We are closing in on the final handful of weeks of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the stock car series’ 75th anniversary campaign. To celebrate, each week through the end of the season, Ryan McGee is presenting his top five favorite things about the sport.
Top five best-looking cars? Check. Top five toughest drivers? We’ve got it. Top five mustaches? There can be only one, so maybe not.
Without further ado, our 75 favorite things about NASCAR, celebrating 75 years of stock car racing.
As we have dropped the hammer on our series of NASCAR 75 top-five greatest lists, we spent the first four weeks dealing with the racers and races, but what about the machines those racers drove in those races?
Nearly 2-ton machines snarling around ovals, road courses and dirt tracks at speeds exceeding 200 mph. It sounds like there’s no way they couldn’t all look cool while in the midst of doing that, but the reality is that, like people, some race cars just look more awesome than others, no matter whether they are pushing the edge of the envelope at Talladega or just sitting on the race shop floor.
So, what NASCAR models stand out above the rest in stock car racing’s grand 75-year-old showroom? Grab a can of Simoniz and a chamois cloth and read ahead as we present our top five best-looking NASCAR race cars.
Honorable mention: 1955-56 Chrysler 300C
Anyone who gets frustrated now when Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing gets on a hot streak and seemingly wins all the races and titles would have totally hated these cars back in the day, and really hated the team that fielded them.
Team owner Elmer Carl “EC” Kiekhaefer ran a fleet of long, sleek Chrysler 300Cs for two seasons, and they won 49 races (plus three more via other cars) and both Grand National titles. Tim Flock, Buck Baker and their teammates drove machines up and down Daytona Beach with giant three-digit car numbers and a script “Full Jeweled” painted above that number.
Carl Kiekhaefer was a NASCAR Grand National team owner for 2 years & he won 2 championships in dominant fashion. In 1955 Tim Flock won 18 races & in 1956 Buck Baker won 14 races. Kiekhaefer’s cars won 52 races in 2 seasons. pic.twitter.com/WDYigLN4lI
The 300C was so dominant and looked so cool that every race led to protests from defeated rivals, although none ever turned up any cheating. It made Kiekhaefer so angry that he quit racing and went back to selling his Mercury boat motors in Wisconsin, taking his awesome 300Cs with him.
5. 1951-54 Hudson Hornet
The 300C’s predecessor was a car that was so sleek in its design that it looked like it was racing even when it was sitting still. Heck, even the car numbers were painted with cartoon vapor trails as if they were in constant motion.
The Hudson Hornet won 79 races in all, piloted by everyone from Daytona Beach legend Marshall Teague and two-time champ Herb Thomas to Flock’s 1952 ride that famously had a shotgun spot for his pet monkey, Jocko Flocko. This car was so cool that Paul Newman voiced it in “Cars” for a character featuring Thomas’ “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” paint scheme.
4. 1995-99 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
After years of success with its squared-off 1980s Monte Carlo models and the equally boxy Lumina made famous by “Days of Thunder,” Chevy showed up at Daytona in 1995 with a brand-new Monte Carlo that was shaped like it was designed by a wind tunnel itself.
It immediately started crushing the field, thanks to the arrival of some kid named Jeff Gordon. It’s also the machine that finally delivered a Daytona 500 win for Dale Earnhardt.
Unfortunately, it also delivered the super-whiny “Their spoiler is higher than ours!” aerodynamic age of Cup Series racing that was the late 1990s and early 2000s, but hey, it still looked cool.
3. 1987 Ford Thunderbird
The impetus for Chevy’s move to a sleeker machine in the 1990s was because even when it was winning races and Cups with the likes of Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, their rivals’ rides always seemed to look sleeker thanks to the perpetually futuristic design of the Ford Thunderbird.
Peak T-Bird was reached in 1987. That was the year when Bill Elliott’s No. 9 red-and-white Coors Ford set the record for fastest lap recorded in a stock car, 212.809 mph at Talladega, and Davey Allison embarked on a rookie campaign in a black-and-white ride with the gold No. 28 on the door.
Actually, just go on and throw the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega/Mercury Cyclone Spoiler in here too, because it also looked awesome and, if not for it, we wouldn’t have gotten the other two.
