Honda Genuine Oil and Chemical Brand “Pro Honda” to Serve as Title Sponsor –

TOKYO, Japan, January 9, 2026 – Honda has reached a sponsorship agreement with Honda LCR, which competes in the MotoGP class of the FIM* Grand Prix World Championship.

For the 2026 season, Honda LCR will campaign a two-bike lineup in MotoGP. Alongside Johann Zarco (France, age 35) aboard the CASTROL Honda LCR, the team will introduce a second entry titled Pro Honda LCR, with Pro Honda—Honda’s genuine oil and chemical brand—serving as title sponsor. Riding for Pro Honda LCR will be Diogo Moreira (Brazil, age 21), who captured the 2025 FIM Grand Prix World Championship Moto2 title.

*FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

Lucio Cecchinello (left), Team Principal & CEO of Honda LCR,and Kotaro Shimizu (right), Executive Officer, Customer First Operations Division, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Under the Pro Honda brand, Honda made its first MotoGP appearance with Pro Honda liveries at the 2024 season finale, the Solidarity Grand Prix, in which Stefan Bradl (Germany, age 36) raced as a wildcard entry for the Honda HRC Test Team, riding the RC213V. During the 2025 season, Aleix Espargar (Spain, age 36), a test rider for Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), and Takaaki Nakagami (Chiba, Japan, age 33), competed in the MotoGP class as wildcard entries. Espargaro made four appearances and Nakagami two, for a total of six races, all entered by Honda HRC Test Team and raced in Pro Honda livery.

Pro Honda is Honda’s global unified brand of genuine oils and chemical products, developed to maximize the performance of Honda vehicles. Technologies honed under the extreme conditions of motorsports are fed back into commercial products, providing riders with confidence and reliability.

Kotaro Shimizu, Executive Officer, Customer First Operations Division, Automobile Business, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

“We are truly delighted to have entered into a sponsorship agreement with Honda LCR under the Pro Honda brand. Built on a strong relationship of trust with CEO Lucio Cecchinello and HRC, we will fully support the challenge undertaken by Diogo Moreira and Pro Honda LCR from the 2026 season onward, doing our utmost to contribute to both the team and the rider. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity, and as Honda’s genuine oil and chemical brand, Pro Honda will continue to deliver proven technology and reliability designed to maximize the performance of Honda vehicles, while communicating the value of Pro Honda to Honda users around the world.”

Lucio Cecchinello, Team Principal & CEO, Honda LCR

“Establishing a new partnership with Pro Honda, the official Honda brand for genuine oil and chemical products, represents a profoundly significant milestone for part of our project. By sharing common values, we are committed with this racing program to pursuing the perfect balance between competitive performance and reliability.”

Honda LCR Overview
Team Principal & CEO: Lucio Cecchinello
Founded: 1996
Base: Principality of Monaco
MotoGP class wins: 5

News URL: https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/104542/

URL: https://plus.google.com/110355594819754396833
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/HondaJP
Twitter : https://twitter.com/HondaJP
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/user/HondaJPPR
Linkedin : https://jp.linkedin.com/company/honda

Spire Motorsports has formed a partnership with Tibbetts Lumber Company, which will serve as the primary sponsor for Michael McDowell during the season-opening Fresh From Florida 250 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway. McDowell, a veteran driver with more than 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts, is aiming for his first win across all three national series. Tibbetts Lumber, the largest independently-owned lumber supplier in Florida, emphasizes values such as faith and integrity, reflecting its community-oriented ethos. Both McDowell and Tibbetts are expressing optimism for success at the highly anticipated race on February 13, which will be broadcast live on FS1.

By the Numbers

• Tibbetts Lumber has over 5,400 customers and 838,000 deliveries.
• Michael McDowell has recorded one win, three top-five, and eight top-10 finishes in his NASCAR career.

State of Play

• The Fresh From Florida 250 marks McDowell’s fifth career start in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
• This race is the first of 25 on the 2026 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule.

What’s Next

Looking ahead, McDowell hopes to secure his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory at Daytona, marking a significant milestone in his career. The outcome of the race could influence both his and Spire Motorsports’ standings in the series. Continued performance improvements in McDowell’s 2026 campaign may lead to further partnerships and sponsorships.

Bottom Line

The partnership between Tibbetts Lumber Company and Spire Motorsports at Daytona highlights the importance of community ties and sponsorship in NASCAR. McDowell’s pursuit of a victory represents both a personal achievement and a potential boon for the sponsor. This collaboration may set the tone for future success in the 2026 season.

