Ahead of its return to Virginia Motorsports Park, NHRA announced today that America Rebel Light Beer has been named the title sponsor for the upcoming fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, which will take place June 20-22 at the standout facility.

It is the ninth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals features a unique two-day race format in the professional classes, with fans getting an incredible chance to see three qualifying sessions from the 330-mph, 12,000-horsepower nitro machines on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday.

After sponsoring the NHRA national event in Charlotte earlier this year, the race at Virginia Motorsports Park marks the second title sponsor for American Rebel Light in 2025. Andy Ross, Chairman and CEO of American Rebel Beer and singer-songwriter, will also provide entertainment with a concert with his band during the jam-packed event.

“American Rebel Light is honored and very excited to be named title sponsor of the upcoming American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park,” said American Rebel CEO Andy Ross. “We were the title sponsor for the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway and it was an amazing experience for American Rebel Light. The exposure and impact from being title sponsor at Charlotte was tremendous, really put us on the map in North Carolina, and also nationwide because of the FOX, FS1 and FS2 broadcasts. The NHRA and Charlotte Motor Speedway were amazing partners on the event and we can’t wait to do it again at Virgina Motorsports Park.”

As part of the race sponsorship, American Rebel Light Beer will have a strong presence at Virginia Motorsports Park, including trackside signage and brand integrations throughout the standout track. Race fans aged 21 and older will have the chance to enjoy American Rebel Light – America’s Patriotic, God Fearing, Constitution Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer – at the facility while taking in the incredible action on the track.

The attention American Rebel Light will gain from the race sponsorship will also create strong awareness for American Rebel Light Beer as it is introduced to the state of Virginia’s beer drinkers.c

Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won in Richmond during the two-day event. This year’s event will be broadcast on FOX broadcast network and FS1, including eliminations coverage beginning at 4 p.m. ET on FOX on Sunday, June 22.

Along with qualifying on Saturday, fans can also watch the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus race during the last two sessions, as racers compete for bonus points and a bonus purse to close out a memorable day. NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying roars into action with three rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 21 at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET, leading into a can’t-miss raceday with eliminations beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 22.

“We’re thrilled to have American Rebel Light return as a title sponsor and partner with NHRA and Virginia Motorsports Park for the Virginia NHRA Nationals,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “They’ve already shown to be a terrific partner with a team passionate about NHRA drag racing, and it’s exciting to see that relationship continue to grow. We’re looking forward to an incredible weekend in Virginia with American Rebel Light Beer and all the NHRA fans.”

Last year, Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta earned his second Richmond victory when he won over Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon. This season, they’ve combined to sweep every Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge so far. Motorsports legend and 2024 Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart clearly leads the points thanks to his two wins on the season, while other top names include Brittany Force, Antron Brown and Justin Ashley.

Prock, the reigning Funny Car champion, won his first Virginia NHRA Nationals over Bob Tasca III. Prock currently leads the points in 2025, while John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman also has two wins this year. The loaded field also includes four-time world champ Matt Hagan, three-time champ Ron Capps and J.R. Todd.

Herrera, the two-time reigning champion, once again leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle points. He has two wins on the season and currently leads six-time champion Matt Smith, who won in Charlotte. Other riders to watch will be Richard Gadson, Smith’s wife, Angie, as well as Chase Van Sant, Steve Johnson and Jianna Evaristo.

Along with action in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, fans can also enjoy racing in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle, providing a full weekend of non-stop entertainment. Racing in those categories kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, setting the stage for Saturday’s three qualifying rounds in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

To purchase tickets to the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals, visit nhra.evenue.net/events/RV1T. For more information about the NHRA, including the 2025 schedule, visit www.nhra.com. 

This story was originally published on June 10, 2025.

One of the most divisive topics in the sport. Fans want a green flag finish, but what are we sacrificing to make that happen? More time under yellow, more chaos in the mid-pack, and sometimes… just more frustration than payoff.

• What’s the real cost of unlimited overtime attempts?
• Are fans demanding something that ruins the strategy of racing?
• Does NASCAR’s push for dramatic finishes actually hurt the product?
• And who really benefits from stretching a race 10 minutes for one lap?

Besides a rant, this is a breakdown of what overtime does to the races, especially for everyone outside the top 5. Is it time for NASCAR to rethink the green-white-checkered format? Jump into the conversation and let us know: do you love overtime… or are you just over it?

