State of the Sport Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – As is custom at the season finale, NASCAR President Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell took to the stage in front of assembled media to discuss a range of topics currently concerning the sport in 2024. This year, the focus was on the recent race manipulation penalties at Martinsville, officiating challenges that have occurred in multiple series this year, charter negotiations, the Playoff format and whether the drivers vying for the championship are the most deserving, among others. After nearly anRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – In the annual state-of-the sport press conference on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR president Steve Phelps anticipated the two questions of greatest interest to the broad range of NASCAR stakeholders and fans. Phelps gave an update on negotiations for media rights, with current agreements with FOX Sports and NBC ending after the 2024 season. NASCAR already has secured a stand-alone deal for its Xfinity Series broadcasts with the CW Network. “Our media rights, the amount of interest in attaining our mediaRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Ahead of the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR president Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell took to the stage to for the annual State of the Sport address, which recapped the sport’s 74th year of existence and looked ahead to the future. First and foremost was the safety of the Next Gen car, which Phelps discussed was designed to be a stronger car to protect against the massive hits, like the ones sustained by Ryan Newman at Daytona and JoeyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – When the checkered flag waves on Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway, it will mark the end of an era. After a run of nine years, the current Gen 6 car, which has run through different iterations since 2013, will be retired and replaced by the Next Gen car, representing the biggest shakeup in the way NASCAR races in recent memory. As a part of championship weekend in Arizona, NASCAR President Steve Phelps took the podium for his annual State ofRead More