ARLINGTON – Kyle Kirkwood becomes the third new winner in the triple header that opened up the 2026 IndyCar season.

Despite an error made in qualifying yesterday and a couple of mistakes today made in the pit lane, the driver of the No. 27 JM Bullion Andretti Global machine managed to drive away as the first-ever winner of the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.

“I made mistakes yesterday, you know? We had the pace [today] to overcome it,” Kirkwood said of the issues with the No. 27 and this achievement. “We need to look back and see exactly what is happening on the rear right. This was an issue with the tire coming off and going on. I don’t know if the hub was messed up or what it might have been. I suspect there was an issue on the car.

We’ve been one of the fastest on pit lane. I think we were one of the fastest in Phoenix. I have a lot of confidence in [my team]. It was not a good day on pit lane. We’ll have it fixed in the next weeks.”

With the new regulations that each team must run two sets of the red, alternate tires on street courses, there was a more pressing need to optimize pit strategy. You could either run that softer tire for as long as the quickly degrading rubber would allow, or you could pit quickly to satisfy the rule and switch to the more durable black, primary tire.

For the No. 27, the team opted to start on the less durable alternate tires, which allowed them to push at the end on the harder tire.

To take the lead of the race, Kirkwood had to overtake four-time IndyCar Champion, Alex Palou, on the inside of turn 12.

The GUTSY pass that sealed the deal 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/3wGruH4sMR

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 15, 2026

“He just passed me incredibly. It was a very awesome overtake. Should have obviously defended a little bit better,” said Palou after the race. “I defended in turn 10. They were a little bit more trimmed than us. We knew that. They were catching us a lot on the straights. That was a decision we took. That’s the best we knew.

Then, out of turn 12, I went on the OT, on the hybrid as well. He was very close. I didn’t know if I had to defend or not. He just lunged. It was a clean pass.”

Both the overtaken Palou and Kirkwood’s Andretti Global teammate, Will Power, nearly had the chance to overtake for the win as a late-stage caution turned into a single-lap shootout for the victory.

“I thought it was good to try and get a green start again,” said Palou. “I was going to try it. Honestly, I don’t think I had the pace to try and go for Kyle. I was more worried about the 26 than the 27.”

“I was excited about the restart,” Power, who finished third, agreed. “I definitely wasn’t going to do anything risky. I was going to really try to finish where I was. Obviously, if Alex made a mistake or something, or Alex and Kirkwood got into it, I would have been very happy.”

Kirkwood, as the race leader at the time, had a different opinion from his other podium mates.

“I thought we weren’t going to do that, quite honestly, after the 500 a few years ago,” Kirkwood said. “I mean, I get it. Their first and foremost thing is to get a green-flag finish. Whatever it might take to get that done, I get it. Of course, when you see a five-and-a-half-second lead that you stretched and worked very hard to stretch go down to zero for one lap, it can get very frustrating inside the car.”

The race on the streets of Arlington concluded the three-race season opener, and IndyCar racing will resume on the first road course of the season. The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will air live on FOX on Sunday, March 29th at 1:00 PM ET.

Marcus Ericsson earned his first career NTT Pole Position award for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.

Ericsson, driver of the No. 28 Andretti Global car, finished his single-car, single-lap in the Fast Six with a time of 1:34:3562. The reverse order of the cars in that last round of qualifying worked to the Swedish driver’s advantage as he was able to get the car out first and keep his tires hot.

“I think there was like more than 20 minutes between my last lap in Fast 12 until my out lap in Fast Six,” said Alex Palou, who went out last in the Fast Six, and will start second in tomorrow’s race. “Only having an out lap just doesn’t allow you to warm up the brakes or the tires or anything. I was slower than I was on old tires in the previous sessions. I think tire temp made a difference.”

The tires weren’t the only thing working for Ericsson in qualifying; the track itself worked for him, too. Previous to the first practice session, Ericsson had stated that he felt the track had a lot of similarities to the Nashville street circuit that he had won back in 2021.

@andrettiindy

Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT on Instagram: "Big start tomorrow!!"

Following qualifying, he reiterated that this street course felt good to him.

“I think it’s a fantastic track to drive because it’s very technical,” Ericsson said. “It’s very tricky. It’s bumpy, but it’s bumpy in that sort of characteristic way, which I think really is IndyCar racing for me. It’s supposed to be bumpy and have different concrete, asphalt, and different surfaces through the corner phases. There were bricks in some places where you lose grip. It was very difficult, and that for me is really in IndyCar’s DNA.

We need more tracks like this, I think. I think it really raises the standard of INDYCAR racing. I think the race tomorrow is going to be fantastic. I really believe it’s going to be a good show.”

During the qualifying session, teams had some issues with how quickly the red, alternate tires seemed to be falling off. In St. Pete, the first street course of this season, those softer tires appeared to be the tire for the race, but here in Arlington, the streets seem to prefer the harder, primary tires.

“I think the alternates seem to fall off a lot more compared to St. Pete,” said the pole winner. “I think we’re going to see more degradation because I think the track is still very slippery. Even after day two, today is still a very slippery surface. I think it eats tires a little bit more.”

“The alternates are faster, but it seems to be that they’re having a lot more degradation than what we saw in St. Pete,” stated Palou. “It’ll be interesting because everybody has to run two sets of alternates. Let’s see how many cautions we get. I feel like it’s going to be a ton. Let’s see what the strategy is, how it shakes out.”

Due to heavy forecasted wind, the green flag for IndyCar will now wave at 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am local time) to start the race on the streets of Arlington.

INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, returned to the streets of St. Petersburg ready to pick up his reign over IndyCar. The four-time champion and one-time “500” winner finished nearly 13 seconds ahead of the competition in the first race of the 2026 season.

Palou started the race from fourth place, where he quickly overtook rookie Dennis Hauger for third. From there, the team optimized their use of the alternate, softer tires to keep the Spanish driver out longer than the two cars ahead that were on the primary, harder tires.

With the overcut from pitlane, Palau soared to the top of the leaderboard and led the race for a total of 59 of the 100 laps.

“This team; it keeps on improving, keeps on making changes, and they just keep on raising the bar,” Palou told the Fox broadcast. “There’s a long season in front of us, but what a great way to start a season.”

Behind him, the race for the other two spots on the podium was cutthroat.

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who had secured pole position in qualifying, made some quick overtakes to ensure his podium finish. This included an outside pass around fellow Kiwi driver Marcus Armstrong at turn 10.

