Toni Breidinger is set to appear in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, the driver announced Monday morning.
Breidinger, who piloted the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Toyota to a fourth-place standings finish in the ARCA Menards Series in 2024 and opened the Craftsman Truck Series season with a start in the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota at Daytona International Speedway, makes history as the first NASCAR driver to appear in the prestigious magazine issue.
“It’s nothing short of an honor to be featured in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue,” Breidinger said. “I’m very grateful I get to live out multiple dreams of mine.”
it’s an honor to be featured in the 2025 @SI_Swimsuit@SInow issue. it’s very surreal to be in this issue along side so many inspiring athletes. thank you a million to everyone who made this dream of mine come true!! pic.twitter.com/IHuHKmZPsh
The California native was photographed by Ben Horton on the shores of Boca Raton, Florida. The 25-year-old is a successful model off the track, represented by IMG Models, Roman Empire Management and Loop Legal, and appearing in high-profile campaigns for brands like GAP, Victoria’s Secret and Free People. She also has one of the largest social-media followings in the sport, with more than five million combined followers across Instagram and TikTok.
“We are thrilled to launch our shoot season for the 2025 issue with an extraordinary lineup of powerful female athletes,” said MJ Day, SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief. “This remarkable group, featuring Olympic medalists, world champions, and record holders, embodies the next generation of all-stars poised to transform the world of sports. They defy stereotypes and champion equality, inspiring young girls to envision themselves as both athletes and leaders. At SI Swimsuit, we’ve always celebrated the future of women, and there’s no better way to honor these remarkable achievements than by featuring them on the pages of our issue.”
The 2024 NASCAR Awards are set to take place Friday evening inside the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina.
Fans can watch the Awards banquet 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.
Before the ceremony, learn about some key awards and recognitions that will be honored throughout the event, in addition to celebrating the sport’s champions.
The Comcast Community Champion of the Year is awarded to an individual in the NASCAR industry for their service-focused efforts to make the world a better place. Driver Ryan Vargas earned the honor last year. Finalists for this year’s award are driver Erik Jones, NASCAR employee Scott Crowell and Charlotte Motor Speedway employee Susan McKee.
The National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Most Popular Driver Award will be honored across all three national series.
Chase Elliott is looking to earn the honor in the Cup Series for a seventh consecutive year, while Justin Allgaier is looking for a fifth Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver trophy. The winner of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series Most Popular Driver will be a first-time recipient.
The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award recognizes the efforts of those who make a difference in children’s lives through local children’s organizations.
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).
NASCAR’s prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence recognizes those who have made a massive impact on NASCAR during their time in the industry. It is not given out every year. Former CEO of Goodyear Rich Kramer won the award last year, the first time someone earned the honor since Jimmie Johnson in 2020.
Finally, the NMPA Myers Brothers Award 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, Kyle 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.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to race the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.
Yes, the year is 2024. No, this is not a drill.
JR Motorsports announced Earnhardt, 50, will run the iconic Bud King of Beers paint scheme in a limited series of Late Model Stock Car races this year and next, starting with the Nov. 23 running of the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. The car will feature the stylized No. 8 Earnhardt made famous from 1999 through 2007 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“It is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to reunite with Budweiser, and the No. 8,” Earnhardt said via his team’s release. “Budweiser and I had some great memories with that iconic scheme and number. We’ve always supported each other over the years.
“It’s going to be really special for me to be able to represent that brand on the race track again.”
Tickets are on sale for the South Carolina 400, a race in which Earnhardt competed the last two years. The NASCAR Hall of Famer is familiar with Florence by now, as he’s been a frequent Late Model Stock competitor at the facility over the past few seasons in his retirement from NASCAR’s national series.
Below is more about the South Carolina 400 and how to watch Earnhardt’s triumphant return to the iconic No. 8.
How to watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. race the No. 8 Budweiser Late Model at Florence Motor Speedway
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pictured ahead of the ninth annual IceBreaker at Florence Motor Speedway on Feb. 10, 2024. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
The South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, one of the most prestigious Late Model Stock Car races in the country, annually attracts some of the best racers in the Southeast — Earnhardt included.
Located in Timmonsville, South Carolina, Florence Motor Speedway is a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track that notoriously lacks an outside wall from Turn 1 through Turn 4. Earnhardt enjoys racing at Florence in part because the track’s abrasive surface creates extreme tire wear and fall-off, making tire-saving strategy paramount.
The South Carolina 400 on Nov. 23 will stream exclusively on FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Regional properties. The race will not be shown on a traditional TV channel/network.
For those who wish to witness Earnhardt’s return to the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy in person, South Carolina 400 tickets are available to order.
The South Carolina 400 is a two-day show that features Late Model Stocks, Limited Late Models, Super Trucks, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Legend Cars and Bandoleros. The on-track action begins Friday and culminates Saturday night with the Late Model Stock main event.
The South Carolina 400 is a $10,000-to-win race.
Teams are also able to participate in a test day Thursday, Nov. 21 should they choose to do so.
Earnhardt in 2022 made a significant return to his roots when he competed in the South Carolina 400. In what was the 30th edition of the race, he drove a car sporting a throwback scheme to the Bass Pro Shops car his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove in the 1998 NASCAR All-Star Race.
