Drivers, icons and members of the NASCAR community will come together for the 2024 NASCAR Awards Red Carpet Show, hosted by Jessie Punch and Alex Weaver and streaming live on NASCAR.com, NASCAR’s YouTube channel and NASCAR social media on Friday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. ET.
The Red Carpet Awards Show will last until 6 p.m. ET at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, kicking off the evening’s festivities.
The 2024 NASCAR Awards will mark the first time the ceremonies have been hosted in Charlotte. The NASCAR Awards are a tradition that dates back to 1981 when the event was held in New York City. It has since relocated to Las Vegas from 2009 to 2018 and Nashville from 2019 to 2023.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing announced a pair of changes in advance of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Chris Gabehart, who has served as the crew chief of the No. 11 team for the past six seasons, will become the organization’s competition director while Chris Gayle, who has been the crew chief for the No. 54 team for the past two seasons, will assume the crew chief role for Denny Hamlin.
Both Gabehart and Gayle have been mainstays at Joe Gibbs Racing for a number of years. This season, both led their teams to the Cup Series Playoffs and top-15 finishes in the overall point standings.
“We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization,” said Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Chris Gabehart will now be an asset across all four of our teams as competition director and we thought it was important to have him transition into his new role immediately. Chris Gayle will bring his own perspective to the 11 team while also maintaining the consistency and continuity they have developed with Denny (Hamlin) over the past several years. While we are still in the process of finalizing the new crew chief for the 54 team, we believe all these moves ultimately make our team stronger as we prepare for 2025.”
Gabehart joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2012 as a race engineer. He transitioned to a crew chief position with the team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program from 2016-2018. After three successful seasons where his teams earned nine victories with multiple drivers, Gabehart was promoted to be crew chief of the No. 11 team in 2019. The Hamlin-Gabehart combination proved to be a threat immediately by winning the 2019 Daytona 500 on the way to three consecutive Championship 4 appearances. In six seasons together, Gabehart and Hamlin claimed 22 victories, including a pair of Daytona 500s and the 2021 Southern 500.
“I am very thankful for the opportunities that Joe Gibbs Racing has continued to provide me for my entire tenure here and cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed and appreciated my time with Denny and the entire 11 team,” said Gabehart. “They have all taught me so much about not only how to race at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series, but also, how to lead a great group of talented professionals. In my next opportunity, I am as excited as I have ever been to work with all our talented drivers, crew chiefs, teams and partners to help focus all our efforts towards making 2025 one of the best seasons Joe Gibbs Racing has ever had.”
Gayle’s resume includes a pair of Cup Series victories, 37 Xfinity Series wins, and the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. He began his time with Joe Gibbs Racing as an engineer in 2003. In 2013, Gayle moved into a crew chief position with JGR’s Xfinity Series team. After a four-year stint from 2013-2016 where his teams claimed 20 victories, Gayle spent 2017 as a crew chief for Furniture Row Racing.
He rejoined JGR in 2018 in the Cup Series with Erik Jones. He led the young driver to his first career win in 2018 and followed that up with a Southern 500 victory in 2019. In 2021, the Little Rock, Arkansas, native guided JGR’s No. 54 Xfinity Series team to 10 wins with four different drivers. The next year, Gayle led Ty Gibbs to seven victories and the series championship before the duo moved to the Cup Series together in 2023. In 2024, Gayle oversaw the No. 54 team’s growth in Gibbs’ second season as they earned eight top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, two pole awards, and 417 laps led.
“Denny is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” said Gayle. “I’m looking forward to working with him and the guys on the No. 11 team. He and Gabehart have established an incredible culture that is a very good barometer for our other drivers and teams to strive to match. I have all the confidence in the world we can hit the ground running and continue the success that this group is accustomed to in 2025.”
The No. 54 crew chief will be announced at a later date.
