HTC IRACING SERIES

🏁 TOP HEADLINES – HOTWHEELS CUP SERIES (Post-Charlotte, Pre-Nashville)

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🔥 Mikal Jackson Sets the Pace
• With 4 wins in 13 races, Jackson is firmly in control of the regular season standings (645 pts).
• He’s also the defending winner at Nashville, and a strong favorite heading into the weekend.
• A fifth win would make him the first driver since 2022 to win 5 races before the playoffs.

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🧨 Rookie Carter Williams Continues to Impress
• 2nd in standings (538 pts) and already has 2 wins this season.
• Continues to show elite composure against the sport’s veterans.
• Nashville will be his first start at this track, making this a critical test.

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🏆 Tarrez Martínez Gunning for Career Milestone
• With 2 wins in 2025, Tarrez is at 18 career HotWheels Cup wins.
• A Nashville victory would tie him with several legends at 19 wins.
• He’s also posted top-10 finishes in both of his last two Nashville starts (9th in ’23, 2nd in ’24).

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💥 Jim Johnson Surging Midseason
• The 2024 Champion has a win and sits 4th in points.
• Nashville is one of his best tracks (2nd in 2023, 5th in 2024).
• Johnson has quietly scored top-10s in 4 of the last 5 races.

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🎯 Playoff Cutline Battle Heating Up
• With only 16 playoff spots, drivers like Hunter Alfredo, Brian Andretti, and Colton Power are scrapping for points.
• Alfredo (12th), Andretti (13th), and Power (14th) are within 35 points of each other.

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🧊 Ace Earnhardt Jr. Still Winless
• Solid top-10 point standing (10th), but still no wins in 2025.
• Nashville has been a decent track (P6 in 2024, P8 in 2023), but expectations are rising.
• Pressure mounting for a breakthrough.

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🔧 Rookies Making Noise
• Travis Hollow (9th in standings) nearly won Nashville in 2024 (P3).
• Ryan Sanchez has shown flashes but lacks consistency.
• Rookie battles are also forming behind the cutline: Ty Gibson, Colton Power, and Kahloni Roberson all remain within reach.