McLaren no longer will have its drivers adhere to a pecking order as the Las Vegas Grand Prix approaches Saturday.

• McLaren driver Oscar Piastri said he does not have to operate in a support role for teammate Lando Norris, now that Norris' hopes of a driver's championship are in long-shot mode.

  "Pretty much, yes," Piastro said this week when asked if team strategy has changed.

  Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen leads the drivers' standings with 393 points, while Norris is second with 331, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (307) and Piastri (262).

  Dubbed the "papaya rules," Piastri was required to make sure Norris could secure as many points as possible to keep the pressure on Verstappen. That meant Piastri was forced to back off a sprint race at Brazil on Nov. 3, to let Norris pass for overall points considerations.

  Norris ended up finishing in sixth place to earn eight points, while Verstappen went on to win and earn 26 points. Piastri finished eighth and earned four points.

  Piastri's "pretty much," comment suggests that he is not quite free to operate as he pleases in all circumstances.

  "There's still some, let's say, very specific scenarios where I might be needed to help out," Piastri said. "But for the very large majority of situations, it's back to how it was."

  While Verstappen has a solid grip on the drivers' championship, McLaren still has its sights on the constructors' championship. McLaren Mercedes heads to Las Vegas in the lead of the constructors' standings with 593 points, ahead of Ferrari (557) and Red Bull (544).

  To his credit, Piastri has not objected to operating in a support role for his teammate. His goal is to be the one who is getting all the help in 2025.

  "Obviously next year, I want to make sure that I'm not in a position, championship-wise, to be subject to that," he said. "But in reality, I probably needed to help out that one time in Brazil and that's been it. So it's been a lot of talk, but not much on-track action."

  --Field Level Media

Brad Keselowski is reuniting with crew chief Jeremy Bullins for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, RFK Racing announced Thursday.

• Bullins guided Keselowski's No. 2 Team Penske team to five wins, 23 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Keselowski finished second in the championship standings in 2020.

  "I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with BK again, this time in the iconic No. 6 car with RFK," Bullins said in a team release. "We were able to accomplish a lot as a team previously, but we had a couple of unfinished goals, like a Daytona 500 win and a championship together, and I'm ecstatic we get the opportunity to compete together again.

  "From the outside looking in, it's been obvious the trajectory RFK is on, and I look forward to being part of the growth and future success of the team."

  Bullins was the crew chief for Harrison Burton's No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford for 34 races during the 2024 season, as well as the final 10 of the 2023 season.

  He replaces Matt McCall, who partnered with Keselowski for 17 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes in addition to a win at Darlington this May.

  Keselowski, 40, is entering his 16th season as a full-time driver in the Cup Series. It will be his fourth season with RFK Racing, the team he co-owns with Jack Roush and the Fenway Sports Group's John W. Henry.

  Keselowski was the 2012 Cup Series champion and ranks third among active drivers with 36 career Cup wins. He has made the NASCAR Playoffs 12 times.

  --Field Level Media

Japanese F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda said he "nearly got sent back home" by U.S. border officials when he arrived for Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

• The 24-year-old racer for Red Bull-owned RB told reporters Wednesday that he was wearing pajamas when he was pulled aside and questioned for several hours before being allowed into the country.

  "Luckily, they let me in after a couple of discussions," he said. "Well, a lot of discussions, actually ... I nearly got sent back home. Everything is all good now but yeah, luckily I'm here."

  Tsunoda said he had no issues entering the U.S. earlier this year for races in Miami and Austin, Texas.

  "I was wearing pajamas, so maybe I didn't look like an F1 driver," Tsunoda said.

  It was not immediately clear where Tsunoda went through customs.

  Tsunoda has eight top-10 finishes in 21 starts this season and currently ranks 11th in the F1 drivers' standings.

  --Field Level Media

When comparing Riley Herbst and Corey Heim as candidates for the third NASCAR Cup Series seat at 23XI Racing, the statistics and eye test speak for themselves.

• Heim has been a championship contender -- and arguably the best driver in the series -- in his two years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with TRICON Garage. Heim won six races in 2024 alone, and advanced to the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season.

  While Herbst has put up solid numbers during his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a best points finish of seventh and just three wins over five full-time seasons don't come close to matching Heim's numbers.

  Heim's ceiling seems to be much higher than Herbst's, and at 22 years old compared to the 25-year-old Herbst, Heim has more potential to grow as a young driver.

  You might find it surprising, then, that when 23XI announced the driver of their third car on Wednesday, it was Herbst that was tapped for the job.

  The reason comes in the form of green rectangles.

  No disrespect is meant toward Herbst, but it's no secret that his family's business relationships have played a big part in furthering his career. When put up against Heim, the numbers just don't add up from a statistical standpoint -- but the figures in the bank do.

  Herbst's longtime sponsor in Monster Energy -- a company that's been tied to 23XI since 2022 -- will join him, sponsoring his No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE during his first Cup Series campaign.

  There's an old saying that perfectly encapsulates the situation 23XI found itself in: Money talks and, well, you know the rest.

  It's not Herbst's fault that 23XI's decision boiled down the sponsorship dollars -- an asset Heim doesn't bring to the same degree. The business model of NASCAR and its teams has always been dependent on sponsors. It was reportedly a lack of funding that led to Anthony Alfredo leaving Our Motorsports at the end of this season, and it was funding that led the team to sign Kris Wright on Wednesday morning.

