The dust has finally settled on the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports versus NASCAR antitrust lawsuit after a settlement was reached after 13 days of testimonies and cross-examinations in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But while the courtroom may have emptied and the boiling point sentiment surrounding NASCAR may have tempered, it seems 23XI co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin remains a little heated about how his side was portrayed by Dale Earnhardt’s former crew chief, Larry McReynolds, prior to what proved to be a chippy trial.

The fallout of the trial has seen Dale Earnhardt Jr. discover exactly what it means for him entering the Cup Series, while it has also left NASCAR in an awkward Richard Childress situation. 

The trial revealed messages exchanged during negotiations regarding a new charter agreement, signed in 2024 by all parties except 23XI and FRM. This agreement was at the heart of the trial, with the two teams alleging “monopolistic” practices from NASCAR.

During the course of the pre-trial discovery phase, as well as the trial itself, NASCAR executives were not painted in the best of light. NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps was found to have labeled Richard Childress, team owner and Hall of Famer, an “idiot” and a “stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.” Naturally, this prompted threats from the 80-year-old of a lawsuit in response.

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NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell also didn’t come out of the trial smelling of roses, having sent a message at one point reading simply “F— the teams,” while CEO Jim France is said with a degree of ambivilence to have told team owner and Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs of the final charter agreement deadline, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, I have 30.”

Ultimately, the two sides reached a settlement agreement on December 11, with a joint statement explaining, “As a condition of the settlement agreement, NASCAR will issue an amendment to existing charter holders detailing the updated terms for signature, which will include a form of ‘evergreen’ charters, subject to mutual agreement. The financial terms of the settlement are confidential and will not be released.”

But while the trial may be over, Hamlin is still grasping hold of receipts from when they originally filed the lawsuit in October 2024, believing former crew chief turned SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host McReynolds should apologize for comments made over a year ago.

“Good Morning! At 11am/ET this morning Join @BradGillie & @LarryMac28 for “On Track” on @SiriusXMNASCAR Channel 90! Dylan Cappello with @Team_FRM joins us,” McReynolds posted on social media on Tuesday, to which Hamlin replied, “Good morning. Now that the case is settled and the evidence is out will you or anyone on channel 90 be issuing an apology for what you all said about 23XI/FRM when the lawsuit was filed?”

He then went on to add, “I believe it was ‘how dare them for trying to come in and change the sport. 23XI hasn’t been around long enough and FRM wasn’t good enough’. Also how about ‘I dont know what their problem is, 13 other teams signed it’. Just to name a few examples.”

One fan asked Hamlin why he felt an apology was necessary if McReynolds truly believed what he was saying at the time, asking, “Isn’t that the point of a talk show? It may have been not what people wanted to hear but its his right to say what he thinks right or wrong. So why is an apology required?”

To which Hamlin responded, “Well because I believe that once the actual facts and documents were released it was contradictory to the narrative that was being pushed.

“Larry is a very hard working analyst. Hopefully he took the time to analyze the situation post settlement and revise his thoughts.”

It remains to be seen if or how McReynolds will respond to Hamlin’s comments.

For more than 30 years, RACER has set the standard for motorsports coverage in North America. Now, we’re widening our lens.

The Culture Editor will be responsible for writing and curating content relevant to motorsport and automotive culture. This is a wide-ranging brief that will allow to explore the competitive and performance automotive world from every angle: one moment you’ll be writing about upcoming auctions or vintage meetups; the next, you’ll be going into the weeds on sim racing rigs.

The focus is not so much the racing itself – that’s what the rest of the site is for – but more on everything that happens around it. A deep understanding of the many ways car and racing enthusiasts indulge their passion is essential to the role.

Experience in podcasting or other scenarios where you’ve been required to speak on camera will be viewed favorably.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Take ownership of the new Culture section of RACER.com, producing and curating content relevant to the section’s scope under the direction of the RACER.com editor, and using a combination of original reporting and supplied assets
• Develop industry relationships across the space
• Update event calendars
• Support main RACER.com site operations as needed

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Expansive knowledge of the automotive/motorsports world, and insatiable appetite for learning more about it – and sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm
• A minimum three years of relevant editorial experience
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Superior writing, proofreading and copy-editing skills
• Experience working with a CMS
• Solid editorial judgment
• Familiarity with AP style
• Basic video editing skills are a plus

This is a U.S.-based full-time, fully remote role.
To apply, please sent a resume and any supporting documentation to work@racer.com.

