PENSACOLA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2025--
Cyclum NextGen Travel Centers is proud to return to the historic Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway with its driver Kole Raz for the most iconic Super Late Model race in the country.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251206803293/en/
The team will showcase its branding agreement with Phillips 66 through the iconic 76 ® brand, featuring the 76 ® Renewable Diesel-branded car.
Driver Kole Raz will proudly represent both brands as he takes on one of the most competitive stages in short-track racing, further strengthening our ongoing relationship with Phillips 66, and building on the collaboration we began at last year’s Snowball Derby.
“The Snowball Derby is the perfect stage to showcase our relationship with Phillips 66,” said Brian Profitt, Cyclum’s CEO. “We’re excited to continue demonstrating how innovation and performance go hand in hand.”
The October 2025 opening of Cyclum’s first operational site in Dunnigan, California, alongside 76 ®, marks the successful commissioning of the company’s initial flagship location and the foundation of a scalable national rollout strategy. This first site serves as the blueprint for Cyclum’s broader deployment of next-generation travel centers across key U.S. logistics.
With more than 50 years of history, the Snowball Derby remains a premier proving ground for emerging racing talent, having launched the careers of drivers such as Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. The 2025 race promises another year of intense competition as top drivers battle for one of short-track racing’s most prestigious victories, with Kole Raz adding to the excitement behind the wheel of the Cyclum NextGen Travel Centers/76 ® Renewable Diesel Entry.
Cyclum NextGen Travel Centers is actively developing a nationwide network of up to 400 next-generation travel center locations designed to serve the evolving needs of commercial fleets and everyday travelers. The platform integrates renewable diesel, ethanol-based gasoline, CNG, EV fast charging, and hydrogen — creating a future-ready, multi-energy fueling ecosystem across the United States.
Cyclum and Phillips 66 with the 76 ® brand invite fans to join them at Five Flags Speedway as they bring energy, innovation, and racing passion to the 2025 Snowball Derby.
You can watch the Snowball Derby race live on the FloRacing app Sunday, December 7 at noon eastern (permitting weather conditions).
For more information visithttps://cyclum.comor contact Kristina Tickle
About Cyclum Renewables, LLC dba Cyclum NextGen Travel Centers
Cyclum Renewables LLC, operating as Cyclum NextGen Travel Centers, is a forward-thinking infrastructure company developing a national network of 400 next-generation travel centers. Built on Cyclum’s Traditional, Transitional, and Renewable (TTR) energy model, each site will provide a mix of traditional fueling, high-capacity EV charging, renewable diesel, hydrogen, and other emerging energy solutions. Cyclum is committed to advancing clean energy initiatives, lowering carbon emissions, and delivering modern, environmentally conscious travel infrastructure for commercial fleets and everyday travelers.
For more information, visitwww.cyclum.comor follow us on LinkedIn at @cyclumnextgen.
About Phillips 66
Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) is a leading integrated downstream energy provider that manufactures, transports and markets products that drive the global economy. The company’s portfolio includes Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, Marketing and Specialties, and Renewable Fuels businesses. Headquartered in Houston, TX, Phillips 66 has employees around the globe who are committed to safely and reliably providing energy and improving lives while pursuing a lower-carbon future. For more information, visit phillips66.com or follow @Phillips66Co on LinkedIn.
Kole Raz practicing December 4, 2025 for the 2025 Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq and rescue operations are underway.
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.
Here’s what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:
The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.
Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be phased out as the air force receives a full complement of next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers.
Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s' age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability.
“The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s,” said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.
A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.
Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.
Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room above the fuel stores to carry cargo or passengers if needed.
Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the crash in Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the plane was carrying at least five crew members.
A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved in the incident was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel.
The U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on the circumstances of the crash, but said it “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.
The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last week by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
KC-135s have been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan while taking part in the war in Afghanistan.
In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the plane’s rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.
The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.
The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.
Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.
FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft performs a flyover during the national anthem before an NCAA college football game between Central Florida and Georgia Tech, Sept. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
