They -- along one of the sport's great safety innovators, Dr. Dean Sicking, and one of its most accomplished storytellers, Associated Press reporter Mike Harris -- were celebrated for their important contributions to stock car racing.

Hundreds of fans began crowding the lobby of the NASCAR Hall of Fame early in the afternoon, hours before their heroes arrived -- their cameras pointed toward the red carpet and applause finally greeting each of the honored guests, from one of the Hall's original inductees, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty to beloved driver Donnie Allison to a pair of the most successful crew chiefs in racing history, Ray Evernham and Chad Knaus.

But the cheers rang loudly and cell phone cameras flashed rapidly filling the room when Rudd and Edwards arrived on the red carpet.

In a 13-year NASCAR Cup Series career, Edwards won 28 races, including the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up, losing out on the 2011 title in the closest title race in history -- a tiebreaker with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart.

In all, Edwards earned 72 victories in the three national series, including the 2007 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. In 2005, he competed full time in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series.

Nearly two hundred people -- Edwards' family, friends and most ardent career supporters -- accompanied the 45-year old Missourian to North Carolina for the career-defining moment on Friday. One of his former car owners, fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, rented an airplane for Edwards to transport his large group of support from Missouri.

Edwards explained that during his career fans watched him do his signature backflips to celebrate race wins, but that was only a momentary snapshot and that he probably did not allow himself the real time to cherish the victories as he should have.

"So, I said, we're going to make sure there is a real celebration," Edwards said. "For many reasons I'm happy to be able to come back and thank everyone. It's not reality, not for me yet. ... I don't even know what to say. It feels ... very good."

In speaking to the Hall on stage during his official induction, Edwards called his message one of "gratitude" -- thanking his parents, wife, children, longtime fans and Hall of Fame team owners Jack Roush and Gibbs, his competitors and all those that worked on his teams.

"Thanks for making me part of your family. Thank you NASCAR," he said.

It was a similarly moving induction experience for Rudd, known as one of the toughest competitors in the sport's history. His first NASCAR start of any kind came in the NASCAR Cup Series and he finished 11th in that 1975 debut at Rockingham, N.C. as an 18-year old -- earning his first of 374 career top-10s the following week at Bristol, Tenn. In 1983, at the age of 24, he became the youngest pole winner in Daytona 500 history.

Rudd, 68, of Chesapeake, Va., would go on to earn 23 career NASCAR Cup Series victories including the 1997 Brickyard 400 as an owner-driver and the 1992 International Race of Champions (IROC) title in his first year in the series.

He is best-known however for his singular toughness -- 16 consecutive years (1983-98) with a victory at the sport's highest level and his string of 788 straight starts was a record that lasted until 2015. His 905 total starts in a career that spanned four decades is second only to the seven-time NASCAR champion Petty's 1,185 starts.

"With the help of a lot of great people I was able to chase a lot of dreams, and with tonight's induction, that dream is now complete," said Rudd, who thanked his family, fans, wife Linda and son Landon, noting that Linda "has not only been my wife and best friend for 45 years, she mentally drove every lap with me."

"NASCAR allowed me to experience things most people will never do. I got to fly with the Blue Angels. I shook the hands of two presidents, refueled with the Air Force Thunderbirds high above the Nevada desert and play a small role in a movie. ... This is truly the honor of a lifetime."

Moody, who died in 2004, served under Gen. George Patton in World War II before becoming a full-time driver and winning five times in NASCAR's premier division in 1956-57. But his legacy was only beginning. In 1957, he partnered with John Holman to form the iconic Holman-Moody Racing company -- building cars and creating innovations that produced 96 Cup wins from 1957-72 and winning the 1968-69 Cup Series championships with driver David Pearson.

"If not for Ralph Moody, there probably wouldn't be a Bobby or Donnie Allison, he's just a fantastic man," Donnie Allison said, bringing Moody's son and daughter to the stage for the official Hall of Fame ring presentation.

"It is with great pride and gratitude I stand here tonight to honor my father," the younger Ralph Moody told the crowd of his father's unlikely rise from a Massachusetts farm into NASCAR's most esteemed hall of honor.

"For dad it was never just about winning, it was about creating safety not just being faster," Moody said, ending the acceptance speech with an emotion-filled thank you to his father.

Dr. Dean Sicking was given the Landmark Award for his Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR that included his work alongside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in creating of SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barriers that now line the walls at all race tracks hosting one of NASCAR's three top-level divisions.

