Posted on by Holly Cain

Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Crew chiefs: Randall Burnett (31 races) and Andy Street (five races)
Final 2025 Ranking:17th
Key Stats: 0 wins, 3 top-fives, 10 top 10s, 88 laps led

How 2025 ended: The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ closed out the season at Phoenix with a fifth-place finish, matching his best result of 2025. After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year — and only second time of his career — Busch rallied to close out the season with three top 10s in the final 10-race stretch; notably doing so with two different crew chiefs. Randall Burnett, who guided Busch for most of his three-season tenure at Richard Childress Racing, announced he would move to a new team in 2026, and Andy Street was moved atop Busch’s pit box to close out the year.

Best race: For a driver who has been dominant on ovals for much of his celebrated career, Busch actually turned in his top single-day showing at the Circuit of The Americas road course in Austin, Texas. Busch started eighth and led six times for a season-best 42 laps out front before losing the lead to Christopher Bell and finishing fifth.

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Kyle Busch driver page

Other season highlights: Busch, who owns 34 Busch Light Pole Awards in his career, earned a pair of front row starts on the year, starting second at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring and then again at Michigan International Speedway five weeks later. Two of his best finishes happened on road courses — fifth at COTA and fifth again in the Chicago Street Race. While the two-time champion continues to regain form at RCR, he did put together a season-best three-race string of top 10 efforts in the early-going at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway (seventh), the Austin road course (fifth), and the one-mile Phoenix oval (eighth).

Stat to know: Busch’s low tally of two DNFs on the season was bettered by only one other full-time driver, Tyler Reddick, who had one. And while Busch’s average finish of 17.9 is not what is expected of the former champion, it did improve upon last year’s mark of 18.3.

RELATED: Final 2025 standings | Busch through the years

Quotable: “There’s still a building process that’s got to take place to get us to that avenue. Being most consistent each and every week and finishing consistently in the top five is the easiest way to prove that you’re capable of your next win. So we’ve got to get to that point first.” — Busch said of returning to winning form and doing so with a new crew, Jim Pohlman, in 2026.

Looking ahead: Certainly, Busch was frustrated with the 2025 season outcome, but he is a champion, and there’s a reason he is the winningest national series driver in NASCAR history. The 40-year-old has said nothing about retirement and is clearly keen to turn the page and start fresh with a new crew chief (Pohlman), who expects to return the No. 8 team to playoff form. Pohlman led fellow Chevrolet driver Justin Allgaier to the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and previously worked at RCR, spearheading the organization’s Next Gen car development. There is a lot of high hope for the team’s reorganized technical assets next season, which will include RCR’s former technical director. Mike Dillon, who will be taking a more active role. All of the restructuring looks promising for Busch, who started his now three-year tenure with the team in 2023 with a three-trophy season. His last win was on June 4, 2023, at Gateway, where he started from pole and led a dominating 121 of the 243 laps.

Posted on by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
Crew chief: Travis Peterson
Final 2025 Ranking: 22nd
Key Stats: 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s, 96 laps led

How 2025 ended: McDowell moved to Spire Motorsports for 2025 after a seven-year tenure with Front Row Motorsports. He ended his first year with Spire with a few high points, particularly in the playoffs with one top-five finish (fifth at Charlotte Roval) and two other top-10 finishes (eighth at both New Hampshire and in the season finale at Phoenix, his home track), as well as capturing the pole in the fall race at Talladega. Earlier in the season, he also earned a pole (spring race at Las Vegas) and had two other top-five showings on the road course events at Mexico City (fifth) and Sonoma (fourth). All in all, it was another usual, solid season from the Cup veteran whose 41st birthday is around the corner on Dec. 12.

Best race: McDowell’s best finish of the season was a fourth-place finish in Wine Country. However, extrapolating that a bit, he once again showed why he’s one of the most underrated road-course racers: his three best finishes of 2025 all came on road courses, fourth at Sonoma, and fifth at both Mexico City and Charlotte Roval. Another highlight was the Chicago Street Race, where he dominated, leading the first 31 laps (a season-high for him) and staying at the front of the field when a throttle cable broke. His team repaired the car after a lengthy pit stop, but the damage was done and he finished a disappointing 32nd.