After Richard Petty won 27(!) races in 1967 driving a Plymouth Belvedere (a car that should probably also be on this list), Ford built an extended, slope-nosed beast with a Blue Crescent 429 engine in it and stomped the field. Dodge responded in late 1969 with its own Boss 429-powered Daytona, which took the Torino’s knife-edged style and added a 2-foot-high fiberglass wing on the back.
For real.
Petty, who had switched to Ford in 1969, came back to Chrysler and ran the now-world-famous Petty Blue No. 43 Plymouth Superbird. All season, those wings ran around speedways looking like a Star Wars prequel.
Also, can we take a moment and acknowledge an entry that includes the terms “Torino,” “Cyclone,” “Charger,” “Superbird,” “Belvedere,” “Blue Crescent” and “Boss”? Weren’t the names of everything just more awesome back then?
1. 1972 Dodge Charger
Could this list have been five Petty-driven machines and been done at that? Totally. From the NASCAR Convertibles Division (yes, that was a real thing) to Belvederes to Pontiacs, “His Royal Fastness” piloted some of the most beautiful rides ever witnessed on a racetrack (and also some of the ugliest, more on that coming in our next list).
The best-looking race car that has ever taken a green or checkered flag, though, is Petty’s 1972 Dodge Charger. That’s the one with the giant signature Charger grill, the raised rear end, “The Racer’s Edge” printed on the front spoiler, the slanted roof number and the thick-striped melding of STP DayGlo red with Petty Blue.
That color compromise dang near killed the deal that became the model for all future sponsorship contracts. For more on how that went down, read this story from 2010.
Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
Has worked for three MLB teams.
Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’
MLB trade season has officially kicked into high gear with contenders looking to add to their rosters for the stretch run ahead and rebuilding teams aiming to stockpile young players with an eye to the future before Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline arrives.
As the moves go down, you can probably form your own opinion of the MLB veterans headed to new teams, but it’s much more difficult to figure out what to make of the minor leaguers who have moved.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our running ranking of every notable prospect who was dealt during July sorted by tiers using my Future Value grades so you can see where they slot in an MLB top 100 list or your team’s farm system ranking.
This story will be updated with top prospects headed to new teams added to the list with every new deal, so come back every time a move goes down to see which stars of tomorrow are on the move this month.
A 2023 11th-rounder out of Texas A&M, Garcia was a sleeper in the Seattle system who broke through as a starter in 2024. This season, he was moved into a full-time relief role, leading to his big league debut earlier this month.
He has an upper-body-reliant delivery with very short extension and a near-sidearm slot that nonetheless creates a lot of velocity, with his fastball peaking at 100.4 mph this season and living at 95-98 mph with his plus sinker. He also mixes in an 88-90 mph cutter and 84-86 mph sweeper that are both plus pitches. Garcia’s fastball command improving and the cutter continuing to be a useful weapon against righties are keys to him becoming a late-inning reliever.
Herring signed for $800,000 after being selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. He made only one start over two seasons at LSU but showed starter traits. Through 16 appearances as a starter this year, pitching across both Single-A levels, that theory has mostly held up.
His 88-92 mph heater touches 94 and looks as if it’ll be a fringe-to-average pitch, while his slider is above average and his changeup (which should be used more often) also flashes above average. He’ll move up to the 40+ FV tier with a little more bulk of performance and/or a strong finish/promotion in Double-A.
Aracena was a low-profile international signee, getting a $70,000 bonus in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic. He sat 90-94 mph for his first two pro seasons, then his velo exploded in 2024 to 95-98, hitting 100 mph. This year he’s been even a bit higher, sitting 96-99 and hitting 101 mph at 20 years old as a starter in Single-A.
The reason he isn’t ranked higher is his command is below average to the point that his likely career outcome is as a reliever. His fastball also plays below its velocity right now due to his command issues and higher arm slot, which creates a nonideal plane and a cutting action to the pitch. His 89-95 mph slider (possibly a cutter and slider that run together) is nasty, a clear plus pitch, while his changeup is rarely used and rudimentary.
The raw ability here is impressive and Aracena is young and athletic enough to get another year or two to prove he can start, but he also has late-inning potential as a reliever if that doesn’t work out. Aracena will move into the 40+ FV tier with either a tick more of command, developing a legitimate changeup or just keeping his head above water performance-wise as a starter in High-A.