“I knew this was going to be a strong track, and I had to make the most of it,” McLaughlin said following the race. “I think it was solid from my side. I think we just missed the balance a little bit, probably being a little bit cautious and not trying to throw away a good car, but it was still decent. I just think it was a really solid day for us on the 3 car.”

Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard took up the final spot on the podium. The Danish driver started the race from 12th place but moved up through pit strategy and a final pass around Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood to take third place.

“I think ultimately we knew the car was fast this weekend,” Lundgaard said. “We knew it was fast here last year. We simply just made a mistake in qualifying, and we made up for it in the race, but to go out there and put the results on paper feels nice now.”

Next weekend, IndyCar will return to Phoenix Speedway for the first time since 2018. The race will take place on Saturday, March 7th, at 3:00 p.m. EST and will serve as a double-header with NASCAR.

INDIANAPOLIS – Dale Coyne’s drivers, rookie Dennis Hauger and returning IndyCar driver Romain Grosjean, have both qualified within the Firestone Fast Six on the streets of St. Petersburg. This is the first time since 2022 that the team has qualified with this kind of result.

Hauger, who was the IndyNXT Champion last year, which earned him a scholarship for the DCR seat, qualified P3 with a time of 1:00:574. He will start the race in row two next to four-time IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou.

“I wasn’t really expecting that to be honest,” Hauger told the Fox Broadcast following his result. “I mean, we had been on the back foot in practice, but we really just kept on going, and, man, it was super nice.

In qualifying, I got some experience on the red tires, and we were pretty quick! So, good start. Still got a day tomorrow, so we’ll keep working, but definitely more than I could hope for.”

Grosjean, who has returned to the series as a full-time driver after spending last year as a reserve driver for Prema Racing, earned himself a P6 starting position with a time of 1:01:3462. Though it is the first time since 2022 for DCR to qualify within the top 6, the French driver won pole position with former team, Andretti Global, in 2023.

The two will hope to beat three-time St. Petersburg NTT Pole Position winner, Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevy, in tomorrow’s race.

“We did this last year, and I proceeded to have the worst year of my life,” McLaughlin said. “I’m just focused on execution tomorrow and the rest of the season. This is one little step. Just really proud of the execution because I felt like we nearly actually missed Q1. We were right on the buffer there, and the car was terrible. It was nice to tune it up and get it right, and then it became one of my favorite cars I’ve had around here.

It’s a testament to Raul and the camaraderie that we’ve built already and the understanding for each other, and that can only grow from here.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou put his legal battle with McLaren behind him as we head into the first NTT IndyCar Series race of the season.

McLaren Indy LLC, with McLaren Racing LTD, had filed a claim against the Spanish driver when he breached his contract in the summer of 2023. The now four-time IndyCar Series Champion freely admits that he broke the contract made with McLaren to stay with his current IndyCar team, Chip Ganassi Racing.

In their claim, McLaren listed the monetary losses that they believe have been the direct result of Palou’s breached contract. Listed reasons included the $400,000 sign-on bonus paid to Palou, loss of sponsorship money (including a renegotiation with NTT Data, which had entered into an agreement based on the understanding that Palou was to drive for Arrow McLaren), and performance-based revenue.

The lawsuit has now been settled following a $12 million ruling that looked to be headed to the appellate court.

“It’s the first time I can finally say that it’s over,” Palou said in a press conference before the first practice session of the 2026 season. “I can finally focus on what’s important, which is just to race, win races… I’m glad it’s now over and that it’s in the past.”

@alexpalou

Alex Palou Montalbo on Instagram: "It all starts here. We are s…

Palou is backed by team owner Chip Ganassi, who is now on the hook for the settled payout.

Ganassi released a statement through the team’s social media earlier today:

“I cannot condone what happened, and I’m glad that the matter is over. With the benefit of hindsight, I hope that Alex has learned it’s important to keep good people around him, which he now does, so the events of 2023 are never repeated.

I want to thank Zak and McLaren Racing for now giving us a chance to leave this matter behind us and fully focus on the exciting IndyCar season ahead.”

Palou won the season opener at St. Petersburg last season and hopes to repeat the result this weekend, and stated, “I think I’ve gone through a lot in the last two and a half or three seasons. I’m ready to get started now in 2026.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Winner of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 and four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion, Alex Palou, unveiled the ticket for the 110th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last night at K1 Speed in Fishers.

The driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda will be featured on the face of the ticket for a tradition spanning 78 years. Mauri Rose was the first to appear on the ticket back in 1948 following his win the year prior, and the honor of being featured has been in place ever since.

With DHL as a sponsor, Palou delivered the ticket unveiling in dramatic fashion with help from IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles. The jumbo-sized version of the ticket was carried in an equally jumbo-sized DHL envelope, and Boles and Palou opened the package and set what will be this year’s ticket on the stand.

Punched our ticket 👊@AlexPalou unveiled this year’s #Indy500 ticket design with an assist from @dhlus at @k1speed in Fishers! pic.twitter.com/ZNZ6IHEObl

— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) February 25, 2026

The ticket itself features a photo, taken by IMS photographer Chris Owens, of Palou standing on top of his car, celebrating his first 500 victory. It captures the insurmountable joy Palou felt in that moment.

“I always had to sign the ticket as a driver, and I always wanted to be on the ticket,” Palou said. “It’s amazing. I love it. It was probably the coolest day of my life, and I cannot wait to see it on a small scale all around IMS. It’s going to look good.”

Designed by IMS Senior Art Director Mandy Walsh, the image of Palou is superimposed over a stars and stripes background that celebrates our nation, as the event is held annually on Memorial Day Weekend. The actual ticket, unlike its much larger brother that was unveiled last night, will also feature red foiling across it, including a red foil copy of Palou’s signature.

On May 24th, Palou will defend his victory and aim to be the first to cross the yard of bricks, but until then, the season will kick off this weekend, March 1st, for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

IndyCar’s global direct-to-consumer streaming service, IndyCar Live, will support a network of international partners in an effort to bring fans full coverage of both the NTT IndyCar series as well as Indy NXT by Firestone.

From practice, qualifying, and race day to highlights, in-car-camera’s, and shorts, this new effort will provide international fans with the maximum amount of coverage as possible.

“IndyCar’s growth trajectory is the best in sports, and that includes significant expansion of our global availability and new interest from international audiences,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “This season, 14 nations and territories will be represented in our full-time lineup, and, with that, it is crucial that platforms are available to showcase the intense, wheel-to-wheel action of IndyCar to their countries and our international fanbase. We are delighted to announce this list of new and renewed partners, who will intensely follow what we believe will be a thrilling 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season.”

