Formula 1 may have a hit Netflix series and a movie that debuted this June, but it is nowhere close to Nascar in terms of popularity in America.

With a trio of American events, Formula 1’s potential is limited (no other country hosts multiple F1 events), while Nascar is using the newfound interest in racing to grow its own brand. Stock car racing – after a decade-long decline in ratings, attendance and sponsorship – is back with a vengeance since the debut of the Next Gen car.

“Nascar is authentic and quintessential Americana,” Nascar’s SVP and Chief Commercial Officer Craig Stimmel, said. “While fandom of our sport continues to grow and expand beyond our borders, we continue to have the most passionate fanbase in the United States in terms of brand loyalty, and that’s where our focus is. As Steve Phelps mentioned recently, F1 and Nascar are different products with very different fan bases. As the popularity of motorsports continues to rise, it’s a good thing for us – especially being by far the number one motorsport in the United States.

A new racecar beginning in 2022 – the Next Gen – reenergized fans and partners alike. Along with the new look, Nascar’s leadership has also evolved to modernize the sport in fresh ways, with Commissioner Steve Phelps, President Steve O’Donnell, and Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy Ben Kennedy leading the charge.

Nascar is walking the tight rope throughout the reemergence as not only the leading American motor sport, but also as the landing place for brands searching for growth.

“More than anything, I think you’re seeing these brands realize the momentum Nascar is carrying and the exposure to a massive fanbase that our sport offers,” Stimmel said. “Look no further than the consistent audience we’ve seen across our broadcast partners FOX, Prime Video and TNT this season alone, around 3 million average viewers for every Nascar Cup Series race so far this season, with the NBC season upcoming. Then, you have another million or so on average on The CW for the Xfinity Series. And that’s just on TV, and that’s a number we deliver for 10 months out of the year!”

Through the Amazon Prime portion of the schedule, the Cup Series averaged 2.16 million viewers per race, with the Xfinity Series on The CW averaging 1.1 million viewers, a 19% increase from 2024.

On the digital side, Nascar said its digital platforms have increased by 7% over 2024. Additionally, Nascar’s cross-platform follower count (FB, IG, X, TikTok, YouTube) is at 17.5 million followers, up by 1.3 million since the start of 2025.

With these increases, Nascar has inked 15 new official partnerships between major companies and the sanctioning body, with firms like National Debt Relief, Dave & Buster’s, Jack Link’s, Ticketmaster, Arby’s, Liquid Death, amongst others.

“We’re super bullish of the extraordinary brand value, exposure, and opportunities we’ve been able to create at all levels of the sport,” Stimmel said. “The Nascar industry is one of the most uniquely sponsor-friendly sports in the world and we are confident in our proven ability to deliver exceptional value to brands of all sizes and on a variety of terms. With owning 14 tracks and working with our other track partners, as well, we are in a unique position as a league to work with our teams to deliver a message that moves product for brands.

“It’s no secret that sponsorship strategies are always evolving and partnerships will inevitably change because of that – especially now with so many ways for brands – both on the legacy side and challenger brands: to promote and activate, whether it be through on-site activation, IP adjacency or social and digital promotion. With that said, we are focused on delivering bespoke solutions based on brand briefs versus just a standard league sponsorship model. With these expanding and quickly evolving options inherently comes a wide variation in how long brands choose to partner. It’s truly on a case-by-case basis depending on what a brand’s goals are.”

Not only has Nascar benefitted from its own return to American glory, but so have teams. Dollar Tree just inked a major multiyear extension with Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club. National Debt Relief joined Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team ahead of the 2025 season, as did King’s Hawaiian (moved from RFK Racing), Progressive Insurance and Bob’s Discount Furniture.

New partnerships are not the only ones that Nascar is thrilled about. Red Bull, for example, returned to Nascar after a 14-year hiatus, partnering with Trackhouse Racing, as did Wendy’s. Carvana continues to sponsor Johnson, and others like Chipotle are backing drivers (Ryan Blaney in this case through a public endorsement) with partnerships and activations. Aaron’s, a longtime Michael Waltrip Racing partner, returned to the Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports this year.

