CONCORD, North Carolina — Eighty-Two Autosport proudly announces Robert Yates Racing Engines (RYRE) as the recipient of its 2025 Supply Chain Partner of the Year Award, recognizing the company’s outstanding contributions to performance, reliability, and innovation within Eighty-Two Autosport’s competitive racing program.
Robert Yates Racing Engines, an industry leader in high-performance engine design and manufacturing, has played a critical role in Eighty-Two Autosport’s continued development on and off the track. Through exceptional support, precise craftsmanship, and unwavering commitment to quality, RYRE has exemplified what it means to be a true partner in performance.
“Robert Yates Racing Engines has been instrumental in allowing our team to continue growing, by providing engines focused solely on reliability,” said John-Michael Shenette, Owner of Eighty-Two Autosport. “Their dedication to excellence and deep understanding of race-engine technology make them an invaluable part of our success. We’re proud to recognize their contributions with this award.”
Throughout the 2025 season, RYRE has demonstrated consistent leadership in technical collaboration, timely delivery, and continuous improvement—helping Eighty-Two Autosport achieve top performance in a highly competitive motorsports landscape.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition from Eighty-Two Autosport,” said David Lewis, General Manager of Robert Yates Racing Engines. “Our partnership is built on shared passion, precision, and performance. Working alongside a team that values perfection as much as we do drives us to keep improving every day.”
The Supply Chain Partner of the Year Award is presented annually by Eighty-Two Autosport to recognize exceptional partners who demonstrate superior quality, collaboration, and impact across the organization’s racing operation.
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – NASCAR today announced the return of the Cook Out Madhouse Classic to historic Bowman Gray Stadium as part of the Cook Out Clash Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. The day of racing will now include two action-packed Bowman Gray Stadium divisions – the Modified Division and Sportsman Series – delivering an afternoon of high-intensity, hometown action.
The event, held prior to NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, will air live on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel, which is available on Xumo Play, Tubi, SamsungTV Plus, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime and Amazon Fire TV.
“The Cook Out Madhouse Classic is one of the most authentic and electric experiences in all of short-track racing,” said Justin Swilling, NASCAR’s Project Lead for the Cook Out Clash. “The atmosphere inside Bowman Gray Stadium is unmatched, and so is the intensity and passion of the competitors. Their undeniable spirit brought NASCAR Cup Series racing back to Bowman Gray Stadium this year, so we’re incredibly excited about expanding the Madhouse Classic lineup to highlight the Madhouse stars who made it all possible.”
The return of the Cook Out Madhouse Classic follows last year’s dramatic debut at Bowman Gray Stadium featuring the stars of the Modified Division. Chris Fleming held off a hard-charging Burt Myers to claim the checkered flag in front of Saturday’s capacity crowd. The thrilling performance set the stage for the sold out inaugural Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, which marked the first Cup Series event at the iconic venue since 1971.
Participation in the Cook Out Madhouse Classic is by invitation only, determined by the top 22 drivers from the Modified Division and top 20 drivers from the Sportsman Series (NASCAR reserves the right to add provisional entries in each race). Saturday’s race program will showcase all the hallmarks of Bowman Gray’s legendary format, including practice, single-car qualifying, and a 125-lap modified feature and 100-lap sportsman feature.
The Madhouse crowd will amplify every lap, and fans will also enjoy the unforgettable Fan’s Challenge, a treasured Bowman Gray tradition. In this format, the four fastest qualifiers will each have the chance to relinquish their earned starting spot and drop to the rear of the field. Drivers who accept become eligible for a special event bonus awarded if they can race their way back to their original top-four position or better. It’s a risk-reward wrinkle that embodies the competitive spirit of The Madhouse.
Fans are encouraged to act now to secure their seats for both the Cook Out Clash and the Cook Out Madhouse Classic by visiting www.nascarclash.com. The 2026 Cook Out Clash will air live on FOX on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Crew chief: Matt Swiderski
Final 2025 ranking: 29th
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 35 laps led
How 2025 ended: There were flashes of excellence for Suárez throughout the year, but it wasn’t enough to make the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs in his ninth season. While Trackhouse teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen reached the postseason, Suárez struggled to run consistently inside the top 15 and had an average finish of 20.9 — his worst in five seasons at Trackhouse and three positions behind his 17.9 mark in 2024.
