As he headed out of his hotel and toward the track in Dover, Del., for the NASCAR All-Star Race in May, Steve O’Donnell couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a group sporting 23XI Racing gear.
Of the six fans standing outside the hotel, three had driven from Philadelphia and three had come from New York. For four of them, it was their first time at a NASCAR event, and all of them were talking about Bubba Wallace.
O’Donnell, who was appointed as the CEO of NASCAR in April, said more people are experiencing NASCAR for the first time as the sport turns to a younger and more diverse field of drivers, technicians, and owners.
That trend is expected to continue as NASCAR visits Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., this weekend for a trio of races, culminating in the Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday (3 p.m., Prime Video).
O’Donnell said NASCAR bringing in first-time fans has been intentional, and a vanguard of young talent from different backgrounds is helping.
“Everyone’s doing their part to showcase the sport through different avenues,” O’Donnell said. “The opportunity for our sport to continue to grow is incredible … For the first time in a long time, I believe that we are all aligned to work toward showcasing our sport to as many fans as possible [and] getting younger.”
Basketball legend Michael Jordan is an owner of 23XI Racing.Wade Payne / AP
Jumpman jump-start
Tyler Reddick started this season with a three-peat at Daytona, Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, becoming the first Cup Series driver to win the first three races of a season.
Reddick has been dominant driving the No. 45 car for 23XI this season. The team, co-owned by Michael Jordan and current Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, leads the NASCAR owner standings by 51 points and has five wins through 15 races.
Jordan started the team in 2020 with Hamlin, who has 63 Cup Series wins since being named NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2006. Hamlin said Jordan is a true racing fan, which helped them align on many decisions since the team took to the track in 2021.
“He would have been watching these races no matter what, whether he was an owner or not, because he has been such a big NASCAR fan for so many years,” Hamlin said. “Now, he’s got a vested interest in it. It certainly makes him more passionate about it.”
Jordan lifted the Harley J. Earl Trophy alongside Reddick in the winner’s circle after the Daytona 500. O’Donnell says moments like those help lift NASCAR’s visibility, especially with fans who might not otherwise be exposed to racing.
“[Jordan is] involved all the time, which is great for us because I think he pushes the sport and certainly gets us eyeballs that we wouldn’t necessarily have,” O’Donnell said, “from a television viewing standpoint, or maybe even coming to the race, for a chance to watch his race team.”
Jordan’s is one of three Black-owned teams that has competed this year, and he employs Wallace, the only Black driver on the Cup Series circuit.
That representation and Jordan’s larger-than-life presence have allowed 23XI Racing to draw the interest of Black NASCAR fans, especially Black first-time NASCAR fans. In 2024, Wallace’s fourth season driving the No. 23 for 23XI Racing, 40% of new NASCAR fans were multicultural, and the sport was rapidly growing its proportion of Black fans.
“I think it’s a big part of why Michael got into it, to bring in a new fan base and then make our fan base aware of his brand,” Hamlin said. “You’re able to knock out two birds with one stone there. Him being a race fan on top of it was certainly an added bonus.”
Old school meets new school
When Hamlin won his first race on the Cup Series at Pocono in 2006, he could not have predicted that hosting a podcast would be part of his job 20 years later.
But, in an age where NASCAR is trying to draw in a younger viewership, direct-to-fan media has become crucial for any driver. Hamlin said his podcast, Actions Detrimental, helps him reach new fans and court sponsors.
“When sponsors shop different race teams and drivers, who’s going to give the best return on their value?” Hamlin said. “You need to put your name high on that list, because we’re all fighting for the same sponsors. When you are able to increase your brand awareness, like I think that the podcast has done for me personally, there’s been nothing but positives for it.”
Hamlin, 45, will compete in a Cup Series race at Pocono for the 20th time this weekend in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11. He competes as a driver and an owner for different teams, which he said has been an adjustment.
Hamlin is coming off back-to-back wins at Nashville and Michigan, which helped narrow the gap between himself and Reddick, driving for 23XI Racing, at the top of the driver standings.
While Hamlin still is a natural talent on the track, social media and other forms of content creation come a bit more naturally to younger drivers on the Cup Series, including Carson Hocevar.
Carson Hocevar is one of NASCAR’s most popular young drivers.Butch Dill
Hocevar, 23, has built a fan base with his aggressive driving style and confidence. He streams video games on Twitch, where he has more than 45,000 followers, and makes YouTube videos. He says streaming and making videos come naturally to him.
“I’ve just grown up with it,” Hocevar said. “I enjoy doing it. A lot of my friends have massive YouTube channels or massive Twitch channels. I watch them and enjoy it, and it looks fun. It kind of gives me my own hobby.”
Hocevar won at Talladega this year, his first win since bursting onto the scene as NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2024. He will race at Pocono a week after drawing the ire of his fellow drivers at Michigan by triggering a nine-car crash on a midrace restart.
