What looked like a perfect NASCAR startup, a rising driver, massive funding, and veteran leadership, collapsed almost instantly. The Tabasco-backed Todd Bodine program promised the world, but became one of the fastest implosions of the modern era, leaving chaos in its wake and unexpectedly changing one career forever.

• How did an $8 million per year Tabasco sponsorship unravel before the season even started?
• Why did elite promises like exclusive chassis and top-tier equipment never materialize?
• What red flags during testing exposed deeper problems inside the operation?
• How did missing the Daytona 500 trigger a life-changing opportunity for Jeffrey Baker?

On paper, the team had everything: manufacturer support, high-level personnel, and direct backing from one of the biggest sponsors in the garage. In reality, key deals quietly collapsed, used equipment replaced what was promised, and decision-making behind the scenes raised serious concerns. When the team failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, the entire project effectively imploded under the weight of its own hype. For Jeffrey Baker, the fallout became a turning point. A last-minute move to Penske Racing during Speedweeks led to a career spanning decades, championships, Indy 500 victories, and a permanent place inside one of motorsports’ most successful organizations. One of NASCAR’s biggest sponsor disasters accidentally launched a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

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When we created CarBravo, our goal was straightforward: make used car buying and owning more transparent, accessible and predictable.

Now, we’re giving customers more confidence with every vehicle purchased with CarBravo’s standard certification by increasing the warranty coverage from 6-month/6,000-miles* to 12-month/12,000 miles,* whichever comes first. This Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty – with no deductible or added cost – sets a new standard in the used car market. That level of protection helps customers manage the total cost of ownership at a time when affordable vehicle options are at the forefront. Even older, higher-mileage vehicles that fall outside of CarBravo’s standard certification criteria can still qualify for a 30-day/1,000-mile BravoBudget Powertrain Limited Warranty.**

We’ve also included 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, because peace of mind and convenience doesn’t stop at the purchase — it’s about keeping customers moving. Even better, unlike many other used car platforms, CarBravo’s warranty repairs are available through GM’s network of over 4,000 dealerships nationwide.

CarBravo is a General Motors program, and that shows up in how we think about quality, transparency and choice. Customers can shop online, in-store or through a seamless combination of both, with access to thousands of vehicles across a wide range of brands and budgets. Every vehicle is inspected, and customers have the information they need to make confident decisions.

In a crowded used-car market, we believe transparency, convenience and protection all go hand-in-hand. CarBravo is designed to deliver on those tenets — and to raise expectations for the customer experience around buying and owning a used vehicle.

*Coverage and terms are different in the State of California. See participating dealer and warranty booklet for limited warranty eligibility and coverage details, including limitations and exclusions. For non-GM vehicles, covered components vary from GM vehicles; please see a participating CarBravo dealer for component coverage details and full terms and conditions.

**CarBravo vehicles that are greater than 10 and less than 15 years old and/or have greater than 100,000 and less than 150,000 miles, are eligible to receive Powertrain Limited Warranty coverage for 30 days or 1,000 miles (whichever comes first).

When we created CarBravo, our goal was straightforward: make used car buying and owning more transparent, accessible and predictable.

Now, we’re giving customers more confidence with every vehicle purchased with CarBravo’s standard certification by increasing the warranty coverage from 6-month/6,000-miles* to 12-month/12,000 miles,* whichever comes first. This Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty – with no deductible or added cost – sets a new standard in the used car market. That level of protection helps customers manage the total cost of ownership at a time when affordable vehicle options are at the forefront. Even older, higher-mileage vehicles that fall outside of CarBravo’s standard certification criteria can still qualify for a 30-day/1,000-mile BravoBudget Powertrain Limited Warranty.**

We’ve also included 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, because peace of mind and convenience doesn’t stop at the purchase — it’s about keeping customers moving. Even better, unlike many other used car platforms, CarBravo’s warranty repairs are available through GM’s network of over 4,000 dealerships nationwide.

