In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, Dave Mathers talks about NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro, F1 Belgium, NASCAR Canada at Calabogie and more.
With NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro after a thirty-year absence, I know there is at least one person up in heaven who is smiling. That would be the late Grant “Buck” Britton, a man who used to go down to North Wilkesboro, set up his camper a week before every race weekend, and spend that week cutting the grass for his buddy Enoch Staley, the track owner. Buck could walk into any Cup garage and be instantly recognized by everyone.
Buck drove truck for CAN-USA (now part of APC), and he came to me a couple of months before our first Motion 200 in 1989. We had posters made up touting “The Match Race of the Decade,” featuring Junior Hanley versus Don Biederman (in my car because his wouldn’t meet the ACT rules). He asked for some posters. I figured 20 or 30. Nope, give me 500!!
He put them up in every rest stop along I-75 from Detroit to Atlanta. When race day arrived, we had many cars in the parking lot from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. I did the same thing for the subsequent Motion 200s as well. Good times.
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EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: THIS WEEKEND! … Canada’s national stock car series – the NASCAR Canada Series – is making its only Alberta stop at Edmonton International Raceway (EIR) in Wetaskiwin, AB on July 24-25, 2026.
Fans can expect two full days of racing action, including qualifying rounds, autograph sessions, and the main events NAPA 300 under the lights on Saturday night. That’s right, this year’s NASCAR Canada Series stop at EIR will feature two points races!
Visit EdmontonRaceway.com for tickets and event info, including news about the track’s weekly racing program and hands-on driving experiences.
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It seems everybody is dumping on IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell over the cancellation of the balance of their National Events this season. Sadly, it seems the real reason for the sudden change has not been officially announced just yet. According to speculation, Cuttell’s huge construction company built a bunch of buildings for an EXTREMELY rich person you’ve all heard about (almost daily). Rumour has it that person has yet to pay for the work, reported to be in the vicinity of $600 million. To date, Cuttell hasn’t disclosed the reason for his issues, probably thinking that to do so would decrease his chances of being paid anytime soon. Unfortunately, it sounds like the racers and fans are being caught in the crossfire.
As we approach the middle of the racing season, it is really great to see the parity in the OSCAAR Super Late Model standings after four races of seven. Glenn Styres leads both Brandon Passer and Glenn Watson by only two points, with T.J. Edwards three back and Trevor Monaghan only five back. Tight points race.
The BAD fast cars will be racing their next race at Delaware Speedway on Friday, August 21. You don’t want to miss them.
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CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK: CSBK SUPERBIKE DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND: Canada’s Home of Superbike Racing comes alive August 7–9. Watch Canada’s top riders battle on CTMP’s legendary Grand Prix circuit as national championships are decided in the final two rounds of the CSBK season. One legendary circuit. Canada’s best motorcycle racers. National championships on the line. The action continues off the track with free demo rides, great food and an up-close look inside the race-team paddock and movie night! Click HERE for tickets and event info.
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In a recent Autoweek article, Chase Elliott makes a really great point when he says that fans prefer a Saturday night race to a Sunday night race. I agree, and I also think that more races should be held at night, preferably on Saturdays, than during the day. Just my opinion.
Sad news from the local short track scene. Veteran Flamboro Speedway flagman Doug MacLean (right) passed away following a racing incident on Saturday night. The details surrounding his passing are unclear at this point, but we join the entire racing community in offering our condolences to MacLean’s family and friends, and everyone at Flamboro Speedway.
Bowman Gray Stadium, the track where NASCAR held its VERY cold Cook Out Clash earlier this year, has announced the Kyle Busch Invitational on Friday, August 21. The race will feature the Legends and Bandolero cars and will honour the life and legacy of the late, great Kyle Busch. It would be really cool if Kyle’s son Brexton, an up-and-coming star, could get a ride!
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LEAF RACEWEAR: Leaf Racewear supplies SFI-certified racing suits—custom and off-the-rack—along with pit crew shirts and motorsport safety gear. Trusted worldwide for over 40 years. Click HERE for additional product info and to connect with Leaf Racewear.
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NASCAR Cup Series
Atlanta winner Ryan Blaney (Ford) was awarded the pole for Sunday’s race at North Wilkesboro Speedway using the NASCAR Rule Book after qualifying was rained out. Ty Gibbs started second, with Christopher Bell third (both in Toyotas). There were 37 cars, including 17 Chevs, 11 Fords and nine Toyotas.