Formula 1 is embarking on a new era with its 2026 season as the championship will introduce widespread changes to its technical regulations.

Car chassis will become lighter and smaller, while more emphasis will be placed on electrical energy, which will have a near-50:50 split with the internal combustion engine.

There are also two new power unit suppliers entering F1; the last time F1 had two engine manufacturers enter in the same season was 2000 with BMW and Honda. 

So, who are the new suppliers for 2026 and which engine will all 11 teams use?

Power units used by each F1 team

McLaren

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Lars Baron / LAT Images via Getty Images

• Powertrain: Mercedes
• Partnership debut: 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
• Grand prix wins since current partnership started: 21

McLaren-Mercedes was one of F1’s most famous partnerships from the late 1990s to 2000s, having delivered championship success in ’98, ’99 and ’08 with its legendary silver livery. But the arrival of Mercedes as a factory team in 2010 ultimately changed that relationship, as CEO Ron Dennis thought McLaren’s only hope of title glory was being a works squad rather than a customer outfit – so in came Honda for 2015.

It’s well documented, however, how disastrous that partnership turned out to be with Fernando Alonso famously calling it a “GP2 engine” at the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, so McLaren acted swiftly by signing Renault for 2018. That was never the final destination though, but more of a means to an end as McLaren, now under the leadership of Zak Brown, reignited its Mercedes partnership in 2021 and more success ultimately followed.

Daniel Ricciardo ended McLaren’s nine-year win drought with victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, before the Woking outfit claimed its first constructors’ crown for 26 years in 2024. McLaren romped its way to back-to-back championships in 2025, the year in which it also claimed its first double title win since 1998 as Lando Norris became world champion. 

McLaren-Mercedes is therefore one of the most successful partnerships in F1 history, and the current contract runs until 2030. 

Mercedes

• Powertrain: Mercedes
• Partnership debut: 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
• Wins since current partnership started: 122

2009 constructors’ world champion Brawn GP only had one year on the grid because it was bought by Mercedes for 2010, marking the first time the Silver Arrows had an F1 team since 1955. But it wasn’t like the German marque was completely absent from the championship for 55 years, because it had obviously served as a power unit supplier to the likes of McLaren, Sauber and Brawn.

So Mercedes already had an engine in waiting for when the team made its comeback and it wasn’t that long after that it became dominant. The 2014 season introduced hybrid cars, and innovative designs like splitting the turbocharger arrangement helped Mercedes storm to a record-breaking eight consecutive constructors’ titles. 

Even if the team is no longer dominant, Mercedes is still the most represented engine on the 2026 grid with the Silver Arrows, McLaren, Williams and Alpine all being powered by it. 

Red Bull

Red Bull Ford Powertrains

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

• Powertrain: Red Bull Ford
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A 

It isn’t just F1 embarking on a new era this upcoming season because so is Red Bull, which will use in-house engines for the first time since it joined the championship in 2005. This comes after its most recent supplier, Honda, announced at the end of 2020 that it would leave F1 following the 2021 campaign, and although the Japanese marque ultimately made a U-turn on that decision, it was too late to continue the Red Bull deal.

That’s because the Austrian outfit had already committed to Red Bull Powertrains for 2026 with consultancy from Ford, which is ending its 23-year absence from the championship. The American manufacturer is also one of F1’s most successful engine suppliers with 13 drivers’ championships from 1968 to 1994, as well as 10 constructors’ titles between ‘68 and ‘81, alongside partner Cosworth.

Despite the numerous championships Red Bull and Ford have both won, however, expectations aren’t particularly high for 2026 with team principal Laurent Mekies claiming it would be “silly” to think they could immediately match the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.

Ferrari 

• Powertrain: Ferrari
• Partnership debut: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix
• Wins since current partnership started: 247 

Ferrari is the only team to have contested each F1 season since the championship began in 1950 and every time it has competed with its own engine. It will therefore come as no surprise that the Italian marque is statistically F1’s most successful power unit supplier with 16 constructors’ titles and 15 drivers’ crowns, but Ferrari is on an 18-year championship drought and it may be hard to see that ending any time soon.

Despite that, Ferrari is still well represented as an engine manufacturer on the 2026 grid with the Scuderia, Cadillac and Haas all using the power unit. 

Williams 

Alex Albon, Williams, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Erik Junius

• Powertrain: Mercedes
• Partnership debut: 2014 Australian Grand Prix
• Wins since current partnership started: 0

Williams has been at both ends of the championship since its partnership with Mercedes began at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, having enjoyed mild success in the early turbo hybrid era with back-to-back third-place finishes before soon slumping to the bottom as financial woes hit. 