One such new broadcast partner to Brazil in 2026 is Band Sports (Bandierantes).

Brazilian IndyCar rookie, Caio Collet, joins the grid with AJ Foyt in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet. Collet was runner-up in the 2025 Indy NXT by Firestone Championship, and now, after an eight-year hiatus, Band Sports will allow his Brazilian fans to follow along on his journey in his first season as an IndyCar driver.

“It is extremely important to have INDYCAR back on free-to-air television, especially on a broadcaster like Band, which has a long and rich history not only with motorsport, but also with INDYCAR itself,” said Collet. “This helps elevate the category, expand its global reach, attract even more fans around the world, and also promote brands and personal sponsors that enable us to be there doing our job.”

The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series will take off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Firestone Grand Prix on Sunday, March 1st at noon.

The 24-year-old, now driving the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, joined the team following the 2025 IndyCar season. On Tuesday, he was the fastest on the one-mile track with his new crew, with a lap reaching 172.605 mph.

P1 on day one in the desert. pic.twitter.com/p5cwJYUXj6

— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 18, 2026

“I’m feeling great. This is the best I’ve felt in a very long time. The chemistry I have with the guys, the team, I’m just so happy,” Malukas said after his first time driving a Team Penske car on an oval. “I get to race this beautiful car. It’s fantastic. It’s a dream for me. So every time I come in and out of the pits, I’m smiling. I got a big smile on my face, and I think that, on top of that, it adds to the performance. You see that with all the other guys. You know, everybody is on it. They have their own missions to make sure that, as a team, we can get good results. Just being in that environment, it’s perfect.”

Malukas isn’t the only IndyCar driver getting comfortable with a new car and team. Former driver of the Team Penske No. 12 car, Will Power, landed himself the No. 26 of Andretti Global.

The 44-year-old IndyCar veteran is a two-time Champion (2014, 2022) and Indianapolis 500 winner (2018) with his former team, but is already starting to get comfortable in his new ride.

“Very excited,” said Power. “Getting real comfortable in the car, you know, just going through a bunch of different processes and so on. So, yeah, starting to feel really at home. And every race, I’ll get better and better.”

Power was third on the first day of testing at Phoenix after putting up a 171.076 mph in the desert.

For many drivers on the grid, the Good Ranchers 250 will be their first time racing an IndyCar at Phoenix Raceway.

While the test can’t run every scenario you might face during an actual race day, it can gather data and allow a team to get a general feel for the track. One point of contention that has already come up in discussing the race here in Phoenix in two and a half weeks is two-lane racing.

“I mean, it’s a new oval to the calendar for most parties involved, apart from the three or four guys who have run here before,” said driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward. “I really don’t know what to expect in terms of what the racing is going to look like, but I’m assuming we’re probably going to do a two-lane session this weekend to try and bring that up to life a little bit and see if guys can be running up there because we obviously want the race to be good enough for cars to be exploring rather than just the one-lane zone.”

Power expressed similar concerns about the second lane, stating, “If there’s not a second lane, no one’s going to pass. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. We really should be working on the second lane. Even in this open test, they should’ve put an extra set of tires for people to run on the outside. It’s the only way we are going to put on a good show, so I’m hoping that’s the case.”

“I am delighted to confirm today that I will be competing in the INDYCAR SERIES next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, taking part in the full season,” Schumacher said. “Having both an F1 and an endurance background, and having competed in various racing series over the years, I have insights and knowledge that I am sure will contribute to a great partnership. RLL prepared me extremely well during testing already, and I am sure that we can build a lot together.

“I was also immediately excited about the car and the American way of motorsport, which comes across as being more about pure and direct racing, and it is precisely this aspect that I am very much looking forward to. And of course, I am curious about new experiences and always interested in broadening my horizons. For me, a new journey is beginning here, and I am excited for the season to start.”

It was with Haas F1 that the Swiss-born driver made his 43 starts in the sport that his late father, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher raced in. Having been brought up the Formula ladder and winning his campaigns in both F3 and F2 with Prema Racing in 2018 and 2020 respectively, Schumacher shared his fathers passion for open-wheel racing.

In 2024, Schumacher turned his gaze to endurance racing where he drove for Alpine. He continued this run with Alpine for the 2025 season, having officially left his role as an F1 reserve driver. Throughout his two seasons the team generated eight top ten finishes including three podiums.

Schumacher participated in the IndyCar test held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 13th. There he finished third in a seven-car test after fellow 2026 IndyCar rookie Denis Hauger and seasoned veteran Alexander Rossi.

“I think I speak for everyone at RLL when I say how thrilled we are to welcome Mick to the team and to INDYCAR,” said co-owner of RLL Bobby Rahal. “His test with us on the IMS road course was exceptional – he impressed every single team member. Everyone walked away from that event determined to do what we could to bring Mick into our program. We’re thrilled he’s chosen to join us, and we can’t wait to get to work.”

Cover photo by Chris Jones courtesy of Penske Entertainment.

All but two teams signed. 23XI and Front Row Motorsports chose not to sign the Charter Agreements, stating it was unfair not to allow teams the time to properly barter the negotiations that would extend through 2031. A month later, 23XI filed a joint lawsuit with Front Row Motorsports in the Western District of North Carolina, where they would be suing NASCAR and James France for antitrust.

In part, their statement read, “NASCAR and the France family operate without transparency, have stifled competition, and control the sport of stock car racing in ways that unfairly benefit them at the expense of team owners, drivers, sponsors, partners, and fans through anti-competitive practices.”

There are five main anti-competitive practices that the two teams are suing the series and its owner over, with an initial hearing set for December 1st. As our court system continues to become more and more pro-business, the only way for 23XI and Front Row to walk out victorious will be to prove to the court that NASCAR has unreasonably restrained the flow of commerce in stock car racing.

September 6, 2024: The Charter Agreements

The Charter Agreements in the Cup Series came about in 2016 after a history of teams competing in year-to-year contracts. This guaranteed each chartered car entry into Cup Series races throughout the terms of the Charter Agreement. Why were these agreements so important? Throughout its history, many team owners have struggled to generate enough of a profit to keep their teams afloat.

Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row, stated that after being in the business for 20 years, he has yet to make a profit. Front Row isn’t the only team worried about finances. Jeff Gordon, who is not only a NASCAR legend but is the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, who owns four charters and has fourteen Cup Series championships, stated that he has “a lot of fears that sustainability is going to be a real challenge.”

Even with the 2016 Charter Agreements, teams faced extreme financial hardships. The high turnover rate presents itself as proof of this issue. In 2016, 19 team owners were granted charters, and of those, only eight remain in the sport.

Throughout the more than two years that negotiations for the 2025 Charter Agreements took place, “NASCAR continually stonewalled and refused to engage constructively," according to the joint statement made by 23XI and Front Row. In their court filing, they added that after refusing joint team negotiations, “The individual negotiations with the racing teams were completely one-sided, as NASCAR refused to budge from any of its core negotiating demands.”

It was after these unsuccessful individual negotiations that NASCAR sent its take-it-or-leave-it offer to team owners on September 6, 2024. While no teams went on the record for fear of retaliation by NASCAR, several were quoted as stating that they felt “coerced” into signing. One team owner went so far as to say it felt like NASCAR “put a gun to [their] head[s and we] had to sign.”

At midnight, when the deadline hit, while all the other teams handed over their signed 2025 Charter Agreements, 23XI and Front Row instead gave NASCAR a statement on why they refused to sign.

“I have dedicated myself to championing a more fair and transparent system within NASCAR… The charter that was forced on the teams with only hour’s notice does not accomplish these objectives,” stated 23XI Co-Owner Curtis Polk, “The new charter is an attempt to further marginalize the teams’ voices in the sport and consolidate control and the power in the hands of the France family for their sole benefit. I hope our actions [in not signing the Charter Agreement] lead to a future of collaboration for this great sport we love.”

October 2, 2024: The Monopolistic Practices

To support their claims against NASCAR, 23XI and Front Row listed five anti-competitive practices performed by the series and its owner.

The first practice listed is “Buying a majority of the premier racetracks that are exclusive to NASCAR races,” which coincides with the second practice, “Imposing exclusivity deals on NASCAR-sanctioned racetracks.”

In their acquisition of ISC in 2019, NASCAR gained control of 12 racetracks. Six out of the 12 racetracks acquired annually host two Cup Series races. Furthermore, according to NASCAR’s website and its list of NASCAR tracks, you can see that in 2024, over half of the Cup Series’ races were held on one of the 12 NASCAR-owned tracks.

“As the owner of these premier racetracks,” stated 23XI and Front Row’s legal team, “NASCAR can and will refuse to hold any other top-tier stock car races at the tracks so that it can maintain its monopoly position.”

When it comes to tracks that they don’t own, NASCAR requires track owners to sign an exclusivity provision should they wish to host a Cup Series race. In the terms that Dover Motorsports signed to continue to have their monster mile raced on by the Cup Series, it stated that they could “not promote, host, conduct, or stage… a stock car racing event at the Facility that attempts to duplicate, emulate, imitate, copy, simulate and/or mimic the NASCAR National Series.”

The next monopolistic practice by NASCAR, according to the two teams, was “Acquiring Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), the only notable stock car racing series competitor.” NASCAR took full control over the series in 2020 and has relegated it to a lower-level feeder series role.

“ARCA isn’t a true competitor to NASCAR…,” Yahoo Sports Senior Writer covering stock car racing, Nick Bromberg, stated, “but having ARCA under the NASCAR umbrella removes the last remaining possible competition to NASCAR’s stock car monopoly.”

The next practice listed is that NASCAR “[prevents] teams from participating in any other stock car races.” When the teams signed the 2016 Charter Agreements, it included a covenant not to compete, which has been applied continuously. 23XI and Front Row see this as a restriction on competition.

Lastly, the two teams state the practice of NASCAR to “[retain] ownership over Next Gen parts and cars[, and] forcing teams to buy their parts from single-source suppliers chosen by NASCAR.”

“Since the Next Gen car is property of NASCAR, NASCAR can and does prohibit teams from using the car in any race other than Cup Series races,” WINSTON & STRAWN LLP representatives stated in their claim, “If a team wanted to participate in another stock car racing event not authorized by NASCAR – even after the Charter Agreement and the covenant not to compete expired – it would have to build an entirely new car from the ground up.”

December 1, 2025: The Hearing and Its Challenges

After hearing the anti-competitive practices that 23XI and Front Row are suing NASCAR over, it is now time to look ahead to the challenges the teams might face in court as they head to their hearing set for the first of December this year.

In her book, Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age, Senior Senator, and chair of the U.S. Senate’s Antitrust Subcommittee, Amy Klobuchar tackles several issues that antitrust plaintiffs may face in a federal court. While several of these challenges Senator Klobuchar lists could pertain to this case, the two largest that these teams might run into will be conservative judges and existing legal practices.

This lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, where Chief Judge Martin Reidinger presides. Chief Judge Reidinger was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007 and began serving as chief judge in 2020. According to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “justices appointed by Republican presidents have, with remarkable consistency, delivered rulings that advantage big corporate and special interests.”

Thus far, the District Court has denied NASCAR’s motion to dismiss, allowing discovery, and has since set the initial hearing date for December 1, 2025. While the district court did deny a restraining order to retain their expired Charter Agreements, this seeking of discovery should spark some hope in the two teams that they may face a fair trial unhindered by conservative practices.

On the other hand, when it comes to existing legal practices, 23XI and Front Row may face more trouble. In order to successfully prove a violation of the Sherman Act, the two teams will be forced to provide evidence that the market for stock car racing was unreasonably restrained.

Since they plan to show this unreasonable restraint through the anti-competitive practices listed above, they will likely have to prove more than just the Sherman Act violation. When it comes to NASCAR acquiring ARCA, the two teams’ legal representatives will also have to show that this acquisition violated Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The acquisition of ARCA will have to be presented as “substantially lessening competition or [creating] a monopoly.”

The Vertical Merger guidelines from 1984 were replaced on June 30, 2020, by the first Trump administration. These new guidelines have been heavily criticized by Klobuchar and several of her fellow Senators for being pro-business. In NASCAR’s case, these new guidelines may allow an argument to be created that the acquisition of ARCA benefited competition rather than lessening it.

As the legal battle proceeds, 23XI, Front Row, and their legal team have stood by their original statements dating back to that night in September when NASCAR handed them an ultimatum, and they seemingly look forward to the December hearing.