Harris was awarded the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence for his four decades work as the lead motorsports writer for the AP before retiring in 2009.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver was passed by Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota late in the first 100 laps, but Elliott regained the lead in the second 100 and beat Ryan Blaney by 1.3 seconds on the 1/4-mile track for his first Clash victory .

Elliott's previous best finish was second at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in the 2021 non-points event. He became the race's 26th winner.

Following Blaney were Hamlin, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace.

Elliott won the pole for the 200-lap event on the quarter-mile bullring, but the seven-time Most Popular Driver Award winner had to wait out an intense last-chance qualifying race that had Kyle Larson and Josh Berry racing in, while Blaney claimed the provisional to form the 23-car field.

In the 47th running of the Clash and first at the tiny speedway dubbed "The Madhouse," Elliott stretched his lead out to over a second in the first 20 laps until Kyle Busch was dumped in a chain-reaction wreck for the first caution.

Elliott avoided trouble when William Byron bounced off the outside wall while being lapped by the No. 9 Chevrolet.

Hamlin made the first real run at Elliott on the Lap 80 restart, pulling up beside him on the flat track but being unable to take the lead until Lap 97 when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver slid the Toyota underneath Elliott.

At the 100-lap mark, NASCAR threw the second caution for the halftime break with Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Elliott, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski comprising the top five.

Meanwhile, 23rd-place starter Blaney moved all the way to 10th in his No. 12 Ford.

Larson, Keselowski, Carson Hocevar, William Byron and Alex Bowman were all caught up in spins over the next 20 laps, and Elliott reassumed the lead with a pass of Hamlin on Lap 127 and raced on to victory.

With its offseason officially over after Team Penske's Joey Logano captured his third Cup title, the series has rested itself and will get set for its season-opening Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.

Let's just say it has been a long time since NASCAR visited the tiny track that used to be a part of its Cup Series schedule.

For starters, there is the speedway and its unique dimensions.

Bowman Gray measures out at just a quarter of a mile and is as flat as a penny left on a railroad track.

The track has the length and steepness of one surrounding a high school football field where a group of erstwhile slackers may meet in the late afternoon to stick to their New Year's resolution of more exercise.

And, yes, there is a football field there: Winston-Salem State still plays its games on the grassy gridiron.

However, NASCAR's top series has not run there since Aug. 6, 1971, in a controversial 250-lapper that Bobby Allison eventually won over Richard Petty -- a race that did not become official until NASCAR settled the dispute last October due to Allison competing in his Grand American 1970 Ford Mustang.

That awarded Allison his 85th career win, breaking a fourth-place tie with Darrell Waltrip in all-time victories. Allison passed away in November, the day before Logano's championship-winning Phoenix race.

While Bowman Gray is the same distance as the speedway at the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the past three Clashes, Austin Cindric said there is a noticeable difference between the two legendary facilities.

"I think it'll feel smaller, honestly," Cindric told the Daytona News-Journal before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Raceway. "The Coliseum is quite a bit wider. The track shape is the same as far as the outside distance. But I think it's going to be quite narrower."

Toyota driver Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 to victory in last season's exhibition kickoff race, while Martin Truex Jr. and Logano took the checkers at the southern California stadium the previous two years.

Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman said the experience of competing at the wild Winston-Salem configuration over 10 years ago in the East Series against the likes of Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez lived up to the venue's reputation of rugged short-track racing that can lead to short tempers.

"My biggest memory of going to Bowman Gray was going to a modified race there and seeing the pace-car driver get flipped off. So that was pretty cool," Bowman told Fox NASCAR.

Ten years ago, it would have been unimaginable to think that historic tracks like North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Bowman Gray would grace a NASCAR schedule again.

Throw in another often-raced but NASCAR-forgotten North Carolina track, too -- Rockingham Speedway. The 1.017-mile, D-shaped venue makes its return with Craftsmen Truck and Xfinity Series races in mid-April.

With all these legendary speedways of days of yore resurfacing on schedules as NASCAR revisits its roots, maybe a place like Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville has a shot in the future.

Here are 10 storylines and questions to follow throughout the 38-week season.

1. Can Kyle Busch get off the schneid?

Busch is one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR, but even he is not immune to a losing streak. 2024 was the first season in Busch's 20-year career in which the two-time champion failed to win a race, and there's no indication that Richard Childress Racing will magically show up with race-winning speed right off the bat. However, a hungry driver is a dangerous driver, and Busch will begin his 21st Cup Series campaign by attempting to win the Daytona 500 for the first time. If Busch struggles again in 2025, expect questions regarding his driving future to be asked on a much more frequent basis.

