Motorsports

How To Be A NASCAR Professional In 2025? – Speedway Digest

Introduction Do you like speed and want to make a career out of it? Why not consider being one of the NASCAR professionals? A NASCAR professional is not just about driving. There are also other job roles available. However, in this article, we will be primarily discussing how to be a professional driver in NASCAR […]

Published

1 week ago

June 27, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Introduction

Do you like speed and want to make a career out of it? Why not consider being one of the NASCAR professionals? A NASCAR professional is not just about driving. There are also other job roles available.

However, in this article, we will be primarily discussing how to be a professional driver in NASCAR or any other professional motorsports. However, before we delve into the step-by-step approach, we must first understand the fundamentals.

Follow on to learn what it means to be a professional driver, the skills they need, the steps you need to follow, etc.

Types Of Professional Driving?

Being a professional racecar driver is not just about being able to drive fast; it’s about moving fast safely. Motorsport is not just about speeding. It is about control. It is about how quickly you can make a turn and so on. Therefore, just because you can drive fast, it does not mean that you are cut out for the track.

Racing and the ability to drive fast are huge responsibilities. If you can shoulder that, it is well and good. If not, consider connecting with a criminal defense attorney and a personal injury lawyer near you in Houston, as you may be involved in a car wreck or be a victim of one.

Each form of motorsport demands a different set of skills. Here are some of the various forms of professional driving that you might come across:

Open Wheel: Open-wheel driving involves a car without a roof. Indycars, as well as Formula One, qualify as open-wheel racing.
Sports: These cars are often known as Grand Tourers or sports prototype racing cars. These races are frequently held in closed-circuit arenas.
Touring: These are factory cars that have been modified to take on breakneck speeds. These races last for 24 hours and are often equated to marathons.
Rally: This is a two-man job. In rallies, the driver and his co-passenger go through several stages of a race. Rally cars do not battle head-on; instead, they compete by comparing their times.
Drag: These races are all about being the fastest. These races take place on a half-mile straight track, where two modified cars compete to finish the stretch in the quickest time.

What Skills Should NASCAR Drivers Have?

NASCAR falls under the GT or Sports car racing format. In this format, the driver is expected to complete a circuit in laps while battling opponents head-on. Although the format is primarily about speed, it has evolved into much more than that. Here are the skill sets a NASCAR driver needs to perform.

Driving Ability

This is obvious, but over here we are talking about racecar driving. NASCAR driving is not your average commuting driving. It takes years of practice and g-force training to qualify to be behind the wheel.

A NASCAR driver’s job is very different from a dragster’s job. A dragster is not concerned with turning, but raw speed. A NASCAR driver must manage speed, turns, and opponents simultaneously.

Mechanics

As a professional NASCAR driver, you need to be familiar with the machine you are entrusted with. As a high-octane driver, you cannot always rely on a pit crew to understand what is going on.

Even though a pit crew is primarily responsible for keeping a car running optimally, as a driver, you must develop a sense of what works for your vehicle and what does not. This is basic knowledge that every driver must have.

Heightened Fitness & Reflexes

A NASCAR driver is not driving a normal car. He or she is wrestling with elements like G-force, other cars, and deadly turns. The overall physical toll of such an experience is humongous, and the body needs to be prepared.

Like the car, your body needs to be finely tuned to handle high speeds. It should be strong enough to go through the whole thing without passing out. Driving a GT is equivalent to being in a fighter jet. Hence, your body needs to be prepared.

Split-Second Decision Making

A racer should have a lower reaction time compared to a commuter driver. According to the data, some drivers exhibit a reaction time of 0.2 to 0.3 seconds, compared to the normal 0.5 seconds.

This is something that requires honing over the years. This is likely one of the most challenging skills to develop. Still, if you want to be a professional racer, you need to work on it to ensure high-end performance.

How To Be A Professional NASCAR Driver

With that, we have reached the final leg of our article. You have the knowledge and the skills, but no idea about the right direction to pick. Here is a small rundown of some of the steps that you need to take to ensure that you are a professional NASCAR driver:

Develop Basic Skills: The first logical step towards your dream of becoming a racer is to hone your skills. This means training your body and mind to react optimally in a race.
Join A Club: Once you have some track time under your belt, consider joining a racing club. A racing club will help you with guidance.
Obtain Vehicle & Equipment: Having a race-capable vehicle along with the right equipment is mandatory to start your professional NASCAR career.
Obtain a License: To drive legally and safely, you need to have a valid track license. A track license is more advanced than a driver’s license. Consult with your club, and they can assist you.
Train, Train & Train: To be a professional means you are prepared to take on any challenges that the track might throw at you. For this, you need to train like there is no tomorrow.
Find Sponsor: You need to find a sponsor who can assist you with the financial aspects.

The Final Thought

In the end, being a racecar driver or a NASCAR driver is about being mad and sane at the same time. It’s about going fast and being the last to take your foot off the pedal. This is a sport of calculated recklessness and guts.

Therefore, if you are still undecided about a career, consider joining the NASCAR legacy. This will eventually put you in the pages of history and let you take on the world on your own terms.

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Motorsports

NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 Results

Sunday At Chicago Street Course Chicago. Lap length: 2.20 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet,… Sunday At Chicago Street Course Chicago. Lap length: 2.20 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 75 laps, 40 points. 2. (9) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 75, 35. 3. (4) Tyler Reddick, […]

Published

3 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sunday At Chicago Street Course Chicago. Lap length: 2.20 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet,…

Sunday

At Chicago Street Course

Chicago.

Lap length: 2.20 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 75 laps, 40 points.

2. (9) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 75, 35.

3. (4) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 75, 51.

4. (40) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 75, 38.

5. (6) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 75, 41.

6. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 75, 31.

7. (7) Ryan Preece, Ford, 75, 36.

8. (11) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 75, 36.

9. (30) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 75, 0.

10. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 75, 32.

11. (12) Joey Logano, Ford, 75, 26.

12. (17) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 75, 35.

13. (14) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 75, 24.

14. (26) Zane Smith, Ford, 75, 26.

15. (25) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 75, 29.

16. (39) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 75, 25.

17. (21) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 75, 20.

18. (8) Chris Buescher, Ford, 75, 19.

19. (33) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 75, 18.

20. (36) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 75, 17.

21. (31) Josh Bilicki, Ford, 75, 0.

22. (28) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 75, 15.

23. (5) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 75, 30.

24. (13) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 74, 14.

25. (34) Erik Jones, Toyota, 74, 14.

26. (35) Cody Ware, Ford, accident, 73, 11.

27. (27) Austin Cindric, Ford, 72, 10.

28. (37) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 70, 15.

29. (18) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, accident, 69, 8.

30. (24) Noah Gragson, Ford, 68, 8.

31. (32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, accident, 62, 6.

32. (2) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 53, 15.

33. (23) Cole Custer, Ford, accident, 29, 4.

34. (29) Josh Berry, Ford, accident, 28, 3.

35. (3) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, accident, 2, 2.

36. (10) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 2, 1.

37. (15) Brad Keselowski, Ford, accident, 2, 1.

38. (20) Todd Gilliland, Ford, accident, 2, 1.

39. (19) Will Brown, Chevrolet, accident, 2, 1.

40. (38) William Byron, Chevrolet, clutch, 1, 1.

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Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 64.719 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 28 minutes, 17 seconds.

Margin of Victory: Under Caution.

Caution Flags: 7 for 15 laps.

Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S.Van Gisbergen 0; M.McDowell 1-31; S.Van Gisbergen 32-41; A.Allmendinger 42-43; R.Blaney 44-46; C.Briscoe 47-59; S.Van Gisbergen 60-75

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): M.McDowell, 1 time for 31 laps; S.Van Gisbergen, 3 times for 26 laps; C.Briscoe, 1 time for 13 laps; R.Blaney, 1 time for 3 laps; A.Allmendinger, 1 time for 2 laps.

Wins: K.Larson, 3; D.Hamlin, 3; C.Bell, 3; S.Van Gisbergen, 2; W.Byron, 1; C.Elliott, 1; R.Blaney, 1; R.Chastain, 1; C.Briscoe, 1; J.Logano, 1; A.Cindric, 1; J.Berry, 1.

Top 16 in Points: 1. W.Byron, 632; 2. C.Elliott, 619; 3. K.Larson, 613; 4. D.Hamlin, 589; 5. T.Reddick, 584; 6. C.Bell, 565; 7. R.Blaney, 539; 8. R.Chastain, 490; 9. C.Briscoe, 482; 10. A.Bowman, 480; 11. C.Buescher, 476; 12. J.Logano, 471; 13. B.Wallace, 443; 14. R.Preece, 441; 15. A.Allmendinger, 400; 16. K.Busch, 397.

