Free Republic

NASCAR fans, get ready. Tony Stewart, three-time Cup Series champion and motorsports icon, is officially returning to the NASCAR stage at Daytona in 2026. Stewart will team up with Ram Truck and Kaulig Racing as the first competitor in Ram’s groundbreaking Free Agent program within the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Stewart, known to fans as “Smoke,” last competed in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2005 and in the Cup Series in 2016 before shifting his focus to NHRA drag racing with Dodge. His return marks a monumental moment for the sport, blending Stewart’s legendary competitive spirit with Ram’s bold re-entry...

As NASCAR Cup Series points racing returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time in nearly 30 years, the soundtrack of that era returns as well with multi-platinum country hitmakers Sawyer Brown headline a pre-race concert presented by Raymer Oil. The performance will be part of The Boys and Me Tour, firing up fans before the historic Window World 450 at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, 2026. The Window World 450 marks the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996 and the first 450-lap Cup Series race in track history. With extended distance...

TEMPERANCE, Mich. – Several grass roots champions and rookies of the year will make their first laps at Daytona International Speedway during the ARCA Menards Series “Road to Daytona” program at the series’ annual pre-race practice on Jan. 9-10. Drivers from the ARCA Menards Series East and West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Weekly Series, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, and ASA Southern Super Series will make laps in cars prepared by 1995 ARCA Menards Series national champion (Indiana) Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Racing Team with support from Ilmor, Hoosier Tire, Sunoco, Eibach Springs, and JRI...

A week before Christmas, veteran NASCAR driver Greg Biffle is making headlines for the most tragic of reasons: He was killed, along with his wife and two children, in a private plane crash in western North Carolina, according to news reports. But a little over a year ago, he was making headlines of a different kind: For heroism in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. According to WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday’s fatal crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. near Statesville Regional Airport in Iredell County, north of Charlotte. .....

The sport itself is changing for each of the three major racing leagues.In decades past, when Michael Jordan took to the court, everyone knew the inevitable result. This fall, not so much. The change has much to do with the type of court where Jordan has more recently “competed.” As the majority owner of a stock-car racing team with driver Denny Hamlin, Jordan and another team spent nearly two weeks inside a federal courthouse in Charlotte during the trial of their antitrust suit against NASCAR. Both parties ultimately settled the suit mid-trial for an undisclosed sum, making it more difficult...

Multiple people are feared dead after a private jet crashed and exploded into flames on Thursday at a North Carolina airport frequented by NASCAR teams and Fortune 500 companies. The Cessna C550 plane went down at Statesville Regional Airport at about 10:15 a.m, authorities said. Footage shot by WSOC-TV captured the aircraft entirely engulfed in flames as emergency crews rushed onto the runway. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were onboard but the local sheriff’s office said there were a number of fatalities. The airport is owned by the city and “provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and...

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - A plane crash at an airport in Iredell County resulted in multiple deaths on Thursday, the sheriff confirmed. The Cessna C550 airplane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 18. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CBS News that six people were aboard the plane. It was not immediately clear whether there were any survivors. A picture from the airport showed the plane in a massive ball of flames after it crashed on the runway. Flight tracking records showed a Cessna 550 that took off from Statesville Regional Airport at 10:06 a.m. is...

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – NASCAR today announced the return of the Cook Out Madhouse Classic to historic Bowman Gray Stadium as part of the Cook Out Clash Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. The day of racing will now include two action-packed Bowman Gray Stadium divisions – the Modified Division and Sportsman Series – delivering an afternoon of high-intensity, hometown action. The event, held prior to NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, will air live on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel, which is available on Xumo Play, Tubi, SamsungTV Plus, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime and Amazon Fire TV. “The...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR released official start times and networks for the 2026 season for its three national series. FOX kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series season at Bowman Gray Stadium (Sunday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m. ET). Its first FS1 events are Daytona 500 Qualifying (Wednesday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. ET) and the Daytona Duel (Thursday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. ET) that set the field for the Daytona 500 on FOX (Sunday, Feb. 15, 2:30 p.m. ET).

CONCORD, N.C. – After making 11 appearances in the NASCAR (O'Reilly Auto Parts) Series in 2025, 19-year-old rising star Corey Day will compete full time on the circuit next season in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. Day signed with Hendrick Motorsports in December 2024 and made his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut March 29 at Martinsville Speedway. The dirt racing phenom ran nearly 30 pavement events in 2025 across multiple series, including nine starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (one pole position and a best finish of second). In the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Day...