Stimmel concluded: “The success we’ve been able to experience across all our media partners at this juncture in the season has had a very positive impact on the interest we’re seeing in our sport. This is a new Nascar, and the proof is there in the metrics we continue to experience on a weekly basis.”

Last Updated on July 28, 2025 by WWTR

MADISON, Ill. (July 28, 2025) – World Wide Technology Raceway is teaming up with the Humane Society of Missouri and Helping Strays of Monroe County this August to help adoptable dogs find their forever homes.

Throughout the month of August, the first 200 dog adopters at each shelter will receive a complimentary WWT Raceway dog collar and four tickets to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday, Sept. 6, part of the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend.

“We are so excited to once again have WWT Raceway partnering with us to help our shelter dogs get the second chance they deserve,” said Humane Society of Missouri President Kathy Warnick. “What a great combination – the thrill of finding your new best friend at HSMO and the thrill of seeing a NASCAR Xfinity Series race! We are deeply grateful for their ongoing support.”

In a joint effort in May 2024, the Humane Society of Missouri and Helping Strays of Monroe County helped more than 400 dogs find loving homes. This promotion played a key role in driving adoptions and giving hundreds of pets a well-deserved second chance.

“Helping Strays is proud to once again partner with World Wide Technology Raceway in the lead-up to the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300,” said Helping Strays of Monroe County Executive Director Scott Spinner. “We’re grateful for their continued commitment to making a charitable impact across the region and for their dedication to helping homeless pets find the loving homes they deserve.”

The promotion runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, or until all 400 giveaways are claimed. Participating locations include:

• Humane Society of Missouri – 1201 Macklind Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
• Helping Strays of Monroe County – 4221 Hanover Rd., Columbia, IL 62236

This marks the first time since 2010 that the NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to the 1.25-mile oval for a Saturday night race under the lights. Alongside high-speed racing during the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend, fans can also enjoy the Confluence Music Festival.

For more information on how to adopt, please visit hsmo.org or helpingstrays.org. To purchase tickets for the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend, visit wwtraceway.com or call the ticket office at (618) 215-8888 ext. 1.

MEDIA CONTACT: Payton Buschhorn | Public Relations & Media Manager | 314.517.5125 | pbuschhorn@wwtraceway.com

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Team Penske left Indianapolis Motor Speedway deflated again as tire issues stood between them and kissing the bricks after Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

The last time Roger Penske’s race team took on the track he owns, they had to fend off allegations of cheating ahead of the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Two months later, Penske’s three NASCAR Cup Series drivers put themselves in position to win Sunday’s Brickyard 400 – but could only get a seventh-place finish at best when the checkered flag flew.

Austin Cindric looked to change his family’s fortunes at Indy after the Indianapolis 500 scandal cost his father the job of being president of Team Penske. As the second stage unfolded on lap 83, Cindric had led (what became a race-high) 40 laps and looked to have race winning speed.

Unfortunately for Cindric, his tire also decided to unfold.

On lap 84, he limped around the track after blowing a tire on the frontstretch. While he came back to finish on the lead lap, he only had a 15th-place finish to show for it – and no stage points.

The next driver who appeared to be in the driver seat to win was Joey Logano.

Logano’s No. 22 car didn’t appear to be a contender for most of the race, but did manage to finish eighth in stage two.

After the green-flag pit cycle in the final stage, crew chief Paul Wolfe’s calculations showed themselves flawlessly – as Logano cycled to the prospective lead ahead of Bubba Wallace. 

The excitement of potentially stealing a crown jewel victory was short-lived, however. Logano blew a tire, taking him out of contention – in 32nd.

It’s fitting that on a cloudy day in Indy, Ryan Blaney’s highlighter yellow Menards car was the brightest part of Penske’s day.

Blaney started 24th but built toward having a top-10 car. On an alternate strategy, he snagged a valuable playoff point for winning stage two.

