Michigan International Speedway announced that DQS Solutions & Staffing will sponsor the Craftsman Truck Series race at the track this year. The trucks return to the Irish Hills with the DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics on Saturday, June 7.
The June race weekend at Michigan International Speedway begins with the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 on Friday, June 6, followed by the Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics on Saturday, June 7. The NASCAR Cup Series will cap off the weekend’s action with the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8.
“At Michigan International Speedway, we’re known for producing high-quality and exciting racing and to partner with DQS Solutions & Staffing who’s located in our backyard makes this partnership special,” said Michigan International Speedway President Joe Fowler. “Winning in the Irish Hills brings a sense of pride to our drivers and OEM’s. To have homegrown roots in this sponsorship while bringing back the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to Michigan International Speedway this Summer will make for an unforgettable weekend of racing.”
DQS Solutions & Staffing offers staffing and innovative workforce and business solutions across diverse industries, with expertise in the automotive sector. Along with staffing, other services offered include security, warehousing, key management systems, automation, transportation, snow removal, and food truck operations. DQS Solutions & Staffing has been recognized as Michigan’s fastest growing company and gives back to the community through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.
“We're excited to be the title sponsor of the DQS 200 at Michigan International Speedway, kicking off what's sure to be an unforgettable summer,” said Joshua Morris, CEO of DQS. “As a Michigan-based company with strong automotive roots, racing is a perfect fit for us. We're thrilled to partner again with Precision Vehicle Logistics and Niece Motorsports, and it is truly an honor to host a race at MIS for the first time. NASCAR brings people together, and we're proud to be part of that, supporting an event that connects fans, teams, and the racing community.”
DQS Solutions & Staffing partners with Masked Owl Technologies, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and AutoVentive to sponsor the Niece Motorsports No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado with Kaden Honeycutt in the Truck Series. The newly-branded truck will make its debut at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14, 2025.
“On behalf of every hard-working individual at Precision Vehicle Logistics, we are more than excited and thankful to engage in this event with our partner DQS, for the return of the Truck Series to Michigan International Speedway,” said Jason Wilson, Vice President of Precision Vehicle Logistics. “We look forward to the on-track competition that our partners at Niece Motorsports and Chevrolet will bring to the track in the Irish Hills. This is also a special place for me personally but also down the road from where a lot of us live and work here in the great state of Michigan. I would like to thank Josh Morris and his whole team at DQS for the invitation to the Precision Vehicle Logistics team to be a partner of this event sponsorship."
Tickets are available for purchase via phone at 888-905-7223 or online at mispeedway.com.
The 2025 season has begun in NASCAR, with the Clash at Bowman Gray behind us, and the Daytona 500 just one week away.
With a new season comes new expectations for the drivers returning the grid.
And while all drivers head into the season hoping to win races, make the playoffs and compete for a championship, there are several drivers facing an additional amount of pressure for a variety of reasons.
Here’s my list of drivers who I see facing a bigger spotlight than the others in 2025:
1. Denny Hamlin (No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing)
The choice for the driver under the most pressure was an easy one, and that is of course Denny Hamlin, who has several factors coming together at the same time to provide an intense spotlight on his 2025 campaign.
First off, there’s the usual pressure surrounding Denny’s quest to win his first Cup series championship. Despite 54 Cup wins (12th most wins all time), he has yet to seal the deal, and age would dictate his time left in the series is nearing its end. Even if he says he’s not worried about the Cup title, you know it’s looming in the back of his mind that his time to win one is running out.
Amber Balcaen was the fastest of 70 drivers that participated in this week’s two-day ARCA pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway. Balcaen turned her fast lap, 49.102 seconds/183.292 miles per hour, in a tight draft with her Nitro Motorsports teammate Thad Moffitt and fellow Toyota drivers out of the Venturini Motorsports stable.
The 62nd Annual Daytona ARCA 200 is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, at noon. The race will be televised live on FOX and will be carried live nationwide on select affiliates of the MRN Radio Network. Live timing and scoring data from all on-track activity, including practice on Thursday, February 13, and General Tire Pole Qualifying on Friday, February 14, is available at ARCARacing.com.
In other highlights from the two-day test:
— Eighteen-year-old Chase Pinsonnault made a strong debut in the ARCA Menards Series, timing in second fastest at 49.226 seconds/182.830 miles per hour. Pinsonnault, a third-generation racer, has driven in the ASA STARS National Tour for NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar; he will make his first career ARCA Menards Series start in the Daytona ARCA 200.
— Balcaen, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Pinsonnault, from Windsor, Ontario, gave Canadian drivers a sweep of the top two positions for the first time in the history of the pre-season practice runs at Daytona International Speedway.
On Sunday, we just watched the best short track race ever with the Next Gen car (with the possible exception of the chaotic spring Bristol race). Goodyear’s new, softer tire compound did the job it was supposed to do, which is good news looking ahead to the 2025 short track races.
