What’s Happening?
One major storyline to keep up with during the 2025 NASCAR season and beyond is the ongoing saga of…
What’s Happening? Ram’s Return to NASCAR has filled both fans and industry members with excitement. With just seven months until the green flag flies at Daytona, one major question remains: what teams will field Rams in 2026? In the Craftsman Truck Series, switching OEMs doesn’t change much under the hood, as the series utilizes a spec […]
Ram’s Return to NASCAR has filled both fans and industry members with excitement. With just seven months until the green flag flies at Daytona, one major question remains: what teams will field Rams in 2026?
What’s Happening?
One major storyline to keep up with during the 2025 NASCAR season and beyond is the ongoing saga of…
When Catchfence.com first reported Ram was returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in February, the first team most fans pointed to to make the switch was ThorSport Racing. The team is one of the most storied and longest-running non-Cup Series-affiliated teams in the series and has quite a history of switching OEMs.
This is perhaps due to their autonomy from affiliation, as they rarely field OEM-affiliated prospects in the series. There are currently no rumors that they could make the swap, as the team is currently Ford’s flagship organization in the series.
When looking at the current crop of full-time Craftsman Truck Series entries, there are currently seven full-time Chevrolet teams in the Craftsman Truck Series. Often overlooked in this crowded space, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. The team currently fields four full-time entries in the series and was one of the best-performing Chevrolet outfits in 2024.
That being said, with heavy hitters like Spire Motorsports also fielding four full-time entries, including a flurry of top Chevrolet drivers and prospects, Ram adding MHR to their lineup could be the steal of the offseason. MHR, much like ThorSport, has not popped up in rumor talks. However, their success in the crowded Chevrolet camp presents real potential for Ram.
The first team to ever have their name tied to Ram this Silly Season is a team that has not fielded a truck since 2023. GMS Racing was once the class of the Chevrolet bunch in the Truck Series. Through eight seasons in the truck series, the team won 45 races and two Championships, fielding drivers like Sheldon Creed, Rajah Caruth, and Zane Smith.
After their time in the spotlight, they closed their operation after the 2023 season, with their drivers dispersing across the series in 2024. Yet, a shocking rumor spread earlier this season that the team could return to fielding the Rams in 2026 with Spencer Gallagher, a former driver and son of owner Maury Gallagher, behind the wheel.
What’s Happening?
The 2026 NASCAR Rumor Mill is starting to heat up, as a new rumor names not only Dodge’s first…
In a June 6 report, Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal claimed that GMS was one of three recognizable teams that Ram was “considering deals with.” Another one of these names was Rette Jones Racing.
While the team has a handful of Truck Series starts to its credit, it is most well-known for fielding the No. 30 Ford Mustang in the ARCA Menards Series. This No. 30 has seen the likes of actor Frankie Muniz and YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, behind the wheel.
If the team wanted to make the jump to full-time Truck Series competition in 2026, with rumors suggesting that Mitchell could do so as well, Ram, as an upstart OEM, could be a perfect fit.
What’s Happening?
A recent report suggests that YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, better known for his on-screen persona Cleetus McFarland, will play a…
The second team listed by Stern, and perhaps the most shocking, is Niece Motorsports. The three-truck team, owned by Al Niece, has always been associated with Chevrolet.
Their ties to Chevrolet include supplying full-time rides to the likes of Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar, alongside occasional starts from top drivers like Kyle Larson and Chastain, who has continued to make part-time starts for the team since his 2019 season with Niece.
While the loss of Niece would not be a major one for Chevrolet, it would truly mark the end of an era for the team. But, by closing this semi-successful chapter with Chevrolet, they could become a force to reckon with should they move to Ram.
Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
CONCORD, N.C. – On to wine country where Hendrick Motorsports has been popping bottles since 1998! That’s when Jeff Gordon scored the first of eight victories for the company at Sonoma Raceway, the most of any organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gordon is the all-time winningest driver at the track, visiting victory lane five times. […]
CONCORD, N.C. – On to wine country where Hendrick Motorsports has been popping bottles since 1998!
That’s when Jeff Gordon scored the first of eight victories for the company at Sonoma Raceway, the most of any organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gordon is the all-time winningest driver at the track, visiting victory lane five times.
Recently, the fastest man at the serpentine track has been another California native, Kyle Larson, who picked up his second victory at the venue last June. His resume includes four pole awards and his average starting position of 3.8 is tops among all drivers.