Jimenez is a 19-year-old, switch-hitting catcher playing in Rookie ball who has a solid chance to stick behind the plate long term, but, as you’d guess, he still has some defensive work to do. He’s a slightly above-average framer (particularly to his glove side) and has above-average arm strength (catching 34% of baserunners this year), but is a below-average blocker of pitches in the dirt.
He’d benefit from getting more agile behind the plate but the athleticism is there to do so: Jimenez is a solid-average runner right now despite a stout 5-foot-9 frame. His raw power projects as fringe-to-average given his lack of physical projection, though he has solid ball flight (think 15ish homers at peak), with a grade more power as a left-handed hitter. Jimenez’s contact and on-base skills grade about average, so the sales pitch here is an overall average offensive threat, which is enough to warrant playing him at other positions to get his bat in the lineup as a platoon option, but hoping he can progress in all phases enough to become a primary catcher.
5. Ashton Izzi, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Acquired from Seattle Mariners in Josh Naylor deal
Izzi was a classic projection righty who signed for $1.1 million after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of an Illinois high school.
He has delivered on that projection, with his average fastball velo having crept up from 93.1 to 94.0 to 94.5 in his three pro seasons. His four-seamer is a solid-average pitch, while his slider can get to average with slightly better locations and his sweeper is an above-average pitch, maybe plus.
The issue is Izzi’s sinker; although it has a fine velocity/movement combination, it is too center-cut in the zone and has been hammered by hitters while being used almost as much as his four-seamer. He also doesn’t use his changeup much — but probably should, especially as he dials back his sinker. With some progress in his mix and locations, this is a No. 4 starter package, but Izzi is more of a long reliever as currently constituted.
Hoffmann was a 12th-round pick out of Illinois in the 2021 draft who was traded to the Royals in 2022 and finished the season in Double-A, beating predraft expectations. He was seen as a potential back-end starter at that point, but moved to full-time short relief this season en route to making his big league debut.
His mid-90s fastball is a solid-average pitch that plays up due to his funk and deception, and his main weapon is a plus changeup that tunnels well to the bottom of the zone. His slider is a clear third pitch and is fringy, which is why he was moved to relief to focus on using his two best pitches. With better fastball locations, Hoffmann could move from middle relief into the later innings.
35+ FV tier
Acquired from New York Yankees in Amed Rosario deal
Beeter was a second-round pick in the 2020 draft and has slowly moved down the starter-to-reliever spectrum to becoming a full-time reliever for the first time in 2025. He’s 26 years old with five career big league appearances under his belt, but Beeter is still in Triple-A for now because of his walk rate: 7.2 per 9 innings — including issuing seven walks in his last 8⅓ innings pitched.
Beeter is still a solid prospect because of his 65-grade slider and above-average fastball that peaks at 99 mph. His fastball command is the variable that, with more progress, could turn him into a late-inning reliever, but Beeter is a higher-variance middle reliever who needs to avoid walks in Triple-A to get his next big league shot.
8. Browm Martinez, CF, Washington Nationals
Acquired from New York Yankees in Amed Rosario deal
Martinez signed for a $130,000 bonus last January and was solid last summer in the Dominican Summer League before having a huge repeat season in the league this year — posting an OPS of 1.139 driven by higher contact rates.
There is still a wide range of potential outcomes for Martinez as an 18-year-old playing in the lowest level of the minors, but the key here is he has above-average bat control and pitch selection at the plate, arguably the two most important things to demonstrate at lower levels.
He’s also a solid-average runner who has 34 career stolen bases, and that speed could allow him to stay in center field. There’s some physical projection left given his age, but his power projects to continue to be below average, so sticking in center would be key to his long-term value.
9. Josh Grosz, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Acquired from New York Yankees in Ryan McMahon deal
Grosz is a potential No. 5 starter/swingman type with some feel and deception from his abruptly quick delivery. He throws a 92-95 mph dead-zone fastball with heavy tail that plays around average, an above-average changeup and a fringy slider.
He has a tougher road to being a solid big leaguer if he can’t stick as a starter because most teams prefer a middle reliever to have an above-average breaking ball to get right-handed hitters out.
10. Cameron Foster, RHP, Baltimore Orioles
Acquired from New York Mets in Gregory Soto deal
Foster is a 26-year-old long reliever who sits 93-96 and hits 99 mph from a high slot (it’s on the whole an average big league pitch). He also mixes in an 86-88 mph cutter (a solid-average pitch), an 81-84 mph slurve (an above-average pitch), and a big loopy 75-78 mph curveball (effective as a fourth offering that’s used in certain situations). He’s a solid back-end-of-the-roster-type utility arm who can be used in multiple roles and should debut this year or next. He needs to be added to the 40-man roster after the season to protect from the Rule 5 draft.
