Circle Tracks

"I am once again amazed at the effort going on to burn this house down over everyone's head but I’m a fire marshal and I'll be here in December if need be." That was a warning, expressed on June 25 by Judge Kenneth D. Bell, to both parties involved in the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit over what could happen if a settlement is not reached in advance of a ...Keep readingView the full article

With less than a week to go until the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust trial begins, the Sanctioning Body motioned the court to have 23XI exclude two if its three owners from the room while others are on the stand. This is under the ‘Federal Rules of Evidence; 615,’ which states that ‘at a party’s request, the court must order witnesses excluded from the ...Keep readingView the full article

Next season, Shane van Gisbergen will get to drive the No. 97 in the Cup Series for the first time -- a number that means a lot to the three-time Supercars champion. The team announced the number change in an emotional video that was released earlier this month. Now, Trackhouse has offered a first glimpse at the the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 wrapped in Red Bull colors. The team also showcased ...Keep readingView the full article

Brent Crews has signed a deal to drive the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series. The 17-year-old will run 29 of 33 events, and will only miss four due to the fact that he's not old enough to run at all track types. The Toyota Development Driver would be eligible for a playoff waiver as missed races due to age restrictions are an allowable ...Keep readingView the full article

Richard Childress Racing said in a Monday statement that ‘legal action in being contemplated’ after its eponymous team owner was insulted by NASCAR executives in text messages unsealed as part of the ongoing 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit against the sanctioning body. “RCR and Richard Childress are deeply disappointed by the insensitive and defamatory statements made about ...Keep readingView the full article

Sigma Performance Services Racing (SPS Racing) has acquired AM Racing, which will allow them to take part in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts in addition to the ARCA Menards Series and an expanded late model program. SPS Racing will be partnered with Ford for 2026 as one of the only teams across NOAPS still aligned with the blue oval brand. Recently, Haas Factory Team and RSS Racing left Ford ...Keep readingView the full article

The 2025 season marks a decade in which the NASCAR Cup Series has functionally operated under the ‘charter agreement,’ but it’s also the first year of the second document and first extension to an agreement first crafted in advance of the 2016 season. It’s also the first season that began with a lawsuit with two teams alleging federal antitrust violations against the sanctioning body ...Keep readingView the full article

In text messages produced through fact discovery as part of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit, the commissioner of the league made clear how little professional respect he appears to have for veteran team owner Richard Childress. During a meeting with team owners in 2023, Phelps was receiving text updates from league Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst ...Keep readingView the full article

There were countless emails, text messages and documents unsealed on Friday as part of the build-up to the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial set to begin on December 1. They included NASCAR commissioner, then president, Steve Phelps telling president, then chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell that ‘a knife’ needed to be put into ‘this trash ...Keep readingView the full article

There were countless emails, text messages and documents unsealed on Friday as part of the build-up to the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial set to begin on December 1. The Race Team Alliance, across 2022 and 2023, explored having exhibition races independent of NASCAR but using Cup Series drivers at events in unorthodox locations like the Sultanate of Oman ...Keep readingView the full article

Christian Eckes, 25, will compete full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026, reuniting with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) after a year apart.  Eckes drove for McAnally-Hilgemann in both 2023 and 2024, but moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with Kaulig Racing. Eckes ended the year 13th in the championship standings with six top fives and 15 top tens, but next year will see him ...Keep readingView the full article

The nominees have been announced for the 38th edition of the Autosport Awards, and you can be part of it by participating in The Fan Vote. NASCAR has a presence across the list of nominees, which we will highlight below: Rookie of the Year Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet Photo by: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Two NASCAR drivers were nominated for the 'Rookie of ...Keep readingView the full article

Tyler Reif, who is just 18 years old, has signed a deal to run the majority of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in 2026. He will drive the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado. He made his Truck debut with Niece at the Phoenix finale, earning a top ten finish in his first outing. "I’m so thankful to everyone at Niece Motorsports for this opportunity to race more for them ...Keep readingView the full article

This is procedural, but with just under two weeks remaining until the start of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial, both parties continue to work on the minutiae of prep work. In the case of Tuesday, it is volleying back-and-forth instructions for the jury and their verdict questionnaire. The trial will be conducted in front of nine jurors over what is ...Keep readingView the full article

JR Motorsports is running it back in the Daytona 500 in 2026 with Justin Allgaier after a successful Cup Series debut in which they scored a top 10 in the No. 40 car with Traveller Whiskey. It was a meaningful race for co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, whom aren’t sure if racing full-time in the Cup Series will ever come to fruition, so having made at least one ...Keep readingView the full article

Even before the NASCAR Cup Series began utilizing the single source supplied NextGen car, Chase Elliott was waving a red flag urging the community to consider the perils of spec racing. He said that passing in the previous generation car became an increasingly more challenging proposition because the tighter rule book kept teams in a tighter box. In short, the more cars are the same, the closer ...Keep readingView the full article

Chase Elliott basically says his 2025 season was good but not great. Two wins 11 top-5s19 top-5s While Elliott finished eighth in the current championship format, he did score the fourth most points overall from Daytona in February to Phoenix in November, a testament to the season-long consistency the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team is known for over the course of the past three ...Keep readingView the full article

Hendrick Automotive Group inked a $2.25 million contract with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August. The story was first reported by The Washington Post with a follow-up report this week by Charlotte, North Carolina television station WBTV. According to the contract, the agreement was for the sale of 25 Chevrolet Tahoes. Hendrick Automotive Group is owned by NASCAR ...Keep readingView the full article

Carson Hocevar simply wants to be the kind of driver he grew up watching while NASCAR itself is working diligently to create content that spotlights these kinds of personalities. This is the kind of process that led to the creation of RISING, a documentary series releasing on YouTube with a new episode at 7 ET every night this week, that spotlights young guns Hocevar, Jesse Love and Rajah ...Keep readingView the full article

Kaulig Racing is pausing its NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts team in order to venture into the NASCAR Truck Series as the factory team for Ram's re-entry into the sport. The team previously announced several full-time drivers, including Brenden Queen, Daniel Dye, and Justin Haley. On Monday, the team confirmed plans to launch an all-star truck, which they've described as the 'Free Agent ...Keep readingView the full article

On Monday, both Jeremy Clements Racing and Viking Motorsports announced new technical alliances as they prepare for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity Series) season. These are single-car teams that are looking for a step up in performance next season. Jeremy Clements, the driver and owner of the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet, has formed a technical alliance with ...Keep readingView the full article

Will Denny Hamlin race in the NASCAR Cup Series next season after yet another championship heartbreak? The answer is ‘yes.’ However, had Hamlin closed out on that elusive championship earlier in the month at Phoenix Raceway, he would have 'begged' team owner Joe Gibbs to let him drop the figurative mic and set sail into retirement. It wouldn't have mattered that he still had two more ...Keep readingView the full article

JR Motorsports (JRM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, is going Cup racing again next year. The highly successful NASCAR Xfinity Series team (soon to be rebranded as the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) made its Cup debut in the 67th running of the Daytona 500, earlier this year. Justin Allgaier, who won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series ...Keep readingView the full article

NASCAR issued a series of technical changes in a scheduled rule book update on Friday afternoon that included which tracks would formally utilize the 750-horsepower tapered spacer and language that paves the way for an additional manufacturer. This was previously announced but Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway and World Wide Technology ...Keep readingView the full article

Josh Williams will be competing full-time in 2026, driving the No. 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series). This is a multi-year deal with the organization, which will begin with his 250th career start next February. Steve Addington will partner with Williams as the crew chief for the No. 92 car, with Reed Sorenson working as the ...Keep readingView the full article