Kick Streamer To Adorn Cody Ware’s No. 51 Ford Mustang in Xfinity 500

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2025) – In what is believed to be an industry first, a streamer and social media influencer will serve as a team’s primary partner in a NASCAR Cup Series race.

Rexzilla, whose real name is Andrew Rex Lisle, is a Kick streamer with a social media following of more than a quarter million. And while it will be Cody Ware’s name above the driver’s door, it will be Rexzilla’s name emblazoned on the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Rick Ware Racing (RWR) in the Xfinity 500 Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

“This is more than just a sponsorship. It’s a way to show that creators can play a major role in mainstream sports,” said Rexzilla as he recently discussed the promotion on Kick. “We’re bringing the energy of the Kick community straight to NASCAR.”

Kick is a live-streaming platform that offers a creator-friendly environment with better revenue sharing, fewer content restrictions and a rapidly growing user base. Rexzilla has been on Kick since 2024, but has been streaming for over a decade.

“Rexzilla is a professional gamer and streamer, and he’s been doing this for the last decade of his life. He’s on the Kick.com platform, which is a relatively new streaming service,” Ware said.

“We first got to know each other through an introduction from my brother, Carson, when Rexzilla attended this year’s Daytona 500. Rexzilla is a big-time NASCAR fan. In fact, he’s been following NASCAR since he was a kid growing up in Arkansas.

“Gaming is a hobby of mine, and our worlds just naturally collided. He came out to the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year, and his last race was just a few weeks ago at Kansas. Over time, we started talking about what a partnership could look like, and here we are.”

It’s a symbiotic partnership. Rexzilla wanted to reach a new fanbase via the tangible world of NASCAR. RWR wanted to expand its reach into the digital space and, more specifically, the gaming community.

“There’s uniqueness to both sides of this,” Ware said. “For me as a driver and for the race team as a whole, tapping into a huge online presence in way that hasn’t been done before is a great way to broaden our reach and help grow the sport.

“This is the first time a streamer has been a primary partner on a NASCAR Cup Series stock car. Rexzilla gets to combine two of his passions – gaming and racing – onto a national platform. He’ll be front and center, literally, on our racecar in a race that’ll be nationally televised on NBC. It’s a really strong cross-promotion that benefits both of us.”

It’s appropriate that Sunday’s Xfinity 500 is on NBC for it will be must-see TV. The penultimate race of the 2025 Cup Series schedule serves as the cutoff race for the Championship 4 season finale Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway. Eight drivers enter Martinsville still eligible for the year-end title, but when the checked flag drops, only the top-four drivers will be vying for the championship a week later in the winner-take-all format.

“Martinsville is probably the most interesting race of the year,” Ware said. “Four of the eight guys still competing for the championship get eliminated. Meanwhile, the rest of the field is still trying to get all they can with just two races remaining.

“It’s an electric atmosphere where, even when the race is over, there’s an air of uncertainty of who’s racing for a championship next week at Phoenix and who isn’t.

“It’s everyone’s last chance, even for guys like me who aren’t in the title hunt. We know the season’s coming to an end and the opportunities to make something happen this year are becoming fewer and fewer. It all tends to breed a little chaos.”

Five hundred laps around Martinsville’s flat, .526-mile oval is tough enough. Drivers have to pull their steering wheel hard to the left 1,000 times while stabbing their brake pedal at the end of each, 800-foot-long straightaway. Whether one’s car is lightning quick or could use a jolt of lightning, Martinsville pushes the boundaries of human performance as much as a car’s mechanical limits.

“There’s a lot of strength needed for driving a racecar, especially when it comes to braking,” Ware said. “It takes a lot of brake pressure to extract 700-800 pounds of braking force into the corner. And at Martinsville, we’re doing that a thousand times over the course of 500 laps. It’s about being on your game from start to finish, where you’re as good on lap 500 as you were on lap one.”

Ware’s first laps at Martinsville come Saturday when practice starts at 4:30 p.m. EDT followed by qualifying at 5:40 p.m. TruTV and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide live coverage of both. The Xfinity 500 goes green Sunday at 2 p.m. with flag-to-flag coverage delivered by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Rick Ware Racing:

Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver’s seat and into full-time team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that competes full-time in the elite NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track, FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) and zMAX CARS Tour.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Media Availability
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Jonathan Hassler, crew chief for Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Team Penske, was part of a Q&A session this afternoon with members of the media and talked about this weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, where the team has won each of the past two years.