Best race: Suárez nearly snuck his way into the playoffs early into the season at Las Vegas. Late-race strategy paid off for the likes of Suárez, Josh Berry and Ryan Preece as they found themselves toward the front of the field on the final restart. The No. 99 held the lead up until 16 laps to go when Berry passed Suárez and went on to win his first career Cup race. Suárez still finished second, which was one of two runner-up results on the year (Daytona summer).
Other season highlights: Suárez plated back-to-back top 10s at Talladega and Texas in the spring. Starting two weeks later, he had no finish worse than 19th between Nashville and Pocono, and during that four-race stretch, the Mexican-born driver arguably had the greatest drive of his career, taking the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet from last to first as the 33-year-old wheelman won the Xfinity Series race in his home country. He also ended the Cup Series regular season strong with three consecutive top-10 results, coming just 0.031 seconds short of a playoff bid in the Daytona regular-season finale as Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag.
Stat to know: Suárez led only 35 laps across the 2025 season, his lowest total since leading 20 laps in 2020 with Gaunt Brothers Racing.
Quotable: “I’m just enjoying. I’m like a kid on Christmas. That’s why you guys see me with a smile … I love the pressure. You put me against the wall, and I’m going to come back at you swinging … So I’m good with it. You know, this is just gonna be a better story. You know, we win on Sunday, and then we’re gonna be laughing about, ‘hey, we almost didn’t make practice.’ You know, it’s a shame that it happened, but we don’t blame anyone. We just find solutions.” — Suárez on soaking up the spotlight in the Cup Series’ debut in Mexico City.
Looking ahead: Suárez will get a reset in 2026 as he moves on from Trackhouse to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, teaming up with Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar. Suárez is seeking his first victory since the Atlanta spring race in February 2024 and his third career postseason appearance.
Doing a lot with a little is a philosophy that has followed Kenna Mitchell throughout her young career.
The Loomis, California, native knows the equipment she competes in is not quite as contemporary or refined compared to the other teams the West Coast. That has never been a deterrent for Mitchell, who battled adversity to bring home a Limited Pro Late Model championship at her home track, All American Speedway, this year.
Mitchell’s resolve, along with the selfless mindset she exhibits in and out of the car, were two factors that contributed to her being the recipient of the 2025 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. Named after NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, the award is presented to a driver based on their performance along with other qualities like sportsmanship and community service.
Scott was the first African American to win a NASCAR race in 1963 and Mitchell understands the impact he continues to have on motorsports today. Mitchell is doing everything to embody the characteristics Scott once displayed by blazing her own trail regardless of the circumstances around her.
“On some weekends, I see only one other girl at the track,” Mitchell said. “The guys don’t want to be beat by girls, so they race us rougher. [The Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award] means a lot to me because we had a year where we had to persevere through a lot of things.
“If it could go wrong, it went wrong, but we still had a good year at [All American] by winning a track championship.”
Kenna was inspired to start racing by her father Michael Mitchell, who competed in a variety of disciplines throughout his own career that included Modifieds and Limited Late Models.
The Mitchells had the privilege of competing alongside each other on a handful of occasions until Michael elected to step out of the driver’s seat to focus on his daughter’s development. A more streamlined effort has enabled Kenna to tackle a healthy schedule of full-bodied stock car events outside of All American.
For all the insightful advice Michael has provided over the years, Kenna admitted she and her father are on opposite ends of the spectrum with their driving styles. From her own experiences, Kenna finds value in being patient and methodical while trying to obtain track position.
“He was definitely a lot more aggressive than I [am] in racing,” Kenna said. “He’s always telling me to be aggressive, but I like racing clean. I use the bumper a little bit to pass, but he’s always telling me ‘Come on, you got to race them harder! Race them how they race you.’ I tell him ‘I can’t. I like racing people clean.’
