JR Motorsports reveals Sammy Smith’s first paint scheme with DEI No. 8 font

JR Motorsports reveals Sammy Smith’s first paint scheme with the DEI No. 8 font. Check out Smith’s new look for his No. 8 Xfinity car!

[autotag]JR Motorsports[/autotag] recently announced that [autotag]Sammy Smith[/autotag] will drive the No. 8 car in 2025 but with a special twist. Smith will carry the special DEI No. 8 font made famous by car owner Dale Earnahrdt Jr. when he was a race car driver. Now, JR Motorsports has released the first paint scheme for the driver of the No. 8 car with the special font for next season.

On Tuesday morning, JR Motorsports revealed Smith’s new No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. The car has a white base and white number, as there is a slanted black section beneath the side windows. It gives the appearance of a “Magic 8 ball.” Meanwhile, the Pilot on the sides is red, while the hood has a white Pilot with a red stripe.

The new No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet may not be the same as Earnhardt’s old paint schemes, but it is unique in its own way. The “Magic 8 ball” feel is certainly what JR Motorsports was striving for with this paint scheme. There will be more paint schemes for Smith in 2025, so JR Motosports will have more opportunities with its new No. 8 font.

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Richard Childress Racing reveals new NASCAR crew chief lineup for 2025

Richard Childress Racing reveals its new NASCAR crew chief lineup for 2025. Check out the major changes for RCR, specifically in Xfinity!

[autotag]Richard Childress Racing[/autotag] has revealed more changes to its NASCAR crew chief lineup for the 2025 season. On Monday morning, Richard Childress Racing revealed its new Xfinity Series crew chief lineup and the new leader of its third entry in the Cup Series. Andy Street will depart Austin Hill and the No. 21 team for select races in the Xfinity and Cup Series.

Street will also “provide competition direction and assistance to the team’s alliance partners as an Xfinity Series engineering manager.” In his place, Chad Haney will lead Hill and the No. 21 team full-time. Haney will make his crew chief debut in NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway. Finally, Danny Stockman will continue as Jesse Love’s crew chief.

With these three announcements, Richard Childress Racing’s crew chief lineup for 2025 is set. Richard Boswell was recently announced as Austin Dillon’s new chief after departing Stewart-Haas Racing. Meanwhile, Randall Burnett will return with Kyle Busch in 2025. There are plenty of changes at Richard Childress Racing, but these duos are in place to maximize the team’s performance moving forward.

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NASCAR admits ‘changes’ could be coming in the Xfinity, Truck Series

NASCAR admits that “changes” could be coming in the Xfinity and Truck Series. Find out what NASCAR had to say about the potential changes!

NASCAR has drastically changed over the last decade, and one of its biggest shifts has been the NextGen car. The sport introduced a new NASCAR Cup Series car in 2022, and has changed the way that vehicles are constructed. There haven’t been many changes to the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series lately; however, that could be changing sooner rather than later.

NASCAR presdient Steve Phelps talked to Brad Gillie on the Race Industry Week webinar live stream last week, and admitted that changes could be coming in the Xfinity and Truck Series.

“You know, I think there’s some other opportunities for us in the lower series to make some changes,” Phelps said. “What those look like, I don’t know, but we’ll keep iterating on the NextGen car. I think we’re looking at some things in the [NASCAR Xfinity Series], nothing to announce now. I think there’s some things we need to do with our race teams in the Xfinity Series as well as [the manufacturers] that are existing and potential new OEs that could be in that series and in our [NASCAR Truck Series].”

It will be fascinating to see what NASCAR decides to do with the Xfinity and Truck Series platforms. Obviously, the sport needs to have people within the respecitive garages to be supported of any changes, but intergrating the NextGen car into the lower ranks isn’t a horrible idea. As of now, there are no announcements, but we’ll see what happens moving forward.

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JR Motorsports reveals special DEI No. 8 font for Sammy Smith in 2025

JR Motorsports will bring back the special DEI No. 8 font driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Sammy Smith during the 2025 NASCAR season.

