Wow is there are plenty of headlines across all of NASCAR. Both stemming from Indianapolis and just within the sport alone. Here is your NASCAR News Flash for July 28th through August 3rd.
Austin Hill Suspended, an Injury, and a Schedule Change: NASCAR News Flash
While JR Motorsports was celebrating its 100th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Others had their focus on what was going to happen to Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill. The devastating right-rear hooking incident was seen by everyone. The question remained: would Hill be suspended? We certainly got that answer this week. Time and time again, the sport has been forced to step in in these situations, and what Austin did this past weekend was clear. The judgment came down on Tuesday, but that isn’t the only massive news in the sport worth talking about.
A massive schedule change for NASCAR is also making waves, plus other driver news.
No Surprise: NASCAR Suspends the Driver of the No. 21
Like anyone with a brain is surprised, NASCAR brought down the official punishment for RCR’s Austin Hill on Tuesday. Hill has officially been suspended for this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway. The suspension comes after he purposefully right-reared Aric Almirola into the wall in the closing laps of the Verizon 250 at the Brickyard this past Saturday.
It falls in line with other very similar incidents that saw Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott suspended in the past. Unlike those drivers, there isn’t a waiver this time, and more importantly, Hill had quite the playoff points built up on the season, having won three races, plus a handful of stage wins. But he kissed those points goodbye the moment he wrecked Aric, plus telling the sport to f-off probably didn’t help his case.
Yep, he has lost all his playoff points. That is a killer for a driver that arguably could win at any track in the series. He’s going to have a huge climb once he’s back from serving the suspension this weekend.
In a statement, RCR released on X, they said they would not appeal, and that they were focused on helping Hill try and win the 2025 Xfinity Series Championship. An odd stance, especially after the comments team owner Richard Childress said following the incident on Saturday. They also stated that Austin Dillon would be behind the wheel of the No. 21 this weekend.
A Horrible Crash Leaves Truck Series Veteran on the Shelf
Stewart Friesen is a well-respected racer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. When he’s not racing trucks, he’s somewhere racing on dirt. That was no different this week. He was back in his homeland of Canada, racing his dirt modified. He was involved in a very ugly crash that saw him flip massively, hit the wall, and the car caught fire.
#NASCAR Truck Series driver #StewartFriesen was involved in a scary accident during Monday night’s #DIRTcar Series #KingOfTheNorth race at #AutodromeDrummond in #Canada. He was alert & talking with officials before being transported to a hospital to be evaluated for injuries.🙏 pic.twitter.com/4ZTJofgv3y
— Last Lap Insider. (@LastLapInsider) July 29, 2025
He was pulled from the car and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. After awaiting news, Stewart’s wife Jessica offered an update Tuesday morning via his social media.
“Stewart has suffered an unstable open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,” Jessica said. ” Stewart also has a fractured right leg.”
A tough situation for the driver of the No. 52 Halmar Truck, who is locked into the Truck Series playoffs with his win at Michigan earlier this season. But this incident certainly puts into question what will happen with the team while Stewart recovers.
They are a small team, and obviously, he will need time to heal. Let’s just say it has been a tough couple of days for the Friesens. Especially after he got D’Q following Friday night’s race at IRP.
Read More: Layne Riggs Near Unstoppable in Truck Series Win at IRP
Farewell, Mexico City. Hello, Chicagoland?
Everyone knows NASCAR is always up to changing its racing schedule. That appears to be the case once again for 2026. Following up on the historic announcement of moving the Chicago Street Course date to San Diego. NASCAR appears to have found a way to keep the Chicago market open.
According to the Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, Mexico City is off the 2026 NASCAR schedule. That leaves a hole in the schedule, which Chicagoland Speedway appears to be filling.
The race in Mexico City proved to have plenty of buzz and excitement this season. However, after a lot of issues with the logistics of getting everything and everyone to Mexico, with a date that works with other races on the schedule, it proved to be too challenging. NASCAR raced there in June this season, but that ultimately wouldn’t work in 2026, as Mexico City is one of the hosts for the FIFA World Cup. With five matches scheduled between June 11th and July 5th, there wouldn’t be space for NASCAR to race then.
NASCAR doesn’t want to completely abandon racing in Mexico City. Thus, they are looking to return in 2027, according to Bianchi. There is no official word from NASCAR about Chicagoland, but it seems to be the buzz right now.
I’m sure there will be plenty more to talk about as NASCAR heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend.
Main Image: Logan Riely, Getty Images
Recording Date: 4/26/2025