“It’s so satisfying to get a pass without even touching the other car.”
By balancing out patience and aggression, Kenna Mitchell has become one of the most consistent drivers at All American Speedway over the past few years. (Photo: Don Thompson/All American Speedway)
Although Michael’s racing mindset differs from his daughter’s, he appreciates the way Kenna handles herself out on track. Michael’s own career did not begin until he was in his mid-30s, yet the positives and negatives he experienced provided him plenty of material on how to mentor Kenna when it came time for her to start racing.
Michael admitted there is not much left for him to teach his daughter, who has already competed in more races than he ever did. Even though Kenna is only 19 years old, Michael always finds himself impressed on how much respect his daughter shows to both her fellow competitors and her equipment.
“A lot of the newer drivers tend to drive a little over their head or over where their car is at,” Michael said. “As the sport gets more and more expensive, if it’s not [Kenna’s] night, she’s not doing something dumb or wrecking somebody, she’s finishing the race. When she knows she’s got a shot to win, then she’s going to do whatever she needs to do to get the win.”
Balancing out patience and aggression has already yielded Kenna titles in Bandoleros, Jr. Late Models and Super Late Models, all of them at All American. The versatility she has displayed gave her the confidence to branch out and run plenty of West Coast touring events alongside veterans and other young prospects.
There are challenges that come with going up against many other talented competitors, but Kenna is doing everything possible to study and make strides.
“It’s fun racing all the different tracks and getting used to different lines,” Kenna said. “At [Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway], in the Supers and Pros, you can run both the high side and low side pretty consistently. [The Bullring at Las Vegas] is the same thing. With some tracks, it depends on the weather and time of day on whether you can run one line or the other.”
More traveling is the tentative plan next year after securing her most recent All American track title. The effort will be simplified compared to 2025, as Kenna and her father want to focus on running one car per weekend instead of two.
It was only a year ago when Mitchell embarked on a full-time campaign in the CARS Tour West Limited Pro Late Model Series, scoring four top fives in 10 starts. That consistency is why Michael believes his daughter will be ready for another full year, this time with the CARS Tour West’s Pro Late Model division.
Michael is eager to see what his daughter can do in 2026, but understands wins are not going to be easy to acquire against stout Pro Late Model competitors. As long as she keeps adhering to her clean, composed mindset, Michael knows she can excel no matter the situation.
“We’ve been in a position to get some [touring] wins,” Michael said. “[Kenna] was up front a few times. She had one race where she led a good portion but got a flat. I feel like our expectation would be picking up some wins. I wouldn’t rule out a championship, but to be in the top three at the end of the year would be awesome.”
A proven winner at All American Speedway, Kenna Mitchell is ready to start collecting more checkered flags at tracks around the West Coast (Photo: Don Thompson/All American Speedway)
Michael is proud of everything Kenna has already accomplished, from the multiple track titles at All American to now being a recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. She joins a small but notable group to earn that honor, which includes Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth, Lanie Buice and last year’s winner Caity Miller.
Every race is a new opportunity for Kenna to both learn and pass down her knowledge to others. Along with helping Chase Hand, the son of two-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner Joey Hand, when he was part of her program, Kenna also enjoys meeting and sharing ideas with other women looking to advance their own driving careers.
From her perspective, earning respect is one of the most important qualities a driver can possess in the modern era. By building relationships off the track and displaying poise behind the wheel, Kenna feels she has the trust of nearly everyone around her, which in turn has only bolstered her confidence.
The 2025 season tested Kenna more than she wanted, but her commitment to racing remains stalwart. She intends to keep embodying all the qualities that garnered her the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award while continuing to make a name for herself on the West Coast with the resources at her disposal.
“I’m definitely keeping up with helping out the racing community and other drivers while keeping it clean on track,” Kenna said. “Win or lose, I love racing and I’m going to keep that mentality. We’re out here to win, but everybody is going to put up a good fight.”
