Motorsports
Nascar goes to Mexico: Ben Kennedy on the making of the landmark Cup Series event
This weekend, Nascar will race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, marking the first points-paying Cup Series race held outside the US in the modern era.
Technically, a points-paying race did take place in Ontario, Canada, back in 1958 but that was well before the start of what’s widely considered modern Nascar, which began in 1972. Since then, there has never been an event like this.
Exhibition events have taken Nascar to places like Australia and Japan, while from 2005 to 2008 the second-tier Xfinity Series raced at the circuit hosting this weekend’s action. The Cup Series, though, is a different matter entirely.
Nascar may be the governing body for multiple series but, for those outside the US especially, Nascar is the Cup Series and the product that needs to be brought to their doorstep.
Still, introducing an international race to the official Cup Series schedule is far from straightforward. Unlike Formula One, which has long operated with a global infrastructure, Nascar is not an internationally established series and faces real challenges when expanding to new markets.
Lessons from Chicago
In many ways, the groundwork for Nascar’s expansion into Mexico began with the downtown event in Chicago, despite that not being an international event.
The 2023 edition was the first street race that Nascar had ever held, a sign that the series wanted to start doing things a little differently. However, it also highlighted that Nascar was not appropriately set up for the various logistical challenges.
Jeff Wohlschlaeger, head of sales for Nascar at the time, told BlackBook Motorsport that Nascar failed to anticipate “the level of work that would be required” for the event. The race ended up costing a reported US$50 million, which far exceeded the original budget of between US$15 million and US$25 million.
While Mexico will present its own unique challenges, the experience in Chicago means Nascar is far more prepared than it was previously.

Nascar’s most recent attempt to branch out into new markets has not been without teething issues, but these have been invaluable lessons for the series’ expansion into Mexico
“There’s some learnings [from Chicago] and quite a few of the people that work on the Chicago event are also spending time helping promote Mexico City as well,” Ben Kennedy, Nascar’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, tells BlackBook Motorsport.
“The biggest [learning] is how we think about marketing and promoting events and taking it to market. One example of that is we’ve branded the weekend in Chicago and the weekend in Mexico with the Nascar name. It’s important for us to be able to build the Nascar name in Chicago as well as Mexico.”
Indeed, Nascar races are usually heavily commercialised and centred around brand partnerships, like the Coca-Cola 600. But all the marketing in the buildup to this weekend has focused on the ‘Nascar Mexico City Weekend’, before being called the ‘Viva México 250’ one month out from its debut.
One major difference from Chicago is that the series won’t be promoting the event itself. Instead, the weekend is being led by Oseca, the promoter behind the Formula One race at the same circuit. Yet, as Kennedy points out, it remains a great undertaking for Nascar.
“The travel and logistics, travelling a pretty good distance from Michigan and having our entire industry go to Mexico City, it’s a far drive,” he explains.
“We have to coordinate flights and hotel rooms, and logistics when people get on the ground, as well as a couple hundred haulers that are going to be travelling down there as well.”
‘We felt the best first step would be to go south’
Kennedy reveals that Nascar “had multiple conversations across many countries and continents.” So why choose Mexico?
Nascar wanted to make a statement at the start of its new seven-year media rights deal, which is reportedly worth US$7.7 billion across four broadcasters. One of those, Amazon Prime Video, holds a five-race package that includes this weekend’s event, marking the first time the Cup Series has aired exclusively on a streaming platform.
The significance of going abroad for this race should help drive viewers to Prime Video, though the decision to pick Mexico also reflected practical considerations given the logistical challenges meant Nascar couldn’t venture too far afield.
“The amount of inventory that we carry through our Cup Series schedule makes it very difficult for us to travel from the United States overseas, pack our stuff up, and then be back the next weekend, seeing that we have 38 [races],” says Kennedy.
While Mexico is the most logical choice for now, Kennedy adds that Nascar will “take a race north of the border” at some point soon, meaning Canada is very much in the mix for a future event.
“We want to focus on North America,” continues Kennedy. “We’ve had a few conversations in Mexico. We’ve also talked to folks north of the border as well at a few different locations and we’d still love to have an event up in Canada at some point.