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Michael McDowell driver page

Other season highlights: In addition to his road-course prowess, McDowell is a strong superspeedway racer (like when he won the 2021 Daytona 500). He led laps in the “Great American Race” and spring event at Talladega, but just missed the top 10 by finishing 11th in both races. McDowell continued to be one of the most consistent drivers in the series, with just two DNFs, both due to crashes (Texas and Pocono).

Stat to know: Of his 537 career Cup starts, McDowell has two wins (Daytona 500 and Indianapolis Road Course). Of his 14 career top-five finishes, seven have been on drafting-style tracks and seven others have been on road or street courses.

RELATED: Final 2025 standings | McDowell through the years

Quotable: “I know what would have happened. We would have won the race.” — Michael McDowell lamented what might have been in the Chicago Street Race if it had not been for the broken throttle cable.

Looking ahead: McDowell is scheduled to return to the No. 71 Spire entry next season alongside crew chief Travis Peterson, who made the move with McDowell over from Front Row Motorsports before the 2025 season. He will have a new teammate in Daniel Suárez, who joins the three-driver fold under a one-year contract to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in 2026.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Luke Lambert
Final 2025 ranking: 23rd
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 9 top 10s, 122 laps led

How 2025 ended: To no one’s surprise, Hocevar was a firecracker in 2025. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was bad fast for a good chunk of the season, and almost too fast at times. Hocevar DNF’d three times due to engine failures, the most notable of which came at the Coca-Cola 600, where he was on the front row during the restart to begin the final stage before smoke billowed out of his hot rod in Turns 1 and 2. Hocevar missed the postseason, but strung together three top 10s in the final 10 races at Darlington, Bristol and Talladega. On the flip side, he finished 28th or worse in five of the last six races.

Best race: A handful to choose from, but Hocevar’s home race at Michigan nearly delivered his first career Cup Series win. With an onslaught of William Byron, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin chasing, Hocevar kept the bunch at bay up until 19 to go when the No. 77 had a left-rear tire go down. He wound up finishing 29th, but set a career-high in laps led with 32 at the 2-mile oval.

RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Carson Hocevar driver page

Other season highlights: Hocevar had two runner-up results in 2025 — spring Atlanta and Nashville. At Atlanta, the caution came out before the checkered flag as Hocevar was in a battle for the win with Larson and eventual victor Christopher Bell. The second-year Cup driver had his most consistent run later at Nashville, finishing just behind a dominant Ryan Blaney. Hocevar earned his first career Busch Light Pole Award at Texas Motor Speedway.

Stat to know: Both of Hocevar’s runner-up results came from the 26th starting position. Of his nine top 10s, only two came from a starting position inside the top 10.

Quotable: “I already have that image, right? Like it’ll never go away. I could go three years from now, and it’s just like oh, I’m back, per se. I think I’ve already made that image before I got in this garage, and I think it’s just trying to balance one thing of owning it and trying to change the narrative while still being like, yeah, I get it. Like I’m aware of this and knowing that.” — Hocevar said about his on-track image during a press conference at Pocono.

Looking ahead: Hocevar will be back in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire for the 2026 season. Along with 2025 teammate Michael McDowell, Hocevar will be joined by Spire newcomer Daniel Suárez as the Mexican driver takes over the No. 7. Not only will a win be on the mind of the driver entering his third full-time campaign, but making the playoffs will be Spire’s biggest aspiration for next season.

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. – Trackhouse Racing announced Tuesday that Red Bull will serve as a primary partner for drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch for 25 races during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Red Bull will also serve as the official energy drink of Trackhouse Racing, continuing the partnership that Trackhouse launched at the beginning of 2025.

Zilisch will first sport the iconic Red Bull colors Feb. 15 in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, making the 19-year-old Red Bull athlete the youngest competitor to enter the Daytona 500 since Joey Logano in 2009 at the age of 18. Six-time Cup Series winner van Gisbergen will be behind the wheel of the Red Bull Chevrolet for the first time in 2026 one week later at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta) on Feb. 22.

