NASCAR team owner unveils a special award ceremony for ‘smaller and independent’ Xfinity and Truck Series organizations

While NASCAR hosted the annual awards banquet two weeks back, Tommy Joe Martins has launched another special ceremony that also recognizes small and independent teams. The co-owner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series team, Alpha Prime Racing, unveiled the award ceremony, called the Grand National Bash, on social media this Saturday, November 15.

Grand National Bash's first show is scheduled for December 14 at the Cain Center for the Arts. The ceremony for Xfinity and Truck Series will be presented by ChaLew Race Parts. Organizers have released the nominees for the different awards on X.

Grand National Bash has posted several nomination lists for awards, including for the Breakout and Independent Team of the Year. The team awards will go to the crew chiefs of individual teams. The setup lets individuals who run a single car or truck qualify for an award even when the organization fields multiple entries.

The nominees for driver awards, including part-time and independent driver of the year, were also listed. Tommy Joe Martins will also appear on the Sirius XM NASCAR Radio with host Dave Moody to discuss the special award ceremony and his team.

Alpha Prime Racing fields four full-time entries in the Xfinity Series. However, the team has not signed any drivers for next season. Parker Retzlaff has found a new home in Viking Motorsports for 2026, and Brennan Poole is also not expected to return to the team after two seasons with Apha Prime.

Meanwhile, JR Motorsports, which expanded to the Cup Series after over two decades in the Xfinity Series, plans to compete in the 'Great American Race' next year.

JR Motorsports set for second NASCAR Cup start in 2026

JR Motorsports fielded the No. 40 Chevrolet with Justin Allgaier in the Daytona 500 this season and will chase another start in 2026. Allgaier barely qualified in the 2025 Duel and finished ninth in the race. Greg Ives will serve as crew chief for the No. 40 team.

The JRM effort will be sponsored by Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey. The partnership grew with help from Rick Hendrick and aims for a retro look on the Chevy.

JR Motorsports has nine Daytona Xfinity wins, while Allgaier has made over 80 starts in the Cup Series with two top-10 finishes in nine years.

Earlier this year, Allgaier ended up as the 33rd fastest among the 'open' teams after the single-car qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. However, in the 60-lap duel, Allgaier got the best finish of any open driver and secured one of the final spots in the Daytona 500.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam