Talent is not the only rope that a young driver can use to climb to the pinnacle of stock car racing. Money is a powerful tool — especially today, when sponsorship is vital to keeping teams operational. Kyle Busch knows this better than most, having been a team owner in the Craftsman Truck Series for over a decade.

The two-time Cup Series champion admitted this sad reality in a recent conversation with GOLF’s Subpar and pointed out an anomaly named William Byron, amidst a flurry of pay drivers who made it to NASCAR and stayed simply based on their family’s financial strength. Now a key driver for Hendrick Motorsports, Byron drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports back in 2016.

Busch pointed out how he was always on the lookout for skilled drivers who won races cleanly, considering the Truck Series was a feeder program for the higher tiers. It was at this time that he came across Byron and employed him. He said, “William Byron, for instance, had a sponsor. His dad helped him and funded him and stuff like that, but everything he got, he was talented. He worked at it.”

“He was very smart and diligent at it and did a great job of being able to understand the vehicles and how to make himself successful in those vehicles. And he won his way, all the way, to the top. Now, he’s in NASCAR being paid to race.” Byron is one of the most successful drivers in the sport and a crucial element in his team’s championship hopes.

How much does a driver have to pay to secure a NASCAR seat?

Sponsorship fuels team operations more than ever before. This has led to teams letting drivers race for them based on their ability to bring in funds alone. Busch, rather alarmingly, revealed in the interview how much it costs to buy a seat in each of the three national series.

“I would say the Cup Series is probably around six to eight million bucks. You can get a Cup seat,” he said. “Xfinity Series ride, if you’ve got between four and a half to six million. You can be in an Xfinity Series car. To run [in] Truck, you probably need three million bucks.”

Some current drivers raise questions about merit, with their presence owed more to money than performance. Unfortunately, the financial model of NASCAR allows them to be a part of the game regardless.

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Benebone Ford Team
Charlotte Motor Speedway Competition Notes
Coca-Cola 600

Date: Sunday May 25, 2025
Event: Race 15 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-miles)
#of Laps: 400
Time/TV/Radio: 6:00 PM ET on Amazon Prime/PRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Zane Smith Notes

It’s a home game for the NASCAR Cup Series this Memorial Day weekend as Zane Smith and the No. 38 Ford team head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will be Smith’s third Coca-Cola 600 start at the 1.5-mile Concord, North Carolina speedway and has a career best finish of 10th, earning the finish in 2023 with Crew Chief Ryan Bergenty.

Benebone, a leading USA brand of durable dog toys, will join Smith for the 400-lap race in a new scheme featuring Smith’s dogs, Roxy and Kygo. “I’m excited to reignite my partnership with Benebone,” said Smith. “My dogs are a huge part of my life, so it’s great to have a partner who understands this special connection.” This weekend’s race marks the first of three primaries for Benebone on the No. 38 this season. For more information, visit benebone.com.

The No. 38 Benebone Ford will carry the name of Corporal Keaton G. Coffey. Coffey, a 22-year-old Marine from Boring, Oregon, was killed in action on May 24, 2012, during his second deployment in Afghanistan, just weeks before his scheduled return. He had been planning to marry his fiancée, Brittany Dygert, also from Boring, in July. A 2007 graduate of Damascus Christian School, Coffey briefly attended George Fox University before enlisting in the Marines. Deeply committed to his fellow service members, he had a tattoo honoring a close friend lost during his first tour. He served as a dog handler with his canine partner, Denny, who survived and continued serving until his passing earlier this year.

“This is a special weekend for NASCAR,” said Smith. “Honoring a fallen service member is really special to the team and I, so hopefully I can make their family proud. The 600 is one of the hardest races of the year, not just on your body, but your mind too. We have been showing up to the track with a lot of speed, so I’m confident that we can leave Charlotte with a strong result.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Tyler Podlaski

Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Ernest Mullins

Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Flores

Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Chris Webb

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

ABOUT BENEBONE

At Benebone, we know that dogs make us better people. They help us live healthier and happier lives. Our simple mission is to make life a little bit better for dogs and their humans. We do it through a commitment to quality, community, and giving back. For more information, visit benebone.com.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Clear all of your weekend plans! One of the biggest weekends in motorsports is upon us as the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500, British MotoGP, and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 are set to kick off as early as tomorrow. 

Here is everything you need to know to catch all of the on-track action live.

F1 Monaco Grand Prix

Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Formula 1 descends upon the streets of Monte Carlo for the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix. As home hero Charles Leclerc looks to defend his first home victory from 2024, McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris head into the weekend on the back of a strong start to the 2025 season.