MORE: Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

The striking 2026 Red Bull paint schemes feature a timeless matte, dark blue base, elevated by shimmering accents that outline the cars’ numbers, exuding a bold and commanding presence on track. Van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet showcases dynamic red rays streaking from the lower front tire to the upper rear, sharply contrasting Zilisch’s No. 88, which displays bold blue rays sweeping across both sides of the car.

Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch recently caught a first glimpse of their striking new 2026 numbers, proudly showcased in the iconic Red Bull livery.

“It means a lot to have the number No. 97 on my Cup car,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s a number that means so much to my family and me, so to see it on my car for the first time was surreal. I love the red flash designs on both sides of the car. It’s going to look epic on the track.”

Zilisch, who transitions to the Cup Series full-time for his rookie campaign in 2026, was impressed seeing his number for the first time.

“It’s so cool to be driving No. 88 in the Cup Series,” Zilisch said. “The number is historic, and so many great drivers have driven it. I certainly have big shoes to fill, but I can’t wait to get the season started. I love the blue streaks across the side of the car. The dark matte blue allows the light blue streaks to pop. I’m excited to have it on track next year.”

MORE: Drivers of the No. 88 through the years

Trackhouse Racing's Nos. 88 and 97 cars display Red Bull colors.
Garth Milan | Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull and Trackhouse Racing’s first season as partners was monumental. Van Gisbergen and Zilisch had standout 2025 NASCAR rookie seasons, with a total of 16 wins across the Cup Series and Xfinity Series.

Van Gisbergen has quickly become one of NASCAR’s most dominant road-course racers, with a record-setting performance since joining the Cup Series full-time. The Red Bull athlete collected five Cup Series wins in 2025, the most by a rookie in a single season, his first coming in the inaugural Cup Series race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, making him a two-time inaugural Cup Series race winner (Chicago Street Race in 2023).

The New Zealand native’s third win of the season came in dominant fashion at Sonoma Raceway, where van Gisbergen started from the pole position and led 97 of 110 laps, driving the iconic Red Bull colors back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2011. Van Gisbergen’s Sonoma win made him the first driver since Jeff Gordon to win three consecutive road course Cup Series races from the pole.

Van Gisbergen became the fastest driver to five career Cup Series wins since Dan Gurney in 1968 after capturing the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International, collecting the fourth win of his rookie season. Van Gisbergen’s masterclass road-course season sealed his NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.

The 2025 season was remarkably successful for Zilisch, who placed second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series final driver standings. In addition to locking into the Championship 4, Zilisch had 10 victories in 32 starts, including nine wins in the last 18 races. He became the first Xfinity Series driver since the playoff format was introduced to capture the regular-season title despite missing a race. His four sequential victories tied him for the most consecutive victories all-time with Sam Ard and Noah Gragson.

Zilisch won more races and more poles (eight) than any other Xfinity Series driver in 2025. He captured Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in record-breaking style. Zilisch rewrote the record book for a first-year driver by establishing new marks for wins, top-five finishes (20) and races led (27).

Red Bull served as the primary partner for Zilisch’s NASCAR Cup Series debut on March 2 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He went on to make two more Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 25) and at EchoPark Speedway (June 28).

To add to a remarkable season, Trackhouse Racing and Red Bull partnered for a unique opportunity this past July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held annually at Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. The event is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hill climb and other events. Justin Marks, Trackhouse Racing’s owner and himself a former driver, piloted the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet in the prestigious event with a guest driving appearance by Red Bull athlete and professional driver ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett.

Posted on by Kobe Lambeth

Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings. 

