Back in the swing of things

By ZECH YODER

The holidays are a slow time for fans of motorsports. All major forms of motorsport are on off-seasons and news is slow as most of the industry focuses on family, friends, and the holidays.

But after the turn of the calendar year, things begin to ramp up quickly.

Last week was the annual Chili Bowl, the biggest event of the year for Dirt Midgets. Several prominent NASCAR drivers participated this year, including Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and newcomer to the NASCAR ranks, Corey Day. No surprise – Kyle Larson won the prestigious event in dominant fashion and proved once again that he is the best racing driver on the planet.

This weekend is the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. This first race of the 2025 IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) season. Like the Chili Bowl, the 24 Hours of Daytona attracts top racing drivers from both NASCAR and INDYCAR. This year’s participants from INDYCAR include Scott Dixon, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, Scott McLaughlin, Felix Rosenqvist, and Alex Palou, among others. From the NASCAR side: young phenom, Connor Zilisch, Shane Van Gisbergen, Parker Kligerman, and Austin Cindric. Last year, the 24 Hours of Daytona was extremely competitive and featured close racing down to the final lap.

The NASCAR season has its unofficial start in just two weeks on Sunday, Feb. 2 at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Like the Clash that was held in the LA Coliseum the last three years, Bowman Gray is a quarter-mile bull ring. Unlike the Coliseum, Bowman Gray is an historic NASCAR track that dates back to the NASCAR Convertible Series, which held events in the latter half of the 1950s. After the Clash, it is more weeks until the Daytona 500 and NASCAR racing will be back in full swing.

Two weeks after the Daytona 500 is the start of the INDYCAR season in St. Petersburg, Fla. INDYCAR moves from the networks of NBC to FOX. For the first time since I can remember, FOX will broadcast every INDYCAR event on network television. The drive market has changed significantly, Connor Daly is back in a full-time ride, and there is a new team – PREMA Racing – in the 2025 grid.

Motorsports in back for 2025. Stay tuned.

Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.