INDYCAR will have an independent officiating system in place for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons, the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body announced.

A new independent, not-for-profit organization–INDYCAR Officiating Inc.–has been established and will be governed by a three-person independent officiating board (IOB).

The board will select a managing director of officiating (MDO) and establish its annual budget. The board members were independently selected this week, with two members chosen via a vote from INDYCAR team owners, who are charter members, and the other member appointed by the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA).

The managing director will report directly to the independent board with no oversight from INDYCAR or Penske Entertainment officials. This individual will be charged with full officiating oversight–including the hiring of personnel for race control and INDYCAR technical inspection–and responsible for enforcing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT rulebooks as written by INDYCAR.

The two IOB members selected via a vote from chartered team owners are:

• Ray Evernham–Longtime motorsports veteran who, most notably, served as the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR Cup Series championships. Evernham also pioneered Dodge’s return to NASCAR as owner of Evernham Motorsports before later becoming a television analyst, producer and consultant.
• Raj Nair–A 30-year veteran of the automotive and auto racing industries, Nair has vast experience and technical compliance expertise as an executive at Singer Group, Inc., Multimatic, Inc. and the Ford Motor Company, where he also served as the North American president from 2017-18. As the chief technical officer and executive vice president of Ford’s global product development (2012-17), Nair was responsible for all Ford Motorsports programs, including in NASCAR, IMSA and FIA WEC.

The third member of the IOB appointed by the FIA is:

• Ronan Morgan–Brings more than 50 years of global motorsport experience as a senior official, promoter, organizer and competitor. With the FIA, Morgan served as the chairman of stewards for more than 100 international race and rally events, was sporting manager of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2009 to 2021 and is president of the FIA Drivers Commission. Morgan is also a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council and advisor to the FIA President.

The FIA’s role in INDYCAR’s independent officiating system will be limited to the appointment of its board member.

For more information, visit indycar.com.

Briella Browning wins the 2025 DragChamp 10-12 Jr. Racer of the Year title presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance after winning 19 times on the season.

12/17/25 – Welcome to the 2025 DragChamp 10-12 Jr. Racer of the Year Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. This week we rank the best 10-12 year old racers in the country and crown the 2025 10-12 Jr. Racer of the Year!

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Click here to view previous Top 10 Lists.

DragChamp Jr. Racer Top 10 List

1 – Briella Browning 

Briella Browning won 19 times in 24 final-round appearances to claim the DragChamp 10–12 Jr. Racer of the Year title! She earned five championships throughout the season, including the Bradenton Motorsports Park Track Championship, Gainesville Raceway Track Championship, NHRA Southeast Division 2 Lucas Oil Championship, Gainesville Raceway Jr. Street Track Championship, and the NHRA Southeast Division 2 Jr. Street Championship. Other racing highlights include a SEJS $10K Quarterfinal finish, NHRA Division 2 Race of Champions runner-up, and NHRA Division 2 E.T. Semifinal finish. She also placed second in the Jr. Street Track Points at Bradenton Motorsports Park and was once again invited to the 64-car $10K Invitational at Christmas on the Coast.

2 – Landon Pruett

Landon Pruett had an exceptional season, making 21 final-round appearances and securing 16 wins. He earned two points championships in the Southeast Junior Series, capturing both the 10–12 Points Championship and the 10K Points Championship. Landon claimed the $10,000 main event win twice this past year at SEJS, along with multiple other series victories. He also captured two NHRA Division 2 National Open Wally wins and finished as the runner-up in the NHRA Charlotte Elite 8 Shootout. In addition, Landon picked up numerous wins at various tracks, including Brainerd Motorsports Park, Montgomery Motorsports Park, Carolina Dragway, and Darlington Raceway.

3 – Jesse Varner

Jesse Varner takes the #3 spot after an impressive season, winning 14 times in 18 final appearances. One of his biggest weekend of the year was at the Montgomery Jr. Dragster Halloween Havoc where he won the 10-12 Age Group, the $10,000 main event, and was apart of the three-person winning team in the team race. Other season highlights include winning the Friday Jr. Gamblers Race at the IHRA Division 8 Team Finals and earning a runner-up in the Rumble in the Gump $10,000 main event.

