This was only fueled further when controversial rising star Carson Hocevar was congratulated by Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition, Chad Knaus, following his second-place finish in Nashville.

However, should Elliott wind up replacing Larson, he wouldn’t have to go far for advice, with Supercar legend Shane van Gisbergen currently knee deep in his first full Cup Series season after making the move from Australia.

The 36-year-old three-time champion currently drives Trackhouse Racing’s No. 88 Chevrolet, and while he won his series debut in 2023, he has yet to return to victory lane.

Hendrick Motorsports, the 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions, announced a major new multi-year agreement with Phorm Energy on June 5. The innovative deal, which includes the newly introduced energy drink brand supported by beverage leader Anheuser-Busch, was effective immediately and runs through the 2027 season.

This partnership agreement marks a critical collaboration for Phorm Energy, as it aims to leverage the Hendrick and NASCAR platforms’ capabilities to bring its product to the highly competitive market.

Phorm Energy Has Partnered with Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 in a Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal

The powerful agreement includes marketing partnerships that are a crucial part of NASCAR’s sponsorship model. Phorm Energy will assume the primary sponsorship of William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for a pair of races in the 2026 Cup Series season, expanding to four races in 2027.

Announcing a new partnership with @phormenergy because training doesn’t stop when the race does.

https://t.co/7bInbciLjV pic.twitter.com/9jicgRGmGm

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 5, 2025

Apart from anchor sponsorships, Phorm Energy will also become a full season associate partner. The beverage company seeks to raise its stature by partnering with the No. 5, No. 24, and No. 48 Chevrolets driven by Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, respectively.

The multi-year contract includes the 2025, 2026, and 2027 NASCAR seasons. Sal Frisella, CEO of 1st Phorm, emphasized the need for strategic alignment.

“Launching Phorm Energy is a huge moment for our team, and partnering with Hendrick Motorsports is just another way we can continue to grow and deliver something truly special,” Frisella stated, via Racing America.

“We have built this brand for people that embrace the grit and grind in their everyday lives and that’s something that Hendrick Motorsports and their drivers inherently know and understand. We know we found the right partner in Hendrick Motorsports and together we have big plans.”

Performance Center Partnership Fuels Hendrick’s Athlete Development

The collaboration extends far beyond the racetrack. It deeply integrates into Hendrick Motorsports’ significant investment in athlete performance and well-being. Phorm Energy branding and products will feature prominently within the team’s new 35,000-square-foot athletic center and corporate meeting space.

Construction crews broke ground on this flagship complex at Hendrick’s North Carolina campus in April 2025. It will function as the central hub for Hendrick Motorsports’ training regimens, recovery protocols, and overall health initiatives. Phorm Energy’s presence there underscores the shared focus on peak performance.

Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, highlighted the opportunity and alignment. “It’s an amazing opportunity to work with a powerhouse like Anheuser-Busch, as they launch Phorm Energy and build something new,” Gordon said.

“As a brand grounded in shared values of dedication and hard work, we’re proud that the No. 24 team and our incredible athletes get to be part of their community. We’re making a major investment in our facilities to support our teammates with the best possible resources, and it’s exciting to have Phorm Energy involved from day one. We look forward to collaborating on a distinctive and authentic program.”

The newly launched beverage company is trying to grab the NASCAR market by endorsing high-profile faces. Phorm recently endorsed Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, despite his rocky 2025 season.

Phorm Energy — the first product from the partnership of Anheuser-Busch, 1st Phorm, and UFC President Dana White — enters the market with four varieties: Screamin’ Freedom, Blue Blitz, Orange Fury, and Grape Smash.

Recently it was revealed that the current NASCAR CEO Jim France attempted to sponsor fielding a NSCAR Cup Series car with Spire Motorsports. The co-owner of the sport was looking to give a Cup seat to his IMSA driver Jack Aitken. They would have made the 29-year-old driver the first driver to race for France in both series, which is owned by NASCAR.

The plan was to race at Sonoma, the road course even that would match the drivers’ sports car racing experience. But Jim France decided to call of the attempts and talking about it in the recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. highlighted that Indy 500 factor behind the decision to back down.

This idea of Jim France getting Spire to do this deal so he could run this driver, all of this has been probably worked on for a month, two months, maybe more. They were probably planning this, maybe they saw what went down at [IndyCar] and had second thoughts.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. Via Dale Jr. Download.

At the 2025 Indy 500, two Team Penske Racing cars were found having illegal changes made and the team received massive penalty. The sports integrity came into question, as the team owner Roger Penske owns both the championship as well as the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The teams past success even came into question.

This showed the France family how tough it is going to be to navigate the double ownership factor and how it is going to affect the sport as a whole. According to Dale Jr. they were forced to have second thoughts and considering the situation the sport is in, decided to back down from the move though they had the support from some big names of the sport.

