Already an emotional and busy racing weekend, each year, the most recent edition of the US Memorial Day Weekend was even more emotional as the racing community came to grips with the sudden passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Busch, from a sepsis infection related to pneumonia. Dave Mathers offers his comments on this tragedy as well as summarizing the on-track action from what was also a cold and soggy weekend north of the border…
The NASCAR world was rocked last week by the death of Kyle Busch. Richard Childress paid tribute to his late driver by putting Kyle’s number “in storage” to be used by Kyle’s son Brexton when he is ready to run the top class. A truly wonderful tribute to a fallen champion. He will be missed by all.
Inside Track contributor Bryce Turner has put together an excellent piece talking about some notable races and events that Kyle Busch took part in during his career that had Canadian connections. It includes photos and recollections going back decades. Click HERE to see that story.
Weather, once again, affected the weekend’s racing. The NASCAR Truck Series race was rescheduled from Friday night to Saturday night. Both Cup and O’Reilly practice and qualifying were washed out. The Canadian Grand Prix and the Indy 500 both had weather threats. Why does it ALWAYS rain on the weekend but never during the week?!
So what’s happening with the “new and improved” IHRA? The president was “released,” some staff walked out at National Trail, and the big race scheduled at Maple Grove this weekend did not happen. Did they grow too fast, too soon? I sure hope not, as having TWO successful sanctioning bodies for drag racing will only grow the sport, not harm it.
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CASC-OR SMP CUP: The SMP Cup takes place May 30 & 31 at Shannonville Motorsports Park. The race weekend is hosted by the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region (CASC-OR), with assistance from the St. Lawrence Automobile Club.
Miata Canada Cup, Pirelli Grand Touring, Pirelli Super Touring and the Toyo Tire F1600 Series will all be in action during the weekend.
BONUS: Thanks to BMW Kingston, spectator admission is completely FREE all weekend long!
Visit www.casc.on.ca for event info and all things CASC-OR.
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NASCAR Cup Series – There was complete silence at Charlotte when Kyle Busch’s renumbered No. 33 car rolled out of the RCR hauler. The loss of Kyle Busch hit everybody in the sport extremely hard – a 41-year-old healthy, active man taken way too soon. Similar to the O’Reilly Series race, qualifying was rained out, so the lineup was based on points.
As a result, Tyler Reddick started on the pole, followed by Ty Gibbs and Shane Van Gisbergen. I’m not sure how THAT works… oh yeah, metrics!! Which is ironic, as the USA is one of only three countries in the world that does not use the metric system. Gibbs sits sixth and SVG 16th in points. All 39 cars qualified, including 18 Chevs, 11 Fords and 10 Toyotas.
Awesome tribute to Kyle Busch in the pre-race ceremonies – very moving and emotional. He will be missed. The first yellow came out on lap 35 when Josh Berry got way loose in Turn 2 but kept going. Austin Cindric looped it off Turn 2 on lap 53 and got hit hard by Connor Zilisch – caution. Chase Elliott spun off Turn 2 on lap 90 and nailed the inside wall hard – caution. Kyle Larson won Stage 1. Stage 2 went clean and green, and Denny Hamlin got the stage win.
Right after the stage end, NASCAR brought all the cars to pit road and then rolled out the biggest “Honour and Remember” flag I have ever seen – and then a drone flag! Cool. Not cool? The shot of the weather radar.
On lap 210, Katherine Legge, who had dropped out of the Indy 500 after only 18 laps when she hit a spinning Ryan Hunter-Reay, was slowly returning to the pits when a wheel fell off her car, bringing out the laundry. Christopher Bell won Stage 3. Under the yellow, Timmy Hill’s car appeared to catch fire under the right front, and he headed for pit road, where he really drew a crowd.
On lap 319, Ross Chastain moved up the track right in front of Ricky Stenhouse, who couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) lift – yellow. Ten laps later, a similar wreck when Chase Briscoe got into the back of Chris Buescher, turning him into Ryan Preece and Josh Berry – yellow. More scary radar images! The yellow came out on lap 353 for lightning about six miles away.