[autotag]JR Motorsports[/autotag] has been using Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s old No. 8 font for Late Model races in late 2024, but the organization is taking its efforts to the next level. On Monday morning, JR Motorsports revealed that [autotag]Sammy Smith[/autotag] will drive Earnhardt’s special No. 8 font, made famous at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., during the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

In a video released by JR Motorsports, Smith is seen with Earnhardt as the two walk up to a covered No. 8 car. When revealed, it has a plain paint scheme with the iconic No. 8 font and Smith’s name above the window. As of now, JR Motorsports has not revealed any of Smith’s updated paint schemes with his new look.

Many in the NASCAR world have been waiting for the day to see the look return to the sport. Earnhardt drove the No. 8 car in a Late Model race after the 2024 season, but it wasn’t a NASCAR event. Now, the special No. 8 DEI font will return to NASCAR, and Smith will have the task of living up to the expectations with Earnhardt watching.

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Chandler Smith provides a big update on plans for 2025 NASCAR season

Chandler Smith provides a big update on his plans for the 2025 NASCAR season. Will Smith be racing in NASCAR during the 2025 campaign?

[autotag]Chandler Smith[/autotag] still doesn’t have a ride announced for the 2025 NASCAR season. After the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Smith was out of a ride at Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and entered the open market. As of December 2024, the world still doesn’t know if Smith will be in NASCAR next year, but what did he have to say?

According to Smith through Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver, he will race in NASCAR during the 2025 season and hopes to share the news in the “next couple of weeks.” There are no indications on where he may end up, but there have been rumors floating around that Smith could join Richard Childress Racing part-time in the Cup Series.

Smith has been one of NASCAR’s best drivers in the lower ranks and was arguably the top driver in the Xfinity Series during the 2024 season. It has been a long process for the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver but he finally has something secured for 2025. Smith’s announcement will generate intrigue, as he remains one of NASCAR’s top prospects.

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Jordan Anderson Racing reveals driver lineup for 2025 NASCAR Xfinity season

Jordan Anderson Racing reveals its driver lineup for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Which two drivers will drive for JAR in Xfinity?

[autotag]Jordan Anderson Racing[/autotag] has revealed its driver lineup for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. On Friday morning, Jordan Anderson Racing announced that [autotag]Jeb Burton[/autotag] will return to the organization, while [autotag]Blaine Perkins[/autotag] joins him full-time as a teammate. Burton will pilot the No. 27 car while Perkins takes over for Parker Retzlaff in the No. 31 car.

Burton has been with Jordan Anderson Racing since 2023 and has one win at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 27 car had a rough 2024 season with only three top-10 finishes. Perkins drove full-time for RSS Racing and had a best finish of 13th place at Phoenix Raceway. It wasn’t a great season for the former RSS Racing driver.

Now, Burton and Perkins will look to carry momentum into the 2025 NASCAR season after the organization improved its performances throughout the year. It will be a learning curve for Perkins, who doesn’t have much success in the Xfinity Series, but a third year for Burton will allow him to continue growing with Jordan Anderson Racing as they seek their second victory.

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Xfinity returns as entitlement sponsor of NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2025

Xfinity will return as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2025 racing season on The CW.

NASCAR has finished the 2024 season, and the Xfinity Series’ future has become less murky. In 2025, the entire Xfinity Series season will be covered on The CW, with a broadcast booth currently “to be determined.” However, will Xfinity return as the entitlement sponsor for another year? The cat has been let out of the bag.

On the final weekend of the 2024 season, NASCAR held its annual “State of the Sport” address at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR President Steve Phelps was asked if Xfinity was returning to its second-highest series in 2025, and he may have accidentally leaked the announcement.

“So the answer to that is, yes,” Phelps said. “We are working through some final things with the Xfinity or Comcast about their premiere partnership and what our overall relationship looks like. So nothing to announce today other than apparently I’ve just announced that they’re coming back next year. If I was not supposed to say that, I’ll retract that. They will be back next year.”