“But with everything on the table, and the great partners that we already have down in Mexico, we felt like the best first step for us would be to go south.”

The race was officially unveiled at an event at the circuit in August 2024, featuring appearances from Ben Kennedy and Daniel Suárez
Maximising the Mexican market
One of Nascar’s drivers is Daniel Suárez, who graduated from the Nascar Mexico Series. It highlights the organisation’s existing presence in the country and sits alongside similar regional series in Canada, Brazil and Europe. All of these offer insight into Nascar’s broader international expansion plans.
“It’s really important for us for building the overall awareness and relevance of Nascar in these markets prior to us considering it for a Cup race,” Kennedy says. “But, just as important, we want to use it as a pipeline for the future stars of our sport.
“Daniel Suárez is a great example of someone that started in Mexico and is now in our Cup Series, and we would like to see the same for Brazil and Canada and our other territories too.”
Nascar will also look to maximise its visibility in Mexico during its visit through a free-to-air (FTA) broadcast deal with US-based Spanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision.
Notably, Nascar gave the Spanish-language rights to a local broadcaster rather than Prime Video, which is airing the race in the US. This underscores how eager series executives are for the event to reach the widest possible audience.
“It was one of the first things when we decided that we’re going to Mexico City,” notes Kennedy. “It was a priority for us to find a free-to-air partner so that we could have the distribution and exposure going into the weekend and race day.”

Suárez is the only Mexican driver to have ever won a Cup Series race, while only two drivers from the country – Jorge Goeters and Pedro Rodríguez – have ever made it to the top level of Nascar previously
Avoiding F1 comparisons
Working closely with Oseca and racing at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez inevitably invites comparisons between Nascar and Formula One, something that is only increasing as the open-wheel series grows its presence in the US.
Nascar’s global expansion plans are, in part, a response to Formula One’s rising influence, as well as the increasing competition for eyeballs.
Kennedy himself stops short of making any direct comparisons between the pair.
“Even though we’re going to be racing on a very similar layout to Formula One, and I would guess that many fans that come on June 15th have gone to a Formula One race, so much of it’s going to feel different,” he says.
“The closeness of competition, the level of aggression that our drivers are going to have … they’re going to see a different style of racing that’s going to be true to what Nascar is.”
Evidently, Nascar is keen to distance itself from Formula One amid mounting pressure.
Since the first race of the Formula One season on 16th March, Nascar’s average viewership has been 2.56 million. Formula One is not that far behind, averaging 1.33 million viewers over the same period.
Take out the first three races of the Formula One season, which aired during the middle of the night in the US, and the gap narrows further: 2.53 million for Nascar versus 1.58 million for Formula One.
Formula One is also attracting viewers in the sought-after 18 to 49 demographic, with last month’s Miami Grand Prix drawing 917,000 viewers in that age group.
In this context, it’s easy to understand why Nascar feels the need to evolve and also why Mexico won’t be a one-off. But the first hurdle to clear will be ensuring this weekend’s event is a success, laying the foundation for a long-term future on the schedule.
“The biggest thing is making sure that we strike the right tone when we go to Mexico, that we have people that are following the weekend, that come to the event, that tune into the race weekend,” Kennedy says.
“We feel like we’ve done a lot of things in our power, especially over the past few months, to make sure that this event is successful.
“Hopefully this is just the catalyst and the start to many years of racing in Mexico.”
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Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports makes feelings clear on Steve Phelps – Motorsport – Sports
Hendrick Motorsports has published a classy response following the announcement on Tuesday that NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps would be stepping down at the end of January after 21 years with the organization.
Phelps’ announcement came in the wake of the antitrust lawsuit, which was filed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR, with both teams refusing to sign the new 2024 charter agreement, alleging “monopolistic” behavior on NASCAR’s part.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2024, ultimately went to court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a series of damning messages from Phelps were unearthed, seemingly sealing his fate. Ultimately, the case was settled after eight days, with Evergreen charters being the major talking point of the deal.
Responding to Phelps’ decision, Hendrick published a statement later that day, saying: “We thank Steve Phelps for his leadership and dedication to NASCAR over the past two decades.