2. Can Denny Hamlin get back to the Championship 4?

Hamlin hasn't made the Championship 4 since 2021, and the 54-time Cup Series winner is still searching for his first championship. The changes made to the No. 11 team over the offseason didn't exactly quell the nerves Hamlin fans feel regarding a potential championship run, either. The loss of a longtime partner in FedEx and a newer sponsor in Mavis serve as a flashback to Busch's unceremonious, sponsor-fueled departure from Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022. Crew chief Chris Gabehart leaving Hamlin for an executive role with JGR could lead to a lack of chemistry between Hamlin and new crew chief Chris Gayle. Regardless of the extenuating circumstances at hand, there's still pressure on Hamlin to at least find his way back into the Championship 4. At 44 years old, Father Time is drawing closer in the rearview.

3. Can Ty Gibbs break through for his first Cup Series win?

Many in the NASCAR industry have arbitrarily set a benchmark for young Cup Series talent to start performing at a higher level at 100 starts. Enter third-year driver Ty Gibbs, a veteran of 87 Cup Series starts and the 2023 Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Gibbs made the Cup Series playoffs for the first time in 2024, though a late-season slump was disappointing after a white-hot start. It once seemed inevitable that Gibbs would earn his first win in 2024, but the page has turned to 2025 with Gibbs still searching for that elusive first victory. It would be surprising to see Gibbs go winless this year, though the aforementioned crew chief moves at Joe Gibbs Racing could play a factor in the fate of his season. Gayle was atop the pit box for Gibbs during his 2022 Xfinity Series championship run and his first two Cup Series seasons. With Gayle moving next door to the No. 11 team, Gibbs will have to adapt quickly to new crew chief Tyler Allen in order to earn his first trip to victory lane.

4. Can Chase Elliott return to championship form?

No disrespect to Elliott, who returned to victory lane in 2024 at Texas after a 42-race winless streak, but the 2020 champion simply hasn't been the same since a leg injury early in 2023. You could argue that Elliott was the best driver in the sport from 2020 to 2022, a three-year span in which he won 12 races and made the Championship 4 in three straight seasons. NASCAR's most popular driver was undeniably consistent a season ago, but there's work to be done in order to get back into championship contention.

5. Who will be the top dog at Hendrick Motorsports?

One of the most underrated stories in NASCAR over the past two seasons has been the back-and-forth between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron. Over the past two years, Larson has won 10 races to Byron's nine. Byron has made the Championship 4 in both seasons, while Larson missed out in 2024. It wouldn't be surprising to see either HMS driver lead the Cup Series in wins in 2025, nor would it be surprising to see Larson or Byron hoist the Bill France Cup at season's end. The battle between two of the best drivers in the sport, driving two of the best cars in the sport, is a fascinating story that will add a new chapter on a weekly basis.

6. Can Ryan Blaney continue his ascension?

The best way to describe the last two seasons of Ryan Blaney's career? Legacy defining. After winning the 2023 title, Blaney came less than four tenths of a second away from becoming the first back-to-back champion of the playoff era. A narrow championship loss to Team Penske teammate Joey Logano should provide a little extra fire in Blaney's belly as he aims to make the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season.

7. Spire, Front Row on the rise

Front Row Motorsports and Spire Motorsports were once field-filling organizations with little hope of being faster than any other car on the track. Now, both organizations have built driver lineups poised to take them to the postseason. Spire boasts a three-driver lineup comprised of Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, 2024 ROTY Carson Hocevar and fourth-year driver Justin Haley. Front Row is home to fourth-year driver Todd Gilliland, third-year driver Noah Gragson and 2022 Truck Series champion Zane Smith. Don't be surprised if both teams put at least one driver in the Cup Series playoffs.

8. Different ends of the rookie spectrum

The 2025 Cup Series Rookie of the Year battle is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory. Only two full-time drivers -- Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen and 23XI Racing's Riley Herbst -- will compete for the honor, but the drivers come from completely different ends of NASCAR's rookie spectrum. van Gisbergen is a 35-year-old road-course specialist who won in his first Cup Series start, while Herbst is a 25-year-old who underperformed during his tenure in the Xfinity Series. Herbst has more stock-car experience and will likely be quicker on the ovals, but van Gisbergen's road-course prowess and ability to learn on the fly will make for a fascinating tussle between the Cup Series' two first-year drivers.