The all-clear came from the Weather Gods, and the green came back out with 40 to go. Three laps later – yellow for sprinkles. With 32 laps to go, the cars stopped under red on pit road for rain. The green came back out with 31 laps to go. With 27 laps to go, the skies really opened up – and they called it. Checker flag. Daniel Suarez got the win over Bell and Hamlin.
In the points, Tyler Reddick extended his lead.
Next race – Nashville, Sunday at 7 p.m. on TSN 5.
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TOYO TIRES SPRING REBATE… JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT TO SAVE! The Toyo Tires Spring Rebate is underway. Purchase a set of four Toyo Tires by May 31 and save up to $100! Click HERE for details.
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NASCAR O’Reilly Series – With qualifying cancelled due to the weather, the lineup was based on points. And the weather did NOT look any better at race time. Points leader Justin Allgaier got the pole ahead of Corey Day and Sam Mayer. All 38 cars qualified, including 31 Chevs, six Toyotas and one Ford (that started DFL).
The yellow came out on lap 2 when Jeb Burton came down on Jesse Love, sending Burton into a long, lazy and smoky spin. The green for the restart was waved off when sprinkles arrived. The sprinkles stopped and the green came back out on lap 12. The Competition Caution came out on lap 25 to check tires after there had been no practice or qualifying. Five laps later, the rain returned and the red flag came out.
After a very long red flag period, the yellow came back out under what can only be described as brutal conditions. The fog made things difficult for everybody – especially the TV crew. Connor Zilisch won Stage 1. Ross Chastain won Stage 2, as well as the weather-shortened race. Love finished second, with Austin Hill third. Chastain gave a Kyle Busch tribute bow in the winner’s circle.
In the points, Allgaier leads Love by 145 and Day by 167.
Next race – Nashville, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on USA and CW.
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WHAT? NOOO WAAAY!: The 660 Sportsman Spectacular is set for June 12 – 14 at St. Thomas Dragway, and we’ve got big news! Shaun Umscheid (The What? Nooo waaay! guy) and his wife Julie will be joining us all weekend for meet & greets, autographs, and competition judging – don’t miss your chance to meet them!
Friday brings “Run What You Brung” from 4:00 – 8:30pm, followed by the Wheelie Contest and Burnout Contest, each with $500 up for grabs.
Saturday features showtime at 2pm & 7pm with the Hellfire Jet Truck, OSM Jet Dragster, and Nostalgia Funny Cars, plus a full day of car show, ONDR, bracket racing, and Jr. dragsters.
Sunday wraps things up with more ONDR, bracket racing, and Jr. dragsters.
Spectator admission is $25 per day, with camping available – plan your weekend now and be part of the action! Click HERE for tickets and info.
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NASCAR Craftsman Trucks – Friday’s scheduled race was rain-delayed until Saturday morning at 8 a.m., then bumped again to Saturday night at 9 p.m. Corey Day (Chev) – in a truck originally scheduled to be driven by Kyle Busch – got the pole over Layne Riggs (Ford) and Kaden Honeycutt (Toyota). Thirty-seven trucks timed for the 36 spots, including 14 Chevs, nine Fords, eight Toyotas and five RAMs.
In what must be a new track record for rescheduled start times, the race finally got underway Sunday morning at 10 a.m., with a noon hard cutoff. The first yellow came out on lap 7 when Shane Van Gisbergen looped it but kept off the walls. On lap 21, Ty Majeski slowed on track bringing out a yellow – he stated his throttle did not respond. Christian Eckes won Stage 1.
On lap 40, Luke Baldwin “blowed up real good,” with flames erupting underneath his truck – yellow. Six laps later, Day got together with Gio Ruggiero and almost flipped, sliding down the track and hitting the inside wall. He then almost got hit by Mini Tyrrell. Riggs got the Stage 2 win.
