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Articles by Ken Willis
NASCAR just landed new manufacturer for 2027 Daytona 500 and beyond
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal Nov. 3, 2026, 10:44 a.m. ET Dodge is returning to the NASCAR Cup Series next season after a 14-year absence. The manufacturer is fast-tracking its return, going from announcement to the Daytona 500 in just three months. Kaulig Racing will switch from Chevrolet to Dodge, becoming its partner team. Historically short runway? Who cares, land the plane.
NASCAR just landed new manufacturer for 2027 Daytona 500 and beyond
That’s the philosophy for Dodge, which will return to NASCAR’s Cup Series next season, ending a 14-year absence from America’s top stock-car circuit. Yes, these things are normally announced more than a year ahead of a return, given all it takes to put together a full-time racing effort. But Dodge and parent company Stellantis are going from official announcement to the Daytona starting grid in just three months.
NASCAR qualifying sets Chase lineup for Sunday Xfinity 500 at Martinsville
Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs were fastest in Saturday qualifying and will start up front for Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Kyle Larson will start third. Hamlin averaged 98.492 mph around the half-miler. Just 8-tenths of a second separated Hamlin's fastest time (19.2 seconds) from the slowest of 36 qualifiers.
NASCAR betting odds for Martinsville race: Kyle Larson or Denny Hamlin?
Show Caption Hide Caption NASCAR podcast: Kyle Larson likes title chances after Talladega race Kyle Larson took a big step toward clinching the NASCAR Cup Series title with a win at Talladega. But as the Chase visits Martinsville, it isn't over. Denny Hamlin is the betting favorite for the upcoming Martinsville race, partly due to his past performance and current need for a win. Kyle Larson is not the favorite, despite the possibility he could mathematically clinch the Cup Series championship.
NASCAR betting odds for Phoenix race do look a little odd
Show Caption Hide Caption NASCAR podcast: Chase Briscoe wins, Kyle Larson extends standings lead Chase Briscoe earned his second straight win, this time in a photo finish at Charlotte. Kyle Larson also extended his lead in the Chase standings. Ryan Blaney is favored to win at Phoenix Raceway, having won the last two races there. Despite recent strong performances, Kyle Larson is surprisingly ranked fifth in betting odds.
NASCAR Chase has a Chase factor; did Kyle Larson steal Jimmie Johnson's secret sauce?
Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell put on a great final-lap show at Charlotte. Kyle Larson might have a secret recipe dating back to Jimmie Johnson. Almost, but not quite. It’s been nearly a quarter-century (yikes!), and while we still haven’t matched the 2003 Darlington finish, we came damn close Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Ageless Bernhard Langer shoots 66, though he won't defend PGA Tour Champions title
PALM COAST — Bernard Langer came in with the odd chore of defending a championship 18 years after the fact. Turns out, the winner of the 2008 event at the Hammock Beach Ocean Course won’t repeat Sunday at the Furyk & Friends. But just when you wonder if the years and miles have definitely caught up with him, he rebounds like he did Saturday.
After shining at Furyk & Friends, Paul Goydos cracks funny line to media
PALM COAST, FL — Ask Paul Goydos why he's been cashing bigger checks lately, you'll get a classic Paul Goydos answer. “I'm too inconsistent to be bad all the time,” he said after a Friday 64. That 8-under-par round has Goydos just one shot behind leader Ryan Armour after the opening round of the Furyk & Friends on the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach.
In a sweet spot, PGA Tour Champions returns to Hammock Beach with Furyk & Friends
The PGA Tour Champions seems to have found its sweet spot in terms of the calendar, number of events, strengths of fields and corporate benefactors ("partners" is the C-suite term, of course). The Friday-to-Sunday Furyk & Friends tournament in Palm Coast will be the 24th of 28 tournaments on the official 2026 schedule.
In a sweet spot, PGA Tour Champions returns to Hammock Beach with Furyk & Friends
The PGA Tour Champions played at the Hammock Beach Ocean Course in 2007-08, and now the over-50 league is back for the Furyk & Friends tournament. The PGA Tour Champions seems to have found its sweet spot in terms of the calendar, number of events, strengths of fields and corporate benefactors (“partners” is the C-suite term, of course). The Friday-to-Sunday Furyk & Friends tournament in Palm Coast will be the 24th of 28 tournaments on the official 2026 schedule.
Furyk & Friends tournament field sees moves ahead of PGA Tour Champions play
1 / 12 The entry list for this week's Furyk & Friends tournament in Palm Coast continues to take shape. The 54-hole PGA Tour Champions event begins Friday on the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort. Late scratches from the field of 78 golfers: Jay Haas, Cameron Percy and Paul Stankowski. The subsequent entries from the alternate sheet: Robert Karlsson, Heath Slocum and Rod Pampling.
Furyk & Friends tournament field sees moves ahead of PGA Tour Champions play
The entry list for this week's Furyk & Friends tournament in Palm Coast continues to take shape. The 54-hole PGA Tour Champions event begins Friday on the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort. Late scratches from the field of 78 golfers: Jay Haas, Cameron Percy and Paul Stankowski. The subsequent entries from the alternate sheet: Robert Karlsson, Heath Slocum and Rod Pampling.