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NASCAR Driver Rating Formula

A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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Motorsports

NASCAR’s first in-season tournament adds some drama to the Cup Series finish in Chicago – KIRO 7 News Seattle

CHICAGO — (AP) — NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn’t know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race. That might be about to change. Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the mix for the […]

Published

25 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

That might be about to change.

Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the mix for the $1 million prize that goes to the winner of the five-race, bracket-style competition. While Shane van Gisbergen was closing out his Cup victory in Chicago this weekend, some of the most compelling action on the downtown street course was at least connected to the inaugural In-Season Challenge.

Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace raced each other hard in the final laps after they tangled in Chicago last year. Bowman got the better of the head-to-head matchup, finishing eighth and eliminating Wallace from the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek was 15th, one spot better than his opponent, Chase Elliott. Gibbs had a strong day and finished second, good enough to beat AJ Allmendinger in sixth. Ty Dillon, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also moved on.

The 14th-seeded Smith upset No. 3 seed Chris Buescher by finishing 14th. He is matched up with Gibbs for Sunday’s road race at Sonoma.

“I hate we had to knock another Ford out, but it’s super cool to advance,” Smith said.

With the in-season tournament — part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT — NASCAR is following in the footsteps of the NBA and soccer leagues around the world. After Sonoma this weekend, it concludes with races at Dover and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Bowman said the tournament wasn’t on his mind as he battled with Wallace at the end in Chicago. Whatever the reason for the contact, their head-to-head matchup certainly added a bit of intrigue to the racing behind van Gisbergen’s victory.

With the money involved and the field trimmed to eight drivers, there could be more moments like the duel between Bowman and Wallace in the final weeks of the challenge.

“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging.”

It sure sounds as if Dillon is enjoying the competition. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Brad Keselowski on Sunday after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin at Atlanta on June 28.

There was absolutely no drama in Dillon’s win after Keselowski was collected in an early crash that began with Carson Hocevar hitting the wall and spinning out between Turns 10 and 11. Hocevar was eliminated by Reddick.

“I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team,” Dillon said. “I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.”

Dillon takes on Bowman and Preece faces Reddick in the next round. But the most interesting contest just might be Nemechek versus Jones in a matchup of Legacy Motor Club teammates.

“I felt like if we could have gotten through the first round, these next two rounds are really good for us,” Preece said. “Our road course program is pretty strong, and we keep making it better. So going into Sonoma, I think we’re up against Tyler Reddick, so he’s really good at road courses as well, but I like being the underdog.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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Motorsports

Michael McDowell took the fight to SVG before mid-race throttle issue

While Shane van Gisbergen was once again the driver to beat on Sunday, his closest competition never got a fair shot in the end due to some mechanical gremlins. Michael McDowell started from the outside of the front row at the Chicago Street Course and took the lead from SVG on the opening lap. He […]

Published

40 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

While Shane van Gisbergen was once again the driver to beat on Sunday, his closest competition never got a fair shot in the end due to some mechanical gremlins.

Michael McDowell started from the outside of the front row at the Chicago Street Course and took the lead from SVG on the opening lap. He went on to win Stage 1 and appeared to be a real threat for the win. The Spire Motorsports driver was also facing a two-year winless streak and hoped to put that behind him on Sunday.

Unfortunately, after leading the most laps (31), a stuck throttle forced him to give up the lead and head to the garage for repairs. He returned to the race over 20 laps down, finishing a disappointing 32nd. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen captured the checkered flag.

Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

“The throttle cable just broke,” said McDowell. “I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened. I feel like we had control of the race. I think it would have been a battle, no doubt. I felt like any time I could open a gap on SVG, I could.

“We were just working on our strategy. We knew we were going to one-stop it, so I was taking care of the tires and doing all the things I could. I was behind the pace car and the throttle stuck wide-open. Luckily, I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something, and then a cable broke after that. It’s just a shame. We had a great No. 71 DePaul Chevrolet. We’ve got some good momentum heading into Sonoma next weekend.”

The good news for McDowell is that NASCAR heads to another road course next weekend with Sonoma, where he finished second just one year ago.

Motorsports

Shane van Gisbergen dodges little-known NASCAR playoff trap

When Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen won at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez a few weeks ago, it was said that he had “clinched” a spot in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but that could not have been further from the truth. While the playoff format is widely considered a “win and in” format, the Cup […]

Published

41 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

While the playoff format is widely considered a “win and in” format, the Cup Series entered this past weekend’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course with 12 winners in 18 races, leaving eight remaining races on the regular season schedule in which more new winners could emerge.

