What’s Happening?
In a recent interview, Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, claims that he would like to see NASCAR…
What’s Happening? On the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, one NASCAR official claims that he thinks NASCAR will look into a slight increase in horsepower. During the May 7 edition of the Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director Racing Communications, and his co-hosts discussed how NASCAR officials listen and respond to […]
On the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, one NASCAR official claims that he thinks NASCAR will look into a slight increase in horsepower.
During the May 7 edition of the Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director Racing Communications, and his co-hosts discussed how NASCAR officials listen and respond to driver feedback.
During this discussion, Forde mentioned that he believes NASCAR officials will consider pleas for a slight increase in horsepower. Forde stated, “That’s something that we’re gonna look at seriously, I think.”
However, Forde reminds listeners that a high rise in horsepower, somewhere in the 900 to 1000 HP range, would still be highly unlikely.
“You hear some levels of 900 or 1000 horsepower,” Forde said. “It’s not on the table, just because of the cost. But there’s some conversation of, ‘Can you go up to 750?’ And that’s something that I’m sure we’ll discuss with the drivers too.”
Forde went on to reassure listeners that this is not a guarantee; however, he wants fans to know that officials on the competition side of NASCAR are listening to drivers. “I don’t want to make any promises or get anyone’s hopes up, but we seriously listened to the drivers and their feedback, and we’ll see what we can do there,” Forde said.
In the pursuit of devising better racing for the NASCAR Next Gen car, fans and industry members alike often debate the best way to improve the short track and superspeedway racing product.
One of the most common conclusions people reach is that the car should have more horsepower overall. More horsepower would make the car harder to drive, allow for heavier braking, and cause faster tire wear.
While some moderates suggest 750 to 800 HP, racing traditionalists often harken back to the days of 900 to 1000 HP engines in NASCAR. However, the wear and tear caused by the 900 to 1000 HP engines is often deemed not financially viable.
Nonetheless, that does not mean that a rise in horsepower is impossible, as recent comments have reignited this long-running campaign.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Doug Yates, the CEO of Roush-Yates Engines, the provider of Ford power plants in the Cup Series, claimed that a small increase from the 650 to 670 HP package currently used to roughly 750 HP is not the challenge it seems to be.
“So if we were to increase the power from 670 horsepower to about 750 horsepower, that probably wouldn’t be much of a change for us, today, but to go back to those 900 horsepower engines, that would be quite the project and it would definitely decrease the life of the engines.” — Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines
Fans and some drivers have responded positively to these comments, though NASCAR has not directly commented beyond this episode of Hauler Talk.
What’s Happening?
In a recent interview, Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, claims that he would like to see NASCAR…
Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
NASCAR on Prime officially drops the green flag on its exclusive Cup Series coverage on Sunday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m. ET with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Prime Video’s compelling slate of NASCAR action includes five consecutive races including the series’ first-ever international points event in Mexico City, wraparound booth and trackside […]
NASCAR on Prime officially drops the green flag on its exclusive Cup Series coverage on Sunday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m. ET with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Prime Video’s compelling slate of NASCAR action includes five consecutive races including the series’ first-ever international points event in Mexico City, wraparound booth and trackside coverage headlined by NASCAR Hall-of-Famers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards, innovative streaming technology, and a signature new anthem from mega-stars Eric Church and John Fogerty.
NASCAR on Prime features a distinguished and well-rounded announce team that combines unparalleled racing expertise with seasoned broadcasting talent. Adam Alexander leads as race caller, joined in the booth alongside Earnhardt Jr. and former DAYTONA 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. On pit road, DAYTONA 500 champion Trevor Bayne links with experienced reporters Kim Coon and Marty Snider to provide real-time updates on drivers, tactical decisions, and other critical developments as races unfold.