9. Can anyone defeat Penske when it matters most?

Roger Penske has figured out the secret formula to winning NASCAR championships in the modern era: simply blow the competition out of the water come playoff time. That philosophy has won "The Captain" three consecutive Cup Series championships (Logano in 2022 and 2024 and Blaney in 2023). There's no excuse for the rest of the field to ignore this trend, and teams will have to decide whether or not going for broke in an attempt to win more races is worth potentially damaging their championship chances.

10. Will the dreaded "championship hangover" bite Joey Logano?

Since the elimination-style format was introduced to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, Logano has made the Championship 4 six times and won the title thrice. Interestingly enough, none of those Championship 4 appearances have come in consecutive seasons, and Logano is yet to make the championship race in a year that ends in an odd number. That statistic may be coincidental, but Logano should heed prior tales of championship hangovers that have haunted drivers before him. As Tony Stewart (2006), Brad Keselowski (2013) and Logano himself (2023) will tell you, a Champagne shower doesn't always make the grass greener.

NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer John Probst said Monday that no changes are coming in 2025, but the playoff format will be reconsidered ahead of the 2026 season.

Probst spoke at a competition briefing on Monday with the season set to begin with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16.

"I don't think we want to get in the habit of making small little tweaks every season to the playoffs," Probst said. "Where we landed was for 2025 not making any changes to the playoffs. Throughout the course of this year, we will get a working group together with some media folks, OEMs, Goodyear, drivers. ... We probably talked to most of the folks one-on-one about, ‘where are we at? What are we thinking?'

"Basically, we look at that as a workstream for a group of our stakeholders this year, to look at it holistically."

The current playoff format sees 16 drivers qualify for a 10-race chase broken up over four rounds. The field of playoff drivers is cut between rounds from 16 to 12 to eight to the Championship Four. It's been the structure of the playoffs since 2014 and hasn't seen significant modification since 2017, when stage racing and playoff points were introduced.

Probst said NASCAR has heard from stakeholders who love the playoffs as is, people who hate the current format and people who fell in between.

There's no guarantee anything will be altered at all in the end.

"We just didn't get to a point where we felt like we have to do it," Probst said. "But we hear the fans loud and clear and are looking at it actively."

Joey Logano is the reigning Cup champion.

In addition to piloting the No. 01 Ford, he will serve as a race analyst for five faces on Amazon Prime Video.

"The Amazon piece is one of the reasons why this year is going to look a little bit different," LaJoie, 33, told NASCAR.com. "When those guys were pursuing me towards the end of last year, I felt like there were things that were materializing in my life and doors that were opening from the Lord to allow me to see that there are other things that I can do outside of being a full-time Cup driver.

"My entire racing life, since I was 7 years old, I've been blindly focused on being a competitive race-winning Cup Series driver. I've worked and leveraged and did everything with that clear vision in mind. The way this past year went and the way my cards were dealt of not being in the right system at the right time, you can always Monday morning quarterback it because hindsight is always 20/20 as far as what you would change. But I think everything happened for a reason with the way my career had gone up to this point."

LaJoie moved from Spire Motorsports to Rick Ware Racing last September. RWR announced earlier this month that Cody Ware will be its full-time driver this season.

RWR is leasing its second charger to RFK Racing in 2025, meaning that LaJoie, or whoever is behind the wheel of a second RWR entry, will have to go through race qualifying. His first attempt will come at the Feb. 16 Daytona 500, where he finished fourth last year.

LaJoie, who has 11 top-10 finishes but no wins in 272 career Cup Series starts, said the transition to broadcasting helped to reignite his passion for the sport.

"With the Amazon guys knocking on my door and I had fallen out of love with the sport a bit and became disenchanted with the sport, I was looking for ways to love it again," LaJoie said. "I've never not liked it; it's kind of like a marriage. There are days where you don't like each other, but you always love each other, and that's how my last 16 months of my career have been."

LaJoie also announced the launch of his Stacking Pennies Performance Brand, named after his popular podcast.

Red Bull entered a major partnership with Trackhouse Racing and will be the primary sponsor on Shane van Gisbergen's car for five Cup Series races this year.