Regardless of how many winners there are, the playoffs are capped at 16 drivers. Though it hasn’t happened since the introduction of the modern format in 2014, there can absolutely be more than 16 different winners, in which case a winner (or multiple winners) would not actually qualify for the playoffs.

The regular season champion is locked in, as are all drivers who win more than once (since there can be no more than 13 of them in 26 races). The tiebreaker, if applicable, to see which single-race winners get in and which don’t becomes points.

Likewise, if there aren’t enough winners to fill the postseason field, points determine which non-winners get in and which don’t. This is what it usually comes down to, but again, it’s not guaranteed that there won’t end up being more winners than playoff spots.

Van Gisbergen was in a bad spot on points.

While the other 11 winners were inside the top 20 in the standings, he found himself down in 31st place. He was all but a lock to finish the regular season as the lowest winner in the point standings, meaning that had the regular season produced (and it still might) 17 or 18 winners, he’d be in a precarious situation.

Not anymore.

By winning twice, van Gisbergen is locked into the playoffs. He could finish last in the point standings and still qualify, even if the regular season ends with seven more new winners to give it 19 in total.

Some might argue that it’s one of the flaws of the modern format, while some might use it to reinforce the idea that it’s not really a “win and in” format like we’re supposed to believe. While winning once may not seal the deal, winning twice certainly does, regardless of points.

Now van Gisbergen doesn’t have to worry about losing his playoff spot.

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is the next race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and it is set to be shown live on TNT Sports from Sonoma Raceway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 13.

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Motorsports

Is William Byron reaching for the rip-cord yet?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: It just might be Denny Hamlin’s year. Did you see who finished fourth in Chicago? That’s right, it was Denny, who hadn’t finished better than 14th in his previous seven road-course starts. In fact, it was just his second top-10 in his last 19 roadies. This week will […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: It just might be Denny Hamlin’s year.

Did you see who finished fourth in Chicago? That’s right, it was Denny, who hadn’t finished better than 14th in his previous seven road-course starts.

In fact, it was just his second top-10 in his last 19 roadies. This week will tell us more, but if he’s going to start handling right-hand turns without issue, he’s definitely on all cylinders.

On the other end of the spectrum, what in the world is wrong with William Byron? Here are his last five finishes: 28, 9, 27, 37, 40.

This week’s power rankings:

1. Denny Hamlin

Congrats on that fourth-place in Chicago. It was just his second top-10 in his last 19 road races.

2. Chase Elliott

Often leads at Sonoma, but hasn’t won there.

3. Kyle Larson

Seven straight races without a bonus point, which seems weird.

4. Ryan Blaney

0-for-32 on road courses since winning the Roval in 2018.

5. Christopher Bell

Mr. Hunch says he’s the man to beat this weekend.

6. Alex Bowman

Finding decent form in time for a shot at the million-dollar bracket battle.

7. Chris Buescher

Still collecting points in steady fashion, but you can’t put points on the mantel.

8. Ross Chastain

Ross the Boss generally holds his own at road courses. Not great, not bad.

9. William Byron

You thought it couldn’t get worse, then he finished 40th in Chicago. It’s a full-blown mini-slump now.

10. Chase Briscoe

It was a toss-up between him and Ryan Preece for our 10th spot.

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Motorsports

NASCAR’s first in-season tournament adds some drama to the Cup Series finish in Chicago

CHICAGO – NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn’t know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race. That might be about to change. Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the mix for the $1 million […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHICAGO – NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn’t know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race.

That might be about to change.

The 14th-seeded Smith upset No. 3 seed Chris Buescher by finishing 14th. He is matched up with Gibbs for Sunday’s road race at Sonoma.

“I hate we had to knock another Ford out, but it’s super cool to advance,” Smith said.

With the money involved and the field trimmed to eight drivers, there could be more moments like the duel between Bowman and Wallace in the final weeks of the challenge.

“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging.”

It sure sounds as if Dillon is enjoying the competition. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Brad Keselowski on Sunday after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin at Atlanta on June 28.

“I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team,” Dillon said. “I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.”

Dillon takes on Bowman and Preece faces Reddick in the next round. But the most interesting contest just might be Nemechek versus Jones in a matchup of Legacy Motor Club teammates.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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