Andretti Family’s NASCAR Introduction Could Potentially Open Gate for Another Interesting Party Lurking for Years

Going into the 2025 season, there are a lot of unknowns. Yes! The main one is who will go in as a championship winner. But there are also a lot of unknowns off the track. Firstly, the charter deal hasn’t been finalized yet thanks to the debate started by Denny Hamlin. Secondly, Spire Motors is trying to reset and make a lot of changes.

The closing down of Stewart-Haas racing has given birth to the Haas Factor Team, which would be a single-racer team in the 2025 season. Finally, there is also a possibility of a new entrant into the NASCAR series. The Andretti group has recently shown interest in NASCAR. With Andretti’s sudden piqued curiosity, could Honda also enter NASCAR as the fourth manufacturer?

Legendary Andretti team in NASCAR?

In a recent video, Andretti Global’s President JF Thormann talked about their willingness to enter NASCAR. He said, “We’re the only ones that compete in the amount of series that we do. And then the ambition that Mike still has, we still have to close the loop obviously with Formula 1, that’s well-documented and hopefully NASCAR.” 

There are rumors that their entry into NASCAR could be through Spire Motorsports. Spire Motorsports is currently going through a revamp. They have let go of their #7 driver, Corey LaJoie. They have also brought in Stewart-Haas’s famed crew chief Rodney Childers. Amid these changes, a partnership with one of the biggest names in motorsports could prove to be a great move for Spire Motorsports.

The Spire-Andretti possibility in the 2025 Cup series is not as far-fetched as one would think. As the team’s sponsor, Gainbridge is a major partner with Andretti. This, hence, gave Marco Andretti a seat with Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Moreover, he has also raced in Xfinity at the Charlotte Roval in 2022.

Andretti’s are not exactly new to NASCAR either. Their journey began with the legend Mario Andretti, who made a few NASCAR starts and famously won the Daytona 500 in 1967. Mario’s nephew, John, also entered NASCAR, racking up 393 Cup Series races and two victories. The racing legacy continued with Mario’s grandson, Marco. If the Andretti team partners with Spire Motorsports, the #7 seat could be taken by Marco Andretti.

If Andretti comes into NASCAR, it could also pave the way for Honda, because of their history. The Andretti Group uses the Honda Engine in their IndyCar team. There are already possibilities of Honda getting into NASCAR, but can this way make it go faster?

Could Honda actually come in as the fourth Manufacturer?

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NASCAR talks about getting a fourth manufacturer in the competition has been going on ever since Dodge left in 2012. They had shown some interest in return, but if they hadn’t in over a decade, they probably aren’t coming. According to NASCAR insiders, NASCAR has been looking to get Honda to join the current manufacturer’s group of, Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet.

As reported by the Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern, the COO of NASCAR, Steve O’Donnell said, “Our current partners are very open to new OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) coming in and open to having conversations about that possibility. Automakers know that at the end of the day, being in NASCAR sells cars. It’s a proven thing and it’s a place OEMs want to be and should be.” 

Notably, Honda coming into NASCAR actually makes a lot of sense. Since the company is truly American, it produces 2/3rd of the cars in America and customers have an appeal for Honda cars. As Steve said, stock car racing gives companies a lot of exposure and helps get sales. Who wouldn’t want to buy a car that is used for racing?

Presently, however, no official deal has been made between NASCAR and Honda unless they are keeping it under wraps. However, Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi doesn’t think Honda will come in the 2025 season. In his previous podcast episode, he discussed how entering a deal with NASCAR is a lengthy process and it seems unlikely that it will be done before the 2025 season. “You’ve got to submit all of the stuff to NASCAR, and NASCAR has to approve it, then you’ve got to do testing and all of this stuff,” he said. “This is a process, and that process hasn’t even started yet, to my knowledge, So, yeah, at some point, they may. It ain’t gonna be for 2025, though.” 

There are a lot of possibilities for new things in the next season of NASCAR. How excited are you for the 2025 season? Let us know in the comments below.