Latest news with #RFKRacing
The Star
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Star
‘Information is speed': Nascar teams use AI to find winning edges
CONCORD: Margins in Nascar have never been smaller. Whether it's the leveling effect of the Next Gen car or the evolving technological arms race among teams, the Cup Series has never been tighter. And as parity grows, so does the need to uncover even the slightest competitive advantage. That's where artificial intelligence comes in. From performance analysis to data visualisations, AI is playing an increasingly pivotal role in how race teams operate across the Nascar garage. Teams are using AI not just to crunch numbers, but also to make quicker decisions, generate strategic insights – and even rewrite the way they approach race weekends. 'It just builds a little bit more each year,' said Josh Sell, RFK Racing's competition director. 'We're doing more now than we were a year ago. And we'll probably be doing more a year from now than we are sitting here right now. It just continues to evolve.' Asking better questions, getting smarter answers The rise of AI in Nascar mirrors the broader tech world. Early large language models – or LLMs – were trained to answer basic questions. But now, they can cite sources, detect tone and reason through complex decisions. That opens up a new world for how teams evaluate everything from strategy calls to post-race feedback. For example, a full race's worth of driver and crew radio chatter can be fed into an AI model that not only identifies which calls worked and which didn't, but also interprets tone and urgency in real time. 'Information is speed in this game nowadays,' said Tom Gray, technical director at Hendrick Motorsports. 'He who can distill the information quicker and get to the decision quicker, ultimately, is going to have the race win. If you can control the race or make that decision that gets you in control of the race at the end, you're going to be win the one who wins.' Finding the time where it matters AI is also helping teams develop talent and streamline operations. Even if someone on the team isn't an expert in a particular field, AI can help them learn new skills faster. That's especially important in the highly specialised Cup Series garage – and it could help smaller teams close the gap with bigger operations. RFK Racing, now a three-car Cup Series team, is already seeing those benefits. AI helps reduce the hours team members spend manually analysing photos or videos. Instead of having a crew chief sort through everything, the software flags the most relevant material and delivers it quickly. On the technical side, the team is also using tools like ChatGPT to assist with software development, solving coding problems in various languages and freeing up engineers to focus on execution. 'It's trying to figure out ways where, instead of having a crew chief spending three hours studying whatever it might be – photos, videos – if we can shorten that to an hour of really impactful time,' Sell said. 'Looking at things that are important to them, not searching to find those things. That's the biggest gain we see, and certainly whether it's through the week or on race weekends, time is our limiting factor. 'You have a finite amount of time from the time practice ends to when the race starts. What you're able to do to maximise the efficiency of that time is kind of a race in and of itself.' Visuals, velocity and vintage data At Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in Cup Series history, AI is being used both to look ahead and to look back. The team now works closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS) – a relationship that began after Prime Video sponsored one of its cars. The partnership has accelerated Hendrick's use of AI across several key areas. One of those is visual communication. Engineers are now generating images to help share ideas, whether they're pitching a new part or breaking down a technical strategy. That ability to visualise complex concepts instantly helps everyone stay aligned and efficient. Hendrick is also leveraging its four decades of data. The team can now go back and test old strategies, setups and decisions using AI to predict how past insights might inform future success. 'We've had a long history in the sport,' Gray said. 'Not only can we look forward, but we can also look backward, back-test all the information we have, and see how that predicts the future.' – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
NBC Sports
7 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
RFK Racing seeks to build on Michigan finish in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — There was no celebrating last week at RFK Racing after it placed three cars in the top 10 for the first time in a Cup race since July 2016 at Daytona. 'It was certainly not anything to be embarrassed by,' Brad Keselowski said of the team's performance at Michigan. ' … We just want to do it more often. We want to win. 'We're, as a company, just fighting really hard to break through to the next level and we have these intermittent flashes and sparks. We want to turn it into a roaring fire.' That begins with Sunday's Cup race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course. Ryan Preece will start second — his first top-five starting spot on a road course. Chris Buescher, who has the best road course average finish in the Next Gen car at 8.7, starts 16th. Keselowski will start 30th. RFK Racing has placed at least two cars in the top 10 in three of the last four races, matching what Hendrick Motorsports has done, although Hendrick has a win and three more top-five finishes than RFK in that span. Dustin Long, Ten races will remain in the regular season after Sunday's race. Buescher is in a playoff spot, 20 points above the cutline, and Preece holds the final playoff spot entering Sunday's event. Keselowski needs a win to make the playoffs. 'This is a big stretch for us,' Keselowski said. 'We want to get all three of our cars in the playoffs. It appears that it's going to take wins for all three cars to do that, maybe we'll get one car in on points. We've had a couple of really strong races but haven't broke through to Victory Lane and I'm disappointed by that. 'I feel that we're bringing efforts that are close to being able to do that, but we haven't gotten there. You can't do anything about the races behind us, but the races in front of us you're just trying to be laser-focused to achieve results.' With four road course races among the final 11 events of the regular season, Keselowski sees opportunity for his teams. 'All three of our cars at COTA were a factor at one point,' he said. 'Didn't necessarily get the win but showed some strength.' Preece has been strong lately, scoring three top 10s in the last four races. 'Confidence is a lot higher,' Preece said. 'I've been really trying to focus on this racetrack because I feel like from a team aspect there was a lot of unknowns for everybody. … The playing field is pretty level. I just put a lot of effort into it.'