NASCAR betting odds for Bristol: You've been waiting for this chance
Kyle Larson is the betting favorite for the upcoming NASCAR race at Bristol. • Larson has a strong track record at Bristol, frequently leading laps and avoiding trouble. It's been a while, I know, so the desire and/or anxiety had built up to a fever pitch. But all it took was one solid Sunday that turned grand, even if due to strategic maneuvering instead of flat-out dominance.
NASCAR Top 10 driver rankings: Denny Hamlin sees a new guy in his mirror after Darlington
Denny Hamlin remains a top contender despite a recent winless streak and some bad luck at Darlington. Christopher Bell has emerged as a late-season threat after finding his way back to Victory Lane. Remember back in early spring when we were ready to carve Tyler Reddick's name in stone atop our little weekly ranking here? Yeah, me too. How about midsummer, after we jettisoned Tyler's nameplate and considered breaking out the chisel for that red-hot Denny Hamlin?
NASCAR Top 10 driver rankings change after Daytona and before Chase, Darlington?
Though the goal is to hold your attention for as long as possible (you still here?), there are occasions for exceptions. Go ahead and glance down at the Top 10 below. Then hurry back. OK, you're back. Most of you, anyway. You might have noticed a whiff of familiarity with that list.
NASCAR Chase field officially set after Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal Aug. 29, 2026, 10:33 p.m. ET The first regular season of NASCAR's newest "way of doing things" officially ended with the checkered flag for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The postseason, now known as the Chase, still begins at Darlington with the Labor Day weekend Southern 500. But starting this year, the championship-chasing field is made up of the top 16 drivers in the final regular-season point standings.
NASCAR Chase field officially set after Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
The first regular season of NASCAR's newest "way of doing things" officially ended with the checkered flag for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The postseason, now known as the Chase, still begins at Darlington with the Labor Day weekend Southern 500. But starting this year, the championship-chasing field is made up of the top 16 drivers in the final regular-season point standings.
NASCAR stars are showing up at Daytona grocery stores, auto shops and pool parties
NASCAR "driver appearances" were once so common, you couldn't avoid them on any milk-and-bread run, not to mention a swing by the local auto parts store. Well, this week in Daytona, you can meet two former champions as well as the two best NASCAR racers to win everything BUT a championship. Along the way, you can meet a driver at a pool party.
Corey Heim returns this week at Daytona. Can new NASCAR star win again?
You talk to enough people, and you reflexively buckle up, or at least widen your stance, when you hear this opener … You generally whip out the mental salt shaker in order to help digest what comes next. But sometimes you get fooled, which is a reminder Corey Heim delivered this past week by phone from his North Carolina home. Heim is heading our way shortly for NASCAR’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend at Daytona.
NASCAR to Daytona with Denny Hamlin clinched and Ryan Preece's potty mouth in play
If only Ryan Preece could keep his yap shut, he'd have less heavy lifting this coming weekend and would be less reliant on luck. We'll get to that shortly. First of all, let's talk Daytona because up next is the wordy summertime staple — the Coke Zero Sugar 400, which will close out the regular season, as it has (nearly) every year since 2020.
Daytona's other NASCAR race sees another change, and this one is more subtle
The race's format has changed significantly since its 1959 debut, including its length, name, and date. • Originally a Fourth of July daytime event called the Firecracker 250, it later became a 400-mile race held at night. • In 2020, the race was moved to late August to serve as the final event of the regular season. You can’t quite hear it yet, but it’s a-comin’.
NASCAR starting lineup for New Hampshire race set by qualifying results
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal Updated Aug. 22, 2026, 12:52 p.m. ET Tyler Reddick and Josh Berry are on the front row for Sunday at the 1-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Reddick, in need of a positive during a summer slump, averaged 131.094 mph around the flat track. Berry, coming off three good weeks in the midst of a bad season, averaged 131.026. Reddick is in a Toyota and Berry a Ford.
NASCAR race time, TV channel and streaming for Cup and Trucks at Richmond
Doesn't seem possible. I had to go back over the list twice just to confirm and reconfirm. Hold on, let's reconfirm that reconfirmation. Wow. By golly, it's true. We're 23 races into the 2026 NASCAR big-league season, and this weekend at Richmond brings the first Saturday night Cup Series race of the year. Fittingly, it's one of the traditional Saturday nighters — the Cook Out 400 at Richmond.
NASCAR TV schedule on a week with no NASCAR racing. You heard me!
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal July 31, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET Generally, when NASCAR's big-league Cup Series enjoys a rare off-week, the "other guys" take advantage of the chance to gather some hungry-for-racing eyeballs. But this week, the O'Reilly and Truck Series join the Cuppers for a week free from horsepower, pit stops and pit-box strategy. Even ARCA, a NASCAR property for a decade and always eager to get some attention, has shut it down this week. So has F1 and IndyCar. Weird but true.
