NASCAR COO Steve O'Donnell broke major news regarding the three OEMs when he expressed that the manufacturers are happy with their return on investment from the racing series and are unconcerned by their future involvement with F1.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have played a significant role in the history and evolution of NASCAR, impacting both the sport and the automotive industry. The primary OEMs involved in the motorsport are Chevrolet (by General Motors), who entered NASCAR in 1949 alongside Ford. Toyota entered the fray much later, in 2007.
NASCAR’s famous phrase “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” encapsulated the marketing strategy that linked racing to increased sales in cars of these OEMs. In NASCAR, OEMs manufacturer the stock car and support teams rather than fielding their own directly while in F1, they typically engage through full factory teams or engine partnerships.
A study published by Cambridge highlighted that NASCAR sponsorship announcements typically lead to significant increases in shareholder’s wealth - averaging over $300 million in value creation. However, all three OEMs have seemingly been working on making a foray into F1.
NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell responded to Sports Business Journal if he was confident that OEM investment into F1 wouldn’t affect their investments into NASCAR.
"When you look at the value that NASCAR provides, and the racing product we put on track, I’m confident that that will continue to deliver for them."
O’Donnell talked about the possible addition of a fourth OEM (rumoured to be Honda) and how it depends on if NASCAR will employ Hybrid technology in the future.
"I wouldn’t say it’s definitely on the table but the engines and engine architecture is certainly a big topic for us with our existing (OEMs) and potential (OEMs) coming into the sport and that would mostly revolve around some type of hybrid model, so I would say that we’re in the exploration phase but also looking as you’ve seen with electric, hydrogen," he replied to SBJ.
Chevrolet teams include powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing; the teams are known to be dominant in NASCAR and General Motors will be hoping for them to be a great advertisement for their cars.
Ford supplies for Team Penske, RFK Racing and Haas Factory Team. Joey Logano (the defending champion) drove a Ford car in 2024. Toyota supports Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing as its flagship teams.
NASCAR president dropped huge hint about a fourth OEM joining the sport
Per Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR President Steve Phelps had indicated that a fourth original equipment manufacturer (OEM) may soon join the sport. Phelps stated that negotiations are ongoing and expressed cautious optimism about the potential addition of this new manufacturer, although he did not disclose its identity.
Dodge has been speculated to be a frontrunner for a return, although it has shifted focus towards electrification and has discontinued its V8 program.
Honda is another contender that could leverage its connections in IndyCar to establish partnerships within NASCAR. Earlier, discussions had hinted at Honda's interest in joining the league.
"Phelps says a fourth OEM is ‘close’ to entering the sport and negotiations are ongoing to make that deal happen. 'I'm cautiously optimistic,'" wrote Jordan Bianchi on X in November 2024.
The last time NASCAR had four manufacturers was in 2012 when Dodge participated before leaving the sport in 2013 after Penske Racing switched to Ford.