HARRISBURG, N.C. — Hyak Motorsports welcomes in a new era of racing for the iconic No. 47 team with a rebrand, new name and ownership. Effective immediately, the team will shift from JTG Racing to Hyak Motorsports with Gordon Smith, who became the principal owner at the end of the 2023 season, at the helm. Hyak Motorsports will continue to carry out Smith’s plan to bring a fresh, new energy to the team and show his commitment to advancing the team’s legacy both on and off the racetrack.
The change starts with the name “HYAK,” which means “fast” in Chinook Jargon, which is a trade language of the Pacific Northwest that incorporates terms from Chinook, Chehalis, and many other local languages. The ownership transition promises to fuel Hyak Motorsports with a competitive edge by enhancing its approach to performance, innovation, and fan engagement. Smith is joined by co-owners Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes and Ernie Cope, who remain dedicated to maintaining the team’s high standards while introducing updated strategies and resources to help bring the team to a new level.
“Becoming the owner of Hyak Motorsports brings an exciting opportunity,” said Gordon Smith, team owner/CEO. “I look forward to building on the team’s accomplishments, investing in its future, and driving toward new successes in partnership with our fans, sponsors, and team members.”
The team’s commitment to pushing boundaries and delivering thrilling performances will continue in the 2025 season, starting with the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray on February 2, 2025, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“I’m really excited about 2025 as our company continues to evolve,” said Brad Daugherty, one of the four owners of the team. “Our goal is to compete and win races at the highest level of NASCAR. The name change signifies that commitment and desire to be our very best.”
“2025 will begin a new era for this company,” said Ernie Cope, team co-owner. “We’re still committed to being a winning team with Ricky and the entire No. 47 crew. This is just the next step in elevating the team to another level.”
2025 will mark the team’s third season in NASCAR under the current management. The team has scored a win in each of the last two years and plans to continue this trajectory. Its pinnacle Daytona 500 win came on February 19, 2023, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who will continue to pilot the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro next season.
“Rebranding a team can be exciting, said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver for the No. 47 Chevrolet. “I’m looking forward to continuing building this team up with a lot of the same great crew members we have had here. I’m focused on the competition side and getting our performance back that we had in 2023. We learned a lot in 2024 and we’re ready to get back to the track.”
More updates will follow in the NASCAR offseason as the team works to build upon its foundation and look ahead to the 2025 season.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. & AUSTIN, Texas — National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) and FloSports, today announced a multi-year extension of its media partnership that will focus on elevating the nation’s premier grassroots racing events and allow them to invest in the sport of short track racing.
The agreement makes FloRacing, FloSports’ dedicated motorsports platform, the essential home of NASCAR Regional Series properties, including: the ARCA Menards Series East & West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™, and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™. The deal also ensures the Snowball Derby, zMAX CARS Tour, and more prestigious short track racing events will be showcased on FloRacing and supported by a full breadth of content, social, and marketing efforts.
Since NASCAR and FloSports joined forces in 2021, interest in short track racing has grown and flourished, paving the way for the renewal. FloRacing covers and distributes a comprehensive collection of more than 1,000 race events annually for motorsport fans of all kinds across dirt, pavement and drag.
“Our partnership with FloSports has helped NASCAR to continue our unparalleled investment into grassroots racing – the foundation of our sport,” said NASCAR EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer Ben Kennedy. “We look forward to delivering fans the best in short track racing, but also to re-investing in the grassroots community to keep stock car racing thriving.”
“NASCAR is the number one name in motorsports and an unbelievable partner that cares about short track racing,” said Mark Floreani, Co-Founder and CEO of FloSports. “This agreement will allow us to work alongside NASCAR to provide our customers with more marquee events and series throughout the year, ensuring that a FloRacing subscription is the best value in all of motorsports.”
Short track racing will be on full display this weekend as Florence Motor Speedway hosts more than 50 cars, including the No. 8 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the South Carolina 400. To watch and gain access to more than 1,000 races annually, please visit https://floracing.com.
