Mark Martin shared his reaction to Cummins returning as a NASCAR sponsor for Kaulig Racing’s No.12 RAM 1500 truck in 2026. The engineering giant used to be Martin’s sponsor during his Roush Racing era in the 1990s.

Cummins has been operating for over a century, and its partnership with Dodge RAM began in 1989, when the first Cummins-powered truck rolled off the block. Now that RAM has decided to re-enter NASCAR, the engine manufacturer has followed suit.

The season-long sponsorship features a red and yellow paint scheme for Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen’s Truck Series debut. Queen is the defending ARCA Menards champion who has five Truck Series starts to his name. Notably, he was also the first driver announced to Kaulig Racing’s lineup.

The Chesapeake, Virginia native addressed the collaboration and shared an X post, writing:

“Pumped to partner with @Cummins this season. Excited to go chase some wins in the Cummins Ram #12. 🤘🏼”

Elated by the news, Mark Martin welcomed his former sponsor and wrote,

“Proud that @Cummins is still here in @NASCAR supporting this sport 🏁”

Brett Merritt, Vice President and President, Engine Business, Cummins, had this to say about the partnership,

“Cummins has racing in its DNA. From Clessie Cummins’ winning the first Indianapolis 500 as a crew member to our leadership in commercial power, we’ve always pushed the limits of what’s possible. Brenden Queen represents that same spirit – talented, hardworking, and full of momentum. Partnering with both Kaulig Racing and Ram provides the opportunity for us to continue to write our motorsport legacy.”

Mark Martin has become a leading voice in the sport. The Hall of Famer has been vocal about his misgivings with the playoff format, which has drawn the support of drivers and fans alike. He believes the elimination-style format rewards one-off performances over season-long dominance, and has called for the return of the classic points system.

With the playoff races drawing lower viewership numbers, the sport appears to be moving away from the single-race title-decider. Although a full-season championship seems far-fetched at the moment, many believe a three or four-race finale is in order.

Mark Martin ‘impressed’ by NASCAR’s playoff turnaround

In a recent interview with Kenny Wallace Media, Mark Martin shared a rather positive take on NASCAR’s playoff committee. While he was also a part of the initiative, Martin noted that much of his complaints fell on deaf ears at the start.

“I’m not super optimistic about whether, I was involved in the committee and in the beginning, [I] was the only one that was, I was screaming about it. And I wasn’t doing it for me. I was screaming about it because they asked me to be on it and because everywhere I go and every fan I talk to hates playoffs,” Mark Martin said.

“I don’t think we’ll get it, but I am very impressed that it’s actually a consideration,” he added.

Martin also noted that it’s farcical to name the championship format ‘playoffs’ when there’s no playing involved. Since the playoffs were largely influenced by the NBA and NFL, the terminology was carried over.

The previous season was one of the toughest years for Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing. The trial against NASCAR took a significant toll on the team, which was relatively new to the sport. However, it all paid off when NASCAR decided to settle the matter with 23XI Racing and FRM before the situation escalated any further.

Now, after a gruelling spell, the team is finally ready to move forward and is prepping for the upcoming season. In doing so, the squad recently announced that it is extending its partnership with a social casino giant for the second consecutive season.

Chumba Casino’s Partnership With 23XI Racing in 2025

Chumba Casino, a growing name in the online social casino space, announced its partnership with 23XI Racing for the first time in 2025. Virtual Gaming World, Chumba Casino’s parent company, which had already established a foothold in Formula 1 with Scuderia Ferrari, decided to foray into NASCAR as well, partnering with 23XI Racing.

The association that began in 2025 boasted the vibrant colors of the Chumba Casino on the team’s equipment, cars, and the firesuits of the drivers – Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Riley Herbst in several competitions.

ALSO READ: Trackhouse Racing Faces 2026 Questions as Major Sponsor Disappears From Team Website

Even when Wallace, the team’s star driver, broke his lengthy win drought at Indianapolis last year, his No. 23 Toyota was draped in the colors of Chumba Casino.

Extended Sponsorship Deal for 23XI Racing

After a successful first year, the casino brand has decided to extend its relationship into 2026 as well. This time, the brand will sponsor Reddick and Wallace in different competitions throughout the calendar.

23XI Racing and Chuma Casino’s association will be on display from the very first race of the season, where Reddick is set to pilot his No. 45 Toyota in the popping colors of the latter. This will also mark the debut of a Chumba Casino car in the highly anticipated season opener at the Daytona International Speedway.

The association between both parties will also extend to Wallace for several races throughout the year, including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

Alongside sponsoring both drivers, the brand also has plans for fans, including giveaways and meet-and-greet opportunities with Reddick and Wallace. The brand’s colors will also feature on the drivers’ firesuits throughout the season.

Ben Whitford, the chief of marketing at Virtual Gaming World, commented on its extended association with 23XI Racing and said, “Our partnership with 23XI Racing had an incredible first year, highlighted by a historic Brickyard 400 win, and we’re excited to build on that momentum in 2026.”