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Kiwi van Gisbergen earns NASCAR pole in Mexico
New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen has claimed his first NASCAR pole position of the season and will lead the field in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. Saturday's 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field. His pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improved notably from his speed in the earlier two practice sessions. Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the Hermanos Rodriguez Race Track in Mexico City. Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his first series start. "It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night," van Gisbergen said. The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field. "Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said. "Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone." Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row. Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs. One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row. Mexico native -- and huge crowd favourite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet. New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen has claimed his first NASCAR pole position of the season and will lead the field in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. Saturday's 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field. His pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improved notably from his speed in the earlier two practice sessions. Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the Hermanos Rodriguez Race Track in Mexico City. Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his first series start. "It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night," van Gisbergen said. The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field. "Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said. "Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone." Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row. Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs. One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row. Mexico native -- and huge crowd favourite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet. New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen has claimed his first NASCAR pole position of the season and will lead the field in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. Saturday's 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field. His pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improved notably from his speed in the earlier two practice sessions. Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the Hermanos Rodriguez Race Track in Mexico City. Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his first series start. "It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night," van Gisbergen said. The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field. "Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said. "Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone." Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row. Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs. One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row. Mexico native -- and huge crowd favourite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet. New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen has claimed his first NASCAR pole position of the season and will lead the field in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. Saturday's 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field. His pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improved notably from his speed in the earlier two practice sessions. Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the Hermanos Rodriguez Race Track in Mexico City. Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his first series start. "It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night," van Gisbergen said. The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field. "Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said. "Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone." Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row. Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs. One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row. Mexico native -- and huge crowd favourite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet.
Perth Now
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Kiwi van Gisbergen earns NASCAR pole in Mexico
New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen has claimed his first NASCAR pole position of the season and will lead the field in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250. Saturday's 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field. His pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improved notably from his speed in the earlier two practice sessions. Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the Hermanos Rodriguez Race Track in Mexico City. Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his first series start. "It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night," van Gisbergen said. The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field. "Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said. "Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone." Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row. Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs. One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row. Mexico native -- and huge crowd favourite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet.
Newsweek
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Chris Buescher Devastated After Falling Short With 'Fastest Car on Track'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Despite a second-place finish at the Michigan International Speedway, Chris Buescher seemed upset about the "missed opportunity" that cost him the NASCAR Cup Series race win. RFK Racing had a great race weekend at Michigan, considering all three cars it fielded finished within the top ten. Buescher finished behind race winner Denny Hamlin, while Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski finished in ninth and tenth. Despite the remarkable team effort, Buescher took it on himself after the race, especially considering that he had one of the fastest cars. One factor that likely set him back was that his car took longer to refuel, which then followed undesired race restarts. Speaking to FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass, he said: Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Kroger/OIKOS Ford, walks the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Kroger/OIKOS Ford, walks the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee."I got by the 38 and I just had a big big over. And that's what let the 11, 54, then the 38 by. That moment was my error, and realistically cost us to win today, because we were better than the 11 car. "Proud of the team for giving me that car, and that opportunity. I'd love to have it back, but that's not an option. A lot of speed, fantastic race for us. Big solid day but just feels like a missed opportunity." Chris Buescher laments the missed opportunity with arguably the fastest car in the field as he finished second to Denny Hamlin. @NASCARONFOX — Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 8, 2025 Speaking to NBC Sports, Buescher stated that the team needs some luck on their side to win. He said: "We certainly need a little bit of good luck or fortune on our side. This is a day where we kind of made our own. We were really fast and worked hard to be there and just didn't have any bad luck, so that put us with a shot to win. "After the last handful of weeks with having speed in the first stage and qualifying and not being able to get the race finish that was certainly big, but it's frustrating to be that close and to know that we had a car that was capable of winning. I just needed to do a better job." He added: "That was such a fast Mustang. I really appreciate everybody on this team working so hard to put us in this situation and to have a chance to win. I'm disappointed I didn't get it done. It's on me. I had a couple different decisions I would love to go back and make and ultimately should have had us ahead of the 11. We were faster on the day and I didn't do a good enough job."
