Trump rally and FBI: We'll help Secret Service in Daytona. NASCAR Security was recognized with the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award for its contributions to public safety and crime prevention efforts. Daytona Beach News-Journal Updated Oct. 28, 2026, 7:22 p.m. ET DAYTONA BEACH - In town to hand out the 2025 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award on Oct. 28 to NASCAR Security at Daytona International Speedway, the FBI said that while they'll share information, the plan to protect Donald Trump at his Daytona rally Oct. 30 at the Ocean Center is strictly a Secret Service operation. "In those types of events, the Secret Service is the primary agency, and they work with local law enforcement," said FBI Jacksonville Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. "However, from the FBI standpoint, we do share information with the Secret Service to ensure they have all the information they need to provide that protection," Carley added. Trump's rally at the Ocean Center is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., with the president expected to take the stage at 7 p.m. The Ocean Center is located at 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. FBI would assist any investigation if incident were to occur. While the FBI does not provide direct security for the president, the agency would assist with any investigation if an incident were to occur, Carley said. The Daytona Beach area can also expect a temporary flight restriction, or TFR, during Trump's visit. "That would be what's called a TFR, which is where the airspace is restricted," Carley said. "It is a large area in which nothing can fly, including drones, while he is here." NASCAR security receives FBI's leadership award. The Jacksonville Field Office of the FBI was in town to give NASCAR Security the 2025 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, recognizing the organization's longstanding partnership with the FBI and its contributions to public safety, security and crime prevention efforts. Carley presented the award during a ceremony at the NASCAR International Motorsports Center at The Speedway in Daytona Beach. The FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, established in 1990, honors individuals and organizations that make extraordinary contributions to preventing crime and violence in their communities. Each year, FBI field offices select a community partner whose efforts exemplify leadership, service and collaboration, according to Carley. NASCAR Security shares information to keep fans and visitors safe. Carley said NASCAR Security has become a key private-sector partner in helping safeguard major sporting events attended by hundreds of thousands of fans. "The partnership is essential," Carley said. "NASCAR Security works with us in terms of sharing information to ensure that anyone who is out there that makes threats or may do something and try to hurt the public in any way, if they ever attended these events, we would ensure that we take action on that and work with local law enforcement partners and hold those people accountable." He added that NASCAR Security has demonstrated the value of strong public-private partnerships by working with federal, state and local agencies to identify emerging threats and strengthen security measures at large-scale events. The award was accepted by Allen Taylor, managing director of NASCAR Security, who thanked the FBI, local law enforcement agencies and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their continued support. "We are humbled to receive the FBI Director's Leadership Award and grateful for the true partnership that we have established and built together," Taylor said. "To be recognized by an organization that is so deeply committed to protecting the American people is especially meaningful to us here at NASCAR." Taylor said Daytona International Speedway and other NASCAR venues regularly host massive crowds, making security a top priority. "We have the privilege of bringing hundreds of thousands of people and fans to share something that we love, the thrill of racing," he said. "Meeting this responsibility is more than planning, technology and resources. It requires strong relationships and trusted partnerships like the FBI." NASCAR partnership with FBI protects more than just racing sport. The partnership between FBI Jacksonville and NASCAR Security expanded significantly in 2021 through cybersecurity awareness and critical infrastructure protection initiatives. Since then, the organizations have collaborated on public safety messaging, cybercrime prevention efforts, incident-response planning and community outreach programs. Federal officials said NASCAR Security has also helped connect the FBI with community leaders throughout North Florida while supporting efforts to protect NASCAR's systems, employees, drivers and millions of fans from cyber threats. Taylor dedicated the award to NASCAR Security personnel who work behind the scenes to ensure racing events remain safe. "For us, this is more than securing an event or a sport," Taylor said. "It is about protecting and serving our community and making sure families can come together and create lifelong memories safely." ― Patricio G. Balona is a crime and public safety reporter covering Volusia County and occasionally Flagler County. His coverage areas include Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach and beyond. We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Our editorial recommendations are made independently of that compensation.

