ARCA MENARDS SERIES, ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST, ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST, NWMT, CANADA

UPDATED: 12/19/2025

* = COMBO ARCA RACE W/ NATIONAL SERIES

** = NASCAR CANADA DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND

What began as a casual moment on a golf course ultimately reshaped Denny Hamlin’s career beyond the driver’s seat. During a rare round of golf, Hamlin decided to text Michael Jordan after coming across a speculative news article suggesting that the two might be interested in buying into a NASCAR team. At the time, the idea felt exploratory rather than inevitable. Ironically, golf, once central to those early conversations, now barely fits into Hamlin’s schedule.

Hamlin confirmed the details during an appearance on Sean Kelly’s Digital Social Hour podcast. He explained that golf once anchored his weekly routine, especially during the early days of the pandemic when NASCAR sat idle. He spent countless hours on the course then, using the time to reset. As the ownership project gained traction, those free days disappeared.

Hamlin said, “I like to (play golf). I certainly don’t have as much time to play golf as I used to. Um, I used to, you know, before I started the race team with Michael, um, you know, my weeks, you know, in in between the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I could do whatever I wanted. Now those days are designated to… I’m the owner of the team.”

Hamlin explained how ownership reshaped his weekly responsibilities. He said, “So I do all the meetings you know whether it be from sponsorship from the social digital side of things everything competition. I have my hand in everything there.

“So, I have to do that Tuesday through Thursday, and then kind of the Monday and the weekend is all designated to being a driver itself.”

When Hamlin traveled to Florida to meet Jordan in person, the conversation again happened on a golf course. That setting became the backdrop where Hamlin formally pitched the concept of forcing open a new door in NASCAR ownership. Backed by Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin laid out the vision.

Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, listened, engaged, and ultimately bought in. It soon turned into a partnership that would alter the Cup Series landscape.

Hamlin’s motivation extended beyond the downtime created by the COVID-19 shutdown, though that pause did play a role. The sport’s eight-week break removed racing from the calendar and left him with long, unstructured days. Still, the opportunity only truly crystallized when Germain Racing stepped away.

Their exit created an opening that rarely presents itself, and Hamlin recognized the moment. Owning a team had never been part of his post-retirement blueprint, but the timing aligned too perfectly to ignore. That opening gave birth to what would become 23XI Racing.

Germain Racing shut its doors in September 2020, and 23XI Racing acquired its guaranteed starting position, known as a charter, clearing the path for the new organization to enter the Cup Series in 2021. With that move, Hamlin transitioned into one of the sport’s most unique roles.

Hamlin now competes weekly for Joe Gibbs Racing while simultaneously owning a team that lines up across the garage. The last comparable situation of the #11 JGR driver’s dates back three decades, when Dale Earnhardt raced for Richard Childress while owning Dale Earnhardt Inc.

It would be hard to remember a NASCAR Cup Series silly season with less action that this past year’s had. Two of the highlights, quite frankly, were backmarker teams Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing switching from Ford to Chevrolet following finishes outside the top 30 in the owner standings.

All things considered, 35 of the 36 drivers who ran full-time in 2025 are set to be back with the same team in 2026. While the Cup Series can’t quite claim what Formula 1 could between 2023 and 2024, that there were no offseason driver changes whatsoever for the first time in series history, it was about as close as it gets.

Here’s a look at who is in, who has switched teams, and who is out.

Who’s in?

Congratulations to Connor Zilisch on being crowned NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year for 2026, provided he, at the very least, shows up to the season-opening Daytona 500.

The lone rookie in the 2026 driver lineup, who is coming off of a 10-win Xfinity Series rookie season with JR Motorsports, is set to join Trackhouse Racing behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet. But he won’t be replacing Shane van Gisbergen, who is simply set to run the No. 97 car after using the No. 88 in 2025.

Who’s switching teams?

It’s Daniel Suarez, not van Gisbergen, who has been replaced by Zilisch, and the No. 99 he used during his five-year run with the Justin Marks-owned team will simply not be used by anybody in the Cup Series in 2026.