“He helped our sport navigate opportunities, challenges and periods of significant change while positioning it for the future. We appreciate his service and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
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The last month has been tough on Phelps after some of his irate messages during charter negotiations came to light.
The most brutal comments of all came in a chain of messages between Phelps and Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst during charter negotiations with teams in 2023. At this point, NASCAR was also negotiating what turned out to be a blockbuster seven-year $7.7 billion broadcasting rights deal with Fox, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Phelps specifically aimed his frustrations at 80-year-old Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress, commenting: “Childress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and get out,” before adding: “Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”
Later, Phelps would go on to suggest: “If he’s that angry (and apparently he is), sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, is a dinosaur, and a malcontent. He’s worth a couple hundred million dollars — every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion. Total a–clown.”
The reveal of these messages not only prompted Childress to threaten legal action, but also drew the ire of major sponsor Bass Pro Shops in a public undressing of NASCAR via a letter released on social media.
The following day, a settlement was reached between the teams and NASCAR, which included evergreen charters and the reinstatement of both 23XI and FRM’s six full-time rides as chartered entrants. It is also believed that NASCAR would have had to shell out tens of millions of dollars to settle the case with both teams.
Fast forward to January 6, and Phelps announced he was stepping down, explaining in a statement: “As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years.
“Our sport is built on the passion of our fans, the dedication of our teams and partners and the commitment of our wonderful employees. It has been an honor to help synthesize the enthusiasm of long-standing NASCAR stakeholders with that of new entrants to our ecosystem, such as media partners, auto manufacturers, track operators and incredible racing talent.
As I embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries, I want to thank the many colleagues, friends and especially the fans that have played such an important and motivational role in my career. Words cannot fully convey the deep appreciation I have for this life-changing experience, for the trust of the France family and for having a place in NASCAR’s amazing history.”
Motorsports
Hitachi Energy Signs as Title Sponsor for Late Model Division at South Boston Speedway
Two Event Entitlements Included in Multiyear Deal, Partnership Expansion with Hitachi Energy
SOUTH BOSTON, VA…..Hitachi Energy has expanded its partnership with South Boston Speedway to become the title sponsor of South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Stock Car Division, which will be known as the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division starting in 2026.
In addition, Hitachi Energy will sponsor two events at the speedway in both 2026 and 2027 as part of a two-year agreement.
“Hitachi Energy is proud to extend our partnership with South Boston Speedway by sponsoring the Late Model Stock Car Division for the next two years, along with two marquee events,” said Ryland Clark, Senior Corporate Real Estate Facility & Capital Projects Manager for Hitachi Energy.
“South Boston Speedway is a cornerstone of our community, and we’re excited to support the drivers, fans, and families who make this place so special. Investing in local traditions like SoBo strengthens the connection between our team, our neighbors, and the future of Halifax County.”
Hitachi Energy has played a big role at South Boston Speedway including its sponsorship of the lucrative Championship Loyalty Bonus Program which provided awards for eligible drivers in South Boston Speedway’s NASCAR-sanctioned racing divisions.
In addition, South Boston Speedway and Hitachi Energy partnered to collect donations of non-perishable food items to be donated to the Feed Halifax organization at the track’s CARS Tour event in September. Each non-perishable item donated earned a fan one chance at being chosen to wave the green flag for the start of one of the two late model features that night. The Feed Halifax organization set up a trailer at the speedway during the event to collect donations.
South Boston Speedway and Hitachi Energy will revisit the Feed Halifax initiative for 2026.
“We are very appreciative of Hitachi Energy’s partnership with the speedway,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Brandon Brown, “and are excited about Hitachi Energy extending its partnership to include becoming the title sponsor of our Late Model Stock Car Division and sponsoring two of our events for the next two years.
“Hitachi Energy is a tremendous supporter of the South Boston-Halifax County community through its partnerships with community events and its donations and assistance to community organizations and schools. We thank Hitachi Energy for its support and bringing a new level of excitement and interest in racing at South Boston Speedway for competitors and fans alike.”