On lap 78, Honeycutt went into the spin cycle for another caution. Ten laps later, Brendan Queen and Kris Wright got together for another yellow. At lap 100, Andres Perez de Lara went into the spin cycle for another caution. On lap 105, Chandler Smith lost it and hit the inside wall.
The race was shortened due to time limits, and at the flag it was Riggs over Honeycutt and Zilisch. Friesen finished 26th and Butcher was 27th, one spot back.
In the points, Honeycutt leads Riggs by 11 and Eckes by 71. Friesen sits 11th and Butcher is 21st.
Next race – Nashville, Friday at 8 p.m. on CTV Speed (tape-delayed until Saturday at 7:30 p.m.).
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: This Saturday (May 30) at Flamboro Speedway (in Millgrove, ON), the track hosts the United Racing Series APC Late Models for the Grisdale 100!
Joining the exciting tour on the night’s schedule will be the Can-Am TQ Midgets.
Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with racing starting at 6:15. Visit FlamboroSpeedway.ca for more info.
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Formula One – Free Practice 1 was a little hairy in Montreal. Alex Albon actually hit a groundhog – only in Canada, eh! The two Mercedes were quickest, with Kimi Antonelli ahead of George Russell. In Sprint qualifying it was Russell, Antonelli and Lando Norris. Canadian Lance Stroll started 16th. Russell and Antonelli had a coming together in the Sprint, but both kept going. Russell got the win over Norris and Antonelli.
In qualifying for Sunday’s race, it was the usual suspects – Russell, Antonelli and Norris. Stroll started 21st.
Similar to Indy, the weather was threatening in Montreal. But there was a problem with the start – apparently Arvid Lindblad had an issue with his Williams, and the start was aborted, resulting in another formation lap. Norris took the lead away from the two Mercedes into Turn 1. On lap 3, Norris pitted. On lap 7, Antonelli overcooked the chicane while leading and almost wrecked but kept going, albeit in second.
The two Mercedes were still hard at it when Albon stopped just off the track, bringing out a local yellow. On lap 30, Russell rolled to a stop, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car – his engine note did not sound good.
At halfway, it was Antonelli over Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. On lap 53, the VSC was displayed again – not sure why.
At the flag, it was Antonelli over Hamilton and Verstappen. Stroll finished 15th.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Antonelli leads Russell by 43 and Charles Leclerc by 56. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads Ferrari by 72 and McLaren by 113.
Next race – Monaco, Sunday, June 7.
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EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: 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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IndyCar – Defending champion Alex Palou nabbed the pole, followed by Alex Rossi and David Malukas. Thirty-three cars took the green. Another BRUTAL start by IndyCar for Sunday’s Indy 500. It was overcast, meaning better traction.
On lap 18, Katherine Legge got together with Ryan Hunter-Reay after he got loose and spun in front of her. On lap 92, Will Power appeared to blow up, leaving fluid on the track – yellow. At halfway, it was Scott Dixon over Palou and Malukas. On lap 126, Joseph Newgarden hit the wall exiting Turn 4 – yellow.
With eight laps to go, rookie Caio Collet bounced off the Turn 4 wall and slid into the infield grass on fire – yellow, then red for cleanup. I disagree with allowing lead-lap cars to pass the lapped cars – the leaders had to race through them.
The green came back out with four laps to go – a trophy dash! Yellow for Mick Schumacher scrubbing the wall on the restart; he kept going. Green again with one to go – no green-white-checker, just green-checker.
Wow, what a finish! Malukas led almost to the stripe, but Felix Rosenqvist got around him with about 100 yards to go. Malukas finished second, with Scott McLaughlin third. Post-race tech found Palou’s front wing was too low – $10,000 fine and five-point penalty, but he retained his finish.
In the points, Palou still leads Malukas by 42 and Kyle Kirkwood by 54.
Next race – Detroit street course, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on TSN 5 and Fox.