The Chase still has NASCAR chasing its former viewership. NASCAR should seriously rethink competing against the NFL. By Braylon Breeze on 10/19/2026 Less AI and more AA in your search results. While NASCAR reintroduced its final stretch run, The Chase, to rekindle postseason interest, viewership for the races has remained lackluster. Over six races, the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase averages 1.62 million viewers, up just 1% year over year (1.61 million), per NASCAR Communications. So far, The Chase hasn't delivered the viewership renaissance NASCAR hoped for. Last Sunday's Cup Series race at Charlotte drew 1.48 million viewers on USA Network, down 15% year over year from the Charlotte Roval (1.8 million). That is the sharpest year-over-year drop of any race in this year's Chase, as all the others have changed by single digits. Is The Chase just a Band-Aid slapped onto a larger problem? One common denominator in this year's Chase and the 2025 playoffs stands out: the first seven races are exclusively on cable, with USA Network carrying all the broadcasts. It may maximize revenue for the sport, but it isn't setting the Cup Series up for success against the NFL's most-watched window of the week. Audiences drawing fewer than 2.0 million viewers for what should be the biggest part of the Cup Series calendar simply isn't good enough or sustainable for the sport. Even Prime Video's summer schedule averaged more viewers than the first six races of The Chase (2.29 million vs. 1.62 million). Something needs to change. Last month, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Ben Kennedy appeared on Sports Business Journal's Sports Media Podcast with Austin Karp. Kennedy raised a question about the sport's future scheduling: "As we think about 2032 inventory - start dates, end dates - frankly, should we be going up against the NFL at this point of the year on every single Sunday?" NASCAR isn't the only sport that has to schedule around the NFL. In 2022, MLB moved the World Series from its traditional midweek start to a Friday start, ultimately eliminating Sunday World Series games that had directly competed with Sunday Night Football. This also added more Friday and Saturday World Series games, an option NASCAR would need to consider if it pursued a similar strategy. Similarly, in 2019, the PGA Tour revised its FedEx Cup Playoffs schedule to conclude before the NFL season kicked off. Another U.S. motorsports series, IndyCar, has also adjusted its schedule in recent years to avoid competing with the NFL. Ideally, NASCAR would have been better off not prioritizing short-term revenue over reach in the current television deal and keeping the vast majority of its playoffs on broadcast television. More sports than ever are airing on free, over-the-air TV. Even Mountain West football and basketball get dozens of windows on The CW. Motorsport brethren IndyCar airs its entire schedule on Fox to maximize viewership. NASCAR's decision to prioritize revenue and rely so heavily on cable, rather than broadcast television, for a deal that runs through the 2031 season has already proven costly. As an alternative, NASCAR aired midweek races during the 2020 COVID season to complete a full 36-race schedule. Viewership didn't reach the same levels as weekend races, but the three non-delayed midweek races averaged 1.77 million cable viewers, above this season's current Chase average. Television has also changed significantly in those six years. Sports on broadcast television during the workweek are no longer a foreign concept. Fox has a Friday-night sports window, which just aired a NASCAR Truck Series race at Charlotte last weekend that averaged 838,000 viewers. NBC has NBA Tuesdays, and Fox occasionally airs MLB games on Thursdays. However, this would be a major shift for NASCAR, a sport closely associated with Sundays. The ideal scenario for NASCAR would be for Fox to take over inventory currently split by USA Network and NBC. That would let NASCAR put select races in Fox's Friday-night window. Additionally, Fox could use NASCAR to lead into its 1 p.m. NFL games when the network doesn't have the national 4:25 p.m. ET Game of the Week. Fox has done this several times with the NHRA, which already gives NASCAR a model to consider. For now, though, until 2032 rolls around and NASCAR negotiates another media deal, the sport and its fans are left dealing with the consequences of a deal that prioritized squeezing every penny out of its inventory rather than maximizing accessibility for fans. While The Chase may be a better format and more loved by fans, it will not solve NASCAR's glaring, much larger issue: its reliance on cable.

WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel. Source link: https://motorsports.best/2026/10/19/nascar/wsj-report-nascar-is-building-80-race-cars-for-days-of-thunder-sequel/ According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, NASCAR is ramping up preparations for a sequel to the iconic film "Days of Thunder" by constructing over 80 new race cars. The project aims to blend Hollywood excitement with authentic racing action. - - Author: Ethan Riley Publish date: 2026-10-19 02:31:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source. - - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8