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.
STATESVILLE, N.C. — McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) announced Wednesday that 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric will join the organization for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The 33-year-old from Kannapolis, North Carolina, will drive the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST during Bill McAnally’s 35th season in partnership with NAPA. The 2025 season will mark Hemric’s third full-time Truck campaign as the team will celebrate NAPA’s 100th anniversary throughout the year.
Hemric returns to full-time Truck competition for the first time since 2016, when he finished sixth in the championship standings. He is coming off his second season in the Cup Series and has competed in five full Xfinity Series seasons over the past seven years. Hemric’s career highlight came in 2021 when he won the season finale at Phoenix Raceway to capture the Xfinity championship with a last-corner, last-lap pass. Hemric comes back to Truck competition with the strength of a race-winning organization in MHR to pursue his second NASCAR title.
“This is a great opportunity for me to compete for wins and chase another championship,” Hemric said. “Thanks to Bill McAnally, Bill Hilgemann, NAPA, Chevrolet and everyone involved for the opportunity. It’s a big milestone season to be a part of with NAPA’s 100th anniversary and the 35th year of Bill’s partnership with them. We’re going to do everything we can to get the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet in Victory Lane and be in contention for a championship.”
“We’re looking forward to a big year and Daniel is the guy to pick up where we left off,” McAnally said. “The 2025 season will be a milestone year for us with NAPA’s centennial anniversary and our 35th year of partnership with them. This relationship started with my local store in California and progressed to the NAPA Sacramento DC and then to national level. To see what we’ve built over the years is incredibly special. Daniel has a wealth of experience in all three national series and can perform in the big moments, so we can’t wait to continue our team’s success with him behind the wheel.”
MHR will announce a crew chief and additional partners for Hemric at a later date. He will make his debut in the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
23XI Racing announced Wednesday that Riley Herbst will run full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for the team beginning in 2025. Herbst, 25, will pilot the No. 35 Toyota, teaming alongside Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace in the third car as 23XI expands operations.
“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” said Herbst in a statement. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”
In five full years in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing and the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, Herbst collected three victories across 165 races with 34 top fives and 82 top 10s.
Herbst’s first national series victory came toward the end of 2023 at his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway and won his second in thrilling fashion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which marked Xfinity’s first race on the oval layout since 2019.
He enters the Cup Series coming off a win in the Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway to cap the 2024 season.
Herbst has made eight Cup Series starts combined with Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports. He scored a career-high ninth-place result in the fall of 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Davin Restivo will call the shots atop the box for the No. 35 team, keeping the same crew chief for Herbst after joining the No. 98 team at the midpoint of last season.
Monster Energy, a longtime partner of Herbst, will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 35 Toyota.
“As 23XI enters our fifth season next year, we felt the time was right to continue the growth of our organization by adding a third team, and Riley is a driver we think will be a great fit for us,” said Steve Lauletta, 23XI Racing team president. “We have a very solid foundation with both Bubba and Tyler, and we know they will be a great resource for Riley as he begins his journey in the Cup Series.”
Jimmie Johnson is arguably the greatest NASCAR driver in the 76-year history of the sport, and the seven-time Cup Series champion wrapped up his second season as a top-level owner earlier this month at Phoenix Raceway.
Johnson’s transition to the ownership side of the sport has, however, been an uphill battle; a manufacturer switch, driver change, numerous new faces to the organization and inadequate results, for starters.
“It’s been a journey. Where I stand today, I have learned so much in the last two years,” Johnson told NASCAR.com. “The sport has evolved a bunch in the last two years. When you look at the first year and the competitiveness of our organization and how the sport continues to push forward and where the big teams are finding speed, how they are stacking 10 to 20 things to define a tenth of a second advantage. As time goes on, it’s more challenging to consistently compete at that level.”
In May 2023, Legacy announced it would swap from Chevrolet to Toyota ahead of the 2024 season, removing Johnson from under the General Motors banner for the first time in his Cup career. That led to a lame-duck final two-thirds of 2023 as data became harder to access and manufacturer support dried up.
Expectations were high with the manufacturer change, though, and Legacy’s addition to Toyota’s pecking order now meant having three multi-car organizations for the successful OEM.
The results were not immediate.
“This is a long-term play for us with Toyota,” Johnson said. “We thought this year would be a bit smoother, and it wasn’t. In that are lessons for us. It is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it except work harder and get better. That’s what we’re gearing up for.”