The Late Model Stock Car Division is South Boston Speedway’s featured racing division, with the upcoming 2026 season being the 43rd year of the division being the track’s feature division. There have been 103 different winners in 757 NASCAR-sanctioned Late Model Stock Car Division races at South Boston Speedway.
One of the closest championship points battle in the track’s history was waged in the Late Model Stock Car Division this season, with Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia winning a record eighth South Boston Speedway title by a narrow two-point margin over Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sellers broke the previous record of seven South Boston Speedway titles held by David Blankenship of Mosely, Virginia which had stood for 27 years.
South Boston Speedway will open its 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, March 21, with one of the biggest events of the season, the SMART Modified Tour’s King of the Modifieds event. The track’s Late Model Stock Car Division competitors will be in action as well.
The first event of the season to feature all four of the track’s regular NASCAR-sanctioned racing divisions will be on Saturday afternoon, April 4.
South Boston Speedway’s 2026 season schedule can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com. Additional information about South Boston Speedway is available on the speedway’s website and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by calling the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
Source: South Boston Speedway
Motorsports
Raptor battles for Dakar Rally title in Saudi desert
Updated Jan. 7, 2026, 1:07 p.m. ET
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — In 1966, France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans put Ford on the map as one of the world’s premier sports car manufacturers. Sixty years later, Ford is determined to make its mark again — this time as one of the world’s premier off-road makers by taking on the world at the 14-day, 2026 Dakar Rally in the desert of Saudi Arabia.
Ford v Ferrari meets Ford v Toyota.
The Japanese manufacturer, builder of the internationally-ubiquitous Hilux trucks, has dominated this race in recent years, just as Ferrari dominated Le Mans in the early 1960s.
Ford Racing is determined to dethrone Toyota at the end of this Jan. 3-17 race and, in the process, establish its Raptor truck performance badge (synonymous with its F-150, Bronco and Ranger bruisers) as a global icon just as Le Mans made GT40 an international sports car icon (ultimately, GT40 became a movie as well with its Oscar-winning turn).
“For any brand wanting to stake a claim to owning off-road racing, Dakar stands out head and shoulders above all others,” said Global Director of Ford Racing Mark Rushbrook. “Over two relentless weeks and thousands of competitive kilometers . . . there is no place to hide. That is why the 2026 Dakar Rally represents such a meaningful moment for Ford.”
Dakar is one of a series of meaningful moments for the Dearborn automaker’s racing division in 2026 as it has unleashed a historic assault on the world’s top motorsports series, including Formula One (with Red Bull), Le Mans (with Mustang) and off-road (Raptor). Come 2027, it will also be back at Le Mans for the first time since its 1960s dominance in the premier Hypercar class.
After two years getting its feet wet in Dakar — scoring a podium in ‘25 — Ford has come into the Saudi desert this January with an army of firepower.

Eight Raptor T1+ trucks — four of them full factory teams — piloted by some of the world’s most renowned off-road aces have entered the race’s most-capable Ultimate class. Pilots include names like four-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz Sr., two-time winner Nani Roma, King of the Hammers champ Mitch Guthrie, Rallycross World Champion Matthias Ekström, world rally ace Martin Prokop, and Le Mans winner Romain Dumas. They will take on the best from Toyota as well as teams from international off-road racing teams Buggyra, Dacia and Century.
Le Mans 1960s GT40 aces AJ Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon and Dan Gurney would be impressed.
The world standard in off-road motorsport since 1979, Dakar got its name from the original race run from Paris to Dakar, Senegal. For the last five years, it’s been held across Saudi Arabia’s demanding terrain. It’s a test of human as well as vehicle endurance as drivers and their navigators riding shotgun must traverse the desert at breakneck speeds while doing their own repairs and enduring extreme weather conditions.
While carrying the Raptor badge, Ford’s Ultimate-class trucks share little with their production siblings.
These are dune buggies on steroids — tube-frame monsters with high-horsepower V-8 engines, huge all-terrain tires, and 14 inches of Fox-shock suspension travel — capable of running at 100-plus mph speeds over a gnarly landscape that looks like something out of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” dystopia.

