Pat McAfee thrives on chaos. The former NFL punter turned media firebrand took aim at NASCAR this week, dragging rising star Corey Heim into his latest offbeat rant. Heim, the Truck Series points leader with six wins and a reputation as Denny Hamlin’s handpicked prospect. The rising star suddenly found his name tied to Ram’s 2026 return. The rumor was wild enough to spark chatter across the garage, but the real twist came when Heim and his team decided to answer back.
For Heim, this kind of talk is nothing new. Ever since Denny Hamlin and 23XI Racing labeled him as their development ace, speculation about his future has been nonstop. Heim is doing way more than just racking up wins in the Truck Series. He’s also showing everyone he belongs on the Cup stage sooner rather than later. However, the cup stage may be at least another season away thanks to Toyota’s commitment. Toyota clearly sees him as a cornerstone for the future, especially with the records he’s been setting. This is a sentiment Hamlin made clear earlier this year. He said, “We think Corey is the next guy in line.” So when McAfee stirred the pot with his Ram comments, it wasn’t just about a rumor. It was about watching how Heim and his team would handle the spotlight. That response ended up being louder than the original rumor itself.
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McAfee stirs the NASCAR rumor, Heim shuts it down
On McAfee’s show, the conversation turned lighthearted but quickly spiraled. When someone mentioned Heim’s Truck dominance, McAfee jumped in with, “What’s he driving?” Once told it was a Toyota, McAfee fired back, “Wait till next year, bud. RAM has got you backed up. RAM get your ass off the track.” He even teased that Heim himself might “want this” once Ram returned. It was classic McAfee: bold, absurd, and guaranteed to spark chatter. The only problem was, none of it lined up with reality.
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TRICON Garage didn’t waste a second letting the rumor die. Their X account fired back with a blunt remark, “NAH.” Heim followed up to make things clear on his part. He conveyed that he was “more of a Toyota Tundra guy.” Just like that, the speculation was over. His loyalty to Toyota was crystal clear. In a sport where vague answers often leave doors open, this was as firm a statement as you could get. Heim had taken control of the story with a single word and a simple nod to his truck.
The whole back-and-forth also shone a spotlight on just how big Heim’s profile has become. Even an offhand comment from someone like McAfee makes headlines, showing that Heim is now a name that carries weight well beyond the Truck Series garage. And the way he handled the situation showed he’s already playing the media game like a veteran. As Ram prepares its re-entry into the Truck Series and Toyota continues building for the future, Heim’s place looks secure. Especially when he’s been breaking all sorts of records.
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Corey Heim equals a NASCAR legend’s record
Corey Heim just added another bold chapter to what’s already shaping up as a historic season. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Heim edged out Chandler Smith by 0.823 seconds to claim his ninth win of 2025. This tied the Truck Series single-season record set by Greg Biffle in 1999. He didn’t just win. He dominated: from the pole, he swept both stages and over a hundred laps. With four races left, he now has a real shot at rewriting the record books entirely.
The feat becomes even more remarkable when framed in Heim’s career arc. In just 85 career Truck starts, Heim now owns 20 total wins, pushing him into the upper tiers of the all-time list. He’s not only chasing legacy records. Heim isn’t just winning, he’s the one name on everybody’s mind. The field is stacked, the playoffs are brutal, and yet he consistently pulls away from the pack.
After the New Hampshire race victory, Heim was in a league of his own. After the race, he spoke about how meaningful the achievement was while keeping his eyes on the remaining races. He expressed his desire to break the single-season win record and gave credit to Greg Biffle, whose mark he had tied.
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Looking ahead, tying Biffle’s record places a target squarely on Heim’s back. More importantly, his rivals are watching closely, and every misstep is magnified. At the same time, this reinforces his status as a generational talent. With Toyota firmly behind him, Heim has a real shot to set even higher benchmarks before the season ends.

The NASCAR garage is buzzing with rumors, and this one’s got fans on edge. The Next Gen car, a game-changer since its 2022 debut, was supposed to get a big upgrade for 2026, with Chevrolet teams expecting new Camaro body panels to replace the discontinued 2018-2024 design. But word’s out that those panels are stuck in limbo, and a key October 20 Roval test for a new ECU and wiring harness, built by NASCAR and McLaren, has been pushed back due to reliability hiccups.
The Next Gen era’s been all about leveling the playing field, with standardized parts like wheels, chassis, and suspensions slashing costs and tightening races. But the ECU, the car’s brain for engine management and data, is hitting snags. Teams reported issues during testing, stalling production, and forcing NASCAR to delay the Roval session.
Each team gets one car per test, so nailing this component is critical; misfire here, and you’re limping into 2026. Add in the Camaro body delay, and it’s a double whammy. The current body’s been out of production since 2024, and with no replacement in sight as of August 2025, teams might be stuck racing a mix of old and new setups.
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This isn’t just about looks. The new body panels could shift aerodynamics, affecting handling and speed, especially at high-stakes tracks like Daytona or Talladega. Teams like Hendrick and Trackhouse, Chevy’s heavy hitters, rely on precision to stay ahead of Ford and Toyota.
A botched rollout could throw a wrench into their prep, leaving drivers like Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott at a disadvantage. The November 17 Charlotte oval test is now under a cloud, with no clear timeline for when the new panels will arrive. It’s a logistical mess, and fans are feeling the heat.
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NASCAR’s no stranger to tech growing pains. The 2018 spec pit gun rollout was a nightmare. Kyle Busch trashed it after Bristol fumbles, but teams adapted, and it faded into the background. The 2022 single-lug wheel had its own drama, with loose wheels costing Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell penalties. A spec ECU and body delay could follow that script, early chaos, then a new normal. But with the season creeping closer, the clock’s ticking louder than a V8 at full throttle.
The bigger picture is about NASCAR’s push for innovation versus reliability. The new ECU isn’t about more horsepower, despite some fan hopes for a hybrid powertrain, but better data and engine control. McLaren’s tech is top-tier, but these glitches show how tough it is to integrate cutting-edge systems across 36 races. Chevy’s delay on the Camaro body only adds fuel to the fire, raising questions about whether the Bowtie brigade’s ready to roll.
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Fans are torn; some see it as a hiccup, others a sign Chevy’s dropping the ball at a critical moment. Reddit is a wildfire of worry over Chevy’s 2026 stumbles.
Fans freak out on Reddit
“The more worrying detail is the one about Chevy teams not having the 2026 body panels yet. We’re 4 months away from Daytona, and Chevy is gonna MASSIVELY drop the ball if we have a field that’s even 70/30 teams with 2025 and 2026 cars,” one fan vented.
The Camaro’s been out of production since 2024, and with no new body style confirmed by August 2025, the fear’s real; teams could hit Daytona with a patchwork of old and new panels, throwing off aero and fairness. Hendrick and Trackhouse thrive on consistency, and this delay could leave Larson or William Byron playing catch-up.
“Will the Chevy drivers be called ‘Ghost Riders’ in 2026? Since the ghost of Camaro returns,” another quipped, poking fun at the outdated Camaro body haunting the grid. It’s a playful jab, but it stings. Chevy’s stuck running a discontinued design while Ford and Toyota push forward. Fans love the Camaro’s legacy, but racing a “ghost” feels like a step back.
“This is either: A new ECU related to the increased HP, which would explain why they ultimately killed the idea of bringing in the new package this year. Or a new ECU related to a rumored hybrid powertrain,” one speculated. The ECU’s about data, not power, but the hybrid rumors got folks dreaming, even if NASCAR’s mum on it.
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“On a scale from whatever to panic, how much should we care?” a user asked, summing up the unease. The Roval test delay and ECU glitches are bad enough, but the body panel lag has fans sweating. Will teams be ready by February?
“Anyone have any idea what Chevy has cooking for 2026?” another begged. With no official word from Chevy or NASCAR, the silence is deafening. Fans see shades of past Next Gen woes, pit gun flops, loose wheels, and worry Chevy’s teams, from Spire to Richard Childress Racing, could start 2026 behind the eight ball, leaving the Cup Series’ competitive edge in question.

NASCAR drivers have always been a tight-knit bunch, and their bonds often extend to their four-legged family members, who tag along for the ride and offer a steadying paw amid the chaos. Shane van Gisbergen, the Aussie Supercars champ now tearing up NASCAR, hauls his 130-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ronald, everywhere, even flying him 21 hours from Australia with a custom crate. It’s that kind of loyalty that keeps SVG grounded.
Ryan Blaney’s no different, with his Shepherd/Lab mix, Sturgill, rescued in 2018, as his constant trackside buddy. Blaney calls him his “guy,” especially when the kids aren’t around, a furry anchor in the whirlwind of race weeks. Losing a pet hits like a lap 1 wreck, sudden, shattering, and leaving you spinning for weeks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy know that pain all too well.
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Amy’s tearful goodbye to Junebug
On the latest Bless Your ‘Hardt episode, Dale and Amy Earnhardt got raw about their pet Junebug’s passing. Dale Jr started, “Amy, we lost Junebug. He was 14 years old. A teacup Pomeranian, you could hold him in your hands. He was so tiny and perfect.” Junebug joined the family during their early years, a pocket-sized bundle of joy who fit right into their nomadic life. Amy and Dale Jr often shared stories of his playful antics, a little spark of normalcy amid racing’s roar.
Amy’s voice cracked as she recalled, “Junebug was so tiny he could sit on the corner of my laptop while I worked. He didn’t have any manners and would run off into the woods thinking he was funny, and we’d have to close the door and wait for him to come back.” Those quirky escapes were classic Junebug, mischievous and independent, always turning heads. The family’s grief is a shared wave, with Amy holding him as he slipped away.
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“I’m going to miss him. I was holding him when he passed away, which I’m grateful for because choosing to put him down would have been harder. He was sleeping next to me, and as soon as I picked him up to go outside, he passed away. I feel like he waited for me to wake up,” she said. That quiet grace, waiting for her touch, makes the loss even more poignant.
The ripple hit the kids, too. “Isla was sad yesterday again, so I think she’s going to go in and out of it with me.” Daughters Isla Rose and Nicole Lorraine are navigating the waves of grief right alongside their parents, a family united in missing their little shadow. Junebug’s health had been fading since a 2025 stroke that messed with his balance, but his spirit stayed bright. Amy’s tears on the podcast hit fans hard, a reminder that even NASCAR royalty feels the ache of everyday loss.
Amy’s emotional tribute to Junebug echoes the deeper bonds in NASCAR, where family, furry or otherwise, grounds the high-speed life. It’s that same heart that drives Dale Jr.’s passion for the sport’s soul, like his recent plea for a return to the full-season points system.
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Dale Jr. pushes for full-season playoff
On Actions Detrimental, Dale Jr. laid it out: “What I am missing right now is the heavy drama that would play out in the regular season.” The playoffs, with their resets and eliminations, have fans tuning out once their driver clinches a spot, killing the year-long tension.
He reminisced about his dad, Dale Earnhardt Sr., in a tight 1980s battle with Rusty Wallace at Charlotte, where a cam failure dropped him 80 points back. “We don’t go to a race track in the summer and leave with pure elation because our favorite driver just extended his points lead from 25 to 80, or he crawled himself out of a hole,” Dale Jr. said.
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The highs aren’t as high, the lows aren’t as low, and the playoffs’ chaos neuters that emotional rollercoaster. The final call comes after 2025’s Phoenix finale on November 2, with the playoff committee’s mid-September meeting narrowing options like a top 10/12 plus winners or a four-race championship.
Until then, Dale Jr.’s words, wrapped in the family warmth of Amy’s Junebug story, remind us NASCAR is at its best when every race feels like it matters, win or wreck.