Despite the up-and-down results, Williams has still enjoyed a close relationship with its engine supplier, because some Mercedes junior drivers have been loaned to the British outfit such as George Russell and Nyck de Vries.

The 2025 season also marked significant improvement for Williams as it jumped up to fifth in the championship, thanks to the leadership of James Vowles, previously chief strategist at Mercedes, plus its strong driver pairing of Alex Albon and new signing Carlos Sainz. Williams therefore has a lot of optimism for the upcoming season considering how Mercedes mastered the last engine switch. 

Racing Bulls

• Powertrain: Red Bull Ford
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A

Racing Bulls will also use Red Bull Ford engines for the upcoming season, just like its sister outfit, and this will be the Faenza-based squad’s fifth power unit supplier since Red Bull bought it in 2006. 

Back then it was known as Toro Rosso, which used a Cosworth engine for its debut campaign before switching to Ferrari for 2007. That partnership was as successful as it could have been given Sebastian Vettel won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, but then the team switched to Renault for the start of turbo hybrid cars after Red Bull had just won four consecutive titles with the French supplier.

Toro Rosso then flicked between Renault and Ferrari for the next few years, before effectively being used as Red Bull’s test dummy for Honda engines in 2018. Even through the various rebrands the Italian outfit has had since then, the Japanese manufacturer remained as its power unit supplier until the end of 2025.

Aston Martin 

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Erik Junius

• Powertrain: Honda
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A   

Honda started to have second thoughts about leaving the championship when the 2026 regulations went in the direction that it was hoping for. But by this point Red Bull had already planned its own power unit project, so multiple teams started showing an interest in partnering with Honda from 2026 and ultimately, it was Aston Martin who won the battle. 

It means 2025 was the Silverstone-based squad’s final campaign with a Mercedes power unit, which it had used ever since its Force India days in 2009, bringing mild success as Sergio Perez’s victory for Racing Point at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix was the highlight. There is hope that Aston Martin will achieve much greater success from 2026 given its promotion to a works team status and legendary designer Adrian Newey now being its boss.

Aston Martin has also had plenty of investment thanks to billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, but everything has failed to materialise yet given it finished seventh in the 2025 standings, so 2026 is seen as the season everything must come together – particularly for its 44-year-old driver Fernando Alonso. 

Haas

• Powertrain: Ferrari
• Partnership debut: 2016 Australian Grand Prix
• Wins since current partnership started: 0

Haas has been powered by Ferrari engines ever since its F1 debut in 2016, and the two have formed a close partnership. That’s because the American outfit has bought many of its car parts from the famous Scuderia, which may be controversial to some, but Haas views it as necessary for such a small team – compared to its rivals – to be competitive.

It even has a previous Ferrari junior as one of its drivers in Oliver Bearman, similar to how Russell drove for Williams for three years before his Mercedes move. There’s no sign of this partnership ending, despite Haas never finishing higher than seventh since its fifth-placed result in 2018. 

Audi

Audi F1 Team RS26 concept livery

Photo by: Audi Sport

• Powertrain: Audi
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A

Audi is the second new engine manufacturer coming into F1 this year alongside Red Bull Ford, as the German marque will make its debut as a factory team after completing a full takeover of Sauber. 

Just like Red Bull it is rather unknown how Audi will fare, but chief operating officer Mattia Binotto said in May that “we won’t have the best power unit” considering the competition. So the team is aware that success may only come over time, particularly as Sauber finished next-to-bottom in the 2025 standings despite scoring a solid 70 points with a strong driver pairing of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.

Alpine

• Powertrain: Mercedes
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A

Alpine made a controversial change for 2026, as parent company Renault ended its F1 engine project in favour of becoming a Mercedes customer. The news was obviously unwelcome to those who were already working on the 2026 power unit at its Viry-Chatillon base, so much so that a group of them staged a protest at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix with messages such as “save 50 years of French Formula 1”.

But Renault could no longer explain why it was spending so much money on its engine project, only to be significantly worse than its rivals; Alpine finished last in the 2025 standings. Now former Renault CEO Luca de Meo even once said he needed to look at “shortcuts” to achieve success, and what better way to do that than by signing a deal with what’s seen as the strongest engine supplier? 

