DETROIT (WXYZ) — If you’re looking for family-friendly activities to participate in at the Detroit Auto Show, Visit Detroit has you covered.

The Auto Show announced that there will be an immersive Visit Detroit Interactive Experience, located in the Atrium at Huntington Place

The Experience will include:

• Real-world science and engineering concepts with the Michigan Science Center
• Coding and virtual reality-based technician training with Code 313
• A motorsports simulation with Pit Lanes Sim Racing
• A kid-focus Power Wheels track, presented by Jeep and Ram.

“This activation is about planting seeds,” said Todd Szott, 2026 Detroit Auto Show Chair, in a press release. “We want kids and students to walk in, get their hands on technology, feel the excitement of innovation, and start to imagine themselves as engineers, designers, coders, technicians, or entrepreneurs. If we can inspire even a fraction of them to explore a future in the auto industry, that’s a win for Detroit and for the industry as a whole.”

For more information on the 2026 Auto Show, open to the public at Huntington Place from Jan. 17-25, click here.

Steve Phelps, the commissioner of US motor racing’s Nascar series, has resigned from his role after over 20 years at the organization, amid the fallout from a scandal related to the sport’s recent major antitrust trial.

During the trial, which resulted in a settlement between Nascar and its 23XI and Front Row Motorsports teams, malicious texts sent by Phelps were revealed.

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In an exchange between himself and Nascar vice president Brian Herbst, Phelps was revealed to have repeatedly disparaged Richard Childress, owner of the RCR organization (which fields two Nascar Cup teams), including claiming that the team owner owed all of his fortune to Nascar, among other more graphic insults. 

The revelation drew significant criticism, perhaps most notably from Johnny Morris, the founder of the Bass Pro Shops retail chain – a prominent Nascar sponsor via the Bass Pro Shops Night Race cup series event, and a backer of RCR – who penned a letter in support of Childress calling for Phelps to be removed from his position.

That letter was published just days before the conclusion of the lawsuit, which resulted in the establishment of permanent “evergreen” team charters (the series’ revenue sharing model introduced in 2016).

These messages came back in 2023, when Phelps was president, when RCR was locked in charter negotiations with Nascar, but they now nonetheless seem to have cost Phelps his position.

Nonetheless, the France family, Nascar’s owners, strongly credited Phelps with pushing the series forward during his tenure, wishing him well in a statement, with executive vice president Lisa France Kennedy saying: “Steve leaves Nascar with a transformative legacy of innovation and collaboration with an unrelenting growth mindset.”

Phelps joined Nascar in 2005 as vice president of corporate marketing, becoming chief marketing officer the following year.

This was the beginning of a consistent ascent from Phelps, who was elevated to executive vice president in 2013, before becoming chief operating officer in April 2018, before becoming just the fifth president in Nascar history in September 2018.

Phelps became commissioner in 2025, taking up that newly created role with a wider remit as to the governance of the sport compared to the commissioner position.

Steve O’Donnell, who replaced Phelps as Nascar president, will assume the duties of commissioner in the interim, alongside the sport’s executive leadership team.

Following his exit, Phelps said he will look to follow “new pursuits in sports and other industries.”

Phelps previously served as vice president of corporate marketing at American football’s elite NFL, and as head of global sales at the Wasserman Media Group agency.

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Cummins Inc. has joined NASCAR ahead of the 2026 season. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen will drive the No. 12 Cummins Ram 1500 for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Kaulig Racing.

Queen is entering his first full-time season of NASCAR competition. Cummins branding will be on the No. 12 truck as a primary sponsor for every race of the 2026 season.

Kaulig Racing is making the switch to Ram for the 2026 season. Cummins and Ram have a long history as they launched the first Cummins-powered Dodge Ram back in 1989. 3.5M Ram trucks have been built with Cummins power.

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen comments

“To have a company with Cummins’ history and worldwide reputation support me is incredible,” Queen said via the team release.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this Ram 1500 and represent Cummins and Kaulig Racing every weekend. This is the type of opportunity every driver dreams about.”

“To have a company with Cummins’ history and worldwide reputation support me is incredible,” Queen added. “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this Ram 1500 and represent Cummins and Kaulig Racing every weekend. This is the type of opportunity every driver dreams about.”

Chris Rice comments

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Cummins to the Kaulig Racing family,” said Chris Rice, Chief Executive Officer of Kaulig Racing.

“Their engineering excellence and commitment to innovation are a perfect match for our vision. Brenden is an exceptional talent, and we’re building a program around him that we believe can compete for wins and make a playoff run right away.”

Cummins comments

“Cummins has racing in its DNA,” said Brett Merritt, Vice President and President, Engine Business, Cummins.

“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.”

The Cummins truck will make it’s debut at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13.

Toyota Motor Corporation works to develop and manufacture innovative, safe and high-quality products and services that create happiness by providing mobility for all. We believe that true achievement comes from supporting our customers, partners, employees, and the communities in which we operate. Since our founding over 80 years ago in 1937, we have applied our Guiding Principles in pursuit of a safer, greener and more inclusive society. Today, as we transform into a mobility company developing connected, automated, shared and electrified technologies, we also remain true to our Guiding Principles and many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to help realize an ever-better world, where everyone is free to move.

SDGs Initiatives

https://global.toyota/en/sustainability/sdgs/

NASCAR Cup Series team, Kaulig Racing, has signed a sponsorship deal with Cummins Motorsports for its Truck Series debut. The team will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series, featuring RAM trucks in the 2026 season. The global power technology leader will primarily sponsor Brenden “Butterbean” Queen in the #12 Truck the entire season.

The Cup Series team’s newest sponsor has a long history of engineering expertise and was founded in 1919 by Clessie Cummins and William Glanton Irwin. The company initially focused on developing diesel engines. Cummins was part of the crew for the Marmon Wasp that clinched the first-ever Indianapolis 500 in 1911 before starting his own company.

A few years later, in 1931, Cummins debuted his first diesel-powered car as a special engineering entry, surprising everyone. The car ran 500 miles without refueling and finished the race in P13, using only $1.40 worth of fuel. Three years later, in 1934, Kaulig Racing’s new sponsor returned with two different engines: 2-cycle and 4-cycle. The race proved that 4-cycle engines were superior, and Cummins continued to use them.

Fast forward to 1952, Cummins set a new record with the only diesel-powered car to win the Indy 500 pole position. In 1987, it clinched its first modern Cummins-branded Indy 500 victory with a retired Penske Racing car. The three-time Indy 500 winner, Al Unser Sr., drove the #25 Cummins Holset car and delivered the brand its first-ever Indy 500 victory.

Cummins Inc. also worked with NASCAR teams before sponsoring Kaulig Racing. The company entered the Cup Series with the championship-winning team, Stewart-Haas Racing, in 2022 in selected events. Cummins sponsored the #14 Ford Mustang, driven by Chase Briscoe.

The #14 Ford Mustang, sponsored by Cummins, debuted during the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Briscoe secured a P24 finish, followed by a 15th place in the 2022 Atlanta Motor Speedway race. Later, he secured a P23 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 18th place at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We Don’t Want To Disrespect Them at All” – When Kaulig Racing President Got Candid About His Plan To Balance the Team’s Loyalty Between Two OEMs

NASCAR Cup Series team Kaulig Racing will become the first team to feature two different OEMs. Team president Chris Rice appeared in an interview with Bob Pockrass in August 2025. Rice discussed his plan to maintain the balance between the two manufacturers.

The North Carolina-based team has a long history with Chevy and has been with the OEM since its debut. Kaulig Racing clinched two Cup victories and 27 Xfinity Series victories while driving Chevy cars. However, for its Truck Series debut, the team went with RAM.

Reflecting on the same, Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice told Pockrass:

“Yeah, well, so we’ve had meetings with Chevrolet, and, you know, I mean, it’s like anything, right? You don’t; we don’t run Chevrolets and XFINITY and Cup, so you got to, kind of. We just told it, you know; we told them why, what, when, and why we needed to do this. And, like, the biggest thing was, is, like, you know, Chevy has been with us for a while. That OEM partner has been there with us for a long time.” 

“We don’t want to disrespect them at all, because we need them, just like, you know, hopefully they need us, right? So, long story short, I think they went fine. They got to do what they have to do for their OEM, and we needed to do what we need to do… Not a tier one, not a tier one,” he added.

Kaulig Racing will feature five entries in the Truck Series with RAM. The team has announced the names of three of their entries: Brenden Queen (#12), Daniel Dye (#10), and Justin Haley (#16). The team will also feature a special entry, the #25 truck piloted by free agents, and the #14 entry that has yet to be named.

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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.