He finished ninth that year, and last season, he improved upon that showing with an eighth-place run.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. in action during the ninth annual IceBreaker at Florence Motor Speedway on Feb. 10, 2024. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Florence Motor Speedway track profile
Even casual race fans know about South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway, one of the most iconic venues the NASCAR Cup Series visits on an annual basis.
Those same fans may or may not know about a NASCAR Home Track located just 15 miles south of Darlington known as the Diamond of the Southeast. Florence Motor Speedway, nestled in the town of Timmonsville, is indeed a gem of a short track.
Florence Motor Speedway, now a NASCAR-sanctioned venue and part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, has been hosting local short track racing since 1982. It has been operated on the watch of owner and promotor Steve Zacharias since 2020.
Zacharias is the reason Florence’s racing season begins with the IceBreaker, an event that features late-model stocks in addition to super trucks, limited late models and mini stocks. He brought the IceBreaker to Florence from nearby Myrtle Beach Speedway upon that track’s closing.
The track itself is unique in its layout. The 0.4-mile paved oval features progressive banking in the corners, a combination that’s prone to producing side-by-side racing.
Perhaps the most unique attribute of Florence Motor Speedway is that fact that, with the exception of the frontstretch in front of the grandstands, it has no outside wall.
“It’s unusual the first time you go there and experience it,” 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Josh Berry told NASCAR.com. “But after a while, it’s no big deal.
“It’s a really fun track.”
Watch the complete Florence Motor Speedway track profile below.
In the 10 years of the NASCAR playoff elimination format, one Cup Series organization has seemingly cracked the code on how to hoist the Bill France Cup at the end of each season.
With Joey Logano’s third championship in 2024, Team Penske has now won three consecutive titles and are titleholders in four of the last seven seasons. Ryan Blaney was the man to knock off a potential Logano dynasty in 2023 as the No. 12 driver grabbed his first championship.
A perfect 3-0 in the Generation 7 era that’s built for parity, the Team Penske organization and its drivers have perfected the path to winning a title.
The 2018 Cup Series season was dominated by the trio of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. They combined to win 20 of the 36 races that year and were bound for an epic three-way showdown in the championship race.
Logano was no slouch that season, but after he won his first race of the year at Talladega Superspeedway, the “big three” had already won seven of the first nine events.
With Chase Elliott winning his first career Cup races and Kurt Busch gaining momentum entering the postseason, it seemed as though the No. 22 driver was an outsider to make it to Homestead.
This was the first year Logano began the tendency to capitalize on others’ misfortunes in the postseason.
At the opening playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano finished fourth. The first-ever Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval event filled with dramatics? Logano finished 10th. He then went on to score top 10s in all three races of the Round of 12 to move him onto the Round of 8.
As the field was set to determine the Champ 4, it was clear Busch, Truex and Harvick were locks, and the only thing to be decided was the fourth driver that would be a heavy underdog to those three.
At Martinsville Speedway, it was down to Truex and Logano for the victory, and while Truex worked his way around the No. 22 without much contact, Logano knew he needed to get his hands dirty to secure his berth … and that’s exactly what he did. Entering Turn 3 on the final lap, Logano put the bumper to Truex, moved him up the track, and Logano was ahead at the start/finish line as the two were in a drag race to the checkered.
A frustrated Truex said he wasn’t going to let Logano “win the war,” and the championship battle was set.
Throughout the 400-mile event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Truex looked to be in command to grab his second consecutive title as he had the long-run pace Logano didn’t have. However, a caution with 21 laps to go flipped the ball game as Logano had the best car on short runs.
On the final restart, Truex set sail for the lead, but Logano quickly caught and passed Truex for the lead to score his maiden championship.
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2022: SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Logano’s second run to the championship was arguably the biggest challenge of his career.
Finishes of 27th (Bristol) and 18th (Roval) in elimination races would end a driver’s playoff run in any other year if they hadn’t won to advance … but not for Logano.
The first year of the Next Gen car was filled with crazy moments, and Logano was able to take top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway to open the first two rounds and carry those through to the Round of 8 despite those being his only top 10s in the postseason before the semi-final round.
Of all the tracks in the first six races of the playoffs in 2022, Talladega was the only track where multiple playoff drivers didn’t finish 30th or worse. Ironically, Logano was the worst playoff finisher at ‘Dega with a 27th-place result.
Logano once again turned the afterburners on in the opening Round of 8 race at Las Vegas. This time, outdueling Ross Chastain in the closing laps to grab the checkered flag and punch his ticket to Phoenix.
At Phoenix, it was pure Logano dominance. Leading a whopping 187 of 312 laps, the No. 22 was the class of the field and joined Kyle Busch as the only active multi-time champions at NASCAR’s top level.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2023: A NEW HOPE
A down year for Logano meant it was time for a new title contender to emerge — enter Ryan Blaney.
Blaney had been the mix over the years, making the Round of 8 three times prior but never emerging as a driver who could win the championship.
That all changed as Blaney took a page from Logano’s book to cash in opportunities to advance and eventually grab his maiden Cup title at Phoenix.
A symbolic passing of the torch for 2023 at least, Logano’s pitfalls at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Round of 16 elimination grace was a saving grace for Blaney as he and Bubba Wallace scraped into the Round of 12 on points.
From there, Blaney would win in a photo finish against William Byron at Talladega and hit a walk-off in the penultimate race at Martinsville to put himself in the Championship 4 for the first time.
Despite run-ins with Chastain trying to battle for the win in the desert, the No. 12 crew eventually got Blaney to back off the No. 1 knowing what the ultimate goal was. After title hopeful Christopher Bell went out early in the race with a brake failure, it was down to Blaney and two Hendrick Motorsports teammates in Kyle Larson and William Byron.
With the fastest car on a final 30-lap green-flag run, Blaney slipped by Larson with 20 laps to go to finish the highest of the Champ 4 and win his first title.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
2024: PERFECTION, PERSONIFIED
Six race wins for Larson, a Regular-Season Champion in Tyler Reddick and a driver on the verge of his third consecutive Championship 4 in Christopher Bell.
2024 was shaped to be the year one of the above three was going to break Penske’s streak at Phoenix.
However, if anyone was going to pull off an underdog run to the championship, it was going to be Logano in an even year.
After initially being eliminated at the Roval, Logano was given second life due to Alex Bowman’s DQ and the writing was on the wall for Logano’s path to a third title.
Logano and Team Penske’s playoff expertise came to full fruition this season and the numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone as to how Logano rose to the top once again.
Reddick was the best in the first 26 races of the season. His average finish in this year’s playoffs? 18.5.
Larson snagged two playoff wins in elimination races but in all three opening-round races, on-track mistakes cost the No. 5 team points and victories. Guessed who took advantage of Larson’s errors at Vegas to win their way back to the Champ 4? Joey Logano.
From Reddick going on his roof, Larson’s pit-road errors to Elliott crashing, Logano would stretch his fuel tank to the limit in the final green-flag run to hold off the dominant car of the day in Bell to advance to his sixth Championship 4.
As Logano and Reddick won their way into Phoenix, Bell and Larson were in dire situations entering Martinsville. Larson had a decent car but needed a victory to move on while Bell had his worst race of the playoffs and was eliminated after being penalized for a safety violation on the final lap, allowing for Byron to grab the final spot while Blaney outdueled both Larson and Elliott to secure his second Champ 4, eliminating the Hendrick duo.
The best two cars at Phoenix were the teammate tandem of Blaney and Logano and despite a strategy gamble from Byron ahead of the final restart, it was no match to hold off either of the Penske duo as Logano surged from fifth to first on the restart while Blaney chipped away to move into second.
Logano and Blaney scored a 1-2 finish to cement Logano’s third title and to kick off a Team Penske dynasty in the championship race.
In the last three seasons, Penske has won the most playoff races of any organization, doubling Joe Gibbs Racing (four) and beating out Hendrick Motorsports (seven).
The playoffs reward winning and that’s exactly what Team Penske does to reach of the peak of the Cup Series year after year.
The 2024 NASCAR season had no shortage of excitement, drama and unpredictability. The same went for NASCAR.com’s season-long 36 for 36 competition.
With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players selected one car per race, with one simple twist: Once they made a pick, they couldn’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car was selected exactly once — NASCAR’s version of a survivor pool. You get it.
Our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com, and the collective r/NASCAR subreddit — thought like strategists and proved their picking prowess over the course of the year.
Now, with the 2024 season in the books, it’s time to crown a champion and take a look back at the journey.
Final Standings:
Steve Luvender: 985
r/NASCAR Community: -118
Cameron Richardson: -163
Dustin Albino: -168
Here are some closing thoughts from our pickers. Let’s pretend this is our awards banquet.
Fourth Place: Jayski’s Dustin Albino
Total season points: 817 (-168 points from first place)
Best moment: “If we’re basing this off points accumulated for a single race, it would go to the retiring Martin Truex Jr. at Dover, earning a whopping 51 points. But I enjoy giving some credit to the underdogs, and some of my picks rose to the occasion. My Harrison Burton choice at Talladega was his only top 10 in 2024 outside of his summer Daytona triumph. Michael McDowell was caught up in multiple incidents at Sonoma and rebounded to finish runner-up. It was a challenging transition to Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, but the 30-point day Erik Jones tallied at Pocono was the most points he earned on a non-superspeedway this year. Also recorded a strong seventh-place result with Zane Smith at Michigan.”
Worst luck: “I don’t think we have enough space to list the worst luck here. After taking the championship lead during the summer months, Ross Chastain was wrecked from the lead in overtime at Nashville. The following week, Shane van Gisbergen was taken out in the rain after dominating the opening stage. Right before the two-week Olympic break, Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel from the lead. Let’s jump to the regular season finale at Darlington; William Byron was having a top-five day and was involved in a late wreck. Kicked off the Round of 8 with a Tyler Reddick flip after winning Stage 1. Kyle Larson had a mediocre Homestead race, and by then, I was finally mathematically eliminated from the championship. If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”
Overall thoughts: “Fun first year — this was a blast! Caught myself every race checking out where my opponents’ picks were running. It felt real.”
Third Place: NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson
Total season points: 822 (-163 points from first place)
Best moment: “My best moment was probably going with Stewart-Haas Racing early in the season as Preece, Briscoe and Berry all netted me 28 points or more at the flatter and smaller tracks.”