JONATHAN HASSLER, Crew Chief, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU WERE IN A SIMILAR POSITION LAST YEAR AND WON THIS RACE, SO WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “I think, for us, we have to focus on the fact and approach the race as if we haven’t done it before. We have to go and do it again. We can’t rely on the fact that we’ve been able to do it, we just have to put our best foot forward and make sure that we’re taking the best car we can and that we’re studied up on the strategy and the things that we need to do to be competitive at the end of the race.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU PUSH RYAN THIS WEEKEND AND HOW MUCH DO YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE? “I definitely don’t have to push Ryan. He was as upset as anybody after Talladega when we put ourselves in a really good position to win, but by Monday he was focused on going and trying to win Martinsville again and making sure, like I said, we were as competitive as we could be for this race this weekend.”

AND YOU TRY NOT TO WORRY IN GENERAL? “You definitely can’t worry. You just have to go to work and make sure, like I said before, are as good and competitive as you know how to be.”

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN SATURDAY WITH THE NEW TIRE THAT MIGHT HELP FOR SUNDAY? “I think temperature-wise Saturday and Sunday look relatively similar, so we won’t have a huge curveball hopefully from that aspect and we’ll just have to look at how the track takes rubber throughout each of the two groups and how tire wear looks compared to what we’ve seen in the past and build off of that.”

AT WHAT POINT DOES RYAN KNOW HE HAS WHAT HE NEEDS IN THE CAR TO BE COMPETITIVE? DOES HE FIND THAT OUT ON SATURDAY OR IN THE FIRST STAGE OF THE RACE? “I think on Saturday when we practice he has a really good feel for what he wants out of the car. The hardest thing at Martinsville, I feel like, is being fast and being able to make passes as well and he has an approach that has been able to allow us to pass cars, and I think he’s looking for something specific out of the car in practice and through the weekend to be able to do that.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT HOW CONFIDENT OR PREPARED YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING FOR THREE IN A ROW AT MARTINSVILLE? “I agree entirely with what Ryan says about that. Yes, we won there twice. It’s certainly not easy to do. It doesn’t come on its own. We don’t bring the same setup from the spring. It only comes with a lot of hard work and the only way we’re gonna do it again is to bear down and work hard and have a good car and make sure we’re in the picture at the end of the race.”

TEAM PENSKE HAS WON THE LAST THREE CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUT THIS IS A TOUGH POSITION FOR YOU GUYS TO BE IN. “Yeah, it’s a tough position to be in, but I don’t think you ever really think about it like that. I think you accept the weeks past as situations that have happened, events that have transpired, and then look at the situation that you’re in and try to figure out what you need to do to get through it. We have been able to do it before on the 12 team and we haven’t gone to Martinsville yet locked in, so we just have to go and do what we know how to do and try to win the race.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU HEAR YOUR COMPETITION SAY IF YOU GUYS MAKE IT TO PHOENIX, YOU WILL BE THE FAVORITES BECAUSE OF YOUR SUCCESS THERE? “I think it obviously speaks to what we’ve been able to do over the last couple of years and the speed that we’ve had, really, with both drivers, Ryan and Joey, at Phoenix. I certainly don’t think it’s true. Loudon, I think, is kind of what transpired a lot of those comments. I think we showed up as a group as good there as we’ve ever been. Some of that is just the result of the opportunity to go and test at Loudon and learn some different things. Does some of that carry over to Phoenix? Sure, but are we gonna be the fastest car – if we get to Phoenix are we gonna be the fastest car in every run of practice and qualifying and lead the whole race? Absolutely not. I think those guys, the Gibbs camp, they were definitely stronger at Phoenix this spring than they’ve ever been and will be super competitive here in a couple of weeks.”

HOW MUCH STOCK CAN YOU PUT IN THAT LOUDON TEST WITH THE TWO RUNS THE 22 GOT ON THAT TIRE? DO YOU GO IN A DIRECTION AND HOPE FOR THE BEST? “Yeah, I think that one specific instance with this tire change that we have and the fact that those guys had the ability to make a couple runs on it you can sort of infer a little bit of what you think the tire might do at Martinsville based on what it did at Loudon, but there are a lot of other factors that will be different as well. It’s one more data point to add to the whole matrix of decisionmaking, but it’s not the only piece of information that we rely on and the tire very well could respond a little bit differently and most likely will this weekend at Martinsville, so it’s nice to have that little bit of information, but it’s certainly not the whole picture and we’ll have to go and practice on this tire and even run part of the race before we really understand how it’s different.”

WITH THIS TIRE AND UNDERSTANDING YOU HAVE TO SEE HOW THINGS GO, HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT MIGHT IT BE TO STAY OUT LONGER THAN OTHERS AND NOT HAVE TO COME IN FOR TIRES, OR DO YOU NOT SEE IT BEING THAT DRAMATIC? “I think you hit the nail on the head with what they’re trying to get out of the tire, a softer tire, trying to get some more wear. I think at a track like Martinsville, where track position is everything, I think the lap maybe that you want to come and pit for four tires might be a little bit earlier, but I don’t foresee the situation where you go and run 10 or 15 laps and you want to come down and put four tires on it. I don’t think it will be a drastic change, but it will certainly change how far you’ll want to take the left side tires.”