I’m certain they saw what went down in Indy and thought, ‘Let’s rethink this. Should we do this? Should we not?’ I agree. It’s problematic at Indy at the level. It’s a tough thing to navigate where Penske is competing, but also the owner of the Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why Roger Penske was able to race full-time in IndyCar unlike Jim France

Then in the same discussion the JR Motorsports co-owner, who is in the same situation with his CARS Tour Series, explain how Roger Penske can make the IndyCar moves smoother. Being someone that has the legacy and respect of the industry has the respect alongside trust of the garage. But France doesn’t have that that luxury of trust in the garage.

The thing about Roger Penske is he has so much respect amongst the industry. This is not a great time in the industry for Jim with the lawsuit. Is this an issue if everybody, the industry leaders and the charter owners all thought everything was going perfectly?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

The lack of trust is primary due to the new charter deals; the controversies he has been part of over the years and the recent lawsuit. This puts him in a tough spot even for an open car entry while Penske has earned the trust with his openness regarding the series.

Would they mind then if Jim ran an open car with this guy through Spire? Probably not. That’s why Roger Penske has been able to get to this point at least without any issue.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

The comments from the Hall of Famer are on point and it’s not the right time for France family to publicly enter the sport. Since they have plans to have charters, they should do that by having the team leaders that has no relationship to the series ownership.

Also Read: Kyle Petty Declared Carson Hocevar Is Racing “Exactly” Like Dale Earnhardt

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A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR in the antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one owned by Michael Jordan, and vacated an injunction that required 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to be recognized as chartered teams as their case snakes through the legal system.

Both race teams sued NASCAR late last year after refusing to sign new agreements on charter renewals. The charter system is similar to franchises in other sports, but the charters are revocable by NASCAR and have expiration dates. 23XI, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, allied with Front Row in suing NASCAR after 13 other organizations signed the renewals last September and those two organization refused.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps,” said Jeffery Kessler, attorney for 23XI and Front Row. “This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for Dec. 1.

“We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

The two teams sued and asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as chartered teams for this season. The antitrust case isn’t scheduled to be heard until December.

The teams said they needed the injunction because the current charter agreement prohibits them from suing NASCAR. 23XI also argued it would be harmed because Tyler Reddick’s contract would have made him a free agent if the team could not guarantee him a charter-protected car.

The original judge ruled that NASCAR’s charter agreement likely violated antitrust law in granting the injunction. But when they heard arguments last month, the three judges at the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, indicated they were skeptical of that decision.

The judges said in Thursday’s ruling they were not aware of any case that supports the lower court’s theory of antitrust law, so they vacated the injunction.

“In short, because we have found no support for the proposition that a business entity or person violates the antitrust laws by requiring a prospective participant to give a release for past conduct as a condition for doing business, we cannot conclude that the plaintiffs made a clear showing that they were likely to succeed on the merits of that theory,” the court said. “And without satisfaction of the likelihood-of-success element, the plaintiffs were not entitled to a preliminary injunction.”

The teams have 14 days to appeal to the full court. The injunction also has no bearings on the merits of the case, and the earliest NASCAR can treat the teams as unchartered — a charter guarantees their organizations a starting spot each week and prize money — is one week after the deadline to appeal, provided there is no pending appeal.

NASCAR has not said what it would do with the six charters held by the two organizations if they are returned to the sanctioning body. There are only 36 chartered cars for a 40-car field. If the teams do not appeal, the six entries would have to compete as “open” cars — which means they’d have to qualify on speed each week to make the race and they would receive a fraction of the money.

It’s not clear what would happen to Reddick’s contract. He goes to Michigan this weekend ranked sixth in the Cup Series standings. Both organizations are still seeking a win this season — Hamlin’s three victories are with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team he drives for.

Reddick is last year’s regular-season champion and competed for the Cup title last November.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is one of the most recognized names in NASCAR. Here’s what you need to know.

Juan Manuel Correa is a great example of how timing and relationships can shape opportunities in motorsport.

Correa was at Barber Motorsports Park during the race weekend May 1-4, not to race, but to coach a driver in USF Juniors. That weekend also featured NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone events.

While at the track, Correa reconnected with Mike Maurini, president of HMD Motorsports. The two have a prior relationship through Maurini’s personal business, RTD Media & Management.

“I was literally coming out of the bathroom on my scooter, I crossed Mike (Maurini), and Mike and I go back a long way, karting days here in the U.S., and he’s like, ‘Hey, what are you doing here?’” Correa said. “I was like, ‘Not much.’ He’s like, ‘You want to drive INDY NXT?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’

“It was within 24 hours that we had signed a contract, I did my medicals, and I was on my way to Indy for the GP.”

Correa wasted no time making an impact during his unexpected entry into the INDY NXT field. In his series debut driving the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, he finished 21st and 14th, respectively, in the doubleheader.

The Detroit Grand Prix on June 1 was his third career start. Correa finished third, earning his first podium on a notoriously demanding street circuit, all without any prior testing in the car.

“Everything is different, but at the same time, to drive a race car fast, there’s only one way to do it,” Correa said.

He’s adapting by using teammate Caio Collet’s setups while learning the nuances of the Dallara chassis used in INDY NXT compared to his time in FIA Formula 3, FIA Formula 2 and endurance racing. He finished fifth in the 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race in March, driving for United Autosport.

