BARBERVILLE, Fla. After winning his second Super DIRTcar Series championship, Mat Williamson didnt rest in the offseason.

Instead, he took on the Chili Bowl Nationals for the first time behind the wheel of a Keith Kunz Motorsports Midget.

It was the first time the St. Catharines, Ontario, driver traveled to Tulsa for the annual event, an experience he described in one word: Amazing.

I really tried to tell people that it was a lot like Super Dirt Week, Williamson said. It felt like when we walked into the mile back in the day. It was pretty wowing.

Its certainly something that you really have to experience once or twice.

Williamson started the week with two practice sessions, before running his preliminary night on Tuesday of the week-long event. Thats where Money Mat had an unforgettable experience in his Heat Race, flipping his No. 71P after contact with 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars Rookie of the Year Buddy Kofoid.

However, Williamson said he wasnt frustrated after the incident.

I actually think that calmed me down a little bit, Williamson said.  I dont ever really destroy race cars. I got a pretty good track record at being conservative behind the wheel and not tearing up equipment. Then, getting in a Keith Kunz car I flip at the first race. So, after they put me back over, I kept going and Im like, Shit, you know, I think I did all right for flipping this thing over. I didnt tear it up too bad.

Once that happened, I think my nerves kind of went away and I got a little bit more relaxed behind the wheel and just focused on racing instead of worrying about wrecking the race car.

After finishing fifth in his qualifier, Williamson transferred to the nights B-Main where he narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Feature. As he drove through Turns 3 and 4, Williamsons Midget wheelied off the corner, allowing Garet Williamson to drive by him for the final transfer spot.

That finish sent him to the E-Main on Saturday, where he finished 11th, ultimately ending his first attempt at the Chili Bowl.

I feel like if I had a hot lap session on Saturday it wouldve probably made my week a little easier, Williamson said.  But you know, I dont do it as often as I should, and I hadnt ever done it before. By the end of Tuesday, I felt like I was really comfortable behind the wheel, but then you know we take four days off and then I go back, and I race against people that do it all time.

I was pretty happy with our results. I think that puts us in the top 100 cars that are there. And there was damn near 400 there so theres a lot of cars with far more experience.

With the Chili Bowl complete, Williamson is turning his attention to the Super DIRTcar Series and Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park Feb. 12-15.

If he drives his Buzz Chew Racing No. 88 to another Big Gator title in February, Williamson will be the first driver to win preseason championship for three consecutive years since the Big Gator trophy was introduced in 2012.

Along with winning the week-long championship, hes reached victory lane six times at Volusia since 2020, including three of the last five features.

I feel like any time you give us a couple days to figure out the race track, I feel like we thrive, Williamson said.  We do a really good job adapting to the race track and as long as we stay focused, we really adapt pretty well. So, I think that weve got a pretty decent notebook for that place because we go so often.

Sébastien Ogier is on the cusp of an unprecedented 10th Rally Monte Carlo victory after another flawless performance on Saturday, further extending his lead at the iconic French Alps event.

The Frenchman, driving a GR Yaris Rally1 for Toyota GAZOO Racing, heads into Sundays final leg with a commanding lead of 20.3 seconds, having delivered a measured and calculated drive through six challenging stages west of Gap on Saturday. His and co-driver Vincent Landais efforts kept the chasing pack firmly at bay.

Despite milder temperatures offering respite from ice, Ogier had to battle the toughest of the days conditions.

His 10th-place starting position meant he faced mud and loose stones left on the road by the cars ahead, yet the eight-time world champion used every ounce of his Monte-Carlo experience to push on, extending his lead which stood at 12.6 seconds after Friday. Behind him, Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux continued their fight for second place, while a fast-finishing Ott Tänak also staked his claim for a podium result.

We are still in the lead. Its not increasing much, but its still going the right way, reflected Ogier. It was a positive day, but I am happy to have it behind me. Starting last [on the road] of the Rally1s was definitely the most challenging conditions, so I am happy with what we have done.

Just 4.3sec separated Evans and Fourmaux at the end of the rallys longest day, with the Welshman taking back control of second place after a thrilling back-and-forth. Fourmaux, on what has been a stunning Hyundai WRC debut so far, hit top gear in the morning to snatch second from Evans on SS11, but the Toyota driver fought back in the afternoon, edging ahead once more.