AS THE TIRES GET SOFTER, HOW MUCH DOES THAT TAKE THINGS OUT OF A CREW CHIEF’S HANDS, OR DOES IT FORCE YOU TO THINK IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO CREATE STRATEGY AND TRACK POSITION? “I think you really just have to adapt to the tire. You put a hard tire on, then you’re setting yourself up to run a lot of the race on the same left side strategy-wise, setup-wise there are changes you make when that’s what you want to do, so opposite with the softer tire. We’ll maybe adjust the car a little bit as we load up this week for expecting it to behave a little bit differently and adjust our strategy slightly based on that as well.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’RE READY THIS YEAR OR RECENTLY THAT IS STUCK IN YOUR MIND FOR A PARTICULAR REASON? “I’ve been reading a lot of data analytics in sports books. I started with Joe Maddon, a book by him on how he adapted to the analytics movement in baseball. I read a couple of other books on the same subject and found that really fascinating. Obviously, our whole world continues to be taken over by data and AI and those kinds of things, and then somebody just recently gave me a copy of the Jackie Stewart autobiography and I think I’ll start that this winter.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE DATA ANALYTIC BOOKS YOU LIKE? I WOULD THINK YOU’D LIKE TO GET AWAY FROM THAT WITH WHAT YOU DO AS A CREW CHIEF. “I think a lot of people, sports are fairly simple, but yet data and analytics have changed the way teams play sports, and I think racing is a lot more scientific, so I think it’s sort of inherent that data is a part of our lives, but I still think there’s a lot of room for us to continue to accept it and utilize it more. Like I said, data has the ability to change the sport that people have played for hundreds of years a certain way. It certainly has the ability to continue to change motorsports, so I definitely look at it just kind of open-minded and certainly trying to find places to be better professionally.”

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER YOU DID RIGHT DURING LAST YEAR’S RACE WHEN YOU WENT IN 38 POINTS BELOW THE CUT LINE? “I think the big things that stand out, honestly, for the last two years in this race, we had an opportunity to put tires on with a long run to end the race and that sort of played out to our advantage. Obviously, we survived to that point. That’s a big part of it. I think it may be even tougher this year. I feel like we have even more of a bullseye on our back than we’ve had in the past, so you just need to survive and I think in this particular race, more times than not, having good long run speed will pay off.”

HOW DO YOU NOT LEAN BACK ON WHAT YOU DID IN YEAR’S PAST? HOW DOES THE BALANCE WORK OUT? “I think inherently that’s just what we do. You’re trying to always take what you did in the past, understand if you had the opportunity to do it again what you would do differently, but mix that in as you have changes and bring in different tires, as weather is different, how do you adapt what you’ve done – the conditions that you know are gonna be different. I think at this point in the job it just kind of comes naturally.”

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU FIND TIME TO READ BOOKS. “Lots of long plane rides.”

IT SEEMS YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS GOOD ON THE LONG RUN. IS BLANEY AN EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD DRIVER AT LONG RUN SPEED AND YOU BUILD THE SETUPS TO ADAPT TO HIS STRENGTHS, OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU LIKE TO HAVE OUT OF YOUR CARS AND IT’S NATURALLY BUILT IN? “I think Ryan and I have obviously had a few years together now. I think a lot of times you’re just trying to find any advantage that you can have, and I think over the last couple of years that’s something that has come to us – the area that we’ve been able to make consistent performance is on the long run. I think it’s a combination of my philosophies with how he drives the car. I think I’ll be frank and tell you that there are a lot of tracks that we wish we could flip that switch and have a little bit more short run speed, and, honestly, that’s been a project of ours over the year is how do we get a little bit more front side speed. I think it’s something that we’re trying to figure

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Martinsville Speedway
October 24-26, 2025

The playoff pressure has peaked as all three NASCAR national touring series will head to Martinsville Speedway to determine the four drivers that will have the chance to compete for the 2025 championship titles in each division.

Chevrolet Newsroom

Chevrolet will enter the final elimination race of the playoffs as the only manufacturer with representation in the top-four of the playoff rankings across all three series. Despite a disappointing ending to his 400th career Cup Series start, Kyle Larson still managed to maintain a 36-point advantage over the cutline as he closes in on his pursuit for a second championship title in NASCAR’s top division. In the Xfinity Series, it’s an all-Chevrolet top-four with the JR Motorsports duo, Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier, leading the way with already guaranteed spots in the Championship Four. With three positions still up for grabs in the Craftsman Truck Series Championship Four, Team Chevy’s Rajah Caruth and Tyler Ankrum currently sit in positions above the cutline as the pair looks to make their first-ever Championship Four appearance.

