MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 27, 2026) – Midwestern short-track star Luke Fenhaus will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut in the Feb. 14 United Rentals 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The 21-year-old racer from Wausau, Wisconsin, will drive the No. 5 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Hettinger Racing, a team that is also making its O’Reilly Series debut at Daytona.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2026) – NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports today announced We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, a powerful new original documentary marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Daytona 500, the race that forever changed NASCAR and American motorsports. Premiering Thursday, February 12 at 10 p.m. ET following the NASCAR Cup Series America 250 Duels on FS1, the film is told through exclusive first-person accounts, rare home video, archival broadcast footage, and cinematic storytelling, revisiting the death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt and examining the profound ripple effects that continue to shape the sport and its culture 25 years later.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (January 27, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing, the winningest team of all-time across NASCAR’s three national series, is set for its 35th season in 2026. The organization has a variety of activations planned to celebrate the team’s history, fans, partners, and the Gibbs family.
Over the team’s history, Joe Gibbs Racing has earned 448 victories in NASCAR national series competition, including 227 NASCAR Cup Series wins and 221 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins. JGR’s pedigree includes championships with Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte, and Tony Stewart in the Cup Series, and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships with Busch, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Hemric, and Daniel Suárez. The team also helped launch the careers of other standout drivers like Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Joey Logano.
ELLENTON, Fla. (January 27, 2026) – Tickets are officially on sale for the 2026 SMX World ChampionshipTM Playoffs and Final. As previously announced by the SMX LeagueTM , Playoff 1 will take place on Saturday, September 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Playoff 2 will take place on Saturday, September 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California and the SMX World Championship Final will take place on Saturday, September 26 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Huntington Beach, CA — [January 27, 2026] — Niece Motorsports and Acceptance Insurance today announced that Andrés Pérez de Lara will return to the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado for the full NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule in 2026, with Acceptance Insurance joining as his anchor partner. Pérez de Lara—one of NASCAR’s most promising young drivers—will carry Acceptance Insurance branding as a primary sponsor for select races throughout the upcoming season.
Veteran crew chief Wally Rogers will continue to lead the No. 44 team as Pérez de Lara enters his second NCTS season.
Riverhead Raceway race teams, staff and their family members filled the banquet room at Giorgio’s of Baiting Hollow to honor the 2025 Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Weekly Series and INEX champions Friday evening. The affair hosted by track owners Connie Partridge, Tom Gatz and GM John Ellwood honored the twelve drivers who earned 2025 championships at the popular quarter mile facility, along with the top five from each division and the 2025 Rookie of the Year winners were feted.
Correspondent Lou Modestino checks in with this week’s RacingTVSchedule motorsports TV listings. All times are eastern.
Williamson, NY (January 26, 2026) — Race of Champions management is pleased to announce it will once again lease Spencer Speedway for six (6) events during the 2026 season at the Route 104, half-mile speedplant.
Opening night is scheduled for Friday, May 22, followed by additional events on Friday, June 5; Friday, July 10; Friday, July 31; Friday, August 14; and Friday, September 4, 2026. An open practice is tentatively planned for Friday, May 15.
Atlantic City, NJ (January 24, 2026) — Fresh off his five career USAC National Driving Championship in 2025, Justin Grant will head back east to compete in the Indoor Auto Racing Series at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. for a second time during the Friday–Saturday NAPA Auto Parts Weekend on January 30–31.
Grant will pilot a brand-new Kevin Graver–built TQ Midget joining recent series winner Briggs Danner as a teammate. Grant, who also captured the 2025 USAC Silver Crown Championship despite suffering a broken foot in a mid-season crash, made his Indoor Series debut in 2024 driving for Lou Cicconi.
Auburn, NY (January 24, 2026) — The Race of Champions “Family of Series” Championship Celebration will take place on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the Holiday Inn Auburn–Finger Lakes Region, in the Finger Lakes Ballroom.
The evening will celebrate the accomplishments of competitors from the 2025 Race of Champions season, with championship awards and point fund distributions presented across the Family of Series.