In addition to donning the No. 88 car for Las Vegas (March 16), Sonoma (July 13), Iowa (Aug. 3), Daytona (Aug. 23) and Kansas (Sept. 28), Red Bull will be the primary sponsor for 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch when he makes his Cup Series debut in the No. 87 car at Circuit of the Americas on March 2.

Red Bull has not been involved in NASCAR since 2011.

"It's an incredible chapter in the history of Trackhouse Racing to welcome Red Bull back to NASCAR," Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks said via a statement from the team. "Red Bull is one of the most powerful brands in the world and it's an honor for us to embark on a partnership with such an iconic company.

"Red Bull and Trackhouse share a passion for racing, stories and memorable experiences. This is a huge win for our sport and a moment that will resonate with the millions of NASCAR fans around the world."

The deal was announced Thursday, and it is hardly Red Bull's first time working with New Zealander van Gisbergen in particular. A three-time champion of the Supercars series in Australia and New Zealand, van Gisbergen had been sponsored by Red Bull dating back to 2016.

The 2025 season will be van Gisbergen's first year driving full-time in the Cup Series. He won his NASCAR debut at the 2023 Chicago street race.

Zilisch will spend most of his year driving in the Xfinity Series.

Truex, 44, retired from full-time racing after the 2024 season. The 2017 Cup Series champion collected 34 wins and 291 top-10 finishes across 21 years on NASCAR's top circuit.

Tricon Garage confirmed that Truex will be behind the wheel of the No. 56 Toyota sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, a longtime sponsor for the New Jersey-born driver.

"Having raced against Martin for many years, I can confidently say there's no stronger competitor I'd want behind the wheel for our first Cup Series entry at the sport's most prestigious race," team owner and former driver David Gilliland said. "As an open entry, we know the road ahead will be challenging, but I have no doubt that Martin will put us in the best position to succeed. I've had the privilege of sitting on the pole at Daytona, but my next goal is to celebrate in Victory Lane."

Truex has never won the Daytona 500 in 20 previous attempts, finishing runner-up to Denny Hamlin in 2016 by just 0.010 seconds.

In order to make the field for the Feb. 16 running of the "Great American Race," Truex will have to qualify through the Daytona Duels on Feb. 13.

Allgaier, 38, has 25 wins and 282 top-10 finishes in his Xfinity career.

"It's been really special," Allgaier told NASCAR.com. "To be at an organization like this and to be able to make a team debut at the Daytona 500, that's special. Obviously, we have to qualify our way in. We have a lot of work to do. It's going to be difficult. But there wouldn't be anybody that I'd rather tackle this opportunity with."

Allgaier will pilot the No. 40 during qualifying, a Chevrolet, with a title sponsor of Traveller Whiskey. Greg Ives will serve as crew chief, with JRM owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller collaborating with musician Chris Stapleton on the entry, a long-held goal for JRM, which has seen tremendous success on the Xfinity circuit.

"We've been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports," Earnhardt Jr. said in a press release. "With Justin winning the Xfinity Series Championship and Chris Stapleton's undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year's Daytona 500."

The group has its sights set high.

"I'm not showing up to go run 30th, right?" Allgaier said. "We're going there to try to have an opportunity to win the Daytona 500. What a story that would be if we could just go there and win."

Ware, 29, ran in nine Cup races for his father's Rick Ware Racing in 2024, recording his career-best finish with a fourth-place result at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August.

He missed time from April to December in 2023 when NASCAR suspended him following an altercation with his then-girlfriend. NASCAR lifted the suspension on Dec. 12, 2023 when the assault charges were dropped after Ware and his now ex-girlfriend refused to cooperate with prosecutors.

Though the Greensboro, N.C., native never completed a full 36-race schedule, he ran in all but one Cup race in 2022 (35 starts) and all but four in 2021.

"The NASCAR Cup Series is where every driver wants to be and I'm grateful to be back full-time," Ware said Wednesday in a team statement. "I've improved as a driver and RWR has improved as a team, and this is, by far, the best opportunity I've had in NASCAR. I aim to make the most of it and earn the respect of my competitors."

Ware's first full-time campaign will start at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, which will also be the debut of Billy Plourde as the team's crew chief.

The motorsports team announced earlier this month that Wallace, 65, would join them in an attempt to qualify for the season-opening Crown Jewel Feb. 16.

Had he been approved, Wallace would have been the second-oldest driver to start the race.