  If a blue-chip prospect such as Heim exhibits extraordinary talent but doesn't bring sponsorship dollars to the team, their chances of getting the ride over a relatively ordinary prospect who brings plenty of funding to the table is very slim.

  It's a model of finding drivers who bring the most money rather than finding the best driver.

  That's exactly the situation Heim finds himself in now. Herbst was considered a very talented prospect who might find himself a Cup Series ride with a lower-level team. If that didn't pan out, he could've stayed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

  While Heim toils in the Truck Series for another season, Herbst will have a chance to prove his critics wrong and quell doubts that he doesn't have what it takes to be successful in the Cup Series. If his rookie season doesn't produce results, however, don't be shocked if 23XI bites the financial bullet and gives Heim his shot.

  --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media

First chances are rare in racing, and second chances rarer still.

• Ryan Preece has thrown the aforementioned proverb to the wayside.

  On Tuesday, RFK Racing announced that Preece will be the pilot of the organization's third NASCAR Cup Series entry in 2025, marking Preece's third Cup Series team in five years.

  It's a welcome opportunity for the 34-year-old from Berlin, Conn., whose previous team in Stewart-Haas Racing shut down at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

  Preece's career has been marred by constant criticisms and the narrative that the short track ace doesn't have what it takes to compete in the Cup Series. After making his Cup Series debut at his home track of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2015, Preece waited until 2019 for his first full-time opportunity at NASCAR's highest level.

  Preece teamed up with JTG-Daugherty Racing and Kroger -- who ironically, was announced as a new primary sponsor of RFK alongside Preece's signing on Tuesday -- and remained with the team through the end of 2021. In 2021, however, Preece's No. 37 was an unchartered entry, quickly becoming a money pit for the organization.

  Just like that, Preece was back to square one.

  Soon, a hero emerged in the form of three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who chose Preece to drive the No. 41 at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023. Preece remained with the team in 2024, but in May, it was announced that SHR would shut its doors after the season came to a close.

  For the second time in three years, Preece was left looking for opportunities.

  Just like his Stewart-Haas teammates, though, Preece's talent was noticed. As Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Chase Briscoe were signed to the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, respectively, talks were underway to bring back RFK Racing's third Cup Series entry for 2025, with Preece behind the wheel.

  Preece's signing marks a fresh start for both driver and team, and puts a feather in the cap of co-owner Brad Keselowski. Preece marks the first full-time driver signing RFK has made since Keselowski became a co-owner of RFK in 2022.

  Preece's results in the Cup Series so far can't be sugar coated. During his tenure with both JTG-Daugherty and Stewart-Haas, he failed to win or make the playoffs. In five full-time seasons, he only has 14 top-10 finishes.

  In his defense, however, JTG-Daugherty was still an organization trying to find stability after the departure of AJ Allmendinger. By the time 2023 rolled around, Stewart-Haas was long removed from their success in 2020, and in 2024 the team's employees were focused on finding work for the future.

  RFK Racing will be the most stable situation Preece has walked into during his Cup Series career. It's an organization on the rise, and a team coming off of five wins and four playoff appearances between its two cars over the last two seasons.

  Preece doesn't have any excuses to put forth mediocre results at RFK, but if he performs to his potential, that won't be a problem.

  --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media

Ryan Preece will drive the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the organization announced Tuesday.

• Preece will join co-owner/driver Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in the team's three-car lineup.

  "Having a third team gives us another shot at the win on any given weekend," Keselowski said over Zoom. "It's a great opportunity for us at RFK. Our goal is to be an elite organization, I would say a world-class organization, and to do that in NASCAR, you've got to win races. The more teams you have, the better that opportunity is to elevate all the programs."

  Preece, 34, joins RFK on the heels of Stewart-Haas Racing closing its operations following this season.

  "It's (an opportunity) that I'm really eager and excited for," Preece said. "It's somewhere that these guys had speed last year. I mean, you look at how many weeks in a row that Brad and Chris finished top two or top three and had some extremely good stats and found Victory Lane.

  "So for me, it's a great opportunity, one that's filled with pressure. But I think if you've looked at my career in those pressure-type situations, I've succeeded. I'm grateful for the opportunity."

  Preece is still looking for his first win in the Cup Series but has two each in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series.

  --Field Level Media

NASCAR urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Monday to deny an appeal filed by Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports requesting an accelerated review of their recently denied motion for a preliminary injunction.

• A U.S. District judge denied 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports a court order on Nov. 8 that would have let the teams compete as chartered members without actually signing a charter.

  The teams argued that they would risk losing drivers, sponsorships and fans if they raced as open teams instead of chartered ones, but Judge Frank D. Whitney said those concerns were merely speculative.

  23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports now want the appellate court to quicken their review process and produce an oral argument before Dec. 14, as court would not be held again until Jan. 28, 2025.

  But attorney Gregory G. Garre does not think that should happen.

  Garre said on behalf of NASCAR that the teams' appeal is "highly unfair" and would significantly burden its client and judges.

  He also wrote that there is "no urgency" to honor the teams' "extraordinary request to require NASCAR to file its opening brief within a mere 12 days, over a period that includes the Thanksgiving holiday, when many counsel for NASCAR are traveling to be with their families."

  Garre further argued that judges would only have a week to review the teams' appeal along with any additional cases.

  Sports litigator Jeffrey Kessler, who represents 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, announced Saturday that his clients will compete as open teams next season, which begins Feb. 2. They will not have to forgo their antitrust claims after NASCAR provided an open team agreement that does not involve a release of claims provision.