On the other side of things, Chase Elliott carries the best career average finish into Sunday’s event at 11.1 in eight starts. That includes six top-10 finishes.
FROM WINNER TO CHAMPION: Read up on Jeff Gordon’s 1995 NASCAR title!
Alex Bowman has finished in the top 15 in five of his last six Sonoma races with a pair of top 10s sprinkled in. He will look to outrun Ty Dillon to advance to the final four of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
Finally, William Byron has started inside the top eight four times in his six races in central California.
Here’s a look at how each driver has done at the track as well as a brush up on Hendrick Motorsports history:
Starts: | 10 |
---|---|
Wins: | 2 |
Poles: | 4 |
Top fives: | 2 |
Top 10s: | 4 |
Laps led: | 113 |
Average start: | 3.8 |
Average finish: | 13.0 |
Starts: | 8 |
---|---|
Wins: | 0 |
Poles: | 0 |
Top fives: | 4 |
Top 10s: | 6 |
Laps led: | 52 |
Average start: | 6.1 |
Average finish: | 11.1 |
RELATED: Check out all of Hendrick Motorsports’ road course wins!
Starts: | 6 |
---|---|
Wins: | 0 |
Poles: | 0 |
Top fives: | 0 |
Top 10s: | 1 |
Laps led: | 26 |
Average start: | 10.8 |
Average finish: | 22.0 |
Starts: | 8 |
---|---|
Wins: | 0 |
Poles: | 0 |
Top fives: | 0 |
Top 10s: | 2 |
Laps led: | 0 |
Average start: | 19.5 |
Average finish: | 17.3 |
Races: | 35 |
---|---|
Wins: | 8 (most) |
Poles: | 10 (most) |
Top fives: | 36 (most) |
Top 10s: | 63 (most) |
Laps led: | 830 (most) |
CONCORD, N.C. (July 8, 2025) — Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing today announced a strategic partnership with NTangible, a leading provider of mental fitness assessments for elite performers. As the newest member of the RFK Tek Alliance, NTangible will deliver advanced mental fitness evaluations to RFK Racing’s pit crews, supporting efforts to enhance performance under pressure […]
Established in 2023, the RFK Tek Alliance unites top-tier technology and performance partners to drive innovation across all facets of RFK Racing’s operations. NTangible becomes the alliance’s first partner dedicated specifically to mental fitness and psychological resilience.
“Integrating NTangible’s platform into our talent pipeline equips us with a data-driven approach to evaluating and developing mental fitness,” said Doug Randolph, Partner and Performance Director for RFK Racing.
NTangible’s proprietary assessment platform provides predictive insights within minutes, enabling performance staff to evaluate key cognitive traits such as composure, processing speed, and role compatibility.
“RFK is setting the standard for what elite teams should expect from their support systems,” said Dan Connerty, CEO of NTangible.
As part of the partnership, NTangible’s assessments will be integrated into RFK Racing’s processes for crew selection, training, and ongoing development.
Longtime Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was fired abruptly Wednesday after a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers titles and a rise to celebrity status. Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Wednesday but thanked Horner for his work and said he will “forever remain an […]
Longtime Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was fired abruptly Wednesday after a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers titles and a rise to celebrity status.
Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Wednesday but thanked Horner for his work and said he will “forever remain an important part of our team history.”
Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as chief executive of the Red Bull team.
Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He had performed his team and media duties as normal throughout the British Grand Prix last week.
His wife is Geri Halliwell — Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls — and Horner himself became a celebrity figure through his prominence on Netflix’s F1 docuseries “Drive to Survive,” in which his bitter rivalry with Mercedes’ Toto Wolff was a key plot point. He and F1 champion Max Verstappen were booed at the season launch in London in February.
Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen — and six constructors titles during his time with the team.
But McLaren has dominated this season while Red Bull’s performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth.
Horner spent much of last week fielding questions over Verstappen’s future with the team after the Dutch driver declined to commit to stay with Red Bull for 2026. Zak Brown, boss of rival McLaren, told The Associated Press last week it would be a “disaster” for Red Bull if Verstappen were to leave.
Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile executives to leave the team over the last year and a half. Car design great Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley departed for Sauber, which is soon to become the Audi works team. All of these changes have followed the 2022 death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire co-founder of Red Bull who created its F1 project.