A NASCAR spokesperson told media outlets Monday night that Wallace has not raced on any intermediate or larger racetrack since 2015, leading to his rejection for Daytona consideration. It would also have been Wallace's first time racing in NASCAR's Next Gen car, introduced in 2022.

NASCAR did not shut the door on Wallace entering the race for 2026, but the driver expressed his "utter shock and devastation" in NASCAR's decision in a Facebook post late Monday.

Wallace wrote that he was not approved to race in the Cup, Xfinity or Truck series in 2025.

"This comes as a total shock as the President of NASCAR last week in a real phone call told me all was good and he will see me in Daytona," Wallace claimed. "I owe this posting to all my fans and non fans who were so supportive through the great messages and postings of support as they say I inspired them!"

Wallace went on to say that there were sponsors committed to MBM Motorsports and him specifically for the Daytona 500 effort.

Wallace made 197 starts in the Cup series, his last coming at the 2015 Daytona 500. He notched 14 top-10 finishes on NASCAR's top circuit but never won a Cup race.

It will mark the 67th edition of the race, with the 68th already scheduled for Feb. 15, 2026. William Byron won last year's Daytona 500.

"The Daytona 500 continues to be a spectacle of elite racing and entertainment, and the consecutive sellouts just prove this event is one of a kind," Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher said. "You can quite literally feel the atmosphere from the moment Speedweeks begins.

"The crowd is buzzing with excitement and every team, from the driver to the crew chief, is eager to get their season started. It all comes to a head when that green flag drops on Sunday, Feb. 16, and I can't wait to see what this year's Daytona 500 has in store for us."

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will begin with the Daytona 500 after the 2024 campaign featured 18 different race winners and three of the closest finishes in the circuit's history. Joey Logano ended up being named champion for the third time in his career.

The agreement with the Hendrick Motorsports is in an effort to raise awareness of Prime Video's Cup Series rights deal that begins this season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The paint scheme for Elliott's No. 9 Chevrolet will use Amazon Prime's blue and white colors, with a "NASCAR on Prime" logo reading "Streaming May 2025" placed on the rear bumper. The 29-year-old Elliott won the "Most Popular Driver" award for the seventh consecutive season in 2024.

Amazon will use is first sponsorship at Talladega on April 27. It will then skip Texas and use the final two for 2025 in mid-May at Kansas and the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.

"We're thrilled to work with Hendrick Motorsports and Chase as we begin our NASCAR coverage in 2025," Stacey Rosenson, Amazon's director and head of U.S. sports marketing, said in a press release. "It represents an exciting extension of our new NASCAR relationship. Chase is a wildly popular, championship-winning driver, and we can't wait to see the No. 9 Prime Video team in action as we approach our streaming debut."

Amazon's five-race streaming stretch then begins at the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. Prime will also stream practice and qualifying for most of the first half of the season for races at which Fox Sports retains the rights to -- the Cook-Out Clash, Daytona 500 week and the All-Star Race.

NASCAR signed deals with four different domestic media rights partners that average $1.1 billion over the next seven years.

A longtime open-wheel competitor, the 49-year-old Castroneves won the Indy 500 in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021. He has familiarity with the Daytona International Speedway, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona from 2021-23 on the circuit's road course.

Trackhouse Racing has three full-time Cup Series teams with a part-time No. 91 car dubbed "Project 91." Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen drive the No. 91 car to a victory on the Chicago street course in 2023 in his NASCAR debut.

Castroneves still will have to earn his spot in the Daytona 500 field during qualifying. While 36 spots are accounted for by full-time and charter teams, additional spots are available in qualifying. A total of 42 cars qualified for the 2024 Daytona 500 field.

Castroneves is one of four drivers to win the Indy 500 four times, with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. also accomplishing the feat. Only Foyt and Mario Andretti have won both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500.

In one of the wildest races in the modern era of NASCAR, Joey Logano navigated five overtime restarts at Nashville and somehow had enough fuel to cross the finish line first and earn a win that eventually catapulted him to a third Cup Series championship.

The man who finished second to Logano on that summer Tennessee evening was Smith, who notched his first top-10 finish of his rookie season.

Up to that point, Smith's 2024 season with Spire Motorsports had been tumultuous. Smith and the No. 71 team had only accrued four top-20 finishes through the first 18 races of the season, though finishes of 19th at Gateway and 16th at Sonoma to begin the month of June suggested improvement was on the way.