“Hopefully with a little bit more time, I can start building something that suits me a little bit better, but at the moment I feel pretty good with the car, and I think we’ll be competitive for the rest of the year, and we’re looking forward to that,” he said.

What sets Correa apart is not just his speed, but his mental toughness. He’s a survivor of a devastating 2019 F2 crash in Belgium that nearly ended his life. Correa was in a coma, underwent a 17-hour leg surgery and had to learn to walk again.

Correa rebuilt his career step by step and returned to racing in 2021. Despite having no plans to race in INDY NXT this season, just over a month ago, Correa has a clear target.

“INDY NXT was not my plan,” Correa said. “Four weeks ago, I was not going to be here. I was going to be coaching throughout the season and trying to find a drive next year somewhere. The opportunity just came, and I took it, and I’m glad I did.

“I’ve been following INDYCAR for as long as I’ve been following F1, to be honest. I just took the European route because certain things in my career kind of drove me that way. But now that I’m here, yeah, (the NTT INDYCAR SERIES) is the ultimate goal. It’s an amazing series, and this is the place to be if we want to go.”

Correa and his INDY NXT by Firestone competitors return to the track next weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race airs at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 15 on FS1 and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Bubba Wallace sees NASCAR having all the momentum possible right now with different media partners.

Perfect timing then for NASCAR’s “In-season Challenge” to debut, right?

Well, Wallace forgot that was about to debut.

“For me to forget about it and remember how exciting it was when they announced, I think it’s going to be big for the fans to tune in and and give them a little bit more … you’re just invested more,” Wallace said.

Kyle Larson just tried his latest attempt at “the Double” of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Count him among those who didn’t realize NASCAR’s new in-season competition had its field of 32 set after Sunday night’s Cup Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway.

“I just really haven’t seen anything promoted about it, so I think it’s easy to forget about it,” Larson said.

NASCAR announced this new in-season competition in May 2024, so drivers can be forgiven for being focused on the second half of the season.

The format is simple: 32 drivers race for seeding over the next three races starting at Michigan on Sunday and concluding at Pocono on June 22. Drivers are seeded by their best finish for the five-race competition starting at Atlanta.

Then it goes to single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner gets $1 million, and that does get drivers’ attention as part of the new media rights deal that includes TNT.

“It’s going to be something fun that you pay attention to, and there’s good money on the line,” said Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champ. “So, you’ve just got to be really consistent throughout.”

Chris Buescher of RFK Racing is among those who didn’t realize this challenge is starting. He needs race victories after losing points for a penalty at Kansas in May. The prize is nice.

“That’s real money,” Buescher said. “But I don’t want that to change how we go to the race track. We need to figure out how to win races. There’s a lot more than that on the line at the end of the year.”

Three-time Cup Series champ Joey Logano compared this event’s prize to the money up for grabs in the All-Star Race and this new competition like a stage win.

“This is a little longer thing, but it’s a race within the race,” Logano said. “So you’re not willing to give up a lot to do that, right?”

Denny Hamlin was excited when the In-season Challenge was first announced. Then he saw the courses for this competition, and his enthusiasm dimmed with the number of road courses included.

“Truthfully, we’re going to get pretty lucky or have such a good draw that just things kind of work out,” Hamlin said. “I wish it was more conventional ovals, but I think that’s just the way the schedule works out. And it’s unfortunately not probably my prime part of the season.”

Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing went into Nashville at 32 — right on the line to be included in that chase for seeding. He hadn’t given the competition much thought focused on this season. But he thinks it will be fun once it starts.

“It’s good for the sport, good for our fans and it’s a competition,” Keselowski said. “If there’s competition, we want to win it. But that said, I think our heads down on one week at a time, in some ways one day at a time. … And it’s hard to look further ahead than that.”

Team Penske all set for the playoffs

With Ryan Blaney’s first victory of the season at Nashville Superspeedway, Team Penske now has its three drivers qualified for the NASCAR Cup playoffs even with Nashville the first race of the second half of this year.

Blaney, who hadn’t won since November, joined Austin Cindric, who won at Talladega, and three-time Cup Series champ Joey Logano, a winner at Texas. Josh Berry, whose Wood Brothers Racing team has a relationship with Team Penske, also won at Las Vegas.

Michael Nelson, president of Team Penske’s NASCAR operations, said it was nice to have that pressure off all the teams.

“It’s obviously pretty awesome to have a little bit of that pressure off for the guys,” Nelson said. “And again … it gives you a chance to go out and take some chances here and there and try to rack up a bunch of wins. So now we’re grateful to be at this point with our cars this time of year.”

Careful there Hocevar

Carson Hocevar matched his career-best finish driving from 26th to second at Nashville. The 22-year-old driver in his second Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports ticked off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with his aggressive style.

Hocevar clipped Stenhouse on Lap 106 of 300, sending him into the wall and out of the race. Stenhouse said Hocevar was overly aggressive and will talk to the young driver. Just not after the race.

“No,” Stenhouse said, “that costs too much money.”