Tänak came alive in the afternoon after set-up tweaks unlocked more speed from his Hyundai. He surged past Toyotas Kalle Rovanperä on SS13, then set a blistering pace on SS14 winning the stage and beating Fourmaux by 13.3 seconds. Another powerful run on the days finale left the Estonian only 2.5sec adrift of his team-mate heading into Sunday.

Two-time WRC champion Rovanperä, who ended 27.9sec behind Tänak in fifth, felt that he couldnt have done much more. His preference for faster, flowing stages left him at a disadvantage on the days tighter, more technical roads.

More than two minutes separated the Toyotas of Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari in sixth and seventh overall, with both drivers relieved to have completed another day without any major drama. The same couldnt be said for Thierry Neuville, who languished eighth after a power delivery issue on SS10 cost him around 50 seconds and stunted any hopes of a fightback after his Friday struggles.

For Grégoire Munster, the day was bittersweet. The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver celebrated his first-ever fastest WRC stage time on Saturdays opener, but after retiring with a technical fault on the final liaison section back to service on Friday, hes unable to challenge his Rally1 rivals for an overall position. Without the issues, Munster could have been in the mix for a top-five finish.

Puma Rally1 debutant Josh McErlean made huge strides, breaking into the top nine as he gained valuable mileage in the car. Nikolay Gryazin was 10th overnight, while Yohan Rossel extended his lead in the WRC2 category and also sits 11th overall.

Sundays final leg starts from Gap and includes three more tricky stages as the rally journeys south to the finish in Monaco.

As Will Power stares at year No. 18 behind the wheel of an Indy car, his drive to keep rolling only grows.

The longtime Team Penske driver, who turns 44 in March, is coming off perhaps one of his more impressive seasons behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet. 

Three victories and four runner-up results propelled Power to a fourth-place points effort by seasons end.

However, it very well couldve been a third championship had the final two races turned out differently. 

Following a second-place result in the first of two races at The Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin, Power was in prime position to threaten points leader Alex Palou.

Palou endured uncharacteristic battery failure prior to the start of the second event, which sidelined the Chip Ganassi Racing driver for the first 28 circuits. 

The points situation swung Powers way momentarily until a spin relegated the driver of the No. 12 to 10th on the grid. 

Looking ahead to the finale at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee, Powers title hopes were dashed due to a belt issue early in the event. Hed finish 24th. 

While the season could be chalked up as a what couldve been year, Powers mentally thrown away the negatives and is ready for a fresh slate. 

Based on the performance the second half, really most of the season last year were very strong, Power said. A very disappointing end, obviously, there to drop back a couple in the championship standings.

Yeah, very determined to come back and have a strong 2025. I think well have the car, engine, package to do it, and I think Penske is in a very good spot right now.

As Penskes longest-tenured driver in the series, the question of how much longer Power will remain with the team is a recurring question seemingly every year with the rise of teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. 

Power inked an extension with the team following his second title in 2022. 

However, hes entering a contract year in 2025. Earlier in January, Power signed with Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonsos agency, A14 Management, as Power looks ahead to negotiations. 

With high performance a must, especially in the final year of his deal, Power stressed the importance of staying at the pinnacle of his game.

Its not just so about being impressive, its like necessary. Youre certainly not sticking around if youre not doing that, Power said. Youd better turn up or else shes over. Thats just the way it is.

But I love it. I love the competition. I love the preparation. I love finding new little details and things to be better every year.

Yeah, its kind of funny you get to this point in your career and I feel youre at your absolute best as far as putting a whole series together, weekend together, races together. You kind of have the same speed that you had but you dont really build on speed, Power continued. 

I think its just a natural thing that you have. But the whole other package takes a long time to get unless youre Palou, like some of those guys that just mature, and they work that out very early.

As far as a timeline of how much longer Power feels hed be able to compete at a high level, he believes he could be absolutely competitive for another five years if I wanted. 

Its absolutely the goal, yeah, to definitely keep rolling while Im really competitive, Power said. I was like very competitive last year. I won three races and seven podiums. No one else in the field but McLaughlin did that. So Im still performing really high.