If there was one major takeaway from the opening race of the Round of 12 at New Hampshire, it’s that the way teams perform in the most critical portion of the season goes a long way toward whether they can win a Cup Series championship.
In a dominant performance highlighted by Ryan Blaney’s win, Team Penske reminded everyone yet again that the path to a Cup championship runs through them as they seek their fourth straight. And that reminder came through an on-track display of cohesion that was decidedly the opposite of what was displayed by another one of NASCAR’s top programs in Joe Gibbs Racing.
With Blaney and Team Penske already having moved onto the Round of 8, it’s up to the other playoff teams to respond in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the middle race in the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. While Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing enter this race as its defending winner, it is Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson who present the rest of the field with its target to beat after a dominant performance in the spring where the No. 5 Chevrolet led 221 of 267 laps.
NASCAR playoffs 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks
Steven Taranto
Where to watch the NASCAR playoffs at Kansas
Date: Sun., Sept. 28 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, Kan.
TV: USA | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Storyline to watch
After a Round of 16 sweep led to talk of Joe Gibbs Racing potentially dominating the playoffs, the narrative surrounding the organization has now swung swiftly in the other direction thanks to on-track drama from a week ago in New Hampshire. After a sequence where Ty Gibbs — who took umbrage with the way teammate Christopher Bell had raced him — made life extremely difficult for both Bell and Denny Hamlin racing for a spot outside the top 10, Hamlin finally spun Gibbs out and put him in the wall, leading to public tensions over the manner in which Gibbs had raced his playoff contender teammates as well as his alleged influence as the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.
With neither Hamlin or Gibbs saying anything of substance at the racetrack, things instead played out over their own respective media platforms: In an Instagram story, Gibbs posted a clip from Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast with a pointing emoji in apparent agreement with Harvick’s assertion that Hamlin spun Gibbs out on purpose. Hamlin, meanwhile, articulated his issues on

NASCAR’s got a problem, and it’s not just the racing. The sport’s staring down a financial cliff, with TV viewership tanking and the whole business model hanging by a thread. In 2025, Cup Series races are pulling in just 2.52 million viewers on average, a 13% drop from 2024’s 2.916 million. Even the big dogs are hurting. New Hampshire’s playoff race scraped by with 1.29 million eyeballs, a brutal 28% slide from last year.
Fewer viewers mean less leverage when NASCAR sits down to hash out those big media rights deals, the lifeblood of purses and team budgets. With sponsorships already a tightrope walk, the sport is feeling the pinch like never before. Brad Keselowski, driver and co-owner of RFK Racing, isn’t mincing words; he dropped a six-word bombshell that sums it up: “Wholly reliant on the TV money.”
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Keselowski’s warning rings alarm bells
On Stacking Pennies, Keselowski laid it out plain, “The number one problem with the sport right now is the model with the tracks. The tracks aren’t able to generate enough revenue on their own. They’re wholly reliant on the TV money and they’re comfortable with that, which is the scariest part of all.”
He’s hitting the nail on the head. About 65% of NASCAR’s revenue comes from media rights, flowing to tracks and teams. But with attendance down since the late ‘90s, when Daytona pulled 200,000 fans in person, tracks are leaning on TV dollars instead of ticket sales. That’s a risky bet when viewership’s crumbling.
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He didn’t stop there, “That creates a subset of problems… where the teams have to [find revenue] because they’re not necessarily incentivized. That flows down into revenue problems for the teams, which makes the teams wholly reliant on sponsorship.” NASCAR teams live or die by sponsor logos, with 60-80% of their budgets coming from them. When big names like Lowe’s ditched Jimmie Johnson in 2018 or Target left Chip Ganassi in 2017, it was a body blow. Drivers like Ross Chastain or Bubba Wallace are as much brand ambassadors as racers, hustling for Fortune 500 deals to keep the lights on.
Keselowski’s take on the charter system cuts deep: “Fortune 500 companies or they don’t have a job… the charter system… is a reflection of the fact that the teams needed some protection against a revenue model that’s just not strong enough to sustain them.” Introduced in 2016, charters guaranteed entry and boosted team valuations, with Hendrick and 23XI charters hitting $25-30 million by 2023, but it’s a patch, not a fix. Smaller teams like Spire or Rick Ware Racing can’t keep up with Hendrick’s war chest, and sponsorship dependence leaves everyone vulnerable.
The structural issue stings, “You look at your typical sports team… Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets… their arena costs are paid for by the city. NASCAR doesn’t have that, so they’re beholden to a different model.” Unlike the NFL’s Panthers, who got $87.5 million from Charlotte for stadium upgrades, NASCAR tracks like Daytona or Homestead foot their own bills, like Daytona’s $400 million Rising project. That puts pressure on every race weekend to deliver.
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“Some have done a good job with that, but not enough. Look at Las Vegas Motor Speedway or here in Charlotte, where they have a lot of external events… but others have not been able to do that,” Keselowski noted. Tracks like Vegas, with its Electric Daisy Carnival, or Charlotte’s holiday lights rake in millions off-season, but rural spots like Martinsville lean on two race days a year, leaving them exposed if fans don’t show.
Keselowski’s financial warning ties right into his gripes about the racing itself, where the Next Gen car’s lack of juice is hurting the show and the dollars.
Keselowski calls for more horsepower
On Stacking Pennies, he didn’t hold back, “The Next Gen car changed me in some ways for the worse as a driver because you have to drive it way differently. You know, the cars in 2008, 2009, first off, were significantly faster… My first Cup start was at Texas, and you could literally spin the tires off the corner. You did. You spun the tires up.”
Compare that to now, “Like, all right, here it goes. But you know what I mean? Like I’m in an old pickup truck.” The numbers back him up. Ryan Blaney’s 2025 New Hampshire pole was 29.159 seconds, while Keselowski’s 2014 track record was a blistering 27.281. Today’s 670-hp engines pale next to 2014’s 900 hp, and Corey Heim’s faster Truck Series pole this year just twists the knife.
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NASCAR’s tried tire compounds at Bristol to spice things up, but Keselowski’s on team horsepower, “NASCAR has tried to address this with tire compounds that wear out and lose grip faster at some tracks, like Bristol, which might not be needed if they were more powerful.” Younger drivers, raised on the Next Gen’s 670 hp, burn tires faster, lacking the finesse of the high-horsepower era.
NASCAR’s eyeing a boost to 740-750 hp for short tracks in 2026, but costs are a hurdle. Keselowski’s point is clear. Better racing could pull fans back, boosting ratings and easing the TV money crunch. His old-school passion, from spinning tires at Texas to begging for drama, mirrors the fight to keep NASCAR’s financial engine running. If the sport doesn’t rev up, Keselowski’s doomsday warning might just come true.

Remember the 2010 NASCAR All-Star race at Charlotte? Battling in the final 10-lap shootout, Denny Hamlin forced then-teammate Kyle Busch into the wall. Over the radio, Busch exploded, “Somebody better keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this race. I am going to kill that m———–. I had this race won. Won.” However, the relationship has evolved since then, and the two aren’t engaged in such fiery situations for the win. And with Busch riding on a winless streak since 2023, several solutions have been offered, and the most recent involves his rival and friend, Denny Hamlin.
It is no secret that Kyle Busch’s 2025 season has been a frustrating one. So far, he has logged just two top fives and eight top tens and has only led 62 laps in 30 races. His best outing came on the Chicago Street course, where he clawed back to 5th despite a spin and penalty, but inconsistency and car issues have plagued his campaign. Still with a fresh contract extension through 2026 with Richard Childress Racing, the veteran insists the focus remains on finding speed and turning his luck around before the season slips away. However, there may be one alternative, and Danielle Trotta thinks that it is time for Denny Hamlin to play the white knight.
Speaking on Rubbin’ is Racing, Danielle Trotta has carved out a path for Denny Hamlin to save Kyle Busch from his slump: “I’ll tell you where I would want to put him if I could. I would put him in that third 23XI car. He has a really good relationship with Denny. They get along great. He knows the Toyota landscape. Riley Herbst is not performing, and he’s got a little money that he brings with him in sponsorship. Like, if I’m Denny, if I’m Kyle, I’m like, ‘Bro, do your boy a favor. Get me in your car.’ Yeah. I want to win again.”
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Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing, will have quite a decision to make if this claim comes true. It is no secret that Riley Herbst has had quite a rollercoaster of a rookie season in the Cup Series. Driving the No. 35 for 23XI Racing, he hasn’t cracked the top 10 just yet, but has turned heads with a string of solid performances, a notable 14th at Talladega, 17th at Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA, and 19th at Las Vegas, keeping his nose clean with 343 points.
Moreover, Herbst has only led one lap and is sitting nil on wins, top fives, and pole positions. He has an average start of 27.23 and an average finish of 26.10 with 3 DNFs. But in NASCAR, performance matters, and when you are the only driver in your camp that has not made it into the playoffs, eyebrows are bound to be raised. And who knows, Kyle Busch might actually get a breakthrough with a potential place at 23XI Racing.
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However, Trotta believes that Busch has more in him before he decides to call it quits: “Yeah. I don’t know if he, but I don’t think he should hang it up. I hope he is. I mean, I know what you’re saying. Like, it’s hard to watch him run in the back, but I don’t want to see him walk away.”
And if you think about it, 23XI Racing would be the perfect fit for Busch. The team has benefited from Toyota’s overall dominance in the Round of 16 and circled the wagons around Bubba Wallace and Reddick by avoiding real elimination danger in that stretch. Meanwhile, Wallace had been the stronger contributor for the team; he led all playoff drivers in stage points (35) and continuously positioned himself as a championship threat. Reddick, on the other hand, has hovered near the bubble; after entering the round below the cut line, he has shown flashes like a runner-up at Darlington.
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However, currently, the duo sits below the cut-off line as the NASCAR Cup garage heads to Kansas Speedway. Tyler Reddick is positioned 11th in the standings with 23 points below the cut line, and Bubba Wallace is 12th with 27 points. It is going to be an uphill battle for the team to make it into the Round of 8, but so far, they have been delivering. And amid all this, Kyle Busch’s crew chief has left the veteran to be part of Connor Zilisch’s team, abandoning the two-time champion.
But now, when it matters the most, one NASCAR veteran believes in his ex-rival (Busch) more than ever.
Kevin Harvick overcomes his hate and demands hope for a Busch redemption
On the Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick confessed that once he passionately hated ‘Rowdy.’ But hate has faded into something heavier: disappointment. Looking at Busch’s current slump, Harvick couldn’t help but wince: “I can’t imagine Kyle Busch going out like this. It’s bad for everything. It’s bad for the sport. It’s bad for him. It’s bad for everything that says ‘Kyle Busch.’ I hate to see where it’s at.” For Harvick, it’s not about rivalry anymore; it’s about watching a two-time champion stuck in quicksand, with no clear way out.
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And it’s not the car to blame, as Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch’s teammate, managed to snag a win this year while Busch continues to struggle. The mystery isn’t just in the numbers but in the pit box too. Crew chief Randall Burnett, who has been glued to the No. 8 team since 2020, is already packing his bag for Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch in 2026. Harvick’s old buddy Rodney Childers was floated as a replacement, but he is off to JR Motorsports instead. That leaves Busch standing in the garage with more questions than answers. Harvick added, “I don’t believe Kyle Busch is that bad. I have a hard time believing that. So, it’s definitely kind of a mess.”
Time isn’t exactly his teammate anymore. Retirement whispers are getting louder than before. But before Busch hangs up his helmet, fans and even Harvick are desperate for one last flash of vintage ‘Rowdy.’ The lap-leading, trash-talking, fire-breathing Busch that made NASCAR love and loathe him all at once. For now, though, it feels like the sport is waiting for a comeback that may never come.

A Cincinnati-branded racecar is at the center of a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Driver William Byron will operate the No. 24 Cincinnati Chevrolet on Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway as he vies for a spot in the next round of the playoffs.
Why Cincinnati?
The car actually features the logo for Cincinnati Incorporated, a machine tool manufacturer based in Harrison which sponsors Byron and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet team.
Sunday is the first time the design will be on the track, according to Hendrick Motorsports.
Cincinnati Incorporated plans to be a primary sponsor for the same team on Oct. 26 at the Martinsville Speedway. A new paint scheme will be used in this race.

With NASCAR returning to Kansas Speedway for the next race in the Cup playoffs — remember that finish there in May 2024? — it’s a good time to look back at the sport’s closest finishes.
NASCAR has used electronic scoring since 1993 and this list is the closest finishes since then.
Kansas has the closest finish in NASCAR in that era. Could Sunday’s race (3 p.m. ET on USA Network) join the list?
1. May 2024 Kansas: Kyle Larson wins by .001 at Kansas
It was a heartbreaker for Chris Buescher, who did not win a race and missed making the playoffs by .001 seconds from this race.
2. April 2011: Jimmie Johnson wins by .002 at Talladega
This would be Jimmie Johnson’s second and final Cup win at Talladega, as he nipped Clint Bowyer at the finish line.
2. March 2003: Ricky Craven nips Kurt Busch by .002 at Darlington
One of the most thrilling last-lap duels in the 2000s. This was the second and final Cup win in Ricky Craven’s career.
4. February 2024: Daniel Suarez wins by .003 at Atlanta
This was the closest 1-2-3 finish in Cup. Daniel Suarez finished ahead of Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch. Suarez beat Blaney by .003 seconds and Busch by .007 seconds.
5. July 2007: Jamie McMurray beats Kyle Busch by .005 at Daytona
Jamie McMurray scored his second career Cup win in exciting fashion. This was his first win since his 2002 victory at Charlotte in just his second Cup start.
5. July 1993: Dale Earnhardt wins by .005 over Ernie Irvan at Talladega
Dale Earnhardt scored this narrow victory in a season that saw him win his sixth Cup title. He would add his seventh Cup championship the following season.
7. Oct. 2024: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. beats Brad Keselowski by .006 at Talladega
“I just needed half a foot I guess,” Brad Keselowski said after his close loss to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7. March 2001: Kevin Harvick scores emotional win by .006 over Jeff Gordon at Atlanta
In just the third race after Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick took Dale Earnhardt’s team to victory lane with his emotional triumph. The win was the first in Cup for Harvick.
9. June 2020: Ryan Blaney beats Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by .007 at Talladega
Ryan Blaney held off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in a slam-banging finish that had a couple of cars crashing across the finish line.
9. Oct. 2019: Ryan Blaney nips Ryan Newman by .007 at Talladega
Ryan Blaney earned his first win of the season in this playoff race and advanced to the third round with this result.