But Suarez isn’t out of the Cup Series entirely, as he is set to move to Spire Motorsports to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet. Spire Motorsports is set to be his fifth different team in 10 full seasons at the sport’s top level.

Who’s out?

The one and only driver who competed full-time during the 2025 Cup Series season but has no plans to do so in 2026 is Justin Haley, whom Suarez is set to replace.

Haley is set to move back down to the Truck Series, and he is set to reunite with Kaulig Racing, the team for which he competed in the Xfinity Series from 2019 to 2021 and then in the Cup Series in 2022 and 2023, as they embark upon their new partnership with Ram Trucks with a five-truck team after shuttering their Xfinity Series (O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) program.

The 37th Annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show concluded last week in Indianapolis after three days of dynamic engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Held at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, the PRI Show reaffirmed its role as the premier global gathering for motorsports by convening manufacturers, retailers, race teams, tracks, sanctioning bodies, promoters, and media under one roof.

“The PRI Show is where the global motorsports community comes together to shape the future of racing,” said PRI President Michael Good. “This year’s Show delivered on every front — innovation, education, and strategic collaboration — while reinforcing PRI’s commitment to growing the sport and connecting the next generation of professionals.”

Industry Support Stronger Than Ever

The 2025 PRI Show was one of the largest in nearly two decades, with more than 1,060 exhibitors, including 161 first-time participants. Thousands of attendees filled every corner of the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and the connector, creating an unmatched environment for collaboration and innovation. This convergence of industry leaders and innovators underscores PRI’s role as the global hub for motorsports — strengthening relationships with sanctioning bodies, expanding educational programs, and driving initiatives that connect the next generation of professionals to the sport.

T.O.P.S. HQ: Driving Collaboration and Growth for Tracks and Sanctioning Bodies

A key highlight of this year’s PRI Show was the expanded T.O.P.S. HQ presented by MyRacePass.com area, which served as the central hub for track promoters, operators, and sanctioning bodies. Designed to foster collaboration and strengthen industry relationships, T.O.P.S. provided a dedicated space for networking, conducting business, and participating in 42 targeted seminars aimed at improving track operations and event promotion. The activation featured sessions and educational programs that empowered attendees with actionable insights to enhance their facilities and grow grassroots racing. This initiative underscores PRI’s commitment to supporting the backbone of motorsports and building a stronger, more connected racing ecosystem.

Attracting the Next Generation of Motorsports Professionals

Education and workforce development were a major focus throughout the Show, highlighted by the Next-Gen Engagement Panel moderated by PRI President Michael Good. The panel featured top leaders from across motorsports, including Michael Cobb, SCCA President and CEO; Joey Denewitz, NASCAR Managing Director, Weekly & Touring Series; John Doonan, IMSA President; Evan Jonat, NHRA Senior Vice President of National Events; and Jason Smith, USAC President.

The discussion centered on strategies to connect with future talent, create career pathways, and ensure a strong pipeline of professionals for the racing industry. This year’s efforts included participation from leaders representing 118 educational institutions and more than 500 students, highlighting PRI’s commitment to workforce development. Additional programs such as the Next-Gen Education Track, Student Networking Breakfast, and the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship provided hands-on learning and networking opportunities for students and educators.

Exhibitor Innovation Recognized

Innovation was front and center on the Show floor, highlighted by the Featured Products Showcase awards. More than 400 cutting-edge products competed for recognition from a panel of 12 motorsports industry judges, with 22 manufacturers earning top honors. The winning entries represented the forefront of motorsports technology, spanning performance components, advanced simulation tools, safety innovations, and data-driven solutions.

Attendees also enjoyed an impressive lineup of feature vehicles throughout the Show and showcased in the new PRI Paddock, a dynamic addition to this year’s Show. Highlights included a BMW M4 GT3 EVO from SRO GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, a Honda Civic from SCCA Time Attack, a TRAD PRO4 custom off-road truck from Amsoil Champ Off Road, a Schnee-Lawson Sprint Car from the High Limit Racing Series, and a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano from Formula Drift. Also on display was the “miRAGE” Mitsubishi Mirage R4 owned by Vivian Campbell, guitarist for Def Leppard, which drew crowds throughout the event. A centerpiece of the experience was the Show’s iconic hanging car, represented by the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster driven by four-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Antron Brown, continuing a long-standing PRI tradition.