Yeah, if I wasnt performing, I wouldnt want to do it. Im still learning. Its crazy, but youre still learning stuff.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. A full, talented and ambitious 61-car field featuring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champions, NASCAR stars, IndyCar winners, Formula 1 veterans and a wide assortment of accomplished drivers from 31 countries took the green flag Saturday afternoon at Daytona Intl Speedway for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Blue skies, cool temperatures, a large crowd that even included Miss America showed up to watch a global A-list of racers competing to earn coveted Rolex Daytona timepieces for their work on the 3.56-mile infield road course that also incorporates portions of the famous speedways high banks.

A restart five minutes before the six-hour mark following the races third full course caution period saw a typically frantic move forward among the lead Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) cars which went three-wide into the first turn.

Ultimately, American Colin Braun prevailed taking the front position in the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 ahead of the defending Rolex 24 race-winning No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 at the races quarter-mark.

Mathias Beche held the 12-car Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class lead in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 exchanging the front spot with Felipe Fraga, co-driver of the No. 74 Riley ORECA, in a spirited battle out front of that class.

GTD PRO

The new two-car Paul Miller Racing team paced the 15-car Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class. At the six-hour mark, Jesse Krohn was out front in his No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Connor De Phillippi third in the sister No. 1 car. They sandwiched Nico Varrone, in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R at the races first quarter point.

The No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette co-driven by NASCAR stars Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, along with IndyCar standout Scott McLaughlin and sports car champion Ben Keating was 12th place in GTD at the six-hour mark.

The entire GT field had a moment on the opening lap when Nick Boulles No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07 car spun directly in front of them. The evasive action cost the pole-sitting No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 to relinquish the early lead, but the two Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustangs quickly recovered and ranked among the leaders for much of the following hours.

It was really bad actually, we were really lucky there, said Mike Rockenfeller, who was driving the pole-sitting No. 64 Mustang and had took early evasion action.

We lost a position, both of us (Mustangs) but it doesnt matter. Its a long race and the track will change and hopefully it will be a clean race for us and well see where we are at the end.

I was definitely not ready for that, even though you should be, Rockenfeller smiled. Somehow I wasnt expecting that.

GTD

David Fumanelli led the fields most populous class, the 22-car Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class, in the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

For most of the early going, it was the pole-winning GTP BMW M Team RLL team and Porsche Penske pacing the overall field. However, as expected and as usual, the racing was dramatic from the drop of the green flag in all four classes.

The prototype class, in particular, featured numerous lead changes among all the different makes and a wide assortment of drivers.

Im not surprised, theres just so much talent on this grid in terms of manufacturers, drivers, teams, everybody is so close and weve seen it in the Roar (test sessions), weve seen it in qualifying and the practice sessions, everyone is so close together, said BMW driver Austrian Philipp Eng, whose No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 started on pole position in the hands of co-driver Dries Vanthoor.

I was just watching 10 minutes ago and there were three former F1 guys driving cars. So I must say it is incredible and I feel very privileged to be racing against them and with them, he added. So this (competitive field) is not a surprise to me. I just hope at the end of the race there is a BMW leading the race.

Among those former F-1 drivers putting on a show out front was Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racings Kamui Kobayashi, who spent most of his time in his No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R at the races quarter-mark putting on a passing display.

His teammate Jordan Taylor spoke to the media as the Japanese super-talent pulled into the lead earlier in the night, glanced up and could only smile.

Its fun to watch him, said Taylor, who shared that while other drivers spent their off-days travelling or doing something fun, his teammate Kobayashi instead spent one night doing laundry at a local 24-hour laundromat, watched a bit of Netflix and even went to a local Dicks Sporting Goods and bought a portable sauna hes used ever since.

We knew he was going to be like that (pushing to lead the race), Taylor continued. You see it all weekend through practices watching his onboards and as hes learning the new car, you see him making the adjustments to the steering wheel and just having fun. Thats his style and why people love him.

Thats exactly what I would expect from him watching a restart where everyone is kind of unsure about the conditions and he just goes forward.

Of note, there were three full-course cautions and the weather dropped from starting temperatures nearing 60 degrees ambient and 90 track to a much cooler mid-50s track and ambient into the night stint. Soft compound tires are now available for GTP teams to run until 10 a.m.

IMSA also hands out the first IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup points of the 2025 season at the sixth hour. The top three teams in each class at designated time periods are awarded five, four and three points, respectively with all others taking home two. At the Rolex 24, Michelin Endurance Cup points are awarded at the sixth, 12th, 18th and 24th hours. Naturally, the cars leading at the six-hour mark take home the five points.