Additionally, esteemed broadcaster Danielle Trotta hosts Prime Video’s trackside pre- and post-race coverage with analysts Edwards and current Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie. Prime Video’s extensive wraparound coverage features candid conversations and exclusive driver interviews fresh off the track, in-depth analysis, previews and breakdowns of the races, and developing storylines that help bring viewers closer to both the action and the personalities behind the wheel.
Immersive Streaming Presentation
The streamer will also elevate the NASCAR experience for fans through a best-in-class viewing presentation and flawless streaming quality, with the following features.
NASCAR on Prime Anthem and Commercial Campaign
Last month, Prime Video announced an electrifying new anthem that brings together country superstar Eric Church and rock legend John Fogerty. The reimagined “Up Around The Bend (Amazon Music Original)” with Eric Church and John Fogerty transforms the iconic song into the signature sound for NASCAR on Prime, capturing the excitement of race day with a high-energy track.
The anthem debuted as part of the NASCAR on Prime marketing campaign featuring racing icon Dale Earnhardt Jr., veteran analyst Steve Letarte, and Cup Series star Chase Elliott. The full anthem will officially premiere during next Sunday’s presentation of the Coca-Cola 600, and will be woven into broadcasts throughout the exclusive five-race NASCAR Cup Series package.
Both the collaborative version and a solo version by Eric Church will be available to stream exclusively on Amazon Music beginning May 25.
NASCAR on Prime’s Full Cup Series Schedule
Prime Video’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage will feature five races from May 25 to June 22. Below is the full schedule (All times ET).
Fans in the U.S. will be able to watch NASCAR live at home or on the go, and across hundreds of compatible devices, streaming from the web, or using the Prime Video app on smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, game consoles, and connected TVs. For a complete list of compatible devices, visit amazon.com/howtostream. Subscription required, 30-day free trial available.
Amazon Studios PR
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – Before NASCAR celebrated its biggest and brightest at North Wilkesboro Speedway with the All-Star Race, FOX honored one of the greatest to ever work behind the scenes. Longtime communications professional at Hendrick Motorsports, Jon Edwards, was named the 2025 recipient of the organization’s “Byrnsie Award”, named after longtime broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who […]
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – Before NASCAR celebrated its biggest and brightest at North Wilkesboro Speedway with the All-Star Race, FOX honored one of the greatest to ever work behind the scenes.
Longtime communications professional at Hendrick Motorsports, Jon Edwards, was named the 2025 recipient of the organization’s “Byrnsie Award”, named after longtime broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who succumbed to cancer in 2015. Presented every season since Byrnes’ death, the award is presented to someone in the NASCAR Cup Series, “who exemplifies principles Byrnes embodied in his professional and personal life — preparation, teamwork and family.”
Edwards, who worked closely with Jeff Gordon throughout his driving career and also with Kyle Larson since 2021, passed away last month at 53 years old. Edwards had most recently been serving as the organization’s director of communications since 2022.
“Jon was the prototype for great PR reps with Jeff Gordon, and he was the perfect choice to guide Kyle Larson’s return to NASCAR and his rise to stardom,” FOX NASCAR play-by-play announcer Mike Joy said. “In an arena with massive egos, Jon’s own was never on display. As an enabler — not a gatekeeper – Jon set a very high standard, all the while being a good and loyal friend. He truly embodied the way Steve Byrnes lived his life.”
The award is voted on by the NASCAR broadcast team and Joy presented the award to Edwards’ family on Sunday. Edwards’ parents, Randy and Judy Edwards, and his brother, Jay Edwards, were in attendance.