Toward the end, he stayed out longer than almost anyone else, hoping for a caution to get him in prime contention to win.

However, when it became evident the win was no longer feasible, Blaney pitted. Thankfully for him, that put him in the perfect place to not have to pit again when the race went into double overtime.

Ultimately, Blaney climbed back inside the top-10 to finish seventh. 

“Yeah, we pieced together a good day,” Blaney said. “Starting towards the back, it’s just hard to make up ground and pass, so we were trying to do the best job of strategy that we could. We made good moves to win the stage. I knew we were going to pay the price for it, but it was hard to give it up and nice when you’re able to hang on like that. We just scratched and clawed.

“It was a day where we weren’t the best but we made something happen and those are the days that we should be proud of.”

Penske’s 2018 triumph with Brad Keselowski will still stand as their only Brickyard 400 win, at least until 2026.

In the meantime, Blaney, Logano, Keselowski, Cindric and the entire NASCAR Cup Series field will now head to Iowa Speedway where Blaney won last year. The Iowa Corn 350 is scheduled to go green Aug. 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Kris Wright is already back in the ARCA Menards Series after signing a deal with Venturini Motorsports for three starts, marking a key reset after his NASCAR Xfinity Series stint came to a sudden end.

Venturini announced on July 28 that Wright would return to the team for races at Iowa Speedway, Watkins Glen International and Kansas Speedway, providing a mix of short track, road course, and intermediate oval competition. The announcement came less than two weeks after Wright’s former team, Our Motorsports, officially shut down its Xfinity Series operation.

“Venturini Motorsports runs a top-notch program, and I’m excited to be back with them this season,” Wright said. “The combination of Iowa, Watkins Glen, and Kansas gives me a great variety of tracks, and I’m confident we can go out and compete for wins.”

Wright previously ran full-time with Venturini in 2024, logging eight top fives and 12 top tens across 20 ARCA starts. He finished third behind champion Andres Perez de Lara and rookie Lavar Scott in ARCA’s national driver championship point standings.

He’ll now look to recapture that form after a challenging Xfinity season that produced just one top 10 in 18 races when he finished 9th at Martinsville Speedway after starting the race from grid position 30. Wright was 30th in the Xfinity Series standings before Our Motorsports decided to close down.

The team’s official statement confirmed it would “cease operations in NASCAR racing moving forward,” after six years. They revealed that Wright was released after Sonoma on July 15, and Kaz Grala was named his replacement.

“Our Motorsports will cease operations in NASCAR racing moving forward. Thank you to NASCAR, Chevrolet, the fans, employees, and drivers, for a good ride over the last 6 years,” read the release. 

The move shocked racing fans, especially after Wright was named the full-time driver of Our Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet in November 2024, taking over from Anthony Alfredo. Wright’s Xfinity results outside of Martinsville were steady in the 20s and 30s, including a 29th-place finish at Sonoma in what turned out to be his final race for the team.

DON’T MISS

Wright began his Xfinity run on the wrong foot during the United Rentals 300 after a crash at Daytona International Speedway caused a last-place finish on opening day. The driver missed a braking cue that caused him to plow into the traffic in front of him, later saying he lost control of his brakes during the incident. 

“We had a breaking issue on pit row the stop before, and we were planning on getting the brakes a little bit sooner, getting out of turn four, coming to turn four,” Wright explained. “It was unfortunate the way it happened.”

The Venturini reunion offers a fresh start with a familiar team. His last ARCA appearance came at Toledo, where he finished 3rd before making the full-time leap to Xfinity. With his three scheduled starts, Wright will return to Watkins Glen (where he previously finished 4th), Iowa, and Kansas, which is expected to be his final start of 2025.

Katherine Legge is starting to find her feet in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 45-year-old Brit recorded a second top-20 finish in four weeks, earning praise from stock car legend Mark Martin.

In 2025, Legge is competing in Cup and Xfinity Series races, and she has shaken off poor starts in both. In her Cup debut in Phoenix earlier this year, Legge suffered an early spin before colliding with Daniel Suarez later in the race.