4 – Ethan Russell

Ethan Russell posts a No. 4 finish on the 10–12 list after winning 14 times in 17 final-round appearances. He earned the US 131 10–12 Track Championship for the second consecutive year and also captured the Darana Dragway–Milan 10–12 Fall Points Championship. Ethan was the 2025 NHRA Eastern Conference Finals 11-Year-Old Champion and also took home the ECF Closest-to-the-Dial award.

5 – Kendall Stephenson

Kendall Stephenson lands in the #5 spot after making 18 final-round appearances and securing 12 wins. Her accomplishments include a runner-up finish in the NHRA Western Conference Finals Fun Race, a victory in the WCF Second Chance Fun Race, and a runner-up in the NHRA Eastern Conference Finals Main Event. Kendall also captured the $5,000 Prescott win, earned six King of the Class victories, and finished as the KOC points runner-up, she also finished as winner and runner-up twice in the SEJS age group class.

6 – Brett Gonzales

Throughout the season, Brett Gonzales made 15 final-round appearances, securing 11 wins, including a $1,000 victory at the Spring Stampede, the $3,000 SWJDS Shakedown on the Bayou Big Money win, and a $1,500 Penwell Knights Halloween Shootout victory. This was his very first year of competition, and it included splitting time between two different cars.

7 – Dawson “D-Pain” Rogers

D-Pain had another outstanding season, earning nine wins in 18 final-round appearances across 14 race tracks in nine states. He captured both the Southwest Junior Dragster Series 10–12 Championship and the 8.90 Index Championship. At the Pacific Division Summit Jr. Finals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dawson battled through more than 200 cars on Friday night to win the Nic Woods Racing Engine Race, then raced through 60 cars the next day to claim the 10–12 Year Old Shootout victory. Throughout the year, he earned numerous wins and runner-up finishes, including two runner-up results at the NHRA Western Conference Finals.

8 – Lucas Ramsey

In his final season in the 10–12 age group, Lucas Ramsey made 11 final-round appearances, earning eight wins. He was the Junior Track Champion at Lapeer International Dragway and finished second in points at Mid-Michigan Motorplex. Lucas also won the Gamblers Race at the WDRA Bracket Finals and went on to the WDRA World Finals, where he finished in the top six in the Gamblers Race.

9 – Gavin Naegele

Gavin Naegele had a strong 2025 season, making 13 final-round appearances and earning seven wins. He was crowned the Edgewater Sports Park Track Champion for the second consecutive year and finished as the Division 3 Race of Champions runner-up. Gavin also made multiple Midwest Jr. Super Series final rounds; despite attending only three of the five MJSS events, he reached the final round at all three.

10 – Shane Conner

Shane Conner took home the WDRA and track championship at US 13 Dragway in both Junior Dragsters and Junior Street. He reached 10 finals this year, winning seven of them, and was the runner-up in the Race of Champions at the Bracket Finals. Shane also won the Hillbilly Bracket Bash and earned his biggest win of the year at the Showdown at the Shore.

10 – Cohen Reed

Cohen Reed rounds out the Top 10 list after making eight final-round appearances and earning seven wins during the 2025 season. He picked up four big-money race wins throughout the year, including the $1,000-to-win Dick Weinle Memorial Race, the $1,500-to-win King of the Hill Championship, and $1,500 victories on both Friday and Saturday at HalloThanksmas.

Let us what you think about the DragChamp Jr. Top 10 List. We want to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook and share it with your friends.

And remember, look for our DragChamp Jr. Top 10 List nominations Facebook post every Monday evening. You can nominate your favorites in the comments of the post for consideration on the list.

If you nominate a racer, please
include their name, their accomplishment, which track(s), and a winners circle
photo. Some racers have missed the list because we didn’t have enough
information and couldn’t find anything online.

DragChamp is your online source for sportsman drag race results, news, and updates.