  Jordan, an NBA Hall of Famer, owns 23XI racing along with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

  --Field Level Media

Formula 1 announced the Canadian Grand Prix will move from mid-June to May on the 2026 schedule to "rationalize" the circuit's schedule.

• The move is expected to see the Montreal event follow the Miami Grand Prix, while the recently-announced extension for the iconic Monaco Grand Prix will shift to the first weekend in June. The changes will eliminate F1 from criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean as part of its sustainability and cost-efficiency efforts.

  This year, F1 held nine races in Europe, with the Canadian Grand Prix interrupting the stretch with its June 9 date.

  "The move will allow the European leg of the F1 season to be consolidated into one consecutive period over Europe's summer months and is planned to remove an additional transatlantic crossing by the F1 community each year -- meaning significant associated carbon reductions," F1 said in a statement.

  It is a continuation of F1's ongoing efforts to improve efficiencies in the schedule. The Japanese Grand Prix has been moved to the spring to align with other races in the Asia Pacific Region. The Azerbaijan event was moved to the autumn to better align with Singapore, and Qatar was shifted to before the season-ending Abu Dhabi race.

  --Field Level Media

Joe Gibbs, the former football coach who owns a NASCAR racing team, is giving his drivers more options.

• The racing team confirmed Monday that it will have a process allowing drivers to request competing outside the NASCAR Cup Series on dirt tracks and in other forms of motorsports -- something Gibbs has restricted. The policy change follows Chase Briscoe, a former Stewart-Haas Racing driver and dirt star, joining JGR in 2025 to replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr.

  Gibbs told The Athletic in a story on Monday that he has "always preferred (drivers') focus remain on racing in NASCAR." However, with his team including former dirt racing champions Christopher Bell and Briscoe, and a third driver, Ty Gibbs, interested in that extracurricular competition, Gibbs had a change of heart.

  "We sort of talked things over to come up with a process by which they can request to run certain races," Gibbs told The Athletic. "If they get approval from everyone they need on our competition side, then they are free to run the race. That includes dirt, but also potentially other forms of racing."

  Briscoe is a dirt car owner who regularly drives on those tracks, while Bell won the prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

  "I was definitely caught off guard by the change of policy," Bell told The Athletic. "I was super shocked, but with Chase coming on board and Ty growing an interest in dirt racing, it's nice we have the majority of our team aligned with it now."

  The fourth driver on the JGR Cup roster, Denny Hamlin, is not a dirt racer.

  Neither Briscoe nor Bell have announced plans in any non-Cup Series races but said they're pleased to have more options.

  "It's refreshing knowing I'll be able to do whatever I want to do," said Bell, who believes the experience of driving sprint cars is advantageous for stock car racing. "I'm super excited to reconnect with my dirt fan base and see everybody at a dirt track soon."

  --Field Level Media

Chase Elliott finished seventh in the Cup Series standings and fell a round short of NASCAR's Championship 4 in 2024, an effort he scored as "probably a B, B-plus."

• "I'm trying to grade that really honestly," the former Cup Series champion recently told NASCAR.com when asked to assess his performance in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

  Elliott, 28, recorded one win in the Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway in April, adding 11 top-five finishes and 19 top-10 runs in 37 starts. The win at Texas ended a 42-race drought for the native of Dawsonville, Ga.

  Elliott reached the Round of Eight but finished second in a must-win situation in the Martinsville playoff race on Nov. 3. That was part of an encouraging stretch run that began with a runner-up finish at Bristol on Sept. 21 and included fifth-place showings in the playoff races at the Charlotte road course (Oct. 13) and Miami (Oct. 27).

  "I am really proud of where we've come from and where we have been, particularly over the last few months of the season, and even more so over the last few weeks," Elliott said. "I just feel like we have a really good direction, I feel like I have a good direction."

  The 2014 Cup Series champ's career trajectory is back on track after an eventful 2023 season saw him miss seven races, six after breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident and one for a suspension for rough driving.

  For his offseason plans, Elliott said he might do some non-NASCAR racing, but he is also looking forward to taking a break before the 2025 campaign revs up in February.

  "I think naturally you're going to think about racing, just because that's what we do," he said. "But I certainly intend to just get away, take some time, recharge the batteries, just like everybody in the room here."

  --Field Level Media

Carlos Sainz will get a jump start on his transition to Williams, with Ferrari agreeing to release the Spaniard early from his commitments with the team so Sainz can participate in the end-of-season test at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit.

• Sainz agreed to join Williams in July, more than five months after Ferrari announced that he would be replaced in 2025 by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

  "This early opportunity will allow both Carlos and Williams to begin building their relationship," Williams said in a statement. "The test session will provide a valuable chance for Carlos to begin integrating into his new team environment, and he will drive the FW46 for the first time."

  Sainz will join Alex Albon to provide Williams with a veteran driver lineup in 2025.

  Sainz is a four-time winner in Formula 1, with his most recent victory coming at last month's Mexico Grand Prix. It was his second win this season, following his March victory in Australia.

  Currently fifth in the driver's standings, Sainz is 63 points behind teammate Charles LeClerc with three races remaining. Ferrari has passed Red Bull by 13 points in the constructor standings and is 36 behind McLaren ahead of next week's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

  Williams currently sits ninth in the standings with 17 points. Albon has claimed 12 of those, with the other five coming from rising youngster Franco Colapinto, who replaced American Logan Sargeant in August.