A driver can dream about setting records so untouchable that future generations of racers spend their careers chasing them. Whether it’s Richard Petty’s 200 Cup wins or Kyle Busch’s 19-year win streak, the goal is to push the bar into the stratosphere so no one can rocket past it.
For Rubén García Jr., the quest to raise that bar seems endless. With five NASCAR México Series titles, García isn’t just resting on past success — he’s still writing his story and it feels like he’s nowhere near finished.
“It watered my eyes,” García shared with NASCAR.com, reflecting on his milestone achievement. “It’s something I dreamed as a kid one day, I wanted to be a NASCAR champion. And celebrating my fifth title right now, it really gets my emotions.”
But the climb back to the top wasn’t easy. García’s fourth title came in 2022, before the introduction of the new playoff format. Under the old system, a champion was decided by season-long point totals. In 2023, NASCAR México Series adopted a playoff format that followed the Cup Series. Points were reset and drivers were eliminated after each event, narrowing the field to four. The new format ratcheted up pressure, fueling daring moves and thrilling moments when a championship was on the line in one race.
In last year’s finale, García was the highest-running playoff driver for most of the race; he flawlessly executed late-race restarts to put one hand on a fifth trophy. But as the laps wound down and cautions piled, the intensity and tempers rose. On a Lap 124 restart, García lined up fourth — just one spot ahead of his fellow title contender, Salvador de Alba Jr. As the race went back green, de Alba made contact with No. 7 of Xavi Razo, which sent García into the outside wall, bringing out a red flag and ending his hope for a fifth title in an instant.
Fast-forward to Nov. 2 of this year. García was back in the title bout for a ninth consecutive season. Determined to make up for what happened last year, he started the championship race on pole. However, it was long into the race that García went from seeing his fifth title within arm’s reach from the top spot to his windshield being filled with rear bumpers.
“My crew chief made a couple of adjustments before the race, and they really didn’t work out,” Garcia said. “I feel like it was Lap 10 and I was like eighth, and I started on the pole and fell all the way back to 12th.”
Trying not to get discouraged that another chance of championship glory was slipping from his fingers for a second consecutive season, García kept a level head with help from both of his spotters — one being his regular spotter, the other his sister — and his sports psychologist encouraging him over the radio not to let his frustrations boil over.
“They kept me calm,” García said. “They told me, ‘Wait we still have to do pit stops. We can reverse those last adjustments and get you running again. It’s a long race, don’t worry.’ But the first 15 laps, I was like, ‘Damn, we’re not even a quarter of the race in, and I already lost. There’s not much I can do running 12th.’ I see my championship possibilities getting smaller and smaller and smaller.”
Courtesy of NASCAR México
García struggled with grip and could feel the balance of his No. 88 Chevrolet was off throughout the first stage. After a shock adjustment and a different tire pressure, García’s crew chief was convinced that the No. 88 car would drive through the field and be right back in the title fight.
“Most of the time, my crew chief is really accurate about the changes he does during pit stops, and [this time] he sounded very confident on the radio,” García said. “That helped me, I had a really good restart. I made up like five spots in a couple of laps, made a couple of three-wide moves, [that were] a little too aggressive, but at that moment I said, ‘I think my car’s back. I don’t know if it’s good to contend for the win, but at least I’m in the mix now again.’ So that gave me a lot of confidence.”
García’s title fight was with the aforementioned Razo, Rookie of the Year Alex de Alba and two-time champ Abramam Calderón, who were all running in the top 10. Calderón had the fastest car out of the four and was sailing away from the pack every chance he got. De Alba soon had to retire after mechanical issues, so it left Razo and García in a fierce battle for second place in the standings.
“[Razo] was in front of me for a few laps, then I passed him,” García said. “Then he found speed again late in the race and we fought for a few laps. In my mind, was like, if I’m not catching Abraham, I need to stay in second place, because if there’s a caution, I’m going to be the first one that will be able to attack Abraham.”
