For the first time in 20 years, Kyle Busch went winless in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Since his rookie campaign in 2005, Busch scored at least one win per season — and as many as eight two times (2008, 2018) — at the sport’s top level. His 19 consecutive seasons with a victory are an all-time record — one he anticipated continuing in 2024.
But an uncharacteristic drop in performance from the otherworldly standard Busch set for himself resulted in the fewest top fives (five), top 10s (10) and laps led (230) of his career, with an 18.3 average finish that marked his worst since his rookie year (21.0, 2005).
Simply put, Busch described the 2024 season — his second driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet — as “character building.”
“Certainly frustrating,” Busch said during Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “Just not at all what we had hoped it to be after some success last year, especially early in the year and having those three wins, and then struggling a little bit on and off, but then this year, just seemingly not being able to get the monkey off our back. I mean, even having a shot to win late in the day and being close at Daytona and maybe even closer at Kansas and just not being able to pull through.
“We probably had a handful of opportunities that slipped out from under us. So can’t say that we shouldn’t have won this year or never had an opportunity to, but obviously didn’t get it done.”
The past two years have been ones of significant change for Busch. Now 39, Busch started his career with three years at Hendrick Motorsports before joining forces with Joe Gibbs Racing for 15 years. His success over those 18 seasons was remarkable, as he collected 60 wins and two NASCAR Cup Series championships.
That tenure with JGR came to a close following the 2022 season, leading the Las Vegas native to Richard Childress Racing. He laments the record run is over but has a different perspective on it now that it has concluded.
“I would have much rather it been — if I’m going to run six, seven more years — it last 25, 26 years, and just make it a mark that will never be achievable, right?” Busch said. “But unfortunately, those things didn’t happen. Things changed for me a couple years ago, and I was grateful to be able to extend the streak last year and make it my own. But honestly, for there being guys that are at 17 (years) and one guy was at 18, and now one guy at 19, it’s hard to put that many good years like that together in a row. It’s difficult.”
That sustained success throughout his career is what Busch hopes to rely upon in 2025. Crew chief Randall Burnett will return to lead the No. 8 team, but RCR has made leadership changes already in this young offseason which the company hopes will lead to improved performance.
Veteran crew chief and competition director Keith Rodden has been named the team’s vice president of competition, while former Stewart-Haas Racing leaders John Klausmeier and Richard Boswell have joined the ranks as well. Klausmeier will serve as RCR’s technical director, while Boswell becomes the new crew chief for the historic No. 3 Chevrolet and driver Austin Dillon.
While Busch’s results left much to be desired in 2024, optimism remains that a new win streak will begin in 2025.
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — For a moment in time at Florence Motor Speedway, NASCAR fans were thrust back into the mid-2000s with the return of one of the sport’s most recognizable schemes.
Earnhardt Jr. could not help but get immersed in the atmosphere generated by the Budweiser No. 8’s first race since 2007. The tribute nearly ended with Earnhardt Jr. taking the beloved scheme to Victory Lane, but he found satisfaction in what the weekend meant to himself and those who have been invested in his storied career.
“I felt great about the car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Picked them off as I could. The car was excellent and a lot of guys were starting to struggle with the balance of their car. For the second half, we were going to sit there in second. When it was time to start pressuring (leader Treyten Lapcevich), I could probably get him loose, drive off the corner and beat him.
“It was about time to turn it on and then the fuel pump broke.”
A 40th-place starting position did little to stymie Earnhardt Jr., who carved through the field with relative ease to nestle himself into the second position at the halfway break, all while being cheered on by his exuberant fans. Earnhardt Jr. stayed in second the rest of the evening until a broken fuel pump knocked him out of the race with 31 laps remaining.
The final showing of 28th was not the outcome most members of Junior Nation had anticipated, yet the South Carolina 400 proved to be more about the journey for Earnhardt Jr.’s followers instead of the destination.
Although Earnhardt Jr. spent more time in a Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet during his Cup Series tenure, the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. is where he first built his identity.
During his eight full-time years with DEI, Earnhardt Jr. amassed 17 victories, 76 top fives and led over 5,000 laps. The most notable of Earnhardt Jr.’s accomplishments in the Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet was his first of two Daytona 500 victories in 2004.
Earnhardt Jr. parted ways with DEI at the end of the 2007 season, but the memories of his success in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet never faded. Nearly two decades on from Earnhardt Jr.’s final outing with DEI and NASCAR events are still filled with spectators who adorn the iconic No. 8.
