Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Thursday, May 7, 2026
JGR Lawsuit Against Gabehart and Spire Motorsports Gets January 2027 Trial Date
A federal judge has set a January 2027 trial date in the Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit against former crew chief Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports, following a telephonic hearing on Tuesday. JGR is seeking more than $8 million in damages, alleging misappropriation of confidential information and tortious interference after Gabehart departed to join Spire. JGR pushed for a November 2026 date; defendants sought May 2027; the judge split the difference at January. Partial expedited discovery was also granted, giving JGR faster access to phone records tied to Gabehart’s communications with both organizations. The lawsuit remains one of the most closely watched legal disputes in NASCAR’s recent history.
Sources: Jayski, Motorsport.com
Ryan Blaney Commits Long-Term to Team Penske; Menards Also Renewed
Ryan Blaney signed a long-term multi-year extension to remain with Team Penske, the team announced Wednesday, keeping the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion in the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Blaney has driven full-time for Penske since 2018 and has posted 17 or more top-10 finishes in each of the past seven complete seasons. Sponsor Menards also signed a multi-year renewal as part of the announcement. Blaney sits fourth in the 2026 standings with 371 points, one win, and seven top 10s through 11 races. “Roger’s commitment to me and my career has been something a race car driver could only dream of,” Blaney said in a team statement.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Racer
Four High-Profile Cup Drivers Already Locked In as 2026 Silly Season Takes Shape
Four of the NASCAR Cup Series’ most prominent drivers have already committed long-term to their current teams in 2026, a pace of early market clarity that is unusual for the sport. Ryan Blaney joins Kyle Larson—who extended with Hendrick Motorsports through 2031—as well as Tyler Reddick at 23XI Racing and Carson Hocevar at Spire Motorsports as drivers locked in beyond the current season. A NASCAR analysis published Wednesday notes that while significant names are secured, several important seats remain open for 2027, meaning the full driver market picture will take months to resolve as the season reaches its midpoint.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Watkins Glen Celebrates 40 Years of NASCAR Cup Racing with Distinguished Dignitaries
Watkins Glen International is celebrating 40 years of NASCAR Cup Series racing as the series returns for this weekend’s Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, May 10. The track hosted its first Cup race in 1986 after a 21-year absence from the schedule. To mark the milestone, the track announced honorary figures for race weekend: Ron Fellows serves as Grand Marshal for Friday’s Truck Series event, while sports car veteran Butch Leitzinger and two-time Truck champion Todd Bodine fill those roles Saturday. Defending Cup race winner Shane van Gisbergen headlines the 38-car field on the 2.45-mile road course, with practice and qualifying Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Sources: Jayski
Texas Cup Race Draws 2.286M Viewers, Second-Lowest Regular-Season Audience of 2026
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway drew 2.286 million viewers on FS1, an 11 percent decline from the 2.56 million who watched last year’s Texas race and the second-lowest regular-season viewership figure of the 2026 season. The race averaged a 1.29 rating. Despite the single-race dip, NASCAR’s season average remains slightly above 2025 pace: through 11 events the Cup Series is averaging 3.41 million viewers compared to 3.40 million at the same point last year. Texas historically draws lower numbers on FS1 versus a Fox network window due to the cable channel’s smaller potential reach.
Sources: Jayski
Carson Hocevar to Compete in Full FNIA Dirt Late Model Season Alongside Cup Schedule
Carson Hocevar will compete in the full FloRacing Night in America Dirt Late Model championship alongside his NASCAR Cup Series duties with Spire Motorsports, racing every event from May through November across six states. The 11-race FNIA season runs Tuesday nights, structured to avoid scheduling conflicts with both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series. The opener is at La Salle Speedway in Illinois. Hocevar, currently sixth in the Cup standings with 333 points through 11 races, joins a star-studded midweek dirt field for the series, which streams exclusively on FloRacing. No Cup events overlap with the FNIA slate.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Front Row Motorsports Partner Ribbiot to Primary-Sponsor Gragson at Michigan
Front Row Motorsports announced Wednesday that Ribbiot, a physical operations software developer, will serve as primary sponsor of Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Michigan International Speedway on June 7. Ribbiot’s platform streamlines operational productivity for equipment-centric specialty trades, coordinating people, process, and equipment across full job cycles. The partnership marks the company’s entry into NASCAR sponsorship. Front Row fields Gragson in the No. 4 alongside Michael McDowell in the No. 34 full-time. The Michigan race airs at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Gragson sits outside the top 16 in the current Cup standings.
Sources: Jayski
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 526 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 417 pts
3. Chase Elliott — 409 pts
4. Ryan Blaney — 371 pts
5. Chris Buescher — 345 pts
6. Carson Hocevar — 333 pts
7. Ty Gibbs — 330 pts
8. Kyle Larson — 318 pts
9. Brad Keselowski — 311 pts
10. William Byron — 308 pts
11. Bubba Wallace — 304 pts
12. Christopher Bell — ~295 pts
13. Ryan Preece — ~280 pts
14. Daniel Suarez — 271 pts
15. Shane van Gisbergen — ~255 pts
16*. Chase Briscoe — 242 pts
* Playoff cutline — 16+: Joey Logano (outside) | ~ = est.
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — leads
2. Chevrolet — −73 pts
3. Ford — 3rd
Exact mfr. pts. unavailable via search; order/gap from nascar.com
Curated by JD · samwise.agency