The team also shuffled drivers, dropping Sergio Perez at the end of last season before a brief failed experiment with Liam Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate. He was in turn replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who hasn’t scored a point in five races.
“We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,” Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s chief executive for corporate projects and investments, said in a statement. “With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
The announcement comes more than a year after Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee.
An investigation conducted on behalf of the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a further investigation conducted after the employee appealed against the initial ruling, Red Bull said at the time.
Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process.
Horner, a former driver whose racing career stalled one level below F1, was the youngest team boss in F1 at 32 when he took charge of Red Bull in 2005 after its parent drinks company bought what had been Jaguar. He’s the only leader the team has known since.
As team principal and CEO, Horner had unusually broad authority for an F1 boss. He signaled last week he expected to stay in charge for a long time.
“We have a very tight senior management, a very strong structure,” Horner said. “We’ve got strength in depth. We don’t feel, and I certainly don’t feel, that there’s a need to change or tune it.”
Horner’s departure comes in the middle of the team’s efforts to prepare for one of the biggest rule changes in F1 in decades next season. Red Bull will make its own engines in partnership with Ford, a project led by Horner.
At Racing Bulls, whose cars have sometimes outperformed the main Red Bull team this season, Alan Permane will be promoted from racing director to team principal to fill the gap left by Mekies.
“The spirit of the whole (Racing Bulls) team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning,” Mekies said in a statement released by Racing Bulls, which did not mention Horner.
“Alan is the perfect man to take over now and continue our path. He knows the team inside out and has always been an important pillar of our early successes.”
Originally Published:
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR is coming back to a historic North Carolina track in 2026 after a successful return in 2025. Next season’s preseason “Clash” will be held at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. Chase Elliott — NASCAR’s most popular driver — won the 2025 event in February. It was the first Cup Series […]
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR is coming back to a historic North Carolina track in 2026 after a successful return in 2025.
Next season’s preseason “Clash” will be held at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. Chase Elliott — NASCAR’s most popular driver — won the 2025 event in February. It was the first Cup Series race at the venue since 1971.
Elliott thanked fans for making the return to Bowman Gray “special” after February’s win.
Built inside the football stadium at Winston-Salem State University, the quarter-mile oval has earned the nickname “The Madhouse” thanks to its bumper-to-bumper, action-packed racing.
“The 2025 race was an immensely successful event for all parties involved,” Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said in a news release. “We will work hard to ensure that the 2026 Cook Out Clash is even more successful.”
The Clash — which is scheduled 14 days prior to the Daytona 500 — is not a points-paying race. The 1971 event was the last points race at the North Carolina venue. Hall of Famer Bobby Allison was given credit for winning that race after a disputed finish was overturned in October 2024. The decision gave Allison his 85th win and broke a tie for the fourth-most in Cup history.
Other drivers who won Cup races at The Madhouse include Richard and Lee Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Glen Wood.
The 2026 Clash will be run on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tickets can be bought now by clicking here.
Bowman Gray hosts races every Saturday throughout the spring and summer and remains the longest-running weekly track.
Related: NASCAR’s most popular driver wins in return to historic North Carolina track
Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.
Legacy Motor Club has announced that Hertz has signed on as primary sponsor of John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20. Hertz livery will make its NASCAR return on the high-banked concrete mile at Dover—known as the “Monster Mile,” bringing international […]
Legacy Motor Club has announced that Hertz has signed on as
primary sponsor of John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for the
NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20.
Hertz livery will make its NASCAR return on the high-banked
concrete mile at Dover—known as the “Monster Mile,” bringing international
motorsports synergy under the Knighthead umbrella.
Hertz Car Sales will
also be featured prominently on the racecar.
“We’re excited to see Hertz and Hertz
Car Sales on the No. 42 this summer at Dover,” said John Hunter Nemechek,
driver of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota. “It’s awesome to represent such a
recognizable global brand, and even more special knowing it ties into the
broader Knighthead motorsport vision that spans NASCAR and endurance racing.”
Hertz’s entry into the NASCAR Cup Series complements its
sponsorship of Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s No. 12 and No. 38 Cadillacs in the
WEC. This cross-series sponsorship strategy, backed by Knighthead, exemplifies
a global approach to brand visibility and performance alignment across premier
racing platforms.
Gil West, Hertz Executive Officer said in a statement, “Hertz
has a proud legacy in motorsports and we’re excited to expand our presence by
partnering with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and John Hunter Nemechek for the NASCAR Cup
Series race at Dover.