One of those fans is David Faulkner, who traveled five hours from Hampton, Virginia, to see the Budweiser No. 8 for at least one final time. A lifelong follower of the Earnhardt family since the 1970s, Faulkner admitted seeing Earnhardt Jr. pilot a red No. 8 again evoked memories of the victories he got to witness in person.
“I remember the wins at Richmond, because Richmond is my home track about an hour away [from Hampton],” Faulkner said. “Just watching the Budweiser car running around brings back a lot of memories.”
Among the achievements Dale Earnhardt Jr. obtained in the iconic Budweiser No. 8 included his first Daytona 500 victory in 2004. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR Regional)
Many stories like Faulkner’s awaited Earnhardt Jr. as he greeted fans throughout the afternoon at Florence. One woman Earnhardt Jr. interacted with had been waiting to obtain his autograph since the Budweiser No. 8 made its formal Cup Series debut during the 1999 Coca-Cola 600.
The impact of Earnhardt Jr. on NASCAR extends far beyond spectators. Since returning to his Late Model Stock origins in 2022, Earnhardt Jr. has been approached by countless competitors young and old, with every conversation providing Earnhardt Jr. a healthy perspective into how he has shaped the world around him.
“I qualified really bad and I was pretty mad at myself,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I got done, pulled around and one of the other drivers [Gary Greenwood] who qualified poorly got out and said, ‘Keep your head up. I am racing because of you. I lost my dad and listening to your podcast has really helped me. That’s why I got this car.’
“I was so upset with qualifying, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded that it’s not that important.”
For Dylan Braswell, who ventured to Florence from the small town of Nashville, North Carolina, he never witnessed Earnhardt Jr. pilot the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet but had long been familiar with the Earnhardts and NASCAR through his late grandmother Dianne.
The two got to see Earnhardt Jr.’s final Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017 a couple of months before Dianne passed away. Braswell saw his trip to the South Carolina 400 to honor Dianne’s love for racing and to get a firsthand account as to why the No. 8 was so special to so many people.
“My grandmother got me into NASCAR and she was always big into Earnhardt Jr.,” Braswell said. “I got to watch the VCR tapes and all that stuff back in the day, so that’s kind of where the No. 8 car is for me, watching it on TV.
“I bought tickets instantly as soon as I heard.”
Braswell and the rest of Earnhardt Jr.’s fanbase colloquially known as Junior Nation were treated to a thrilling performance from their favorite driver as he battled to make his own history in the South Carolina 400.
Although a broken fuel pump ended his night in the South Carolina 400 early, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Budweiser No. 8 proved to be one of the best cars in the field. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR Regional)
Up until a few months ago, not many in the NASCAR industry would have expected to see Earnhardt Jr. bring back the scheme that kickstarted his career for any reason. Circumstances brought the Budweiser No. 8 back to life, an opportunity not many Earnhardt Jr. fans were willing to pass up as evidenced by the South Carolina 400’s sold-out crowd.
Saturday was perfect for people like Faulkner, as it allowed him and others to reflect on pleasant memories and cherish seeing part of the past being reborn into the present day.
“I’ve been waiting on this since I saw a little hint back in April when [Earnhardt Jr.] threw a bunch of Budweiser stuff on the Internet,” Faulkner said. “I thought he was going to bring the Budweiser car back and now I’m here.
Other than the broken fuel pump and poor qualifying effort, Earnhardt Jr. got everything he wanted by bringing the Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet to the South Carolina 400. The purpose of the initiative was to give back to the fans, many of whom descended upon Florence to see what Earnhardt Jr. could do in his iconic scheme.
The performance Earnhardt Jr. put together on Saturday gave him a much-needed jolt ahead of four planned Late Model Stock starts in 2025. While he is unsure of when that Budweiser scheme will next see the track, Earnhardt Jr. intends to bring it back before inevitably deciding to retire from racing altogether.
“At some point, you’re going to age out,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don’t know why that happens or how it happens, but I don’t know when that happens. Maybe I got another three, four, five years left. If I have anything to do with it, they will see that Bud car again.”
Whenever or wherever Earnhardt Jr. unloads the Budweiser No. 8 next, the grandstands will be red and black, filled with loyal spectators eager to see if the famous car will find its way to Victory Lane just like it did back in the 2000s.
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — The first night of competition during Florence Motor Speedway’s South Carolina 400 on Friday saw Keelan Harvick take the next step in his young career.