Worst luck: “My season practically ended at Nashville when Ross Chastain was wrecked in overtime battling for the win. It just led to one bad result after another and I never could fight back to the lead, but I’m glad I didn’t finish last.”
Overall thoughts: “I really enjoyed participating in the inaugural 36 for 36 run. I like being able to strategize for weeks in advance, just like a survivor pool in other sports, and I love our take on it here. This was incredibly fun. Maybe we could throw in some new ideas like bonus points or more players but other than that, I loved this and hope we can continue on with it next season.”
Second Place: r/NASCAR Community
Total season points: 867 (-118 points from first place)
The NASCAR subreddit dutifully participated in weekly voting threads each Thursday throughout the season that delivered lively debate, thoughtful strategy decisions and plenty of laughs along the way. Each week, individual Redditors would upvote the driver they thought would make the best 36 for 36 pick in a blind vote — vote totals weren’t visible while selections were taking place — and the driver with the most votes would get the nod on the board.
Highlights of the season for the r/NASCAR community included picking four race winners: Denny Hamlin at Richmond, Christopher Bell at New Hampshire, Harrison Burton at Daytona and Tyler Reddick at Homestead. None of our individual pickers scored as many wins.
There were only a few missteps or bad luck throughout the year. The community confidently picked Kyle Larson in the Coca-Cola 600 — or so they thought — but Larson didn’t race, and Justin Allgaier piloted the car. And, at Bristol in the spring, the community couldn’t quite come to a consensus on a pick, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ended up with the most votes; the No. 47 only scored four points.
As it turns out, getting a community of 1.4 million readers to reach a weekly consensus was good enough for second place overall. Score one for the hivemind.
2024 Champion: NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender
Total season points: 950
Best moment: “I had a feeling my opponents would select defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen in the No. 16 at the Chicago Street Race — and they all did. Of course, SVG ran into some bad luck and crashed out in Stage 2. But, I saved my No. 16 for AJ Allmendinger at the Charlotte Roval, where he’s, like, otherworldly-good. It paid off: my Chicago pick of Michael McDowell scored 32 points, while the ‘Dinger delivered a huge 44-point day at the Roval. Other than that, I’ll admit I got lucky on a few picks — like 43 points from Austin Cindric at Atlanta in February.”
Worst luck: “I picked the No. 3 at Richmond in the spring. The No. 3 car won at Richmond … in the fall. That one stings a little bit. Other standouts include Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Dover, who was in contention for a top-five finish until he found the wall and crashed out, and Kyle Busch at Las Vegas in March, who might have won the race without a late-race pit-road speeding penalty.”
Overall thoughts: “36 for 36 is a great game not only because it has a nice balance of luck and skill, but also because you can have fun whether you spend an hour analyzing Racing Reference for past results or if you make your pick based on vibes and vibes alone. (I did both throughout the year.) Maybe next time, I’ll fill out my board with a random-number generator and see if I can win again. Thanks for following along!”
A field near Jordaine Penick’s Virginia home served as her first race track when she was 13 years old.
That’s the year she got her first race car, but since she was still too young to really compete, she took the car around a homemade dirt-track. It was there where she earned the nickname “Peach Picker.”
“I had told dad to video me as I went around my little track in the field, and next thing I knew I was in a tree,” Penick said. “It was a peach tree. All the peaches were in my car because there was no windshield in it, so that’s how I got the nickname Peach Picker.”
You would think that would be a scary experience for a young girl.
“No, it didn’t scare me,” Penick said. “It was more of, I blinked and it was there, so I wasn’t really reacting about it. I was more scared about the fact that my dad was going to be mad at me.”
Three years later, the now 16-year-old Penick is still racing that fearlessly.
As one of the youngest competitors and the only girl in the Hornets Division at South Boston Speedway, Penick didn’t show any fear this season racing against veterans. She finished in the top five in nine of 10 races on the way to her first track championship.
Penick became the second woman to win a championship at the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track in South Boston, Virginia, and the first since Terri Marks won a Grand Stock division championship in 2004.
Jordaine Penick (07) attempts to fend off a challenge from Cameron Moss (29) and Jason DeCarlo (54) during a 20-lap Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division race at South Boston Speedway in 2023. (Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)
“It’s really awesome being one of the first girls in 20 years and the second girl out of the whole life of South Boston Speedway to ever win a championship,” Penick said.
Penick finished fifth on championship night to lock up the title by 13 points. Marks was in attendance at the race that night to congratulate her, and Penick later got to meet former NASCAR Cup Series driver and South Boston native Ward Burton, who signed her race car.
“I don’t really think it really hit me,” she said of the championship. “Sitting back and actually realizing I got it. I mean, it was nice coming up there and seeing how proud my family was of me and everything.”
Penick is a third generation driver, beginning with her grandfather who raced in the 1960s and ‘70s. He passed the tradition on to his daughter – Penick’s aunt, Cheryl – who competed around Eastern Virginia.
Cheryl taught the sport to Penick.
“She really tries to help me out, giving me pointers, but it’s a whole lot different somebody sitting there trying to tell you how to drive the car versus you actually being behind the steering wheel and driving the car,” Penick said.