Hello iRacers, The past few months have been busy in motorsports (both real-world and simulated), and time has flown by since we last provided our quarterly update. Between intense early-season championship battles across many of the world’s top-tier racing series and record-smashing participation in sim racing as a whole, it’s a great time to be […]
Hello iRacers,
The past few months have been busy in motorsports (both real-world and simulated), and time has flown by since we last provided our quarterly update. Between intense early-season championship battles across many of the world’s top-tier racing series and record-smashing participation in sim racing as a whole, it’s a great time to be a motorsports fan and sim racer. Thanks to all who participated in the iRacing Indy 500, and congratulations to all winners across the hundreds of splits. Saturday’s top-split Open race finished in a thrilling manner and with a dramatic final lap. Exiting turn four and in third place, Philip Kraus surged to the win in a photo finish alongside Robert Maleczka III and Jason Brophy. Moments like this are a great reminder of just how special this sport is, and we appreciate the time you all spend with us here at iRacing.
In just a few short weeks, iRacing’s Season 2 will reach its conclusion, and we’re going to start Season 3 off strong with a phenomenal update that our team has been working incredibly hard on and are all excited to get into your hands/rigs! Let’s get right into it and start things off with a full Season 3 preview. We’ll then touch on some longer-term initiatives and updates, future content, and more! We’ll begin by reviewing the new Season 3 cars and tracks, as well as what will be the largest set of updates and improvements to existing content we’ve ever shipped at one time.
Starting things off, our Season 3 tracks will include three main categories of release: 1) all new, 2) rescanned and remodelled, and 3) refreshed and upgraded. Note that with category 2 and category 3, I will list more tracks than we’ll ultimately be able to ship with S3 – our work is very dynamic right now, and we can’t guarantee exactly which will/won’t ship for another few weeks. Know that the tracks that miss the build will be released just three short months later, in the S4 build.
We’re excited to return to The Land Down Under, with the release of Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, known by many as “The Bend”. The Bend is located in Tailem Bend, South Australia – just a hundred or so km south-east of Adelaide. The Bend hosts or has hosted numerous national and international racing series, including Supercars Championship, GT World Challenge Australia, TCR Australia, Australian Superbike Championship, and endurance and prototype racing.
The design of The Bend was inspired by many of the world’s great racing circuits. It offers racers a great combination of technical sections and fast-flowing corners. The track has a surprising amount of elevation change that helps keep the racing action exciting. The Bend is a huge facility, and the iRacing implementation will feature seven racing configurations, including the full 7.77km GT Circuit, which is the second-longest permanent race track in the world.
Our rescanned and remodeled tracks are tracks that already exist on the service but have since been repaved or changed significantly in the real world. These changes warranted an update in iRacing, and each track listed has been rescanned, with driving surfaces fully remodeled from scratch. Additionally, all artwork, such as buildings, catch fencing, scenery, terrain, trees, and more, have been recreated using our latest techniques and quality standards.
Every track in this category is offered as a *free update* for iRacers who already have these tracks.
Our refreshed and upgraded tracks are a category of update that we have done our best to keep up with, but have greatly accelerated these past few years. These are not rescans, but they are nearly complete rebuilds where we have recreated all artwork using current tooling and quality standards. Examples of refreshes include Okayama, Road Atlanta, and most recently in Season 1 and 2 when we refreshed New Hampshire, Bristol, Darlington, Dover, Homestead, Kansas, and Las Vegas. We have been working on the remainder of the NASCAR calendar and will release as many as possible in the Season 3 build, with the remainder shipping no later than Season 4.
Examples of Refresh tracks currently in the works include Circuit of the Americas, Darlington, Daytona, Indianapolis, Lime Rock Park, Phoenix, Texas, and more.
We’re thrilled to be nearing completion on our refresh of this critical category of race tracks. Our teams have already moved on to future refreshes, starting with another project focused on a different significant racing series (more info soon!). From there, we’ll keep the momentum going and continue to upgrade and update additional tracks.
Before moving on to cars, I owe a big shout-out and kudos to our hard-working art and production teams. From scanning and photography, through to pre-production, project planning and management, modeling, texturing, driving lines, race control, AI support, setups, QA, database, and more, these teams have rallied together to model, remodel, or refresh 30 tracks over the course of three iRacing seasons, in addition to regular new track work. This effort required folks to step up, grow, expand their comfort zone, and learn new skills. We’re fortunate to have such a world-class crew, and the rest of the team and I appreciate you all.
