While the race at Pocono on Sunday was largely a snoozefest and left much to be desired (though to its credit, a lot of folks likely enjoyed a nice nap), there is plenty to talk about in the aftermath of Chase Briscoe’s first win for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 19 car.

Top of mind is the increasingly small number of playoff spots that remain open, and whether or not any drivers will be able to make the playoffs through points alone.

At this moment, there are 11 drivers who have won a race, and should make the playoffs barring extreme circumstances. But there are 9 races left until the playoffs start, including drafting tracks at Atlanta and Daytona, plus the Chicago street course, and road courses at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. All five of those are wild cards, and unique and unexpected winners could emerge.

While I don’t think we’ll have more than 16 winners when the checkered flag falls at Daytona and the playoff lineup is set, anything is possible. So the following drivers need to realize their postseason is in danger if they don’t get a win:

Bubba Wallace: After a recent run of decent finishes, Bubba was snakebit at Pocono — not even making a qualifying run due to technical difficulties, then hitting the wall hard after brake failure during the race. He is now hanging by a thread and ranked 15th in the playoff grid, but that could easily evaporate if his bad luck continues. Bubba’s best chance to win his way into the playoffs is either next week at Atlanta, or at Daytona, and he’ll need to hold his own at the road courses to make sure he doesn’t drop major points there. This nine-week stretch will be a serious test for the 23 team.

While the much-anticipated transition to electric vehicles has its ups and downs in recent years at some car makes, other brands are ignoring all the drama and sticking to their plans or even accelerating their transition.

Once such brand is Hyundai, which offers several EV models including the Ioniq 5 — a compact electric SUV that I recently had the opportunity to experience.

The Ioniq 5 hits a nice sweet spot in the EV landscape, offering a smaller size, solid mileage range, a roomy interior and strong tech features.

New for 2025 is the XRT trim level, an off-road friendly model, as well as extended range numbers, plus updates to its charging capabilities and interior.

Read on to find out how this vehicle, which is made at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia, compares in the segment to rivals such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model Y, and Kia EV6.

People looking for a smaller car these days have fewer options than ever before, but thankfully many in the segment are sticking around for the long haul.

And if you’re looking for something that’s pretty high-end in design but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, your choices are even more thin.

One vehicle that does check this box in 2025 is the compact Mazda3, which comes in both a sedan and hatchback version. It’s attractive, sporty, fun to drive, and it looks and feels more expensive than the price tag would indicate.

I recently tested a 2025 Mazda3 2.5 S Carbon Edition AWD sedan, and I’m back with a full report on how it stacks up against the remaining compact offerings — such as the Honda Civic, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla.

Small, fast and fun.

That’s the easiest way to describe the 2025 Mazda CX-30, a subcompact SUV which I recently got the chance to experience.

Specifically, I tested a 2025 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S Carbon Turbo model. The 2025 CX-30 sees little change from the previous model year.

The CX-30 is Mazda’s smallest SUV model, and it features a bold design, tiny interior, and a perky powerplant that packs a lot of punch into this small package.

As the market for tiny SUVs continues to be a popular one, especially with younger buyers who can’t afford or don’t want the behemoth SUVs of the past, vehicles like the CX-30 have a major opportunity for growth.

Read on to learn more about how this fun little ride compares in the segment — which includes offerings such as the Volkswagen Taos, Chevy Trailblazer, Hyundai Kona and more.

Automakers are wisely leaning into their hybrid lineups as the switch to EVS happens at a slower pace than many had anticipated.

One brand with a strong hybrid lineup is Hyundai, including its midsize sedan offering — the Sonata hybrid, which competes mainly with hybrids from Toyota (Camry) and Honda (Accord).

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of a 2025 Hyundai Sonata Limited hybrid, and I’m back with a full report on how it holds up in this resurging category of vehicles.

Hybrids are a major discussion right now in the auto industry as companies pull back on their plans to expand EV lineups.

Many people want fuel efficiency, but still want to be able to go to the gas station, at least until EV prices come down and EV infrastructure is improved.

To reach these people now, vehicles like the 2025 Hyundai Elantra hybrid are plugging the gap and earning increased interest. Offering strong fuel mileage, attractive design, and an affordability EVs can’t deliver yet, they are seeing increased interest.

I recently tested a 2025 Elantra hybrid, and I’m back with a full report on this sold hybrid sedan option — which competes with vehicles such as the Honda Civic hybrid, Toyota Corolla hybrid and Toyota Prius.

In one of the never-ending debates in the automotive world, you can put me in the camp of arguing that there is nothing uncool about a minivan.

