Blurring the lines between film and real life, IWC Shaffhausen collaborates with Apple’s F1, which depicts Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a retired racer who returns to train a new racing prodigy. The Maison is the sponsor of the fictional Apex Grand Prix Team (APXGP), its branding visible on racing suits, helmets and uniforms. Its watches are worn as the official timepiece of the team, including Pitt. The watch his character wears is the basis of a special Ingenieur Automatic 40 with a green, grid patterned dial. A classic stainless steel case and strap reinforces the impression of endurance and reliability, complemented by the lustre of subtle gold appliques.

Accompanying it are three new Chronographs in its Pilot’s Watches collection, each one themed after the APXGP. Coming in first is the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41, sporting an 18-carat 5N gold case with a sapphire case back. Mirroring the dark, sleek silhouette of Joshua Pearce’s (Damson Idris) car, its black lacquered dial and ceramic bezel evoke a measure of striking modernity. Following this are the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph APXGP, which features a 43mm stainless steel case, and its fellow Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 APXGP, with a slightly slimmer 41mm case. The team’s APXGP logo is featured prominently on the rubber straps and on the sapphire back.

In real life, IWC backs the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, further emphasised with the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff, named so after the team principal. It is designed to not just survive intense pressure at high speed, but power through it. Its bulk metallic glass absorbs any and all outside forces and spreads it evenly, insulating its interior mechanics to maintain uncompromising precision.

See more: IWC Schaffhausen featured in the upcoming Brad Pitt-starring film ‘F1’ by Apple TV

NASCAR Fans Announce ‘Boycott’ Of Popular Driver originally appeared on The Spun.

NASCAR fans have announced a “boycott” of a popular driver and his team in the wake of a controversial firing.

Advertisement

A NASCAR team member has reportedly been fired for his comments on Mexico City. The NASCAR team member was critical of Mexico City, following last weekend’s Cup Series race in the country. The NASCAR team spotter said that he couldn’t wait to get out of Mexico City.

Tab Boyd, a spotter for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s team, apparently got scammed outside of his hotel.

“I’m ready to go home, screw this place, people can talk it up all they want…can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched…in less than 5 minutes. Good area my (expletive),” he reportedly shared on social media over the weekend.

He was ultimately fired.

Advertisement

“You know, obviously, that’s an unfortunate deal. The team let Tab Body go this week, and we got Clayton Hughes to come fill in. I’ve never worked with Clayton. You know, obviously, I think the concern for me is trying to get on the same page as quickly as we can knowing that, like you said, the schedule coming up, going to Atlanta next week could be a very important race for our team and trying to get us into the Playoffs and put us in the right position,” Stenhouse Jr. announced last week.

NASCAR fans aren’t happy with the decision, though. Some NASCAR fans have announced that they will be boycotting the Stenhouse team.

“NASCAR and gutless team owners! Why does anyone watch NASCAR?” one fan wrote.

Advertisement

“This is extremely harsh unless there are some comments I missed,” one fan added.

“The Mexico trip has turned into one unforced error after another by NASCAR virtue police,” one fan added.

“He didn’t even say anything bad…” one fan added.

What you say on social media can always come back to bite you, no matter how valid you think your opinion is.

While NASCAR fans are upset by the firing, clearly, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s team felt that it was the right decision.

It sounds like they’ll have people rooting against them moving forward.

NASCAR Fans Announce ‘Boycott’ Of Popular Driver first appeared on The Spun on Jun 23, 2025

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.

Denny Hamlin wouldn’t mind competing in a NASCAR Cup Series street race in San Diego. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reacted to the news of NASCAR adding a San Diego street course race next year.

“I don’t hate it,” Denny Hamlin said. “I certainly think that San Diego sounds like a place I’d like to go. “I mean, sure, I guess. It seems like they’re really in favor of street races out. So if they’re hellbent on it, then San Diego seems like a destination to do that.”

Last week, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported NASCAR was finalizing a deal to race on a street course in the San Diego area next year. If the deal goes through, NASCAR would return to Southern California after being away for a few years.

A return to the area would be the first points race since Kyle Busch won at Fontana in 2023. The track, which is called Auto Club Speedway, was closed shortly after the race for reconstruction. The last NASCAR race in Southern California was in 2024 when the drivers competed in the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

NASCAR wants to be back in Southern California

It’s clear NASCAR wants to return to the Southern California area since. Last year, then-NASCAR president Steve Phelps spoke to NBC Sports about potentially having at race at Dodger Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We are committed to the market,” Phelps told NBC Sports in March 2024. “It’s important. What it looks like at this point next year, I don’t know. Was there an exploration with the Dodgers, working with Formula E and creating a potential joint opportunity there? Yeah.

“That should not be a surprise. It’s just due diligence. If something hits, great, and if it doesn’t so be it, but I think we need to continue to push the boundaries, not just from a schedule standpoint. I think we’ve seen that, or fans have seen that and media have seen that. We have a willingness to think differently and it’s working.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro revealed that the state is in talks about the arrival of a NASCAR race in Philadelphia.