  --Field Level Media

The 2024 NASCAR season is in the books and the clock already is ticking on one of the shortest offseasons in sports. With less than 12 weeks until Bowman Gray Stadium hosts the Busch Clash on Feb. 2, here are the storylines you need to know going into the 2025 season.

• New Faces in New Places

  NASCAR free agency arguably has never been more chaotic than it is right now. Whether due to retirements, team closings or expiring contracts, a host of drivers will be with new organizations in 2025.

  The most notable individual of the bunch is Chase Briscoe, who will take over the No. 19 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing following the retirement of Martin Truex Jr. and the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing. It's an excellent opportunity in his young career, and 2025 has the potential to be a huge year for a driver still trying to prove that he's a perennial contender.

  Two other Stewart-Haas alumni have found Cup Series opportunities for 2025 as well. Josh Berry will run his second Cup Series season with the fabled Wood Brothers following the departure of Harrison Burton, while Noah Gragson will take over the vacant seat at Front Row Motorsports left by 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell.

  Spire Motorsports will be the next team to employ McDowell's services behind the wheel, as he'll join the up-and-coming organization in 2025, driving the No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro. The No. 71 was left vacant after it was announced that Zane Smith would leave Spire at the conclusion of 2024.

  There are quite a few seats still open for the 2025 season as of this writing. Rick Ware Racing has yet to confirm a driver for 2025, leaving the future of Corey LaJoie, who finished out the season driving the team's No. 51 Ford in doubt.

  23XI Racing and the aforementioned Front Row Motorsports are both expected to run a third entry next season, though the teams' ongoing antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR could potentially hinder those plans. Kaulig Racing also has yet to announce a driver for their second full-time Cup Series entry, while Team AmeriVet has not announced a driver for what is expected to be a 15-17 race schedule in 2025.

  Will Kyle Busch bounce back?

  Busch's 2024 season made headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. His 20th Cup Series campaign was his first without a win and his worst year statistically since his rookie season in 2005. The two-time champ is capable of winning on any given Sunday, but the No. 8 team and Richard Childress Racing have work to do in order to get back to their winning ways.

  Will Penske retain its momentum?

  It's safe to say that Roger Penske is at the top of the motorsports mountain for the time being. After winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Indianapolis 500 and his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship with Joey Logano, the 87-year-old racing mogul and his team have shown how to consistently win championships in NASCAR's playoff era. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 champion, has proven himself to be one of the top drivers in the sport, while the indomitable Logano can never be counted out of contention, as his 2024 title run showed.

  How will Hendrick, Gibbs respond?

  Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing dominated the first half of the 2024 season, but both were shockingly torn down by Penske in the playoffs. Their lack of firepower in the postseason was extremely surprising, as only one car of the eight fielded by the two four-car operations -- Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron -- made it to the Championship 4. Hendrick and Gibbs each boast four of the top drivers in the sport, and both Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs have to be motivated to reach the top of the mountain again in 2025.

  Which young driver will take the biggest step forward?

  The Cup Series is littered with young talent going into 2025. Gragson, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Blaney make up only part of a young core that makes the NASCAR Cup Series so competitive. However, one young talent is lurking in the shadows: Michigan's Carson Hocevar, who ran away with the Rookie of the Year award in 2024. With a growing Spire Motorsports behind him and a year of Cup Series experience under his belt, don't be surprised if he takes massive strides in 2025 en route to his first career win or a potential playoff berth.

  --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media

The Monaco Grand Prix will continue to be contested through at least 2031 after Formula 1 agreed to a six-year extension with the Automobile Club of Monaco on Thursday.

• The iconic race around the streets of Monte Carlo will take place from May 23-25, 2025 and will mark the 75th anniversary of the race's official F1 debut. In 2026, the event will be moved to the first full weekend in June.

  "I'm delighted that Formula 1 will continue to race in Monaco until 2031," said Stefano Domenicali, F1 president and CEO.

  "The streets of Monte Carlo are unique and a famous part of Formula 1, and the Monaco Grand Prix remains a race that all drivers dream of winning. This agreement signals a new era of partnership and innovation between Formula 1 and Monaco."

  Monaco native Charles Leclerc, who races for Ferrari, won his home race from the pole position this year.

  "The signing of this new agreement with the Formula 1 Group until 2031 not only confirms the strength of our relationship but reaffirms our commitment to offering all visitors an unrivalled, first-class experience at race weekends," said Michel Boeri, president of the Automobile Club of Monaco.

  "The Monaco Grand Prix is the most important sporting event here and continues to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators to the principality and millions of global television viewers worldwide."

  --Field Level Media

NASCAR is reviewing its playoff format and is considering making changes as soon as next year, the Sports Business Journal reported Tuesday.

• Because the season gets underway in February, the short turnaround time means a more extensive overhaul would have to wait until 2026, per the report.

  Joey Logano was crowned the 2024 Cup Series champion on Sunday at Phoenix despite having the fewest top-five finishes (seven), the fewest top-10 finishes (13) and lowest average finishing position (17.1) for a series champion in the modern era.

  NASCAR has used its current playoff format since 2017, consisting of four rounds: Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8 and the Championship 4. The first three rounds include three races each, while the Championship 4 comprises only the season finale (Phoenix).

  According to Wednesday's report, topics under review include whether wins should automatically qualify a driver for the playoffs, as is currently the case; whether the regular season champion should get locked into one of the playoffs' later rounds; and whether the final round should consist of multiple races instead of just one.