Featuring three all-new racecars as well as comprehensive physics model overhauls to three existing car classes, Season 3 is absolutely stacked, and we are so excited to share these projects with you.
Let’s start with the all-new racecars…
We are thrilled to offer the visually stunning and thrilling-to-drive Ferrari 296 Challenge. The 296 Challenge is one of the fastest single-make series customer racing cars ever. Weighing just 1495 kg, ready to race with 700 hp and 870 kg of downforce at 250 km/h (nearly 3/4 that of a GT3 class car), this is a potent machine capable of outrunning GT3 cars while providing a unique and exciting GT racing experience.
This is made possible through exceptionally engineered systems, including:
This is genuinely a unique car, with close to zero parts crossover between it and the GT3.
The sound on the 296 is phenomenal and a good example of the depth that a binaural format can achieve. The format has the depth to make a solid-sounding onboard, along with great backfire, turbo, and BOV sounds.
The Ferrari 296 Challenge will be raced in our Ferrari 296 Challenge series, which will be retooled to feature this car rather than the 296 GT3 car. This series is raced at the D level.
And now for something completely different – we are happy to share that the previously announced Gen 4 Cup car project has been completed and is ready for release. In all, we will be releasing two car packages: the 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the 2003 Ford Taurus. Each car package will include two distinct car bodies: Stockcar and Speedway Stockcar. During this era of Cup racing, the car bodies were dramatically different in shape, and this presented a new challenge for our architecture. While we already have many cars with track-specific variants, the 2003 variants are so unique that we could not use a singular paint template and had to split each variant into its own unique template. This required engineering and UI support, and was more work than one might imagine. The end result was worth it and pushed us to improve functionality in how we present similar cars in the UI. Going forward, painters will be able to select the specific track type they’d like to view in our UI paint kit.
The Gen 4 Cup cars will be raced in our Gen 4 Cup series, taking the place of the current Gen 4 car. This series is raced at the C level.
While that covers our new cars, we’re only getting started, so let’s explore the car and car class overhauls…
INDYCAR is one of our closest and most longstanding partners, and we are thrilled to offer a comprehensive update to the IR18 that brings it up to spec with the 2025 real-world iteration. This project was completed in collaboration with Dallara, INDYCAR, and real-world INDYCAR drivers. Together, we have rebuilt the physics using our latest tools, processes, and quality standards. The improved systems include the fundamental tire itself, aero modeling, and the addition of a wet tire. Additional details and changes include:
Overall, the changes will result in a positive change for realism.
One detail we have deferred to the future is the new hybrid system. This system debuted midway through the 2024 season, with 2025 being the first full year in competition. We are taking our time to make sure we get this right, and we’re also in the midst of a fundamental hybrid model architecture rewrite, which has implications here as well.
The IR18 has also been updated visually to match the current year, including an all-new Cosworth steering wheel and the road course-specific aeroscreen. Additionally, we sent our sound team on the road to capture the vehicle using our latest and greatest hardware and techniques, and our new sound model is phenomenal. You can now hear nuanced elements of the power train, and the engine makes a cool anti-lag sound, which, in the words of our sound designer, Aussie Greg, sounds like a “Chewbacca-gurgle.” This happens mostly with partial throttle between 6000-8000 RPM and is extremely audible out of the exhaust from external views.
Our Gen 7 NASCAR Cup car has also undergone a significant overhaul. It features our latest release-ready tire (first debuted on GTP) and improved aerodynamics that bring the car closer to how teams now have the cars operating. Teams have made performance advancements over the last few years, and we have integrated similar increases in performance. The updated tire is a significant change that will refine many characteristics of the tires, including conditioning, limit feedback, and slide recovery over the limit. Finally, we will introduce a new Gen-7-specific CFD-based drafting model that will bring the driving dynamics in traffic closer to how the real cars behave. This work was done in partnership with NASCAR and has taken the realism of these cars to the next level.