Celebrity Appearances

The PRI Show welcomed some of the biggest names in motorsports, including Mario Andretti, Antron Brown, John Force, Tony Kanaan, Richard Petty, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, and Tony Stewart, among others, who engaged with fans and industry professionals, adding excitement and star power to the event.

PRI also honored three industry icons with induction into the PRI Hall of Fame: Paul “Scooter” Brothers, John Kilroy, and Chris Raschke. These honorees exemplify the ingenuity and craftsmanship that define modern racing and the value of PRI as the platform to launch new products to a global audience.

Motorsports Advocacy and Education

PRI continues to champion the interests of the racing community through legislative and regulatory advocacy. Show attendees had the opportunity to participate in education sessions focused on PRI’s efforts to protect racetracks and grow the sport, including updates on federal legislation such as the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act and state-level initiatives that safeguard tracks from nuisance complaints. These programs reflect PRI’s commitment to ensuring a strong and sustainable future for motorsports.

The PRI Show returns to Indianapolis Dec. 10-12, 2026. For more information, visit PerformanceRacing.com.

This story was originally published on December 19, 2025.

Up for a little light reading? How about a lot of heavy reading? When it comes to motorsports, there are plenty of good choices. Whether you are looking for some time-fillers for the holidays or a last-minute present for a racing fan, allow me to present some of my favorites. Note that while I’m linking a place to buy each book that I’m confident should have them in stock, they may be available elsewhere as well.

The Other Side of The Fence

Bill Warner is perhaps best known for founding the Amelia Island Concours, but he truly made a name for himself long before that as a photojournalist who captured images of the most accomplished racers of our time… and in some cases, well before. Warner finally assembled his work into a book, and it’s an invaluable chronicle of some of the most historic moments in the sport, be it sports car racing, stock car racing, IndyCar competition, even Formula 1. The Other Side of the Fence: Six Decades of Motorsport Photography is a coffee table book that is actually worth reading; at $99.99, it isn’t cheap, but know that—as he did when he was running Amelia (which is now in the hands of Hagerty, with Warner as an advisor)—he is donating proceeds to Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, a non-profit organization that is close to his heart because his granddaughter has the condition. It’s available from the Revs Institute, which published it, here.

Legacy of Justice

Along similar lines, Ed Justice, Jr., was and still is one of motorsports’ top photographers, first picking up a camera as a teenager more than 50 years ago, and following his family from race to race. Like Warner, Justice finds the view much more favorable from inside that fence surrounding the tracks, and that’s where Legacy of Justice: An American Family Story lives. If the name is familiar, it’s because Ed is part of the Justice Brothers, the petroleum and lubricant company for which he’s now president and CEO. The Justice brothers became part of the Indianapolis 500 in the 1940s, when the company was associated with the Wynn’s brand, and has sponsored race cars ever since, including for the 2026 season. Photos in this book are from the family collection as well as Ed’s camera, and the accompanying text, co-written by Tom Madigan, tells the tale of Ed’s family and their involvement in racing.

It also introduces us to the drivers and owners who carried their brand, from drag racing king “Big Daddy” Don Garlits to Johnny Mantz, winner of NASCAR’s first 500-mile race, the 1950 Southern 500 at Darlington; that same year, the Justice brothers also sponsored the Indianapolis 500 winner, Johnnie Parsons. Ed Justice, Jr. simply knows everybody, and you’ll feel you do, too, after reading this book. At 496 pages, it’s another coffee table book that really belongs in your lap, explaining insights into motorsports you never knew. (Worth noting is that Justice is from Southern California, while Warner is from Florida, and you get a great East Coast-West Coast feel from the two books.) Legacy of Justice is available from Autobooks-Aerobooks; it costs $90. One more thing: Justice Brothers has a stellar museum just outside Los Angeles; check it out here.