Driver: Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Crew chief: Ben Beshore
Final 2025 ranking: 24th
Key stats: 0 wins, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s, 11 laps led 

How 2025 ended: Compared to 2024, Jones and Legacy Motor Club took a step forward in the organization’s second year with Toyota. The No. 43 driver improved his spot in the final standings from 28th to 24th, while John Hunter Nemechek, his teammate, took a huge leap to 25th after finishing 34th in last year’s table. Of note, Jones had three more top fives and top 10s than he did a year ago. Although Jones has not visited Victory Lane in the Cup Series since his upset win in the 2022 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway or made the playoffs since 2019, there is plenty for the 29-year-old Michigan driver to be optimistic about as Legacy M.C. continues its upward trajectory. 

Best race: To no surprise, the driver who earned the nickname “That Jones Boy” from late Hall of Fame broadcaster Ken Squier showed up big time at his best track in the Southern 500 at Darlington. In the closing laps, four Toyota drivers were fighting for a crown-jewel win at the iconic South Carolina track. As Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick battled intensely to win and advance from the Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 in the postseason opener, the non-playoff driver in Jones sat closely behind them, ready to pounce if the duo made contact. Jones ultimately settled for third place, with teammate Nemechek finishing fourth to conclude a strong night with a pair of top fives for an organization on the rise.  

RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Erik Jones driver page 

Other season highlights: In an early sign of good things to come, Jones picked up a top five at Texas Motor Speedway, which was his first of five during the 2025 season. Three races later, Jones finished seventh at Nashville Superspeedway to keep the momentum rolling into the summer stretch. In the third round of the In-Season Challenge, Jones was matched up against teammate Nemechek at Sonoma Raceway in a battle of Legacy M.C. pilots. The No. 43 driver also put himself in the mix in the final laps of the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway with a fifth-place finish, nearly making the playoffs for the first time in six years. 

Stat to know: With his third-place finish at Darlington, Jones now possesses nine top 10s in 16 career starts at the “Lady in Black,” good enough for a top-10 finish rate of 56.3%. 

Quotable: “It’s just kind of a mentality of it was time to turn it around. I felt like we had good tracks coming up. We had been putting more and more speed in our cars. I would say right around Charlotte is probably the time things started to go good. I kind of reset on my own and said, ‘Alright, I need to do the things that I do well again and just focus on what I can control and try to make it work.’ And about that time, cars started getting better, (and) I felt like I started making good decisions. And since then, it’s worked out really well. We haven’t always got the finishes, I think, that we’ve been capable of, but we’ve ran well in stages and got a ton of points. So it’s all going to come together more and more. The more you bring top-10 cars, that’s going to come your way more consistently. But the points rally has been probably the biggest, I think, in my career.” — Jones on Legacy Motor Club’s progress in the Cup Series.

Looking ahead: Jones is expected to return to the No. 43 Toyota in 2026. If Legacy M.C. can continue making progress behind the scenes at the shop under the leadership of Hall of Fame team owner Jimmie Johnson and have those gains translate over to Sundays more consistently, 2026 might be the year Jones can return to the winner’s circle and return to the playoff picture. 

Posted on by Press Release

JDV Productions and Whelen Engineering announced today the Whelen Midsummer Championship for the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

The Midsummer Championship will run through the three Whelen Modified Tour events in the month of July – including stops at Seekonk Speedway (July 1), Claremont Motorsports Park (July 10) & Monadnock Speedway (July 25). The three July events come at a crucial time, where drivers will begin setting up for the stretch run of the season. The series includes Seekonk’s Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group, the Clash at Claremont and the Duel at the Dog at Monadnock powered by USNE.

Similar to past years, the Midsummer Championship will be determined based on points from the three races combined. A bonus program will be released at a later date, paying to the owner of the driver who wins.

The champion of the series will be determined at the 5th Annual Duel at the Dog powered by USNEPower Monadnock on July 25.

“Whelen Engineering is proud to continue our partnership with JDV Productions for the fifth year, supporting the Whelen Midsummer Championship in 2026,” Peter Tiezzi, General Manager of Motorsports for Whelen Engineering, said. “These three exciting races on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour showcase the incredible talent and dedication of drivers and teams, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their achievements.”

Whelen Engineering is the proud sponsor of NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love and his Richard Childress Racing team. They have been the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2005. In 2026 the Tour has another 16-race slate planned, with events from Maine to Florida.