He added, “This collaboration not only highlights our iconic
brand on one of racing’s biggest stages, but also showcases Hertz Car Sales as
a trusted source of high-quality used vehicles. It’s an exciting opportunity to
connect with fans and customers through the thrill of racing.”
Fans can get their first look at the Hertz-branded No. 42
Toyota Camry XSE during practice and qualifying at Dover on July 19, with race
coverage airing nationally on TNT Sports.
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Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull team principal with immediate effect after 20 years, the Red Bull Racing Formula One team announced on Wednesday. The 51-year-old oversaw a period of dominance by the team, winning the drivers’ championship eight times – including the past four titles with Max Verstappen – and adding six […]
Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull team principal with immediate effect after 20 years, the Red Bull Racing Formula One team announced on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old oversaw a period of dominance by the team, winning the drivers’ championship eight times – including the past four titles with Max Verstappen – and adding six constructors’ crowns.
Here’s what you need to know:
Horner, who has been in charge of Red Bull since the team was formed in 2005, will be replaced by the principal of sister team Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies.
A motorsport aerodynamics specialist, the French-born Mekies entered Formula One in the early 2000s and had stints working with Arrows, Minardi, Toro Rosso and Ferrari before joining Racing Bulls as team principal in 2024.
“I think he has a very, very good understanding of the business, having started as an engineer and then worked at the FIA,” said Fred Vasseur, current F1 team principal at Ferrari, when Mekies left the famous Italian team in July 2023.
Horner was sacked as Red Bull’s team principal with immediate effect.
The team’s official media statement, released on Wednesday, reads:
“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today [Wednesday, July 9, 2025] and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing. Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments, thanked Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”
“We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,” said Mintzlaff. “With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
Martin Brundle, an ex-F1 driver, current race commentator and friend of Horner, told Sky Sports News:
“I am due to speak to Christian later. I put a message to him saying, ‘I am sorry to read this, can we have a chat before I am due to go on TV because I want to know more about it from his point of view’.
“He wasn’t able to do that. What he did say was that no reason was given to him as to why he is being released.”
Horner’s dismissal follows a challenging period on several fronts for the team principal.
His exit from the team comes nearly a year-and-a-half after it was leaked that a female employee had accused Horner of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour. Horner was twice cleared of the claims by Red Bull headquarters, situated in Austria.
At the same time, Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, called for Horner to leave his position and claimed that the Briton’s presence could tear the team apart in a March 4, 2024, interview.
Jos told The Daily Mail that “there is tension while he remains in position”, referring to Horner.
He added, “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim when he is the one causing the problems.”
The early-2025 departure of Adrian Newey – the former chief technology officer of Red Bull Racing and widely considered one of the greatest motorsport designers in F1 – to rival team Aston Martin was a huge loss to the Milton Keynes-based team and to Horner personally.
Newey had joined Red Bull in 2006, just months after Horner’s appointment, with the pair forming one of the most successful F1 management partnerships in history.
Under Horner’s leadership, Red Bull won their first world championship in 2010, with German driver Sebastian Vettel taking the first of four consecutive drivers’ titles.
Following a multiyear period of dominance by archrival Mercedes, Red Bull, this time with Max Verstappen of the Netherlands as their star driver, entered a second championship window, winning four more drivers’ titles consecutively from 2021 to 2024.
In 2023, Horner presided over the most dominant season in Formula One history, with the team winning 21 of 22 races, and Verstappen setting a new F1 record with 10 consecutive victories.
At the midway point of the 2025 season, Verstappen trails McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings and has all but conceded the drivers’ title for this season.
As far back as April 13, Verstappen was already pessimistic about the prospects of winning a fifth straight drivers’ championship.
“McLaren are not my rivals right now. I am just taking part in this world championship,” Verstappen said, as quoted by nl.motorsport.com.
When pressed further if he meant he doesn’t see himself competing for the 2025 drivers’ title, he replied: “No, I don’t.”
In recent days, and not for the first time, Verstappen has been linked with a move to rival Mercedes, possibly as soon as next season.
Brundle told Sky Sports News that Horner’s exit from Red Bull may defuse tensions, resulting in Verstappen re-signing with the only F1 team he has ever driven for.
“It makes it more likely that Verstappen will stay,” Martin Brundle said. “It became personal in Team Verstappen.”
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SEC Conference imposing a fine will create the opposite effect.