Our most significant car project this season was a whopper that spanned six months of intensive development—a comprehensive redevelopment of our entire GT3 racecar class. I am going to get pretty detailed here, so bear with me. Whether you’re a GT3 fan or not, these details are well worth a read and offer insights into the level of detail our passionate developers pursue with their work.
Starting with the tires, we have developed new Dry and Wet tires; both use iRacing’s newest tire physics model (first debuted with GTP). To develop the GT3-specific model, we utilized customized software and tooling to simulate a vast set of tire constructions and models at faster-than-real-time speeds. These models were then thoroughly tested and iterated by our vehicle dynamicists and driving specialists, in collaboration with external professional drivers who race the same cars in real life. Many things have been improved, culminating in tires that behave more like those in the real world.
Additionally, we have overhauled the aerodynamics on the majority of the cars in the GT3 class using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. We have updated ride height maps, yaw and roll sensitivities, and the effect of changing rear wing settings. After tires, aerodynamics has the greatest impact on in-car experience so we put a lot of effort into capturing both aerodynamic performance and nuances that impact subjective feel.
Here is a detailed list of highlights and things you will notice as you acclimate to the changes:
To sum things up, with our now more realistic model, GT3 cars in iRacing will drive far better at the limit, and if you go over the limit. The driving experience is more accurate and enjoyable, and we can’t wait to share this work with you all in a few weeks. We are incredibly proud of the result, and our team has set the standard for GT3 racing in the entire sim racing landscape.
As exciting as the above three car redevelopment projects are, note that projects like this span multiple seasons, and there are additional similar projects underway with different cars and car classes that we are not ready to announce. Expect a stream of additions and improvements as we move forward with our continuous pursuit to provide the most realistic and authentic simulation of real motor racing.
Last but not least, a few additional miscellaneous car updates…
Season 3 will offer a healthy selection of new features and functionality, along with key improvements to many existing systems. Let’s run through many of them, and keep an eye out for the full release notes, which will be released in the days leading up to the release.
VR is a key focus at iRacing, and has been since the beginning when iRacing and Oculus collaborated to add VR support to a prototype version of their first VR headset. We are excited to share that Season 3 will include the release of quad-view fixed foveated rendering support for RTX2000+ Nvidia GPUs. This implementation of foveated rendering uses four different views to render the scene, with higher fidelity and processing power focused on areas in line with the driver’s head, and lower fidelity around the fringes of the scene. The result is fewer overall pixels rendered with expensive pixel shaders. This rendering optimization will offer additional performance and headroom as we all eagerly await the release of the new rendering engine that is well underway.
We have spent significant time working on our rain systems to bring our rain visuals more in line with actual wetness represented in the dynamic track physics systems. There has been a subtle divergence over the past couple of seasons that has made it more difficult than it should be to visually discern the level of track wetness. Our team has done a phenomenal job re-tuning these systems and has things back in tip-top shape. Now with the surface wetness appropriately tuned, this same team has turned their attention to accomplishing a similar goal with the spray generated from the tires and cars – note that it’s TBD whether or not this second phase will make it for Season 3.
Adaptive AI was released last season and has been a hit. While not perfect in every situation, this feature has gone a long way to make AI racing in iRacing more accessible and easily configurable than ever before. When we released this feature, we shared that additional improvements would follow, and our first batch of follow-up improvements will debut in Season 3. To begin, the Adaptive AI behavior between sessions in a race weekend is improved, leading to more consistent and predictable race starts. Additionally, Adaptive AI support is coming to Hosted racing. This addition offered a unique challenge, requiring system support for several real racers rather than just the singular racer in a single race. The addition is testing well, and we look forward to the wider release.