Morgan Wallen, Eric Church join Corey Heim in NASCAR Victory Lane at Indy ... in a way
Heim's victory at the Brickyard 400 was Field & Stream's first as a primary sponsor. • Field & Stream joins other outdoor brands like Bass Pro and Cabelas in NASCAR sponsorship. Lost in all the Corey Heim hoopla is the fact we owe a big fat congrats to another pair of fresh faces in the NASCAR winner’s circle: Morgan Wallen and Eric Church, who now find themselves teammates with Corey Heim, Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
NASCAR TV schedule for Chicagoland race: Time, channel and stream
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal July 3, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET NASCAR returns to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for the first time since 2019. The main Cup Series race, the eero 400, is scheduled for Sunday evening. Like the past few years on a certain race weekend, you'll get plenty of views of the Chicago skyline. But it'll be off in the distance. For the first time since 2019, NASCAR races at Chicagoland Speedway, 50-some miles southwest of the big city, in Joliet.
NASCAR Top 10 driver rankings has a Brooks Robinson sighting!
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal June 17, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is currently on a dominant racing streak. Tyler Reddick, a strong road-course racer, could threaten Hamlin's top spot. A half-century ago, the Baltimore Orioles had a third baseman named Brooks Robinson, who was clearly a cut above all other third basemen with the glove.
NASCAR qualifying results set starting lineup for Pocono race
Updated June 13, 2026, 3:08 p.m. ET Guess who. Denny Hamlin, winner of back-to-back races, will start in pole position for the third straight week on June 14 after laying down the fastest qualifying lap at Pocono Raceway. Oh, by the way, he's the Cup Series' all-time leader in victories here. He was the heavy favorite even before qualifying. Sunday's Great American Getaway 400, the fourth of five straight on Amazon Prime, will be the 16th race on NASCAR's 2026 schedule.
Tiger Woods in Palm Coast Champions Tour event? Here's the contingency plan
The Constellation Furyk & Friends PGA Tour Champions event is preparing for its first tournament in Palm Coast this fall. Organizers have a contingency plan in place should Tiger Woods, who is now age-eligible, decide to compete. Daily tickets are available, with a Friday ticket including a concert by country singer Billy Currington. There are about four months left until the first tee times.
Tiger Woods in Palm Coast Champions Tour event? Here's the contingency plan
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal Updated June 11, 2026, 12:17 p.m. ET There are about four months left until the first tee times. They recently announced ticket pricing, how to get them, and everything that’s included for the paying customer. So, you might assume about a professional golf tournament, it’s time to get to work. But coordinating events like the Constellation Furyk & Friends, the PGA Tour Champions event coming to Palm Coast and Hammock Beach this fall, is a year-round chore.
Greg Biffle remembered by one of his old Washington tracks with Saturday race
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal June 5, 2026, 11:56 a.m. ET A race in Washington State is being held to honor late NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Biffle, who died in a plane crash, began his racing career in the Pacific Northwest. As far away as you can get from the literal and spiritual home of stock-car racing, Greg Biffle cut his racing teeth in the Pacific Northwest. This weekend, one of his old bullring playgrounds is honoring the late NASCAR star.
Pocono, always a NASCAR test, will also offer a prostate exam next week
Man Cave Health will offer free prostate-screening PSA tests at the upcoming NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway. Early detection is key to surviving prostate cancer, which affects one in eight men. Are they putting the poke in Pocono? No they’re not, and this is one of those occasions where giving some blood is a welcomed alternative. As a bonus, they might just save your life — or your dad’s, your uncle’s or some other guy you want staying healthy.
NASCAR driver rankings: Can Denny Hamlin catch Tyler Reddick?
Tyler Reddick continues to make this easy. At least on the north end of these weekly standings. We all know about the five wins, and we've digested that shocking start to the season for 23XI's No. 45 car. But while it's obviously not the case, you almost have to be as impressed by those weeks when he hasn't won. The guy just never has a bad week. His three worst finishes have been 13th, 14th and 15th, which would be the three best for some guys.
NASCAR driver rankings: Can Denny Hamlin catch Tyler Reddick?
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal Updated May 27, 2026, 1:48 p.m. ET Tyler Reddick continues to make this easy. At least on the north end of these weekly standings. We all know about the five wins, and we've digested that shocking start to the season for 23XI's No. 45 car. But while it's obviously not the case, you almost have to be as impressed by those weeks when he hasn't won. The guy just never has a bad week.
NASCAR driver rankings: Can Denny Hamlin catch Tyler Reddick?
At least on the north end of these weekly standings.
NASCAR qualifying results, lineup set for Pennzoil 400. Also: TV time
Ken Willis Daytona Beach News-Journal March 14, 2026, 4:20 p.m. ET It'll be a Toyota brigade at the start of the Pennzoil 400. Christopher Bell was fastest and will start on the pole, alongside Denny Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Another Gibbs driver, Ty Gibbs, starts third next to 23XI Toyota driver Bubba Wallace. Kyle Larson entered the weekend as the favorite to win his first race since last May at Kansas. That's right, Larson is riding a 28-race winless slump.
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