CarBravo is a General Motors program, and that shows up in how we think about quality, transparency and choice. Customers can shop online, in-store or through a seamless combination of both, with access to thousands of vehicles across a wide range of brands and budgets. Every vehicle is inspected, and customers have the information they need to make confident decisions.

In a crowded used-car market, we believe transparency, convenience and protection all go hand-in-hand. CarBravo is designed to deliver on those tenets — and to raise expectations for the customer experience around buying and owning a used vehicle.

*Coverage and terms are different in the State of California. See participating dealer and warranty booklet for limited warranty eligibility and coverage details, including limitations and exclusions. For non-GM vehicles, covered components vary from GM vehicles; please see a participating CarBravo dealer for component coverage details and full terms and conditions.
**CarBravo vehicles that are greater than 10 and less than 15 years old and/or have greater than 100,000 and less than 150,000 miles, are eligible to receive Powertrain Limited Warranty coverage for 30 days or 1,000 miles (whichever comes first).

 

Toni Breidinger has built a growing presence in NASCAR, but behind the highlight reels and rising profile is a reality she says few fans fully understand. 

The 26-year-old NASCAR driver recently opened up about the constant uncertainty that comes with trying to survive in a sponsorship-driven sport, admitting that setbacks have been a defining part of her journey.

“I feel like I’ve had so many failures,” Breidinger, who also explained her concerns about working with Victoria’s Secret, said on The Burnouts podcast. “There’s been times where I’ve lost a sponsor right before a race, and I haven’t been able to race, and I was devastated. And then I got like a whole new opportunity after that.”

Breidinger, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, said those moments often arrive with little warning. Losing funding can mean missing a race altogether, turning months of preparation into a scramble just to stay on track.

“There’s been times even the past few years where I’m like, I don’t have a partner for this race. How am I going to do?” she said. 

“And it’s just like a scramble to make it work. I actually have my hands in everything still. I’m very much kind of a control freak. So I’m very involved in all the pitches and everything.”

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Breidinger became the first Arab American woman to debut in a NASCAR national series race in 2021, and her visibility has grown rapidly. Across Instagram and TikTok, she has a combined following of roughly five million, with additional reach on Facebook and X that rivals, and in some cases exceeds, established Cup Series drivers.

Even with that audience, Breidinger said sponsorship remains fragile. Early in her career, she relied on cold emails and persistence after moving to North Carolina, long before social media traction became a selling point.

“When I first moved to North Carolina, it was a lot of just cold emails, not much success,” she said. “With my social media at the time, I don’t even think I had 10,000 followers. To me, I was like, I just want 10,000 followers, baby steps.”

Her growth eventually caught the attention of Toyota Motor North America, which signed her through its marketing department rather than its traditional driver development ladder. That partnership gives her access to Toyota’s performance resources, including training, nutrition support and simulator time, but it doesn’t remove the pressure to constantly secure race-by-race backing.

On track, Breidinger has delivered results. In 65 ARCA Menards Series starts, she posted 27 top-10 finishes, the most by a female driver in series history, along with four top fives and a fourth-place finish in the 2024 standings. 

“I feel like it’s hard because I’m just being in a male-dominated space, you want to be respected,” Breidinger said. “I’ve always been cautious about how I present myself.”

CONCORD, N.C. — Brad Keselowski will miss the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and Corey LaJoie will fill in for him, RFK Racing confirmed to TRE.

Keselowski will miss the Feb. 1 preseason exhibition race due to a leg injury sustained while skiing with his family in December. LaJoie will drive his No. 6 Ford in his absence.

LaJoie recently raced for Rick Ware Racing — a team closely aligned with RFK — in 2025. He previously filled in for a NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2023 when he drove Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway after NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott.

Keselowski is likely to be ready in time for the season-opening Daytona 500, set for Feb. 15. The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion is set to make his 17th start in the race. While he has won the Daytona summer race, he has never won the Daytona 500 before.