But we’re not talking about the race. And we’re not talking about the brilliant drive that Ryan Blaney put together to race to the win late and claim a spot in the Final Four at Phoenix by claiming the checkered flag at the beloved paper-clip track.
Instead, we’re talking about shenanigans. Shenanigans of the sort that make the sport look downright foolish. The only thing worse than team orders is manufacturers' orders, and that’s what reared its ugly head in the extreme on Sunday.
If Burger King is all about “have it your way”, NASCAR has traditionally been the polar opposite in its approach.
For the past 75 years, NASCAR’s leadership has resided with the France family (First Big Bill France, followed by Bill France Jr., Brian France and now Jim France). Since it launched, NASCAR has operated its stock car racing operation essentially as it wished.
Sure, drivers and teams and fans can complain about some decisions, but at the end of the day, NASCAR makes the rules, and there isn’t much anyone could do about it.
I mention this all as background for the earthquake news that broke on Wednesday morning that two NASCAR teams — 23XI Racing (co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin) and Front Row Motorsports — have filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and Jim France.
Signs of trouble began about four weeks back, when it was announced that all Cup teams other than 23XI and Front Row had signed a new charter agreement that would govern the team owners from 2025 through 2031. Many in the sport wondered what the two teams were thinking. What leverage did they have now that all the other teams had signed on to the new deal?
We got our answer Wednesday with this bombshell lawsuit, which puts NASCAR in very unfamiliar territory and opens them up to outside scrutiny. Especially of note is that the two teams’ legal representation is the formidable Jeffrey Kessler, who has had past success battling the NCAA regarding athlete compensation.
While Stewart-Haas Racing as we know it will end after 2024, team owner Gene Haas will continue on a leaner scale in the sport.
Haas will keep one NASCAR Cup Series legacy charter from Stewart-Haas and operate a two-car NASCAR Xfinity Series team. The new enterprise will be known as Haas Factory Team.
“My commitment to motorsports hasn’t changed, just the scope of my involvement,” Haas said. “Operating a four-car Cup Series team has become too arduous but, at the same time, I still need a platform to promote Haas Automation and grow HaasTooling.com.
“Maintaining my presence in Cup allows Haas Automation to compete at NASCAR’s highest level, which is important to our customers and distributors. The Xfinity Series program provides a full weekend experience for our guests, and it delivers added depth and scale to our overall operation.”
Joe Custer will be the president of Haas Factory Team and it will operate out of the existing Stewart-Haas facility in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Drivers and team partners will be announced in the lead up to the 2025 NASCAR season.
With the announcement of Martin Truex Jr’s retirement from full-time Cup racing officially announced (after years of reporters asking him about it), now comes the fun part: We get to see the dominoes fall.
Silly Season is in full effect, and here are my predictions on how things will play out in the months to come.
No. 19 car: Joe Gibbs Racing
So many possibilities here. There are rumors that Chase Briscoe is the front-runner, which makes sense since he’s a proven winner who is young with a lot of strong years ahead of him. There are also fans who would love to see a return from JGR’s past discards. Could there be a Kyle Busch reunion, since his new team at RCR has been struggling this year? What about Erik Jones, now floundering at Legacy Motor Club? And don’t leave out the young Toyota drivers waiting in the wings — John Hunter Nemechek was once a shoe-in for this ride, but now that may not be the case. Corey Heim and Chandler Smith are also solid young talents eyeing the ride.
So basically this is the prime seat for 2025, and everyone wants it. If it goes to Briscoe that’s a major coup for Toyota to pull one of Ford’s promising young drivers. And I believe this is the route they’ll go, leaving Nemechek and Heim to look to other teams like an expanding 23XI for ride options.
Stewart-Haas refugees: Where will they go?
The big question this year — with a four-car team shutting down (and likely its Xfinity program), where will all their drivers go?
Chase Briscoe — LIkely going to the 19 car, but other options within the Ford camp include a third car for RFK (if they expand) or Wood Brothers’ 21 car (when Harrison Burton is inevitably let go due to underperforming).
Noah Gragson and Josh Berry — I’m lumping these two together because I can see them going to the same place: Front Row Motorsports. With a newly announced third charter, and Michael McDowell already leaving for Spire, there is only one spot filled right now (Todd Gilliland). Gragson and Berry are two promising young drivers that should be high on Front Row’s target list. And if they’re smart, they’ll keep Rodney Childers on as Berry’s crew chief.
Ryan Preece — Preece has worked his way up to Cup after showing his talent in the lower series, and he’s definitely got talent. But without bringing a lot of sponsor funding, I can see him getting sidelined from Cup in 2025. Whether he makes it back up the ladder down the road is not a certainty.
Riley Herbst — Considering that he brings daddy’s money with him, finding another ride shouldn’t be a problem for Herbst. And he should stay in Xfinity at least another year, as I don’t believe he’s ready for the much tougher Cup series.