Ram Trucks dropped the curtain Monday on the next phase of its launch back into NASCAR competition, a return that’s held the promise of shaking up the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series grid. The manufacturer is staying on brand, and the free-agency period for its driver roster will now be a season-long affair.
Ram unveiled its Free Agent Driver Program for next season, partnering with Kaulig Racing to make its No. 25 Ram 1500 entry available for a rotating cast of drivers from all walks of motorsports. The manufacturer is seeking applicants and drawing on its relationships within the industry for the initiative, which will be a part of Ram’s re-entry into the NASCAR world with the Craftsman Truck Series’ season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13.
Ram announced its return to NASCAR competition on June 8 with fanfare at Michigan International Speedway, and the Kaulig Racing partnership with the manufacturer was formalized Aug. 23 with plans for five full-time entries on the Craftsman Truck Series grid. Monday’s announcement adds another component to Ram’s ramp-up for the 2026 season.
Kaulig previously announced full-time slots on the Ram driver roster for Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, Daniel Dye and Justin Haley. Details for Kaulig’s fifth Ram entry in the series are still forthcoming, but the manufacturer plans to capitalize on building anticipation for the No. 25 ride with reveals in the days leading up to each race.
“We said, the key to that is these fans love the teams and they love the drivers, these larger-than-life personalities is who they’re attracted to,” Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis told NASCAR.com. “You know, they can’t get in and drive the car, but they can live vicariously through these people. So we said, how do we expand that past these three drivers, and that’s where the idea of the free agent car came from.”
While each driver for the No. 25 free-agent Ram won’t be chasing Truck Series championship points, Kuniskis said that Ram plans to create its own prize — based on the best individual performance within the program. Kuniskis said that more announcements were planned, but that more details about the free-agent award would be revealed in a welcome-back event in Daytona on the eve of the season opener. “I think people are going to be like, ‘OK, not only do I want to drive a NASCAR truck, I want that prize,'” Kuniskis said.
The free-agent driver approval process, Kuniskis said, will go through NASCAR’s criteria first and Kaulig Racing’s management team next. Safety, he said, was paramount but that passion and determination would also be key factors.
“I don’t even want to know the name of the person until those two people have said yes, they’re not going to crash your truck, they’re going to be safe, They’re not going to put anybody in harm’s way,” Kuniskis said. “OK, when that’s out of the way then I look at it and say, OK, is this interesting? Is this being pushed by the fans? Is this interesting? Is this going to bring in a net-new audience? Is this going to expand the reach of the Truck Series and the engagement of the Truck Series? And if the answer to that is yes, then hell yeah. Let’s think about it: Where can we put them in the truck?”
Team owner Matt Kaulig lauded the program’s launch, saying in a news release that “it’s a new idea, and exactly the kind of energy we want heading into 2026.” While the organization’s partnership meant building a five-truck fleet from scratch to be ready for a debut that’s less than three months away, Kuniskis was bullish about the progress.
“I’ll tell you this, if you have ever met or if you know Matt Kaulig, there is no such thing as an aggressive goal,” Kuniskis said. “I mean, that guy wakes up at an 11 every day, man. He’s just going, going and going, and there’s no slowing that guy down. But I will tell you this: Forget about words. Actions mean more than words, and what we’re doing with the four truck and the five truck — the free agent and the other one that we haven’t announced yet — quite frankly, they could be viewed as a distraction, and they are all in. Matt, (Kaulig Racing president) Chris Rice, (Stellantis racing executive) Kevin Kidd, they are all in on this process, and if they didn’t feel comfortable that they were going to be ready for Daytona, this would be a distraction to them, and they’re totally in on this. They already told me how they’re feeling, but now the actions are reinforcing that they’re feeling really comfortable about where we’re going to be in Daytona.”
Queen, a heralded short-track ace, was Kaulig’s first signee for full-time Truck Series duty Oct. 16, and the organization followed up two weeks later by keeping Dye in the fold from its Xfinity Series operation and reuniting with Haley after his five-year run in the Cup Series came to a close.