“I’m only going to be able to do so much as a driver, and I could have this big impact over here on the business side.” Ben Kennedy said these words in January 2025. Indeed, his 11-year-long racing career involved ARCA, Craftsman Trucks, and Xfinity. He finished top ten in the Truck Series standings three years in a row, 2014-2016. However, Kennedy leveled up in his business role – and he continues to level up today.
Currently serving as NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer, Ben Kennedy’s name is highlighted frequently. From preparing for the sport’s visit to Mexico City to grappling with veterans about the playoff format, Kennedy is involved in many things. Now, he can be involved in more matters with another executive stepping out.
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NASCAR witnesses a shuffle of duties
While drivers dominate the racetracks and fans watch from the grandstands, executives have the reins behind the scenes. The top official responsible for NASCAR’s venues has been Chip Wile, Senior Holdings Executive. He became the first chief track properties officer in early 2021. The sport owns and manages over a dozen racetracks. To lead the day-to-day insight of these properties, Wile has been a frequent flyer. He traveled across 200+ days in a year. However, this hectic job took its toll on Wile’s familial responsibilities. And so the longtime executive is planning to bow out at the end of 2025.
Ben Kennedy will now expand his clout in the sport, assuming Chip Wile’s duties. A 2017 SBJ 40 Under 40 honoree, Wile expressed his gratitude to NASCAR’s proprietor family while explaining his exit reasons. He said, “What the FRANCE family has done for me and our family is beyond measure. They have changed our lives, and I am so grateful. But at some point, you have to take a step back and say, ‘I’ve got four years left with my boys (before college) and being on an airplane every weekend isn’t what I want to be doing.’ … It’s an honor to work in the sport, but everything in life comes with some sort of sacrifice.”
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Chip Wile, although holding a top executive role, debuted in NASCAR differently. He started working for Motor Racing Network in 2012. But he got his calling immediately, becoming president of Darlington Raceway in South Carolina the next year. He helped ideate and execute the sport’s first throwback weekend in 2015. That was just the beginning, as Wile took over premier tracks like Daytona. Yet he gave away his responsibilities as well – like when he made way for Phoenix Raceway to attain its first female Black president, Latasha Causey, in 2022.
What is more, Chip Wile also worked a great deal on NASCAR’s recent ventures. These involve racing and experimenting at venues like the L.A. Coliseum and the city streets of Chicago. He even worked on the upcoming racetrack at a naval base near San Diego. Even though Wile would not be part of the 2026 operations, NASCAR is soaring forward with changes.
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Rolling out more hints for eager drivers
Since Joey Logano clinched the 2024 Cup Series title as the worst average finisher, the NASCAR community has been in unrest. Drivers and fans alike have clamored for a change to the current playoff format. It fails to reward consistency and instead applauds clutch performances en route to the championship. Therefore, NASCAR formed a playoff committee at the start of 2025 and has been constantly dropping hints about a tweaked format. Jordan Bianchi dropped a major rumor a few weeks ago. He floated the idea of three playoff rounds, the first two with three races each and the final one with four races.
While it has not been confirmed yet, NASCAR executives are making moves. The next step is “to get its leadership in position and really have a discussion and lock ourselves in a room and figure it out from there.” NASCAR Managing Director of Communications Mike Forde slipped out some interesting snippets on the podcast ‘Hauler Talk’. He said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if there is a playoff format that does not have playoff points. Also, Forde would be “very surprised if the one-race championship is still around.” Whatever decision they arrive at, it will be made after the 2025 championship race in Phoenix.
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Clearly, NASCAR is on the cusp of a major overhaul. With Chip Wile stepping down and Ben Kennedy stepping up, big changes are expected for 2026.

In 2025, NASCAR’s schedule got unique twists. The Cup Series started the season with a bang at the Bowman Gray Stadium. The grassroots short-track racing took the fans’ breath away. Then, in June, the sport took on a Mexican flavor at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where Shane van Gisbergen dominated the show. While these events made the 2025 season special, a similarly new venture will make the 2026 season special as well. And it may be extra special due to a particular part of the event.
NASCAR is putting its foot down as 2026 approaches. From dropping huge hints about a tweaked playoff format to key executives stepping up their duties, the changes are plenty. But fans’ eyes are bound to be locked to a particular weekend exactly two weeks before the nation’s 250th anniversary.
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NASCAR will roll up its sleeves against the Navy
The big racetrack debuting for the 2026 season is in San Diego, at the Naval Base Coronado. All three NASCAR national series will race in the June 19-21 weekend. The Cup Series will mark its first race ever held on an active military base. Established US Navy veterans have already expressed their enthusiasm for the event. “NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit,” said Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan. “It’s an honor to partner with NASCAR at NAS North Island as part of our 250th anniversary celebration,” added Captain Loren Jacobi. However, this excitement for the crossover will reach fever pitch with a unique event.
Journalist Adam Stern updated on X that NASCAR employees will lock horns with US Navy personnel in a special contest. He wrote, “@NASCAR will put on a “Pit Crew vs. Sailor Challenge” with the @USNavy as part of next year’s @NASCARSanDiego event.” What a unique way to showcase the NASCAR-Navy crossover! We might see a follow-up of Noah Gragson getting scolded by a senior Navy official back in June. Moreover, this competition might be titillating for fans to watch.
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The other special features of NASCAR’s San Diego visit are plenty. They include hosting a Navy Community Day on June 19th and utilizing the Navy personnel for event presentation support and other dignitary roles. Anduril, a renowned defense products company, will be the presenting sponsor of the San Diego Weekend and the Cup Series street race entitlement partner. Craig Stimmel, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at NASCAR, welcomed Anduril’s entry. “Anduril is an American company that’s pushing boundaries in defense technology…It’s a great match — two high-performance teams coming together with a shared vision for the future, both on and off the track.”
While NASCAR rolls out an exciting blueprint for its San Diego visit, a veteran driver also revealed some heartwarming news.
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Going back to his roots
Jimmie Johnson may be driving limited races now. However, the 7-time Cup Series champion could not hide his enthusiasm when NASCAR announced its San Diego plans. Growing up in nearby El Cajon, California, Johnson loved to surf off the beaches of San Diego. While doing so, he could see the massive Naval Base Coronado structure. This emotional attachment to the venue had left Johnson excited for the 2026 event. And in a recent episode of his podcast ‘Never Settle’, Johnson will likely attempt the Cup Series race in San Diego next year. He competed in nine races in 2024 and just two races in 2025. But Johnson is already preparing for 2026.
The Legacy Motor Club team owner’s enthusiasm was heavily apparent in late July. Jimmie Johnson said, “To enter into the NASCAR space in the way that NASCAR as an industry honors men and women that serve, it’s just been a good collaboration of sorts. I feel fortunate to be in a series that is so focused on it. With all that, it gives me great confidence as we come to San Diego and race on a military base that it will be done top-notch and be correct.” He added, “(I’m) excited to come back for personal and, I guess, professional reasons. I think NASCAR’s pre-race show, their intentionality around honoring men and women who serve or have served, I think they do it better than anybody. I can’t wait for them to shine again.”
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Evidently, the anticipation is high for NASCAR’s visit to San Diego. Let’s wait and see how the garage prepares itself for its classic showdown with the US Navy.

What appeared to be a jaw-dropping detachment has turned out to be a ruse. Martin Truex Jr. retired at the end of the 2024 season with a heavy heart. He had played around with his retirement plans for over two years, finally executing a mic drop exit by finishing 10th in last year’s Cup Series standings. He teased returning to racing in 2025, and even ran Daytona.
So a recent social media update left fans flabbergasted. Martin Truex Jr. has indeed retired, but letting go of his most precious NASCAR memorabilia seemed uncanny. And now, the real truth has finally been revealed as the 2017 Cup Series champion spoke out.
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Martin Truex Jr. smashes the confusion
A NASCAR fan recently set off a buzz in the community, posting a number of items on sale on Race Day Authentics. These included Martin Truex Jr.’s highest achievements – like the trophy and flag from his final career win at New Hampshire in 2023, his NASCAR 50 Greatest Drivers Shirt and watch, and even his 2023 regular-season championship trophy. A wave of earth-shattering responses hit social media, as fans could not believe this was happening. Retiring from the sport is one thing, but parting from one’s hard-earned trophies? Guess what, Truex is on the same page of disbelief as those fans.
In a recently posted Instagram story, the former Joe Gibbs Racing veteran revealed the truth. Martin Truex Jr. wrote, “It’s been brought to my attention some of my trophies were for sale online. These items were sold without my knowledge. Every one of these items holds a special significance to me.” Talk about getting trapped in a world plagued with cyber hacking and AI-generated deepfakes!
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This Instagram story shattered all the notions swirling around Martin Truex Jr.’s rumored sales. Media agencies racked their brains around the veteran grappling with the death of his late girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, who passed away in 2023 due to ovarian cancer. Then, in early 2025, he also lost his father, Martin Truex Sr. What is more, people also justified his sale, terming it a follow-up of his listing of a $7.5 million Lake Norman mansion. The 14,000-square-foot European-style manor is in Mooresville, North Carolina – the heart of NASCAR racing.
Evidently, Martin Truex Jr. was not detaching himself from the sport after all. Stay tuned for more updates!
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‘The Magic Mile’ belonged to Team Penske as Ryan Blaney slammed the door on the field with a statement win. Penske affiliate Josh Berry chased him home and second, and hometown hero Joey Logano, leading a race high 147 laps, settled for fourth, an emphatic display that left no doubt about who owned Loudon’s 1-mile stage. As the dust settles in New Hampshire, talk of Penske’s title hopes has picked up — and Ryan Blaney is here to drop the hammer on it.
Blaney fulfilled his childhood dream as he lifted the lobster that afternoon. The 2023 Cup champion seized control of the race by leading 116 laps, including the final 39 on Loudon’s tricky oval. With clean pit stops and sharp restarts, Blaney kept his rivals at bay and crossed the line with breathing room, earning his third victory of the season. The win not only locked him into the Round of 8 but also underscored his growing reputation for peeking when the stakes are highest, cementing Penske’s stranglehold on the track.
Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney didn’t completely rule out Team Penske’s chances. The 31-year-old driver said, “Every team that’s in this deal is really talented. Every driver is incredibly talented. You know, so you never know who is gonna come on strong at what time. You know, this sport is a week-to-week sport, and you can be on top of the world one week and then you can be struggling to find your own way the next week. So the best thing that I figured out, you know, that we can just do is just focus on this group and how do we continue to get better and better each week.”
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Before Penske’s dominance at New Hampshire, Toyota was king. The Round of 16 sweep proves that, with Chase Briscoe winning at Darlington, followed by Denny Hamlin’s Gateway win, and the last round, Bristol, dominated by Christopher Bell. Beyond the victories, Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance was evident in their performance metrics; the team led 870 of the 1,107 laps across the three races, accounting for 78.6% of the total laps led in the Round of 16. This level of control not only highlighted JGR’s strategic prowess but also underscored Toyota’s strength in the playoffs. But Hendrick Motorsports pulled through as well.
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The Hendrick Motorsports camp delivered one of its strongest collective performances at New Hampshire amid its early playoff struggles, with all three of its playoff drivers finishing inside the top 10. William Byron led the charge, finishing third after scoring points in two stages and snapping a five-race skid outside the top 10. Chase Elliott staged an impressive recovery from 27th to finish fifth, marking his third career top five at the track, while Kyle Larson secured seventh with a steady pace throughout the day. Though they couldn’t quite match the front-running speed of Team Penske, the trio’s consistency reflected clear gains for Hendrick and flat tracks, offering a timely boost in the middle of the playoffs.
Ryan Blaney admitted and tipped his cap to the rivals, saying, “But yeah, I mean, the Gibbs camp is strong. Our camp is strong. Hendrick’s strong as always. You know, you kind of know your competition, but you never know how good or off they can be week in and week out. So, I’m just proud of all of Team Penske right now. And we’ll face the challenges as they come.” However, Joe Gibbs Racing had a rough outing at New Hampshire. Denny Hamlin started in ninth but slipped back to 12th. While Christopher Bell clawed his way from 19th to a respectable sixth, Chase Briscoe also made ground, turning his 18th-place start into a top 10 finish. The hardest hit came for Ty Gibbs, whose race ended in 35th after contact with teammate Hamlin forced him out.
Not one JGR entry broke into the top five, a sharp contrast to the dominance shown by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. The teammate love was on full display at Loudon as Ryan Blaney backed up Logano’s chance at another title. With Chevrolet, Toyota, and now Ford in the picture, questions about Blaney’s surge have become the hot topic.
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NASCAR insiders decide Ryan Blaney’s future wins in the upcoming rounds
On the Teardown Podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic raised the question: Will Ryan Blaney add another win to his season? Blaney, fresh off his victory at New Hampshire, now has three wins in 2025, matching his total from each of the past two seasons. What is more, he has 17 top-10s, 13 top-5s with 2 poles and 647 laps led across 30 races. Gluck noted the consistency and turned to Bianchi for his take on whether Blaney has more wins in him this year.
Jordan Bianchi, without any hesitation, said, “Yes, because I have him in Phoenix, and I think he probably wins Martinsville.” Moreover, Jeff Gluck agreed, backing plane to capture Martinsville as well. Bianchi then reflected on how far Blaney has come.
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He added, “It’s interesting to watch the evolution of Ryan Blaney. There wasn’t many years ago where it was like he’d win one race, and that would be it for his career, and you’re looking at it now. How many times did we talk about come the playoffs, where he would make a mistake, and it was like, man, what are you doing?” Now, Blaney looks more confident and more consistent, and very much in the hunt.