BOZEMAN — Winter has arrived on the calendar, but on the ground in Bozeman, snow has been hard to find.

What little snow has fallen so far this season hasn’t been enough for many of the winter sports Montanans typically enjoy this time of year.

Compared to late November, when snow briefly covered the valley, current conditions look noticeably bare.

Justin Schroeder, finance manager at Summit Motorsports, says winter hasn’t even begun.

“This is the craziest year I’ve seen. I’ve lived in Montana a lot of my life,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder says winter usually brings a steady rush of snowmobile riders by October. The rush hasn’t happened this year.

“Luckily, Cooke City is getting some snow, so we have people that are still headed out there,” Schroeder said. “But not at the volume that we’re used to seeing.”

Summit Motorsports sells everything from snowmobiles to dirt bikes and UTVs, catering to a wide range of Montana outdoor enthusiasts. But with thin snowpack across much of southwest Montana, snowmobile sales have been slower than usual.

“Last thing I want to do is be sitting on a whole bunch of snowmobiles that are carrying over into next year,” Schroeder said.

Beyond the impact on sales, Schroeder warns that current riding conditions can be dangerous. Thin snow cover can expose rocks, debris, and unstable terrain, increasing the risk of damage and injury.

“Risk of not just avalanche danger, but dangers on the trails as well,” Schroeder said. “Hooking an A-arm, breaking your machine.”

He says riders have already brought in snowmobiles damaged by poor conditions and urges anyone heading out to prioritize safety, including carrying proper avalanche gear.

“We are here to make sure everybody stays safe this season,” Schroeder said.

Until more snow arrives, businesses and riders alike are waiting for winter to truly show up.

“We are all praying for the snow gods to drop it on us,” Schroeder said.

The antitrust lawsuit between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR is over, and while the trial ended in a settlement last week, it was rather clear-cut that the teams held a significant advantage in the courtroom through the nine days of what became known as “NASCOURT”.

Now that the trial has concluded, Denny Hamlin has been given the green light to freely post at will on social media, and on Tuesday morning, the 60-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winning driver was in no mood to hide his feelings about how the legal situation was covered by Larry McReynolds and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed the lawsuit against NASCAR in 2024.

Heading into Tuesday morning’s edition of “On Track”, Larry McReynolds took to his personal X account to say good morning to his followers and to let them know what was coming on the show throughout the day. Little did McReynolds know that this social media post would be the catalyst for the biggest moment on social media revolving around NASCAR throughout the day.

“Good Morning! At 11am/ET this morning join @BradGillie & LarryMac28 for “On Track” on @SiriusXMNASCAR Channel 90,” McReynolds posted. “Dylan Cappello with @Team_FRM joins us PLUS, we’re playing a game called Higher or Lower! #NASCAR”

Good Morning! At 11am/ET this morning Join @BradGillie & @LarryMac28 for “On Track” on @SiriusXMNASCAR Channel 90! Dylan Cappello with @Team_FRM joins us PLUS, we’re playing a game called Higher or Lower! #NASCAR

— Larry McReynolds (@LarryMac28) December 16, 2025

At 8:11 AM ET, Hamlin fired back with a couple of tweets calling into question how SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and McReynolds, specifically, handled the coverage of the antitrust lawsuit.

“Good morning,” Hamlin replied to McReynolds. “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?”

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?

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) December 16, 2025

Hamlin then busted out the receipts in another response, “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 don’t know what their problem is, 13 other teams signed it’. Just to name a few examples.”

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.

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) December 16, 2025

Bust out the Friday “DAAAAMN!” meme, because Hamlin was ready to pounce.

Later, Brad Gillie, McReynolds’ co-host, quote-posted Hamlin’s original response to McReynolds and said, “I realize you’re responding to Larry, but shouldn’t we let the animosity end? I would love to see us all positively move the sport forward with unity and grace.”

Hamlin would respond with one sentence to Gillie.

“Animosity ends with accountability,” Hamlin said.

Animosity ends with accountability.