She failed to qualify for two Xfinity races and hasn’t finished in the top 30. However, in the last three race weekends, Legge finished 19th in the Cup race in Chicago, followed by 31st at Sonoma and then 17th in Indianapolis, proving her critics wrong after coming under fire earlier this season when NASCAR was questioned over its approval process.

Legge’s 17th-place finish set a new non-superspeedway best finish for Live Fast Motorsports, making the most out of her time in the No. 78, earning praise from NASCAR legend Martin and fans. “Very impressive,” Martin said on social media platform X, reacting to car cam footage.

“I also think we need to recognize @katherinelegge with a 17th place finish with @teamlivefast, I think we can all agree that’s making the most out of the equipment you’re in!” another fan said.

“Katherine Legge just set a new non-superspeedway best finish for live fast motorsports with 17th today after tying their best in Chicago, btw. It’s time for NASCAR fans to give her the respect she deserves,” another tweeted.

Legge has been subject to abuse and sexism this year, all of which she has ignored and persevered. “It doesn’t bother me because I’m thick skinned,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’ve been the only girl in racing for two decades. 

“I know that people like Bubba [Wallace], and Denny [Hamlin], and Joey [Logano], and all those guys get the same thing. I think the difference is just with some of the ones that I got, they were very directed at my appearance on my body or my sexuality… It was amazing to me what makes people think these things up.”

“We did that podcast episode and we commented on it and we brought it to light because whilst I might be thick skinned enough that it’s like water off a duck’s back, I don’t know that if I was me 20 years ago, whether it would have been the same thing, right?,” Legge added.

DON’T MISS:

“I don’t know whether the girls coming up through, maybe that’s a barrier to them because it’s a lot. I just think that it’s a factor of social media today, which I didn’t necessarily have when I was first starting out, so I didn’t get to see or experience of that. 

“But this generation, I don’t know whether they’re hardened to it or whether it is something that bothers them and gets under their skin. I mean, it’s a form of bullying at the end of the day, and I think that it’s unacceptable. 

“The fact people are anonymous and behind a keyboard makes them think that it’s okay to type this stuff. But I can tell you not one person has said it to my face. So I think it’s worth calling out.”

Big Game Motorsports wrapped up the month of July with a strong week in the Northeast.

While Mother Nature wiped out the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., David Gravel and the team garnered a runner-up result on Wednesday at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa., before capturing a World of Outlaws win at Weedsport Speedway on Sunday for the fifth straight year.

“You just never know,” Gravel said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “The pace gets so slow. They did track work, had the tiller out, and they haven’t done that all night. So, I just didn’t know if the top was going to be the place to be or not. We had a lot of aggressive guys behind us, so you know they were going to try it. I saw Cole (Macedo) in (turns) one and two those first couple laps, but other than that I didn’t really see him.”

Gravel dominated the night at Weedsport Speedway, setting quick time in his group’s qualifying session before winning a heat race, the dash and the main event. His margin of victory in the feature was 6.120 seconds.

The team was also strong throughout the program at BAPS Motor Speedway, where Gravel was quickest in his group during time trials. He won a heat race and the dash to garner the pole position for the A Main. Gravel led the first six laps before dropping to second on a restart on Lap 7.

“I just didn’t know where to run on the restart there and protected, but should’ve protected a little bit more, but I ran the top,” Gravel said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “(Anthony) Macri got by me. I kind of did the same thing to him the next restart. I was able to slide him. I took too long to slide across and about stopped at the cushion, so he got back underneath me, and they did a great job in traffic.”

Gravel holds a 182-point lead in the World of Outlaws championship standings entering the Ironman 55 this Friday and Saturday at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo.

QUICK RESULTS –

July 23 – BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 2 (1).

July 27 – Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).

SEASON STATS –

47 races, 11 wins, 38 top fives, 44 top 10s, 44 top 15s, 44 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., for the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

ILP PR