Kinser: A Racing Career Like No Other

I admit it: I have a lifelong, unshakeable affinity for dirt sprint car racing, which crystalized with the formation of the World of Outlaws, founded in 1978 by the late Ted Johnson. He was the first to truly organize the sport, scheduling big-money races at tracks across the country and actually paying the advertised purse. For years, the biggest rivalry in sprint car racing was between Indiana’s Steve Kinser, 71, and Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, 70. And me being a Memphis boy, as Sammy was, I had a clear favorite. (But I had, and have, mad respect for Steve Kinser, especially after I became friends with his genius crew chief and cousin, Karl Kinser.) Dave Argabright, inarguably one of the country’s best motorsports writers, co-authored the new Kinser: A Racing Career Like No Other, Steve’s long-awaited autobiography that tells the story not only of Kinser’s 950 career feature wins, but his foray into NASCAR and IndyCar racing. There are 32 pages of color and black-and-white photos, and like everything Argabright writes, Kinser is an easy and entertaining read. It’s available from multiple sources, including here from Argabright’s own company, for $29.95.

Sammy! 50+ Years of Winning

And you don’t think I’d leave out Swindell, do you? Sammy will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in March; Steve Kinser is already there, a 2017 inductee. Swindell’s career, like Kinser’s, includes time in NASCAR and IndyCar, and is told in Sammy! 50-Plus Years of Winning by motorsports journalists Bones Bourcier and Bob Mays, along with Swindell himself. Sammy is an amazing driver, but he is also a genuine, hands-on innovator when it comes to sprint car technology, something that Steve generally left to his crew chiefs. While Kinser retired from competition in 2016, Swindell, who has won the prestigious Chili Bowl indoor midget race five times, continues to race, and win. Sammy! Is available from Speedway Motors for $45.99. By the way, both books detail the Kinser-Swindell rivalry, and the accounts are quite a bit different…

Dirt Tracks To Glory

These next two books are also connected, but in a very different way. First, let’s look at Dirt Tracks to Glory: The Early Days of Stock Car Racing, as Told By the Participants, which was written by Sylvia Wilkinson, a professional writer and novelist who has been involved in motorsports for decades (more about that in a moment). Wilkinson knows how to dig for a story, and she knows how to make racers comfortable enough to tell her the truth. Unlike some NASCAR history books, she has no agenda, no one to please but herself and her readers. Her story on perennial race queen Linda Vaughn is a wonderful read, and Vaughn tells Wilkinson a story Linda told me decades ago: She had a soft spot for British racer Jimmy Clark, much to the dismay of a jealous A.J. Foyt: “‘You kissed that foreigner!’ A.J. said. He wouldn’t speak to me for two years.’” And she tells a story of a different time, when pioneer Wendell Scott, who was black, competed in NASCAR. “Wendell Scott, he’s the sweetest thing,” Vaughn told Wilkinson. “He won a race and he said, ‘Miss Linda, you don’t have to kiss me. I wouldn’t do that to you.’ I just hugged his neck and almost cried.” You’ll meet everybody from Soapy Castles to Fred Lorenzen to Bill France, Sr., plus Tim Flock, who details his early bootlegging days. Great read, great photos, available autographed at Johnmortonracing.net for $34.95.

Inside Shelby American

That may be a hint about this book, Inside Shelby American: Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s by race car driver John Morton. Wilkinson and Morton are a couple, one of my favorite ones; Sylvia likes to say that they’ve been boyfriend and girlfriend for more than 50 years, “and we plan to get married just as soon as we think it’s gonna last.” Though Morton and Wilkinson swear that he wrote Inside Shelby American with no help from his journalist girlfriend, he dedicates the book to Wilkinson, saying “I hope this is my last one, and so does she.” Morton’s family racing history is fascinating, and aside from driving Cobras for Shelby, John has driven everything from sprint cars to a top fuel dragster. That’s all in here, but as the title suggests, you’re probably coming to read his account of driving for Shelby, which begins on page 38, when he attends the Carroll Shelby Driving School at Riverside. It was there he met someone who would be responsible for several chapters. “I’m going to be your instructor,” said a young but tall man. “My name’s Pete Brock.” Yes, that Peter Brock, who was—and thankfully still is—a team owner, designer and writer who is an absolute legend in the automotive world, and a big part of Shelby’s racing success.

