Kyle Larson made it count when it mattered most, winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship after a dramatic late-race restart in the Phoenix Raceway finale. But will the now-two-time champ get your vote for NASCAR Driver of the Year?  

The Hendrick Motorsports driver started his 2025 campaign with three wins and five more top-five finishes in the first dozen races, then saw his form dip dramatically, before digging deep to stay in Playoffs contention and finally seal the deal.

Before that final restart, Denny Hamlin looked to be cruising to a seventh win of the season and a first Cup Series championship, but was left to rue another one that got away. Will the outpourings of goodwill and sympathy Denny received convert into votes? It’s your call, readers. 

Or how about Shane van Gisbergen, who’s switched from the Australia-based Supercars Championship and took an unprecedented five road-course wins in his first full Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing? That was impressive stuff – as was William Byron’s second-straight Daytona 500 win, a hard-fought first regular season championship and his third-straight Championship 4 appearance.      

Outside of the Cup Series, rising star Connor Zilisch won 10 races in the Xfinity Series, including seven of the final eight regular season rounds, but was pipped to the title by Jesse Love in the Phoenix season-closer. Meanwhile, Corey Heim dominated the Craftsman Truck Series with 12 wins from 25 races, including five wins in the seven-race Playoffs.      

Could a season like Heim’s or Zilisch’s put the stars of the Cup Series in the shade? It’s your call and your votes, and we’re looking forward to finding out who you’ve put top.

Voting will remain open for 72 hours, and we’ll be announcing your 2025 NASCAR Driver of the Year on January 15.

Plus, coming soon: vote for your sports car racing marque of the year.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports & Customization Co. Ltd. (NMC) announced new initiatives aimed at strengthening Nissan’s overall brand power through the expansion of motorsports activities and the NISMO car lineup. As part of the Re:Nissan product strategy, “heartbeat models” play a key role in defining Nissan’s brand DNA by sparking emotion and driving passion, with NISMO positioned at the center of this ambition.

NMC will support this strategy by further showcasing the pursuit of performance through motorsports and delivering excitement through NISMO products, supported by new business initiatives spanning racing, customization, and heritage programs.

The pursuit of performance through motorsports

Under the motto “road to track, track to road,” Nissan continues to leverage the technology and driving spirit cultivated through top-tier racing series such as Super GT and Formula E. Insights and innovations developed on the track are transferred into the NISMO car lineup, reinforcing the brand’s performance credibility and emotional appeal. Nissan will continue to challenge itself in series including Super Taikyu, while expanding into new types of racing.

From fiscal year 2026, Nissan plans to introduce prototype vehicles for racing activities to accelerate technological advancements in both hardware and software, supporting future motorsports participation and NISMO lineup expansion.

NISMO car lineup: delivering emotion and excitement

Building on the success of its current portfolio, Nissan aims to double the number of NISMO models available globally from five to ten. Market availability of NISMO vehicles will also be expanded, with annual shipment volumes targeted to increase from approximately 100,000 units to 150,000 units by 2028. Overseas sales are expected to grow from approximately 40% to 60% during this period.

In pursuit of greater customer value, Nissan will actively consider collaborations with external partners to further expand its NISMO business and deliver products that enhance driving excitement and performance.

Showcasing NISMO at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026

As part of this evolution, Nissan and NMC will present the latest expression of NISMO’s performance and innovation at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, taking place from January 9 to January 11 at Makuhari Messe. Marking the first public expression of NISMO’s future direction, the concept will serve as a tangible representation of the brand’s performance philosophy and design ambition.

Alongside the debut of the NISMO concept model, the booth will feature vehicles that highlight Nissan’s motorsports DNA and driving passion, including the Fairlady Z NISMO MT, offering a manual transmission option for customers seeking a heightened driving experience.

Motorsports heritage will also be celebrated with the display of the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R from the 2016 Super GT season, honoring the career of Tsugio Matsuda following his retirement from Super GT at the end of the 2025 season.

Heritage and restoration programs

Alongside its future-facing initiatives, NMC will continue to grow its heritage and restoration businesses. The global auto restoration market, currently valued at approximately 500 billion yen and projected to exceed 1.2 trillion yen by 2032, represents a key growth opportunity.

NMC will initially focus on restoration, restomod, and parts sales centered around the Skyline GT-R R32, R33 and R34, with additional vehicles and regional offerings planned for the future. These programs aim to preserve Nissan’s performance heritage while delivering renewed excitement for long-time fans and collectors.