Cole Custer — I can see him getting the Wood Brothers ride in Cup if Briscoe goes to the 19. But if the Cup slots are all filled, he is strong enough of a driver to land a quality ride in the Xfinity Series as he continues to grind his way up to the top series for another go-around.
Other thoughts
— Zane Smith has struggled mightily in the 71 car this year, and will be looking for a new ride for 2025. He might be one of the drivers better suited by dropping down to the Xfinity Series rather than struggling again next year at another bad Cup team.
— Austin Dillon should make the choice to step down from his ride at RCR. He’s only damaging the team’s legacy with his abysmal performance, and would be better suited for a management role in his grandfather’s company. It’s unlikely, but that move would open up yet another high-profile ride for the many talented drivers seeking a new spot.
— It would seem logical to me that once it’s announced that Trackhouse will receive one of the SHR charters (Front Row has claimed one officially, and rumors are that 23XI and Trackhouse each have one too; TBD on the fourth), Shane Van Gisbergen should be given that ride. He’s a clear talent on the road courses, and has shown promise on the ovals. Moving him to Cup is a no-brainer to me.
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After 21 years, 674 races, 34 wins, 146 top-5s and 287 top-10s, 23 pole positions and 12,639 laps led in the Cup series, one Cup series championship and two Xfinity (then Busch) Series championships, Martin Truex will bid farewell to full-time Cup racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
His career is one with many highs and lows, and looked to be on life support on multiple occasions early on. Despite winning two Busch Series titles driving for Dale Jr.’s Chance 2 Motorsports, he did not find consistent success in his early years with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing, and after a decade in the sport he had only notched 2 victories.
Furniture Row miracle
Truex’s rise began at Furniture Row Racing, the now-defunct “little team that could” based out of Colorado owned by Barney Visser that took Truex in starting in 2014 (in the wake of the disastrous “spingate” incident that Truex was a part of in 2013, a PR nightmare that left him looking for a ride). This one-car team was not likely to be a path to winning races and competing for championships. But that’s exactly what happened.
Truex won 17 races in his five years at Furniture Row, including 8 wins during his Cup championship-winning season in 2017. The scenes of that championship race and Truex’s celebration with longtime partner Sherry Pollex (RIP) are some of the most emotional and memorable in recent NASCAR history. This one-car team had stunned the field to win the title and slayed all the giant three- and four-car battalions.
Strong finish at Gibbs
After his time with the Furniture Row team came to a conclusion when the team sadly closed its doors at the end of 2018, Truex then moved on to powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing, where he has continued to rack up wins (15 in total under the JGR banner).
Perhaps the most telling stat on Truex: Between 2017 and 2021 he not only won the lone Cup title, but also finished 2nd in points 3 different times. If a few small things change in those championship races, we could be talking about a multiple-time series champion.
So what’s the lesson from Truex’s career? He’s proof that a talented driver will eventually deliver if given the right equipment. The talent was always there, but the circumstances were not always in his favor at the teams where he drove.
Despite a decade of mostly struggling as a mid-tier performer in the Cup series, nowhere near showing championship caliber, a little team from Colorado showed faith in him, and together they shocked the world.
Other drivers have had late-career resurgences. Michael Waltrip comes to mind, for example. But none have taken that opportunity and made the most out of it as well as Martin Truex did. If you went back in time to 2014 and told a 34-year-old Truex that he would retire in a decade with 34 wins, he would have told you to get your head examined.
But it happened, and it’s a great story with a Hall of Fame spot likely awaiting Truex down the road. And don’t lock in those career stats just yet: He very well could knock out a few more wins and contend for one more title before he transitions to part-time in 2025.
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Before we get into the thrilling racing at Darlington on Sunday that saw Brad Keselowski return to Victory Lane in a stunning day of redemption for both driver and team, let’s talk a bit about history.
When I think of Roush Racing, I initially think of the 1997 Cup race I attended at Michigan Speedway, my first race I watched at the track, where Mark Martin took home the checkered flag for Jack Roush in the No. 6 Valvoline car, one of 35 victories for Mark in the 6 car.
I think about all the races I saw won over the next two decades — with Roush drivers including Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards and more. Since launching his Cup team in 1988, the Cat in the Hat had a team that was formidable week in and week out, not only in Cup but also dominating many races in Xfinity and Trucks for years.
DQS Solutions & Staffing is off to the races.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company, which places employees in a variety of industries in areas like security, warehousing, healthcare, and automotive, is now in the passenger seat of a promising young Truck Series racer making his full-time debut.
Along with strategic partner Masked Owl Technologies, DQS will support Bayley Currey’s first full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which gets underway in February. Currey drives the No. 41 truck for Niece Motorsports. The team’s primary sponsors include Precision Vehicle Logistics and AutoVentive.
“I’m excited to work with everyone at Precision Vehicle Logistics, AutoVentive, Detroit Quality Staffing and Masked Owl Technologies” Currey said. “We can’t do what we love without the support of great partners, so it means a lot that they’ve returned to Niece Motorsports with the 41 team. We’re looking forward to a strong season.”
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