Morton went to work for Shelby, literally sweeping floors: Fast-forward a few years to the Twelve Hours of Sebring, where Morton had been picked to partner with Ken Miles in a persnickety Cobra powered by a 427-cubic-inch V-8, which wasn’t as much fun as it sounds, having been wrecked two days earlier: He lost the brakes, then the clutch, and just before dark, the engine quit, and Morton coasted into the grass. “I opened the hood,” he writes. “I saw engine parts on the outside that are supposed to be on the inside.” A wonderful read, the softcover Inside Shelby American is also offered at Johnmortonracing.net for $27.99. And while you’re there, I should mention that Wilkinson’s invaluable and updated classic The Stainless Steel Carrot e-book is also available there for $9.99. It’s about Morton’s post-Shelby seasons with Peter Brock’s fledgling Datsun team, and it drew rare praise from Mark Donohue: “Racing’s a tough sport and the book shows that. If you read between the lines, however, you’ll see racing’s no different than real life. People make things happen, everyone has an important role, and destinies are worked for, not inherited.” Morton, by the way, is also going into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in March. Can’t wait to hear his speech.

Lions Drag Strip: 1955-1972

If you prefer your racing to go in a straight line, you’ll probably like photojournalist Lou Hart’s Lions Drag Strip: 1955 to 1972. Lions, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Wilmington, was an absolute drag racing mecca when it opened in October of 1955 until it closed on December 2, 1972 with a final race that drew a record 25,000 fans. Plenty of things happened at Lions that you might be familiar with, including the devastating transmission explosion that severed part of Dan Garlits’ foot, leading him to famously move the engine in his Top Fuel dragster from the front to the rear, and Evel Knievel’s record 1970 jump over 125 feet of side-by-side cars and trucks and vans, accomplished on his backup Harley-Davidson XR-750, when the magneto suddenly failed on his primary bike. The NHRA-owned Pomona drag strip was seminal, yes, and fortunately still exists, but Lions was just as important in the early days of Southern California drag racing, and it’s all in Lions Drag Strip. It’s available for $59.95 at Lionsmobilia.org, which is also the website for the superb but sadly almost-unknown Lions Automobilia Museum, located in Rancho Dominguez, and full of cars and exhibits that go far, far past just Lions nostalgia.

Isky

Finally, during a recent visit to Southern California places of interest with my friend Dean, which almost invariably involved racing and included everything from the Autobooks-Aerobooks store up north in Burbank to the little Barona Speedway dirt track near Ramona, we spent an hour with a legend: Ed Iskenderian, the founder of Ed Iskenderian Racing Cams. Everybody just calls the man and the company “Isky.” Ed is 104, the oldest resident of his nursing home, and according to the staff, perhaps the most cheerful. He has an amazing memory, though the stories are sometimes slow to come: You can almost see the gears grinding in his head as he concentrates, lining up the details. Those details are, as this book suggests, invaluable, and they are all contained in Isky: Ed Iskenderian and the History of Hot Rodding, written by former Motor Trend editor Matt Stone, when Isky was “just” 94, and still going to work every day. Isky was a genius when it came to making cars go fast, starting out with flathead Fords, working up to powering engines like the 426-cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi V-8. The cigar-chomping, self-proclaimed “Camfather,” Isky was an absolute marketing genius, using the media of the day to promote his products through his drivers’ accomplishments, and many of his more memorable ad campaigns are included in the book. This is indeed the story of hot rodding; I was lucky enough to hear it first-hand from the Camfather, and read about it in Stone’s book. It’s available on Amazon for $32.