The four factory entries — developed with UK-based engineering company M-Sport — are state-of-the-art cyborgs while the four factory-supported buggies are year-old beasts. It’s an arrangement not unlike Ferrari F1 and the Formula One customer teams it supports with last-gen engines.
“Those privateer entries are a deliberate part of how we grow the Raptor ecosystem globally — sharing technology, data and durability across customer teams who are pushing the same hardware in the same extreme conditions,” said Rushbrook. “That depth strengthens the program, accelerates learning and reinforces the credibility of the Raptor platform.”
That ethic is part of a Ford business model to make money in motorsports — rather than just race for headline glory as it did in the ‘60s. The Raptor T1 program follows Ford’s Mustang GT3, GT4 and Dark Horse Challenge series efforts where Ford sells GT-class race cars to teams globally.
“Ford Racing today is also very much a business, and a growing one,” Rushbrook said pre-race. “We’ve proven across our Mustang programs what true race-to-road integration can deliver. That same philosophy now fully extends to Raptor and our off-road portfolio.”

In the brutal conditions of Dakar the private teams also are contenders to win outright. Just three days into Dakar on Jan. 6, for example, the private Orlen Jipocar Ford team driven by Prokop was second to the Guthrie-piloted factory effort as Ford entries swept the top five positions, with Toyota a distant ninth.
Ford’s early stage success (Dakar competitors must prove themselves over 13 stages totaling 5,000 miles) was born of teething years in 2024-25. Just as Ford struggled to build reliable Dakar warriors, so did its Le Man assault demand patience before its 1966 breakthrough.
“Our earlier years at Dakar were about building knowledge: understanding the race, the rhythms, the terrain and the operational demands,” said Rushbrook. “The phase we enter now is different. The objective is no longer to validate the program, the objective is to contend for overall victory.”
Whatever the outcome of this year’s Dakar Rally, Ford’s racing efforts are consistent with the history of a brand that has used racing for marketing and engineering excellence since Henry Ford won the Sweepstakes Race in 1901 — securing investors for his fledgling Ford Motor Company.

“Racing has served as our most demanding engineering laboratory and one of our most powerful brand amplifiers,” said Rushbrook.
It’s a philosophy that is also at the root of Ferrari and Porsche — and has recently taken hold at General Motors Co., which is also competing in F1 and Le Mans.
For all brands, the searing heat of motorsports translates directly into better road cars — putting cutting-edge tech to the test to improve performance and reliability, not to mention developing better engineers.
Ford’s Dakar ambitions follow successful off-road efforts in North America at the famed Baja 1000 and King of the Hammers competitions in Mexico and California, respectively. Factory teams have won production GT classes with F-150 Raptors and Broncos.

Similar production classes are also in play in international rally races like Dakar, where brands as diverse as Range Rover and Honda Powersports (motorcycles) compete across the desert.
But like Ford v Ferrari in the 1960s, Ford’s Dakar goals have started at the top of the sport.
Like Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship, Dakar is the jewel of a year-long race series, the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Ford and Toyota will continue to exchange blows across the world in Portugal (March), Argentina (May), and Morocco (October) before the Abu Dhabi finale in November.
That’s the same month as Ford/Red Bull wraps the F1 season in the streets of Abu Dhabi.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Motorsports
Cummins Powers Back Into NASCAR With Kaulig Racing
After decades of building some of the most respected engines in the world, Cummins Inc. is officially returning to NASCAR’s national spotlight in a big way. The global power technology leader has signed on as the full-season primary sponsor of Brenden Queen and the No. 12 Ram 1500 for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, fielded by Kaulig Racing.
For Mopar fans and racing enthusiasts alike, this partnership hits on multiple levels. It reunites two legendary American brands—Cummins and Ram—on one of the most visible motorsports stages in the country, while also backing one of stock car racing’s fastest-rising young drivers.
Cummins branding will appear on the primary livery of Queen’s No. 12 Ram 1500 for every Truck Series race in 2026. The deal represents the latest chapter in a relationship between Cummins and Ram that dates back to 1989, when the first Cummins-powered Dodge Ram rolled off the line. Since then, more than 3.5 million Ram trucks have been powered by Cummins diesel engines, setting the benchmark for durability and capability in the heavy-duty pickup segment.