Rajah Caruth drives during qualifying for a NASCAR Xfinity series race in February at Daytona.David Graham / AP
Simulator to track
Hocevar isn’t the only up-and-coming NASCAR driver streaming on Twitch.
Rajah Caruth, who drives full time on the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, streams a variety of video games regularly. One of the games he broadcasts often is iRacing, a racing simulator that served as his entry point to the sport.
Caruth started racing on the virtual eNASCAR Ignite Series at 16, then got onto a real-world track as part of NASCAR’s Driver Development Program, formerly known as Drive for Diversity.
“It’s been a fun process so far,” Caruth said. “I feel like the more experience I get in real life, the more useful that iRacing is, the more useful that our GM simulators are. I love to use them, because it’s just free practice.”
He’s climbed his way from Automobile Racing Club of America races into the NASCAR ranks. Caruth has two wins on the Craftsman Truck Series since his debut in 2022. He will continue to push for his first O’Reilly Auto Parts series win at the MillerTech Battery 250 at Pocono on Saturday (4 p.m., CW).
Caruth, 24, also is vying for a call-up to the Cup Series, but he takes his role as a minority driver in the lower levels of NASCAR seriously. He became the first Black driver to win a race at Tri-County Motor Speedway with a win on the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly series in 2021.
“I remember being 12 years old [and] just loving the sport so much, but being an outsider,” Caruth said. “I know how important it was seeing, whether it was Lewis Hamilton, Bubba Wallace, Mark Davis, other drivers before me. It meant a lot. If I can repay that in any form, I’m going to do so.”
The World Cup is here. So how well do you know the players and nations descending on Philly? No studying — just put your knowledge to the test with our newest quiz.
Nine nations will play in five World Cup group stage games in Philly. How well do you know them?Julia Duarte / Staff Illustration
The World Cup is back on American soil for the first time since 1994, and Philadelphia is set to host six matches — including a round of 16 match — in the world’s largest international soccer tournament.
Brazil, France, and Croatia are among the nine teams that will take to the pitch at Lincoln Financial Field, which FIFA has renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the next month, for five group stage matches in the newly expanded 48-team World Cup tournament.
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Think you know footy? Test your knowledge with this quiz. It’s 10 questions — nine about the nations coming to Philadelphia during the group stage and one about the Stars and Stripes.
Question 1 of 10
Which Brazilian star has scored the most goals for the national team?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Some of the sport’s most iconic players have suited up for the Seleçao, but none have scored more than Neymar, who has 79 goals in 128 international appearances.
Question 2 of 10
Ivory Coast is returning to the World Cup for the fourth time in its history. When did Les Éléphants most recently compete in the tournament?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Ivory Coast qualified for three consecutive tournaments in 2006, 2010 and 2014. The African nation has never advanced out of the group stage, claiming a third-place finish in all three World Cup tournaments it has participated in.
Question 3 of 10
Which nation did Curaçao tie on the final day of Concacaf qualifying to secure its first trip to the World Cup?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Curaçao secured a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in November that set it atop its qualifying group. Curaçao, a Caribbean island with a population of 155,000, will be the least populous nation represented at this year’s tournament.
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Question 4 of 10
Which team will come to Philly featuring the reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner, given to the player of the year in world soccer?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
When Les Bleus take on Haiti in a Group C matchup on June 19 (9 p.m., Fox 29), they will do so with midfielder-forward Ousmane Dembélé in tow, winner of the 2025 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Question 5 of 10
Which nation did Ecuador play in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Ecuador kicked off the 2022 edition of the tournament by beating host nation Qatar, 2-0. Ecuador finished third in Group A, with a 2-1 loss to Senegal keeping La Tri out of the knockout rounds.
Question 6 of 10
Which Croatian player earned the Golden Ball award, given to the World Cup’s best player, in 2018?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The former Tottenham and Real Madrid midfielder led Croatia to a second-place finish in Russia. Despite suffering a fractured cheekbone in April, Modrić was named to the Croatian squad and will make his fifth World Cup appearance this summer.
More on the World Cup
Everything you need to know about the World Cup in Philly
The Inquirer's comprehensive guide on the nine nations headed to Philadelphia this summer, their footprint on our city, and what those fans need to know about Philly.
Question 7 of 10
Ghana’s best World Cup result came in 2010, when it reached the quarterfinal round for the first time in its history. Which team did Ghana beat in the round of 16 to secure its place in the quarterfinal?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Ghana secured a 2-1 victory over the U.S. on a dramatic 93rd minute goal from Asamoah Gyan. Ghana went on to lose its quarterfinal match to Uruguay on penalties.
