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- Motorsports ‘Hot or Not’ #2
As the mid-point of the NASCAR season nears closer, now is a better time than ever to play Hot or Not around the world of motorsports. Let’s take a look at some of the teams, drivers, and other entities who are on a roll, and those who need to step it up for the rest of the season.
HOT – Amazon Prime Video
Going into the 2025 NASCAR season, many people were skeptical about having an exclusive streaming partner in the new TV deal, including myself. I was worried that the drop in viewership would be extreme, it would be poorly advertised and hard to find, and that they would find a way to milk a few extra subscription dollars out of the loyal NASCAR fanbase.
But boy were we wrong.
The NASCAR on Prime coverage has been phenomenal. Extended pre-race and post-race coverage like we used to have years ago at the peak of NASCAR’s popularity, hosted by a star-studded broadcasting crew. Little to no full screen commercials at all – none under green – and commercial free coverage for the last 20% of the race to the checkered flag. Viewership numbers comparable to races on traditional cable channels with a younger skewing audience, likely for being more accessible to those who can’t afford cable. Not to mention Amazon offered a free trial to Prime for the duration of their races.
I cannot wait to see what coming years will bring Amazon and NASCAR’s budding relationship, I cannot wait to see what TNT and Warner Brothers bring to the table in a few weeks, and most importantly, I cannot wait to see how Fox and NBC will likely need to step it up with the pressure of such superb broadcasting.
NOT – 23XI & Front Row Motorsports
This will likely be the biggest NOT of the whole year, unless they dethrone themselves for that same title later down the line.
With the bombshell news broken this week over the continuing lawsuit with NASCAR, these teams are now at serious risk of losing their charters, their sponsors, their drivers, and potentially their whole race teams. With the preliminary injunction being overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 23XI and FRM only have a few weeks to appeal again before NASCAR can take away their charters, removing their guaranteed starting spot in every Cup Series race. They will be required to qualify in on time and race as open cars, which means much more risk, and much much less money.
Worst of all, it’s more likely than not that some, if not all the drivers affected by this, are contractually owed a chartered entry. They may then have the right to leave these teams if their contracts are breached. This could shake up the NASCAR world faster than anyone had previously expected, with potential silly season shake ups imminent.
HOT – Penske Racing
A week ago this would have been a very strong NOT, with the Indy 500 scandal and the poor performance at the Coke 600, but with a dominant performance by Ryan Blaney at Nashville, Penske Racing has returned to form in a big way. With Blaney’s win, they have swept all their drivers into the playoffs with a win, including the allied team of Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers.
The IndyCar side is still a little rough points wise, but the NASCAR teams are all standing strong, with Blaney and Logano 7th and 8th in the standings (and rising week to week). Austin Cindric isn’t too far behind in 13th as well. For the cherry on top for Penske, they are also 1-2 in the IMSA WeatherTech GTP standings as well.
NOT – Alex Bowman
Despite holding the 12th position in the points standings, it’s hard to look at Alex Bowman’s recent performance and not think there could be more to offer. On the year, he has no wins, only two top five finishes, and seven top tens; numbers that are dwarfed by his teammates. Sure, those may be passable numbers, and strong compared to much of the field, but the legacy of the 48 car deserves more than two wins in the last three and half years. Though it is unlikely that any changes will be made in the roster at Hendrick Motorsports, it can at least be said that the results for that team are more disappointing than it should be.
Check out the previous Editorial:
NASCAR Sponsorship Flashback
HOT – Carson Hocevar
At the beginning of the year, it would have been hard to imagine how much the expectations for this 77 car would change though this point in the season. The recent performance of Carson Hocevar and the rising Spire Motorsports organization suggests that anything short of a race win and a playoff birth would be a disappointment on the year. Currently, Hocevar is right on the playoff bubble, only four points out, but with a string of good runs and two second place finishes so far, he might not even need to worry about points to get into the playoffs.
NOT – The Truck Series Field (Behind Corey Heim)
Anyone who follows the motorsports world as a whole has to compare the current state of the Truck Series to how Formula 1 was in 2022 and 2023. Though his stats don’t quite match up to Max Verstappen’s, Corey Heim has created an aura of dominance that isn’t often seen in oval racing. He has a 122-point lead over second place in the standings, 29 playoff points, four wins, and most impressively, he’s led 47.5% of the total laps run in the whole series this year. Week to week he has some pressure from a few of his competitors, but unquestionably no one has come close to touching the dominance he’s brought.
HOT – Alex Palou
Speaking of series dominance, Alex Palou is looking at another runaway IndyCar championship. There is still a long way to go on the IndyCar calendar, but that’s just more opportunities for Palou to dominate. In seven starts, he has five wins, six podiums, a 90-point lead in the standings, and let’s not forget about an Indianapolis 500 victory to top it off. Barring any significant changes to the complexion of the IndyCar grid, Alex Palou’s dominance is going to continue the remainder of the year.
NOT – Lewis Hamilton
Though it is still early, and the argument could be made either way, I have to say that Lewis Hamilton’s move away from Mercedes to Ferrari was a mistake. On the surface level, just looking at the point standings, he is two places behind his former teammate, behind his current teammate, and only one spot ahead of the rookie teenager who replaced him. Hamilton has indicated that he will soon ask Ferrari to shift its focus toward the new regulations coming in 2026 if the current performance doesn’t turn around quickly.
HOT – McLaren
Looking at the top of the Formula 1 standings, there is nothing but the papaya orange of McLaren Racing. They lead the manufacturer championship by more than double that of second place, also with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the top spots of the driver championship standings. It’s hard to think anyone other than McLaren is going to take home a Formula 1 championship title this year, but the battle between Piastri and Norris is bound to become an interesting one if they remain as close are they are now in points toward the end of the season.
NOT – Monaco GP
It’s easy to look on the Monaco Grand Prix with negativity, for a variety of reasons, but I point out this event here for a different reason. The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has become known to many as the greatest day in racing, or better, ‘Motorsports Christmas’. First there is the Monaco GP in the morning, then the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon, and the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening. It is a day in which three very often competitive fanbases come together to appreciate motorsports, joining for a celebration of horsepower unlike any other, with three crown jewel events back-to-back-to-back, all in one day.
Unfortunately, the bosses of F1 don’t see it the same way as we all do, and we may have seen the last ‘Motorsports Christmas’ for some time. Even worse, recent reporting suggests that Formula 1 may even attempt to go up against the Indy 500 on television. Things look bleak as of right now, but hopefully a Christmas miracle will sway things back to create the greatest day in racing once again.
FireKeepers Casino 400 Television Schedule:
TODAY - Saturday, June 7
8 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Qualifying at Michigan International Speedway, FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice and Qualifying at Michigan International Speedway, Prime Video
Noon, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics at Michigan International Speedway, FOX
TOMORROW - Sunday, June 8
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Prime Video
This editorial is not written by AI and is 100% human.
Thumbnail image credits on our Source Materials Page.
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