As laps trickled down, García’s hope of a late caution wasn’t coming to fruition.
“The track’s getting very slick. We’ve been running a lot. We all have worn-out tires with a very, very hot race track. So a mistake is very easy right now,” García recounted. “I kept in mind, I just need to stay in front of Xavi and something can happen. Cautions are very popular at this race track and I was expecting one.
“I was praying for a caution because my crew chief kept telling me, ‘You’re running the same speed as Calderón, but he’s too far away. You’re not catching him, but he’s also not pulling away.’ ”
García kept hoping and defending against Razo and yet no caution had flown. García was on the verge of accepting that maybe a fifth title just wasn’t meant to be, until his sister came on the radio with three laps to go.
“He [Calderón] hit the wall, he hit the wall. Keep going, keep going, keep going,” she exclaimed.
“I saw Abraham with a flat front tire and I couldn’t believe it,” García said. “Now I don’t want a caution.”
Courtesy of NASCAR México
A year can completely change the course of a driver’s career. What was a heartbreaking near-miss in 2023 turned into a triumphant redemption story for García in ’24.
“That redemption feeling was great,” García said. “But what got to me the most was how it happened, because it was a full roller coaster of emotions. It’s a complete opposite feeling as last year, and five championships is a big accomplishment for me.”
García’s fifth championship puts him in an elite class of his own in NASCAR México Series history. Two titles ahead of his idol, Germán Quiroga, who won three consecutive championships from 2009 to 2011 — a feat García watched from the sidelines, thinking, “How much more is he going to get?”
Now, García is carving his own place in the record books, determined to write his lasting legacy.
But even with five championships to his name, García’s competitive fire shows no signs of cooling off. As he prepares for another season to defend his title and aim for a sixth, his mindset remains clear: keep raising the bar and make it difficult for the next generation to catch up.
“Five is far away from the other, from the rest of the field,” García said. “I just want to win as many as I can to make it as hard as possible for [younger drivers] to break the record.”
Jeremy Bullins will join RFK Racing as crew chief for Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the team announced Thursday.
The pairing is a reunion for the past Team Penske cohorts. Bullins led Keselowski’s No. 2 team through the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, collecting a total of five wins, 23 top fives and 41 top 10s across two seasons. They ended the 2020 season second in the championship standings.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with BK again, this time in the iconic No. 6 car with RFK,” Bullins said in a team release. “We were able to accomplish a lot as a team previously, but we had a couple of unfinished goals, like a Daytona 500 win and a championship together, and I’m ecstatic we get the opportunity to compete together again. From the outside looking in, it’s been obvious the trajectory RFK is on, and I look forward to being part of the growth and future success of the team.”
Bullins most recently served as crew chief of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with driver Harrison Burton for 34 races in 2024 in addition to the final 10 events of the 2023 campaign. That pair produced Burton’s first NASCAR Cup Series win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in August 2024 — a victory that gave the storied Wood Brothers Racing organization its 100th win at the top level.
A native of Walnut Grove, North Carolina, Bullins has earned 10 Cup victories, winning with Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric in addition to Keselowski and Burton. He’s also collected 21 wins at the Xfinity Series level with Keselowski, Blaney and Joey Logano behind the wheel — all Cup champions.
Bullins replaces Matt McCall atop the pit box for Keselowski’s team. McCall joined RFK with Keselowski as Keselowski took on a co-ownership role of the organization in his transition from Team Penske ahead of the 2022 campaign. Together, the duo was victorious in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in May 2024. Across three seasons together, McCall and Keselowski collected 17 top fives and 30 top 10s in addition to their Darlington win.
Jeremy and I share a lot of history, and I’m excited to have him join the No. 6 team as we compete together again. We’ve set big goals for 2025! pic.twitter.com/BuhcZdosQu
“I mean, he helped turn our company around,” Keselowski said of McCall during Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “He’s been a big part of that. Probably doesn’t get enough credit for it. Everything hasn’t gone perfect, and I think he’d be the first to tell you that, but I’m really proud of what he helped us achieve. Just hopeful that the next chapter is great for him. I wish him the best.”
Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is entering his 16th full season in Cup in 2025 and fourth at RFK. His 36 career Cup wins are third-most of active drivers and has made 12 appearances in the NASCAR Playoffs. RFK is also expanding to a three-car operation in 2025 with the addition of Ryan Preece driving the No. 60 Ford, who joins teammate and driver of the No. 17 Ford Chris Buescher.
By winning Florence’s Locked-In 225 back in August, Millington not only earned a guaranteed spot in the South Carolina 400, but also the pole for the crown jewel race. Earning a head start against elite competition has taken a lot of pressure off Millington over the past several weeks while preparing for 250 grueling laps on Saturday.
Millington knows excellent starting position does not always equal success in the South Carolina 400 due to the emphasis on tire conservation. Despite this, Millington said his scenario does create more time for him to craft a setup that can guide him to Florence’s Victory Lane once again.
“[A pole] is something we’ve never been gifted with going into a race weekend,” Millington said. “It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be nice. We’ll be able to focus on practice and have a good car for the race. That will give us a little bit of an edge, but who knows if it will even make a difference.”
The success Millington has enjoyed during the 2024 season is something he does not take for granted, given that his team is only comprised of four people.
Millington serves as his own crew chief and diligently works on the cars alongside his father Scott. Brandon Henson assists the Millingtons as a spotter and occasional tire changer, while co-owner Bob Saville provides financial backing with his company Leisure-Tyme Rentals.
Saville Millington Motorsports may be small in scale, but the operation has consistently held its own against the elites of the Late Model Stock discipline. Along with winning in the CARS Tour twice, Millington also earned track championships at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2017 and 2020.
Among the accomplishments Ryan Millington has garnered with his small team include two track championships at Hickory Motor Speedway. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
The formula to maintaining on-track success for Millington starts at the race shop. He and Scott are always careful when it comes to preparing their cars; a mindset that remains prevalent when it comes time for the younger Millington to get behind the wheel.
“We’ve done our best to make sure we’re mechanically sound going into each weekend,” Millington said. “We’ve always done really well at making sure we don’t have part failures or letting any stupid things happen that might take you out of a race. My dad grew up racing, and he’s been really smart, so we’ve been blessed to be fortunate.”
Tenacity rewarded Millington with his best Late Model Stock season during the 2024 campaign. After enduring a slow start to the year, Millington emerged as a perennial contender in the CARS Tour during the summer, amassing four top-five finishes that included prevailing at Florence for his second career victory.
Millington’s Florence triumph snapped a winless drought he had carried in the CARS Tour for over four years. Of all the tracks Millington envisioned would be the site of his long overdue win, Florence was not high on that list.
“I really was [surprised],” Millington said. “Florence has always been one of those places where I feel like I drive around very well, but we never had any good cars there. For whatever reason, I was able to hit on it in August, and we kind of dominated that night. We’re going back with the same package, and hopefully we’re close.”
The Locked-In 225 victory is the primary reason Millington made the trip to Florence for the South Carolina 400. He initially planned on skipping the race, but earning optimal track position through his triumph was enough to convince Millington he could replicate his performance from August in Florence’s crown jewel.
If Millington wants to win from the pole, he will have to deal with a stout field of competitors. Previous South Carolina 400 winners like Brenden Queen and Kade Brown are among those that comprise the preliminary entry list alongside NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Having run plenty of Late Model Stock crown jewel events during his career, Millington understands how imperative patience is from the opening green flag. The South Carolina 400 is no exception to this rule from Millington’s viewpoint. He believes the contenders will ascertain how to save tires and secure solid track position for the closing stages.
With the benefit of already being on pole, Ryan Millington looks to deliver another solid Florence Motor Speedway performance in the South Carolina 400. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)
“It’s going to be an interesting race, no doubt,” Millington said. “This is a 250-lap race divided into two 125-lap segments. Basically, it’s going to be one of those deals where the first 125 [laps] will tell you what you have for the second [segment]. You get four tires at the halfway break, so realistically only the second half matters.”