Despite getting a bad rap over the years as soccer mom vehicles without a personality, nothing could be further from the truth. A minivan is as useful and versatile as any SUV you can name, and sometimes more so.

Sadly, there are only four real options remaining in the minivan category — including the one I tested, the Kia Carnival. The Carnival comes in both regular and hybrid versions, and I sampled both varieties of the Carnival.

After my time behind the wheel, I’m glad that Kia is sticking around in this segment, as they’ve delivered a standout performance that holds up well against all competitors — including the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica.

The arrival of the hybrid version for 2025 is a helpful addition for Kia, as Toyota’s offering is exclusively hybrid and Pacifica also offers a hybrid version.

Read on for a full account of what the Carnival has to offer to those who, like me, are standing against the haters and supporting the minivan as a solid vehicle option that is far from uncool.

FLAT ROCK — In a finish that was not unexpected, 15-year-old Max Reaves continued his hot streak in the ARCA East Series on Saturday night, winning his third straight race in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment to begin his young career in the series. He is just the second driver in East Series history to win his first three races entered.

Reaves — a protege of NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte, who was at the track Saturday and signed autographs for a long line of fans — won the pole for Saturday’s Dutch Boy 150 and held off the hard-charging 17-year-old Tyler Reif, who kept him honest for the entire 150-lap distance. Reif managed to lead 6 laps on Saturday, but Reaves dominated with 144 laps led.

The win follows two earlier wins for Reaves at Five Flags Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He’ll aim to be come the first driver to win four straight races to start his East Series career when the series returns July 18 at Dover. That race will be televised live on FS1.

Others who fought hard all night and came home with solid finishes include Takuma Koga, who came all the way from Japan to race and took him an ARCA career-best 3rd-place finish. The driver was ecstatic after the race, proclaiming his love for short tracks and saying, “I love Detroit!” Koga battled for much of the race with East Series points leader Isaac Kitzmiller, who ended up 7th after a flat tire derailed his race.

Matt Kemp also had a strong night, qualifying 2nd and finished 4th, his first ARCA East top-5 finish. Austin Vaughn scored his first career ARCA Menards Series East top-5 finish in fifth. 

As Volkswagen continues its efforts to grow market share in the SUV segment, it has made some updates to the 2025 edition of the smallest member of the family — the Volkswagen Taos.

This little SUV isn’t going to sit idly by while others in the segment make upgrades. WIth the 2025 Taos, Volkswagen has decided to add additional horsepower to the engine, as well as some style updates to both the exterior and interior of the vehicle, plus a larger infotainment screen.

I recently tested a 2025 Volkswagen Taos SE Black model, and I’m back with a full report on how the vehicle holds up vs. other compact SUVs — including offerings from Chevy (Trax), Mazda (CX-30), Buick (Envista) and Subaru (Crosstrek).

FLAT ROCK — History could be made tonight at Flat Rock Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series East, as Max Reaves aims to continue a dominant start to his career in the Dutch Boy 150.

Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and coming off two straight wins to start his series career at Five Flags Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, he is aiming to make it three straight victories tonight at Flat Rock, which would tie the series record for most consecutive wins to start a career in the series — held by road racer Will Rodgers, who won three straight starts in 2017 and 2018.

The series returns for the third straight year to Flat Rock, following victories by now-Xfinity regulars Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich. Along with the ARCA race, tonight’s action at Flat Rock will feature Street Stock and Factory Stock competition.

Other notes from tonight’s race:

— Isaac Kitzmiller, just 16 years old, comes into tonight’s Flat Rock race as the ARCA Menards Series East points leader. His team is receiving assistance from ARCA legend Frank Kimmel, who raced 15 times at Flat Rock and won twice in 1998 and 2000.

— Tyler Reif has three career ARCA Menards Series West victories and seeks his first ARCA East win tonight. In 2024, Reif won at the 0.375-mile Shasta Speedway and finished third at the quarter-mile All American Speedway, on his way to winning the West Series’ owner’s championship for Central Coast Racing.

— Zachary Tinkle sits second in the ARCA Menards Series East standings, the highest ranking in his career. He took home a career-best fourth-place finish at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

— Jackson McLerran makes his second start of the season, with two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief Todd Parrott overseeing his effort this weekend.

— Local favorite Jeffrey MacZink makes his first start of the season at Flat Rock. MacZink, who lives just a few miles from the track, started his racing career in the Street Stock division at the track.

— The 150-lap race will be run straight through will no scheduled breaks and no scheduled pit stops. The only pit stops will be for emergency repairs or adjustments.

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