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) December 16, 2025

Hamlin received a fair share of fans agreeing with his response, as well as others who were not on board with him publicly berating McReynolds and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio for their opinion heading into the trial. However, when X user @BillEarly asked Hamlin why an apology was required, Hamlin said that reality didn’t line up at all with the narrative that was allegedly being peddled by the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“Well because I believe that once the actual facts and documents were released it was contradictory to the narrative that was being pushed,” Hamlin stated. “Larry is a very hard working analyst. Hopefully he took the time to analyze the situation post settlement and revise his thoughts.”

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.

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) December 16, 2025

While the full financial terms of the settlement will likely never be fully known, NASCAR reportedly chose to meet a lot of demands by the teams in an effort to settle the lawsuit after nine days of battling in Federal Court in Charlotte, NC.

Among the things that were awarded to the teams were “Evergreen” Charters, which are essentially permanent Charters provided teams don’t violate the terms of the Charter Agreement. If teams are found in violation of the Charter Agreement, they will be given time to sell their Charters rather than having them taken from them.

Additionally, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports had their Charters, which expired when they didn’t sign the 2025 Charter Agreement, restored.

While the antitrust lawsuit is without a doubt the big sticking point in Hamlin’s clapbacks to McReynolds on Tuesday, there has been more bad blood between the two over the last year. On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this year, McReynolds claimed that Hamlin, who was a member of NASCAR’s Playoff Committee, shouldn’t have a say in what the Playoff format is because he hadn’t won a championship.

This led to a lot of backlash on social media, as McReynolds wasn’t clear that he was speaking about Hamlin, and many assumed he meant Mark Martin, who was also on the Playoff Committee. The heat didn’t dial down when it was revealed McReynolds was talking about Hamlin, and it was seen as an interesting comment from a crew chief who never won a championship in his years on the pit box.

Perhaps McReynolds can issue an apology to Hamlin, and the two can begin to see eye-to-eye and repair their relationship, which has been publicly strained over the last year.

What’s Happening?

Arby’s is taking its NASCAR sponsorship in a new direction, announcing a mega deal with JR Motorsports that will see the brand serve as primary sponsor for eight different races during the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

NASCAR Studios today announced Kid Racers, an original feature-length documentary capturing one of the most raw, electric, and little-known corners of American motorsports. The film debuts Wednesday, December 17 at 7 p.m. ET, airing live and exclusively on The NASCAR Channel.

Filmed at the legendary Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, N.C., Kid Racers follows five families and their fearless 8-and 9-year-old racers as they chase dreams on a red-clay track that has become a proving ground for NASCAR’s next generation. These kids, fresh out of car seats and already piloting winged Outlaw karts at 45–55 miles per hour, go head-to-head with the children of NASCAR greats including Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Clint Bowyer. At Millbridge, the message is universal: “If you can win here, you can win anywhere.”

“Kid Racers shines a light on one of the most authentic and emotionally charged corners of our sport, where passion is born, families rally together, and the next generation of NASCAR talent takes shape,” said John Dahl, NASCAR SVP of Content. “This documentary captures the heart of our sport and we’re proud to debut it on The NASCAR Channel.”

The film spotlights five unforgettable young competitors:

• Tanner Tucker, the fierce 2022 season champion carrying his father’s unfinished NASCAR dream.
• Giselle Hicks, a fourth-generation racer learning to rise above doubt in a male-dominated class.
• Jackson Darnell, the analytical “nicest guy on the track,” with the instincts of a future broadcaster.
• Gabe Yacono, the track’s beloved sportsman, racing for the joy and community it brings.
• Chase DeMarco, a multi-talented racer and diehard fan overcoming late-season setbacks.

Kid Racers is directed by Cynthia Hill, the Peabody Award–winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for several documentary projects including A Chef’s Life, Burden of Proof, Road to Race Day, and What Happened, Brittany Murphy?. It is executive produced by Tim Clark, John Dahl and Tally Hair from NASCAR Studios, and produced by Sandra Davidson.

The NASCAR Channel is NASCAR’s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) network. It offers 24/7 programming with no subscription required and is available on The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video.

NASCAR PR