He further added how the sponsorship was a way for the brand to connect with NASCAR fans: “Expanding our presence with Tyler and continuing our support of Bubba allows us to connect with NASCAR fans in bigger and more engaging ways, from on-track moments to unforgettable fan experiences and giveaways. We’re proud to be part of 23XI’s journey and look forward to another exciting season together.”

Steve Lauletta, the team president of 23XI, also briefly spoke about the partnership between the two. He said: “After an exciting first season that included a historic win at the Brickyard, we’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Chumba Casino to include more races with Tyler, along with the brand’s ongoing engagement with Bubba. Last year we had a great reception from both Chumba Casino and NASCAR fans, and we look forward to another impactful year of growth and success on and off the track.”

With strong support from the sponsors, both the drivers of 23XI Racing will certainly be eyeing to make a more substantial impact in the upcoming NASCAR season.

■The journey of GAZOO Racing

A challenge born of humiliation

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has promoted the making of ever-better cars and the fostering of talent by taking on the challenge of competing in various motorsports categories both in Japan and abroad.

GAZOO Racing traces its origins back to 2007, when Akio Toyoda (then executive vice president) competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race alongside driving mentor and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Master Driver Hiromu Naruse and several other colleagues.

At the time, because competing in the race was not recognized by TMC as an official company activity, the team was not permitted to use “TOYOTA” in its name, and thus entered under the name “Team GAZOO”. Furthermore, as Toyoda’s intention to drive in the race was unable to gain much understanding, his only choice was to compete under the driver name “Morizo”. Although the team managed to finish the race, the achievement immediately came with a sense of humiliation. That was because, while many other, mainly European, competitors were putting under-development cars through their paces in the race, Toyota did not have such a car, let alone any sports cars in its sales lineup, and was on the verge of losing its ability to pass on its car-making skills and expertise. When overtaken on the track by other manufacturers’ development vehicles, Toyoda felt as if he could hear rivals say: “No way that you guys at Toyota could build a car like this!”, igniting a sense of humiliation that he still vividly recalls to this day.

The Shikinen Sengu of car-making sustained by conviction

Sports car development demands an approach to manufacturing that not only improves a car’s characteristics and fundamental performance by also strives to make a car failure-proof even in harsh environments. All such efforts also contribute to the development of mass-production cars. At the same time, the front lines of motorsports provide numerous opportunities to hone car-making skills and foster talent.

At Ise Shrine in Japan’s Mie Prefecture, traditions and skills are passed down through a ritual known as “Shikinen Sengu”, which entails all of the shrine’s structures being rebuilt every 20 years. Similarly, sports car manufacturing has traditions and skills that cannot be passed down once they are lost. Armed with a sense of crisis that TMC would become a company incapable of building sports cars, Toyoda initiated the development of the Lexus LFA, choosing the Nürburgring course as the car’s main development site.

Launched in 2010, the LFA was TMC’s first authentic sports car developed in-house in approximately 20 years. It was the result of a project that faced enormous difficulties, including a lack of wholehearted support within the company for car-making that was deemed by some to be unprofitable, as evidenced by the fact that development was permitted to proceed under the condition that only 500 units would be sold.

Just before the LFA’s release, the unthinkable happened: Naruse passed away in an accident near the Nürburgring. The calamity occurred not long after LFA development had concluded and Naruse, as master driver, had given his approval by saying, “Let’s go with this.” For Toyoda, suddenly being without his driving mentor and TMC’s master driver came with an immense sense of loss.

However, Toyoda, remaining steadfast in his conviction that cars and talent are honed on the front lines of motorsports, continued to pursue sports car development. Then came the revival of the 86 in 2012 and the GR Supra in 2019. However, the development of these models relied on Subaru and BMW, respectively, meaning that TMC was not able to achieve the complete in-house creation of a sports car.

The launch of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

In April 2015, TMC decided to consolidate its in-house motorsports activities, including those under the banners of “TOYOTA Racing”, “LEXUS Racing”, and “GAZOO Racing”, under the unified “GAZOO” name, upon which it adopted the logo “TOYOTA GAZOO Racing”. It was a development that marked the moment when activities that could not use “TOYOTA” back in 2007 could finally bear the company’s name. However, even though those activities had officially come under the umbrella of a large corporation, the original sense of humiliation that had driven Toyoda and Naruse began to fade.

The never-ending pursuit of making ever-better cars

Toyoda, then as president, decided that TMC would return to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to further evolve its activities to make ever-better cars. Returning to the WRC, in which competing vehicles are based on production vehicles, marked a major turning point in TMC’s motorsports activities.

Until then, TMC had developed its motorsports vehicles based on already completed production vehicles. However, after returning to the WRC, it began a new approach to car-making that reversed the conventional order by first creating a car capable of winning in the WRC and then turning that car into a production vehicle. This led to the launch in 2020 of the GR Yaris, a Toyota in-house-developed sports car, under the philosophy of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars.