Larson Inches Closer to Second Title Attempt

While their streak of top-seven playoff finishes has come to an end, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team is still among a top title contender – entering the Martinsville race weekend ranked fourth in the playoff standings with a 36-point cushion over the cutline. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, the 33-year-old Elk Grove, California, native has turned one of his statistically weakest tracks into one of his strongest. Larson has earned top-six results in seven of his nine career Martinsville starts with the No. 5 team, including an active streak of six-straight. Among those results includes his first Martinsville triumph (Apr. 2023) and four podium appearances. On tracks measuring less than one-mile this season, Larson has tallied top-six results in three of the six events, including his dominate victory in the sport’s spring visit to Bristol Motor Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Martinsville History:

Hendrick Motorsports’ storied NASCAR history took off at the very site of this weekend’s event. With Geoff Bodine behind the wheel, the Chevrolet organization made its first trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division at Martinsville Speedway (Apr. 1984). Now over 40 years later, Hendrick Motorsports has earned the title as the series’ winningest organization with 319 all-time victories, with 29 of those triumphs coming at Martinsville. In the series’ past 10 appearances at “The Paperclip”, it has been a Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet that captured the iconic clock in half of those events, with all four of the organization’s current drivers claiming their first win at the track within that time span. The organization’s most recent Martinsville victory came alongside William Byron in April 2024, with the Charlotte, North Carolina, native leading the organization to a podium sweep with Kyle Larson (second) and Chase Elliott (third).

Byron Steady in the Season-Long Standings:

While a rocky Round of Eight for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team has put them in an unfavorable points position, a trip to Martinsville Speedway might just be what they need to make a third-straight Championship Four appearance. It’s been a season of consistency for the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native. Starting his 2025 campaign with a second-straight DAYTONA 500 title, Byron went on to score his first career regular-season championship and has yet to fall out of the top-six in the points ranking. There’s no better place to turn their playoffs around than at Martinsville Speedway, with the Team Chevy driver earning top-eight results in more than half of his career starts at the track. Byron is tied for second among the series’ active drivers with two Martinsville victories – both of which have come in the Next Gen era.

Elliott’s “Paperclip” Past:

There’s one task at hand for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team this weekend – a trip to victory lane. Sitting in a ‘must-win’ situation to compete for his second championship title, it’s a position that Elliott has been faced with and conquered once before. In 2020, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native turned a double-digit points deficit into a season-changing victory that led him to his first Championship Four appearance and his first career title in NASCAR’s top division. The victory kickstarted an exceptional 10-race run at Martinsville Speedway – earning eight top-10 results, including an active streak of three-straight finishes in the top-four.

 
Team Chevy Takeover in the Xfinity Series Standings

With an already historic NASCAR Xfinity Series season in the making, Chevrolet enters the final elimination race of the playoffs in the best position possible – occupying all four positions above the cutline. Among those includes a pair of already guaranteed berths into the Championship Four with JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier, with the teammates capitalizing on an already substantial points lead to solidify their title chances following the Talladega race last weekend. Since the elimination-style playoff format was introduced to the series in 2016, Chevrolet has been the only manufacturer to sweep the entire Championship Four lineup – accomplished for the first time in 2017 by JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing, with the pair of organizations having the opportunity to accomplish the feat for the Bowtie brand once again this season.

Love Boosts Back-to-Back Strong Points Runs:

Sitting in the most comfortable points position heading into the Martinsville race weekend is Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love. Tapping into his Talladega prowess, the 20-year-old Menlo Park, California, native exactly doubled his points cushion to now 40-markers over the cutline as the Team Chevy driver sits just within reach of his first career Championship Four appearance. Yet another solid points day is all the No. 2 team needs to punch their ticket into the title-deciding race. With track position at a premium at Martinsville, Love’s qualifying strength at the Virginia short-track delivers just that. In his three career Martinsville starts, Love has started no worse than 11th, including back-to-back fourth-place qualifying efforts.

Hill, RCR Set for Xfinity Series Owner’s Championship Fight:

Richard Childress Racing could be in position to fight for two championship titles at Phoenix Raceway next weekend. The superspeedway ace, Austin Hill, completed the Talladega season sweep – officially locking Richard Childress Racing into the Championship Four for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Owner’s Championship. The victory marked Hill’s fourth of the season (second-most of the series) and his record-extending 10th all-time on the circuit’s drafting-style tracks. The 31-year-old Winston, Georgia, native will carry the momentum to yet another track where he’s found recent success. In the series’ spring visit to Martinsville Speedway, a last-lap pass saw the No. 21 team steal the checkered flag to deliver Richard Childress Racing its milestone 100th all-time Xfinity Series win – all of which have been earned under the Chevrolet banner.