“We are grateful to Whelen Engineering for partnering with us for the fifth consecutive season to create a summer championship that injects excitement into the middle of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule,” Josh Vanada, CEO & Promoter of JDV Productions, said. “We are excited to present the renamed Whelen Midsummer Championship, which will pass through three different race tracks in one month, to crown our fifth champion.”

Matt Hirschman won the three-race series during the 2025 season, adding a second championship. Patrick Emerling (2024) and Doug Coby (2023) are the two additional winners in the four years.

“Since the inception of this mini series, I like what the Whelen Midsummer Championship has brought to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” Matt Hirschman said. “I don’t think there could be a more perfect schedule for the series in 2026, with three consecutive short-track events in the month of July to decide the champion. We are looking forward to competing in these races and looking for a third Whelen Midsummer Championship crown.”

For more information on JDV Productions, visit JDVProductions.com. Tickets for the Seekonk event will be on sale at SeekonkSpeedway.com soon. Tickets for the Claremont and Monadnock events will be available exclusively on the Ticket Hoss App on November 25.

Posted on by Nathan Solomon

Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Crew chief: Travis Mack
Final 2025 ranking: 25th
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 8 top 10s, 37 laps led

How 2025 ended: The 28-year-old Nemechek missed the playoffs in his third full-time Cup Series season, but undoubtedly, 2025 was by far his best. Entering his second campaign with Legacy Motor Club, Nemechek had never earned a top-five finish, a milestone he checked off in the season-opening Daytona 500. The final seven races of the campaign were challenging, finishing better than 21st just once, but there’s certainly much for Nemechek to build off going forward.

Best race: In a Southern 500 headlined by issues to playoff drivers, Nemechek capitalized to finish fourth for his best-career finish. He led 15 laps at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, finishing directly behind teammate Erik Jones in arguably Legacy’s best race as an organization. Nemechek overcame poor track position to start, qualifying 30th, quickly drove to the front and had an average running position of ninth over 367 laps.

RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | John Hunter Nemechek driver page

Other season highlights: Nemechek’s 2025 successes came in twos, earning all eight of his top 10s in back-to-back stretches. In May, he finished eighth at Texas Motor Speedway with a 10th-place finish to follow at Kansas Speedway, later banking sixth-place finishes at both Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and Pocono Raceway. After his heroic effort in the Southern 500, Nemechek finished sixth at World Wide Technology Raceway seven days later. Over the summer, the Mooresville, North Carolina native advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural In-Season Challenge before getting eliminated by Ty Dillon at Dover Motor Speedway.

Stat to know: In a 14-race span beginning in Mexico City and ending at Bristol Motor Speedway, Nemechek had nine finishes of 17th or better. He climbed as high as 19th in the Cup Series standings with seven races remaining.

Quotable: “It was really fun to be a part of. It was great from a fan perspective. When you didn’t have a chance to win the race, you want to try and get the best finish that you can. At Dover, Ty Dillon and I didn’t have the best cars all day and we kept trading it off, and we knew we were racing them. It gives you something to race for when you are running 25th that day, or 15th that day, or whatever that may be. The trash-talking on social media and the content capture, that was a lot of fun for me. I think you saw a lot of different personalities come out through that and a lot of engagement you wouldn’t normally see on a weekly basis unless you were racing for something like that,” said Nemechek, speaking about the In-Season Challenge during a press conference at Iowa Speedway.

Looking ahead: Nemechek is expected to return to the No. 42 Toyota for a third consecutive season in 2026. Earning career bests in most major statistical categories, and with the organization continuing to make strides under the ownership of Jimmie Johnson, Nemechek is a candidate to have a breakthrough season. He’s still looking for his first career victory, and the way things are trending, that may just happen once the calendar flips.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ryan Blaney and his wife, Gianna, have made their family a party of three, announcing the arrival of their first child.

The couple – who wed last December – posted Saturday afternoon on social media, announcing the birth of a son, Charley Bennett Blaney, on Nov. 17.

RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | 2025 season, by the numbers

The Blaneys had announced last July that they were expecting. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, said before the Chicago Street Race that their offseason timing was fortunate. “We’re in the winter, so that takes a lot of stress off,” Blaney said. “I can’t say we necessarily drew it up that way.”

Ryan Blaney finished sixth in the Cup Series standings last season with four victories, the most for a single season in his career. The Team Penske driver capped the campaign with a victory in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway three weeks ago.

 

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Posted on by Holly Cain

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On a black-tie and ballgown evening in downtown Charlotte on Friday evening, NASCAR honored its best from the gritty grassroots to the sport’s burgeoning stars – drivers, their teams and owners walking the red carpet in the Charlotte Convention Center.

As the evening’s co-host Alex Alexander said before the first trophies were bestowed, “the soul of NASCAR is alive and well.”

The evening started by recognizing the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champions from across the country, including Brendon Fries – a three-time champion who won the West Region, Idaho State and Meridian Speedway titles.

The Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, named for the late NASCAR Hall of Famer who became the first black driver to win a premier-series race, was given to two-time All-American Speedway champion and California state champion Kenna Mitchell, who accepted the prestigious trophy saying, “I hope to inspire the next generation of racers.”

Minnesota’s Jacob Goede, a 10-race winner this season, won his second NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship and was presented the trophy by NASCAR Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek and then received the champion’s ring from Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovations Officer.

RELATED: NASCAR Regional Power Rankings | Inside Goede’s journey

One of the highlights of the night included recognizing the standouts from NASCAR’s hugely popular international series, which included two-time Formula One championship runner-up and 11-race winner Rubens Barrichello, who at the age of 53 claimed the NASCAR Brasil Series title.

“Of course it’s always hard to win, but to reconfirm is even harder,” said Italian Vittorio Ghirelli, who claimed his second consecutive NASCAR Euro Series championship.

“We delivered when it counted and very happy for the result and grateful to be with this team. … it’s a long travel, but it is an honor to come here to Charlotte.”

One of the night’s highlights was honoring 22-year-old Pennsylvanian Austin Beers, who became the youngest champion in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour edging four-time series champion Justin Bonsignore in a title race decided in the season finale.

“To have it all come down to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, one last race against Justin Bonsignore, someone of that caliber and to come out on top was pretty incredible,” Beers said. “We were very consistent all year. Every race we finished top 10 and 12 of 16 we were top five, so just very consistent and smart with strategy.”

One of Beers’ inspirations – RFK Racing NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece joined NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell in presenting the young driver with his trophy on stage. “It’s fun coming here, but a lot more fun when you are the champion,” Beers said.

The evening finished with presentations to the ARCA Menards regional and national series standouts. Trevor Huddleston won the ARCA Menards Series West title with Robbie Kennealy claiming the ARCA Menards Series West Bounty Rookie of the Year trophy.

Austin Vaughn was the ARCA Menards Series East Bounty Rookie of the Year with 16-year-old Isaac Kitzmiller taking the East Series title after a season he earned top-10 finishes in every single race.

“This is awesome and really shows all the hard work I’ve put into my career, all the running, training and studying, everything like that,” said Kitzmiller, an 11th-grade high school student from West Virginia.

Before honoring the ARCA Menards Series champions, NASCAR recognized Bill Venturini and Venturini Motorsports for their contributions to the series, wishing them well on their retirement.

MORE: Venturini’s driver-roster legacy

The room gave a strong round of applause to the ARCA Menards Series 2025 Bounty Rookie of the Year Isabella Robusto, who earned nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes on the 20-race season with a best showing of third place at both Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and the Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway one-miler.

“We definitely had our ups and downs this year so to come out of it with Rookie of the Year means a lot, just missed out on third in the championship, but we definitely had our good races,” Robusto said.

“I’m super excited and we’ll be announcing [2026 plans] in a couple weeks,” the 21-year-old South Carolinian added with a smile. “At the end of the day I’m just trying to be the best driver that I can and you always want to be there for the championship, but rookie of the year still means a lot and shows we can run up front and finish races and do what we needed to do. It means a lot but at the end of the day in the back of your mind, you want to be the champion and be first.”