According to Phelps, Xfinity will return to the Xfinity Series for the 2025 season. The series has built itself up and arguably has the best racing across NASCAR’s top three levels. It would have been strange if another company was the entitlement sponsor, but there are no worries now that Xfinity will return for another year in 2025.

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NASCAR lists four tracks to possibly replace Phoenix in Championship 4

NASCAR lists four tracks that could possibly replace Phoenix in the Championship 4. Which four tracks could host Championship Weekend?

NASCAR closed out the 2024 season at Phoenix Raceway, but there was admittedly less excitement heading into the weekend. Whether it was the playoff format or the expected racing at Phoenix, the sport’s Championship Weekend wasn’t as electric as usual. NASCAR will review the playoff format and make changes if deemed necessary, but what about the final race of the year?

On the final weekend of the 2024 season at Phoenix, NASCAR held its annual “State of the Sport” address. NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell was asked about possibly changing the host city for Championship Weekend and name-dropped four race tracks.

“[Homestead-Miami Speedway] certainly has been one that we’ve looked at,” O’Donnell said. “I would say that in March when we go back, how do we do from an attendance standpoint? That’s going to be really big for us to see can we gain some momentum? We already know the racing is terrific, right? We are going to deliver on that, but we have a job to do collectively as a sport to drive attendance.”

“Then you look at a number of other venues that are out there. You know, [Darlington Raceway], [Charlotte Motor Speedway], you name it, [Las Vegas Motor Speedway]. There’s a lot of considerations for us. I think the goal for us would be to get well ahead in the future on the schedule so that we’re talking about not necessarily the whole schedule, but championship 2032 will be here, 2031, and we can back that up.”

Phoenix has a great facility with amazing race fans, but the on-track product is admittedly not the best. O’Donnell mentioned Homestead, Darlington, Charlotte, and Las Vegas as possible replacements, which all can be regarded as top-5 race tracks. Hopefully, NASCAR can find a new track or start a rotation of tracks to end the season each year in 2026.

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NASCAR Xfinity Series organization rebrands for the 2025 racing season

One NASCAR Xfinity Series organization has made a slight rebrand for the 2025 season. Check out the new rebrand in the Xfinity Series!

An organization in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is undergoing a small rebrand ahead of the 2025 racing season. On Wednesday afternoon, Joey Gase Motorsports announced that Scott Osteen will join the organization as a co-owner. Starting in 2025, the organization will now be called “Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen.”

Also, [autotag] Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen[/autotag] plans on running two full-time cars in 2025. Last season, the NASCAR team ran the No. 35 car full-time and the No. 53 car part-time. Most notably, Joey Gase ran 14 races, which is the most of any driver. Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen has one top-10 finish in 133 Xfinity Series starts.

As of now, it’s unclear whether Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen will have a full-time driver in 2025. The NASCAR team has traditionally run part-time drivers instead but could benefit from a more stable presence in one of its entries. For now, Joey Gase Motorsports in Scott Osteen will have a new name and logo, but more changes could be on the way with its driver lineup.

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Justin Allgaier wins Most Popular Driver award in Xfinity Series for 2024

Justin Allgaier wins the 2024 Most Popular Driver award in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the fifth time in his career!

[autotag]Justin Allgaier[/autotag] has officially been named the 2024 Most Popular Driver Award winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Allgaier received the honor at NASCAR’s banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the sport celebrates its 2024 season. This is the fifth time he has won the award in the last six years. Noah Gragson took home the trophy during the 2022 season.

Allgaier’s victory comes during a year when he finally broke through for a championship. The JR Motorsports driver was able to claw through the field after two penalties at Phoenix Raceway and used a great move on a late-race restart to take the lead. Allgaier ended up losing the race to Riley Herbst, but he took home his first Xfinity Series championship.

Overall, Allgaier seems to have a firm grasp on the award on a yearly basis. However, Gragson’s win in 2022 proves that he isn’t invincible to new challengers. It will be fascinating to see how Allgaier fares in future seasons, as he has become a regular competitor in the Xfinity Series.

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