At 12 years of age, Keelan strapped into his father Kevin Harvick’s No. 62 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet for his first start in a Limited Late Model. The results were just about everything the Harvick family could have hoped for, as Keelan avoided trouble all evening to finish eighth in the 96-lap feature.
Debuting on a national stage like the South Carolina 400 would be imposing for any young competitor, but Keelan had plenty of confidence in himself and his Kevin Harvick Inc. team to assemble a strong performance at Florence.
“I feel really good,” Keelan said after the race. “I can’t thank these KHI guys enough. They put in a lot of work. It’s definitely cool to get my first one under my belt, but I can’t wait for the next one.”
“Everything you would normally do, just do it. It’s just a big car, nothing different.”
Two seasons of competing in Legends cars around the United States prepared Keelan for his first race against Late Model veterans.
Keelan primarily developed his craft in the Cook Out Summer Shootout and the INEX Winter Heat, both of which take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. No matter if he was racing on the facility’s frontstretch short track or road course, Keelan stood out with seven combined wins between the two events in 2024 alone.
With how well Keelan was performing in Legends competition, his father Kevin knew the first venture into full-bodied cars was coming sooner rather than later. After carefully analyzing how to approach this milestone, Kevin felt the South Carolina 400’s Limited Late Model feature would be a good first test for Keelan.
A race that featured 30 cars required Keelan to be composed behind the wheel, particularly when it came to saving tires and perfecting restarts. Kevin believed Keelan passed such a daunting task in every aspect, commending his son for the composure he showed all evening.
“I think we kind of threw [Keelan] to the wolves,” Kevin said. “I didn’t really put all this together for him to be in the biggest Limited race of the year, but it worked out really well because he got to race against a really competitive field. His race craft tonight was something I was proud of.
“He did an amazing job in the car.”
Aside from an incident under a red flag when Jason Myers made slight contact with Keelan’s left front while he was stopped, there were no major setbacks for Keelan in his Limited Late Model debut. Kevin said he believed Keelan had a car capable of finishing in the top three, but he was more than content with his son’s performance.
Keelan never once felt anxious about his first Limited Late Model race, but knew effort was needed on his part for the evening to be solid. The tenacious work translated into a strong run at Florence for Keelan, who gathered enough knowledge from Friday to exert more confidence for future events.
“I think I did pretty good,” Keelan said. “You always want more as a race car driver, but that was pretty good for my first race. I think I saved a little too long there and probably could have been more aggressive, but those are some good steps [to take] going into the next one.”
An eighth place run in the South Carolina 400’s Limited Late Model feature served as a preview for what is expected to be a busy 2025 for Keelan Harvick in full-bodied cars. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR Regional)
For Kevin, everything that transpired at Florence was equal parts rewarding and surreal.
The days of an infant Keelan standing inside his car during pre-race do not seem that long ago for the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, but Kevin is doing everything possible to foster a similar winning environment for Keelan. If everything goes according to plan, Kevin knows Keelan will one day be in a Cup Series seat himself.
Until that time comes, the developmental process for Keelan continues through full-bodied stock cars like the Limited Late Model he raced at Florence. Kevin wants to get Keelan acclimated to the heavier cars now so that he will have all the fundamentals to continue a proud tradition of racing across the Harvick family.
“[Friday] confirmed what we had planned next year,” Kevin said. “We’ll probably keep pushing down the road of 25-30 Late Model races for next year. Now it starts with all the little things. The last tenth-and-a half, two-tenths are the hard part, [along with] learning when to go, how hard to go, how to qualify and restarts.
“Now he knows he can do it, so everything will start to slow down. It’s a matter of repetition at this point.”
The outline for Keelan in 2025 involves a partnership with Rackley W.A.R. that will see him run several Pro Late Model events. While his exact schedule has yet to be announced, Keelan is expected to tackle a diverse set of tracks across the country that will test both his physical and mental stamina.
Several more daunting races await Keelan, but the young prospect remains optimistic he can excel with the environment around him.
“I’m going to try [and win] next year,” Keelan said. “I can’t thank my sponsors [enough in] Hunt Brothers Pizza, Realtree, along with everybody else that helps me. I couldn’t be here without them.”
Having already accomplished so much at a young age, the future remains bright for Keelan as he looks to build off a strong Limited Late Model debut.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a cool Friday evening in uptown Charlotte, the NASCAR industry celebrated its heroes, industry inspirations and champions at the Charlotte Convention Center for the first time in the sport’s modern era.