Right now, NASCAR has more than one issue. The playoff system is just one piece of that puzzle. Even in a rumored 36-race season, attracting viewers would be difficult when competing against the powerhouse that is the NFL. Unlike stick and ball sports, racing isn’t the easiest sport to be on or casually engaged with, which limits its broader appeal. As the NFL continues to post record-breaking ratings, every sport is searching for answers. NASCAR insiders have delivered their take on the matter, and the fans aren’t here for it.
The ongoing debate between NFL and NASCAR viewership is reaching a fever pitch. The difference between the two sports highlights the striking gap in popularity. The NFL continues to dominate television ratings with the 2025 season’s opening week average, averaging 22.3 million viewers per game, a 19% jump from 2023. In contrast, NASCAR’s average viewership has taken one on the chin. The viewership average per race hovers around 2.1 million, a decline from the previous year’s 2.2 million. And amid rumors about NASCAR returning to the 36-race format, NASCAR analysts aren’t sleeping on this.
Taking to X, Todd Fuhrman didn’t hold back: “Is NASCAR’s playoff problem an issue with the sport, drivers, format etc or is it that by year end (from a ratings standpoint) they’re just going head-to-head with the 800lb gorilla in the room known as the NFL.” And NASCAR reporter Danielle Trotta didn’t hesitate to support Fuhrman’s take, saying, “Say it louder for the people in the back Todd 🗣️.”
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While NASCAR has seen an overall decline in inconsistent viewership, it still draws big attention during marquee events. The 2025 Daytona 500, for example, attracted over 8 million viewers, proving that high engagement is possible when the stakes are high. However, these spikes are exceptions rather than the rule, and sustaining audience interest in an entire season remains a challenge.
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The NFL’s dominance is reinforced not only by viewership but also by its lucrative media rights deals and broad fan base. With an average of 17.5 million viewers per game in the 2024 regular season, the league enjoys consistent appeal across demographics. NASCAR, despite efforts to expand its audience, has struggled to match this level of entrenched popularity, highlighting the hurdles it faces in competing with the NFL’s nationwide reach. The call for the playoff system change in 2026 couldn’t be louder. While Jeff Burton and NASCAR insiders have confirmed that TV partners will not have a say in the format change, the TV viewership numbers keep declining.
Moreover, the TV viewership at New Hampshire Motor Speedway took a hit. It attracted a modest 1.29 million viewers, marking a 32% decline from the 1.88 million viewers of the previous year’s race at the same track list. This drop reflected a broader trend in NASCAR viewership, with the 2025 season averaging just 2.52 million viewers per race, down from 2.98 million in 2024. The race at Loudon’s was notably low compared to other events in the season.
However, the New Hampshire race performance underscores the challenges NASCAR faces in maintaining a consistent view across its schedule. The timing of the New Hampshire race also coincided with the NFL’s Week 3 slate, which averaged over 25 million viewers per game, further intensifying the competition for viewers. This overlap highlights the difficulty NASCAR faces in attracting audiences during the NFL season, especially when competing for attention during prime viewing hours.
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Fans slam NASCAR’s dipping TV viewership, blaming NASCAR itself
Critics have pushed back hard against the idea of NASCAR’s playoff membership. Problems are simply because it competes with the NFL. One fan dismissed the notion, saying, “Terrible take. NFL has been around for the duration of the sport. Insane to just now be saying football is the problem when races are on cable and no one under the age of 50 buys cable.” While another added, “Not buying that logic. The NASCAR season starts long before the NFL starts their regular season. The older fans are either dying off or don’t recognize these younger drivers. There are only a couple of races that have good tv and cable viewership. The viewership for these races will diminish if the single-file racing continues.”
The NASCAR playoff viewership numbers started dropping as soon as Gateway was underway. USA Network got a 0.82 rating and 1.525 million viewers for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway, down from 1.8 million for last year’s second playoff race (at WGI) and from 2.5 million for the 2024 event at the same venue on FS1, though that was held in June. Moreover, fans have urged that NASCAR take this decline more seriously.
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Someone went further, arguing that their shift and ratings don’t even matter if the racing delivers its primary goal: “ Or doesn’t matter at all. Even if Fall ratings remain the same, at least we crown the legitimate best driver and team of the entire season at the end of the year. That alone is worth the change.” The criticism doesn’t stop with scheduling or demographics. Fans have been vocal about the product on track, noting, “Racing on track is terrible car sucks supper speedways and short tracks are bad teams race kit cars now with no innovation stop blaming others like the NFL and fix what’s in your control such as your product on the track .Nascars problem is they blame everything but themselves.”
Some trace decline for the back, saying, “From the back I seen the downfall since Toyota came in, then the gimmicks of “playoffs” in auto racing! And let’s have Toyota win the entire first round of this gimmick! That’ll keep folks from watching.” Others echoed that the ratings drop was not new during the NFL season, pointing out, “I reckon NASCAR has always raced during the NFL season and ratings were never this bad.” Collectively, these voices argued that the real challenge isn’t football, it is the sport itself and the choices NASCAR has made over the past two decades.

A few days ago, Tyler Reddick ranted about the Next-Gen car. The 23XI Racing driver finished runner-up in the 2025 Daytona 500, a vast improvement from his previous 27th-place finish. However, he confessed he had no hand in it, as the Next-Gen’s faults caused massive wrecks en route to his finish. What is more, he slammed the tendency to save fuel, as drivers cannot pass in this car. Guess what, NASCAR may be making things more difficult for next season.
The 2026 season is already inundated by several upcoming changes. Ranging from NASCAR’s new street course in San Diego, the Naval Base Coronado, to fresh tweaks to the playoff format, the sport is in a state of overhaul. However, the latest rumors about next season’s changes did not put fans in a good mood.
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Controlling the race-determining factor
In 2024, Joey Logano set off a controversial conversation. After being an afterthought in the initial stretch of the season, the Team Penske star won in Nashville. And the circumstances surrounding that victory caught people’s attention – Logano powered to a quintuple overtime finish, solely relying on fuel mileage. He used the same strategy during the playoffs in Las Vegas, running the final 72 laps without stopping. After he went on to win the championship, Logano inspired his competitors for 2025. From William Byron’s Iowa victory to Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 win, fuel saving played a major role.
So now, NASCAR is apparently trying to control this novel race-winning factor. Introducing the Next-Gen car in 2022 was not enough to compel race teams to rely on single-spec parts for their cars. This meant increased parity on the racetrack, fewer opportunities for passing, and wildcard outcomes. A NASCAR fan released a concerning rumor on Instagram. They wrote, “Filling in the blanks from what I’ve heard here, sounds like the Cup Series could be getting a spec gas can next season.”
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This means that the critics of the Next-Gen car, including Tyler Reddick, along with veterans like Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, will have yet another topic to bash NASCAR on next season. According to a YouTube video of Joe Gibbs Racing, each gas can holds approximately 12 gallons of gas. The weight of both the container and the fuel amounts to a hefty 95 pounds. Teams do not bear the financial burden of the fuel, as Sunoco generously supplies around 10,400 gallons of fuel to NASCAR teams at no charge.
The last time NASCAR updated its fuel can policy was in early 2024. The sport announced back then that Xfinity and Truck Series teams would use lighter cans for the season. Instead of the traditional 11-gallon can, the teams got nine-gallon cans. This allowed teams to have less specialized athletes to fuel the race cars. This was in response to requests from many teams, and so was an agreeable decision.
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However, if the latest rumor turns out to be true, the response may not be so heartening. We can already see that in the fans’ comments.
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NASCAR fans clutch their heads in despair
Ever since the Next-Gen car debuted in 2022, drivers and fans have been waging a battle. Ranging from the car’s proclivity to cause wrecks to aerodynamic problems, there were multiple issues that the community urged NASCAR to solve. However, the latest rumor left fans hopeless, as it places another issue on the table. “Fix the cars 🙅 Fix the cans 🙌,” one fan wrote. Somebody else came up with a perfect name for the upcoming gas cans. They also lamented the fact that this might deepen passing problems on the racetrack. The comment read, “Next Gen gas can🥀🥀🥀 dirty air gonna be even worse.”
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Given the Next-Gen car’s faults already dominating every racing weekend, another fan confessed to a slight misunderstanding. According to this fan and probably many others, NASCAR had already monopolized the gas can like the Next-Gen’s other spec parts. The comment read, “Imma be real, I thought the gas cans were already spec 💀.” Somebody else officially lost all hope in NASCAR to consciously improve the sport. Despite teasing changes in the playoff format and also raising the car’s horsepower, the latest update just brings things back to square one. The fan wrote, “Toss the whole series away.”
Somebody else brought the NASCAR lawsuit into the conversation. They referred to Michael Jordan’s comments about the sport indulging in ‘monopolistic practices.’ Evidently, those practices may seep into preparations for the 2026 season and into the gas cans. The fan wrote, “Almost sounds like a monopoly they’re running.”
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Clearly, the responses are already turning out to be negative for NASCAR’s rumored change. We can only wait and see if the gas cans also escape the race teams’ advantage.

After hanging up his helmet, the 42-year-old shifted gears to the fast-paced world of broadcasting in 2018. His last full-time ride came behind the wheel of Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 7 Chevrolet in 2016, with a brief return in 2018, filling in for Kasey Kahne at Leavine Family Racing. Now, as a FOX Sports reporter, he brings insider knowledge from the driver’s seat straight to the viewers, offering a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective that viewers and the broadcast both can match. However, in a sit-down conversation, the NASCAR veteran doubles down on his racing career and reflects on how things could have been.
Regan Smith marked his debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2007. He drove with Mark Martin for the first half of the season before the team merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). His first full season came in 2008, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors and became the first rookie in the series history to finish every race he started. And his Cup Series tenure? Yes, Smith delivered. He competed in 224 races, securing one victory, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. He also achieved 14 top 10 finishes, with his best overall position coming in 2012, where he placed 24th in the standings. Fast forward to today, the pit crew reporter for FOX Sports wishes things were a bit different.
Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Regan Smith didn’t hesitate when asked what he would like to change in his past racing decisions. He said, “I would have waited if I could have. There was other factors in play in that decision and, and that I couldn’t get around and, and it was stuff that had nothing to do with the racetrack, and it was stuff that had to do with at the time, Ginn had merged with DEI, right? And it was a really complicated merger and, and the way the teams were consolidated.”
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While waiting would have been preferred, if possible, the merger between Ginn and DEI at the time was highly complicated. In 2007, then-rookie Regan Smith joined Ginn Racing, which had recently merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). This major combined Ginn Racing’s No. 01 team with DEI’s existing tunes, including the No. 8 and No. 15. Smith was slated to run 12 races alongside veteran driver Mark Martin, who was transitioning to the new Car of Tomorrow and preferred a limited schedule.
However, midway through the season, plans shifted, and Smith was promoted to a full-time role in the No. 14 car, previously driven by Sterling Marlin. This change occurred despite the team’s strong performance in the Busch Series, where it had been driving a competitive car. Reflecting on this period, Smith acknowledged that, given the choice, he would have preferred to wait before stepping into the Cup role.
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He added, “Had I been able to say, ‘No, I’m going to wait and, and I’m not ready for Cup,’ I would have done it in a heartbeat and, and you know, it’s interesting because I think there’s some scenarios in the garage right now to where you see some of that happening and, and it’s it’s tough to do that, right, when the opportunities there. But I think a driver also knows when they are and when they’re not ready. I think I had enough Cup races to be able to see, like, you know, I need to refine my skill and my craft a little bit here to be able to compete with what those guys are doing.”
However, besides the challenges, Smith appreciated the opportunity to learn from experienced drivers like Mark Martin to gain exposure to the series. Throughout the transition, Smith emphasizes the importance of recognizing one’s readiness for competition. He believed that drivers should assess their skills and comfort level before advancing to higher levels of racing. And now, as the broadcaster heaps praise on the 2026 NASCAR schedule, he deep dives into his hectic NASCAR life.
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Regan Smith gets real about his double NASCAR life
In a candid conversation with fellow broadcaster Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour podcast, Regan Smith reflected on the challenges of balancing or demanding career with family life, noting that the current NASCAR schedule has made the juggling act more manageable. He explained, “The beauty of the TV schedule being the way it’s broken up is it kind of gives opportunity to focus on other stuff. And other stuff that maybe for the first 35 years of my life, I never paid any attention to.”
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In 2025, he was part of the broadcast team for several reasons, including the DSQ solutions and staffing 250 at Darlington, the iLuna! 150 at Pocono, and the Mission 176 at Watkins Glen. Describing the rhythm of his season, he said, “Yeah, and everything’s flowing good and feels good. The second part of the year, I do some of the truck races.”
Even with careful balancing, Smith admits that time remains a precarious commodity. He added, “Time is one thing that I wish I had a little bit more of. Obviously, we’ve got our first, what, 14, 15 episodes a year that we do, and it’s fun. And I think that we all get to the end, especially this year, because it’s a little shorter than it normally is. And it’s like, ‘Oh, man, we’re having fun right now, and we don’t want it to stop.’”
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Alongside his broadcasting duties, Smith also provides commentary for select NASCAR Truck races and contributes to the ARCA Menards Series coverage. If anything, Smith has had quite a journey from driver to reporter.