Caruth, Ankrum Eyes First Title Opportunity

The closest title battle lies within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with three positions in the Championship Four still up for grabs. Surviving Talladega with a pair of top-10 finishes, Team Chevy’s Rajah Caruth and Tyler Ankrum were able to maintain their positions above the playoff cutline as they move one step closer to their first Championship Four appearances.

While the trip to Talladega put Daniel Hemric and Grant Enfinger in a ‘must-win’ position, the veterans will be able to lean on their past successes at Martinsville Speedway to keep their respective teams in title contention, with the drivers being two of the three remaining playoff contenders that are past Martinsville winners. For Hemric, that feat came earlier this season when the 34-year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina, native earned his first win with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

Part Two of the 2025 ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ Campaign

Last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the pink Corvette Stingray made its on-track debut as the NASCAR Cup Series’ official pace vehicle for the first of two races in the 2025 ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ campaign. Driving donations for the initiative, every caution lap the pink Corvette Stingray completes in the two participating races generates a donation of $500 (up to $25,000). A special addition was added to this year’s campaign with Chevrolet also pledging to donate an additional $1,500 (up to $25,000) for each Team Chevy driver that earns a top-10 finish at Talladega and Martinsville. With 28 caution laps made and one Team Chevy top-10 finisher at Talladega, the current campaign total sits at $15,500 heading into the Martinsville race weekend.

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 34 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 14

Poles: 12

Laps Led: 3,624

Top-Fives: 61

Top-10s: 136

Stage Wins: 25

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 31 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:

Wins: 25

Poles: 20

Laps Led: 3,674

Top-Fives: 106

Top-10s: 206

Stage Wins: 47

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 23 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:

Wins: 6

Poles: 2

Laps Led: 956

Top-Fives: 47

Top-10s: 106

Stage Wins: 8

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the tripleheader weekend at Martinsville Speedway:

NASCAR Cup Series: Specially-themed pink Corvette Stingray in support of the American Cancer Society and its ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ initiative
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Silverado RST
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Silverado RST

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:

Kyle Busch – two wins (2016 & 2017)
William Byron – two wins (2022 & 2024)
Kyle Larson – one win (2023)
Alex Bowman – one win (2021)
Chase Elliott – one win (2020)

· In 153 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 61 victories and 56 pole wins – both of which are series-leading records. Among those victories includes victories in three of the seven races contested in the Next Gen era at the track – earned by current playoff drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.

· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 14 of the 34 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

· In 142 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 66 victories – a winning percentage of 46.5%.

· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 880 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Playoffs Round of Eight: Elimination Race

Xfinity 500

Sunday, October 26, at 2 p.m. ET

(NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Playoffs Round of Eight: Elimination Race

IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250

Saturday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m. ET

(CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Playoffs Round of Eight: Elimination Race

Slim Jim 200

Friday, October 24, 6 p.m. ET

(FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

This weekend is another anniversary of the “Hail Melon” and it now seems people can final see the car in person?

“So many people have asked where the Hail Melon car is at and if it’s going to be on display. We installed it in the Trackhouse lobby a few months ago. We also got a piece of the wall from track and put the car up against the wall to recreate the moment. Its on display for everyone to see and take pictures with. It’s fun to have that piece of history in the lobby for everyone to see.”

Do you enjoy going to Martinsville?

“Martinsville has been pretty good to me since driving for Trackhouse. Obviously, I’ve had one of the biggest moments of my career there but we’ve been consistently strong there over the last few years. Whatever Phil Surgen does to the car it really fits my driving style there. I can remember going to race at Martinsville just a few years with a car that had parts and pieces the other teams were throwing away, so I’ve definitely come a long way and it’s so much fun to drive a fast car at Martinsville. I enjoy driving to the track instead of getting on a plane and flying. It’s a great drive, especially in the fall with all of the leaves changing and then you arrive in Martinsville and the track sits down the hill, it’s really cool.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Short track racing has been the highlight of the season for the No. 3 team. While Richmond Raceway is much different than Martinsville Speedway, do you have confidence going into that race with a shot at a good result?

“I love short tracks, and Martinsville Speedway has been solid for us over the years. We have had opportunities to run really well there. One of the first Next Gen races there, I had a shot to win and ran third or fourth. You have hard braking and it’s hard to get around that little paperclip. It’s a fun track to race at.”

Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What is your outlook heading to Martinsville?