Penick’s brothers all also are in racing, though they’re all in different rides. Her two oldest brothers drive mud trucks and compete in mud bogging races, and the one closest to her in age drag races.
Penick was the only one in her immediate family that gravitated towards circle tracks. She and her dad always liked going to watch races at South Boston, and she wanted to do the compete in the same style of races as her grandfather and aunt.
“I just told dad, I want to get into racing, and he was like, ‘OK, well, if that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do,’” she said.
“My brothers and I, we’ve always been tight. We’ve always had four wheelers growing up, so we always raced or whatever, so speed has always been something I love.”
Penick has grown as a driver since she began racing competitively three seasons ago. When she began she admits she was a “bad competitor,” she said, never really racing near the front.
“I was just trying to get used to the track, and I wasn’t driving the fastest car out there,” she said. “It was just a car I could race with and say I was getting experience.”
The second year she started getting more competitive, and by the end of the season she was pretty consistently finishing third and fourth every race.
Jordaine Penick (second from left) joined Jason Myers (left), Peyton Sellers (second from right) and B.J. Reaves (right) as a track champion at South Boston Speedway this season. (Photo: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway)
By her third year, she had gotten the hang of how to get around South Boston, and was now figuring out how to pick up speed.
The improvements stemmed from Penick, “realizing that it doesn’t really matter if I tear my car up, and to just push as hard as I could to get where I was,” she said.
“Learning when I needed to let off the gas and when to accelerate back after I got out the curves, because I’ve always raced four wheelers and stuff like that around the fields,” she added.
Being in a race car as an early teenager had its advantages when it came to getting her real driver’s license, which Penick got during the summer. But she hasn’t quite been able to take the race car driver out of her system when it comes to the road.
“It was pretty easy, but Dad, when he first got in the vehicle with me, he said I held the curves way too fast,” she said with a laugh.
“I honestly love racing, like just being out there and being able to go fast without getting a ticket.”
Penick said she isn’t ready to move up out of South Boston’s hornets division quite yet, because she still wants to learn a little more about how to be the best racer she can be, and get to victory lane.
She’s spending this offseason continuing to work on her craft, while also taking pride in what she accomplished during the 2024 season.
“I’m really proud of myself,” Penick said. “I’ve come a long way thanks to my father, my aunt Cheryl, and all the sponsors.
“It’s awesome. It’s a big honor for me. Being a champion, that’s an honor. There’s four champions at South Boston, so to be one of those four, you’ve got to be really, really good, and it’s nice.”
Bobby Allison, the 1983 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the age of 86.
Allison won 85 times in NASCAR’s premier series between 1986 and 1988. The 1983 champion also finished second in the season standings five times.
The following are some of Allison’s most iconic and memorable races that can be watched for free in the NASCAR Classics Library.
Allison had 19 victories heading into the 1971 season, his eighth season on the Cup Series tour.
He almost doubled his career wins total in one season, notching 11 victories in 1971 while finishing fourth in the final standings.
The 1972 season saw Allison continue cementing his place as one of the best drivers on the circuit.
He kicked off the season with a second-place finish at Riverside before eventually grabbing two more runner-up finishes over the first four races of the season.
The series arrived at Atlanta for the sixth race of the season, and Allison continued his success by putting his No. 12 Chevrolet on the pole.
He backed that up with a dominating effort in the race, leading 142 laps en route to his first victory of the season. Allison had to hold off a handful of motorsports legends to do so, as AJ Foyt, Bobby Isaac, David Pearson, Donnie Allison, Richard Petty, Benny Parsons and Buddy Baker finished behind him.
This is Allison’s oldest victory in the NASCAR Classics Library.
A trip to South Carolina to the famed Darlington Raceway was always something Allison had circled on his calendar.
The Hueytown, Alabama driver was at a point in his career where he found success at almost any track but Darlington was almost a given that he would be up front, if not finishing in Victory Lane.
The 1970s saw Allison hit his stride at the track, starting with his first victory in the Southern 500 in 1971 in dominating fashion. Allison led 329 laps en route to Victory Lane. It didn’t take long for Allison to make it back to the checkered flag first at the track, winning the iconic event for the second consecutive season in 1972.
Fast forward to the spring of 1975 and Allison found himself in Victory Lane yet again at the track, continuing an incredible stretch at the track which saw him finish seventh or better in seven of the previous eight races at the track. This included three victories, as he also managed to lead the field in all eight of those events.
The 1975 Southern 500 came during an interesting period of Allison’s career, as he was driving the No. 16 car for Roger Penske. The tandem was only competing in a partial schedule, making each and every race that much more important for the future success of the team and driver.
The summer months saw them struggle through trying times, finishing 22nd or worse five times over a six-race span thanks to a handful of engine failures.
A trip back to Darlington was exactly what the doctor ordered for the duo, who were looking to defend their spring victory at the track, ironically where their season started to derail following that victory.
The race featured a legendary battle between Allison and Richard Petty, as the two traded the lead back and forth throughout the afternoon. They combined to lead 265 laps but it was Allison who triumphed and took home his third Southern 500 trophy.
For as much success as Allison had over the first half of his career, he seemingly had no luck at Daytona.