Race teams, drivers and fans gathered to watch these 2024 victors receive their trophies and to see the sport honor those whose careers impacted NASCAR not only this season but for years and even decades.
Cup Series champion Joey Logano began the afternoon celebrating his third title with the iconic Goodyear Gold Car given to each year’s champion and then later being feted by the sport at the tuxedo-and-gown banquet that will be televised on The CW Network on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
The 34-year-old’s three titles in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford are now the most among all active drivers, and he is one of only 10 competitors in the history of the sport to have ever earned a trio of championship trophies.
Logano thanked his team and team owner Roger Penske, and the father of three gave a special nod to his wife Brittany, who he praised for taking care of their young family and home — allowing him to maintain championship focus. He thanked his family, who was also in the audience, “remembering when I was a kid and got a go-kart for Christmas and now I’m sitting here a three-time Cup champion, it’s just truly incredible.”
“To me, we did get a lot of opportunities, and life’s really all about what you do with the opportunities, you don’t know when they are going to come your way, but are you ready to take advantage when they do,” continued Logano, who received a full-room standing ovation when introduced by NASCAR President Steve Phelps.
Logano, whose four wins in 2024 gave him 36 total, was noticeably sentimental, reflecting on his career and season’s accomplishments.
“If you take the opportunity that God’s given us to talk to people, to inspire others to live a life of generosity, that’s when these scenarios of just driving in circles aren’t just driving in circles anymore,” Logano said, noting the sport’s huge push to help Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina.
“That, to me, is something I’m most proud of in this industry and being part of that,” added Logano, who has personally helped raise money and deliver supplies to the affected regions.
“I’m proud of winning. I’m proud to be part of this team, but what I’m probably most proud of is the heart of this sport.”
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images
Logano’s team owner, NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Penske, has now earned five NASCAR Cup Series championships, including the last three consecutively between Logano (2022 and 2024) and Ryan Blaney (2023).
“From my perspective, Joey Logano was a winner when he came to our team in 2013,” Penske said in his remarks on stage, adding, “We’re so proud of all our teams. Racing is a common thread through our businesses. It’s teamwork. It’s pressure. It’s integrity. It’s transparency. And this has built the Penske brand. And we’re thrilled to be here.”
Beyond the Logano-Penske dominance, it was a night of emphasizing highlights across all NASCAR series — those in supporting roles in the pits and beyond.
The Xfinity Series and its first-time champion, popular veteran JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, along with Craftsman Truck Series first-time champion Ty Majeski and his ThorSport Racing team, were celebrated.
Allgaier’s team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was visibly excited to honor his longtime driver.
“I’m normally not this kind of person, but I knew we were going to win it. I’m normally the kind of person who thinks about the odds and wonders how we might lose a race or what are the obstacles in front of us,” Earnhardt said. “But for some reason, I just felt like the universe owed Justin, and we were going to collect when we got to Phoenix.”
“Man did he get up on the wheel, all those restarts, those were classic, classic moments and if you just watched that seven-car work all night long you could see how bad Justin wanted it,” Earnhardt continued. “He carried the whole company on his back that night. Just proud of him and so thankful to be able to see Justin celebrate this tonight.”
The sport also celebrated Earnhardt’s good friend, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr, the 2017 Cup Series champion, who retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2024 season and also marked the distinction earned by a former Team Penske champion as well in Brad Keselowski, who claimed his first victory (at Darlington Raceway) as a driver-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, the 2020 series champion, was named the sport’s Most Popular Driver for the seventh consecutive season.
“First and foremost, thank you to the fans,” said Elliott, 28, who won at Texas Motor Speedway this season. “When I look at this award, regardless if I win it or not … I’ve always viewed it as an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy my family has set up for me.”
Former Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series champion Greg Biffle was recognized as the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers Award winner. Biffle, an avid pilot, flew rescue missions and dropped supplies to the residents in Western North Carolina following the devastating damage from Hurricane Helene in October.
“I thought, if I didn’t go, who’s going to go,” said Biffle, who said he received 12,000 messages for help and flew supplies into the area for 14 consecutive days after the storm hit.
“I didn’t do anything any different than anyone in this room would have,” a humble Biffle added.
In other awards presented on the night, David Wilson, the longtime president of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) was presented the Bill France Award of Excellence for his contributions to the sport. Wilson is retiring after leading the Toyota racing effort in NASCAR for 30 years — a tenure that included Toyota’s first Cup Series championship in 2015 and two more in 2017 and 2019.
Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones was named the Comcast Community Champion Award winner for his work in promoting cancer screenings, raising money for breast cancer patients and longtime literacy advocacy, reading books to school children as he travels around the country racing.
The NASCAR Foundation formally announced Judy Simmons, of Axton, Virginia as the 2024 winner of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Simmons received a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to her God’s Pit Crew non-profit organization, which provides disaster relief help to families.
The evening, hosted by Jamie Little, Adam Alexander and Kim Coon, concluded shortly after 8 p.m. ET with the hosts reminding the crowd and fans that NASCAR racing resumes with the NASCAR Clash exhibition at the venerable Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2 (8 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Daytona 500 opens the points season Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Carson Hocevar inherited a ride that finished the 2023 season 33rd in NASCAR Cup Series, so the expectations as he entered his first big-league campaign were measured. A Victory Lane visit would probably be a long shot, but steady improvement and building a foundation with his Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet team were realistic targets. One other goal stood out.
“For us to be Rookie of the Year, that was the thing like, ‘OK, well, we can win this, right?’ ” Hocevar said before the Cup Series finale at Phoenix Raceway. “Everything else would be a bonus.”
Hocevar secured Sunoco Rookie of the Year recognition in his first Cup Series season, joining fellow first-year drivers Jesse Love in the Xfinity Series and Layne Riggs from the Craftsman Truck Series as 2024 honorees. Hocevar’s total was good enough for a 21st-place finish in the Cup Series driver standings, outdistancing the two other full-time rookies on the circuit — Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry (27th in final points) and Spire teammate Zane Smith (30th).
Hocevar’s final points position was the best for a Spire driver since co-owners Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr began fielding Cup Series entries in 2019.
“I feel like teams spend a lot of money to gain two or three spots, right?” Hocevar said. “So to be the highest finishing Spire car ever for their tenure — I think their highest ever is 26th — that’s what I’m probably most proud of is 21st is really good, I thought. Twentieth was about where I really wanted to be. To be really close there is really important. But Rookie of the Year is obviously the only thing you can’t win (later), and I missed out on it my truck year and obviously didn’t run Xfinity, so ideally it’s the last time I can really do it unless I somehow end up back in Xfinity. But yeah, happy to at least have a Rookie of the Year something in my NASCAR tenure.”
Hocevar’s first season showed glimmers of potential, improvement that has been backlit by Spire’s rapid and recent growth. Two of his six top-10 finishes came during the Cup Series Playoffs — a career-best third at Watkins Glen, plus a ninth-place effort at Homestead-Miami where the 21-year-old stood out as a non-playoff driver in a stacked postseason field.
The upswing was offset by his under-caution swipe at fellow driver Harrison Burton at Nashville, a move that drew a $50,000 fine from NASCAR officials and criticism from Cup Series veterans, plus some late-season bumper ruffling at Martinsville. Any youthful aggression was balanced by his consistency elsewhere — he tied for 17th among full-time Cup drivers in average finish (18.3) and absorbed just two DNFs.
“To do that was big for us to have the consistency of it,” Hocevar said. “I think a lot of people would have guessed that I would be in really big highs and lows, and I felt like we’ve been kind of the most consistent of our rookie group. So that’s been fun to do, but we’ve had some really good runs last half of the year, too.”
The other two rookie award recipients managed to reach Victory Lane in their respective series, with Love clinching an Xfinity Series Playoffs berth by notching a breakthrough win in April at Talladega Superspeedway. Love finished eighth in the Xfinity standings, just missing out on a Championship 4 slot. The 19-year-old will be back for Year 2 with the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevy group in 2025, with Whelen Engineering returning as a primary backer.
“I don’t think you ever want to be fully satisfied if you’re not the champion,” said Love, the 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion. “But at the same time, for me, it was one of those deals where I didn’t expect the world, because I know how I am as a rookie is not super-splashy. Again, I think way too much to kind of fly by the seat of my pants. So once I figured out how to drive the cars and figure out what my balance needs to be and figure out how to communicate better, obviously it got a lot better. So that’s kind of my biggest thing was it was pretty much right on track with how I wanted the year to go. So next year is where I feel I put the pressure on myself and figure out how good I’m going to be.”