Things went smoothly until Lap 39 when Zane Smith got into John Hunter Nemechek, who spun. Ty Gibbs won Stage 1.
On Lap 104, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick got together, bringing out the yellow flag. On Lap 118, Josh Berry spun off the bumper of Christopher Bell and up into the wall. Caution.
Joey Logano won Stage 2.
The final stage went green all the way to the checkered flag, and Logano got the win over points leader Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
I’ll bet the oddsmakers are smiling after the race, as there were only three race cautions, with the final stage, the longest of the race, going caution-free. Very well done.
There were only six drivers on the lead lap at the checker.
In the points, Hamlin now leads Reddick by 68 and Blaney by 87.
Next Race: Indianapolis, Sunday at 2 p.m. on TSN 5.
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: Saturday, July 25 is ‘Kids Ride Night’ at Flamboro Speedway and will feature Flamboro Grisdale Showdown Series Race #4, a 50-lap main event for the Pro Late Models. Also on the card are the Can-AM TQ Midgets, Mini Stocks & Pure Stocks and Kids Bike Races. Fan gates open at 5:00 p.m. with Kids Rides at 5:30 and racing at 6:30 p.m. Click HERE for event info.
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NASCAR O’Reilly Series
Next Race: Indianapolis, Saturday at 4 p.m. on USA and CW.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks
The trucks made a stop at the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway last Saturday, and points leader Layne Riggs (Ford) won the pole over Carson Hocevar (Chev) and Christopher Bell (Toyota). Canadians Stewart Friesen (Toyota) and Cole Butcher (Ford) qualified 10th and 11th.
There were 36 trucks, including 15 Chevs, nine Fords, seven Toyotas and five Rams.
Fifteen laps into the race, Donovan Strauss got loose, got tapped, spun and kept going for the first yellow. Riggs won Stage 1.
On Lap 120, Luke Baldwin spun into the outside wall after a little help from SVG for the second race caution. Ty Majeski won Stage 2.
At the flag, it was Chandler Smith over Riggs and Shane Van Gisbergen.
In the points, Riggs leads Kaden Honeycutt by 59 and Smith by 126. Friesen sits 10th, with Butcher 20th.
Next Race: IRP, Friday at 8 p.m., tape-delayed on CTV Speed to Saturday night at 8 p.m.
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CANADIAN MOTORSPORT HALL OF FAME: Nominations for the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame ‘Class of 2026’ are being accepted until the end of day on July 31. If you think someone should be inducted, you should do a little bit of research, head to the CMHF.ca website, and submit a nomination on their behalf. If a person isn’t nominated, they’ll never be inducted.
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NASCAR Canada Series
Qualifying was cancelled due to lightning in the area for the NAPA 150 at Calabogie (I love saying that name!!) Motorsports Park, and as a result the starting lineup was determined by the NASCAR Rule Book. (We have heard those very words too many times this year from too many series.)
Marc-Antoine Camirand started from the pole, followed by Alex Tagliani and Kevin Lacroix. Twenty-eight cars qualified for the event.
We also noticed a name from the past on the list: Jeff Lapcevich, a good road racer in years past, driving the Glenn Styres Racing No. 0.
I laughed when I clicked on Race Center to follow along with the live broadcast on REV TV. It was showing Lap 1 of 300 for the Pinty’s 300 at Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Huh?
The initial green flag was delayed when the Dave Coursol car rolled to a stop on the track.
The yellow came out on Lap 3 when Geoff Johnson slid off track and into the tire wall. He was able to back out and continue. Yellow flag.
The yellow came back out on Lap 8 when Domenic Scrivo got into the tires and damaged both ends of his car.
The caution flew again on Lap 19 when Ron Tomlinson, Simon Charbonneau and Mathieu Kingsbury all got together. Lots of damage. Red flag for a lot of oil on the track.
At the halfway mark, it was Tagliani over Lacroix and Camirand.
The yellow came back out on Lap 28 when Dexter Stacey stopped in Turn 8.
At the flag, it was Tagliani over Alex Guenette and Andrew Ranger.
In the points, Camirand leads Ranger by 50, LP Dumoulin by 52, Lacroix by 54 and DJ Kennington by 61.