“Martinsville is always a challenge. The No. 7 guys have been working hard to improve our performance there, and I appreciate the effort they put in all year. I want to thank NationsGuard for their continued support and I hope we can put together a strong run this weekend.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“Martinsville is a racetrack that’s been challenging to us over the last couple years with this car. We’ve made some gains there, so I’m looking forward to getting on track to see if we’ve found more speed. I thought in the spring, we had some positive takeaways. We’re looking to build off what we learned in the spring and keep working hard to finish these last two races strong.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“Talladega didn’t turn out the way we had hoped, but we’re excited to have Jack Link’s back on the car this weekend at Martinsville.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What do you remember about your first start and your most recent start at Martinsville Speedway?

“My first start, I remember it was cold. It started snowing. I thought that I was just cold and that’s why I was shaking. I told myself that it wasn’t because of nerves. Then my last fall Martinsville start was my 500th cup start, so, it was fun to be my first and 500th start. Mostly because my career’s been fairly tough, you know. It’s hard to stay in a seat and it’s so hard to stay in this sport. So, when I made my 500th start, I felt like that was a really big accomplishment, because in the beginning, it didn’t feel like I would get to 100, let alone 500.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What makes the fall Martinsville race more intense than the spring?

“I think we will see a lot of what we saw in the spring, but turned up another notch. It is 100 laps longer, meaning 100 more laps for you to manage your temper as guys are running into you. Since it is the Championship 4 cut, you have six guys who are going to do everything possible to transfer, alongside 30 other guys who want to get a win as the season winds down. The race will be unpredictable, and no spot on the track is safe, front or back of the field, pit road, or the tricky asphalt-to-concrete transitions into the turn. We just have to run our race and focus on our strategy. We’ve improved on every track type this year, so there’s no reason we can’t survive the Martinsville chaos and finish the season out strong.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Why is Martinsville Speedway an oval that seems to come a bit more natural to you?

“It’s still difficult but there is more downshift and a bit more technique with braking, and how you can use your tools and how you get the car into the corners. I am able to influence it (the car) a little more as a driver, unlike, the big ovals. You still see the regular oval drivers that are amazing at Martinsville. It’s a tough track. I got a decent result there last year, 12th, with some strategy. It’s a crazy race, I really enjoy racing there.”

How eager are you to check off a Cup Series Oval win?

“Yes, but I have to earn it. It’s hard to say I don’t have an oval win yet, but there are a lot of drivers in the field that don’t have a Cup (series) oval win, so I’m not alone. I know I still have a lot of work to do to get better on ovals. I feel like we’ve made some big steps the last couple of months, and we’ve had some really good runs going, but obviously want to get that oval win.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

How challenging is racing at Martinsville Speedway?

“I like Martinsville a lot. It’s a tricky little track but it’s amazing. I have had great runs and very bad runs there. The track at Martinsville changes so much because of temperature and rubber buildup and it might be our most temperature-driven racetrack. You have to base your plans on history. That’s why you see the same guys running well there all the time. Martinsville is really tough because you are in traffic all day long. Guys around you and bumping and shoving and it’s easy to lose patience and do something that can ruin your day. Qualifying well there is huge because track position and pit selection are very important. It’s critical to have a good pit stall because pit road there is so challenging there.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

“I love Martinsville. It’s definitely a driver’s track and you have to hustle the car. I just like short track racing a lot. It’s one of the skills that you have to gain as a driver and a lot of guys struggle with it that are really talented. The last time we were at Martinsville we qualified on the pole and led over 100 laps and had a really good chance of winning until chaos ensued. That is just part of Martinsville and something that you have to expect, especially with it being a cutoff race. It’s tough to expect what to happen but sometimes you have to go in there with the mindset of you have to be the aggressor and force other people to make mistakes.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 43

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Most recent: 2024

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2025 STATISTICS:

Wins: 14

Poles: 12

Laps Led: 3,624

Top-Fives: 61

Top-10s: 136

Stage Wins: 25

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet Race Wins: 880 (1949 to date)

Poles Won to Date: 765

Laps Led to Date: 256,335

Top-Fives to Date: 4,430

Top-10s to Date: 9,143

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,214

       Chevrolet: 880

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 846                                                                               

       Ford: 746

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 203

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. QUOTES
OCTOBER 22, 2025

It was announced today that Team Chevy driver, Daniel Suarez, will join Spire Motorsports for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, taking over the driving duties for the organization’s No. 7 Chevrolet entry.