Yutaka Sanada, President and CEO of NMC, said: “NISMO continues to elevate the excitement and innovation of Nissan vehicles. Moving forward, we aim to infuse our passion and driven excitement into Nissan’s other product lines.”

Through continued motorsports activities, expansion of the NISMO lineup, and growth of customization and heritage businesses, Nissan and NMC aim to deliver new excitement to NISMO and Nissan fans worldwide.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Nissan is a global car manufacturer that sells a full line of vehicles under the Nissan and INFINITI brands. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in four regions: Japan-ASEAN, China, Americas, and AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe & Oceania).

For more information about our products, services, and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit Nissan AMI. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.

For more information, please contact:

Media Relations  

Hatoun Bushnaq  

GM Corporate Communications  

Nissan Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd.   

Email: hatoun.bushnaq@nissan-me.ae   

Faisal Ghouth  

DGM Corporate Communications  

Nissan Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd.   

Email: faisal.ghouth@nissan-me.ae    

Naif Al Shahrani  

Senior Media Relation Director

Edelman Saudi Arabia  

Email:  naif.alshahrani@edelman.com   

Send us your press releases to pressrelease.zawya@lseg.com

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.

View the NASCAR Truck Series number placement in the guidelines graphic below

FDNY Racing is based out of Mamaroneck, NY. They field entries in the NASCAR Truck Series.

On Tuesday, the team shared a graphic from the NASCAR rule book. The graphic shows guidelines for decal placement on Trucks for 2026.

In the graphic, the door number is shown further forward. However, there’s been nothing released in writing regarding door number placement.

The team posted this with the graphic, “Hot off the press from NASCAR : 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Car Branding Guidelines”

Traditionally, the numbers for the NASCAR Truck Series have been in the center of the door.

In the NASCAR Cup Series, numbers were moved forward several years ago. An uproar from the fanbase directly followed that announcement.

Conflicting paint scheme reveals

Yesterday, Tyler Ankrum’s 2026 paint scheme was released. It showed the number right in the center of the door. That was the standard look for the 2025 season.

On the same day, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen released their paint scheme for 2026. In this case, the door number was shown much further forward on the door in comparison to Ankrum’s release.

Cummins joins NASCAR team with full-time sponsorship in 2026

So, what’s the rule for 2026? That remains unclear. At the very least, the door number placement has been relaxed ahead of the new season, giving teams the option to move the number forward.

Links

NASCAR

Charlotte, N.C. – The fallout from NASCAR’s federal antitrust trial continued into the new year as NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps on Tuesday announced his resignation after more than 20 years with the top racing series in the United States.

His resignation comes after last month’s trial in which inflammatory texts Phelps sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations were revealed. Phelps will leave the company at the end of the month, ahead of the start of the first exhibition race of the season on Feb. 1.

He was named NASCAR’s first commissioner last season after a courting process for the same role by the PGA golf tour. The opportunity with the PGA was revealed during December testimony of the antitrust trial brought by two race teams against NASCAR and Phelps testified he pulled out of consideration for that role upon the NASCAR promotion from president.

The top executive at NASCAR was deeply bruised during the trial – and the discovery process leading into it – when communications he exchanged with his leadership team was exposed. In one exchange, Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress “a stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”

DETROIT (WXYZ) — If you’re looking for family-friendly activities to participate in at the Detroit Auto Show, Visit Detroit has you covered.

The Auto Show announced that there will be an immersive Visit Detroit Interactive Experience, located in the Atrium at Huntington Place

The Experience will include:

• Real-world science and engineering concepts with the Michigan Science Center
• Coding and virtual reality-based technician training with Code 313
• A motorsports simulation with Pit Lanes Sim Racing
• A kid-focus Power Wheels track, presented by Jeep and Ram.

“This activation is about planting seeds,” said Todd Szott, 2026 Detroit Auto Show Chair, in a press release. “We want kids and students to walk in, get their hands on technology, feel the excitement of innovation, and start to imagine themselves as engineers, designers, coders, technicians, or entrepreneurs. If we can inspire even a fraction of them to explore a future in the auto industry, that’s a win for Detroit and for the industry as a whole.”

For more information on the 2026 Auto Show, open to the public at Huntington Place from Jan. 17-25, click here.