Next Race: Edmonton, Saturday at 9 p.m. on REV TV.
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TORONTO MOTORAMA SHOW: The next Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 12, 13 & 14, 2027 at Toronto’s International Centre. Vehicle applications are now being accepted at the show’s website. Motorama is Canada’s largest indoor auto-enthusiast and motorsports show and continues a tradition that goes back more than half a century at the same venue on the same weekend! Throughout the year, MotoramaShow.com is loaded with show coverage, galleries and industry news. We’ll see you next March at Motorama!___________________________________________________________________
Formula One
The series dropped into one of the most beautiful circuits of all on the weekend. Spa-Francorchamps, which seems to be constantly on the chopping block from the schedule, is a great track with lots of elevation changes and a really neat Turn 1.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) topped the charts in FP1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was fastest in FP2 and FP3, and he nabbed the pole for Sunday’s race ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren) and Verstappen. Unfortunately, Norris was dropped 10 spots on the grid due to having a new power unit installed.
Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) started 21st, just ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen grabbed the lead around Antonelli almost immediately. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton got together on the first lap, with Russell dropping out of the race. His bad luck continues.
Safety Car!!
The Virtual Safety Car came out briefly on Lap 18. No reason was given. The Virtual Safety Car came out again on Lap 20, but again no reason was given by the announcing team. What’s up with that?
At the halfway point, it was Norris, up from his 13th starting spot, over Charles Leclerc and Antonelli.
At the flag, it was Antonelli over Leclerc and Verstappen. Stroll finished 20th.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Antonelli leads Hamilton by 45 and Russell by 50.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads Ferrari by 73 and McLaren by 163.
Next Race: Hungary, Sunday at 9 a.m. on TSN 1 & 5.
IndyCar
Qualifying was quite dramatic at Nashville Speedway on Saturday, and Kyle Kirkwood finally won the pole over Josef Newgarden, still on crutches, and Scott McLaughlin.
David Malukas had a major wreck when he backed it into the outside wall exiting Turn 2 during the first practice session. His in-car camera showed his knee hitting the disconnect safety release for the steering wheel. He was taken to a local hospital for further testing. The good news is that he did start the race.
And yet another sloppy start for the series! They waved off the first attempt but allowed the second one, which was worse than the first.
The yellow came out when Caio Collet got loose in Turn 4, hit the wall and came to a stop on the track. Meanwhile, the injured Malukas had moved from dead last up to second. On Lap 33, Malukas took the lead.
At the halfway mark, it was Malukas over Scott McLaughlin and Kirkwood.
On Lap 127, Alex Rossi slowed dramatically and got centre-punched by Scott Dixon for the second caution flag of the race.
The yellow came back out on Lap 181 when Dennis Hauger spun entering pit road.
At the flag, it was Alex Palou over Newgarden and Malukas.
Next Race: Portland, Sunday, August 9.
IMSA
Next Race: Road America, Sunday, August 2.
NHRA
The Western Swing started off in Sonoma, California, on the weekend.
Top Fuel – Shawn Langdon won the Top Fuel Challenge, running a tire-smoking 4.491 at 227.50 mph to beat Clay Millican. Doug Kalitta topped the 14 entries with a 3.714 at 337.07. Doug went on to defeat Jasmine Salinas in the final, putting down a 3.731 at 339.96.
Funny Car – Ron Capps took out Jack Beckman in the Funny Car Challenge with a similar tire-smoking 4.429 at 225.03. Jordan Vandergriff, the John Force Racing rookie driver, was quickest of the 18 entries with a 3.849 at 332.43. Jordan beat Dan Wilkerson in the final with a 3.900 at 330.72. Five upsets and five smokers.
Pro Stock – Dallas Glenn won the Pro Stock Challenge with a 6.526 at 210.14 to beat Aaron Stanfield. Chris Vang (who?) led the 18 entries with a 6.498 at 209.04. Greg Stanfield took out Erica Enders in the final, running a 6.551 at 211.30. Eight upsets and two smokers.
Pro Bike Callout – Gaige Herrera won the Callout over Richard Gadson with a 6.689 at 202.15.
Next Race: Pacific Raceways, Sunday at 4 p.m. on Fox Sports Racing.
IHRA
Next Race: Undetermined at this time.