The night concluded with recognition – and a hearty round of applause – for a huge fan favorite, ARCA Menards Series champion Brenden Queen, who not only celebrated his first major series title Friday night but also his 28th birthday. He claimed a series-best eight victories and scored an amazing 17 top-five finishes in the 20-race season.

That success certainly paid off this season, earning Queen five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and a pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race opportunities. Next year he will drive a RAM truck for Kaulig Racing fulltime in the Craftsman Truck Series.

“It’s crazy. I’m just a late model guy that was a backyard racer,” Queen said while posing with his series championship trophy. “To know that my name has gotten to that part of the sport is pretty special really, just a lot to be thankful for.

“I’ve tried really hard to soak in the moment. This week I’ve been trying really hard to just enjoy the moment. Tonight goes by so fast and then we’re going to Daytona.

“The racer in me is already focused on ‘the next one,’ but you have to balance it and have the offseason and be healthy, don’t let it consume you. I’m excited about the future but nice to have a night to reflect on the memories made with these guys,” Queen said of his team. “Pretty cool. Been through so many ups and downs and it makes you appreciate these moments.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Crew chief: Trent Owens
Final 2025 ranking: 26th
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 42 laps led

How 2025 ended: Although Allmendinger did not qualify for the 2025 playoffs, the 43-year-old Californian scored his first pole position in 10 years, turning in the fastest lap at the Bristol Motor Speedway night race, where he led 24 laps – the most of any race this season. He scored two of his seven top 10s in that final 10-race stretch, but also suffered four DNFs, dropping him to 26th in the final standings.

Best race: Although it’s more likely for the renowned road course racer to earn a victory on that style of track, Allmendinger’s best statistical day of the 2025 season instead came on the traditionally tough Bristol short track. He claimed his fifth career pole position and first on an oval since Kansas in 2012. And the veteran made good on that promising start, leading the opening 23 laps of the race before being collected in a mid-race crash and ultimately retiring with a steering problem with 100 laps remaining.

RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | AJ Allmendinger driver page

Other season highlights: Allmendinger proved again what a force he was on the road courses, where he has shone throughout his decorated career, collecting top 10 finishes at the Chicago Street Course and later at the Charlotte Roval. Although he was winless in his first full-time season back in the Cup Series after running for the Xfinity Series championship last year, Allmendinger did earn top-fives in crown jewels at Charlotte and again at one of the most notoriously tough ovals, Darlington Raceway.

Stat to know: Allmendinger’s seven top 10 finishes were tied with the most he’s had in his last seven seasons in the Cup Series, with the exception of 2022 (eight), and his 16.8 average starting position was his best in that statistical category since 2012 (16.3).

Quotable: “The only thing that’s been tough this year is some of the races that we’ve had a lot of speed at, and a lot of teams can say this I’m sure, but the ones that we’ve been really quick at, we’ve had some bad things happen really out of our control. So, sometimes you don’t get those results and it’s hard to go back to the shop and smile about it and know that you’re making progress.

“But at the end of the day, we’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years of me driving the Cup car of the speed that we got. Matt Kaulig has put a lot more resources into it. Obviously, (CEO) Chris (Rice) has got a lot of work on his plate between the Xfinity side of it and the Cup side of it. With (Chief Business Officer) Ty (Norris) here and then Mike Cook being here as our competition director. So, yeah, we’re making progress.” – said Allmendinger, reflecting on the development of Kaulig throughout the season.

Looking ahead: Though a smaller operation compared to many other teams on the grid, the Kaulig Racing team has proven itself year-over-year as a legitimate threat to win races, and with a veteran such as Allmendinger behind the wheel, it makes a true run at qualifying for the playoffs a viable goal. In 2026, the team is shifting its focus somewhat and will be fielding five RAM entries in the Craftsman Truck Series. That’s in addition to cars for Allmendinger and a yet-to-be-confirmed second driver in the Cup Series, where the team has announced going forward, it will be ending its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, although still using ECR engines.