  --Field Level Media

Sergio Perez said he rejected opportunities from two other Formula 1 teams to return to Red Bull for the 2025 season.

• Perez signed an extension earlier this year but has come under intense scrutiny while falling to eighth in the drivers' standings. While teammate Max Verstappen is closing in a fourth consecutive championship, the team has dropped to third in the constructor standings with Perez recording only 48 points over the past 15 races.

  "I had an opportunity, two opportunities, to change teams," Perez said in an interview with GQ, without disclosing which teams approached him. "When I looked at it, I thought, I really love the challenge I have at Red Bull.

  "It's a massive challenge being Max's teammate. It's a challenge that basically trains you for all of it.

  "So, I said I want to spend my last part of my career at the top, at the very top, where the pressure, it's full-on."

  Team principal Christian Horner has been openly critical of Perez's form this season, while others have called for Red Bull to replace the 34-year-old driver next season. Multiple names have been tied to various rumors, including young drivers Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto.

  The six-time F1 race winner said he isn't bothered by the rumors, which come with being an F1 driver.

  "It's how the sport is. You have one, two bad races, a lot of negative talk about you and so on," Perez told GQ.

  "But it's also something in the culture of the team as well -- with Red Bull. The surrounding talk, the contract talks and so on. It's just part of the game."

  Perez hasn't won this season, and his most recent podium came in China back in April. With three races remaining, he sits 39 points behind Lewis Hamilton and 41 behind George Russell in the standings. Red Bull is 13 points back of Ferrari and 49 behind McLaren in the constructor standings.

  "At the end of the day, when you go through a difficult period, there is a lot of talk," he said. "But ultimately, there is 90 percent of the grid who would have loved to have my career.

  "When you are a driver, you only think about the next race -- the next challenge, the next category, the next contract. It's always about next, next, next.

  "Sometimes it's good to step back out of it and remember how far you've gone. It's a very brutal sport."

  --Field Level Media

Alpine will switch to Mercedes engines starting with the 2026 season, the Formula 1 team confirmed Tuesday.

• The new deal, which runs through 2030, comes after the Renault-owned team announced in September that it would end its own engine program in 2025.

  Mercedes also will supply gearboxes to Alpine for at least the 2026 season.

  Alpine is coming off its best race of the season at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Nov. 3, where its drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished second and third, respectively, to winner and F1 points leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing.

  --Field Level Media

NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, the founder of racing's "Alabama Gang," died on Saturday. He was 86.

• Allison has his name littered throughout the record books, ranking fourth all time in NASCAR premier series wins (85), second in top-five finishes (336) and 14th in starts (718).

  Those were among the accomplishments that landed Allison in NASCAR's second Hall of Fame Class back in 2011. He was also a three-time Daytona 500 winner, four-time Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway winner and three-time Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway winner.

  During his 1988 victory at Daytona, Allison had to hold off his son, Davey, to take the checkered flag.

  "Bobby Allison personified the term ‘racer.' Though he is best known as one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history, his impact on the sport extends far beyond the record books," NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. "As a driver, he won races and championships across several NASCAR divisions. But as the leader of the famous ‘Alabama Gang,' Bobby connected with fans in a profound manner.

  "In the most significant ways, he gave his all to our sport. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to Bobby's family, friends and fans on the loss of a NASCAR giant."

  Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers back in 2023, Allison put together a career that started in 1961 and ended midway through the 1988 campaign.

  In addition to everything he was able to accomplish in the Cup Series, Allison won twice in what is now known as the Xfinity Series and took home an International Race of Champions title in 1980. He was named NASCAR's most popular driver on six occasions.

  Allison and his younger brother Donnie teamed up with modified racer Red Farmer to take over the short-track racing scene down in the Hueytown, Ala., area during the late 1950s, leading to the inception of the original "Alabama Gang."

  --Field Level Media

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Retiring veteran Martin Truex Jr. claimed the pole for his last race as a full-time competitor, besting the field in qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

• The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start on the front row alongside Team Penske's Joey Logano, the top qualifying 2024 championship contender. Logano's No. 22 Ford was .010 seconds slower than Truex's Camry in the qualifying session Saturday around the desert one-miler.

  "It's very cool, honestly, you always want to be a guy known for going fast at any track, any situation," said Truex, who claimed the pole with a lap of 134.741 mph and is racing for his first victory of the season. "It feels good, very cool. The big prize is tomorrow though and hopefully we can get that one."

  Logano, who is racing for his third series title, was equally as happy with his effort and the championship implications.

  "We've got them where we want ‘em right now, just got to keep them there," Logano said, smiling.

  Three of the four championship-eligible drivers advanced to the final round of qualifying for the season finale. Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron will start his No. 24 Chevrolet from eighth position and 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick will start his No. 45 Toyota 10th.

  Reigning series champion Ryan Blaney was the only driver among the four title contenders not to advance out of the opening round, his No. 12 Team Penske Ford got loose between Turns 1 and 2 on his hot lap and he will start 17th in the 40-car field.

  Because Logano's car had to go through inspection two extra times before passing, he lost the benefit of getting to select his pit stop, and his car chief was ejected for the race. Logano did not appear to be overly concerned, however.

  "We feel confident," Logano said. "I feel like our car is strong.

  "We feel strong about our team and these type of pressure situations, we feel very solid as far as our team and these moments. We're just executing our plan."