Jeff Legwold covers the Denver Broncos at ESPN. He has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years and also assists with NFL draft coverage, joining ESPN in 2013. He has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999, too. Jeff previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans at previous stops prior to ESPN.
BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders announced Monday that he had undergone surgery to remove his bladder after doctors discovered a tumor there. Sanders said, since the surgery, there are no traces of cancer, and he will continue to coach this season.
In a packed Touchdown Club in the Dal Ward Athletic Center, Sanders appeared with Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urological oncology at University of Colorado Cancer Center, and answered some of the questions that have swirled around him throughout the offseason.
The 57-year-old Sanders has largely been out of the public eye in recent months, save for an appearance at Big 12 media days earlier this month when he acknowledged Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark for repeatedly checking in on him and praised Colorado athletic director Rick George.
Sanders deflected questions about his health at Big 12 media days and previously had not publicly offered any specifics. In July his son, Deion Jr., posted a video on social media in which Deion Sanders is heard saying he was dealing with a health issue and that “I ain’t all the way recovered.”
In the video he was seen stepping into an ice bath as well as shooting a basketball and a walk with his daughter. Sanders said in May he had lost about 14 pounds as he had limited contact around the program during the team’s spring and summer workouts.
Sanders has previously dealt with serious health issues. He has had bouts with blood clots in his legs, had two toes amputated in 2022 and emergency surgery in June 2023 to treat the persistent clots, including one in his thigh in one leg and several just below his knee in his other leg.
On the field, Sanders is set to begin his third season at the school. With his son, Shedeur, at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, college football’s most accomplished two-way player in the modern era, the Buffaloes finished 9-4 last season with an Alamo Bowl appearance. Sanders’ son Shilo, a safety for the Buffaloes for the past two seasons, has also moved on to the NFL, along with several high-profile players on offense.
The top storyline on the field for the Buffaloes is the battle to replace Shedeur behind center. In two seasons, Sanders completed 71.8% of his passes for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns.
It will be the first season Deion Sanders doesn’t coach a high school or college team with Shedeur at quarterback.
Seventeen-year-old true freshman Julian Lewis, a five-star recruit and No. 2 player in the 2025 ESPN 300, and Kaidon Salter, who started 24 games in four seasons at Liberty, will compete for the job.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31 as part of Major League Baseball’s investigation into sports gambling, the second Guardians pitcher to be caught up in the inquiry.
Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz remains on non-disciplinary paid leave after originally being placed there July 3 after unusual gambling activity on two pitches he threw for balls, sources told ESPN. Ortiz’s leave was later extended to Aug. 31.
In a statement, the Guardians said “no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted” by the investigation. The investigation, a source confirmed, has not turned up information tying other players with the team to sports gambling.
Clase, 27, is a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera Award as the best relief pitcher in the American League. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting last year when he posted a 0.61 ERA over 74.1 innings. In 47.1 innings this season, Clase has a 3.23 ERA and has already allowed more hits this year (46) than last (39) while striking out 47 and walking 12.
His ties to the investigation that started following a June 27 alert from IC360, a firm that monitors betting markets for abnormalities, are unclear. Sportsbooks and gambling operators were alerted after a spike in action on Ortiz’s first pitch in the bottom of the second inning against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and in the top of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27, according to sources. In both cases, unusual amounts of money were wagered on the pitches being a ball or hit-batsman from betting accounts in New York, New Jersey and Ohio, according to a copy of the IC360 alert obtained by ESPN. Both pitches wound up well outside the strike zone.
At the All-Star Game in mid-July, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said while he still supports legal gambling because of the transparency regulation offers, he was concerned about so-called microbets, such as ones that offer action on individual pitches.
“There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable,” Manfred said. “I know there was a lot of sports betting, tons of it that went on illegally and we had no idea, no idea what threats there were to the integrity of the play because it was all not transparent,” he added. “I firmly believe that the transparency and monitoring that we have in place now, as a result of the legalization and the partnerships that we’ve made, puts us in a better position to protect baseball than we were in before.”