“I think they’re excited about what we’re bringing to this team and the excitement that we’re bringing that we’re not just we’re just coming back to go racing,” Kuniskis said. “We’re coming back to go race and be competitive, win, but also have some fun and draw some excitement and engagement toward this series that I think this series is definitely needing.”
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Jeremy Clements Racing unveiled a new technical partnership with the Haas Factory Team (HFT) for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. As part of the partnership, JCR will campaign the No. 51 Chevrolet out of HFT’s facility in Kannapolis, North Carolina. This alliance represents a significant leap forward for the family-run team, providing enhanced resources, advanced technology and expanded opportunities for JCR to pursue its goal of competing at the top tier of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
“We’ve always fought hard as a single-car team, but this is a major opportunity for us, and partnering with the Haas Factory Team means a lot! We’re excited for what’s ahead,” Clements said.
Clements also expressed gratitude to the team’s loyal sponsors and partners, whose support makes each season possible. “Our sponsors have always had our backs, and honestly, we wouldn’t be here without them. We’ve got a ton of sponsors to thank for making all this possible. Huge thanks to All South Electric, Alliance Driveaway Solutions and One Stop Convenience Stores for always going above and beyond for us. We are also extremely grateful to All Weather Power Equipment, Fly and Form, First Pacific Funding, Kingdom Truck Sales, Spartan Waste, Fox Sports Spartanburg and Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet. Without their support, this partnership wouldn’t have been possible.
JCR enters its 16th full-time season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the team remains dedicated to Chevrolet and looks forward to leveraging Haas Factory Team’s technical expertise for future success.
Follow Jeremy and the team on all social media platforms to stay updated:
X: @JClements51 @JCR_Clements51
Facebook: Jeremy Clements Racing
Instagram: @jclements51 @jeremyclementsracing
RISING, a five-episode docuseries highlighting up-and-coming NASCAR stars Carson Hocevar, Jesse Love and Rajah Caruth is set to air on NASCAR’s YouTube channel from Nov. 17-21. With a new episode launching each night at 7 ET, bookmark this page and come back to watch the entire series created by NASCAR Studios in partnership with Words + Pictures.
The story of growth, success and even greatness will be on display in RISING, a new docuseries presented by Craftsman that’s releasing on YouTube with a new episode at 7 ET every night this week (Nov. 17-21).
NASCAR Studios, in partnership with Words + Pictures, will chronicle the stories of three young, up-and-coming drivers throughout the 2025 NASCAR season.
The featured drivers — 22-year-old Carson Hocevar (Cup Series), 20-year-old Jesse Love (Xfinity Series champion) and 23-year-old Rajah Caruth (Craftsman Truck Series) — will give viewers exclusive access to their respective racing campaigns.
Through an array of new and exciting challenges in the pursuit of success, these drivers will additionally be chronicled through their intertwining ups and downs, victories, crashes, tears of joy and tears of pain, all captured by behind-the-scenes cameras.
Hocevar, full-time driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, is not your typical NASCAR up-and-comer. At 21, he defied expectations and made the leap from Truck Series to Cup, skipping the Xfinity Series entirely. The move paid off; Hocevar captured 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year thanks to six top-10 finishes in his debut season.
Hocevar’s story, though, begins much earlier. A kid from Portage, Michigan, he created stop-motion animations of die-cast cars racing around a homemade track. His love for the sport evolved into a career when he began racing quarter midgets at the age of six. By age 12, he had already won 55 national races, more than any driver in United States Auto Club (USAC) history.
Fast forward to 2025, and Hocevar faces a new challenge: proving he’s more than an upstart. Thanks to an aggressive driving style, Hocevar must now balance that competitive edge with the maturity required to become a true contender.
“Ultimately, you always want to show people more of the insights and everything,” Hocevar said about the docuseries. “I remember as a kid buying every DVD I could find of mini docs. I think Kasey Kahne had one, Tony (Stewart) had one, (Dale) Jr. had plenty. And obviously (Dale) Sr. had a lot of them. So, yeah, I mean, that’s what made me a fan, or just kept me in racing. So, the more we can do of that as a sport is big, and for me to be a part of it, I think, is super cool.”