Riggs, 22, rallied from an early points deficit and came up just short of making the 10-driver playoff field in his first Craftsman Truck Series season, but he made up for the miss by winning the first two playoff races — Milwaukee and Bristol. He created an unintentional highlight after his first victory, separating his shoulder as he pumped his fist atop his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. He took extra care in avoiding injury with his Bristol celebration.
Riggs arrived Friday morning in Charlotte for media interviews with his right arm in a sling, the result of surgery eight days earlier. He said he would begin physical therapy next week and anticipates a full recovery for the start of the season.
“To get our first win there, it kind of made everybody put their eyes on it and realize what was going on,” Riggs said. “I think I made TMZ, I think a couple other places were like, ‘NASCAR driver dislocates shoulder during celebration.’ They didn’t say truck driver, they didn’t say anything, so it got a lot of publicity, got a lot of press. I think my name got heard and seen by more people than it would’ve if it didn’t happen, but definitely wasn’t on purpose. But definitely something memorable, and it’s not going to be a tradition, that’s for sure.”
A pair of familiar faces prevailed as the 2024 National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winners as Chase Elliott earned the honor in the NASCAR Cup Series and Justin Allgaier won in the Xfinity Series. Rajah Caruth earned his first Most Popular Driver Award in the Craftsman Truck Series.
The 28-year-old Elliott has won the award for a seventh consecutive season, while Allgaier earned the Xfinity honor for the fifth time in the last six years.
Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, is one of only five drivers at the Cup level to win the award five times or more, joining Richard Petty (eight), Bobby Allison (six), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15) and Chase’s father, Bill Elliott (16). Chase additionally won the Most Popular Driver Award twice in the Xfinity Series (2014-15).
“Thank you to the fans,” Elliott said during the awards banquet. “The fans have meant so much to myself, my career, my family and beyond. When I look at that award, regardless whether I won it tonight or not, I’m grateful for the fans across the country and around the world for what they do for me, but I’ve always looked at it as a little bit of just an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy that my family has really set up for me. I think at the end of the day, I’ve always just tried to carry myself and represent that as they would want me to and try to make them proud.
“As I look at my fans and the people that genuinely want to see us do well, I just see a lot of dedication and people that are willing to spend their hard-earned money on T-shirts and hats and to come to the races and support us. I see a lot of that at the race track, and I don’t want anyone to ever think that I take any of that for granted.”
Allgaier, 38, saw his three-year streak snapped in 2022 by Noah Gragson before winning the Xfinity award the last two seasons. A JR Motorsports driver has won the Xfinity honor every year dating back to 2012.
The 22-year-old Caruth took home the Truck honor in the season where he became just the third Black driver to win a NASCAR national series race when he took the checkered flag in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Formed in 1965, the National Motorsports Press Association consists of qualified media members who report on the sport of auto racing through affiliations with print, radio, television and/or Internet news-gathering organizations. In addition to the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award, the NMPA presents an array of auto-racing honors, including the Richard Petty Driver of the Year Award, the Myers Brothers Award, the NMPA Pocono Spirit Award and the Wood Brothers Award of Excellence.
Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Greg Biffle has been named the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Myers Brothers Award.
Biffle, 54, receives the honor after his extraordinary efforts to aid mountain communities in Western North Carolina after the devastation of Hurricane Helene left its mark especially on remote towns.
This recognition, named after two of NASCAR’s earliest competitors Billy and Bob Myers, is awarded by the National Motorsports Press Association. The Myers Brothers Award celebrates “individuals and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.”
Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Biffle used his personal helicopter to help rescue groups from trapped enclosures and deliver others’ vital supplies like EpiPens, insulin, formula and other necessities.
“It started on a Saturday morning when I got a phone call for somebody in need of assistance,” Biffle said Friday night. “And what I thought was one family turned in to be, a pretty devastating event and just escalated one thing after another. And I thought, you know, I’ve got the resources, and if I don’t go, who’s going to go? So that day, I drove to the airport. Power was out, so we used the tug to get the hanger door open, got my helicopter out, put fuel on and tried to go rescue that family.
“And what turned out to be 4,000 messages after that just turned into 12 days of flying, sun up to sun down. We feel good about what we did. And then over 100 helicopters joined the effort, a lot of guys from this room. So it was a great effort and I’m glad that I was part of it.”
During his consecutive days flying toward and back from the Blue Ridge Mountains, Biffle was quick to credit those around him who made these deliveries possible.