The Round of 12 has already proven it’s not for the faint of heart. New Hampshire brought the fireworks. Ryan Blaney locked himself into the Round of 8 with a clutch win, Josh Berry bounced back from an early spin to nearly steal it, and William Byron and Denny Hamlin kept things spicy with some elbows-out racing inside the top ten. And of course, no playoff race would be complete without controversy.
This time, courtesy of Ty Gibbs and Hamlin trading paint, fans are buzzing over the feud. With Kansas up next, the pressure only ramps higher, especially for teams hanging by a thread after Loudon. But even beyond Kansas, the real chaos might be lurking just a little further down the road at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Daniel Suárez sounds an alarm about “different agendas” at the Roval
Daniel Suárez labeled the Charlotte Roval as “the most difficult road course in the Cup schedule” due to its distinct features. “It’s very bumpy. There is a lot of elevation changes. You have an area that is part of the oval. So, you have a big banking.” The Roval’s unique layout, blending the fast NASCAR oval with tight, technical road course turns, with 24 degrees of banking, presents an ever-changing, high-risk challenge that pushes drivers and cars to their limits.
Suárez also addressed the chaotic playoff dynamics leading into the Roval: “Everyone is either going for the win or going for points, and everyone is in different agenda.” With the Charlotte Roval serving as the critical Round of 12 cutoff, playoff pressure is at its peak. Some teams outside the transfer position need nothing short of a victory to advance, especially the bottom four drivers – Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Ross Chastain.
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On the other hand, others like Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin are laser-focused on points, aiming to protect narrow margins above the cut line. All playoff drivers except Ryan Blaney, who secured his next round position with a win at NHMS, will be forced into desperate, high-risk strategies that can dramatically affect the outcome for everyone on track. Moreover, drivers who are eliminated from the playoffs will be looking to help their contending teammates in every possible way, adding to the madness and action.
Despite the chaos, Daniel Suárez approaches the Roval with optimism. “I feel like I’ve been very strong there in the past and looking forward to it again.” In recent years, Suárez has shown consistent speed at the Roval (despite the final result). He has qualified third on two occasions and managed a best finish of thirteenth at the October 2021 race.
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As the field turns its attention to Charlotte, Suárez’s warnings underscore the unpredictability and intensity awaiting both playoff hunters and underdogs. The result will hinge on nerves, adaptability, and seizing opportunity in NASCAR’s ultimate split-agenda madhouse.
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Daniel Suárez is positive about 2026
With just six races remaining in his time at Trackhouse Racing, Daniel Suárez is facing the uncertainty of free agency but remains upbeat about his future. “Things are looking good, that’s all I can say,” Suárez explained confidently to Atlanta’s 11Alive. He further teased, “Hopefully, we can announce what we’re going to do next month, I think. It should be public.”
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This optimism comes after a challenging 2025 Cup Series campaign (his second-worst to date), where he’s battled through 30 starts without a win and with only 2 top-five and 6 top-ten results. As rumors swirl, Suárez’s name has been linked to teams like Spire Motorsports, Hyak Motorsports, Rick Ware Racing, Kaulig Racing, and even the Haas Factory Team. There’s also been speculation about a step down to the Xfinity Series.
There are rumors of even a return to the NASCAR Mexico Series competition. Despite the noise, Suárez’s focus is on closing out the 2025 season on a high note and staying competitive at the Cup level if possible, emphasizing, “I’m happy where I am, that’s all I can say. I’m very, very blessed. I have so many great people in my corner, so many great sponsors as well.”
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He acknowledged that certain final contract details are still being hashed out: “If it was a done deal, you guys would know already.” However, the tone is set for an encouraging announcement soon. NASCAR fans, teammates, and sponsors anxiously await to see if the sport’s only full-time Hispanic Cup driver will return to the top tier or take his talents elsewhere within the NASCAR ranks.
Ultimately, Suárez’s positivity and persistence in the face of uncertainty have made him a respected figure in the garage and a cherished ambassador for motorsports diversity. His upcoming decision will not only steer his own trajectory but could also influence key storylines heading into the 2026 NASCAR season.

Remember the 2020 NASCAR attendance policy? It had introduced a minimum attendance clause under which sanctioning agreements required tracks to achieve at least 70% occupancy of available grandstand seats during Cup Series races. It was implemented to ensure that the race remains financially viable and to encourage its use in enhancing the event’s appeal to fans. Moreover, the clause specified that the 70% target applied to all seats that were not obstructed by signage or other coverings. Yet, as of today, NASCAR’s struggle to keep its fan base engaged continues…
And speaking on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast, Brad Keselowski was very real about the issue at hand. He said, “You know, the number one problem with the sport right now is the model with the tracks is the number one issue, hands down, in my opinion. The tracks aren’t able to generate enough revenue on their own. They’re wholly reliant on the TV money, and they’re comfortable with that, which is the scariest part of all.”
NASCAR tracks generate revenue through a combination of race-related income and alternative uses of their facilities. While ticket sales contribute to their earnings, they are not the primary source. Television broadcasting rights play a significant role, with tracks receiving a substantial portion of the revenue. For instance, in 2021, tracks earned $26.75 million from TV revenue alone.
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The revenue split typically allocates 65% to the tracks, 25% to the teams, and 10% to NASCAR. Some tracks also explore alternative revenue streams by leasing their facilities for non-racing purposes. This can include renting out space for storage or other commercial activities. For example, during the chip shortage in 2020, Kentucky Speedway leased space to store Ford trucks. However, Brad Keselowski is hinting at a more deep-rooted issue.
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He added, “And so that creates a subset of problems that flow down through the ecosystem, where we don’t promote enough to the fans that are at the track to sell tickets. We cascade into other issues where the teams have to, because they’re not necessarily incentivized to, you know, the kind of the costs are mostly covered before the day ever starts. Uh, and that flows down into revenue problems for the teams, which makes the teams wholly reliant on sponsorship.”
And there is a case in point of this. Ticket sales for this year’s Brickyard 400 dipped slightly compared to last year’s NASCAR event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. An IMS spokesperson estimated attendance fell from just over 70,000 in 2024 to just under 70,000 in 2025. IMS and IndyCar president Doug Boles projected the final turnout would be down 5,000 to 6,000 tickets from 2024, landing around 65,000, noting that walk-up members were not expected to be strong due to the intense heat and lingering concerns.
The slight drop follows NASCAR’s monumental return to the oval in 2024 after a three-year hiatus, which coincided with the Brickyard 400’s 30th anniversary, a pair of milestones that had boosted race-day attendance for the first time since 2002. However, all of this intersects.
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On the TV side of things, the NASCAR New Hampshire race took one on the chin amidst the most-awaited playoffs. The Mobil 1 301, broadcast on the USA Network, attracted only 1.29 million viewers, marking a 31% decrease from the previous year’s 1.8 million viewers. This drop is part of a concerning trend as it represents the fourth consecutive NASCAR race to fall below the 2 million viewers threshold, a first in the sport’s modern era. Amid all this, Jeff Burton detailed the role of TV in deciding the 2026 NASCAR playoffs.
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The ground reality, though, offered some respite. The capacity crowd at ‘The Magic Mile’ featured vans traveling from 44 states and seven countries, reaching as far as Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. NHMS Executive Vice President and General Manager David McGrath couldn’t stop smiling, saying, “This weekend is a perfect combination of great weather, intense playoff racing, and New England fans who know and love their NASCAR. We don’t take a moment like this for granted, and we are grateful for the amazing show of support from race fans.”
With the viewership numbers taking a big hit, NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace is telling people to have some patience. However, amid playoff concerns, dipped TV viewership, and the longstanding issue with the Next-Gen car, Brad Keselowski has some good news to reveal.
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Brad Keselowski drops the hammer on increased horsepower speculation for 2026
NASCAR is gearing up for a seismic shift in 2026, and Brad Keselowski is here to spill the horsepower secrets. The Cup Series is gearing up for a turbo charge makeover with the engine set to roar louder and faster than ever. The Next-Gen cars, which have been humming along at around 670 hp since 2022, are set to get a serious upgrade.
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Keselowski revealed on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast that the power output could climb to a thrilling 740 to 750 hp. He explained, “It looks like NASCAR is going to change the rules next year to where we’re like 740, 750 (horsepower). It’s not quite 100, because, you know, right now, technically, they’re at 670, but realistically, they’re like 685, 690, so.”
The excitement isn’t limited to the 41-year-old. Other drivers, including three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano, are pumped for the change. Logano said, “It’s definitely cool. I like it. I want to do it. Like, not just the engine, but the drive train. It’s got to be beefed up more… You want to just make the racing better, right?” Keselowski hinted at tweaks for the engine spacer, which could make the jump from 670 to 750 hp smoother for all teams, promising a 2026 season that could be one for the history books.
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What do you think about the potential increase in horsepower? Let us know in the comments!

The NASCAR Cup Series playoff committee has concluded its meetings to discuss the championship format, but any changes won’t be announced until after the current season concludes on Nov. 2 in Phoenix.
A potential new format would come in the form of an announcement from NASCAR’s board of directors.
NASCAR exec Mike Forde speaks out

