“No BS in the comments I made” - NASCAR President gives optimistic news on the idea of adding fourth manufacturer in the sport 

NASCAR has been pushing for a fourth manufacturer to join its roster for several months now. Although there hasn't been an official announcement about the same yet, NASCAR president Steve Phelps has said they are regularly holding 'robust discussions' with the original equipment manufacturers (OEM).

As of now, NASCAR is tied up with three car manufacturers — Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford. There have been rumors of Honda joining forces with the sport for quite some time, but as per Motorsports Wire, that won’t happen until the 2025 season.

In a recent interview with Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern, Phelps addressed the matter, saying (via Stern's X handle):

"We are having robust discussions with a number of [original equipment] partners that someday, if I had to guess and were a betting man, something is going to hit. I just don't know with whom or the timing of that.”

“I know that's an answer l've given repeatedly over the last five years, but they're facts. There's no BS in the comment I just made,” he added.

Phelps didn’t reveal exactly how long it would be before a new manufacturer signs a deal with NASCAR. However, John Probst, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer, told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio in an older interview (via The Daily Down Force):

“A timeline for a new OEM coming into our sport is somewhere in the 18- to 24-month period. When we work with our existing partners, obviously it’s important for us to make sure that any new partner coming in would be a complement to what we have here today.”

NASCAR believes five OEMs are the right number. Besides the rumors about Honda, sources have suggested Dodge’s return to the major league racing series. However, talks about the same have been stalled, Stern had written in a story back in 2022.

Chevrolet’s quickest SS model expected to pace NASCAR’s official season-opening bid

The 2025 Blazer EV SS, brought about by Chevrolet, has been tabbed as the pace car for this year’s running of the annual Daytona 500. The crown jewel race is scheduled for Sunday, February 16.

Needless to say, the Blazer SV SS will not have the performance upgrades that are typical of a standard stock car. However, it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Chevrolet Vice President, Scott Bell, said (via Jayski):

“Chevrolet has a long history with racing – it’s in our DNA, and the Blazer EV SS is a testament to that. We’re excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS, the quickest SS we’ve ever produced, pace such an iconic race this weekend.”

Fans can watch the famed 500-miler on FOX from 2:30 pm ET onwards, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.