“I mean, the list goes on. I don’t want to leave anyone out,” Biffle told NASCAR.com in an October interview. “Team guys are up there on their days off with trucks, trailers, chainsaws. They said, ‘We just drove up there and found a road that was blocked, and started cutting and moving trees out of the way. We got miles in and found people, and they had food and water and supplies.’ So it’s just real cowboys, coming out of NASCAR and helping, and it’s great to see that. But it makes me proud to be a part of that community.”
Past recipients of the award include seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty in addition to Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Hendrick, former MRN lead announcer Barney Hall and former NASCAR president Mike Helton.
David Wilson, the head of Toyota’s motorsports wing, was named the recipient of the Bill France Award of Excellence.
The honor was presented Friday evening during the annual NASCAR Awards banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center, recognizing Wilson’s outstanding achievements in the sport during his 35 years with the automaker. He announced in August that he planned to retire Dec. 16 as group vice president and president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development).
The Bill France Award of Excellence is not presented annually. Retiring Goodyear CEO Rich Kramer received the recognition last year, marking the first time it was presented since 2020 when seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was honored.
Wilson teared up and expressed his surprise at hearing his name announced by NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France.
“I was well and truly stunned, rocked my world tonight to be called up on stage by my dear friend Jim France and to be recognized,” Wilson said. “As I said, and what I believe and what’s in my heart, is again on my very best day, I am simply a reflection of a wonderful team that’s supported me, that’s trusted me, that’s empowered me to serve and so, yeah, I’m still soaking it in.”
Wilson held many roles with Toyota’s racing division, including the last 11 years as its leader. He worked in a time of significant growth for the manufacturer, which made its NASCAR national-series debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and joined the premier Cup Series three years later.
Wilson’s influence was felt in many other forms of motorsports — CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NHRA, SCORE and USAC. When asked in August about his lasting legacy in the sport, Wilson pointed to the company’s increased connection to racing.
“It’s pretty simple,” Wilson said. “I’d like to again believe that TRD is better than when it was when I got here, and I’d like to believe that our sport, and Toyota’s position in our sport, has left NASCAR in a better place. Coming back to when we entered 20 years ago, we didn’t have a relationship with the sanctioning body, and we didn’t have certainly a relationship with our competitors the way we do now, and so much has changed. I’m proud of the way the competitive model that Toyota brought to our sport, we’ve changed the way the sport goes racing, and I love that. I love that, but there’s a lot that I’m really happy about and proud of.”
Succeeding Wilson in the role is Tyler Gibbs, TRD’s current general manager.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR Foundation announced Judy Simmons as the winner of the 14th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award during Friday’s NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As the award winner, Simmons will receive a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to God’s Pit Crew, a non-profit dedicated to providing disaster relief services to children and families.
“This award means so much to God’s Pit Crew and me, and it will make a tremendous impact for the children we strive to provide healing to in the midst of disaster,” said Simmons. “With this award, we will be able to provide more hope and comfort to the young lives that need it most.”
Judy Simmons of Axton, Virginia, is a volunteer at God’s Pit Crew, a local non-profit disaster relief organization that works to provide aid and hope to communities all over the country in the face of a major weather event. Judy has been a member of the God’s Pit Crew disaster response team of more than 1,500 volunteers for six years, leading volunteer teams to provide essential needs to families and children in their time of crisis, including Play Pails that contain toys, games and hygiene items for children who have lost everything.
“Judy is an incredible person doing impactful work for families that have experienced hardship due to natural disasters, especially during the difficult times faced in Western North Carolina this year,” said Nichole Krieger, The NASCAR Foundation Vice President and Executive Director. “The $100,000 she won for God’s Pit Crew will allow them to continue providing essential items for kids and families in need in times of major weather event or crisis. Both Judy and her organization are very deserving of this award.”
Simmons earned the most online votes from a pool of nominees, including Tammy Raulerson with the Periwinkle Foundation in College Station, Texas; Carlos Washington with Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area in Florence, South Carolina; and Julie Woolridge with Hope of Mooresville in Mooresville, North Carolina. Each of these charities will receive a $25,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation.
In its 14 years, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award has recognized 56 NASCAR fans who are dedicated volunteers working for children’s causes in communities nationwide. More than 553,288 children’s lives have been affected by the program with 2.56 million contributed to children’s charities.
To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s programs, including the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and Speediatrics Children’s Fund, please visit www.NASCARfoundation.org.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin said Friday he was “shocked” by the news that he will have a new crew chief for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday morning ahead of the NASCAR Awards banquet that Chris Gabehart will become the team’s competition director, vacating the head of the No. 11 team he had led with driver Hamlin since 2019. Chris Gayle will crew chief the No. 11 Toyota moving forward, moving from the No. 54 JGR program where he previously worked with Ty Gibbs.