  His Penske teammate Blaney also remained confident despite the qualifying setback.

  "Our lap obviously didn't go well, I just got kind of free going into (Turn) 1 and ruined it all and couldn't really make it back up," Blaney said. "I'm surprised honestly it ran as well as it did for as loose as I got. I think our car is pretty good and still nice to have a decent pit stall.

  "We'll just kind of take it how we can get it tomorrow, just work through the first handful of laps and kinda start marching forward. Pretty similar to last year. Hopefully, it ends the same. If we can charge through the field, I think our race car is good enough we can make that happen."

  Byron was pleased to get that first pit stall pick with his qualifying effort, but had hoped to turn in a faster lap. He was quickest in the opening round.

  "Sucks, didn't just quite get the lap I wanted in the second lap but feel really good about our race car and get first pit pick and that's huge. Really excited about those things and just want to put together a good start to the race. It's such a long race, it's really about getting to the finish and having what you need there."

  Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson will start third and fourth, respectively. Hendrick's Chase Elliott and Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs make up the third row.

  Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell and Byron will line up alongside one another on the fourth row with Wood Brothers Racing's Harrison Burton and Reddick completing row five.

  --By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media

A federal judge denied Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing team and one other team a preliminary injunction in their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR on Friday.

• 23XI and Front Row Motorsports asked to continue to be recognized as chartered teams while they pursue legal action against NASCAR.

  The two racing teams refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement presented to them in September, which the other 13 organizations racing in the Cup Series signed. Their lawsuit, filed in October, called NASCAR "monopolistic bullies" for its business practices and claimed the league put a "gun to our head" to get them to sign the next charter.

  Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI with Jordan, has said that team owners sought "roughly double" their current share of NASCAR's revenue, which is set to skyrocket starting in 2025 thanks to a new $7.7 billion media rights deal.

  The revenue distribution for the new charter has not been made public.

  This week, in a court in Charlotte, N.C., an attorney representing the two teams argued that they should get to compete as chartered teams while they pursue their litigation despite not signing NASCAR's agreement.

  "Plaintiffs have not alleged that their business cannot survive without a preliminary injunction. Instead, they allege that their businesses may not survive without a preliminary injunction," U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney said Friday, according to media reports.

  23XI and Front Row Motorsports still can compete in 2025 as "open" teams, but without chartered protection, they aren't guaranteed entry to certain races nor will they receive the benefits of revenue sharing.

  23XI features driver Tyler Reddick, who enters this weekend in the Championship 4 -- one of four drivers who can win the season-long Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.

  --Field Level Media

Ty Majeski, a NASCAR Truck Series driver, said he plans to appeal a $12,500 fine assessed for not taking part in NASCAR's content-gathering day Tuesday in advance of the series championship.

• His reason for skipping the event? He said he returned to his home state of Wisconsin to vote on Election Day.

  "I've always, in my whole life, always been an Election Day vote guy. I've never done an absentee ballot," he told reporters Thursday in Arizona. "I wanted to make sure my vote was counted."

  NASCAR fined him for violating the rule that requires championship-eligible drivers from each of NASCAR's national circuits to attend the content-gathering day, a media obligation.

  Majeski said the ThorSport Racing team owners knew he planned to vote in person. He added he didn't even cement his spot in the Championship 4 until just a few days prior to Election Day.

  "Kind of unprecedented," Majeski, 30, said. "This has never happened before. Everyone knew it was Election Day for a long time. ... Unfortunate circumstances for everybody."

  Wisconsin was one of seven swing states in this year's presidential election, won Tuesday by Donald Trump.

  "We have to have a country and a free country to be able to race in, and that's just part of being a U.S. citizen," Majeski said about the importance of voting to him.

  Per The Athletic, the media day obligation has been on the calendar since July 17. A NASCAR spokesperson told the outlet that had Majeski brought up the conflict, the organization would have seen to it his duties were done early in the day so that he could travel to Wisconsin to arrive before the polls closed.

  Majeski is joined by Grant Enfinger, Christian Eckes and Corey Heim in competing in the series championship on Friday at Phoenix Raceway.

  --Field Level Media

When the checkered flag flies at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series will crown its 2024 champion. Here's how the Championship 4 drivers -- Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and William Byron -- stack up against each other:

• Ryan Blaney:

  The defending champion will try to take home the title for the second year in a row. Blaney's 2024 season has been a carbon copy of his 2023 campaign: A solid regular season followed by a dominant playoff run. Last year, Blaney finished second at Homestead-Miami, won at Martinsville and went on to win the championship at Phoenix. This year, he finished second at Homestead-Miami, won at Martinsville and has a shot at his second trophy.

  Keys to Victory

  If there's any team in the Championship 4 that is most likely to bring a perfect car to Phoenix, it's the No. 12 team. Blaney's wins so far in 2024 have come in races when he had a clear-cut top-five car from the beginning, which could be necessary at a track like Phoenix where passing is more difficult than usual. If not for a matter of inches at Atlanta and a lap of fuel in St. Louis, Blaney could be sitting on a five-win season.

  History in the desert

  Here's a stat that should leave the other championship contenders shaking in their boots: Blaney hasn't finished worse than fourth at Phoenix since March of 2021, including runner-up finishes in the last two Phoenix fall races. In the last six Phoenix races, Blaney has an average finish of 3.2. The only thing missing from his resume over those races? A win, which would automatically grant Blaney the championship on Sunday.