As Millington and his father finalize their setup for Florence, he finds himself grateful for his current situation. With more high-budget teams entering the Late Model Stock discipline every year, Millington takes pride over how his four-man crew can keep the elites honest every time they go to the track.
Winning the South Carolina 400 on Saturday would be a milestone achievement for Millington’s operation and further validate the sacrifices made to reach this point. The competitive depth of the field is an obstacle standing in the way of that goal, but Millington’s focus is centered on being at the front when it matters.
“At this point, we’re all just race car drivers, right?” Millington said. “It’ll be huge for us to [win the South Carolina 400], but it won’t be much different beating all those big names. We’re going to go do our best and see if we can get another one.”
Millington is optimistic he is primed for a potential breakout campaign next year following his strong 2024. One more victory in a Late Model Stock crown jewel on Saturday could give him the necessary jolt to further solidify his small team’s status as one of the best in the southeast.
Three of the eight tightest endings in Cup history happened this year, marking the finish line as the starting point for any discussion of the best memories in ’24.
When he finished 0.006 seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski in an Oct. 5 victory at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. paused before joining his team in jubilation because he was thinking about the two closer finishes from earlier in the season.
“Obviously like with the Atlanta race earlier in the year, the Kansas race, I’m just sitting there waiting to celebrate and make sure,” Stenhouse said. “It was way too close for me to call from the seat.”
Five other drivers knew that feeling well this season.
Daniel Suárez outdueled Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where 500 miles ended Feb. 25 with 0.003 seconds separating the top three cars.
“I hope that fans enjoyed it; that was a hell of a damn race,” Blaney said while gleefully watching a replay. “That’s so close!”
But the May 5 finish at Kansas Speedway was the closest recorded outcome of a series with nearly 3,000 races over 76 years. Kyle Larson nipped Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds but was more awed at being a part of history than getting the victory by inches.
“I got to the start/finish line, had no clue if I won or not,” Larson said. “I guess I cared but really didn’t honestly care because I was just like, ‘Man, that was freaking awesome.’ ”
Other stirring finishes were more impressive for their timing than the amount of time they took (though all were narrow).
The 2024 season delivered a record six last-lap passes for wins, and three were as captivating as the three closest:
— Harrison Burton’s out-of-nowhere surge past Kyle Busch for his first career victory Aug. 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
— Chris Buescher’s bruising duel with Shane van Gisbergen through the final corners Sept. 15 at Watkins Glen International.
— Tyler Reddick’s third-to-first charge past Blaney and Denny Hamlin in the last mile and a half at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Reddick’s win was the race of the year given the stakes (a Championship 4 berth) and the mesmerizing way in which the climactic moves unfolded (as Reddick bravely seized the win, Blaney and Hamlin choked away their opportunities).
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Courtesy of Racing Insights’ statistical wrap-up of the season, here are a few more of our favorite feel-good things about NASCAR in 2024:
— New (but many old) faces in Victory Lane: A record nine drivers ended winless streaks of at least 42 races during the past season. Burton was the only first-time winner, so Victory Lane turned into a regular welcome-back committee.
Celebrating wins again after absences of more than a full season of races were Stenhouse, Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Suárez. And long winless droughts also ended for Ross Chastain (29 races) and Buescher (37 races).
But those lists stunningly were missing Kyle Busch (who failed to extend his streak of winning seasons to 20 and now is 58 races since his last victory) and Ty Gibbs (still hunting his first win after 87 races).
—Veteran mettle: Michael McDowell and Front Row Motorsports made their seventh and final season together a memorable one.
Having gone without a pole position in the first 466 career starts, McDowell led the series by qualifying first six times this season. The 39-year-old won poles for five consecutive races at drafting tracks (Atlanta, Talladega and Daytona) in a testament to the team’s car preparation.