While the race can be followed live via the normal platforms (details below), fans can also head to our special Motorsport Race Center Live show for an interactive watchalong. This weekend, the race hosts will be Red Flags Podcast’s Brian Muller and Matt Elisofon, and Kireth Kalirai will be hosting the qualifying live show.

On top of watching all of the on-track action, the live show comes with the opportunity to chat with other fans and win prizes.

When to watch the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix

Friday, 23 May

Practice 1 – Local time: 13:30 – 14:30
Practice 2 – Local time: 17:00 – 18:00

Saturday, 24 May

Practice 3 – Local time: 12:30 – 13:30
Qualifying – Local time: 16:00 – 17:00

Sunday, 25 May

Grand Prix – Local time: 15:00

How to watch the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix

Fans watching the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix from the UK can watch via Sky Sports F1 or streaming services such as NowTV. United States viewers can watch through ESPN as well as fuboTV and F1 TV.

Additionally, you can watch along on Motorsport.com with our special Race Center Live show.

For a full list of F1 broadcasts for each country, visit here.

For a guide on what you need to know ahead of the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, click here.

Indianapolis 500

All Indy 500 starters

Photo by: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

The Indy 500 returns for the 109th running of the prestigious event, dubbed “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rookie Robert Schwartzman will line up in pole position on Sunday, with Takuma Sato and Pato O’Ward joining him on the front row. 

Team Penske has been flooding the headlines this week as Josef Newgarden and Will Power were relegated to the rear of the grid after IndyCar found their cars to have made technical violations. 

When to watch the 2025 Indy 500

Friday, 23 May

Practice – Local time: 11:00 – 13:00
Pit Stop Challenge – Local time: 14:30 – 16:00

Sunday, 25 May

109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 – Local time: 12:45

How to watch the 2025 Indy 500

For fans watching in the United States, the 2025 Indy 500 will be broadcast on FOX Sports. For those watching in Canada, it will be available on TSN, and in the UK, it will be shown on Sky Sports.

For a full list of Indy 500 broadcasters for each country, visit here.

For a guide on the full starting lineup for the 109th Indy 500, click here.

NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600

NASCAR’s longest race is fast-approaching with the Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 set for Sunday. Taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the drivers will take to the track tomorrow for the Craftsman Truck Series, with the Xfinity and Cup Series action will kick off on Saturday, 24 May. 

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is attempting the famous ‘Double,’ which will see him take part in the Indy 500 before hopefully making his way to Charlotte in time for the Coca-Cola 600.

When to watch the NASCAR Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Friday, 23 May

Craftsman Truck Series Practice – Local time: 15:35
Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – Local time: 16:40
Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 – Local time: 20:30

Saturday, 24 May

Xfinity Series Practice – Local time: 11:05
Xfinity Series Qualifying – Local time: 12:10
Cup Series Practice – Local time: 13:30
Cup Series Qualifying – Local time: 14:40
Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 – Local time: 16:30

Sunday, 25 May

Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 – Local time: 18:00

How to watch the NASCAR Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Craftsman Truck Series
Both practice and qualifying for the Craftsman Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway are set to be broadcast on FS2. The race, the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, can be followed live on FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and MRN.

Xfinity Series
Practice and qualifying for the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be broadcast on CW and APP. The race, the BetMGM 300, will be live on CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Cup Series
Both practice and qualifying for the Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 will be shown live on Prime. The race on Sunday can be followed live on Prime, Max, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

For the full entry list for the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, visit here.

British MotoGP

Track detail

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Silverstone, also host of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, has 75 years of history as one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar, and has become one of the most prestigious venues in motorsport. 

Marc Marquez heads into the race weekend leading the MotoGP riders’ championship with 171 points. His brother, Alex Marquez, is close behind with 149 points, followed by Francesco Bagnaia in third with 120 points.

When to watch the Tissot Grand Prix of the United Kingdom

Friday, 23 May

Moto3 Free Practice Nr. 1 – Local time: 10:10:35
Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 1 – Local time: 10:50 – 11:30
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 – Local time: 11:45 – 12:30
Moto3 Practice – Local time: 14:15 – 14:50
Moto2 Practice – Local time: 15:05 – 15:45
MotoGP Practice – Local time: 16:00 – 17:00

Saturday, 24 May

Moto3 Free Practice Nr. 2 – Local time: 09:40 – 10:10
Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 2 – Local time: 10:35 – 10:55
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 – Local time: 11:10 – 11:40
MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 1 – Local time: 11:50 – 12:05
MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 2 – Local time: 12:15 – 12:30
Moto3 Qualifying Nr. 1 – Local time:13:50 – 14:05
Moto3 Qualifying Nr. 2 – Local time: 14:15 – 14:30
Moto2 Qualifying Nr. 1 – Local time: 14:45 – 15:00
Moto2 Qualifying Nr. 2 – Local time: 15:10 – 15:25
MotoGP Tissot Sprint (10 laps) – Local time: 16:00

Sunday, 25 May

MotoGP Warm Up – Local time: 09:40 – 09:50
Moto2 Race (17 laps) – Local time: 11:15
MotoGP Grand Prix (20 laps) – Local time: 13:00
Moto3 Race (15 laps) – Local time: 14:30

How to watch the British MotoGP

For fans based in the UK, the British MotoGP is set to be broadcast on TNT Sports and ITV. For those watching from the United States, the racing will be broadcast on FS1 and FS2.