Love first got behind the wheel at age 5. By 15, he was already making history, winning the first of back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships before capturing the national ARCA title in 2023. The Menlo Park, California, native made his Xfinity Series debut in 2024 and finished eighth in the championship standings, claiming Rookie of the Year honors. This year, he upset good friend Connor Zilisch to win the Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
From his behind-the-wheel performance as pilot for the historic Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to his passion for surfing, wakeboarding or DJing, Love brings a competitive fire that makes waves throughout his journey.
Caruth’s journey is anything but conventional. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C., Caruth utilized a computer screen to race. By 16, he was competing in iRacing, NASCAR’s youth esports league.
Such talent and determination earned him a spot in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity development program. Through late models, ARCA and now the Truck Series, Caruth has illustrated his competitive drive, with the then-rookie capturing his first career Truck victory in 2024 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the third Black driver to win a NASCAR race. From balancing the demands of racing and academics to showcasing discipline, Caruth continues to grow into his role as a trailblazer and will graduate to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) next year.
Words + Pictures is a documentary production studio that has created several series, including NASCAR: Full Speed, Super League: The War for Football, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Tune in to NASCAR’s YouTube channel for the release of a new episode each day at 7 p.m. ET this week.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Mike Kelley
Final 2025 ranking: 30th
Key stats: 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s, 8 laps led
How 2025 ended: For much of the summer, Stenhouse and the rebranded organization struggled to place competitive results, at one point going 13 consecutive races without finishing better than 20th. But over the final five weeks of the season, the 38-year-old started to turn the corner, picking up three finishes of 19th or better heading into the winter, including a top 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stenhouse failed to extend his career-best two-year win streak, but transitions to the offseason with some momentum.
Best race: While Stenhouse is often known as a superspeedway ace, arguably his best race in 2025 came at Texas Motor Speedway in May. Qualifying 34th, the Olive Branch, Mississippi, native benefited from mass attrition and an overtime attempt to finish sixth, his best result in 21 tries at the 1.5-mile track. That set him up for top 20s in the next two races, both at intermediates, to end May sitting 13th in points.
Other season highlights: Stenhouse contended for the win in both his trips to EchoPark Speedway (formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway) in 2025, finishing fifth in the spring and sixth in the summer. His 11th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 was equally impressive, qualifying in the same spot and remaining in the mix for a majority of the race. He also qualified second for the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and in both races there, he spent more than 46% of laps inside the top 15, according to NASCAR’s loop data.
Stat to know: Stenhouse finished 30th or worse 10 times this season, all of which came in the final 23 events of the season. Conversely, in the first 13 races, he finished 19th or better eight times.
Quotable: “Being in Mexico, it’s the reason I just went and talked to him instead of letting him get out of the car and making sure nothing did happen that I would have regretted later … Just walking up and doing it in the garage — that’s what got me in trouble for the All-Star Race (in 2024). It’s been two out of three weeks, so I’m sure there might be something else. We’ll just see how that goes … I’m tired of giving the kid any publicity,” said Stenhouse, referring to Carson Hocevar after run-ins at Nashville Superspeedway and Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez over the summer.
Looking ahead: Stenhouse is expected to return to the No. 47 Chevrolet for the seventh consecutive season and his second under the Hyak banner. Although 2025 didn’t play out in his favor, history shows this season was likely an anomaly. Until this year, Stenhouse never finished worse than 26th in points, and wins in both 2023 and 2024 prove that the veteran remains plenty capable in the Cup Series.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With a dozen reporters surrounding Connor Zilisch outside his team transporter in the Daytona International Speedway garage Saturday afternoon during a break in preseason IMSA testing, the 19-year-old racing protege looked around and allowed that all the media attention still felt a bit new.
Only two weeks after celebrating his 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award and record-setting 10-win season, Zilisch was back in a race car for the first time. He joined Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger at the Daytona road course over the weekend — the two learning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series GTP sports cars they plan to steer in the Jan. 24-25 Rolex 24 at the “World Center of Racing.”