Hardware
We are rolling out additional 360 Hz support across multiple wheels and are close to adding haptic support to multiple wheels. More info to follow…
That covers many of the highlights of season 3, but again, keep an eye out for those release notes.
The following updates will be provided in an abbreviated format, as we spent a great deal of focus on S3 and there will be plenty of opportunity to share more soon.
New Sim UI: As we have shared in previous updates, we have a sizable group working on the New Sim UI, which is an all-new and modern UI framework and a fresh interface design. This project has been underway for a couple of years now, and it’s hard to convey just how massive a project it has been to add a new UI to our mature product with decades of legacy and code, hundreds of features, and thousands of elements. The current status of the project has reached engineering completion. This is a critical milestone for us, and we are in a great position as we shift our focus to testing feedback, fit and finish, and iterative improvements.
We know there’s substantial anticipation and excitement for this new UI update, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we make sure to get the project done right and not rush things out the door. We strike a tricky balance with these development updates; we’d love to tell you everything we’re working on, but at the same time we need to protect against disappointment when things take longer than anticipated. Sometimes we share things too early, sometimes not early enough – we do our best. It’s a process, so thank you for navigating this along with us.
New Rendering Engine: This project is going tremendously well, and every day, the team reaches a new milestone or significant achievement that brings company-wide excitement. To catch newcomers up, we are building an all-new rendering engine (graphics engine). This engine will transform the look and performance of iRacing and features a GPU-driven architecture and minimal CPU overhead.
Last quarter, we shared progress made with an all-new shadow system that will transform this sim’s overall appearance. This week, we reached another milestone: the integration of our Dynamic Track system into the new renderer. The project is far enough along that it will be the feature of our next “Town Hall,” an employee-only gathering where project teams share their work with the entire company.
Physics: We are focused on improving physics in iRacing on a continuous basis. You see these improvements in every single build, whether it’s a new car using a new tool or process, or an extensive overhaul of an existing car (recent examples: GTP, IndyCar, NASCAR, GT3). While balancing these continuous improvements, we have a team focused on longer-term and more fundamental improvements, with a current focus on improved FFB, improved peripheral support, higher physics rate, and the next generation of our tire model. Recently, adjustments have been made to the architecture of the next-generation tire that will facilitate quicker and more collaborative development. Our physics team has grown substantially, and this change will allow us to better capitalize on the opportunity and immense talent that this growth represents.
Career Mode: We took a momentary side quest from our career mode project to ensure we have some core sim systems and AI systems in place that this mode will require. Some of these improvements have already made their way to you, such as Adaptive AI. Many other supporting systems are in the works, and our foot is now firmly back on the gas to move forward the backend and UI systems that will power this new sim mode forward. We’re not ready to set expectations on a release, but know that it’s a priority feature for us, and we’ll also continue to look for opportunities to use this feature to fuel improvements that can be enjoyed in many areas of the iRacing experience.
Miscellaneous: A few quick improvements of note are as follows…
Our team is already deep into development on our September car and track releases, as well as December.
Currently, the track team is pushing most intensely on Mexico City, which is going to be quite the substantial effort by the time we’re done. It’s going to look and drive great. We updated our Miami data now that the Grand Prix has had its May race buildup and are working through transforming the facility to more accurately represent race day. We also have a handful of city tracks in the pipeline.
The car team is working on many interesting projects, including exciting additions to GT3, GT4, and GTP. There have been some fits and starts, but we are oh so close to having the data we need to enhance and extend our Dirt Road car offering. Our high-performance open-wheelers will see an exciting addition in the near future that will allow us to represent a new tier of real-world competition better. We’re just scratching the surface here, with more to come down the road.
I could keep going, as we have so many critical initiatives underway, such as our full Audio team, who are working on transforming the auditory experience of sim racing in iRacing, our great UI team, AI-powered feature R&D, tooling, and more. There will always be a next time, so let’s defer some updates until then.