  Tyler Reddick:

  It has been a breakout year for Reddick, who propelled himself to the Championship 4 with a daring move in turns three and four at Homestead-Miami. That win is the shining diamond in a playoff run that's been mostly dark for Reddick, but he's done enough to make this quartet. Now comes a track type that 23XI Racing still seems to be behind at -- a short, flat oval that was the death knell for Reddick's 2023 campaign.

  Keys to victory

  One of 23XI's weak points as an organization has been its pit crews. In 2023, Reddick appeared to be in contention for the win at Michigan -- until a loose wheel forced him to come back down pit road. That kind of mistake can't happen on Sunday, where fast pit stops could be the difference in winning the championship or finishing last among the title contenders.

  History in the desert

  Unlike Blaney, Reddick has been rather inconsistent at Phoenix. He has three top-10 finishes in five Next-Gen starts at the track, but finished 23rd and 22nd, respectively, in the other two races. The good news? Reddick finished 10th at Phoenix in March in a race where Toyota whipped the field. Reddick led 68 laps in that race, and as the sole Toyota in the Championship 4, he should feel good about his chances.

  Joey Logano:

  If you had told fans that Logano would be in the Championship 4 back in June, they would pass the comment off without a second thought. However, the two-time champion finds himself 312 laps away from winning a third title after victories at Nashville (June 30) and Las Vegas (Oct. 20) fueled another Cinderella playoff run. Logano hasn't had much speed this year, but he did have two extra weeks to prepare for the championship race, just as he did in 2022 when he dominated the finale.

  Keys to victory

  Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe have been no stranger to gutsy strategy calls this year. Without them, the No. 22 team might not even be in the playoffs, much less the Championship 4. The decision by Wolfe to leave Logano out on fumes at both Nashville and Las Vegas are the sole reason why he won those races, and if Logano finds himself in a hole on Sunday, it wouldn't be surprising to see another crazy strategy be employed by Team Penske.

  History in the desert

  Logano has 16 top-10 finishes and three wins in 31 starts at Phoenix, but hasn't run very well at the one-mile track as of late. Finishes of 11th, 18th and 34th in his last three Phoenix starts don't inspire much confidence, but a dazzling performance in 2022 should. With the extra time to prepare that he also had this year, Logano led 187 laps in the 2022 finale en route to the race win and the title. Don't be shocked if Logano and Wolfe pull another rabbit out of the hat on Sunday.

  William Byron:

  Byron and Hendrick Motorsports would like to forget the controversy that got them into the Championship 4 in the first place. Unfortunately, the race manipulation scandal that rocked the NASCAR world Sunday takes away from what has undoubtedly been a great season for Byron as he establishes himself as one of NASCAR's elite. He hasn't won since April 7 at Martinsville, but he's in the Championship 4 for the second year in a row with the best team in NASCAR backing him.

  Keys to victory

  At Daytona and Martinsville, Byron was able to ward off the field on late-race restarts in order to win. Like Blaney, the No. 24 team could easily bring an unstoppable car to Phoenix. However, if the championship is decided on a late-race restart, Byron could be the favorite. His wins at Texas, Las Vegas and Phoenix in 2023 were also decided on late-race restarts. If you need to pick a Championship 4 driver to shoot the middle or make a big late-race block, Byron is your man.

  History in the desert

  Phoenix was surprisingly a struggle for Byron in March, as he failed to lead any laps and finished 18th. In 2023, however, Byron won the spring race after leading 64 laps, and led 95 laps en route to a fourth-place finish in the championship race. With a year of Championship 4 experience under his belt, Byron will be a strong contender on Sunday, provided he's not given a lemon like he was in the spring.

  --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media

Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari next year, but rumors that the seven-time Formula 1 champion is exiting Mercedes before the end of the current season reportedly were refuted by Mercedes.

• Rumors of Hamilton making an immediate split with his current team arose after his poor showing last week in Brazil, where he placed 11th in the sprint on Saturday and 10th in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.

  Following the latter event, Hamilton said on the radio to his team, "That was a disaster of a weekend, guys. The worst the car has ever been. Thank you for contributing to try and great job to all the guys at the pit-stop.

  "If this is the last time I get to perform, it was a shame it wasn't great but (I am) grateful for you."

  Hamilton subsequently told Sky Sports F1 that instead of driving in the last three events of the year, he "could happily go and take a holiday."

  However, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday that Mercedes confirmed that Hamilton would remain behind the wheel at Las Vegas on Nov. 24; Lusail, Qatar on Dec. 1; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 8.

  Hamilton, 39, sits seventh in this year's F1 driver standings, while Mercedes is fourth in the constructor standings. He has two wins this year, at the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, the 104th and 105th victories of his career.

  His series championships came in 2008, 2014, 2015 and then four in a row from 2017-20.

  --Field Level Media

One of the two open seats left in the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship grid is now filled. Sauber announced Wednesday that FIA Formula 2 points leader Gabriel Bortoleto will pair with Nico Hulkenberg for the team next season.

• The team confirmed Bortoleto's signing hours after announcing current drivers Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will not be returning next season.

  Bortoleto signed with the McLaren junior program last season when he won the FIA Formula 3 championship. The Brazilian could be the first driver to win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in consecutive season since current McLaren driver did it Oscar Piastri in 2020-21.

  As part of his deal with Sauber, McLaren is releasing the 20-year-old from its program.

  Bortoleto is the fourth driver set for a Formula 1 debut in 2025. He joins Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Jack Doohan (Alpine).