Seventeen and a half million fans once packed into the Daytona 500, as if it were a national holiday. The grandstands shook, engines screamed, and Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin dragged the sport to its emotional limits in a finish so close it had to be measured in hundredths of a second.

So when FOX Sports replayed the 2007 Daytona 500 this offseason, what was meant to be a trip down memory lane instead struck a nerve. For many fans, it became a reminder of something NASCAR no longer feels like, and the reaction was louder, sharper, and far more revealing than anyone expected.

FOX’s Offseason Trip Down Memory Lane Backfires As Fans Torch NASCAR’s Current Direction

To put the sport’s current standing into perspective, this year’s Daytona 500 drew 6.761 million viewers, a steep drop from the audience that tuned in for the 2007 classic. The contrast is impossible to ignore.

Today, the evolution of stock car racing increasingly frustrates and disillusions fans, whether through the fallout of the charter dispute that exposed the sport’s murkier power structures, the divisive Next Gen car, or a playoff format that continues to polarize opinions.

Against that backdrop, revisiting NASCAR’s past only sharpens the sense of loss. The difference is evident, and for many longtime fans, deeply unsettling. So when FOX Sports announced its telecast of the 2007 spectacle, NASCAR Nation didn’t respond with excitement, but with disappointment, an expression of the angst surrounding the sport’s fading glory.

“A much better product back then with hard-nosed racing going on. Go back to the Pre – 90’s races when they ran on bias ply tires. The handling and strategy was completely different. Hopefully, in 30 years, they don’t look back on today’s NASCAR and fondly call it “the good ole days,” one fan wrote, setting off a chain of reminiscence wrapped in discontent.

Meanwhile, another user took a dig at the current stipulations, citing, “Back when racing was still good. No stage BS. No choose crap. Decent racing without a lot of ‘debris caution’. No spec cars, more like you would see in the show room.”

Others simply stated their contempt with the Next-Gen era – “You know what I miss? Sheet metal. Real bodies that actually bend when they hit things. Not these stupid fiberglass/composite/carbon fiber stuff that isn’t on any of our street cars today.”

The Gen 7 cars are more rigid and robust, and while they help cocoon drivers in the event of a wreck, handling has taken a back seat. “I miss a wreck looking like a wreck and rubbing fenders actually having consequences. There’s a lot of other things… like how they’re talking about points after Kurt & Tony wreck. Man these were the days. Before leadership got lost…”

Tony Stewart, NASCAR’s three-time champion, may have best embodied everything that race represented. He had the strongest car in the field and appeared destined for his first Daytona 500 victory, even after overcoming debris damage, pit-road chaos, and a costly speeding penalty.

From 40th on lap 80 to the lead with 50 laps remaining, Stewart’s charge felt inevitable, until it wasn’t. One misstep in Turn 4 sent him sliding into the wall, collected by Kurt Busch in a crash that instantly erased the chances of two drivers who arguably deserved to win.

FOX, one of NASCAR’s longest reigning broadcast partners, also caught a stray, with fans calling out the difference in production, telecast, and ad time – “Lol, they showed it on the NASCAR channel the other night, and I had exactly these thoughts. It really is startling how the quality of the broadcasts have gone down in the time since then.”

He also pointed to the apparent differences in ad time, noting how there were fewer interruptions, how much more seriously the broadcast felt, “How much less ads there were, how much more seriously everything was taken, and how much better (even after HD started and it wasn’t as good) the camera work was. I never watch the end of it for obvious reasons.”

Others added, echoing the same sentiment about the lost art of speedway racing – “I was just thinking that. That season, they ‘buddied up’ and ran in tandem was the oddest thing I’d seen at the time. It seems that today’s plate races in the next-gen car take a lot of the actual racing away. There’s not a lot anyone can do when they’re four wide at Dega.

Eventually, at the end of the night, Harvick edged out Martin in a nail-biting finish that was equal parts controversial and exhilarating.

That was the beauty and the brutality of NASCAR at its peak. Speed, strategy, recovery, and consequence all collided in a way that left no room for guarantees. And above it, it came naturally, not orchestrated.