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Chase Elliott joined the NASCAR Prime preshow on FOX before the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway to meet Carl Edwards for the first time

NASCAR fans were blown away when it emerged Carl Edwards was excited to meet Chase Elliott, having seemingly never developed any sort of relationship with the sport’s Most Popular Driver.

Two of NASCAR’s most celebrated drivers from different generations appeared on Amazon Prime Video together, where a revelation about their history raised eyebrows. Their paths did cross briefly in the Cup Series garage, but it was seemingly the first time they had properly interacted.

As momentum built before the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, which experienced a brief halt due to a terrifying crash and was won by Denny Hamlin, risking the wrath of fans with his celebration, Elliott appeared on the pre-race show where he made a simple comment on his future.

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As he made his entrance, to join Edwards and Corey LaJoie, host Danielle Trotta warmly welcomed Elliott, declaring: “We’ve been waiting for you, and Carl is so psyched to meet you, man.”

Fans were thrown into a frenzy of speculation online, puzzled over the timeline of events and the pair not having met before. Elliott added some clarity as he referenced his rookie year, 2016, which was Edwards’ final season before his shock retirement, which led to him walking away from the sport before returning this year.

Trotta took to social media afterwards to point out that they were actually referring to when the drivers appeared on air together at the FOX Sports desk in Charlotte. But Edwards was certainly excited to properly meet Elliott on air for the first time.

With evident respect, Edwards leaned forward and exclaimed how cool it was to finally meet the 2020 Cup Series champion, adding: “In every meeting, it’s ‘Do we get Chase this week, do we get Chase?'”.

Despite receiving accolades, Elliott stayed down-to-earth as he reflected on his career and life choices, choosing to remain in his beloved Dawsonville, even though he races for Hendrick Motorsports located in Charlotte, the center of racing action.

“The biggest one is, home is home, you know? That’s just important to me. Sometimes, you can get too caught up in everything. I had a lot of admiration for how you did things… You have folks that you look up to and admire. I always appreciated that about Carl,” he said.

Edwards was born in Missouri, attended the University of Missouri in his hometown of Columbia, and admitted to staying close to home throughout his career. Edwards and Elliott may have finally “met” at a television desk in 2025, but their competitiveness on the track dates back to the 2010s.

Elliott and Edwards shared the NASCAR Cup Series stage for 41 races according to Racing-Reference. They clashed for the first time during the 2015 STP 500 where Edwards took the 17th spot and Elliott trailed at 38th, while the victory went to Denny Hamlin, who also snagged the win at Michigan on Sunday.

Their last recorded race against each other was the Ford EcoBoost 400 in 2016; Edwards’s race ended in a crash from the 10th position, and Elliott finished 11th for Rick Hendrick in the NAPA Auto Parts Chevy. Over the course of their competitive history, Edwards often had the upper hand, outperforming Elliott in 21 of their 41 races together.

NASCAR’s first international Cup Series race of the modern era is all about the eyeballs, specifically new fans in the Mexico City market.

NASCAR will be on the track Friday for the first of three days of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, one of the most popular stops on the Formula 1 calendar and Ben Kennedy’s newest project.

The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., Kennedy has taken the family business beyond its comfortable confines before.

Kennedy in 2022 moved the preseason exhibition Clash from its longtime home at Daytona International Speedway in Florida to a temporary track built inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kennedy this year moved the Clash to The Madhouse — the historic Bowman Gray Stadium, which had last hosted a Cup race in 1971, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

NASCAR under Kennedy also returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina for the first time since 1977 when the All-Star race was moved there three years ago. He allowed dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, a hybrid road course and oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, alongside his biggest undertaking: NASCAR’s first street race, held in downtown Chicago.

He also had his eyes set on expanding internationally, which will come Sunday with the first points-paying international race in the Cup Series since 1958. It is only third time in 77 years that NASCAR’s top series will run an event that counts in the championship outside the United States. The last two times were in Canada; the Cup Series also has held exhibitions in Japan and Australia.

“Our biggest opportunity to grow as a sport is international,” Kennedy said when he announced Mexico City was replacing one of the two races on the schedule allocated to Richmond International Raceway.

