The event, for the longest time held in New York City and then Las Vegas, has taken place in the ‘Music City’ since 2019.
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Exciting Champions Honored at New Location: NASCAR Celebrates Winners in Nashville
All three champions from the national divisions were honored in Nashville. While Ryan Blaney earned his maiden Cup title for Team Penske, Cole Custer captured his first Xfinity Series title with Stewart-Haas Racing, and Ben Rhodes became a two-time champion of the NASCAR Truck Series with ThorSport Racing.
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
Each champion drove their championship-winning machine down Broadway as part of a parade with many fans in attendance. It was a Ford sweep in 2023, an accomplishment not seen since Chevrolet did it over two decades ago during the 2001 season.
Custer’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship story is one of redemption. He was demoted by SHR after three years at the Cup level, and he made the most of it. He was the NXS runner-up in both 2018 and 2019, but an older and wiser Custer got the job done this year with a three-wide pass on a late-race restart at Phoenix.
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
Rhodes survived the carnage in the Truck Series title-decider, but not completely unscathed. After two of his title rivals eliminated each other, he suffered nose damage on a restart melee but still hung on against a hard-charging Grant Enfinger to earn his second championship in the last three years.
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
Of course, the champions weren’t the only ones taking part in the festivities. Each manufacturer had their own vehicle with all 16 Cup Series playoff drivers present. You see the Toyota group pictured above. They ended the year with one driver [Christopher Bell] in the Championship 4, who finished fourth in the standings after exiting the finale early with a mechanical failure.
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
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