Together, Gabehart and Hamlin won 22 races, propelling Hamlin to a resurgence of success, including 13 victories across the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. The duo and their No. 11 team won three of the first 11 races in 2024 but ended the year without another visit back to Victory Lane. Joe Gibbs Racing went winless after Christopher Bell’s victory in late June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I certainly was shocked,” Hamlin said in a media availability. “That’s all I’ll say.”
Hamlin was notified of the change early in the week after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, the news delivered to him in a 6 p.m. ET meeting at JGR headquarters. He admitted he was surprised to learn that way, but understood the team opted to make a move to improve its overall performance.
“The first few days was a shock, but I’m moving on,” Hamlin said. “There’s nothing I can do to change anything that happened, and JGR is doing what they feel is best for them and I totally understand that. And if all of our program gets better, the 11 car’s gonna run better as well, right? And I think that all of us, all the teams, knew that we needed to have better results than what we had at the end of the year. They feel like this is the change they need to [make] to get that and that the 11 team will benefit from those changes.”
Gayle joins Hamlin’s program after two years atop the box for Ty Gibbs in the Cup Series, but his resume extends much farther back than that. Gayle has served as a JGR crew chief since 2013, collecting 37 Xfinity Series wins with drivers like Gibbs (11), Kyle Busch (20) and Erik Jones. In 2017, Gayle followed Jones to the Cup Series, where they won two races in four seasons. He then went back to Xfinity to lead the No. 54 team in 2021 with Busch, Ty Dillon, Gibbs, Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek before Gibbs became the full-time driver in 2022.
In total, Hamlin and Gayle have worked together in eight Xfinity Series races, winning the spring 2016 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway before a runner-up effort at Darlington Raceway later that year.
“He’s been with the company for 20 years, and certainly, he knows all the tools that the teams use,” Hamlin said. “He’s really just had rookie drivers for the most part in the course of his Cup career, so I think it’s going to be a welcomed change for him, and welcomed change for me to go out there and try to build a new relationship and obviously win a lot of races. So I think it probably was the easiest choice, considering he was part of the program already.”
Days after his 44th birthday, Hamlin knows he isn’t getting any younger. But forging a new relationship with a crew chief at this stage of his career – ahead of Hamlin’s 20th full year of NASCAR Cup Series racing – isn’t something that worries him.
“Someone of my age, I think the easy answer would say, well, you’re just you’re an old dog. You’re not going to learn new tricks. You’re not going to want to listen to anyone to tell you to do it differently,” Hamlin said. “But I’ve made it very clear to Chris Gayle that I do not want you treating me with kid gloves. You need to tell me when I need to improve in something, or there’s an area that I’m weak in as a driver. I need that feedback, and I think that as long as he’s comfortable with that, we’re going to have a successful relationship. because I am very self-aware and I need someone to hold me accountable to be the best out there.”
On the opposite end is Gibbs, who just concluded his second full-time campaign at the Cup level. A crew chief for the No. 54 team has not been announced, but Gibbs admitted he will miss working with Gayle, with whom he won the Xfinity Series championship in 2022.
“Chris has meant the world to me,” Gibbs said. “He’s been with me through most of the ups and downs of my life. I’ve won a championship with him and (11) or so races with him, so I’ve really appreciated the time I’ve gotten to work with him. I think him and Denny will be a great fit, and I’m excited to see what happens going forward and improving the whole team as a whole organization.”
Gabehart, meanwhile, transitions into a role where he will have leadership and influence over all four of JGR’s entries, which in 2025 will include Hamlin, Gibbs, Christopher Bell and newcomer Chase Briscoe.
“I think he’s got a very good leadership style to him,” Hamlin said. “I think that probably if you’re soft, it’s going to rub you the wrong way. I think if you’re strong-minded and you are willing to take constructive criticism, I think he’s a great leader as far as that’s concerned. So, generally speaking, I think he probably felt like there were changes that needed to happen within the team that he couldn’t do from sitting in his crew-chief seat.”
“I think it will really benefit us,” Gibbs said. “I think he has so many talents and so much wisdom; it’s just a good spot for him to be in. I’m excited to see what happens and I’m excited to see we’re making changes and making improvements on all of JGR. So hopefully 2025 will be a great year for all of us.”