For a full list of broadcasters, click here.

NASCAR sponsorships can typically be separated into two categories.

One is your normal brand or product wanting to promote itself to an audience (or a business-to-business deal with a team).

The other is a sponsorship that’s promoting an event or a piece of media, like the decade’s worth of movie sponsorships that have come and gone in NASCAR.

May 22 brought news of a very cool, yet weirdly specific third type of sponsor activation. It combines the branding promotion with the event promotion.

However, when the related paint scheme finally hits the track, one thing will be … off. In what has to be a first, the event being promoted will have already happened.

Of course, I’m talking about JR Motorsports’ unveiling of the throwback paint scheme Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive in a zMAX CARS Tour event at Anderson Motor Speedway on Aug. 16. 

Twenty-four years later, Earnhardt will once again pilot one of his most iconic NASCAR Cup Series paint schemes. JRM has teamed up with Budweiser and Major League Baseball to re-create his paint scheme from the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

That’s when Earnhardt won the first Cup race held at Daytona after Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt Jr.’s car that night was a promotion for that summer’s MLB All-Star Game.

So what’s the 2025 remix promoting?

The first-ever MLB game to be played at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Years after a college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies was played in the track’s infield, baseball fans will get to watch the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds take their turn … on Aug. 2.

Yes, when Earnhardt pilots his throwback scheme at Anderson, the event emblazoned on the No. 8 — the MLB Speedway Classic — will be two weeks old.

Timing is everything! But let’s not kid ourselves. None of the brands involved probably care when the All-Star throwback is on the track.

The real promotion is going on right now.

More people — 219,000 as of this writing — saw Earnhardt’s tweet announcing the scheme than can fit into Anderson (about 5,000).

North of 787,000 users have seen MLB’s own tweet about the scheme (and the game itself.

The legacy continues

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 8 Budweiser MLB car once again, 24 years after first winning with it at Daytona

This time, the NASCAR Hall of Famer will pilot the iconic scheme in support of the Speedway Classic at Anderson Speedway in the CARS… pic.twitter.com/ZEiEATL68p

— MLB (@MLB) May 22, 2025

I’m willing to bet more people saw those two tweets than will actually watch the CARS race online come Aug. 16.

Simply announcing the paint scheme’s existence — and all the sweet merch you can, and will, buy related to it — lit up the Internet today. The work’s been done.

(The red Budweiser shirt is my favorite. But $45? For a T-shirt? Yikes).

Also, in what can only be an example of Earnhardt synergy, this sponsor partnership was announced the same day the first two episodes of Amazon Prime’s Dale Earnhardt docuseries premiered.

And the same day a really good longform story on Earnhardt Jr. and his relationship with his father by the Washington Post was published.

Sure, it’s the week of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 (and some race in Monaco).

But it’s also Earnhardt week. Enjoy it while it lasts. We probably won’t get a week like this again.

Daniel McFadin is a 10-year veteran of the NASCAR media corp. He wrote for NBC Sports from 2015 to October 2020. He currently works full time for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and is lead reporter and an editor for Frontstretch. He is also host of the NASCAR podcast “Dropping the Hammer with Daniel McFadin” presented by Democrat-Gazette.

You can email him at danielmcfadin@gmail.com.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum on Thursday night shared plans for a new Restoration and Event Facility in the town of Speedway, with construction to start in the summer.

The cost is estimated around $18 million. This project is fully funded by the museum; more than half have already been raised from donor support.

The facility should be completed sometime in late 2026 at 1111 Polco St., now a vacant lot in an industrial area near West 10th Street.

The space will be used to restore and exhibit the museum’s vehicle collection not on display at the museum, and to provide a site for meetings and events. It’ll include six restoration bays, two detailing bays, dedicated space for vehicle storage, rotating exhibits, and public tours. The facility was designed to support the museum’s new education program, offering classes for students interested in automotive engineering and restoration. The museum plans to expand its workforce as part of the efforts.

Jason Vansickle, vice president of curation and education, said in a statement in the release, “With the growth of our restoration program, we need to increase our workspace and storage facility to allow for the constant preservation of vehicles.”

This story has been updated with the cost of the project.