Revisiting the 2007 Daytona 500 didn’t just remind fans of a classic finish; it reopened a conversation about a sport that once thrived on chaos, character, and credibility. And for many watching today, the most unsettling realization wasn’t how great NASCAR used to be; it was how distant that version now feels.

PRI presented 22 manufacturers with a Featured Products Showcase Award during the 2025 PRI Show, recognizing the most innovative and cutting-edge advancements powering the racing industry.  

The Featured Products Showcase is the PRI Show’s premier destination for media, buyers and professionals to discover the latest innovations driving motorsports. More than 400 products vied for top honors from a panel of 12 judges consisting of track operators, sanctioning body representatives, content creators and media. Each product was evaluated for its breakthrough engineering, influence and business potential. These standout products represent the technologies and trends that will revolutionize racing performance in 2026.

In addition to voting for their favorite top products, each judge had an opportunity to present one exhibitor with a Judge’s Pick Award, which represented their favorite product displayed in the entire showcase.

PRI Featured Products Showcase Top Product Award Winners

• AFCO Performance Group — New Elite Wireless Load Sticks from Longacre
   
• Antigravity Batteries — Antigravity Batteries Re-Start Sodium Battery
   
• ARP — BMW B58 ARP2000 Crank Pulley Bolt Kit
   
• DYME PSI — DYME Hose and Fittings
   
• EPIC Racewear — Custom Trailer Curtains
   
• Flagtronics by Ballenger Motorsports — Flagtronics FT200/FT-RD/FT-AIO)
   
• FuelTech ECU — FT700 VCU
   
• GZERO Additive — GZERO Additive 43 Series 3D Printer
   
• Harts Turbo — 136mm Hartscharger
   
• Hoosier Racing Tire — TrackAttack Pro
   
• HP Race Brands — HPT F5 Dual Entry Turbine Housing
   
• INTERCOMP — Classic Weigh XBT Scales
   
• Katech Engineering — Katech TrackFlow LS7 & LS3 Billet High-Capacity Scavenge Oil Pump | KAT-A7936
   
• King Engine Bearings — King Racing Top Fuel Connecting Rod Bearings Set For Chrysler V8 Big Block 361CI 383CI – CR 806TFC
   
• Modern Driveline — 94-04 Mustang Stealth In-Dash Hydraulic Clutch Master Cylinder Kit
   
• MOTEC — MoTeC STW195 Steering Wheel
   
• NecksGen — NecksGen REVX
   
• ProCharger Superchargers — LS Air-to-Water Intercooled Intake Manifold
   
• Racing Electronics — RE4000 Bluetooth Racing Scanner
   
• Redhorse Performance — RHP-HCM-888-2 Portable Crimp Machine Kit
   
• Sonic Tools USA — Mobile Track Kit
   
• SRI — Ocean Lagoon

Judge’s Pick Award Winners

• AFCO Performance Group — New Elite Wireless Load Sticks from Longacre
   
• CSM Performance — Precision Hub Stands–Motorsports
   
• Flagtronics by Ballenger Motorsports — Flagtronics SB-100 LED Signboards
   
• FuelTech ECU — FT700 VCU
   
• HP Race Brands — HPT F5 Dual Entry Turbine Housing
   
• King Engine Bearings — King Racing Top Fuel Connecting Rod Bearings Set for Chrysler V8 Big Block 361CI 383CI – CR 806TFC
   
• Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems — Lifeline Zero Formula Car Cockpit System (selected by two judges)
   
• Modern Driveline — 94-04 Mustang Stealth In-Dash Hydraulic Clutch Master Cylinder Kit
   
• ProCharger Superchargers — LS Air-to-Water intercooled Intake Manifold
   
• ProCharger Superchargers — F-4X-140-1
   
• Race Winning Brands — Chevrolet Gen V LT Billet CCW Crankshaft

Click here to see the full 2025 PRI Show Featured Products Showcase.

PRI welcomed three new members into its Hall of Fame during the 2025 PRI Show Grand Opening Breakfast at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Now in its second year, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose careers, leadership and innovation have made a lasting impact on motorsports. Inductees are selected by an industry committee based on their achievements, years of involvement and integrity.