Smith's runner-up finish at Nashville ended up spurring an incredible turnaround for the rookie driver. Once an afterthought on Sunday afternoon, the Huntington Beach, Calif., native became a fixture in the top-20 for the rest of the season. Over the season's final 18 events, Smith finished inside the top-20 10 times, with four of those being top-10 finishes. At Watkins Glen, Smith even brought home another top-five finish.

The end result of 2024 was a year in which Smith, who was last in points among full-time drivers after race 21 at Pocono, climbed up as high as 28th in points before finishing in 30th.

The bad news? Smith had been released from his development deal with Trackhouse Racing earlier in the year, and his 2025 plans were unknown.

Enter Bob Jenkins and Front Row Motorsports, who were accustomed to working with Smith. As the pilot of FRM's No. 38 Ford F-150 in the Truck Series in 2022 and 2023, Smith won six races, made two playoff appearances and won the 2022 championship.

On Thursday, one of the worst-kept secrets in the NASCAR garage became public -- Smith will return to Front Row in 2025, but this time as a Cup Series driver.

Smith will pilot the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the team in 2025, joining a young core of drivers who could sneak up on the competition.

Smith, 25, will join third-year driver Noah Gragson, 26, and fourth-year driver Todd Gilliland, 24, at an organization built for both the present and the future.

While Front Row's future seems extremely promising as a whole, the individual future for Smith couldn't be in a better place.

Smith has plenty of momentum behind him to carry into 2025, and working with familiar faces and a team on the up-and-up certainly won't hurt.

Smith has proved his ability to run up front and not be daunted by the moment, and his playoff experience and championship pedigree from his Truck Series tenure are invaluable assets.

As an organization, Front Row Motorsports is in a better spot than ever to provide necessary assets to young drivers looking to break into victory lane. FRM isn't a team with the capabilities to compete for a championship, but their steady strides make it seem very possible for at least one of their cars to earn a playoff spot.

It's often said that first chances are rare in racing, and second chances are rarer still.

Time will decide what Smith does with his second chance, but if he performs to his potential, there's no reason he couldn't be the man to lead Front Row Motorsports to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in 2025.

The team announced a multiyear agreement with the former Truck Series champion on Thursday.

Front Row Motorsports purchased the charter for a third vehicle from now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing.

Smith, 25, joined FRM in 2022 and captured the Truck Series championship that season, the company's first title.

He won six truck races across the 2022-23 seasons -- including Daytona both years -- and was hoping to move full-time to the Cup Series in 2024.

"Unfortunately, everyone had to make tough decisions because there were only two Cup cars available at Front Row Motorsports going into last season when I was ready," Smith said in a news release.

"Now, going into next year, Front Row has really taken their Cup program to another level and I cannot think of a better lineup of teammates. Todd (Gilliland) and Noah (Gragson) are great friends of mine and we all have a lot to prove as young drivers in the Cup Series. It is a great time to come back and continue to build my career with an organization where I know I can win."

Smith returns to FRM after spending the 2024 season driving the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, posting four top-10 finishes in 36 races. The rookie's best finish was a runner-up effort at Nashville on June 30.

"We want to welcome Zane back to Front Row Motorsports," team owner Bob Jenkins said in a release. "He brought us our first championship and we believe that he can win in the NASCAR Cup Series, too. We have always believed in his talents, and we will work hard to give him what he needs to be successful. We have confidence in Zane.

"This finalizes our drivers for 2025 in the Cup Series and we can now make all our teams as strong as possible. We have come a long way, but there is a lot more ground to make up, too. We now have the drivers who can build on where we are today and take us to the next level."

Smith finished 30th in the Cup Series points standings. FRM's Gilliland placed 22nd and Gragson was 24th driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

"I want to thank Bob, Jerry (general manager, Jerry Freeze) and Mark Rushbrook at Ford for making this happen," Smith said. "I know that we can win together in the Cup Series like we did in the Truck Series. It's a great time to come back as we continue to make FRM even better."

Ryan Bergenty will serve as Smith's crew chief in 2025 after spending the past two seasons primarily with Gilliland.

They previously partnered up in the ARCA Menards Series West, winning consecutive championships from 2016-17.

Lawson, 39, also worked for Front Row Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series before moving to Rick Ware Racing in 2024.

Gilliland, 24, finished 22nd in the Cup Series standings in 2024 after recording four top-10 finishes in 37 starts in Front Row Motorsports' No. 38 Ford.

It was previously announced that Gilliland would be moving to the No. 34 in 2025, replacing Michael McDowell.