Brackets are all the rage in March, and The Daily Downforce is jumping on the bandwagon. Throughout the final days of March, we hosted a paint scheme tournament based on fan voting on X (Formerly Twitter). Take a look at the final results here!
Jeff Gordon’s flamed DuPont scheme carried him to his fourth Championship in 2001 and multiple winning seasons after. This scheme bested Sterling Marlin’s iconic “Silver Bullet” in round one before beating Kyle Busch’s M&M’s scheme in the Semifinals. The scheme then bested two 7-time Champions by beating Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt to take home the crown!
Mark Martin Valvoline (89.6%) Beats Joey Logano Pennzoil (10.4%)
Dale Earnhardt Goodwrench (77.5%) Beats Darrell Waltrip Mtn. Dew (22.5%)
Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s (76.4%) Beats Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com (23.4%)
Matt Kenseth DeWalt (73.1%) Beats Denny Hamlin FedEx (26.9%)
Richard Petty STP (65.5%) Beats Bobby Labonte Interstate Batteries (34.5%)
Brad Keselowski “Blue Deuce” (58.6%) Beats Bill Elliott Coors (41.4%)
Kyle Busch M&Ms (60.4%) Beats Darrell Waltrip Tide (39.6%)
Jeff Gordon DuPont Flames (73.1%) Beats Sterling Marlin “Silver Bullet” (26.9%)
Each of these matchups was determined based on the results of round one. These are the final results
Dale Earnhardt Goodwrench (68.9%) Beats Mark Martin Valvoline (31.1%)
Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s (61.4%) Beats Matt Kenseth DeWalt (38.6%)
Richard Petty STP (68.9%) Beats Brad Keselowski “Blue Deuce” (31.1%)
Jeff Gordon DuPont (67.8%) Beats Kyle Busch M&Ms (32.2%)
Each of these matchups was determined based on the results of the quarterfinals. These are the final results.
Dale Earnhardt Goodwrench (70.4%) Beats Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s (29.6%)
Jeff Gordon DuPont (60%) Beats Richard Petty STP (40%)
This matchup was determined based on the results of the semifinals. These are the final results.
Jeff Gordon DuPont (52.8%) Beats Dale Earnhardt Goodwrench (47.2%)
Thank you to everyone for voting in our paint scheme bracket tournament!
Nitro Motorsports has filed a lawsuit against ARCA Menards Series driver Leland Honeyman Jr., alleging a contract dispute over which car number he is bound to drive in the 2026 ARCA season.
Last season, Honeyman drove the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports in three ARCA races at Bristol, Salem, and Kansas, finishing inside the top five each time. But in April, the team had already announced it would shut down operations, and the ownership would shift to Nitro Motorsports beginning October 1.
And when that shift happened, Honeyman was named a full-time driver for Nitro Motorsports in late October 2025 and was scheduled to drive the same No. 20 entry in 2026. But then, in January, the team cut that role to part-time, assigning him to the No. 15 for eight races.
The team stated that Honeyman’s schedule cut was due to missed sponsorship payments. The lawsuit claimed that Honeyman had acknowledged missing the payment and agreed to be shifted to part-time status.
The team argued that the change forced a move from the No. 20 to the No. 15, which Honeyman accepted, initially even expressing enthusiasm about working with crew chief Danny Johnson. However, the team later named Jake Bollman as the full-time driver of the No. 20.
After the part-time plan surfaced, representatives from Honeyman’s camp contacted Nitro, claiming he was not told about the car number change and raising concerns about equipment, crew chief alignment, and spotter support.
In another letter through legal counsel, Honeyman argued that Venturini Motorsports had obligations to provide a crew chief and spotter acceptable to both sides and to make good-faith efforts to contend for wins in each race, which the team allegedly failed to do. The letter contends that those failures constituted breaches that released Honeyman from further obligations.
Nitro countered in its filing that Honeyman had no authority to dictate which car he would drive, particularly after agreeing to the No. 15 with Johnson atop the pit box. The team also claimed it has met its contractual obligations and disputes any suggestion to the contrary.
The lawsuit seeks a judgment affirming that Honeyman’s contract was properly transferred and accepted, that the agreement does not grant him control over the car number, and that neither Venturini nor Nitro breached the deal by assigning a new number. Nitro argues Honeyman remains bound by the contract.
For now, the dispute leaves Honeyman’s 2026 ARCA plans up in the air as the case plays out.
For the first time ever, NASCAR joins the historic race weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tomorrow is the IndyCar season opener. But first, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series take to the streets. Here’s what to keep an eye on in today’s race.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
In this post, we’re breaking down the top 10 all-time lap leaders at Circuit of the Americas, along with key stats, besides reviewing the top 15 active drivers with the most laps led at the track. And that’s not all; we’re also examining some of COTA’s historic track records and the names still holding them, so stick around until the end to check them out
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 1 | 2 | 6.2 | 9.2 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 1 | 2 | 4.6 | 2.2 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 1 | 0 | 5.6 | 12.6 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 163 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 9.0 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 323 | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | 10.8 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 | 17.0 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 361 | 0 | 0 | 16.4 | 12.6 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 308 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 | 9.2 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 344 | 0 | 0 | 16.2 | 22.6 |
Let us know your thoughts on this list. Are there any drivers that surprise you? What track record do you think is never being broken? Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