The PRI Hall of Fame was introduced in 2024 to celebrate individuals whose vision and contributions have shaped the motorsports industry. The inaugural class featured Ed “Isky” Iskenderian, widely regarded as the “Camfather” for his pioneering camshaft innovations, and Steve Lewis, founder of PRI and architect of the PRI Trade Show. Their influence established a tradition of honoring leaders whose work drives progress and inspires future generations.

“The PRI Hall of Fame is about celebrating the visionaries and pioneers whose passion and dedication have shaped the motorsports industry,” said PRI President Michael Good. “After launching the Hall of Fame in 2024 and honoring our inaugural inductees, we are proud to recognize this year’s class whose achievements and leadership continue to inspire future generations of racers, innovators, and industry professionals.”

PRI Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Paul “Scooter” Brothers

Paul “Scooter” Brothers has been immersed in motorsports and automotive performance his entire life. From his early days at Racing Head Service to leadership roles at Competition Cams and COMP Performance Group, Brothers consistently drove innovation in engine technology and performance products. As SEMA chairman of the board, he was instrumental in its acquisition of PRI in 2012, helping to strengthen the racing and performance industry. Brothers was recognized as the 2002 SEMA Person of the Year and a 2005 SEMA Hall of Fame inductee. His contributions to the Society of Automotive Engineers, NHRA, NASCAR and the broader racing industry have left a legacy of leadership, mentorship, and industry advancement. He is also a partner in Driven Racing Oil, which provides specially blended racing and high-performance motor oils.

John Kilroy

John Kilroy dedicated more than two decades to growing PRI Magazine and the PRI Show, serving as editor for 22 years before becoming vice president and general manager. Known for his deep respect for the racing industry and commitment to editorial excellence, Kilroy brought integrity, insight and passion to every facet of his work. He played a pivotal role in shaping PRI’s coverage and the annual trade show experience, fostering industry growth and celebrating innovation. Kilroy passed away in 2022, leaving a legacy of dedication, professionalism and passion for motorsports that continues to inspire the PRI community.

Chris Raschke

Chris Raschke’s enthusiasm, energy and commitment to motorsports were evident in every endeavor he undertook. Serving as director of sales and marketing at Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Raschke represented the brand at countless racing events, trade shows and car shows. He also pursued land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, earning the prestigious Red Hat and Black Hat for record-setting achievements, including driving the Speed Demon streamliner to 459.734 mph. Tragically, Raschke was killed in a land speed attempt in August 2025. His welcoming smile, quick wit and larger-than-life personality inspired everyone he encountered. His passion for racing, both on and off the track, left an enduring impact on the motorsports community.

Prime Video, which debuted a three-race primary sponsorship with Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team last year, will officially return with another three-race schedule aboard the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s race car during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

On Tuesday, Hendrick Motorsports revealed the three-race schedule for Elliott’s Prime Video sponsorship, and the race team even pulled back the curtain on the new look for the No. 9 Prime Video Chevrolet.

In 2026, Elliott will carry a much darker Prime Video look than last year’s blue and white Prime Video paint scheme. This time around, the base color of the scheme will be black. On the sides of the car is a jagged design featuring the iconic Prime Video blue, as well as accents featuring the yellow and red colors from NASCAR’s logo. Of course, 2025 marked the first year of a seven-year agreement for Prime Video to broadcast five NASCAR Cup Series races per season.

Elliott will carry the refreshed Prime Video paint scheme for the first time during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 26. Prime Video will return to the No. 9 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 3, and again at the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 17.

Last year, Elliott notched two victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, marking the first time since 2022 that Elliott had amassed a multi-win season. While he ultimately ended up eighth in the final championship standings, Elliott looked like he was starting to turn back into the championship contender that many had become to expect from 2018 to 2022.

In addition to his NASCAR Cup Series title in 2020, Elliott has amassed 21 wins, 115 top-five finishes, and 190 top-10s through 358 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. Aside from 2023, a year where Elliott missed seven races (six due to injury and one due to a suspension), the Dawsonville, GA, native has made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in every season of his career.

Elliott will look to hit the ground running in 2026 in the season-opening Daytona 500, but the driver will also do everything in his power to take the Prime Video colors to victory lane for the first time in the upcoming season.

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