Between McDowell and teammate Todd Gilliland, Front Row led 386 laps in 2024 (from 2005-23, the team’s drivers had combined to lead 493 laps).
–A new sheen: McDowell will join Spire Motorsports next season (with teammate Justin Haley and crew chief Rodney Childers), and the organization laid a solid foundation in its first year as a three-car team.
Rookie Carson Hocevar, who will be Spire’s only driver holdover next year, led the way by finishing 21st in the points standings while often getting sideways of fellow drivers and series officials — encouraging signs of upsetting the establishment in testing its boundaries. The 21-year-old finished in the top 20 seven times in the playoff (including a career-high third at Watkins Glen).
–Solidly riding into the sunset: Though he went winless in his final full-time season, Martin Truex Jr. said goodbye to Cup by winning the pole for his last two races – the first time in his 19 seasons he qualified first in consecutive races.
Truex also stayed up front during races and led 555 laps, his 10th consecutive season of leading at least 500 laps (which only six drivers have done).
–Uplifting tire tales: Goodyear quietly made strides in trying to enhance the racing. Bristol Motor Speedway’s return to the concrete in its spring race delivered an unexpectedly captivating tire management epic. Though those dynamics were unable to be replicated, a softer tire in the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway offered hope for the future of short-track racing for four lead changes in the last 100 laps.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is the host of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast and also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With another thrilling playoff run officially in the books, NASCAR will celebrate its 2024 series champions this week at a new but familiar place.
The always highly-anticipated NASCAR Champion’s Week moves to NASCAR’s hub, Charlotte, North Carolina, for the first time — with a week of celebration capped off with Friday Night’s NASCAR Awards ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom; the banquet and festivities televised on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, The CW).
The 2024 NASCAR Awards Red Carpet Show will air live on NASCAR.com, NASCAR’s YouTube channel and NASCAR social media on Friday, Nov. 22, from 5-6 p.m. ET.
This year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano, holds the esteemed honor of being celebrated in three different championship locales for his trio of titles — Las Vegas (2018), Nashville (2022) and now Charlotte.
This time, Logano bested a Championship 4 that included his Penske teammate and 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, who was his runner-up in the Nov. 10 Phoenix season finale race. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick round out the four title-eligible contenders.
“I love the playoffs,” Logano said during the trophy celebration at Phoenix Raceway. “What a race and what a Team Penske battle there at the end.
“We have three of them [championships],” he added with a smile. “That’s really special.”
Logano’s title is truly a historical mark for the sport. Not only is it the third consecutive Cup Series championship for Team Penske, but Logano’s accomplishment makes him the first driver to win three titles for Ford and only the 10th driver in NASCAR history to earn three Cup Series championships. His trophy haul now is the most among active full-time drivers.
Fans will not only be able to celebrate Logano’s historical triumph, but Championship Week is a true celebration for the sport as a whole — from recognizing the National Motorsports Press Association’s (NMPA) Most Popular Driver Award that Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott has won the last six consecutive seasons to illuminating team members and NASCAR series not always in the spotlight.
The entire NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field of 16 — including past series champions Eliott (2020), Kyle Larson (2021), Brad Keselowski (2012) and retiring champion Martin Truex Jr. (2017) — will be in attendance this week. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity Series and ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski in the Craftsman Truck Series — both crowned champions for the first time — will also be present.
The Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award will be announced with the list of this year’s finalists, including driver Erik Jones, NASCAR employee Scott Crowell and Charlotte Motor Speedway employee Susan McKee.
The much-anticipated Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, which honors those who “make a difference in children’s lives through local children’s organizations,” will be announced. This year’s finalists are Tammy Raulerson (College Station, Texas), Judy Simmons (Axton, Virginia), Carlos Washington (Florence, South Carolina) and Julie Wooldridge (Mooresville, North Carolina).