“All I can tell you, and this will just be my blanket answer for all questions about [the lawsuit],” Denny Hamlin, part-owner of 23XI and NASCAR driver, said after his Cup Series win at Dover Motor Speedway this July, “if you want answers, if you want to understand why this is all happening, come December 1st. You’ll get the answers that you’re looking for, and all will be exposed.”

Sources

Nick Bromberg, NASCAR teams: Current Cup Series economic model is ‘broken’ and future sustainability ‘could be a real challenge’, YAHOO! SPORTS (Oct. 7, 2022), https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar-teamscurrent-cup-series-economic-model-is-broken-and-future-sustainability-could-be-a-real-challenge194559687.html. Last Accessed 12 August 2025.

Jeff Gluck, NASCAR's Brian France says Race Team Alliance unnecessary, USA TODAY (July 21, 2014), https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2014/07/21/race-team-alliance-brian-france/12967329/. Last Accessed 12 August 2025.

9 ISC Completes Closing of Acquisition by NASCAR, NASDAQ (Oct. 18, 2019), https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/isc-completes-closing-of-acquisition-by-nascar-2019-10-1

See List of NASCAR Tracks, NASCAR, https://www.nascar.com/tracks/. Last Accessed 12 August 2025.

See Secs. And Exch. Comm’n Form 8-K, Dover Motorsports, Inc., June 2, 2020

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“UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE DIVISION 2311 RACING LLC d/b/a 23XI RACING, and FRONT.” Courthouse News Service, 2 October 2024, https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/nascar-monopoly-antitrust.pdf. Last Accessed 12 August 2025.

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“This was a very important win for Team Chevy,” O’Ward stated, “I’m glad it was an all Chevy podium.”

The two other Chevrolet drivers on the podium were Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Will Power, who placed second and third. “I think they just finally got a good result, is what I would say for Chevrolet,” Newgarden answered when asked whether Chevrolet showed strength today in its win over Honda. “We have had potential to win a race all year,” teammate Power added, “It was just a strange year.”

Newgarden led 232 of the 275 laps, but ultimately lost to O’Ward who blended ahead of him coming out of the pits. “The guys did an awesome job with the pit stop,” Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan said, “Newgarden for some reason decided to pit when he pit, we stayed out and Pato pushed as much as he could to close that gap and then on the sequence we ended up beating him out.”

“Pato spun this morning coming out of the pits because he was trying to leave as fast as he could,” Kanaan continued, “and I think he found the limit, and today he won the race. It was all him today on that pass.”

Another surprise in the racing today in Iowa was that the second lane remained open throughout the race. There were questions going into the doubleheader about the availability of the second lane and whether the two races would consist of single-file racing. Today’s race proved that IndyCar can have double lane racing at Iowa Speedway.

“Yeah, it's rubbered in,” Power said of the second lane, “It could actually help the race tomorrow. It will already be rubbered in. Everyone will have seen that you can run two lanes. Everyone will run two lanes, so essentially it will be just better racing.”

This shift in the availability of the second land was also noted by O’Ward, who last year had been highly critical of the lack of on-track passes. “With new tires, you can run a lot higher than I thought,” O’Ward considered, “I think tomorrow – With now a race under our belt, people are going to try to get a little bit more confident up there and see if they can make it work.”

As he completed his 100th race start in his IndyCar career, O’Ward won on the same track that he won on in his 50th race start. “First time I [have done] a repeat [win] at a track, so that's a cool milestone for myself,” stated O’Ward, “Super happy for all the guys and gals at Arrow McLaren. We've been working really hard.”

“It's my first win [as Team Principal],” Kanaan celebrated, “This kid is unbelievable… We're here to win, and he has this team around him, and he delivers when it needs to be delivered.”

Both O’Ward and the Team Penske drivers will look to repeat today’s success in race two as current IndyCar Championship standings leader, Alex Palou, starts from pole position.

Photo Credit: Penske Entertainment: Joe Skibinski

Three-time IndyCar Champion Alex Palou seemed to have the same doubts he had after the 2024 doubleheader as he did following the 2025 Iowa test.

Last year, after his second-place finish in race two, Palou stated, “The IndyCars we had, the package of IndyCar tire, aero, engine, whatever we had on track this weekend, it was impossible to make it run.”

This past weekend at Mid-Ohio, when commenting on the 2025 Iowa test, his sentiment remained unaltered. “We were trying everything we could, IndyCar in general and all the teams, trying to get a package that was going to be better,” Palau said, “I don’t think we found it.”

Palau is not the only IndyCar driver who expressed concern over potential issues with Iowa during the Mid-Ohio race weekend. Penske driver Will Power, who last year won the second race of the doubleheader from 22nd, also spoke on how the recent test went for him.

“The challenge is being able to hold on for a stint,” Power remarked, “They’ve just added so much downforce. It’s so stuck that it’s actually painful. I did half a stint, and I’m like, man, I didn’t know if I could actually continue. Like, I think there’s going to be people like stopping just because it’s so painful. It’s too much, too much grip.”

Outside of the IndyCar package and the physical effects it brings on, another issue that will come into play is the second lane. More specifically, the lack thereof.

With a second-place finish in the first race in 2024, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren, Pato O’Ward, felt frustrated in his inability to pass on track. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed,” O’Ward stated after his podium finish, “Really tough to get that second lane working. Compared to I don’t know how many on-track passes we had last year, probably not even a 10th of that… Just no way to get around a car.”

Arrow McLaren teammate, Christian Lundgaard, after his third-place finish this past weekend at Mid-Ohio, also remarked on the struggle to open the second lane while racing on a repaved Iowa.

“I think all of us used to at least like the racing,” Lundgaard said, “I don’t know about you, but at least before they repaved it, I thought the racing was quite awesome, and I think after the repave, I think it’s just a lot more single-file racing, and I think we would prefer some more double-lane racing in that sense.”

David Malukus, driver of the No. 4 A.J. Foyt car that inherited second place at this year’s Indianapolis 500, is one of the few who seem to have faith that IndyCar can deliver a package that can reinstate the kind of racing we saw in Iowa previous to the repave.

“Iowa used to be an incredible circuit for us with many, many passes,” Malukas stated, “so hopefully with these changes and the new package IndyCar is working on, hopefully we can get back to the old ways.”

Photo credits: Charlie Neibergall/AP

Dixon is the only other driver, other than teammate Alex Palou and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, to win a race thus far this season. “The Iceman” saw himself in contention for the win after executing a two-stop and fuel-saving strategy.

“As soon as I saw the caution at the start,” Dixon said, “I was like, man, the two-stop is on.”