More NASCAR and motorsports news from the racing experts

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. (RACER), the North American media company focused on motorsports and car culture, has announced the appointment of CJ Olivares as Group CEO. Olivares, who currently serves as president of RACER Network LLC (RACER Network), will expand his leadership to include strategic and day-to-day oversight of the operations of RACER. He succeeds RACER founder Paul Pfanner, who departs the CEO role after three decades.

A decorated 35-year media executive, Olivares brings a distinguished record of building and scaling high-growth digital, linear, FAST and streaming businesses. He is widely recognized for founding Fox Sports’ FUEL TV, where he successfully transformed niche action sports into a dominant cultural force. In the last year, Olivares has spearheaded the integration and rebranding of the RACER Network (formerly MAVTV), driving significant gains in distribution and 50% year-over-year viewership growth through a commitment to diversified racing and automotive programming, as well as narratively-driven storytelling that humanizes the stars of the sport.

“CJ’s strategic expertise and operational depth make him the ideal leader to guide our unified and multifaceted RACER-branded platforms into the next era,” said Chris Dyson, who serves as the chairman of the Board of both RACER and the RACER Network. “His ability to marry the brand’s outstanding reporting and unique storytelling with modern broadcast and digital delivery ensures that RACER will continue to lead the motorsports media landscape.”

This step represents material progress in a multi-year effort to leverage the RACER companies’ historically distinct media assets to create an integrated content and services powerhouse designed for the modern media era, and sets the stage for the more closely aligned RACER-branded properties to build on the 1.5 billion impressions delivered in 2025.

Olivares leads a RACER group platform encompassing a comprehensive suite of media and service offerings: the RACER Network (television and streaming), RACER Digital (web and app), RACER Podcasts, the RACER Creator Network, the authoritative and collectible RACER Magazine and the creative agency RACER Studio. This streamlined offering is designed to provide a seamless experience for fans and a 360-degree solution for commercial partners. 

“The media and marketing landscapes are evolving at a breakneck pace, and the RACER platform is now uniquely positioned to lead that charge in the motorsports and car culture space,” said Olivares. “Our focus moving forward is twofold: diversify our content offering to engage the transformative influx of new racing fans and automotive enthusiasts and energize our revenue streams through innovative brand partnerships and aggressive subscription growth. We are building the definitive ‘campfire’ for motorsports and car culture.”

Olivares’ strategy emphasizes human-centric storytelling and digital-first accessibility. By leveraging the RACER Creator Network and the high-end production capabilities of RACER Studio, he aims to expand engagement across all platforms, from traditional broadcast to social media, ensuring the brand’s continued dominance in both the motorsports and automotive space, according to the company.

For more information, visit racer.com.

Brad Keselowski is setting out with an injury from last month

Brad Keselowski is the driver of the No. 6. He’s also the co-owner of the team, RFK Racing.

Last month, Keselowski was injured during a skiing trip. He has since underwent surgery and is on the road to recovery.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski has surgery after skiing incident

The 2026 NASCAR season is set to begin. The opening race is The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1, 2026.

The next race on the schedule is the famed Daytona 500. However, that race isn’t scheduled until February 15th.

Brad Keselowski comments

Brad Keselowski has elected to remove himself from the seat for The Clash event in an effort to prepare for Daytona. In his place, Corey LaJoie will be the reserve driver.

“We’re going to put Corey LaJoie in the The Clash,” Keselowski shared moments ago.

“I’m happy for Corey to get this opportunity. I’m laser focused on being ready for Daytona.”

Corey LaJoie comments

“Happy to be of service. Wishing BK w speedy recovery. Let’s go get another trophy at The Madhouse.”

He formerly ran full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with Spire Motorsports.

LaJoie ran four NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025, all with Rick Ware Racing. His best-finish of 22nd came in the Daytona 500.

RFK Racing issues a statement on the passing of Greg Biffle

Links

Corey LaJoie | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | NASCAR