It is that time of the year — the time when Joey Logano reminds the NASCAR community who he is. The playoffs’ opening race at Darlington’s Cookout Southern 500 proved challenging, with the 2024 champion finishing 20th after struggling with car handling and tricky track conditions. He bounced back at World Wide Technology Raceway, claiming a strong fifth-place finish and gaining a crucial 21-point cushion over the playoff cutline. The final race of the round at Bristol Motor Speedway saw Logano navigate 14 cautions and intense competition to finish 5th once again. Logano’s graph shows an upward trend, but the important question is, will Joey Logano be able to defend his title this year amid intense pressure?
Just this past weekend in New Hampshire, Logano owned the spotlight despite Ryan Blaney winning the race. The No. 22 started from pole and dominated 147 laps, his most led in a race since the 2022 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. He also captured Stage 2 before crossing the finish line in fourth place. Even more striking was the point swing. Entering the race with just two points below the Round of 8 cut-off, he left 24 points above it, giving him a comfortable cushion heading into Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Roval. Add in three straight top-five finishes, and his playoff momentum couldn’t look stronger. This definitely hikes up the debate about his championship hopes, and Logano has doubled down on it.
Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR radio, the 35-year-old driver sounded confident: “The goal is the, you know, obviously, when it matters the most and right now is when it matters the most is the most on the line that the championships always the number one goal and no matter where you start the playoff. As long as you’re still in it, you got a chance, and we’ve proven that in the past, so we just got to stay alive, right, just continue to move on, and weekends like last weekend sure helps that a lot.”
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Logano is a different beast in the playoffs altogether. Just look at his 2024 season, culminating in a dramatic championship victory. After initially being eliminated in the second playoff round, he capitalized on a second chance following Alex Bowman’s disqualification. He clinched the Round of 8 opener in Las Vegas and secured his spot in the Phoenix finale. In the championship race, the No. 22 driver led 107 laps and narrowly defeated teammate Ryan Blaney by 0.330 seconds, marking Team Penske’s first 1-2 finish in a championship race.
This victory added a third Cup Series title to his career, solidifying his reputation as a formidable contender in the postseason. And this year, Ryan Blaney, fresh off his win at Loudon, has even come to the defense of Logano’s championship chances. He said, “It’s not a big surprise to me anymore. I’ve been teammates with Joey for long enough that I know and how good he is and how kind of methodical he goes about things,” highlighting the calculated mindset that drives Logano’s success.
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The three-time Cup Series champion knows what is at stake, as he said, ” You know when you come in behind the eight ball a little bit from a playoff point standpoint, you don’t have more, so you can’t make mistakes, you can’t screw up. But you still have a chance. And we’ve taken that still have a chance mentality pretty far a few times, so you know, kind of the same thing day once again hopefully.”
If anything, his performance should speak for itself in the 2025 Cup Series season. Competing in 30 races, he secured one win, two pole positions, and six top-five finishes with 10 top-10 finishes. Further, he boasts an average starting position of 12.9 with an average finish of 15.9 while leading 541 laps.
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Despite a challenging season with three DNFs, including a notable incident at Talladega Superspeedway, he maintained a strong presence in the standings, finishing sixth, just 25 points behind the leader. And now, amid Kevin Harvick’s revelation of Logano’s secret to dominating the playoffs, Joey Logano is focused on a larger issue at hand.
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Joey Logano reveals the hard truth for New England NASCAR hopefuls
For over three decades, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has stood as a beacon of New England’s motorsport passion, yet Joey Logano’s recent reflections shine a light on the uphill climb facing drivers from the region who dream of the NASCAR top tier. Despite a rich local heritage and enthusiastic crowds, inspiring New England racers often confront barriers that appear for more established racing hubs rarely face, underscoring the challenges of breaking into the sport’s highest ranks.
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And Logano shared a candid perspective on the realities for regional talent. While his own road crew comprises 5 out of seven or eight members from New England, he noted that chasing a career in NASCAR usually requires relocating. Sanding off the troubles, he said, “I think all of us, when we come up here, we really want to perform because it’s home. You’re representing New England, to your point, if it may be harder for people to make it in NASCAR. I mean, most of the time, you’ve got to move to Charlotte, no matter where you’re from…if you want to do it right, because that’s where all the race teams are… So, yeah, you have to move and that makes it tough, but when you come home, you want to be able to show what you can do, so you feel like you’re representing everyone up here.”
Even with these hurdles, New England’s legacy in NASCAR remains strong. States like Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut have produced celebrated drivers and professionals from Mike Stefanik to Andy Santerre, Pete Hamilton, and Joey Logano himself. For aspiring racers, the path is challenging, but the pull of representing their roots drives every lap, whether at their home track or far from it. The story of New England in NASCAR is one of grit, pride, and persistence, where geography may dictate the journey, but passion fuels the pursuit.

“I really appreciate everyone at Bass Pro Shops, TRICON, and Toyota helping put this together to go have some fun.” These words came from Martin Truex Jr. ahead of his Daytona 500 start this year. The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver left full-time racing at the end of 2024. Yet he still looked forward to sporadic appearances in 2025. Although Truex finished disastrously in 38th place, fans still looked forward to his return. But he went off the grid after Daytona.
Over his almost two-decade-long career, Martin Truex Jr. has collected several accolades. Those include NASCAR’s highest achievements – two consecutive Xfinity Series titles (2004, 2005) and a Cup Series title (2017). That is why a recent development left his fans dazed and confused.
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Martin Truex Jr. undertakes a spring cleaning
NASCAR is a rich sport where racers accrue heavy cheques for race wins. But more than the monetary benefits, the trophies carry the true meaning of victories. Over his career, Martin Truex Jr. has picked up 34 Cup Series race trophies alongside 13 trophies in the Xfinity Series. From New Hampshire’s iconic Loudon lobster to Martinsville’s grandfather clock, Truex’s collection is dazzling in its sheer variety. However, the veteran driver may be detaching himself from all this NASCAR memorabilia, according to a recent X post by a fan. The caption read, “Lot of interesting Truex stuff for sale on race day authentics, especially the final win trophy from Loudon. Surprising he’d get rid of that specifically.”
Among the pictures added to this intriguing X post are Martin Truex Jr.‘s top honors. One shows his 2023 NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers’ honorary t-shirt and watch. Despite “only 1 of these made and given to the drivers,” Truex sold them for $700. He also sold his Toyota diecast, presented by TRD, for $700. Then Truex’s last Cup Series trophy, the Loudon lobster at the 2023 race, also went out for $1750. Lastly, his 2023 regular-season championship trophy was picked up for $2750.
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This development is bizarre to say the least. When Martin Truex Jr. retired at the end of 2024, it was a decision he approached with much difficulty. He had avoided that conversation, delaying it for two years. Yet now, the veteran is easily giving away his precious souvenirs from his career. Yet this seems to be a follow-up to an update earlier in June. It was reported that his Mooresville, N.C., mansion along Lake Norman (a property he bought in 2006) was put on sale for $7.5 million. That indicated that Truex was willing to move away from North Carolina, the base of NASCAR, and the roots of his star-studded career.
The recent pictures, however, sent ripples of concern through the NASCAR community. After all, it has hardly been a year since Truex decided to retire.
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Fans rack their brains over this sale
Usually, diehard NASCAR fans drool over any merchandise related to their favorite drivers. However, getting access to the items that racers keep close to their hearts seems a tad bizarre, as fans questioned Martin Truex Jr.’s sudden spring cleaning. One fan wrote, “Selling his final win and 75 Greatest Driver stuff is wiiiiiild lol.” What is more, Truex’s career has been one of long-awaited success. Despite starting his career in 2006 at the same time as Denny Hamlin, it took time for Truex to get his breakthrough. So one fan questioned his giving away of his hard-earned spoils: “Idk I think it’s weird in general he of all drivers is selling his actual trophies.”
Others drew out speculative reasons for Martin Truex Jr.’s sudden selling spree. When drivers like Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson retired, they took up extra-curricular hobbies like sailing and marathons. So somebody suggested that Truex tried to follow a similar path, but it turned sour. “If Truex is selling these things why do I think he got into a hobby he didn’t realize was so expensive 😏” Another fan referred to Truex’s hobby for hunting. It is either that or Truex genuinely wants to move on from NASCAR: “So either he’s buying new stuff for hunting or he just wants to be gone gone from the sport.”
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Somebody else brought out a more tragic reason. Martin Truex Jr. lost his long-time girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, to ovarian cancer in September 2023. What is more, he also lost his father, Martin Truex Sr., in January this year. The weight of these losses may be bearing down heavily on him, as a fan wrote, “I hope he’s ok. Losing Sherry and his dad is tough.”
No matter what the reason is, it is genuinely baffling the NASCAR community. Let’s wait and see if Martin Truex Jr.’s spring cleaning extends to more of his memorabilia from the sport.

Corey LaJoie managed to secure four Cup Series race starts with Rick Ware Racing this year, after parting ways with Spire Motorsports, for whom he had been racing full-time last year. Amid his media role interest, LaJoie has spoken about his NASCAR future and the possibility of his return to stock car racing.
LaJoie returned with Spire Motorsports this season, but to race in the Craftsman Truck Series. However, that might not seem very appealing to the 33-year-old driver at this stage of his career.
He explained that he had

The first race of the 2025 Cup Series Round of 12 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ended with a dominating win by Ryan Blaney. But a few moments, like Joey Logano’s solid P4 with his playoff capabilities and on-track confrontation between Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, made it even more interesting. However, under the racing arose a greater issue regarding the sport’s popularity, as the event attracted a new low of 1.29 million viewers as opposed to higher ratings earlier in the season.
That sharp difference is noticeable in the regular-season finale at Daytona, which attracted the largest summer rating in seven years. In the meantime, viewership in the playoffs is declining, and the total number of 2025 Cup Series viewership, regardless of race, has fallen by 13.436% since 2024, equating to a loss of 12.787 million. Kyle Busch had expressed his concern, saying, “I just think the problem we’re running into is there’s not a lot of race fans anymore.” These trends are controversial, but some input coming in through an insider like Jeff Gluck can help illuminate certain factors at work.
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Jeff Gluck justifies NHMS viewership dip
NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck, known for his coverage at The Athletic, created a discussion with an X post that attributes the poor attendance at the New Hampshire race to external factors. He wrote, “I saw one report that said Fox News alone averaged 5.2 million viewers during the Charlie Kirk memorial service, so I would certainly think that had some impact on NASCAR’s viewership for New Hampshire.”
I saw one report that said Fox News alone averaged 5.2 million viewers during the Charlie Kirk memorial service, so I would certainly think that had some impact on NASCAR’s viewership for New Hampshire. https://t.co/VlRhByZcej
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— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) September 24, 2025
Charlie Kirk‘s memorial service event was held on the same day (September 21), around the same time as the race at 3 p.m. ET. The point that Gluck makes is how the broadcasting of competing events, including high-profile political events like these, could affect the USA Network on which NASCAR airs.
Fans soon countered, claiming that Gluck is trying to whitewash more underlying problems in the NASCAR product, and he is being a sport activist who never criticizes structural issues such as the lack of Next Gen car performance in short track racing or the playoff structure. This criticism echoes broader frustrations, with 1.29 million viewers of Sunday’s Loudon race facing a 31.4 percent decline in comparison to the 1.88 million viewers of the 2024 NHMS event. Moreover, it was also a 28 percent decline compared to last year’s Round of 12 opener at Kansas with 1.79 million viewers.
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To that, Gluck responded in a subsequent post, “The comments here are making it out like I’m excusing NASCAR’s low viewership for other races. Give me a freaking break. I’m just saying on Sunday, you would think they lost a few hundred thousand viewers because of the memorial. Has nothing to do with any other low viewership,” emphasizing his point was race-specific amid a season where playoff races alone are down 16.853%.
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Fellow content creator Eric Estepp chimed in on X, listing more fundamental issues: “1. NFL is hitting new viewership highs every year. It’s widening the gap to almost everything. 2. Cable subscriptions hit new lows every year. There are more Cup races on cable this year than ever before. 3. NASCAR’s demo has always been one of the oldest in pro sports. Many are aging out or are more interested in politics. 4. 20 year olds aren’t watching cable or sitting through 3+ hour races. Even the NBA commissioner admitted they’re a “highlight league.””
These arguments point to bigger trends, such as the weakening reach of the cable, aging fanbase, and youth’s impatience, among other things. So while insiders Jeff Gluck and Eric Estepp highlight the specifics, the fans are right on their end, pointing out the overall downfall.
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Meanwhile, as these discussions highlight immediate hurdles, some in the sport are looking ahead with concrete ideas to turn things around.
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Brad Keselowski’s fixes for NASCAR revival
A recent interview with Brad Keselowski, 2012 Cup winner and RFK Racing’s co-owner, presented practical measures to consider for NASCAR growth, beginning with reconsidering the way the tracks are operated. He stated, “The first one is the tracks, in general, need to find more ways to generate revenue outside of NASCAR. A lot of these tracks you go to, if you come to them on a Tuesday, three weeks before or after the race, there’s like three people that work there. There’s nobody around…,” he said.
This expands upon the use of race weekends as a primary source of revenue, which suggests the need to diversify such events or facilities to increase annual revenue and fan interest, given the economic pressure of reducing attendance since the 2008 recession.
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The playoff system is another area that received the attention of Keselowski, claiming that it’s not in the sport’s favor. “The whole playoff thing has to go away.” As the RFK co-owner claims, “very unhealthy for the sport.” This, he believes, is an insult to their tracks, races, and the drivers who do not make it to the playoffs. “It muddies the water; it’s not working for the sport,” he explained.
Introduced in 2004 to spike excitement, the format has faced backlash for overshadowing consistent performers, and Keselowski’s view aligns with calls for a return to season-long points to restore fairness and broader appeal.
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Finally, he stressed bringing in more manufacturers: “Third, I’d look at new OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) as very important — a high tide that raises all ships. They’ll invest in the teams while concurrently investing in the tracks through advertising, along with our media rights holders. A new OEM is right there behind it.”