Cadillac

• Powertrain: Ferrari
• Partnership debut: N/A
• Wins since current partnership started: N/A

Cadillac will become F1’s 11th team in 2026 when it makes its debut at the Australian Grand Prix, marking an end to what was a long process to get to the grid. Back in 2023, General Motors and Andretti Global announced their intention to get into F1, but that was rejected as the championship wanted the team to agree to building its own engines. 

There was then a lot of back and forth on the matter, which included disagreements between F1 and Michael Andretti, son of 1978 world champion Mario. But a lot changed when Michael stepped aside, sponsor TWG Global took on more responsibilities and the proposed team name was changed from Andretti Racing to Cadillac. 

Soon after all of this happened, the Cadillac entry was approved for 2026, when it will use Ferrari engines and replace Sauber as a customer of the Scuderia. The American outfit will use those power units until the end of 2028, when the General Motors-built engines will come into play. 

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WELCOME, N.C. — Austin Hill will return to Richard Childress Racing for his fifth consecutive season with primary sponsorship from Bennett Transportation & Logistics in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Bennett Family of Companies, a leader in the transportation and logistics industry with over five decades of expertise, continues its multi-year partnership with RCR.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Richard Childress Racing and Austin Hill in 2026,” said Lynette Mathis, vice president of the Bennett Family of Companies. “Bennett customers, drivers, agents and employees continue to find value in the relationship. We love watching the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet on the track and seeing the sense of community it creates within our company.  Our partnership with RCR and Austin Hill continues to reflect the teamwork, performance and professionalism that define success in both racing and transportation and complex logistics.”

“The Bennett Family of Companies’ long-standing partnership with Richard Childress Racing is a testament to our shared core values and we are thrilled to welcome them back to the No. 21 team for their fifth consecutive year of partnership,” said Mike Verlander, president of RCR. “Bennett has done an exceptional job integrating our racing program into their broader business strategy. We look forward to continuing the momentum we have built over the last four years.”

Hill returns to RCR and will continue his successful tenure as driver of the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. Hill has found notable success in NASCAR’s second tier division while competing under the RCR banner. He captured the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular season championship in 2023 and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs each of the four seasons he has driven for RCR.

He locked the No. 21 Chevrolet into the Championship 4 owner points championship race after earning his fourth win of the 2025 season at Talladega Superspeedway, his 14th win in the Series since joining the Welcome, North Carolina-based organization in 2022.

During his tenure at RCR, Hill has been particularly exceptional on drafting-style tracks, surpassing records set by NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart for number of wins on speedways.

“We’ve built something special both on and off the track with Bennett Transportation and Logistics,” said Hill. “Thank you to Marcia, Lynette and everyone at Bennett Family of Companies for their partnership and friendship over the years. It means a lot to have their support, as well as the support of Richard Childress, Danny Lawrence and everyone at Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines as I continue to grow in my career.”

Ross Chastain is going to be keeping himself quite busy during the 2026 NASCAR season, committing to Niece Motorsports for a total of eight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events.

The Alva, Florida-native will return to the organization for a ninth consecutive season, piloting the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST — the same entry that he drove to a Championship 4 berth in 2019. Phil Gould, a long-time NASCAR Truck Series crew chief, will be the shot-caller for the entry.

During the off-season, NASCAR made adjustments to the eligibility rules for drivers competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Now, under the tweaked rules, drivers with three or more years of full-time experience at NASCAR’s top-level are able to run eight races, instead of five. It’s a rule change that Chastain is taking full advantage of.

“It’s great to be back with Niece Motorsports in a larger capacity this year,” said Chastain. “When I heard about the rule change, I knew we had to run more races together. We’ve got a great core group of people here in Salisbury, and I want to bring them all back to victory lane. I’m thankful to have the opportunity and appreciate the ownership group and our partners for making it happen, along with everyone at Trackhouse for allowing me to run in the Truck Series.”

Chastain, a six-time race-winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, will be one of three drivers who pilot the No. 45 Chevrolet in 2026. Landen Lewis will also take a turn behind the wheel, as well as a third driver, who will be announced at a later date.

“We’re thrilled to have Ross (Chastain) in our trucks for more races this year,” said Cody Efaw, CEO of Niece Motorsports. “Ross has been a huge part of our team since he first joined us, and his input is invaluable. Considering the young group of drivers we have in the fold this year, Ross will be a tremendous asset for those guys to learn from. We look forward to having him contend for wins each time he straps into the No. 45 truck this year.”

An official race schedule for Chastain with Niece Motorsports will be revealed as the season progresses, along with primary sponsorship announcements.

The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM ET. Coverage will be on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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