The two-time Supercars champion and NASCAR winner has spent the past two years in a harrowing battle with colorectal cancer that ultimately led to a full liver transplant to save his life. He has recently ticked over a year since the transplant and well past the initial prognosis of how long he could survive. That’s not to say the battle has been won, however Ambrose is currently healthy, happy and committed to spreading the word about organ donation, something he owes his life to. That was the message at Friday night’s Pirtek Legends Night where Ambrose, the latest inductee, went...

Comedian Druski is coming under fire for a “white face” performance in which he donned incredibly realistic makeup and proceeded to cosplay as a racist NASCAR fan. The black comedian, 30, looked unrecognizable after he painted his entire face, arms and torso to a believably Caucasian tone — and even added some extra detail to the bit with a farmer’s tan sunburn at a recent NASCAR race. He completed the redneck character’s look with a mullet, beard, American flag cowboy hat and a pair of overalls with no shirt revealing American flag tattoos. SNIP Great, now we have Druski cosplaying...

Current Time 0:32 / Duration Time 2:17 NASCAR released the 2026 schedule for all three national series Wednesday, bringing back a Chicago-area staple, shifting up the All-Star Race rotation and renewing the In-Season Challenge for a second edition. NASCAR officials had previously announced two key components to the 2026 slate, introducing a street-course event in San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado and moving the championship weekend for all three national circuits to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Joining those headliners are new NASCAR Cup Series points races at Chicagoland Speedway (July 5), which last hosted racing events in 2019, and North Wilkesboro Speedway (July...

Auto racers have had their share of injuries from high-speed crashes over the years, but for Connor Zilisch, danger struck him after a victory. The NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader broke his collarbone after a hard fall in victory lane at Watkins Glen International, according to the Associated Press. After his series-leading sixth victory, Zilisch was climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet to celebrate. He slipped after apparently getting his left foot caught in the driver’s side window netting and tumbled awkwardly onto the asphalt. What happened to Connor in victory lane. He's been taken to the...

INDIONAPOLIS, Ind. (WEHT) — Bubba Wallace has become the first black driver to win the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Brickyard 400. Nassar’s official website says Wallace became the second Black driver to win in the Cup Series with his victory in 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway. Wallace also has six total Craftsman Truck Series wins.

Ahead of Prime Video's first weekend streaming a NASCAR Cup Series race, the first half a four-part documentary on the late, great Dale Earnhardt was released. The show immediately shot to No. 1 among trending shows on the streaming service, and remains inside the top five a full week later as the final two parts were released.

Professional sports are all about mom, apple pie and the flag, right? Baseball is our “national pastime,” football is our national religion, basketball is…well…marketing for athletic shoes? And hockey is an advertisement for restorative dentistry? Anyway, these leagues are supposed to be red, white and blue. Apart, that is, from some knee taking and refusing to stand for the National Anthem, buying into the whole “America is systemically racist” thing, supporting trans this and that, and OK, the Budweiser debacle, which is at least sort of associated with them. Sigh. Sports used to be so simple. Players were expected to...

A NASCAR race turned into a wrestling match for two drivers who were involved in a crash. On the opening night of the 2025 season on Saturday (April 19) at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US, a fight broke out between drivers Zack Staley and Justin Halverson during the race. The confrontation began after the cars of the two drivers collided on the track, leading to both exiting their vehicles and engaging in a physical fight. The situation escalated quickly, prompting multiple people to intervene and pull them apart. The NASCAR broadcast captured the moment, stating,...

POMONA – Leah Pruett gave birth to a son and NHRA Top Fuel driver Tony Stewart, the father, went to Phoenix on Saturday for the delivery. He returned Sunday for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. Dominic James Stewart was born in Phoenix on Saturday night. Stewart left Pomona after qualifying to be with Pruett. “Momma Leah Pruett and baby are doing great. Congratulations LP and Tony Stewart on becoming new parents! Only Tony could pull off qualifying, rushing to Phoenix to make it in time for the delivery, then back to Pomona Dragstrip for race day. Let’s go...

Bobby Allison, founder of racing’s “Alabama Gang” and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, died Saturday. He was 86. NASCAR released a statement from Allison’s family that said he died at home in Mooresville, North Carolina. A cause of death wasn’t given, but Allison had been in declining health for years.