Press Conference Quotes:

Moderator: Moving into 2026, we continue to bolster our competition efforts with fresh talent and dedicated partnerships. Joining us today are Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson; CEO of Freeway Insurance, Cesar Soriano; and multi-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Daniel Suarez. As the first foreign-born NASCAR National Series champion, Daniel has set the standard for young drivers looking to advance through NASCAR’s international ladder system. He brings 9 years of Cup Series experience at the highest level of our sport and a devoted fan base that surpasses borders. Freeway Insurance has been a partner of Daniel since 2021. They continue to build their brand within NASCAR over the last 5 seasons and will continue to do so moving forward.

We are excited to have both Daniel and Freeway Insurance join the Spire Motorsports family for the 2026 season, and we can now officially announce that Daniel Suarez is the new driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series.

We’ll start with Jeff. Jeff, if you could just tell us about the decision to bring Daniel to Spire Motorsports for next season.

Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, I think his resume obviously speaks for itself. He’s been a mainstay in the garage for several years. I think when it came down to it, it’s just a thing where I think we need each other. I think all of us love a good story of redemption and giving people a platform to prove doubters wrong, so I think in this case, I think Daniel wants to show everybody that this year was an outlier and we wanted to show everybody that the No. 7 car’s performance this year is an outlier, as well.”

Daniel, Freeway Insurance has been with you for several seasons. What does it mean to continue representing a brand that’s grown alongside your career?

Daniel Suarez: “It’s been a huge privilege to be able to not just represent Freeway Insurance, but also to take it to the next level and be able to connect with my community. I believe that my relationship with Freeway Insurance goes further than just a sponsorship. We have very similar goals. For me, it’s something very personal to be able to connect with my community and to give back to my community; to represent my community and to inspire my community.

Freeway Insurance, as we all know, that’s one of their goals, as well. They have a large percentage of Hispanic customers and employees, so for me, that’s a very big deal. It’s very, very personal. They’ve been a huge support of myself for a handful of years now.

We were talking about this last night. For me, it’s like a Cinderella story with how we started together in a one-specimen deal, and then it just continued to grow. And right now, here we are making this move to Spire Motorsports with Freeway Insurance as a primary sponsor. I’m sure that we’re going to continue to work together. I can’t thank Cesar Soriano and Rose enough for all the love and support, and I can’t wait to continue to write this story together.”

Cesar, we know that Daniel has a very loyal fan base, and I know Freeway’s fan base has also grown over the years. We’ve emphasized hard work and perseverance as big goals of your company and your values, and those are also values that Daniel shares with you. He’s become a role model for so many in the Latino communities, which also represents your brand, as well. How do those shared values strengthen the partnership as you move forward?

Cesar Soriano: “You know, in addition to the hard work and perseverance that you mentioned, for us, we were looking for somebody that would represent and, more importantly, take a personal approach to be our brand ambassador. And when you think about it, when you think about my own employees or teammates and our customers, it’s about living the American dream. There’s no better driver, in my personal opinion, than Daniel Suarez, who is living that dream. He demonstrates that with hard work, perseverance, loyalty, and trust, you can achieve all your goals, and he’s doing it today. Loyalty works both ways, and we’ve stayed loyal with him.”

Daniel, what made this the right fit for you personally?

Daniel Suarez: “To be quite honest with you, it was a no-brainer. If you look at the last three years, how Spire Motorsports has grown in the last three years. I mentioned this to Jeff (Dickerson). I said, Jeff, three years ago, I probably wasn’t looking at Spire Motorsports as an option. Right now, I believe that it’s the fastest growing team in NASCAR, and I want to be part of that. I know that they are not even close to being done. They are just getting started. The way that they are building the team, I can see that the foundation is strong. Everything that Jeff and the entire team at Spire Motorsports have been able to do in a very short period of time, it’s quite impressive to look at it from the outside. I was just very, very excited to see this new chapter and this opportunity.

Just like Jeff mentioned, this year, it was not the way that I wanted it to go with my team, and the same thing with the No. 7 team. I believe that we both have some things that we want to get back in place, and we are hungry to do that. I’ve been extremely, extremely anxious to get this day and to get to work because I know that it’s going to take some work. This off-season is very busy. But I just can’t wait to get to work with this group because I know that they are capable of a lot, and I can’t wait to get going.”

Why is Daniel the right fit for No. 7 team to help maximize that potential in 2026?

Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, I mean having a veteran voice that’s got some roots in that garage. Obviously our stats prove that we’ve had a really good year, so it’s like we’re just at a different place in our journey, right? We’re not like a problem that needs to be solved anymore. We’ve got the speed, we need the execution. That’s what’s really holding us back this year.

I think that’s what Daniel sees with us. We just need kind of like a veteran steady hand that can offer his wisdom, so we’re looking to tap into that. And like you said, I don’t think six months ago either one of us thought that we would be sitting in this studio. But I think there’s a real power here in showing everybody that, I guess in some ways, both of us are better than what we showed this year.”