Politicians and motorsports have a long, colorful history, where the roar of engines meets the roar of crowds in ways that blend policy with passion. In 2004, President George W. Bush turned heads at the Daytona 500, stepping into the spotlight as grand marshal and delivering the timeless “Gentlemen, start your engines!” to a sea of 180,000 fans. It was a savvy re-election play, tapping into NASCAR’s massive Southern and swing-state pull, where the sport’s blue-collar vibe and high-stakes drama made it a perfect stage for connecting with everyday Americans.
Fast-forward to 2020, President Donald Trump followed suit, serving as grand marshal for that year’s Daytona 500. He led a ceremonial lap in the presidential motorcade, gave the start-your-engines command, and praised the fans and the “spectacle of speed and competition.” These visits weren’t random. Now, in 2025, Vice President JD Vance is stepping into that tradition, visiting Richard Childress Racing in North Carolina on September 24 ahead of a key speech in Concord.
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Vance met Richard Childress
The stop was a private event, with Vance’s 25-vehicle motorcade rolling up to RCR’s shop, flanked by local first responders like North Carolina state troopers, Greensboro firefighters, and Forsyth County paramedics.
It wasn’t Vance’s first brush with NASCAR. Richard Childress hosted him at the October 2024 Charlotte ROVAL and Trump at the May 2024 Coca-Cola 600, plus a pre-2025 Daytona 500 meetup.
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RCR, with its storied No. 3 legacy from Dale Earnhardt and over 200 wins across NASCAR’s top three series, plus 14 championships, made for a fitting backdrop. The team fields two full-time Cup cars, No. 3 with Austin Dillon and No. 8 with Kyle Busch, and two in Xfinity, a powerhouse that aligns with Vance’s North Carolina swing.
Earlier this month, RCR dipped into politics with tribute stickers for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on their Cup and Xfinity cars after his death on September 10 in Utah. It’s a move that fits Childress’ history of blending racing with personal beliefs, from his 2017 anthem protest stance to hosting Trump and Vance.
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The visit comes amid a packed playoff weekend, with the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway setting the Round of 12 opener. For Vance, it’s a chance to rally in a racing hotbed, connecting with fans and teams like RCR that embody NASCAR’s grit.
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Vance’s RCR visit lands amid big news for the team: Randall Burnett, Kyle Busch’s crew chief since 2023, is heading to Trackhouse Racing for 2026 to lead Connor Zilisch’s No. 99.
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Who’s going to crew chief Kyle Busch now?
The split, confirmed September 23, ends a partnership with three wins but no playoff berths in two years, Busch’s longest drought. Busch’s 2025 has been rough, with career-low top-fives (two), laps led (62), and 22nd in points, leaving him on the verge of setting marks he’d rather forget.
At 40, he’s not washed up like some say; Harvick won a title at that age, and Johnson won his seventh at 41. But RCR has to find a new boss to unlock Kyle Busch’s fire. Burnett’s a steal for Zilisch, the 19-year-old phenom with 10 Xfinity wins in 30 starts.
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Burnett’s résumé includes six Busch wins with Tyler Reddick and Allmendinger’s best Cup year in 2016, making him underrated gold. For RCR, it’s a scramble. Social media is wild with trades like Ty Gibbs’ seat, but Busch’s contract ties him to the No. 8 through 2026.
The smart play? An in-house vet or a free agent like Rodney Childers, Harvick’s ex-champ with 40 Cup wins. RCR’s pattern of value hires, like Justin Alexander for Dillon, leans toward Brian Pattie, who meshed with Busch in Trucks. Whatever the pick, it has to reignite Busch’s legacy before time runs out.

This season of racing will be the last at Fayetteville Motor Speedway.
The 500-acre property on which the speedway sits has been sold by Broadwell Land Company

After Justin Allgaier won the 2024 championship, Dale Jr. has been on a roll. The veteran’s Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, has an eclectic set of unstoppable drivers in 2025. Connor Zilisch has set the golden standard, winning nine races already in his rookie season. Allgaier has been on a similarly stellar run with 3 wins, while Carson Kvapil, another rookie, is riding high in 4th rank in points. Dale Jr. does not want to let go of this glittering streak for 2026. So he tapped Kevin Harvick’s former colleague.
The 2014 Cup Series champion hung up his helmet at the end of 2023. But we all remember the golden years of Kevin Harvick. During his 11-year tenure in Stewart-Haas Racing, he won a title and 37 trophies. And Dale Jr. is focusing on the crew chief who helped Harvick fetch these wins.
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Dale Jr. redeems a future Hall of Famer
Well, Rodney Childers was briefly out of a role. His golden times with Kevin Harvick far behind him, Childers’ position after SHR shut down was uncertain. Childers joined Spire Motorsports to be Justin Haley’s crew chief, but unfortunately, had to part ways in April after just nine races. Yet Childers had that itch to win, so he joined Harvick’s CARS Tour, going back to his Late Model Stock Car roots. Childers conjured his magic again, helping driver Landen Lewis win four times and become the championship contender. So when Dale Jr. caught Childers talking to Truck Series teams about opportunities, he was surprised that such a high-flyer did not have a NASCAR role yet.
So Dale Jr. capitalized on that. He called Kevin Harvick‘s former colleague to join JRM for the 2026 season. And with the prospect of working as the crew chief for the No. 1 car, Rodney Childers is excited. He told Sirius XM NASCAR, “Obviously, the last 12 months haven’t been the way that we wanted to go, but everything happens for a reason. And when Dale called me, we sat down and talked about this. I was blown away. What Dale means to me, what Kelly means to me, what Mr. H means to me. It’s just a dream come true. When you can have talent in the seed with Carson and Connor both, it’s going to be a ton of fun. To be in the building with so many racers, so many people that I’ve already worked with, already have relationships with, and I have a ton of respect for. It’s just going to mean a lot.”
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Despite his fallout with Spire Motorsports, Rodney Childers remains dedicated to his work. After all, the 40-time Cup race-winning veteran is currently the most successful crew chief in the NASCAR garage. Childers continued, “To me, it’s really about winning races. You know, I’m just at that point in my life, especially after working with Kevin Harvick for the amount of time that I did. I said that before Kevin retired, it’s gonna be hard to ever replace this. And I really feel like what we have for 2026 is one of those situations that’s just gonna be a lot of fun. Really competitive, and just something that you wake up every single morning ready to do.”
Evidently, Kevin Harvick’s brother-in-arms is ready to take up the next challenge in his NASCAR career. In the meantime, Harvick broods over another veteran in the Cup Series.
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Lamenting about a lost spectacle
Notice anything missing in NASCAR headlines this year? Or rather, over the last two years? Yeah, Kyle Busch is almost non-existent in Victory Lane narratives. The two-time Cup Series champion, who was once a source of intimidation to his rivals, is now merely an afterthought every weekend. The last time Busch won was during the June 2023 Gateway race. And the last time Busch was in the Championship 4 race while running for Joe Gibbs Racing was in 2019, when he won the title. Six years later, it seems unimaginable that the Richard Childress Racing driver can be a threat to his competitors. This fall of a star concerns not only Rowdy fans, but one of his former rivals as well.
The conflicts between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are very well-known. Yet the latter downplayed all of that while worrying about his rival’s present state. “We all want to see Kyle Busch win,” Harvick stated on the podcast. “As much as I’ve gone through moments where I hate Kyle Busch. I’ve hated Kyle Busch with a passion at moments. That’s all come full circle, and we’re very much able to communicate and have a good relationship.” He continued, “But I can’t imagine Kyle Busch going out like this. It’s bad for everything, bad for the sport. It’s bad for him, bad for everything that says Kyle Busch. I hate to see where it’s at.”
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Evidently, Kevin Harvick worries about veterans in the Cup Series. He must be happy now that Rodney Childers has got a 2026 role – let’s wait and see how the stellar crew chief performs!

The Next-Gen car’s troubles reign supreme in today’s NASCAR. From passing problems to increased parity on the racetrack, the problems are plenty. When it first debuted in 2022, safety problems emerged with Cup Series drivers like Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin incurring concussions in crashes. While that has been resolved, the lack of aerodynamic advantages has amplified the demand for more horsepower. But complaints about the Next-Gen hardly compare to those of its predecessor.
Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s fatal crash in 2001 spurred a safety revolution in NASCAR. But in the process of achieving the most secure race car, the sport hit lows. The most significant of those low points was probably the Car of Tomorrow, as a former executive recalled recently.
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How NASCAR threw out the ‘flying brick’
Robin Pemberton’s career in the sport spanned 37 years. He worked with stellar drivers like Richard Petty and Mark Martin, scoring 26 wins in 17 seasons as a crew chief. However, Pemberton entered a new phase in 2004, becoming a top NASCAR executive. He spent 11 years as senior vice president of competition – and consequently, bore the brunt of controversy when the Car of Tomorrow surfaced. Introduced in March 2007, the COT had many flaws – an unusual front-shelf design, foam attached to the right side to absorb the impact of crashes, and the massive expenses. But the topmost point of controversy was the rear wing.
And Robin Pemberton revealed in a recent Dale Jr Download episode that he had a big hand in it. He revealed, “When I was there, we were now down into the aero part of it, which is the wing. You know the roof.” And that left Dale Jr. curious, as he asked Pemberton why it could not stay. The rear wing was not well-received. Tony Stewart called the car a ‘flying brick’. It made even Kyle Busch, who won the first COT race in Bristol, say that the cars “suck.” NASCAR officials eventually replaced the wing with a spoiler in 2012.
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So Pemberton delved into the nitty-gritty of the COT’s pros and cons. The former NASCAR official said, “The wing was good for a number of reasons, and it was bad for a number of reasons. It was good for traffic, less weight. And they got blamed for cars getting upside down. One of the reasons is with the wing, it’s not a lot of drag. So when I turned sideways, the drag didn’t go up as fast as it did with a spoiler. So lift-off speeds were wrong. There was that part of it, and then some people weighed in that said stock cars don’t have wings. They don’t have wings. Yeah, that was part of it, I hate that because we put a lot of development in.”
Despite the regret involved with scrapping a high-effort enterprise, Robin Pemberton had to take the tough call eventually. He recalled his interaction with Mike Helton, former president of NASCAR. “I’ll never forget. Mike comes up for lunch one day, and he goes, Well, I gotta tell you. We need to get rid of the wing, like we just spent a year on it. Yeah, okay. Well, I will go work on it…What do you mean? Like, asap. It took my breath. Like if you got a month or six weeks, whatever, in like it came in a hurry, you know.” Eventually, the COT went out of business. Recently, Denny Hamlin referred to its flaws to highlight the Next-Gen’s defects.
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Well, Pemberton chafed about the loss of the wing, but in the long run, it was a good call. While Dale Jr. brooded over the resolution of a crisis almost 13 years ago, he is also concerned with a crisis in the present day.
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Urging the offender to take action
Fireworks broke out in New Hampshire last Sunday. More precisely, the fireworks of Joe Gibbs Racing’s in-house drama. On lap 110, Ty Gibbs would not leave room for Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, both playoff contenders. And Gibbs, who could not crack the postseason, fell prey to Hamlin’s aggression and spun out. Although no face-to-face encounter happened, there has been an online exchange of barbs. Hamlin called out JGR’s leadership to teach Gibbs a lesson, while the latter delivered a subtle jab. However, Dale Jr. pointed out how the first step needs to be taken by Ty. As he started the whole ordeal, he should step up.
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What is more, if Ty Gibbs does not speak up, then JGR’s unity can be in jeopardy. “This is a big teaching moment for Ty, well beyond like next week and his racing career and all of that. like how they managed this little hiccup,” Dale Jr. said. “What happened on the racetrack? It sucks. He shouldn’t have raced him like he did. He got wrecked by his teammate, Denny. All that sucks…You go into the meeting. You talk about it. Ty should, I think, stand up and say, ‘I f*cked up. Should let y’all guys go. I don’t know what I was thinking. That was foolish of me. Won’t happen again going forward in these playoffs. You got my word. I’m gonna be a good teammate.’”
With things at a standstill at present, we can only wait and see what comes of the JGR fallout. Meanwhile, NASCAR could work on the Next-Gen like they did on the Car of Tomorrow.