As always, thank you all for your support, for being a vital part of our community, and for choosing to do your sim racing in iRacing. For our worldwide team of developers here at iRacing, this is a passion as much as it is our career, and we’re fortunate to have you, the best group in all of simulation and gaming, supporting us and racing with us every day. We’re also fortunate to have the best assembled group of talent in the business, which has taken years to assemble and expand. We now have 200+ people across four continents and 16 countries. Motorsports and sim racing are global passions. iRacing is a global company powered by a global community, and we’re fortunate to be connected with you all to enjoy sim racing together.
We look forward to seeing you all out on the track when Season 3 is released in a few weeks.
-Greg
Boot Barn will continue its relationship with Richard Childress Racing, and the driver of the team’s No. 3 NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, in 2025. According to a press release from the team, Boot Barn will continue to partner with Richard Childress Racing in content creation and primary sponsorship of the No. 3 NASCAR […]
Boot Barn will continue its relationship with Richard Childress Racing, and the driver of the team’s No. 3 NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, in 2025. According to a press release from the team, Boot Barn will continue to partner with Richard Childress Racing in content creation and primary sponsorship of the No. 3 NASCAR Cup Series car, but Boot Barn will also expand its footprint to include some NASCAR Xfinity Series primary sponsorship of the team this season.
The renewed partnership will kick off this weekend as Austin Dillon will pilot the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series North Carolina Education Lottery 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Dillon, who was the NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in 2013, is excited to dip his toe back into the series this weekend with support from Boot Barn.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue RCR’s relationship with Boot Barn, and I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” said Dillon. “Charlotte has been good to me, and I’m thankful to Boot Barn for allowing me the opportunity to help showcase their brand within motorsports and beyond.”
Boot Barn loves the connection that it has found with Richard Childress Racing’s loyal fan base, and it is excited to further expand upon that this season.
“Continuing our partnership with Richard Childress Racing and Austin Dillon allows us to further connect with fans who share a passion for the western lifestyle and motorsports,” said Stephen Loscko, vice president of marketing and media for Boot Barn. “From Charlotte to Mexico City, we’re excited to highlight our brand on the track and through influencer-generated content that brings our story to life. Last year’s cross-collaboration creative storytelling with Austin Dillon and Boot Barn-sponsored rodeo athlete Rocker Steiner has been incredibly well received. We’re excited to continue building on that success.”
RCR and Boot Barn will work together to host western lifestyle influencers to go along with Dillon driving the No. 3 Boot Barn NASCAR Cup Series car in the NASCAR Cup Series debut race in Mexico City.
“Austin Dillon’s authentic interests in western sports and the western lifestyle make him the perfect ambassador for Boot Barn as they continue to showcase their broad selection of cowboy boots and western wear to NASCAR fans,” said Mike Verlander, president of RCR. “Our entire team is looking forward to highlighting that connection and building upon the unique and engaging influencer-driven content that has become a pillar of the partnership.”
Dillon, 35, is a five-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner who has recorded three top 10 finishes through the opening 12 races of the 2025 season. Dillon currently ranks 21st in the championship standings with 14 races remaining in the 26-race regular season.
FOX NASCAR honored the late Jon Edwards, longtime motorsports communications professional, with “The Byrnsie Award” during Sunday’s NASCAR RACEDAY prerace telecast on FS1 from North Wilkesboro Speedway. In honor of the late FOX NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes, nicknamed ‘Byrnsie,’ FOX Sports established the award in 2016 to celebrate an individual in the NASCAR Cup Series […]
FOX NASCAR honored the late Jon Edwards, longtime motorsports communications professional, with “The Byrnsie Award” during Sunday’s NASCAR RACEDAY prerace telecast on FS1 from North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In honor of the late FOX NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes, nicknamed ‘Byrnsie,’ FOX Sports established the award in 2016 to celebrate an individual in the NASCAR Cup Series who exemplifies principles Byrnes embodied in his professional and personal life — preparation, teamwork and family.