APC Series
Next Race: Sauble Speedway, Saturday, August 1.
Ontario Sportsman Series
Next Race: Full Throttle Motor Speedway, Saturday.
Despite threatening weather, Peterborough Speedway completed its full Tirecraft-sponsored program Saturday, July 18. John Lavalle won the SwitchTire Mini Stock feature, while Coltin Everingham led every lap of the caution-free Super Stock main event.
The 2026 Bill Pickford Memorial belonged to Chad Strawn, who swept both SportsMod feature segments to claim the overall title for the second straight season, with John Baker Jr. finishing second in each race.
The Trailers Plus Ontario Legend Car Series saw feature wins by Adam Cuthbertson and Parker Traves, while Josh Davenport swept both KOD Disposal Ontario Bandolero semi-features.
Next Race: Racing continues July 25 with OSCAAR Modifieds and Hot Rods joining the weekly divisions.
Delaware Speedway
Fans were treated to not one but two 35-lap Late Model features, as well as a V/8 Stock feature. And the best part, you ask? Both Late Model races went caution-free, green to checker!
The first Late Model race was from a rainout in June and was won by Jesse Kennedy over Marshall Schrenk and Chad Corcoran.
Time of the race: 11:33.
Corcoran won Heat 1 while Brady Smith won Heat 2.
The second 35-lapper was won by Schrenk over Carson Nagy and Kennedy.
Time of the race: 11:15!!
Kennedy leads the season points by 14 over Nagy and by 16 over Schrenk.
In the V/8 Stocks, David Rockwood took Heat 1 while veteran Doug Stewart won Heat 2.
Rockwood won the feature, his first win in six years, followed by Barry Watson and Stewart.
The feature was a bit of a wreck-em race, as there were six yellow flags and one red flag, and only eight cars were running at the finish.
Watson leads the points by six over Jordan Morris and by 11 over Nic Ramsay.
Next Race: Dave Lawrence Memorial, Super Stocks, Late Models and V/8 Stocks, Friday.
Upcoming Events:
Flamboro Speedway – Next Race – Pro Late Models, TQs, Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks, Saturday. Click HERE for event info.
Brockville Ontario Speedway – Next Race – This Saturday night (July 25), Culligan presents Action Sprint Tour, Full Show + Street Stocks & 20 Lap 4 cyl Enduro Race at the Brockville Ontario Speedway ‘Bullring’.
Peterborough Speedway – Next Race – The final night of action for the month takes place Saturday, July 25 with the OSCAAR Modifieds and Hot Rods joining the home track Bone Stock, Renegade Truck and Late Model divisions Saturday, July 25. Timed King of the Hill spectator laps will be the intermission attraction. Grandstand gates open at 5:00, with racing at 6:00.Your source for the latest track news and schedule information is available anytime at www.peterboroughspeedway.com or from the venue’s social media pages and platforms.
Edmonton International Raceway – Next Race – The NASCAR Canada Series makes its lone western Canada appearance of the season on Saturday, July 25. Click HERE for tickets and info.
Ohsweken Speedway – Next Race – Gale’s Cash Blast, Friday, July 31.
Buxton Speedway – Next Race – Bike Give Away Nite, GLL, Mods, TS, MM, MS, Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway – Next Race – OSS, Terry Pardy Memorial Street Stocks, Saturday.
Grand Bend Speedway – Next Race – Jared Doxtator Memorial, Late Models, Saturday.
Grand Bend Dragway – Next Race – Canadian Nationals, August 1-3.
St. Thomas Dragway – Next Race – Points Series, this weekend.
Toronto Motorsports Park – Next Race – Xtremesports Autofest, Saturday.
Can Am Stock/Super Stock – Next Race – August 1 & 2, St. Thomas.
John Scotti NHRA Canadian Championship Series – Next Race – Miramichi, this weekend.
Shannonville Drags – Next Race – August 15-17.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
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CASC-OR: The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region sanctions the RaceOntario Championships, a series of race events run from April through October at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsports Park, and Calabogie Motorsport Park. CASC-OR is a group of nearly thirty motorsport enthusiast clubs with two thousand members within Ontario. The organization sets rules and regulations for four divisions, Road Racing, Time Attack, Autoslalom and Ice Racing, and administers & promotes provincial championships in each. For more info, visit the CASC-OR website HERE.
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