The GR Yaris, which was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January of that year and recorded its maiden victory in a Super Taikyu Series 24-hour race that September, began to be seen in action in motorsports events around the around, eventually leading to the development and launch of the GR Corolla. It was exactly this achievement that revived TMC’s in-house production of sports cars capable of winning in motorsports.

In 2025, Toyota returned to the Nürburgring 24 Hours race for the first time in six years, fielding a GR Yaris. While behind the wheel, Toyoda, who is TMC’s current master driver, says that he conversed with Naruse. Only TMC’s two master drivers know what they talked about.

For Toyoda, the next challenge was to conduct a true Shikinen Sengu in the form of TMC creating the ultimate in sports cars. As such, the GR GT, GR GT3, and LFA Concept premiered in 2025.

TGR’s journey of the motorsports-bred making of ever-better cars and the fostering of talent is without end. It will soon be 20 years since Team GAZOO came to be in 2007.

“No way that you guys at Toyota could build a car like this!” The humiliation felt by Hiromu Naruse and Akio Toyoda was the starting point of it all.

TGR would like to extend its sincere gratitude to everyone in the world of motorsports, its partners, and its fans for their unwavering commitment.

Together with all stakeholders, TGR—under the name “GAZOO Racing”—intends to continue making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and fostering the talents of drivers, engineers, and mechanics.

TGR looks forward to everyone’s continued support.

Furthermore, TMC’s research and development center in Cologne, Germany (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe), under the new name “TOYOTA RACING”, is to specialize in motorsports activities through its advanced development technologies, promoting long-term technological development in engine development and other areas. The technologies that it develops are to continue to be introduced in various motorsports scenarios, including the world’s top on-track races as well as rallies, in the pursuit of further improvement.

■TGRR

TGRR (TOYOTA GAZOO ROOKIE Racing) is to continue its current activities. As an entity that bears in its name the “T” of TOYOTA Racing and the “G” of GAZOO Racing, it intends to serve as a bridge between the two, honing in motorsports as a racing team the products and technologies each develops, while also functioning as a practical training ground (dojo) that fosters talent.

Logo transition is planned for completion in stages by January 2027.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Racing fans all across the Mid-South have something to look forward to on Wednesday as there will be a groundbreaking ceremony at the former Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington.

The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m., and it will mark a new era of redevelopment for racing in the Mid-South. This comes after the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) closed on the property several weeks ago.

The owners plan to turn the Memphis International Raceway into a multi-use destination with drag racing, other motorsports, and large community events.

The IHRA president said their goal is to build this back into a national and eventually international destination.

“You know, I think that we will host large national and international events here. And I think we’ll see that in three years. We’re bringing a national nitro series here for this year,” Leah Martin, IHRA president, stated.

IHRA also said it is looking to bring back additional racing, including dirt track, and to add an amphitheater for concerts.

Steve Phelps became NASCAR’s first Commissioner in March of 2025 after previously working as the president of NASCAR since 2018.

However, he will leave that position at the end of January, and NASCAR does not plan to replace the role of Commissioner for the time being. Instead, his duties will be shared by other existing executives. As for why there won’t be someone else appointed to the role of Commissioner, NASCAR said that this change “comes during a time of stability with an exceptional leadership team in place that ensures the continuity of NASCAR’s strategic vision and critical execution.”

NASCAR also called it a ‘personal decision’ by Phelps to leave, who released the following statement:

“As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years,” said Phelps. Our sport is built on the passion of our fans, the dedication of our teams and partners, and the commitment of our wonderful employees. It has been an honor to help synthesize the enthusiasm of long-standing NASCAR stakeholders with that of new entrants to our ecosystem, such as media partners, auto manufacturers, track operators, and incredible racing talent.

Nascar Commissioner Steve Phelps

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

“As I embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries, I want to thank the many colleagues, friends, and especially the fans that have played such an important and motivational role in my career. Words cannot fully convey the deep appreciation I have for this life-changing experience, for the trust of the France family, and for having a place in NASCAR’s amazing history.”

No reason was given for his departure and he was praised throughout the news release, but Phelps hasn’t been the most popular man in the garage in recent months. He was criticized heavily for some controversial comments that came out during the 23XI/FRM vs. NASCAR antitrust lawsuit, which ended with a settlement partway through the trial. In unsealed documents showing messages between NASCAR leadership, Phelps called longtime team owner Richard Childress a “stupid redneck” and suggested he needed to be flogged.

This sparked widespread condemnation, and in the middle of the trial, Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris published a scathing letter in defense of Childress, and implied that he would like to see Phelps removed from his position. 

Speaking on his departure, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said: “Steve will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR’s most impactful leaders. For decades he has worked tirelessly to thrill fans, support teams and execute a vision for the sport that has treated us all to some of the greatest moments in our nearly 80-year history. It’s been an honor to work alongside him in achieving the impossible like being the first sport to return during Covid, or in delivering the unimaginable by launching new races in the LA Memorial Coliseum and NASCAR’s first-ever street race in downtown Chicago. Steve leaves NASCAR with a transformative legacy of innovation and collaboration with an unrelenting growth mindset.”

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– The Motorsport.com Team