Team Penske put on a clinic at New Hampshire right from qualifying to race day. Joey Logano snagged the pole position, his first ever at the track, and led a race high 147 laps, even winning a stage. Right beside him, Ryan Blaney qualified second and went on to steal the show, leading 116 laps and clinching the victory that locked him into the Round of 8. The dominance didn’t stop there. Josh Berry, part of Penske’s extended Ford family, recovered from an early spin to rally to a runner-up finish. But while most of the camp burst in glory, not every car in the Penske camp left with reason to celebrate. And heading into Kansas, that margin for error has vanished for one.
At Kansas Speedway this season, Team Penske showed flashes of strength but also revealed tracks that need patching. Ryan Blaney, for example, managed a solid finish; he placed fifth in the May Kansas race, starting from 10th. Joey Logano, meanwhile, didn’t break into the top five in the same Kansas outing, finishing ninth after starting fifth. However, while Penske is an upper-tier team, drivers continue to salvage points and avoid disaster; there is clearly a gap between their potential and what they’ve consistently delivered at Kansas. And as for Austin Cindric, he is raising alarms on his next stint in the Round of 12 to keep his playoff hopes alive.
Speaking to Bob Pockrass, Cindric didn’t waste time in giving a brutal reality check: “So, you know, Kansas is definitely one of those tracks that the teams, you know, push, push it right to the edge. And so I don’t think that’s, that’s going to be any different this weekend. Yeah. I don’t expect it to be too much different. You know, I think it’s a little bit of a construction change that we’ve ran before, I believe a couple of times this year on different intermediate tracks. So, you know, the fall off might change a little bit, but you know, really a lot of that time week to week, we kind of judge off of practise and see, cause I mean the weather changes it, the track conditions that, you know, what, what all the series are there a particular weekend can have a little bit of effect on that.”
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At Kansas, Austin Cindric’s record is a mixed bag. His best finish has been 11th place; he has hit that mark twice, including earlier this season. His worst outings, by contrast, have seen him finish in the low 30s or suffer accidents. 2024 and 2023 saw some of those less-than-ideal results. On average, over his eight Kansas starts, Cindric finishes around 23.6th place. So while he is shown he can run decently there, consistency and higher-tier point-earning finishes have largely eluded him at that track. And this could have serious implications for his playoff hopes.
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He currently sits 10th in the driver standings with 3,028 points. He has one win, zero pole positions, two top fives, and five top 10 finishes so far this season. After New Hampshire, Austin Cindric had a rough day. He missed out on stage points, ending the race in 17th place, and dropped a 19-point deficit from safety in the playoff cut line. Moreover, he hasn’t quite hit the mark yet, and for several reasons. A surprise fire at Bristol nearly cost him a playoff spot, though he squeezed past Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports to stay in. At New Hampshire last weekend, Cedric had a chance to grab some crucial points, ones that could have set him up nicely heading into Kansas and the Roval, but it simply didn’t click.
Meanwhile, his Penske teammates delivered much stronger runs. Blaney took the win at New Hampshire, Logano grabbed fourth, and Josh Berry, tied in the extended Penske family, grabbed second place. Austin Cindric has to put in the work and pull up his socks to keep himself in contention. Meanwhile, his teammate, Ryan Blaney, has pulled back the curtain on the team’s playoff mindset.
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Ryan Blaney spills the beans on Team Penske’s playoff teamwork
Ryan Blaney walked out of New Hampshire with more than just a trophy; he walked out with a spotlight. While the rest of the NASCAR world buzzed over fiery tempers and teammate drama within Joe Gibbs Racing at Loudon, Blaney’s win carried a different kind of headline: the strength of Team Penske’s unity. On the Dale Junior download, he didn’t just bask in his victory; he pulled fans behind the curtain to explain why Penske‘s garage isn’t imploding like so many others amid the playoffs.
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They revealed that the magic isn’t complicated. There are no backdoor schemes, no rigged finishes. The one rule that Roger Penske drills into his drivers is brutally simple: do not wreck each other. Ryan Blaney said, “And I’d say the racing around each other—there’s never team orders. Ever. The only thing Roger has ever said is, ‘Just don’t wreck each other trying to win the race.’ Don’t be foolish and run one-two and wreck each other out of first and second. He has an expectation: race as hard as you want. Have at it. I don’t care who runs first or second. But please do not wreck each other doing it, because then we just look like a bunch of fools.”
That philosophy has turned Blaney, Joey Logano, and the extended Penske family into a rare breed in NASCAR. Teammates who can duel at full tilt without letting grudges poison the garage. It is why Blaney has risen for championship glory and why Joey Logano’s consistency shines, and why Penske’s banner keeps flying high. In a spot where ego clashes can derail entire seasons, Blaney’s New Hampshire win felt like proof that Blaney’s trust-first code isn’t just talk; it is a winning formula.

Remember when Amazon Prime rolled out NASCAR streaming for the first time and fans went wild? From the Coca-Cola 600 to the Great American Gateway 400, Prime kept viewers hooked with post-race coverage, a slick double-box format, and plenty of extra features. The payoff? An impressive 2.16 viewers per race on average. Unfortunately, the story has been very different for NASCAR’s current broadcast partner, NBC. And as the playoffs roll on, the most exciting segment in NASCAR, the TV viewership has done a 360, and the fans have sounded off on it. But a NASCAR veteran has put his foot down on the number of complaints that are flying in.
NASCAR is facing a stubborn itch it just can’t scratch: TV ratings. Throughout the 2025 season, audiences have been drifting away, and the Cup Series playoffs have felt the burn hardest. Viewership for Cup Series races has slipped over 13% from last year, and playoff events — this supposed crown jewel meant to draw eyeballs — plunged nearly 17%. And with a whirlwind of talks about the role of TV in deciding the 2026 NASCAR playoff and the dipping viewership, Kenny Wallace is here to reassure the community to sit tight.
Kenny Wallace rolled no punches, saying, ” NASCAR is already announced that they’re gonna change the point system. And next year, the racing is going to be different. They’re going to give you 3 or 4 races to determine the champion. What the f— don’t you understand? I said, this reminds me of a friend I had. I said, ‘Oh, you sure you b—- a lot?’ Because yeah, I just, I just want to b—-. Let me b—- for a little bit. I said, ‘Charlie, is that what you want to do? You just want to bitch?’ So, that’s what I would say to all of you. Get the b——- out of your system.”
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NBC Sports’ addition to the Cup Series schedule hasn’t reversed the trend. When USA Network, NBC’s partner, covered Watkins Glen, it dipped to 1,850,000, marking the Cup series’ third-lowest audience of the year and the smallest on the USA Network since 1.03 million watched New Hampshire in 2023. Richmond averaged just 1,390,000 viewers, and Gateway followed suit with disappointing numbers: a 0.82 rating and 1.525 million viewers, down sharply from both last year’s race at Watkins Glen and the June 24 event at the same track on FS1. Even with Denny Hamlin leading for 75 laps to claim his first Gateway victory, the ratings for the Enjoy Illinois 300 are a stark reminder that spectacular wheels don’t always translate to TV audiences.
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Another debate about how TV has a hold on deciding which direction the NASCAR playoff system should head in has been heating up. As Jeff Burton sounded off on it, NASCAR analyst and reporter Jeff Gluck has confirmed that NBC has no say in the changing playoff system. 2026 brings fresh hopes and new expectations as fans hope they get what they want.
Kenny Wallace wants the community to quit its whining and give NASCAR a chance. He added, “I’m with Jeff Burton, and a lot of us agree that, you know, you gotta earn everything right now. I know another Charlie said nobody likes the car. I’m like, ‘OK, well, they’re gonna change that.’ It gets to be where it’s exhausting. I said OK, so really what the deal is, Everybody just wants to keep this. Yeah, I guess so. But I want the automatic ball to strike count starting tonight on the first baseball game. So in the end, everybody, you all are gonna get what you want. You’re just gonna get it next year. Not right f—— now.”
Moreover, Burton had shut down the conspiracy by saying, “I hear that all the time… I’m in these meetings, and NASCAR takes all the information from all the people… and they make a decision. TV is not when… this format that we are currently racing under was created. I was in every damn meeting. TV didn’t make this decision…” But as hope prevails, last weekend’s New Hampshire race faced similar problems.
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TV viewership takes another hit during the New Hampshire weekend
New Hampshire stands as a glaring example of NASCAR’s growing dilemma. While the grandstands were packed with passionate local fans, that same fire didn’t translate to national viewership. Last fall, NASCAR’s playoff races boosted steady midtier TV numbers, solidifying its space as a beloved American motorsport with millions of viewers. But this fall, the combination of broadcast shifts and fierce competition from the NFL raised alarms about NASCAR’s national visibility. And the fans are urging NASCAR to take things more seriously.
A shift away from traditional TV broadcasts to cable networks and streaming platforms like Amazon Prime has only added to the confusion. The latest ratings for the Cup Series race at New Hampshire exposed the depth of the decline. 0.70 rating and 1.2 million viewers, a far cry from the 1.0 rating and the 1.88 million viewers for last year’s race. To make matters worse, the dip mirrors a broad trend, including a drop from the 1.79 million viewers in last year’s fourth playoff race at Kansas.
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When comparing this year’s New Hampshire race to the same event in 2024, NASCAR nearly lost 600,000 viewers, a huge blow, especially given the sellout at Loudon. The 0.70 rating is one of the weakest for a playoff race in recent years, sparking serious concerns over the NASCAR community. Typically, the postseason draws a larger audience, making this downturn all the more worrying.

Tyler Reddick is fighting it out in the playoffs. Despite not being able to match up to his three-win, regular-season championship 2024 season, Reddick still cracked the postseason. What is more, he survived the Round of 16 with three top 20 finishes, including a runner-up spot in Darlington. However, the 23XI Racing driver still has reasons to lament.
NASCAR’s Next-Gen car, ever since its debut in 2022, has caused ripples of discontent in the community. From expenses involved in single-spec parts to increased parity on the racetrack, its flaws are plenty. But what stands out for Tyler Reddick is the car’s impact on superspeedway racing.
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Tyler Reddick abandons credit for runner-up
Entering the 2025 Daytona 500 race, the No. 45 Toyota was in a tough spot. Tyler Reddick had a 30.8 average result, and his best finish was 27th in 6 previous bids. With five laps remaining, Reddick was sure that he would get a similarly bleak result, running 25th. But right then, Christopher Bell’s barrel-rolling wreck allowed him to move up to 20th. Then, on the restart, he went up to 13th place. But the final harrowing crash on the final lap, involving several cars, allowed Reddick to speed up ahead right behind eventual race winner William Byron. The utterly chaotic nature of events made Reddick admit in a recent ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ episode: “I did nothing to get second place.”
In the age of the Next-Gen era, the allure of the Daytona 500 has dropped. Gone are the days when legends like Dale Earnhardt or Tony Stewart could seamlessly pass their competitors en route to victories. Now, since drivers cannot pass each other in the Next-Gen cars, they resort to fuel saving to extract track positions – just like William Byron did. So when Freddie Kraft asked Tyler Reddick if the Great American Race had lost its appeal, the Toyota driver had his answer. “I hate to even answer that question. But if I’m being honest, yes. For me, it has lost some of it because of the way racing plays out,” he said.
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Then there comes the sheer unpredictability of superspeedway racing. Previously, the more skilled drivers could stand apart from their rivals. But the increased parity and lack of aerodynamic control have made it a chaotic mess. Even Tony Stewart does not like the Daytona 500 anymore because “anybody can win.” Kraft also chimed with this opinion: “Before this car, you would know on Thursday, I’ve got a shot to win the Daytona 500. And you go into Sunday, it doesn’t matter. As long as we were there at the end, we’ve got a shot at this thing. And now it’s like I don’t know. We’ll see what happens at the last pit stop.”
While Tyler Reddick laments about superspeedway racing in the Next-Gen era, he also feels dejected about his ongoing season.
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Owning up to a drab streak
At this time last year, Tyler Reddick was one of the top contenders for the 2024 Cup Series title. He won three races, clinched the regular season championship, and was in the Championship 4 race. But this year, the 23XI Racing driver has yet to fetch his first victory through 30 races. He led just 156 laps this season, tallying 10 top 10s and six top 5s. Despite cracking the Round of 12, Reddick sits 11th in the playoff standings heading into Kansas Speedway, -23 below the cutline.
So, Tyler Reddick owned up to his season’s faults. He said, “I think when you really look at the details of it, it is not an improvement over last year, yes. Yeah, we haven’t performed quite like what we did last year. But it’s not like to an astronomical level. When you don’t execute, when you don’t have a clean race, you’re not going to have the opportunity to win races, and you’re not going to get those top 10s and top 5s that you’re able to get when you have those clean days. I think when I was looking at it last, we scored like 50 or 60 less points than we did last year. It just shows the top teams have had cleaner years.”
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At the same time, Tyler Reddick is fifth in passing, ninth in defense, sixth in speed, and fifth in restarts. The No. 45 Toyota pit crew is notably ranked 19th in the Cup Series. What is more, if not for brake issues impeding his pace, Reddick would have finished better than 21st in last week’s New Hampshire race. So Reddick is not giving up: “I know [23XI co-owner] Michael [Jordan] feels this way, I know a lot of people at 23XI feel this way — we don’t show up just to run 10th. I don’t do this just to run 10th; I show up to make a difference and take a car that’s capable of winning and get it to Victory Lane. We have days just get away when we’re capable of winning [and] it’s frustrating, for sure.”
Evidently, Tyler Reddick is grappling with a number of challenges. If he can wade through the Next-Gen car’s faults and focus on winning, then miracles can still happen this season.