That deep-rooted history makes this return to NASCAR feel less like a marketing move and more like a homecoming.
“Cummins has racing in its DNA,” said Brett Merritt, Vice President and President, Engine Business, Cummins. “From Clessie Cummins winning the first Indianapolis 500 as a crew member to our leadership in commercial power, we’ve always pushed the limits of what’s possible. Brenden Queen represents that same spirit – talented, hardworking, and full of momentum. Partnering with both Kaulig Racing and Ram provides the opportunity for us to continue to write our motorsport legacy.”
Queen, known to fans as “Butterbean,” enters 2026 as one of the most talked-about prospects in the sport. The 28-year-old Chesapeake, Virginia native put together a dominant run in the ARCA Menards Series, earning eight wins and finishing in the top five in 17 of 20 races en route to a championship. That success opened the door to five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts late in 2025, where Queen delivered strong, confidence-building performances against deeper competition.
Those results made him the first driver announced as part of Ram’s highly anticipated return to the Truck Series, and now he’ll carry one of the most recognizable names in American engineering on his truck.
To Queen, the opportunity is both humbling and motivating. Driving a Ram-backed truck with Cummins on the hood connects modern NASCAR ambition with decades of truck and diesel heritage that fans instantly recognize.

For Kaulig Racing, landing Cummins as a full-season primary sponsor is a major statement of intent. The organization has built its reputation through competitive Xfinity and Cup programs, and 2026 marks an aggressive push to establish itself as a consistent contender in the Truck Series.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Cummins to the Kaulig Racing family,” said Chris Rice, Chief Executive Officer of Kaulig Racing. “Their engineering excellence and commitment to innovation are a perfect match for our vision. Brenden is an exceptional talent, and we’re building a program around him that we believe can compete for wins and make a playoff run right away.”
The No. 12 Cummins Ram 1500 will officially hit the track at the 2026 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13. Under the lights at Daytona, one of America’s most iconic engine builders will once again be part of NASCAR’s national conversation—this time paired with a new generation of driver talent and a familiar Ram badge.
For Cummins, Ram, and Kaulig Racing, 2026 isn’t just about sponsorship. It’s about legacy, performance, and proving that American engineering still belongs at the front of the field.
Motorsports
Jackson Tovo Joins Nitro Motorsports TA2 Program for 2026
Motorsports
Vote for your 2025 NASCAR Driver of the Year!
Kyle Larson made it count when it mattered most, winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship after a dramatic late-race restart in the Phoenix Raceway finale. But will the now-two-time champ get your vote for NASCAR Driver of the Year?
The Hendrick Motorsports driver started his 2025 campaign with three wins and five more top-five finishes in the first dozen races, then saw his form dip dramatically, before digging deep to stay in Playoffs contention and finally seal the deal.
Before that final restart, Denny Hamlin looked to be cruising to a seventh win of the season and a first Cup Series championship, but was left to rue another one that got away. Will the outpourings of goodwill and sympathy Denny received convert into votes? It’s your call, readers.
Or how about Shane van Gisbergen, who’s switched from the Australia-based Supercars Championship and took an unprecedented five road-course wins in his first full Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing? That was impressive stuff – as was William Byron’s second-straight Daytona 500 win, a hard-fought first regular season championship and his third-straight Championship 4 appearance.
Outside of the Cup Series, rising star Connor Zilisch won 10 races in the Xfinity Series, including seven of the final eight regular season rounds, but was pipped to the title by Jesse Love in the Phoenix season-closer. Meanwhile, Corey Heim dominated the Craftsman Truck Series with 12 wins from 25 races, including five wins in the seven-race Playoffs.
Could a season like Heim’s or Zilisch’s put the stars of the Cup Series in the shade? It’s your call and your votes, and we’re looking forward to finding out who you’ve put top.
Voting will remain open for 72 hours, and we’ll be announcing your 2025 NASCAR Driver of the Year on January 15.
Plus, coming soon: vote for your sports car racing marque of the year.
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