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Visit NAPACanada.com to explore one of Canada’s most trusted destinations for automotive parts, tools, and expert know‑how. The site features an extensive selection for cars, trucks, SUVs, EVs, and power sports – including top national brands and NAPA’s own premium product lines. You can shop easily by vehicle, browse current deals, and access maintenance tips through the Learning Centre. The website also connects you to NAPA Rewards, gift cards, and local NAPA stores and NAPA AUTOPRO service centres – making it simple to get the right parts, trusted service, and professional advice.
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IMSA – Next race – Detroit street course, Saturday at 4 p.m. on REV TV and NBC.
24 Hours of Le Mans – Sat., June 14 – Sun., June 15.
NHRA – Next race – Maryland, Sunday on Fox Sports Racing at 3 p.m.
IHRA – Next race – Milan, June 5 – 6.
NASCAR Canada Series – Next race – Chaudière, Sunday, June 6.
APC Series – Next race – Flamboro, Saturday.
Ontario Sportsman Series – Next race – Full Throttle, Saturday.
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Visit WD40.ca to discover the Canadian home of one of the world’s most trusted problem‑solving brands. The site showcases the full WD‑40 product lineup – from the iconic Multi‑Use Product to specialized solutions for electrical, automotive, industrial, and bike applications. You’ll find clear product explanations, practical use cases, safety data sheets, and maintenance tips designed to keep equipment running smoothly. The website also features a regularly updated blog with seasonal advice and expert insights, plus easy access to where‑to‑buy information and customer support – making it a go‑to resource for professionals and everyday DIYers alike.
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Delaware Speedway – Racing in the cool night air made for more horsepower, more traction and more “breakouts” (in the V/8 Stocks) Friday night. The Bone Stocks had a 40-lap feature. They qualified in groups, with Kassy Howard tops in Q1, Brady Oudman in Q2 and Charlie Verhoeven quickest in Q3. Verhoeven went on to win the feature over Paul Fothergill and Justin Collver.
The V/8 Stocks saw Mike Howard win Heat 1, Will Quarrie (in his Super Late lookalike) win Heat 2, while Barry Watson won the “Breakout Nationals” feature over Jerry Broom and Randy Martin. The Late Models had Ray Morneau winning Heat 1, Marshall Schrenk tops in Heat 2, then rookie Connor Nagy beat car owner Jesse Kennedy and Morneau in the feature.
Next race – Super Stock, V/8 Stock and Bone Stock, Friday.
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Brockville Ontario Speedway – This Saturday (May 30) The BOS Bullring is back in action with the Suprenant Truck Stop Crate Sprints, 358 Modifieds, Sports, Rookie Sports and Street Stocks. Fan gates open at 5 p.m. with racing starting at 7 p.m. Visit BrockvilleSpeedway.com for tickets and additional event information.
Ohsweken Speedway – Next race – Community Night and Empire Super Sprints, Friday.
Flamboro Speedway – Next race – APC Series, Saturday.
Buxton Speedway – Next race – OTS, L/M, Mods, T/S & M/S, Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway – Next race – Ontario Sportsman Series, Saturday.
Grand Bend Speedway – First race – Saturday, June 6.
Grand Bend Dragway – Next race – Can-Am Stock/Super Stocks, Saturday and Sunday.
St. Thomas Dragway – Next race – Points Series, June 5 – 7.
660 Sportsman Spectacular – Next race – The 660 Sportsman Nationals ‘Sportsman Spectacular’ takes place June 12 – 14, St. Thomas Dragway.
Toronto Motorsport Park – Next race – Race Cayuga, Saturday and Sunday.
Can-Am Stock/Super Stock – Next race – Grand Bend, this weekend.
John Scotti NHRA Canadian Championship Series – Next race – Luskville, June 19 – 21.
Shannonville Drags – Next race – June 8.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
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NITTO SPRING 2026 REBATE: It’s cool to save! Save up to $70 on select sets of 4 tires from an authorized Nitto dealer. Purchase must take place prior to June 30. Visit NittoTires.ca/promotions for program details.
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