It didn’t matter what car owner was signing his checks or what car number was on the door; whenever Allison strapped into a stock car at Daytona, luck wasn’t on his side.
His first 16 races at the track saw Allison able to grab just three top-10 finishes, a third and a pair of sevenths. The next few seasons saw Allison lead a plethora of laps but various engine issues robbed him of taking the checkered flag.
To top that off, Allison entered the 1978 season with a long victory drought that spanned back to the 1975 season.
He ended his partial season of 1975 with three victories, giving him 47 for his career. In the next two seasons, Allison drove all 60 races but was unable to find Victory Lane, bringing his winless streak to 66 races to end the season.
Hope was on the horizon for the driver, thanks to a new partnership with legendary car owner Bud Moore.
Would Moore be able to help Allison break his 0 for 34 record at the superspeedway?
It seemed like a movie script was playing out in front of Allison’s eyes as contender after contender experienced many of the same issues that kept him from Victory Lane at the track over his first 34 starts there.
Richard Petty led 39 laps but blew a tire, collecting Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson in the process.
Defending race winner Cale Yarborough was next on tap, leading 39 laps before losing an engine. Enter Buddy Baker, who led a race-high 76 laps before suffering engine issues of his own as the final laps quickly passed by.
This allowed Allison, who was lurking near the front the entire day, to take advantage of the struggles of the other stars and finally capture the first Daytona 500 victory of his career.
Allison’s defense of his first Daytona 500 victory was the perfect storm, literally, for NASCAR and all of the viewers around the country.
It marked the first live superspeedway event broadcasted by a major outlet in its entirety, as CBS was scheduled to carry all 200 laps of The Great American Race for the first time.
The timing of their first huge event on TV couldn’t have come at a better time, as a giant snowstorm had most of the East Coast stranded at home, most with nothing to do or watch as other sports along the coast were postponed.
This put NASCAR in the spotlight and the 41 starters in the event, combined with the CBS broadcast crew, didn’t disappoint.
Allison started seventh and led early on before contact from Cale Yarborough sent both Allison and his brother Donnie through the infield.
Bobby never recovered from the accident, but that was not the case for his brother or Cale. The two drivers found themselves at the front of the field, with Donnie leading the way for the majority of the last 20 laps of the race.
On the final lap, the two cars made contact multiple times before crashing into the infield, ending both drivers’ chances at glory.
This allowed Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and AJ Foyt to pass by and finish 1-2-3 in the event, the only three cars that finished on the lead lap.
As Petty was working his way to Victory Lane for the sixth time in the event, CBS broadcaster Ken Squier’s booming voice echoed through the microphone, proclaiming that there was a fight between Yarborough and the Allison brothers.
The three drivers, who all had a shot at victory but were harrowed in defeat, were involved in a bloody brawl in the grass, as helmets swung while the drivers had to be separated from each other.
Donnie and Yarborough finished fourth and fifth, while Bobby was credited with a seventh-place finish.
Allison entered the 1983 season at 45 years of age but was far from washed up. If anything, it looked like part of his second prime after he found struggles in the middle portion of his career.
He won five, five, four and five races between 1978 and 1981, finishing third or better in the standings three times as he still chased that elusive first NASCAR Cup Series title.
Allison was even stronger in 1982, winning eight races but it wasn’t enough as Darrell Waltrip was also in the midst of a career season. Waltrip captured 12 race victories and won the championship by 72 points over Allison, who sat with a comfortable 200+ points advantage over third-place Terry Labonte in the final standings.
The two drivers continued their dominance into 1983, as Allison’s chase of his first title resembled his tough chase of capturing a Daytona 500 victory.
Would this finally be the season he broke through?
Allison led the point standings for the majority of the season but could not pull away from Waltrip, as the two were locked in a heavyweight battle for the championship down to the final races of the season. Allison led Waltrip by 64 points as he looked to finally hoist the championship for the first time as they arrived for the season finale at Riverside.
Bill Elliott, who had yet to win a race in his Cup Series career, sat third in the standings, 425 points back of Allison, setting up a two-horse race for the title.
Waltrip won the pole for the race, while Allison qualified sixth. It seemed like Waltrip had the speed to win the race, as he led a race-high 34 laps. Allison hovered near the front of the field, pacing the other 41 cars for one lap, before settling for a ninth-place finish.
This was more than enough to clinch the title for the Hueytown native, as he won the championship by 47 points over Waltrip, who came home sixth.
The story of the Allison family was full of immense amounts of triumph and success but also incredibly painful hardships through the years.
Looking back, it was only fitting that the 1988 Daytona 500 might have been the greatest moment for the family of them all.
The season kicked off with Davey and Bobby Allison finishing second and third in the Busch Clash exhibition race. Bobby won his Daytona 500 qualifying event, while Davey finished third in his after putting his No. 28 car on the outside of the front row in qualifying for the 500-mile event.
The green flag waved on Valentine’s Day for The Great American Race and there weren’t many people watching that didn’t love seeing Bobby and Davey, father and son, check out from the field and battle for the victory between themselves over the final 10 laps.
Bobby led the final 18 laps of the day, holding off his son in the process to capture his third Daytona 500 victory.
The race marked the 85th and final victory of Bobby’s Hall of Fame career.
