Weekly NASCAR Preview: Road Course Racing

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Iowa Speedway Race Weekend News

August 8, 2025

As the latest beleaguered driver to become a byproduct in Carson Hocevar’s forceful bid for stardom, Zane Smith has a unique perspective of a sizzling star on the rise. Nearly two years ago, it was Smith – not Hocevar – who was the young driver being handed the keys to a Cup Series ride at Spire Motorsports and anointed as a NASCAR prodigy. The circumstances were different – Smith was farmed out to Spire after signing a new contact with Trackhouse Racing, which had yet to expand to three Cup cars. But in a Sept. 16, 2023 news conference at Bristol Motor Speedway, Smith was hailed as the can’t-miss prospect with a blindingly bright future. “There was a short list of names, and Zane was at the top of that list the whole time,” Trackhouse founder Justin Marks said. “Huge fan of him, what he’s accomplished, his talent and his grind.” Only 11 months later, Trackhouse announced a split with Smith after the nine-time winner and 2022 champion in the Craftsman Truck Series struggled mightily during his first full year in Cup. Hocevar, who also was promoted to Cup after four Truck victories, provided an inconvenient and telling benchmark...

COUNTDOWN TO Go Bowling at The Glen Watkins Glen International CATCH THE RACE ON August 10, 2025 2:00 PM ET BUY TICKETS MORE INFO August 09, 2025 | 3:00 PM ET Mission 200 at The Glen Watkins Glen International BUY TICKETS August 15, 2025 | 7:30 PM ET eero 250 Richmond Raceway BUY TICKETS August 16, 2025 | 7:30 PM ET Cook Out 400 Richmond Raceway BUY TICKETS August 22, 2025 | 7:30 PM ET Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola Daytona International Speedway BUY TICKETS VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

CURRENT LEADER William Byron Hendrick Motorsports POINTS 770 PLAYOFF POINTS 17 2 Chase Elliott POINTS 752 PLAYOFF POINTS 6 3 Kyle Larson POINTS 725 PLAYOFF POINTS 23 4 Denny Hamlin POINTS 719 PLAYOFF POINTS 24 5 Christopher Bell POINTS 684 PLAYOFF POINTS 17 FULL STANDINGS

	Fantasy Fastlane: Who can stop Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen? View the latest fantasy lineup, 36 for 36 advice to consider ahead of this weekend's Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (2 p.m. ET, USA).

	Field of 16: Last chance for McDowell, Allmendinger to burst playoff bubble Watkins Glen could be the last chance for road-course acres like McDowell and Allmendinger to secure a spot in the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs.

	Breaking down heated Iowa pit-road exchange between Bowman, Busch Steve Letarte dives into the pit-road stack-up that left Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman unhappy at Iowa Speedway.

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