NASCAR It celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. As part of the Diamond Anniversary celebration, which will include many special moments throughout the year, the organization has been touting the milestone ahead of the start of the 2023 season.
this week, NASCAR President Steve Phelps He visited the New York Stock Exchange and joined it Jeff Gordon And many drivers to ring the closing bell. While everyone seemed to be having a good time, it was hard not to notice the team and manufacturer not being represented in the festivities.
NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary
As NASCAR begins its 75th season, it’s time for everyone to reflect back on the sport’s ancient past and see just how far it has come.
It’s a pretty cool story to think that it began on the shores of Daytona and has blossomed into the major sport and multi-million dollar business it is today.
To honor this rich history, the sanctioning authority will celebrate this momentous occasion with fans throughout the year. Fans really got a taste of it early in the new year when NASCAR participated in the Rose Bowl parade with its signature float Richard Pettythe legendary icon from the past, and rookie Truck Series driver Raja Karuth, who represents the future of the sport.
The president of NASCAR and others ring the closing bell
This week as part of its anniversary celebrations, NASCAR had several New York representatives on the stock exchange, including President Steve Phelps, Hendrick Motorsports Vice President and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, as well as drivers Chase ElliottAnd Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez.
The standout moment of the visit came when all the NASCAR dignitaries stood atop the Exchange Hall and cheered and Phelps rang the closing bell. Additionally, Phelps, Gordon, and Elliott sat down for an interview today NYSE Floor TalkWho visits the guests of the stock exchange and talks about their business.
Conspiracy theory feeds to play favorites with Hendrick Motorsports
No one would blame NASCAR officials for trying to promote the brand, and the 75th Anniversary is the perfect opportunity to do so through various avenues, or in this case, streets, such as Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. But you’d also think—like NASCAR did in picking Petty and Caruth for the Rose Bowl rally—there would be careful consideration of optics.
In New York, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports were well represented with Elliott and Gordon joined by another driver in Suarez from Trackhouse Racing. Ryan Blaney He was the sole representative of Ford and Team Penske. A notable absentee was any drivers from Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Probably all of the drivers at JGR and 23 XI Racing have had prior commitments. But no matter how you slice it, it wasn’t a good look, especially after you think about it Denny Hamlin called NASCAR last year to give what he saw as preferential treatment to HMS by partnering exclusively with the organization for the Garage 56 Project car, NASCAR’s special entry for the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2023.
Conspiracy theorists unite.
There was likely no ill will from NASCAR, including a pair of reps from HMS and none from Toyota/JGR in the Big Apple. But, as they say, perception is reality. And in this case, the truth is, NASCAR once again seems to be playing favorites with Hendrick.
Or, in the grand scheme of things, just another interesting plot twist added to NASCAR’s ever-evolving saga of 75 Years Strong and Growing.