Question 8 of 10
Which French player joined Pele as one of two teenagers to score in a World Cup final during France’s 4-2 defeat of Croatia in 2018?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
At 19, Mbappé became the youngest goalscorer at the World Cup in French history, scoring four goals in France’s run to the 2018 trophy. Mbappé needs two more goals to surpass Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Question 9 of 10
Haiti will return to the World Cup stage for the second time in its history this summer, breaking a 52-year drought. Which Haitian player starred in the Union’s MLS Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign last season?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Danley started 14 times across all competitions this season for the Union, logging two goals. He also scored two goals for Haiti in its 2026 qualifying campaign.
More on the World Cup
Philly’s path to the World Cup was paved at Newt’s, where playing on cinder was a ‘badge of honor’
The growth of the region’s soccer scene will be celebrated when Philadelphia hosts the World Cup. But for years, the sport seemed to only exist locally in the neighborhoods around the cinder fields.
Question 10 of 10
The United States — the team has a slim chance of playing in Philly in the round of 16 — finished third in the first World Cup, but has advanced past the round of 16 just one time since 1930. In which year did the U.S. men make it to a tournament quarterfinal?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The U.S. downed Mexico, 2-0, in South Korea to advance to the quarterfinals for the first and only time in a 32-team tournament. A 1-0 loss to eventual runner-up Germany ended the Americans’ best post-war run at the World Cup.
Your Results
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You scored XX out of 10.
The average reader scored XX out of 10
Don't worry, this is the first World Cup in Philly. Did you really expect to be an expert already?
Nice job. There's still room for improvement, but someone clearly follows soccer. If you're still interested, we've got plenty soccer coverage for you to read.
Wow! Let us guess, you only refer to soccer as football and spend weekend mornings at a local bar watching your favorite Premier League team?
A perfect score? Now that's impressive. Let's hope the USMNT has similar success in its run through the group stage this month.
The first group stage game in Philly is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, and will feature Ivory Coast and Ecuador. Ivory Coast will play two of its three group games in the city. For more World Cup coverage — whether you’re going to the games, watching the U.S. team from home, or just curious about what all the fuss is about — be sure to check out our comprehensive guide. And get the latest headlines here.
After parting ways with the Union in 2024, Jim Curtin has a new head coaching job.
Austin FC announced Monday afternoon that it hired Curtin, a Bishop McDevitt and Villanova product who led the Union for 11 seasons.
Curtin, an Oreland native, will start his new job with the Verde after the 2026 Major League Soccer season, which concludes in December.
“I am incredibly honored to be named the head coach of Austin FC,” Curtin said in a statement. “This is a moment I will never forget, and I’m grateful to [club owner] Anthony Precourt, [club president] Andy Loughnane, and the club’s ownership group for the trust placed in me.
“From our very first conversation, they shared a vision for Austin FC that is bold, ambitious, and built for the long term. Their belief in what this club can become is contagious, and I’m proud to help bring that vision to life.”
Austin is one of seven MLS franchises that fired its coach before the league went on hiatus for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. The club fired sporting director Rodolfo Borrell and head coach Nico Estévez on May 18 after starting 3-6-5 (14 points) in league play. Austin then lost its final game before the World Cup.
The Union became the seventh team to part ways with a coach when they announced the dismissal of Bradley Carnell alongside sporting director Ernst Tanner in May. The Union still are searching for Carnell’s replacement.
Curtin said in Austin’s release that he had “several other opportunities, both within MLS and abroad, but none of them excited me the way [Austin] did.”
Curtin took over the Union in 2014 and led the club to a 141-162-90 record over more than a decade on the touchline. The Union made the playoffs seven times under Curtin, winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2020 and reaching the MLS Cup finals in 2022.
Jim Curtin (center) was manager for the Union’s only MLS Cup final appearance in 2022. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Curtin was named the MLS Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, the Union parted ways with Curtin at the end of the 2024 regular season. The club hired Carnell to replace Curtin in January 2025.
Curtin’s first season in charge in Austin will be the 2027 “sprint” season, a 14-game slate that will facilitate MLS’s move to a summer-to-spring league calendar. He will take over for interim coach Davy Arnaud, who will lead Austin through the remainder of the 2026 season.
MLS matches will resume July 16, and the Union’s first game back will be at home against the New York Red Bulls on July 22 (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
There were two kinds of GMs on hand at Rittenhouse Chess’ charity tournament at Queen & Rook Game Cafe on Sunday afternoon.
Former 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and Philly-born Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade both attended the event, which drew 64 players from across the city.
Despite parting ways with the Sixers after the team was swept in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Knicks, Morey kept his promise to show up for Rittenhouse Chess Club’s Charity Blitz Tournament.
“[It is] very cool of him to still come here after not being with the Sixers,” Zach Pepsin, one of the event’s organizers, said. “He definitely loves chess, and it’s a cool thing to do for charity.”
