first half of this race. Queen led at the halftime break. The top 10 running order at the time of halftime was as follows.
To restart the second half of the race, Brent Crews overtook Branden Queen for the lead for the first time of the evening. Meanwhile, Queen got mired back in lap traffic. Looking at the win slipping away, Queen got exactly what he needed with around 50 to go when the caution came out. This meant that he would have at least one more shot at recapturing the lead.
On the restart, the outside line of Brent Crews and Lawless Alan got the jump. This dropped Queen down to third and into the clutches of Isabella Robusto. As Alan and Queen battled, Crews set sail. The No. 18 JBL Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing extended his lead to over one second. As the ran, it was clear that the No. 28 of Queen was starting to struggle. In dirty air, the handling of his car went away. Initially, he fell down to 5th. Then, with 10 to go, he took 4th back away from his teammate, Connor Mosack.
Crews continued to stretch his lead to three seconds over Alan. The second half of this race ended up being a no-contest. Brent Crews collected his 4th career ARCA Menards Series race. It was his second win of the year after Phoenix this spring.
That does it for the 150 laps of the ARCA race at IRP! What did you think of the race, Daily Downforce readers? Let us know what you think! And stay tuned! UP NEXT: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at IRP!
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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