NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart has won two NASCAR Cup driver titles (2002 and 2005). He claimed a third as a driver-owner in the Cup Series in 2011. And in 2014, Kevin Harvick took home a Cup Championship driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. Once again, the Columbus, Indiana native was in the running for yet another championship. This time in the NHRA season ending event in California with his wife, Leah Pruett in the driver's seat. When it ended, Doug Kalitta narrowly took the Top Fuel battle over Pruett to win his first world title in a winner-take all final. Kalitta has finished second six times in his quest to win a Top Fuel world title! It was the last event of the 2023 NHRA season and it didn't disappoint.
Stewart did not go home empty handed. He also owns the Funny Car team of Matt Hagan. After surviving elimination, Hagan claimed his 4th Funny Car World Championship. Talk about domination, Erica Enders took home her sixth career NHRA Pro Stock World Championship. She is just unbeatable! In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera easily took home the big trophy for 2023. And it is worth pointing out, Julie Nataas won her first NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Dragster world championship. Her family has a strong history in the sport. Congrats to Stewart for finishing second in Top Alcohol points. And Congrats to all the champions! For years, Lucas Oil has been a huge backer of the NHRA!
2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Ben Rhodes is looking forward to some down time back home in Louisville in the off season. He won the title this year in a wild finish and multiple overtimes at Phoenix. He did it after switching car makers (Toyota to Ford) and working with multiple crew chiefs. His focus down the stretch was 100% and then some! Can he win a 3rd truck title? The answer is yes, and he likely will. Ben deserves a Cup ride. But money talks. He has enough sponsorship for the trucks, maybe Xfinity. But Cup requires a higher dollar and a multiple year sponsorship. We first met Ben nearly a decade ago. He loves Louisville and Southern Indiana. He is a people person. Ben spends time with fans! Don't be surprised over the holidays if you see Ben taking a picture with a fan, or signing an autograph or two!
Ryan Blaney is still celebrating for Team Penske. He won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Championship. Like Rhodes, Blaney drove a Ford to the title. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Cole Custer took home his first NASCAR Championship. Custer also drove a Ford. His owner? Tony Stewart! You may recall when he raced in the Cup Series not long ago, Custer won his first Cup race at the Kentucky Speedway in 2020.
Kentuckiana Motorsports continues to provide racing coverage for more than two decades. It started with a half hour program and specials on cable, then a major television channel, and as media has transformed, online and social media. Lucas Oil has been a huge part of it. They support local and grass roots. Always have. We remind you to make sure your car, truck, motorcycle, boat, other vehicles, and lawn equipment are all running efficiently. Think Lucas Oil Products this winter! They do so much for racing communities across America. Other sponsors of KMS include PNC Bank (Sponsor of Scott Dixon's Indy Car Series Car), Sportsdrome Speedway (Celebrating more than 75 years of Racing!), locally owned Bright Pest Control and Bright Retail in Louisville, (Offering Do-It-Yourself Professional Pest Products with a retail store), and Knox Ford in Radcliff, Kentucky) (It also has a sister dealership, Tri-County Ford in Oldham County, KY). KMS friends also include: VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering telephone service for low as $25.00 a line per month), Temco Roofing, Jim Ellis/Attorney-At-Law, ICA Dumpsters, Kentucky Raceway Ministries, Nimlok Kentucky, Dynamic Healthcare, Lyndon Mower Repair, and Kentucky Medicare Plans (Serving Kentucky and Southern Indiana with Health and Medicare plans). We also thank our media connections in all series, NASCAR and with NASCAR Media, Indy Car, Monster Jam, ARCA, and NHRA for helping us bring the sport to the fans!