  The final open seat on the 2025 Formula 1 grid is with the Visa Cash App RB team opposite Yuki Tsunoda.

  Bottas, a 10-time grand prix race winner, joined the sport in 2013 with Williams. The 35-year-old from Finland had spent four seasons there before a stint from 2017 to 2021 with Mercedes. He signed with Sauber starting in 2022 and had his best result with the team in that year's Bahrain Grand Prix (fifth).

  Zhou, 24, of China, has spent the last three years with Sauber as well and has the team's best result of this season so far with 11th in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

  With three races left this season, Sauber is the only team without a world championship point. Sauber trails Williams by 17 points in the constructors' championship ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 23.

  --Field Level Media

If you want to eliminate a problem in any facet of life, starting at the source is the correct course of action.

• If you're trying to put out a fire, aiming for the base of the fire rather than the flames is usually a good idea.

  So it was confusing when NASCAR handed down penalties for the race manipulation incident that occurred in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville on Sunday, the sanctioning body aimed the fire extinguisher at the flames.

  NASCAR suspended crew chiefs, spotters and team executives from Trackhouse Racing's No. 1 team, Richard Childress Racing's No. 3 team and 23XI Racing's No. 23 team on Tuesday after all three teams influenced the results of the race and therefore the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings. The drivers of those cars -- Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace -- were docked 50 points and fined $100,000.

  Let's not mince words: The drivers, crew chiefs and spotters for those respective teams did have a major hand in manipulating the results of both the race and the playoff picture, but they are not the root cause of the problem.

  Earlier in the race, Ryan Blaney made contact with the lapped car of Shane van Gisbergen while racing William Byron for a crucial position on the racetrack. Blaney's contact with van Gisbergen knocked the New Zealand native's Chevrolet into the fellow Chevy of Byron, damaging the toe link of Byron's No. 24.

  As the field lined up for a late-race restart, van Gisbergen was told by his spotter to "not forget what the No. 12 did to you earlier," referencing the contact Blaney made with van Gisbergen earlier in the afternoon.

  That message is commonplace in NASCAR, especially at short tracks, but it was the sentence that followed that exposed the murky waters the race took place in.

  The next words from van Gisbergen's spotter? "That message is from Chevrolet."

  Van Gisbergen did not make contact with Blaney or affect Blaney's race in the closing laps.

  That radio evidence, combined with archived communications from the No. 1 team of Chastain and the No. 3 team of Dillon, is enough to indict Chevrolet, as are the suspicious circumstances and radio communications surrounding Wallace's No. 23 team and Toyota.

  But NASCAR's penalty report on Tuesday seems to directly blame team personnel for the transgressions that took place, rather than the source.

  Manufacturers have, of course, been ingrained with NASCAR since the beginning. The appeal of stock-car racing for automakers is the "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday," strategy that is the cornerstone of NASCAR's business and sponsorship models. Factory teams in NASCAR popped up early in the organization's existence, and today, the top teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports are considered key partners of their respective manufacturers.

  This was a case of NASCAR -- a sport more reliant on brand identity and consumerism than any other -- being afraid to bite the hand that feeds them, despite a pile of incriminating evidence that points to the opposite approach being a more effective punishment.

  If NASCAR wanted to take a stand and shake those in Detroit to their core, what penalties could they hand out?

  For a start, stripping points in the manufacturer standings. Those standings aren't followed closely by the fanbase, but the manufacturers themselves can point to said standings as tangible evidence that their vehicles rise above the competition.

  But to truly hurt teams, taking away assets on the competitive side of the sport would be the strongest stance. Taking away allotted time in the wind tunnel or at test sessions directly hurts manufacturers in their quest to gain competitive advantages.

  With no rules or penalties currently in writing to punish the manufacturers and executives that ultimately make these decisions, NASCAR officials must have conversations over the offseason regarding the future.

  It's true that NASCAR can't exist without a healthy relationship with its manufacturers, but if said relationship means the manufacturers can walk all over the sanctioning body, it's far from healthy.

  NASCAR needs its manufacturers like its cars need gas, but at some point, it needs to draw a line in the Daytona sand: Race manipulation has no place in the world's premier stock-car racing organization, regardless of who instigates it.

  NASCAR chose to try and put out the fire by spraying the flames. If it wants to stamp out any future instances of race manipulation before they have a chance to formulate, attacking the root cause would be a great place to start.

  --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media

Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain were each fined $100,000 and docked 50 driver points by NASCAR on Tuesday for violating member conduct policies in Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway.

• NASCAR conducted an investigation from the final laps and came to the conclusion that those three drivers violated sections 4.4.B&D: NASCAR Member Conduct of the Rule Book. Those sections include actions detrimental to stock car racing along with race manipulation.

  The owners of each team -- 23XI Racing (Wallace), Richard Childress Racing (Dillon) and Trackhouse Racing (Chastain) -- were fined $100,000 and had 50 owner points taken away.

  The crew chiefs and their respective spotters, along with team executives, will miss the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway as a result of these violations.

  All three racing teams said they would file appeals.

  "We took and looked at the most recent penalty that we had written for an infraction, very similar, which was the 41 car a couple of years ago at the Roval," NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said. "We felt like we wanted to ramp this one up and we did, we did that in a way that we included team leadership. And this one, something that we feel like that, you know, we want to get our point across that it's a responsibility of all of us, the team owners, the team leadership as well as ourselves here at NASCAR to uphold the integrity of our sport."

  --Field Level Media