The first lap caution was brought on by the driver of the No. 2 Penske, Josef Newgarden, and lasted several laps, playing into Dixon’s favor. “If it had been like one or two laps,” managing director at Chip Ganassi, Mike Hull, remarked, “our strategy probably would not have worked.”

After leading the field for 75 of the 90 laps, a rare and costly mistake from Palou, the defending IndyCar champion, allowed Dixon to overtake for the win. Palou ran wide into turn nine after getting into the tire marbles.

“The main issue was the marbles. It felt like ice. Then I got into the curb, and I couldn’t get out of the curb,” Palou said, “The RPM dropped a lot, and I didn’t have any power at all. I was full throttle, but it was just going so slow.”

Palou attempted to catch his teammate back up during the five remaining laps, but he was ultimately unable. “I think I lost today. It’s not like we got beat,” Palou stated, “but [I] lost it myself.”

As a whole, Chip Ganassi Racing had an incredible weekend from start to finish. Palou added another NTT Pole Award to his collection, and youngster Kyffin Simpson had a career-best starting position. Simpson started in the second row and remained in the top 10 despite a stalling issue in the pit lane.

“I was hoping it was going to be a one-two-three,” Dixon said, “That’s how we left the meeting this morning was that we were going for a one-two-three, and unfortunately had a bit of a situation there, but hell of a job for Kyffin and everyone on the No. 8.”

Chip Ganassi Racing emphasizes that they are “one team,” and while there are three different cars, those cars ultimately make up one team. “If you can create unselfishness on any sports team,” Hull reflected, “... you can accomplish more than anybody else can.”

Coming off the high of a team one-two and an overall good weekend, Chip Ganassi Racing will be aiming for another win next weekend as IndyCar returns to oval racing in Iowa.

The Florida native was the quickest all weekend, but a small mistake cost him the pole on Saturday. “I have never been more disappointed with a third in my life,” Kirkwood said on the Fox Broadcast, “I know I threw away a pole, without a doubt.”

After starting the race from third, the No. 27 Andretti team opted for an interesting tire strategy. When pitting for the harder, primary tires, the team put two scuffed tires onto the front of Krikwood’s car and two sticker tires onto the rear. The harder compound tire is more difficult to warm up than the softer, alternate tires. Using the two scuffed tires allowed Kirkwood to get them to temperature more quickly than someone on all fresh primaries.

Following a yellow brought on by a front left tire coming loose on the Prema of Callum Illot, several drivers who had been running towards the back of the pack found themselves in contention for the win. The cars running in the top three became those of Santino Ferruci, Kyffin Simpson, and Marcus Armstrong.

On the first lap of the restart, Alex Palou, who won the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 one weekend ago, found himself in the wall and out of the race. Palou told Fox Sports Journalist Bob Pockrass, “We had a great opportunity to win a race today… it just sucks when you get taken out early on.”

This restart allowed Kirkwood the chance to work his way back to the top. In his maneuver to overtake Simpson, Kirkwood tapped his front wing, causing slight damage to the right. Even with the front wing damaged, the No. 27 managed to overtake for the lead and stay out ahead of Ferruci.

An unexpected suspension failure on Louis Foster’s No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car caused a massive accident between him and Meyer Shank Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist. This led to a red flag procedure with 13 laps to go.

Unable to fix the front wing damage during the red flag, Kirkwood and the Andretti team anxiously awaited the restart.

As the flag went green, Kirkwood sped off, creating a nice gap between himself and those in his pursuit. This included his teammate, Colton Herta, running a few cars behind.

In a huge win for the Andretti Global team, Herta was able to finish the race in third place after he spent those last laps defending against two-time IndyCar Champion Will Power. After a somewhat tumultuous start to the season, Herta was glad to achieve a good result for the team. “I would’ve loved to have won [from pole position],” said the driver of the Gainbridge Honda, “...but with how the season’s gone, I think we are happy with the podium and just need to keep it rolling.”

It was also a massive win for A.J. Foyt Racing as Ferrucci ended the race in second place, which marked his career-best finish. This makes the team's best finish on a street course since Takuma Sato was their driver in 2015.

After hitting the streets of Detroit immediately following the Indy 500, the teams and personnel finally get a week off before regrouping at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Bommarito 500. “It's been a long month,” stated Kirkwood, “It's been a long month for everyone probably here in this room…now we've got an off week, and I hope everyone can go out there and enjoy it as much as possible. I know I will.”

Photo Credit: Penske Entertainment and taken by Joe Skibinski

With only six races completed so far this season, and five of them won by the three-time IndyCar champion, it is no wonder that the Fox Sports commentator booth nicknamed him “Perfect Palou.”

Through a series of early cautions, Palou was able to optimize a fuel-saving strategy that put him in the perfect position to be the one to cross the historic Yard of Bricks first under caution. He finished ahead of Marcus Ericsson after rookie Nolan Siegel crashed on the final lap.

“When I was behind [Ericsson], I was just saving fuel,” said Palou, “so we could go hard at the end trying to stay in the lead.”

According to IndyCar, Ericsson was later dropped to 31^st place after a post-race inspection revealed his car had unapproved spacers and parts that “provided the capability of enhanced aerodynamic efficiency.”

Palou, at the age of 28, joined Alexander Rossi as the only drivers under 30 to win the race in the last 10 years. If Palou’s dramatic pass on Ericsson with 14 laps to go looked familiar, it may be because it was nearly identical to the maneuver that four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves pulled on this year’s winner back in 2021. In both cases, the lapped traffic ahead provided the perfect tow to keep the winning car out of reach from the car running in second.

“[Castroneves] was an amazing teacher, but it was an expensive class!” joked Palou, “You need to have the traffic at the right time, and you need to be able to read it.”

Ericsson said he wished he had used the lapped traffic to his advantage before Palou had the chance to overtake him for the lead. “I’m going to play it in my head and sort of figure out what I could have done differently,” the Andretti Global driver said, “because if I got one of the [lapped] cars between us, that would have been a huge buffer to Alex.”

While Indy 500 tradition saw Palou drinking milk on the podium, it is likely a lot more champagne could be coming his way during the remainder of this season. Palou currently reigns first in the championship standings. With nearly the same points gap between himself and Pato O’Ward in second place as the distance between O’Ward and Conor Daly in 20th place, it would be a tough feat for any driver to catch him.

