NASCAR Rant Report - Monday, January 20th

Major headlines out of the weekend:

Kyle Larson Wins the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals
Recent Driver Announcements
NASCAR at the Rolex 24

Plus, miscellaneous topics from the weekend.

Kyle Larson Wins the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals:

Kyle Larson secured his third Chili Bowl Nationals title at the 2025 event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by leading all 40 laps from the pole position. Despite facing significant challenges, including running over the front tire of a car that slid in front of him and hitting the wall multiple times in the final laps, Larson managed to maintain his lead and win the race. Christopher Bell, who finished 10th in the main event, won the B-main race to qualify for the A-main. Other notable NASCAR drivers included Kyle Busch, who participated for the first time and advanced to the E feature but did not transfer further, and Ty Gibbs, who won his G feature but did not advance past the F feature. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished eighth in his B main, missing a transfer spot by one position.

Larson expressed his love for the event and acknowledged the track's challenges, crediting his crew chief, Paul Silva, for preparing a competitive car. He highlighted the significance of each of his three Chili Bowl wins, noting the unique challenges and experiences of each victory. Larson's win ties him with Christopher Bell for three Chili Bowl titles, showcasing the versatility and skill of NASCAR drivers in dirt racing.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

Recent Driver Announcements:

MBM Motorsports has rebranded to Garage 66 and announced that Garrett Smithley will drive the No. 66 Ford Mustang in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2. Smithley, who has 76 Cup Series starts and 180 Xfinity Series starts, is excited to return to the Cup Series and hopes to compete in more races throughout the year.

Burt Myers will drive the No. 50 Chevrolet Camaro for Team AmeriVet in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Myers is a 12-time Bowman Gray track champion and multiple-time champion in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and SMART Modified Tour.

Austin Green will run a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule for Jordan Anderson Racing in collaboration with Peterson Racing Group. Green's starts will include road courses, short tracks, and some intermediate tracks, totaling approximately 15 races.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

NASCAR at the Rolex 24:

Several NASCAR drivers are taking part in the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, with notable participants putting up performances in the “Roar Before the Rolex”, the weekend of testing before the main event.

Cup Series driver Austin Cindric will drive for Ford Multimatic Motorsports in the GTD PRO class, replacing Ben Barker after he sustained a collarbone injury skiing during the holidays. Although his team did not record a lap time on the final day of testing, there is optimism heading into next weekend.

Connor Zilisch, driving Trackhouse’s No. 91 Chevrolet Corvette alongside Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, and Shane van Gisbergen, ended testing 4th in the GTD PRO class. Zilisch won the LMP2 class in the 2023 Rolex 24 and will run a full-time Xfinity schedule in 2025. Van Gisbergen, a three-time Australian Supercars champion, will also compete in the No. 91 Corvette and begin his first full season of Cup Series racing at Daytona next month.

Parker Kligerman is one of the drivers for the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 for Forte Racing in partnership with Big Machine Racing. His team finished 2nd in the GTD class during the final practice session. Kligerman, who has stepped away from full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series racing, remains involved in NASCAR as a part-time driver and commentator. His participation in the Rolex 24 marks a significant milestone in his racing career.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

Miscellaneous Topics:

Martin Truex Sr., father of Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Truex, has passed away at the age of 66. He was a veteran racer in the Busch North Series, now the ARCA East Series, and significantly influenced his sons' racing careers.

NASCAR has announced long-term media rights deals in Canada, expanding its partnership with Bell Media to include all three national series and additional rights to the NASCAR Canada Series and ARCA Menards Series events. REV TV will be the exclusive English-language home for the NASCAR Canada Series.

A federal appeals court upheld a $31 million judgment against former NASCAR team owner Ronald Devine for bad faith during BK Racing's bankruptcy proceedings. Devine also faces federal criminal charges for failing to pay employee payroll taxes. BK Racing competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2012 to 2018, with its assets sold to Front Row Motorsports during bankruptcy proceedings.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on these topics.

This newsletter is constructed by AI and reviewed by our editorial team.

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