Jeff, when you talk about that execution part, what is it you’ve seen from Daniel that gives you that full confidence he’s going to be able to provide that steady hand you’re looking for?

Jeff Dickerson: “Yeah, he just maximizes his days, right? I don’t think he makes any really big mistakes. We’ve kind of been watching him here; trying to listen on the radio and just kind of watching how he does it. He’s going to fit in perfect. You know, I think in these situations, I don’t think we have to do anything really that much different, and I don’t want Daniel doing anything different. Daniel knows how to do this. Daniel’s won races at every level and won a championship. So we don’t need him to be anybody that he’s not. I don’t want to press him. I think obviously we’re going to build a good team around him, and then just let him do his thing and I think it will be fine.”

Ryan Sparks has been splitting his time between the crew chief role and the competition director. Has any decision been made on whether he’ll stay with Daniel, or are you going to be looking for a crew chief?

Jeff Dickerson: “I don’t know that we’ve made a decision just yet. We’ve been trying to see what’s happening in the garage, right? I’m not necessarily interested in any more dual roles. I feel like we’ve been out of balance here a little bit since we moved on from Rodney (Childers). I think the biggest thing is just getting everybody back in one place and just let us go forward.”

Daniel, what relationship do you have with Michael (McDowell), Carson (Hocevar), anyone you’re going to be working with next year?

Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, Michael and I, we became very close after we got into a fight in 2019 (laughs). I mean, it’s kind of funny, but it’s true. Before then, Michael and I were just two drivers. And after that incident, we actually became good friends. Michael called me this morning. I’ve been actually talking to him quite a bit about the system, the processes, the people. So, I believe that Michael and I are going to be able to brainstorm a lot, not just in our individual teams, but in everything as an organization, as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Carson yet, but he’s an extremely talented driver. You can see his raw speed. Although he’s very young, he’s still learning a lot of different things. I think it’s going to be exciting to have the opportunity to work with two drivers that, to me, are actually quite different.

I’m super excited for the opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me. Honestly, right now, I feel like it’s kind of like my first year in the Cup Series. I just feel like everything is new. I have a lot of butterflies in my stomach. I’m super excited to get going.

I know that we still have a couple races left this year, and I always say that you’re as good as your last race, so I want to close my chapter strong this year. But I can’t wait to start working towards 2026.”

Daniel, when did this talk start with Spire, and how did this come about?

Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, so I was in a little bit of a tricky situation this year because I knew there was going to be a change for a while, but I couldn’t talk to anyone. So, really, conversations started once I was able to start having conversations, contractually, with people. And the very first person I tried to reach out was Jeff and Dan Towriss because, like I said, I have seen what these guys have been able to build in a very, very short period of time. These things don’t happen by coincidence or by luck. Everything planned. I believe that they are far from their full potential. I mentioned this to Jeff… I said, Jeff, I’m seeing this train going up. I want to jump in it, so make a space for me because I really want to be part of that. I can see how this organization has a good, solid foundation. Every single year, they break their own records, and I can’t wait.

I was talking to Dan Towriss, actually, last week. And he said, man, this year has been very good. But we haven’t won yet. We want to win races. And eventually, we want to be real contenders for championship. Not just make the playoffs to say that we make the playoffs and, okay, that’s it…. No, no, no. It’s to be real contenders. So, what do we have to do to be able to get there? And I believe that the foundation is right to be able to do that, and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Jeff, even before the Next Gen car, engineering became so important. Aside from, obviously, driving the cars, what is the role of drivers today?

Jeff Dickerson: “That’s a good question. I mean, you know what? They make it go. I think drivers are as important now than ever, right? Certainly, the car has to give them what they want, right? And in a lot of cases, you’re just trying to give them a feel that they can just go out and race with. But when we’re chasing the smallest margins, I’m telling you, I think drivers are way more important now than they’ve ever been. I think it’s backwards. I think on restarts, it’s a lot easier to pass them when you’re coming at the speed. I think as tight as it is, it’s really just like making no mistakes and giving good feedback. Tt’s building a chemistry with your team. It revolves all around them. I mean, who are we kidding? This is a driver-focused sport, and they make it go.”

As far as I can tell from the release, it’s a one-year deal. Why just one year to start? Is that the case?

Jeff Dickerson: “We have a path forward for multiple years, that’s for sure.”

Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, like Jeff mentioned — right now, today, we’re in the position where we want to prove to each other that we can do this together. But my goal, and I’m sure that it’s Spire Motorsports’ goal and Jeff’s goal, to make this a long-term relationship, and hopefully we can write a great chapter together; win races, fight for championships and start to hang banners in the race shop.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.