Fast forward to the middle of the 1988 season, Bobby’s career came to a premature end following a serious crash at Pocono Raceway. The 1992 season saw his son Clifford pass away in a practice crash at Michigan International Speedway. Davey passed away in a plane crash not even 12 months later.
The pain from tragedy after tragedy will always outweigh the happy times but it was more than fitting that the last great memory that Bobby and Davey shared on the track together was them battling for the victory in the biggest stock car race in the world, more importantly, celebrating together in Victory Lane in iconic images and videos that will live on forever.
Asked to assess his 2024 NASCAR season with a letter grade, Chase Elliott paused before assigning himself “probably a B, B-plus.” This year’s campaign showed marked improvement for the former Cup Series champ and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team, and Elliott noted, “I’m trying to grade that really honestly.”
Elliott finished seventh in the Cup Series standings this season, wrapping the year up with an eighth-place result in last weekend’s finale at Phoenix Raceway. He fell one round short of reaching the Championship 4, which he qualified for each year from 2020-22, but the outcome — which included an encouraging closing kick — was far preferable to missing out on last year’s playoffs after a jagged 2023 campaign.
“It’s like anything when you’re trying to compete at this level,” Elliott said Saturday, one day before the season-ending race. “Nothing is ever perfect, I guess, in my eyes, but I am really proud of where we’ve come from and where we have been, particularly over the last few months of the season, and even more so over the last few weeks. I just feel like we have a really good direction, I feel like I have a good direction. I’m giving them better feedback in what I want and what I need, and I think all those things are really positive. So, yeah, I don’t know that you ever have it figured out, but I’m certainly, genuinely proud of where we’ve been and where we are right now.”
Elliott broke a 42-race winless skid in April with his victory at Texas Motor Speedway, cementing a return to the postseason after a one-year absence. He backed that up with a solid playoff effort, scoring seven top-10 finishes in that closing 10-race span and leading multiple laps in each of the final three events.
That performance marked a solid return after Elliott missed seven races in 2023 — six after suffering a broken leg in a snowboarding mishap and one more after a suspension for rough driving in the Coca-Cola 600. Despite receiving waivers to retain playoff eligibility, Elliott was unable to return to Victory Lane to clinch a spot in the 16-driver field. He returned in 2024 eager to fill both those voids.
“It’s always the same things. It’s hard work and effort and focus, and it’s tough when we came off of the year that we had in ’23,” No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson said during a media event Oct. 31. “You don’t want to beat a dead horse, right? I mean, like, how much are you going to whip? I’m not going to whip Chase or whip the guys or demand something unreasonable when the deck’s been pretty hard, pretty stacked against you, pretty difficult. So I think, 2023 … look, I would have loved to have won and got in. Could that have happened? Yes. It didn’t. I still think we gave a good effort. …
“But to generate that, what you kind of see from Chase, I think is pretty natural through the progression of performance and the work that we’ve put in together, and that generates optimism and then generates some positive energy and knowing that you’re prepared to go out there and compete at a super-high level and win races. So that’s what I think the difference is. It’s just a little easier or more fruitful to turn the screws or however you want to say it, when the build-up to it’s been much better.”
Elliott said he’s considering some extracurricular racing in the offseason, mentioning that a soon-approaching opportunity to race in the Snowball Derby Super Late Model event Dec. 8 is “a potential possibility there, but we just haven’t 100% decided.” But Elliott also said that he was looking forward to taking a break, even if completely detaching from the racing world was a long shot.
“The competitor in you is always wanting to think about what you could have done better or what different choice throughout the season could have bettered your results or whatever it may be,” Elliott said. “So yeah, I think naturally you’re going to think about racing, just because that’s what we do. But I certainly intend to just get away, take some time, recharge the batteries, just like everybody in the room here.”
Austin, TX – November 14, 2024 – Legendary NASCAR driver and two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Busch, today announced a partnership with FloSports that will put him on the clay in a Lucas Oil midget car for a historic debut at the 39th Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Powered by NOS Energy Drink streamed exclusively on FloRacing this January.
Kyle’s debut follows similar appearances at the USAC National Midget events at Bakersfield Speedway (November 26) and Ventura Raceway (November 30). The 39th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink will run from January 13-18, 2025 at the famed SageNet Center.
Busch, who has conquered tracks across the NASCAR Cup Series and built a legacy as one of the most skilled drivers of his generation, will take on a field of more than 300 drivers to prove his mettle at the so-called ‘Super Bowl of midget racing’. His appearance follows a 30-year legacy of top-tier talent appearing at the race and follows in the footsteps of fellow NASCAR drivers who have competed including Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell.
“The Cup Season may be over, but the Racing season is still in full swing with the biggest events on dirt taking place over the next couple of months. The Chili Bowl is a legendary event and has always been on my wish-list. To be able to compete there, and then alongside my son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout, is making this year one to remember,” Busch commented.
As part of today’s announcement, Kyle also revealed that he will be driving alongside his son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout (December 31 – January 4).
All of these events will be streamed exclusively on FloRacing – making it the essential home to watch Kyle Busch get behind the wheel during the NASCAR offseason. FloRacing fans are encouraged to watch these races and more on the updated FloSports Connected TV app, which features enhanced discoverability and streaming capabilities, providing the ultimate viewing experience on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices.
