New auto tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump are raising eyebrows — and concerns — across the NASCAR garage. With international parts playing a big role in the NextGen car, insiders say the increased costs could be a real disruptor for the series. Could this be a big problem for NASCAR?
NASCAR President Steve Phelps sounded the alarm on the latest episode of Hauler Talk, the official podcast. He didn’t confirm any immediate fallout, but made it clear the sanctioning body is taking this seriously.
“It’s an unknown for all of us,” Phelps said. “I had a conversation with Rick Hendrick and obviously his base business is affected by the tariffs. What that looks like for him, he doesn’t know, but you can bet he’s monitoring it daily and we are too.”
Hendrick’s dealership is not the only one with skin in the game. With a 25% tariff now in place on cars and parts imported into the U.S., everyone from manufacturers to parts suppliers — and even team owners — will feel the pinch.
And the timing couldn’t be worse. The NextGen car, launched in 2022, was built around cost control and parity. But here’s the catch—26 standardized parts on every single Cup Series car come from exclusive suppliers and some of those are overseas. One example? The brake systems from UK-based AP Racing.
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“I don’t know the answer to that question. It’s something that we are obviously going to watch very closely and I’m sure the folks [at other teams] are having discussions [about]. It’s an unknown, ” said Phelps.
Outside of NASCAR, the big boys in the automotive world like Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are feeling the pain. Ford and General Motors have warned that these tariffs will increase car prices by a lot — analysts are even saying up to $3,000. It’s going to make it harder for regular people to buy a car.
Manufacturers are trying to mitigate the damage. Some are offering employee discounts to keep car prices more affordable for consumers.
It’s not just the manufacturers who are feeling the heat — Stellantis has even stopped production at its plants in Toluca, Mexico and Canada, affecting 900 workers in Michigan and Indiana. That’s how far-reaching this is — all the way to NASCAR.
So what’s next for NASCAR? With the Cup Series heading into the summer and the playoffs looming, we’ll hear more about costs, supply chain changes and lobbying.
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