Edwards was voted the recipient by Byrnes’ colleagues on the FOX NASCAR broadcast team, of which he was a member since the network’s first NASCAR race broadcast in February 2001. Byrnes passed away in April 2015 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Bryson Byrnes, Steve Byrnes’ son, announced Edwards as the recipient during the NASCAR RACEDAY telecast. Joy presented the award to Edwards’ parents, Randy and Judy Edwards, his brother, Jay Edwards, Jay’s wife, Roxanne, and nephew Jayden.
Past recipients include:
2016- Chris Osborne
2017 – Tony Gibson
2018 – Jimmie Johnson
2019 – Darrell Waltrip
2020 – Bubba Wallace
2021 – Rick Hendrick
2022 – Justin Marks
2023 – Peter Larsson
2024 – Nelson Hastings
FOX Sports PR
Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith has fired back at Ty Dillon’s NASCAR All-Star Open threat. The Kaulig Racing driver fumed following the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro, claiming, “If he wrecks me again, I’m just going to beat his ass. “Coming off [Turn] 4, I think I gave him plenty of room, and he […]
Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith has fired back at Ty Dillon’s NASCAR All-Star Open threat.
The Kaulig Racing driver fumed following the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro, claiming, “If he wrecks me again, I’m just going to beat his ass.
“Coming off [Turn] 4, I think I gave him plenty of room, and he just doors me halfway down the straightaway…There’s something about the younger guys they never had to deal with consequences.”
As the moment quickly gained traction on social media, Smith took it upon himself to respond to the No. 10 Chevrolet driver’s threat. He wrote:
“Ain’t beating nobody’s ass.”
Ain’t beating nobody’s ass.
— Zane Smith (@ZaneSmith) May 18, 2025
Smith signed a full-time driver contract with Front Row Motorsports for 2025 on a multi-year agreement. The 25-year-old stated at the time of the announcement:
“I’ve always felt at home with Front Row Motorsports.
“They believed in me when I signed with them to race in the Truck Series initially in 2022 and we shared so much success together, winning six races and a championship in two seasons.
“Unfortunately, everyone had to make tough decisions because there were only two Cup cars available at Front Row Motorsports going into last season when I was ready to move up full-time.
“Now, going into next year, Front Row has really taken their Cup program to another level and I cannot think of a better lineup of teammates. Todd (Gilliland) and Noah (Gragson) are great friends of mine and we all have a lot to prove as young drivers in the Cup Series.
“It is a great time to come back and continue to build my career with an organization where I know I can win.”
He added:
“I want to thank Bob [Jenkins, owner], Jerry [Freeze, general manager] and Mark Rushbrook at Ford for making this happen.
“I know that we can win together in the Cup Series like we did in the Truck Series. It’s a great time to come back as we continue to make FRM even better.”
1. Carson Hocever, No. 77 Chevrolet,
2. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
3. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
4. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
5. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
6. Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
7. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
8. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
9. Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
10. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
11. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
12. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
13. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
14. Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
15. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
16. Cody Ware, No. 15 Ford
17. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
18. Chad Finchum, No. 66 Ford
Duke basketball's Isaiah Evans on 2025 NBA Draft early entry list
How to watch Avalanche vs. Stars Game 7 FREE stream today
Web exclusive
Princeton University
2025 NCAA softball bracket: Women’s College World Series scores, schedule
Bowman Gray is the site of NASCAR’S “Advance Auto Parts Night at the Races” this Saturday
2025 Big Ten Softball Tournament Bracket: Updated matchups, scores, schedule
Patty Gasso confirms Sophia Bordi will not finish season with Oklahoma softball
MOTORSPORTS: Three local track set to open this week | Sports
$1.5 Billion Legal Powerhouse Announces Multi-Year NASCAR Deal With Kyle Busch