Activations: NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250; NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com

The money trail: The state’s Sports, Marketing and Tourism Account, a $5 million annual fund developed in 2022 within the state’s Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund, is backed by tax revenue generated from sports wagering in the state. The fund provided $250,000 to the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau to support the 2024 NASCAR tripleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway. Additionally, the state paid a total of $1.1 million for the title sponsorship of the 2024 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com.

What makes these great: Legislators were careful to get a quantifiable return on their grants, as event operators must include a link to VisitPA.com on all related marketing materials and must allocate in-kind sponsorship benefits to the state, valued at up to 10% of the total awarded grant amount. Also unique was that the grant for the raceway helped offset the purchase of machinery and equipment that was used during a $1.8 million capital improvements project, which benefits future track operations and events.

Measuring success: The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office estimated that 60% of the 92,900 unique visitors to the region during NASCAR weekend — including fans and race participants — came from outside the Poconos. Those visitors booked an estimated 30,700 hotel and short-term rental room nights, generated $240,000 in lodging tax revenue and spent $27.4 million at local businesses. Additionally, the media value from the 2025 Cup Series race (which aired on Prime Video and HBO Max) was $3.8 million for the VisitPA and The Great American Getaway branding, according to the state’s Department of Community & Economic Development.

NASCAR has ended a major antitrust lawsuit, brought by team owners including basketball legend Michael Jordan of 23XI Racing and Bob Jenkins of Front Row Motorsports, after reaching a settlement on Thursday.

The agreement was finalised following eight days of a federal trial, representing a major concession by NASCAR that introduces “evergreen” or permanent charters for all teams and includes an undisclosed financial element.

The lawsuit was initiated after 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, two of the 15 Cup Series organisations, refused to sign a 2024 extension of NASCAR’s charter agreements.

These agreements grant teams franchise-like ownership over their entries and a share of prize money.

The plaintiffs argued that the charters did not provide teams with enough rights or financial viability, accusing NASCAR of operating a non-transparent monopoly that stifled competition.

Testimony during the trial revealed that teams received approximately $12–13 million annually under the old agreement, while they claimed they needed closer to $20 million to be financially sustainable.

The key commercial adjustment secured by the teams is the establishment of “evergreen” charters, subject to mutual agreement from the other charter holders.

This permanence is expected to significantly increase charter valuations, attracting greater investment and stability to the sport’s ownership base.

The settlement also returns the six respective charters (three each) to 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, restoring them to full chartered status alongside the other 30 chartered entries in the field.

While the financial terms of the settlement are confidential and were not specified in the joint statement, industry sources suggest the settlement included compensation for the plaintiff teams for lost income incurred while they raced unchartered in the 2025 season.

Furthermore, the amendment to the charter agreement for all teams is understood to include increased team influence, such as a return to a “strike rule” (now increased to five) allowing teams to veto major decisions, and a new portion of revenue from NASCAR’s international media rights deals.

The resolution, which avoids a court verdict that could have forced NASCAR to sell its tracks or face damages estimated at over USD300 million (AUD528 million), allows the series to focus on the future.

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The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has been making waves this year, setting a series of performance records hard to ignore. Chevrolet brought a pre-production ZR1 equipped with the ZTK Performance Package to some of the most demanding tracks in the US. This resulted in five new production-car lap records – at Watkins Glen, Road America, Road Atlanta, and both the Full and Grand layouts at Virginia International Raceway.

Chevrolet’s most powerful combustion-only Corvette, the ZR1, may sit in the shadow of the flashier all-wheel-drive ZR1X, but it continues to prove its strength. Recently, with veteran driver Ron Fellows at the wheel, the ZR1 set another production-car lap record. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), it comfortably outpaced the Ford Mustang GTD, adding to its growing list of achievements.

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In 2026, the Corvette ZR1, driven by Canadian racing legend Ron Fellows, smashed the Mosport production-car lap record with a quick 1:18.2. This new time beat the previous 1:22.12 mark, set in 2023 by a Corvette Z06, also piloted by Fellows, further highlighting both his skill and the ZR1’s impressive track performance.

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At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the 2026 Corvette ZR1 showcased its extreme performance with the optional ZTK package, which adds massive downforce. Powering the car is a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 mounted toward the rear, giving it excellent balance and agility. Chevrolet claims the ZR1 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, making it one of the quickest Corvettes ever. With the ZTK kit, the car produces up to 1,200 pounds of downward force, ensuring superior grip, stability, and cornering ability during high-speed track runs.

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Equipped with the ZTK aero package, the Corvette ZR1 produces over 550 kilograms of downforce at high speeds. This added grip allows drivers to brake later and maintain higher speeds through Mosport’s fast, flowing sections, where confidence in the car is crucial. The balance of stability and control helps unlock quicker lap times without the need for dramatic maneuvers. Instead, the ZR1 delivers a consistent, relentless pace, showing how advanced aerodynamics can transform performance into smooth efficiency and competitive advantage on demanding tracks.

BOWMANVILLE – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has been purchased by a new ownership group.

The new group is led by Peter Thomson with Chris Pfaff and Alek Krstajic as partners.

CTMP is a multi-track motorsport facility outside Bowmanville, Ont., that opened in 1961.

“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a place with deep heritage and a loyal community,” said Pfaff in a statement. “Our team is proud to be its next steward. We’re committed to respecting everything that makes CTMP special today, while building the foundation for an elevated experience in the years ahead.”

The existing management team and staff, led by Myles Brandt, will remain in place.

A broader vision for the future of the site will be unveiled at the Canadian International Auto Show in February 2026, where the ownership group will share the roadmap for CTMP’s long-term development, investment strategy, and enhanced role within the Canadian motorsport and entertainment spaces.

The team encourages current customers, partners, and media to reach out with any immediate questions about CTMP’s future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2025.

One of Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club drivers revealed his retirement could be coming sooner than expected.

Erik Jones, who drives the No. 43 car for LMC in the NASCAR Cup Series, recently spoke to Motor Racing Network’s Steve Post about his career plans and balancing a variety of responsibilities, which now include being the father to a one-year-old. It comes after a NASCAR settlement gave team owners more than 40 million reasons to thank Michael Jordan.

“I was talking with somebody yesterday and we were kind of laughing about my schedule at times and how busy it gets,” Jones said. “I told them, I’m just frontloading my whole life and career right now.”

“It’s all stuff I love, and with the young one now, it’s gotten even busier,” he added. “But you know it’s fun to kind of balance all that time and get to figure out how to make it all work.”

Jones, 29, originally joined Richard Petty Motorsports, which eventually became Petty GMS Motorsports and later Legacy Motor Club, in October 2020, and recently signed a multi-year contract extension in August 2024 to stay with the Johnson-owned team.

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In five seasons with LCM, Jones has won one race, the 2022 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, and recorded 33 top 10 finishes and nine top five finishes.

Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, who drives the No. 42 car, are LCM’s only two full-time drivers. Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series champion, continues to drive in a part-time role in the No. 84 car.

In 2025, Jones recorded four top five finishes, including a season best third-place finish at the Southern 500 at Darlington, the site of his most recent win in 2022.

In addition to being a full-time NASCAR driver, Jones has found time to participate in super late model races when it does not overlap with his LCM duties. 

Add in his charity work through the Erik Jones Foundation, which he founded in 2021, and the birth of his son in November 2024, and Jones has begun to consider life beyond his racing career.

“It’s been different, in a couple ways. It changes your perspective definitely, it makes you look at things pretty different,” Jones said about how the birth of his son changed his life. “The hardest thing is probably your schedule changes so much… all of a sudden you’re not really on your time anymore, you’re on his time now.”