While Johnson believes Legacy is positioned “very well for the future” with Toyota, the first year was dissatisfying on the track. Between Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy collected a substandard six top-10 finishes combined. Jones earned the team’s lone top-five result of 2024 last month at Talladega Superspeedway.
“We couldn’t have tried any harder this year,” Johnson said. “It’s just part of the journey, is probably the best way to put it. I think this year has been a very transformational year for us. We won’t have a great sense of the change until we get into probably March of next year.”
Campe previously worked with Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports. Canter has been paired with some of the sport’s biggest names, including being a race engineer for Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing. Both were ready to give their input in taking Legacy to the next level.
“It boils down to details and adding additional details to look at every year, every race, every car,” Campe said of what Legacy needs to address over the offseason. “We’re going to push really hard and use our collective experience as well as our collective critical thinking and problem-solving. It’s not that, ‘Here, this is the way I’ve seen it done at other places, so we should do it this way.’
“We have a lot of people coming in from a lot of different experiences and we should lean into their experience and knowledge to try and build the Legacy Motor Club way. I think that’s what the offseason effort is: How is Legacy Motor Club going to go race in the Cup Series? It won’t look the same as other places; it will be what we build it into.”
Former Cup crew chief Chad Johnston was announced as one of the team’s newest hires last week, joining Legacy as the manager of race engineering. Travis Mack has also joined the team and will be the crew chief for Nemechek in 2025, in a move announced Tuesday. Ben Beshore will remain with the organization and lead the way for the No. 43 team with Jones.
“We need people that have been there, done it, seen it all,” Johnson said. “There is young experience coming through the door to manage the young people that we have and help build out the advancements and processes. That’s what we realized the most this year; we needed that leadership at the top.”
Spending the last three months with Legacy, Canter knows that there will be a plethora of areas for the team to improve heading into 2025.
“We’re going to have a lot,” he said. “That’s difficult because I’ve been trying to do more understanding and evaluating to see where the program is and where we could potentially find gains and align ourselves and move forward.”
Both Campe and Canter speak with Johnson regularly. When Johnson originally bought into the team two years ago, he figured his role would be more competition-focused. The California native has since come to realize that he’s needed more to generate revenue with partnerships on the business side.
Canter states that Johnson doesn’t give himself enough credit for how deeply embedded he is with the team, trying to steer the ship in the right direction. To that end, “Seven-Time” will also return to drive a partial Cup Series schedule in 2025 for a third consecutive season.
“He has tireless effort and is constantly working,” Canter said of Johnson. “He doesn’t give himself a lot of credit saying he’s more on the business side of things now, but he’s not. He’s also on the competition side of things, and we rely on him. Each week, there are a couple of little nuggets of information that we can lean on him for. His experience and his wherewithal are impactful for the drivers and crew chiefs, and it helps deliver a message.”
The message this offseason? Improvements are needed.
The team approaches each other as a family, so they can depend on one another in battle. Legacy also wants to establish culture and continuity, allowing Jones and Nemechek to be put in pressure-packed situations and enabling them to shine on the race track.
“We’re moving stuff around trying to learn and make sure we have the right human pairings,” Johnson stated. “It’s a big jigsaw puzzle.”
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Obviously, the team finds it a necessity to improve on their finishes in 2024. The No. 43 car led the way, placing a dismal 29th in the owners’ standings. The No. 42 team was the second-worst chartered car in 35th, on the heels of finishing 32nd one year prior.
One of the key components that Legacy is chasing next year is pushing ahead and spending more time building out its hot rods. When Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway rolls around in February, the team plans to be weeks ahead to avoid any last-minute scrambling.
Realism exists within Legacy higher-ups. Management knows that it’s not an overnight process to become one of the front-running teams in the garage; a work-in-progress where steady increments are feasible and evaluated.
“We have to measure ourselves against ourselves,” Campe said. “Everyone is in this sport to win races and compete for championships, but we also have to be realistic and understand the spot that we’re in and how competitive the series is.
“I think being 16th to 20th when it all shakes out would be an improvement for us and something to build on for the next two to five years.”
Canter is excited about the opportunity that presents itself. Though the team has hurdles to overcome, 2025 is a unique moment “to help create Jimmie’s vision of what he wants this to be.”
Canter added: “The first conversation I had with Jimmie — he asked me to come do this — and I was like, ‘What are your expectations; where do you plan on running? Because I can spend the next 10 seconds telling you that there are 24 cars you probably shouldn’t beat every week between how they operate and their preparations.’
“For us, it’s about hunkering down and putting our focus towards being in that conversation and making steps to doing that.”