Team owner Chip Ganassi spoke highly of Palou’s undeniable success this season and throughout his career. “He is one of the greats… It’s that simple,” Ganassi stated. “He is right there, shoulder to shoulder, with the rest of them… [Dario] Franchitti, [Juan Pablo] Montoya, [Scott] Dixon, and all the champions we have had.”

For Palou, the victory validated his remarkable earlier success. “It’s amazing to win this race,” he said. “This race means so much to me, to my family, for the IndyCar community, for our fans, and I would say motorsport in general. To be an Indy 500 champion… It’s amazing.”

With his first win on an oval now complete, Palou is looking forward to the rest of the season and his chance at a fourth IndyCar title. A newfound confidence on ovals had the winner of the 109th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing delivering a promise to come back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year to win it again.

“We checked that box,” Palou said, “and we need another one now.”

This was the third time in four years that the Gamecocks have been in the national championship game. Unlike their two previous runs in 2022 and 2024, South Carolina lost.

Staley thought UConn had beaten her team convincingly. “We tried to throw a lot at them,” she said, “and they rose above it all… They rose above it all.”

Staley was not the only one to commend the UConn team. The South Carolina student-athletes also recognized their competitors’ skills.

“They ran their stuff. They didn’t back down from us,” sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley said, “I [felt] like we came out on the same level, but we didn’t keep it going. We didn’t keep it up.”

Despite the 23-point loss, there was a sense of resilience among the Gamecocks in their locker room. They made it to the Final Four for the fifth time consecutively, and won the championship three times, in 2017, 2022 and 2024.

It was clear the returning players were already mentally preparing to make that sixth consecutive Final Four appearance next year in Phoenix, and seniors were grateful for their experiences playing for the Gamecocks.

“I keep saying we aren’t done yet,” sophomore guard Tessa Johnson said with apparent determination, “it’s not the end of the world, and… yeah, we’re gonna fight.”

Freshman Maddy McDaniel believes in taking information shared by departing seniors and putting it into action. “They taught a lot discipline-wise,” McDaniel said, “How to keep our head up and play with some poise… it has been such a learning experience for me.”

Senior guard Bree Hall cherishes her time at South Carolina, despite the loss today, and leaves the Gamecocks with two national titles.

“They will be back here next year,” Hall said with confidence, “I’m saying it, next year… I believe in them.”

Guards Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson hope that this loss will fuel the Gamecocks fire and resilience. Much like Hall, the two are confident that South Carolina will do well next year without them.

Johnson is currently undecided on whether she will return to South Carolina next year. She is eligible for a redshirt year and is also eligible to enter the WNBA draft. When a reporter asked if today’s loss has the potential to change her decision on entering the draft, Johnson answered, “Yeah, it [does]… because I would like to end on a good note.”

For Paopao, who ended her collegiate career today, the run with South Carolina will stay with her forever. “I’m going to take our relationships and our joy together…,” she said, “because they have brought so much life into me.”

While Staley prepares to say goodbye to her seniors, she is hopeful about the returning players’ mindset, “I think they got a great experience of playing at this level [and] I hope they have [the] desire to get back here and do all the things it takes to play in a national championship game and to deliver the blows that [are] needed to win.”

The two teams squared off just two months ago in a game that severed South Carolina’s 71-game home winning streak.

“It was embarrassing,” said senior guard Te-Hina Paopao, “It sucked, but we [had] to swallow it and come back the next day knowing we’ve got to be better.” Paopao plays a major role in the Gamecocks’ success with her shooting consistency. In last night’s semifinal against the Texas Longhorns, she made 9-12 total shots for a combined 14 points.

Though South Carolina has shooters like Paopao capable of huge offensive runs, the team relies heavily on its ability to outrebound its opponents. In the team’s last game against the Huskies, UConn was able to outrebound the Gamecocks by 19.

In the championship game, a top priority of South Carolina’s defensive strategy will be to control rebounds and keep the ball out of the Huskies’ hands. “They’re a great shooting team,” junior point guard Raven Johnson said, “so we definitely need to cut down on their extra possession because when they get good looks, they don’t miss.”

Johnson was a freshman on the team in 2022, the last time the Huskies and Gamecocks played each other in the NCAA Championship game. That year, South Carolina beat UConn 64-49.

Johnson isn’t the only veteran on the Gamecocks. Senior point guard Bree Hall was also on that 2022 team. When she reflects on her state of mind as a freshman preparing for the championship game, she recalls taking melatonin the night before due to nerves. “I don’t think I am going to have to do that this year,” Hall said, “I’m just confident.”

A portion of that confidence comes from knowing that South Carolina has players like freshman forward Joyce Edwards on the bench ready to come in as a substitute. In the Final Four game against Texas, Edwards scored 11 points and had a team-high eight rebounds and six assists.

“We have a bench that can play,” Hall stated, “so [we can] go out there and play as hard as [we] need to play, and [we] can rest knowing that [the] team is going to take care of business when they sub in. It’s a very comforting feeling.”

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley doesn’t think that revenge for the home loss against UConn is what motivates her team. “I think the fuel is to win another championship,” Staley said, “they’re competitors. If they weren’t… they probably wouldn’t be on our team.”

Both Hall and Paopao stated that no matter which team, UConn or UCLA, had reached the championship game, it would be one that the Gamecocks had lost to during the regular season. Either way, they were going to come into the game on Sunday fired up to win.

“We are a different team now,” Paopao said, “so we just have to go showcase that tomorrow for 40 minutes.”

In her press conference today, Staley was asked about the strategies the team will use to contain UConn redshirt senior guard Paige Bueckers. Bueckers won the 2025 Wade Trophy and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. While Staley recognizes Bueckers’ talent and praises her basketball skills, she doesn’t agree with some of the sentimental narratives surrounding her on her quest for a national championship.

“There is room in our game for all of us to be covered,” Staley said, “Let’s not choose a history. Let’s not choose one program over another program’s history. Let’s not choose one player over another one’s history… because we are all creating history for our game.”

When the Gamecocks (35-3) meet UConn on Sunday afternoon, they will attempt to become the first repeat champion since the Huskies won four consecutive titles from 2013-16.

Te-Hina Paopao led the Gamecocks with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Joyce Edwards scored 13, with 11 rebounds and six assists. Texas (35-4) was led by Jordan Lee, who scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

Texas sophomore forward Madison Booker was held to 11 points, 5.5 below her average, because of foul trouble. When Booker was charged with three in the first half, the Gamecocks capitalized.