The coveted Bill France Award of Excellence, which recognizes individuals who have made a substantial impact on NASCAR, will be awarded each year – noteworthy since in the last five years, it has only been given to two people – Goodyear CEO Rich Cramer in 2023 and seven-time-NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in 2020.
Also, among the significant awards presentations is the NMPA Myers Brothers Award, which recognizes individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to stock-car racing.
This year’s nominees are retiring Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, Greg Biffle, the Erik Jones Foundation, Larson, former Talladega chairman Grant Lynch, NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley, retiring PRN play-by-play announcer Doug Rice and retiring president of Toyota Racing Development David Wilson.
The formal part of Championship Week actually begins Thursday with a celebration of NASCAR’s regional and international series, including the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West and all four of NASCAR’s popular International Series — the NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
This year, Champion’s Week features a special “Insider Experience” for fans at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The sold-out event, which takes place Friday, includes exclusive opportunities for fans to meet drivers and get autographs at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, with red carpet access at the NASCAR Awards ceremony and a special “Watch Party” in the Hall of Fame’s High Octane Theater.
AUSTIN, Texas — The fifth running of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season will arrive with a distinctive new look and feel for both drivers and fans alike at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, the season’s third race set for Sunday, March 2 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), will shift from COTA’s 3.41-mile, 20-turn Full Course layout to the facility’s equally challenging 2.3-mile, 20-turn National Course. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), which returns to COTA for a fifth season, will also utilize the National Course for the Focused Health 250 on Saturday, March 1 (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The reconfiguration will eliminate approximately a mile of the backside of the permanent road course’s traditional layout and is expected to shave roughly a minute off lap times based on early NASCAR simulations. The National Course layout will begin upon exit of the esses section and then return to the traditional course at the tail end of the long backstretch.
Fans will benefit from the race distance being extended from 68 laps to approximately 100 and providing nearly 50 percent more action in front of them than the previous Full Course layout. Additional modifications may be made to the layout, and the lap total for both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races will be confirmed as NASCAR finalizes the National Course details.
“The move to the National Course will make a great race experience even better for our fans with more laps and more action,” Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said. “Fans will have more laps to cheer for their favorite driver from the best seats, and the action will come faster with lap times reduced by roughly a minute. The National Course and its new pavement will provide the drivers, teams and crew chiefs with a fresh look and a new challenge after running the Full Course the last four years at COTA.”
From a driver’s perspective, they will not only have a new layout to master but also contend with the full repave the track underwent after last season’s NASCAR race weekend. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, who won the 2022 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, had the opportunity to run the existing National Course on iRacing and shared his thoughts on the simulation.
“It’s going to be like basically going to a new track, a new town, new area,” said Chastain, who drives the No. 1 Chevrolet. “It flows together nice, and (Turn) 12 (of the Full Course) will really change since we don’t have that long backstretch. Once I get to (Turn) 13, though, it’s all going to be the same. I’ll get my normal speed I was at last year. Gosh, this place is awesome.”
While Chastain has enjoyed plenty of success on COTA’s Full Course with three top-five finishes in four starts, he is looking forward to the challenge of mastering the new layout.
“I love the challenge of the Cup Series,” Chastain said. “That’s why I’ve ascended to this level, because I kept pushing myself from pro-trucks to late models to the Truck Series, Xfinity and Cup. It’s scary as heck to think about trying to compete at this level, and how good these drivers are, how good these teams are, how many people’s livelihoods depend on this race shop.
“… And this will be a race that we look forward to and put a lot of time into the simulator like we already talked about ahead of time. Look at the test data. See if one of us maybe could test and get some real, real track time and then go race.”
The fifth annual EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will move up from its traditional late March date to the third NCS race of the 2025 season on Sunday, March 2. The NASCAR at COTA event will follow the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 16, and Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 23.
The weekend will also play host to the NXS on Saturday, March 1, with the Focused Health 250 and the IMSA-sanctioned VP Racing SportsCar Challenge on the same day.