The service will also be available on the web and for download on mobile devices (iOS and Android) via the FloSports app. To watch the Chili Bowl Nationals please visit flosports.link/chilibowl2025. For more information and to gain access to more than 1,000 races annually, subscribe to FloRacing by visiting www.floracing.com.
About FloSports
Founded in 2006, FloSports is a global independent sports media company delivering live events, award winning original content, always-on social experiences, and comprehensive sports data solutions to passionate and underserved sports communities interested in more than 25 different sports. Its portfolio includes the top destinations for avid fans seeking comprehensive live and on-demand access for the sports they love: motorsports (FloRacing), hockey (FloHockey), wrestling (FloWrestling), Jiu-Jitsu (FloGrappling), Track & Field (FloTrack and MileSplit), cheer (FloCheer and Varsity), a variety of NCAA sports, and more. Strategic partnerships with NASCAR, USA Wrestling, ECHL, Tour de France, top NCAA Conferences, and others, fuel more than 24,000 live events streamed annually across the globe and accessed via monthly or annual subscriptions. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv.
Many great warriors have competed in motorsports, but none have responded with unmatched bravery through tragedy and heartbreak more than Bobby Allison.
Taking inventory of his losses is staggering. The NASCAR Hall of Famer suffered the sudden deaths of his two sons, Clifford (1992) and Davey (1993), in separate racing and aviation accidents. Then, the loss of fellow “Alabama Gang” member Neil Bonnett (1994) in a Daytona International Speedway practice crash. Later, the loss of the love of his life, Judy (2015), following what should have been a relatively simple medical procedure.
The rivalries of his Cup career were legendary and certainly sharpened his steel, including fender-banging duels and heated exchanges with other future Hall of Famers Curtis Turner, Richard Petty, Junior Johnson and Darrell Waltrip.
He backed down from no one.
Allison’s iron will and quest for perfection led to conflicts, resulting in him driving for more than 20 different Cup car owners. His legend grew all the while.
In 1974, Bobby suffered a broken back in a crash at Riverside during the Saturday race of the IROC Series. Yet there he was, back on track in a makeshift brace the following day — beating the biggest names in motorsports such as Foyt, Unser, Petty, Pearson, Yarborough and Formula 1 world champions Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi.
His fight with Cale Yarborough alongside his brother Donnie in the 1979 Daytona 500 created an unforgettable memory, still considered one of the most significant events in NASCAR history.
Allison was the original barnstormer, racing anywhere, any day of the week. Local short tracks would promote his special appearances, where he shook hands, signed autographs and ran against the local heroes at hundreds of venues, building a nationwide following as one of the sport’s most popular drivers. He was famous for “buzzing” the tracks in his private plane upon arrival and departure, leaving fans to imagine where he was headed next.
On the track, he suffered wrecks that changed the course of NASCAR history. In 1987, his crash into the catch fencing at Talladega resulted in engine restrictor plates for Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway to slow down the cars. He suffered horrific crashes at Elko, Minnesota and Rockingham and hardly skipped a beat.
Following his father-son 1-2 finish with Davey in the 1988 Daytona 500, Bobby suffered a career-ending and nearly life-ending crash at Pocono in June, resulting in a severe head injury. Rebounding from that injury, Bobby focused on resuming his career as a car owner and supporting Clifford and Davey’s racing careers.
After retiring as a car owner, Bobby made numerous appearances at fan gatherings, festivals and special events. Sitting alongside his brother and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famers Donnie Allison and Red Farmer, they were always among the most famous legends in the autograph line and drew the longest lines.
Bobby endured several health issues in his final years, but he always had the support of his daughters, Bonnie and Carrie, and numerous lifelong friends who would stop by with a strawberry milkshake from Chick-fil-A.
Some competitors are judged by their numbers and he loses no shine there – Allison’s 85 career wins rank fourth on the all-time Cup Series win list. Others are judged by their contributions as innovators, and Bobby was one of the best at developing power steering and spotter radio communications. Some might be judged by fan appeal and popularity, and once again, Bobby’s legion of fans is legendary.
He did it all with grit, determination and bravery.
Bobby first came to my attention when I was 14 and attending the 1966 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville. Bobby and Fred Lorenzen competed in a classic battle. Bobby led for 218 laps in his little Chevelle, owned by Donald Brackins, while Lorenzen led for 172 laps in his factory-supported Holman Moody Ford. Late engine problems relegated Bobby to third, while Lorenzen went on to win.
From that day at Martinsville forward, I closely followed Bobby’s career. When I started on the media side of the sport 42 years ago, I never dreamed that I would know Bobby so well. I especially enjoyed visiting Bobby and Judy in their home, where Judy had gluten-free cookies waiting upon my arrival. The stories we shared will always be with me.
One of my most cherished accomplishments is my small role in NASCAR recognizing his 85th career win at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1971.
Through all his trials and tribulations, Bobby maintained his faith, cherished his family’s love and was supported by thousands of friends and fans.
Rest well, my friend, and enjoy your family reunion.
Ken Martin, director of historical content, has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008, but has been involved with the sport since 1982. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races and calculated the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