“It had a huge impact,” said PaoPao. “When you got a great player like that, you just gotta keep going, keep going at her because you know you gotta get them in foul trouble, which makes them, you know, change the whole aspect of the game.”

After leading 38-35 at halftime, South Carolina turned up the heat on the Longhorns. “We only scored nine points,” Texas guard Rori Harmon stated sarcastically when asked what happened in the third quarter, “and they scored twenty… so that’s kind of what went wrong.”

The Gamecocks were also able to control the flow of the game by committing three turnovers in the second half.

By the fourth quarter, Texas struggled to find the basket, making just 31.3% of its shots in the period. The pressure was building, and it started to feel like déjà vu from the Southeastern Conference tournament championship. As South Carolina kept adding to its score, Texas just couldn’t keep up.

Three of the four Texas losses this season were against South Carolina. “Those three games being to them,” remarked senior guard Shay Holle, “I wouldn’t let that define our whole year at all.”

Harmon added, “We only lost to two people, two teams… that in itself shows how hard we can push and how great we are through adversity as a team.”

With so many graduating seniors, Texas coach Vic Schaefer knows that the end of their season comes with many goodbyes. “You can replace the position,” Schaefer said, “but you can’t replace the player.”

There may be goodbyes to the seniors, but we haven’t seen the last of Texas in the NCAA tournament. Their coach knows that everything that happened this year is for a reason. “I know there is a bigger plan… I’m not real fond of it right now,” joked Schaefer, “but I know there is a bigger plan, and I’m good with it.”

Soon after, longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli stepped up to the podium to begin the award ceremony, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Though the recipients of each award had already been announced, the crowd wanted to see friends and colleagues recognized for their work.

This sense of community can best be showcased by the relationships and connections between the recipients of the Rising Star Award and those inducted into the USBWA Hall of Fame. Years and generations may separate these award winners, but their love of the same game binds them tightly together.

Last year’s Rising Star recipient, Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant, introduced the 2025 winner, Marissa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle. The award is presented to a member of the media under the age of 30 who impressively demonstrates their ability to cover the women’s game. Adams sets the stage for the kind of character that Ingemi possesses. She states that Ingemi has “given a voice to the communities that are so rarely represented or even considered a part of the traditional sports world.”

When she accepted her Rising Star Award, Ingemi acknowledged her hope to connect with future sports writers. “I really do hope that people and young journalists, especially young women, young queer people who want to be a part of this industry are able to look up to all the people really building this industry up,” she said. To Ingemi, it is important to stress the inclusivity that the women’s basketball writing community creates. Both Ingemi and Adams look up to each other, their fellow Rising Star recipients, and the rest of the sports writing community. They learn and grow from one another, and as Ingemi said, “We really need to be there for each other.”

The Hall of Fame inductees come from different decades and backgrounds. Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press describes himself as being in the third quarter of his career, and the Rising Stars are all in their first quarter. For the past nearly 20 years, Feinberg has been a member of the community writing about women’s basketball. In his acceptance speech, Feinberg thanked the Associated Press for giving him the chance to cover this beat and investing as much as they do in women’s basketball. “Not because of a charity thing,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s a sport that [they] should be involved in.”

When Feinberg looked to the table where four current and past Rising Stars sat, he had a proud look as he told them they were the future of the business. “It’s so great to see so many young women coming up and being part of the sport, telling great stories,” Feinberg said.

Milton Kent, the second Hall of Fame inductee, has worked in women’s college basketball since he was 19 years old. At the time, he was reluctant but said, “Over the nearly 43 years since [then, he has] come to recognize how special this game is and what a pleasure it is to be around it.”

As the USBWA award brunch came to an end, friends met to take pictures and say goodbye before they headed to the Amalie Arena for the NCAA national semifinals. Each left knowing they had a community to lean on, and if nothing else, they would all meet again at the next USBWA event.

As Texas prepared to meet South Carolina in its first NCAA national semifinal appearance since 2003, it was clear that the success of the Longhorns comes from their love for the game, their state and each other.

For senior Shay Holle, the only place she ever considered playing college basketball was Texas. The Austin student has deep roots planted at the school and says she is “a Longhorn for life.” Her father played football for Texas and her whole family bleeds burnt orange. She even has childhood pictures of herself in a UT cheerleading uniform. While she didn’t go the cheer route, she is proud now to don Bevo on her uniform.

Texas native Rori Harmon, a senior point guard, grew up in Cypress, two and a half hours from the University of Texas. Home is everything for her, and this is the reason she decided to play basketball at UT. “I love Houston,” she said. “I love Austin. I love Texas.” After a season-ending knee injury in December, 2023 and 10 months of rehab, reaching this Final Four means that much more to Harmon. Now, she can showcase her home state love on the biggest stage in women’s college basketball.

The Longhorns have succeeded because of their chemistry. They aren’t just good teammates; they are good friends. Holle says it goes beyond the fact that they spend nearly all their time together, although that is, of course, a part of it. She says it’s mostly due to the lack of cliques. From the 6:00 a.m. conditioning to the pre-season, she said, “When you go through things like that with each other, you can’t help but have each other’s back.”

While the team may not have friendship cliques, they sure do have the viral kind. The athletes have been posting plenty of videos of themselves on TikTok since they arrived and even got Schaefer in on the action. Sophomore Madison Booker said her coach didn’t need convincing. She joked that he looked like he was upset that he hadn’t been invited to be in the video, an accusation Schaefer tried to deny. Booker said that the team wants to have fun. “Behind cameras, this is how we act,” she said. “We act like one big happy family.”

With so many seniors on the Longhorns, you can see how much these teammates want to experience together during their stay in Tampa, even off the court. Booker laughingly said, “Shopping together, that’s what brings us together.” For a moment, it was like the pressure and the stakes of the Final Four were wiped away, and they were just bonding as college students and friends.

That isn’t to say that these student-athletes don’t know how integral it is for them to take this trip seriously. Holle said, “All of us, even the young kids, know this is a business trip.” The Longhorns know that to maximize their time together and make it to the championship game, they will have to find the perfect balance of work and play. Harmon stated, “We want to enjoy the moment and stay loose, but when it’s time to step on the court… we know what’s at hand.”

There is so much the Longhorns can look forward to as they head into this national semifinal game. They will meet South Carolina for the fourth time this year after splitting the regular season games and losing to the Gamecocks, 64-45, in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game.

The Longhorns have the chance to grow closer together and learn from one another. And if they get their way, they can earn the chance to become national champions.