When pressed, Zilisch conceded that the media reception he drew this weekend was quite different than when he showed up in the sports car garage as a young, yet-unproven driver three years ago.
“I remember walking around this paddock, and I could walk around when nobody knew who I was, and it’s so cool now that people appreciate what I do, and it makes all the hard work feel worth it,” Zilisch said.
“Those moments for me as a kid and I was looking up to people was something I remember often, and I want to be that guy that kids can look up to and want to be like one day.”
After enduring a heartbreaking championship loss to his best friend Jesse Love two weeks ago in the Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Zilisch said the best thing for him to do was get back behind the wheel again. And sports cars have certainly been an impactful, positive part of his career — arguably the launching point for his NASCAR success.
In 2024, at only 17 years old, Zilisch claimed the Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 championship trophy, then answered it with another class win in the very next race, the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring.
That road-racing prowess helped gain the attention of NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks, himself a former IMSA competitor. And after a season setting records and learning the stock car ropes driving for JR Motorsports in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Zilisch will compete full-time in the Cup Series in 2026, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet. His Trackhouse teammate and friend, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen — who he co-drove with in last year’s Rolex 24 — used the No. 88 this season in his own Sunoco Rookie of the Year work, but will carry the No. 97 going forward.
While the initial pain of losing the season title after such an incredible year-long performance still stings, Zilisch said he is ready to move on; being in a race car and preparing for a race as a former winner seemed like the correct path forward.
“The first time I came to Daytona racing was in MX5 Cup,” Zilisch said. “And I’ve loved it ever since, and just being able to race in the 24 hours is something that I dreamed of as a kid, and that’s why I always come back and keep doing it.
“It’s my third time doing it and my third different car that I’ve done it in. So, I don’t know if I’m doing it, but if I do get to end up doing it then that would be cool. I’m just excited for the opportunity to even be here today and get this chance to test the car. It’s been such a dream of mine to get to drive in the highest class of IMSA, and doing that today has been really cool.”
The Kaulig Racing driver Allmendinger, who is teaming up with IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and sports car standouts Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, was third quickest in the two-day session in the No. 60 Acura Meyer-Shank Racing prototype. Zilisch’s team — with co-drivers Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti was sixth fastest overall in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac among the 10 GTP cars that participated in the test session.
“It’s been good,” Zilisch’s co-driver Aitken said. “Connor’s obviously got plenty on his CV [resume] already. He’s already won two of the biggest races on the endurance calendar over here, so I’m not really concerned about the driving side of things, it’s really just more about getting him up to speed on the technical side of these cars. … honestly just the boring stuff.
“Today has gone well. He had a couple of pretty long runs just getting laps and getting miles, and he seems comfortable and happy. He’s done a good job. But of course, he would.”
Although Allmendinger won overall in the race’s 50th anniversary edition in 2012, he hasn’t competed in the Rolex 24 since 2021. As was the case with Zilisch, who has never competed at the GTP level previously. Allmendinger conceded there is a learning curve with the new prototypes.
“There is definitely a lot to this car, a lot to learn,” Allmendinger said, adding, “Trying to just get as comfortable as possible [this weekend], the biggest thing compared to like the [NASCAR] Cup car is the steering is just so much heavier, hard to turn the steering wheel compared to a Cup car.”
Brandon Badraoui | Lumen Digital Agency
Certainly, NASCAR fans will enjoy having two drivers with legitimate shots at a Rolex 24 victory to start the 2026 season. It’s a race win both Zilisch and Allmendinger have treasured. And a race opportunity both are eager to take again.
“It’s cool to come back here,” Zilisch said. “I always love seeing the people. The atmosphere is so much different. The people from all across the world that come and run this race.
“It’s been really cool just to experience it all again and kind of shift my mindset. It’s a much different language. Everything is different when you come and do these races versus NASCAR. So, just getting adjusted, it’s been fun, it’s all good. It’s all learning for me and that’s what I enjoy most.”