The state government official was at the Pocono Cup Series Race and talked to the media about the state’s sports event coming up.

At the event, he announced that Pocono had sold out for the third straight time on Sunday, selling more than 50,000 tickets to fans.

NASCAR is rumored to have an interest in holding a race at Franklin Field in Philly as one of many potential additions to the schedule.

Shapiro didn’t reveal the exact nature of the talks, but he confirmed that there are conversations about adding a second race stop in Pennsylvania.

“There’s some conversations,” Shapiro said at the press event.

“First and foremost, we don’t want to do anything that undermines Pocono. But as Ben (says), the more NASCAR, the better. The more racing, the better.

“The more we can turn people on in communities that haven’t been to Pocono yet, to get excited about racing, and then make that trip to Pocono next year, the better. I want to see more NASCAR, more racing. I also just want to see more sports in general.”

More than a month ago, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell spoke to the Associated Press about potentially adding a race in Philly.

He made it clear that the race could come down the line, but it is still a way from coming together.

According to O’Donnell, Franklin Field could become an Olympic-sized track like the LA Coliseum.

“When you look at opportunities, one of the places we looked around with the Coliseum was in Philly, Franklin Field. It was one of the only ones that we could put a race track inside of because of the Olympic size track,” O’Donnell said.

“Those are the types of things in a city we’re going to look at because the days of just building a rural track are over.

“If you look at Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and you look at short track racing, there’s a huge, hardcore short track market with a lot of local fans who love racing in general.”

For NASCAR fans in Pennsylvania, the success of Pocono means its future should be secure and that the track will stay on the schedule for the foreseeable future.

Chase Elliott finished Sunday’s Cup Series race at the Pocono Raceway in fifth place. Following his third-place finish in Mexico City, this result marked his first consecutive top-five finishes in the 2025 season. This might seem like a reason for optimism, but former driver Kyle Petty believes that the No. 9 driver still needs to step up his game massively.

At Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe have regularly reached Victory Lane and consistently perform at a high level. At Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson and William Byron have also won, racing at the highest level.

Petty’s issue is that Elliott hasn’t followed their lead by delivering better results, as the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates have. Moreover, he believes that Elliott is only a shell of the driver he used to be. Petty said, “If we say internal competition, Larson has won three. Byron has won one, dominated Darlington, and was strong at Nashville. Is Chase stepping up?”

“Since 2023, Chase Elliott has won only one race. One race, people. I know you’ve got all the t-shirts, I know you’ve got all the hats, I know he’s Mr. Most Popular. But how can our most popular driver not win races and not even be the best driver in the team he drives for?”

Petty acknowledged the idea that more road course races are coming up and that these tracks are where Elliott has been at his best historically. But then, he also pointed out how he hasn’t won a road course race since 2021. This raises the question of whether the sport’s most popular driver is a has-been. Is Elliott’s best behind him?

To silence those doubts, Elliott needs to step it up. He needs to win races and go back to being the hero who could tame any challenge thrown at him all season. Petty continued, “Is that good enough? Is that good enough for what the fans’ expectations are? Is that good enough for the Hendrick organization? Is that good enough for the sponsors?”

“If it is, more power to you. But in a sport where we reward wins and we reward championships, we need somebody to step up. Chase has got to step up. And if we are complacent and we are satisfied with as good as it gets, so be it. I am not.” 

Elliott‘s next race will be at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and a win would go a long way in meeting the expectations of critics like Petty.

Jordan Taylor will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Lime Rock Park this weekend with Spire Motorsports.

The organization announced Monday that Taylor will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet, sponsored by Gainbridge at Lime Rock (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET) in the inaugural event for the Truck Series at the Connecticut road circuit.

“I’m eager to join Spire Motorsports for the LiUNA 150,” said Taylor. “I have spoken with a few members of the team for a few years now, so it’s great (that) things have finally come together. I know it’s going to be tough jumping into the series mid-season, but I know I am joining one of the top teams in the Craftsman Truck Series.

“Our Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado will for sure be competitive, I just hope I can adapt to the truck quickly on the short weekend. Lime Rock Park is a track I know really well, but obviously all my experience around there is in much different types of cars, so I’m looking forward to the new challenge.”

Taylor is a four-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner. He is a decorated road course racer and currently competes full-time for Wayne Taylor Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series.

“Jordan Taylor’s body of work speaks for itself,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “His accomplishments at the global level are more than impressive so we’re obviously thrilled to have Jordan drive our No. 7 Gainbridge Chevy Silverado this weekend at Lime Rock Park. This is also a great opportunity to connect with our friends at Wayne Taylor Racing and shine a bit of a spotlight on the TWG Motorsports family.

“There is no doubt Wayne and Jordan set a very high standard when it comes to road racing and can only help us be better. Expectations are high and, collectively, we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Lime Rock will be Taylor’s fourth NASCAR national series start. Taylor made two Xfinity Series starts in 2023 (Portland and Charlotte Roval) in addition to a Cup Series start (Circuit of The Americas).