Pepsin said that through the tournament’s $30 entrance fee and raffle, Rittenhouse Chess will able to donate more than 100 chess boards to local organizations, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Ronald McDonald House and After School Activities Partnerships, among others.
Morey makes moves
Pepsin, a 32-year-old software designer, has been an active member of Rittenhouse Chess since it started in 2021. The club, which meets twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday in Rittenhouse Square, runs occasional tournaments, including one in February at the Brauhaus Schmitz restaurant.
Pepsin was not organizing that tournament, but he asked to see the list of entrants to see which of his friends he could expect to see. Instead, Pepsin spotted Morey’s name among the registered players.
“No one else who runs Rittenhouse has any idea who Daryl Morey is,” Pepsin said. “I’m a huge Sixers fan. I’ve had season tickets for over 10 years now. When I saw his name, I thought it was a joke. I was like, ‘Oh, who put his name on here?’ They had no idea who he was. It turned out it was real, and he just wanted to play some chess.”
Morey missed out on the tournament in February, as the Sixers were in the midst of a three-game road trip, but for Pepsin, the executive’s sign-up was kismet. Pepsin was planning to reach out to Morey, whose love for chess is documented through interviews and a bot on chess.com, to see if Morey would be interested in helping Rittenhouse with a charity event after basketball season.
Pepsin reached out to Morey, and the executive agreed to come for the club’s tournament in June. There were concerns among the organizers that Morey’s dismissal from the Sixers in May would change his plans for the summer, but Morey remained committed to the tournament.
Daryl Morey was hired by the Sixers as president of basketball operations back in 2020.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Morey declined to speak with media at the event, but he found his way to Queen & Rook as the tournament was entering its final round.
He played alongside Shahade in a “hand and brain” team game against two of the tournament’s top performers. Shahade, playing as the brain, told Morey which piece to move, while Morey, the hand, had to decide where to move the piece Shahade selected. Morey and Shahade lost the match after their 10-minute timer ran out.
Shahade plays simultaneous exhibition
Shahade and Morey are friends, having met at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Shahade, who became a Woman Grandmaster in 2005, has attended the conference each year since 2021 and has spoken at the conference multiple times about chess and poker, which she also plays professionally.
“I’ve known [Morey] for a long time,” Shahade said. “He’s a pretty good chess player. He’s especially good with strategy.”
Shahade, who drops into Rittenhouse Chess meetups monthly, also played in a simultaneous exhibition against five players at once. The players were selected as part of the raffle, which also included five copies of Shahade’s latest book, Thinking Sideways. Shahade beat four of her opponents in the timed exhibition.
Jennifer Shahade (center) is a three-time National Chess champion.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Shahade said seeing organized tournaments and club meetings across the city is a testament to the game’s ability to bring people together in a time when isolation is becoming more common.
“Ever since the pandemic, there’s been a huge hunger [for chess],” Shahade said. “But there’s also been hunger around board games in general, churches, synagogues. There’s real interest in people getting offline and meeting each other in real life. I think you see that in chess.”
Shahade said she expects the interest around chess and other face-to-face games to increase as the role of artificial intelligence expands in people’s daily lives.
“Now, not only are you not necessarily talking to someone you might be friends with, you’re probably not even talking to a person at all,” Shahade said. “I think that’s just making people crave the real-life interactions even more.”
Sixty-four players competed in the Charity Blitz Tournament.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Chess in the Square
Andrew Graham, 31, started Rittenhouse Chess in 2021 to try to meet new people in a new city. Graham moved to Philadelphia from Cheyenne, Wyo.
“I didn’t know anybody,” said Graham, who works as a data scientist for PECO. “I wasn’t that into chess, but I needed activities to meet people. So, I picked chess.”
Graham looked for a preexisting chess club, but the city’s most prominent club, the Franklin Mercantile Chess Club, closed during the pandemic. So Graham set out to start his own club, bringing a board with him to Rittenhouse Square and waiting for passersby to come over and play.
“I started making friends, and some people started to return,” Graham said. “Slowly, it picks up, and then over the course of two months it picked up pretty good.”
Andrew Graham (right) started the Rittenhouse Chess Club. He runs it alongside Helen Sdao, Sarah Court, and Zach Pepsin.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Sarah Court, a 27-year-old freelance artist, claims to be the club’s second member, as she walked up and played Graham in the club’s early days.
“It was just Andrew out there, and I walked out and played with him,” Court said.
Court, who does artwork for the club’s social media and merchandise, helped run the tournament on Sunday.
Now, a handful of people come together every Wednesday and Sunday to play in Rittenhouse Square, one person on each side of the wall that surrounds the center of the square.
Roughly 100 people came to Sunday’s tournament, and the 64 players came from the vibrant chess community around the city, including players from South Philly Chess and Capitolo Chess Club, among others.