“The U.S. is always going to be our mainstay and our next opportunity was to expand internationally,” he said. “We said we’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but also needed to make sure it was the right time, the right partners and the right location. Mexico City checked every box. To be in one of the biggest cities globally — over 20 million people that live in the city — is a massive opportunity for us to bring the sport.”

The weekend includes the second-tier Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Mexico Series. It’s a strong return to a market that devours the entire F1 weekend ticket package within an hour of them becoming available.

Mexicans have proven to be rabid motorsports fans but haven’t gotten a chance to see NASCAR’s big names since 2008, the final year of a four-year run of Xfinity races. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were winners during the four-year stretch.

Daniel Suarez, the former Xfinity champion and native of Monterrey, is NASCAR’s face of the event. He raced the circuit 13 times with a different layout in the NASCAR Mexico Series, and three of Suarez’s starts were wins.

“I’m super excited for the event. I’m super excited to live the moment because the first time is going to only happen once,” Suarez said. “I’m really trying to be as present as possible, enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that’s not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.”

The planning that has gone into Mexico City, one of 38 events on the Cup schedule, began about a year ago. NASCAR has worked on myriad details, beginning with how to get nearly 200 trucks hauling race cars and equipment from Michigan International Speedway into Mexico City.

NASCAR official Tom Bryant has spearheaded the organizational logistics and made multiple trips to the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, to meet with customs officials from both nations.

The drive from Michigan to Mexico City is about 40 hours, not including the tedious customs crossing, where all the equipment and tools on every NASCAR hauler must be documented on an exhaustive manifest. Cup Series teams cars were scheduled for a Monday night arrival at Laredo, with crossing scheduled for Tuesday and arrival at the track on Thursday.

“It’s been a ton of coordination moving lots of people and lots of stuff safely and efficiently across a great distance and an international border,” Bryant said on the “Hauler Talk” NASCAR podcast.

“There is a lot to it, but the key to it is you just have to define the problem. We’ve got to get these people and these things from this point to that point within a certain time period,” he said. “How do we do it in a way that’s going to best position us to be ready to go to work as soon as we hit the ground down there? Because this is a pretty tight window.”

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Moreso than their counterparts in other sports, motorsports officials and competitors usually abide by the saying that “a rising tide lifts all ships.” 

That’s why it’s confusing that Formula One seems to be trying to take the spotlight off what is arguably the greatest oval race in the world by scheduling a race on the same continent, and likely at the same time, as the Indianapolis 500. 

Perhaps the biggest talking point following the release of F1’s 2026 schedule Tuesday is the fact the circuit will be in Montreal for a race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on May 24. That’s the same day that an estimated 350,000 fans will converge on Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 — a race first run in 1911, 39 years before the first F1 season. 

While it’s true that F1 has intentionally raced on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 since 2006, that race — the famed Monaco Grand Prix — always took place early in the morning in North America, giving race fans who wanted to tune in to both races ample opportunity to catch plenty of pre-race festivities at Indianapolis after the checkered flag flew in Monaco. 

But this scheduling move seems to be an attempt to stick a dagger in F1’s American open-wheel racing competitor on its biggest day. F1 remains much more popular than IndyCar globally and nationally, but the Indy 500 transcends IndyCar itself. It’s the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world, and one that in 2025, drew 7.05 million viewers compared to F1’s 2.3 million for Monaco. In 2026, Monaco will instead be run two weeks later (June 7). 

Of course, F1’s global reach far exceeds that of IndyCar, but that’s no reason for F1, a sport trying to shake the notion that it caters more to the elite than the common man, to pretend that one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world isn’t happening 850 miles south of Montreal. 

Aside from being a slap in the face to IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, the decision to race in Canada on the same day as the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is also a disservice to fans who enjoy both leagues.

If F1’s race is indeed scheduled in the same timeslot as the Indianapolis 500, fans may be torn on what race to focus on. Given Formula 1’s explosion in popularity in the United States over the past five years, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Indy is the party that suffers a loss in viewership from the scheduling decision. 

F1 seems to be trying to sink IndyCar’s most important race. This will only fuel the narrative that it sees itself as the unquestioned ruler of the global motorsports landscape. But it’s not a good look.

Denny Hamlin celebrated his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season on June 8 at Michigan International Speedway, and now he awaits a celebration of a different kind: the birth of his third child.