AREA Season 8 Awards Winners Announced
August 24, 2026 — The votes are in, and the winners of the Season 8 AREA Awards have officially been decided.
After a season filled with championship battles, breakout performances, photo finishes, unforgettable races and moments that will remain part of AREA history, the AREA community voted across 12 categories to recognize the drivers, teams and moments that defined Season 8.
Sebastian Marin headlines this year's winners as Driver of the Year, while champions, newcomers and longtime members of the AREA community are represented throughout the list.
The Season 8 Awards also mark the first presentation of the newly renamed Dwayne Dunn Crew Chief of the Year Award, creating a permanent honor for one of AREA's original members.
Here are the winners of the Season 8 AREA Awards.
DRIVER OF THE YEAR — SEBASTIAN MARIN
Winner: Sebastian Marin
Finalists:
Van Drugmand
John Hall
Sebastian Marin
Jake Nichols
Sebastian Marin has been voted the Season 8 AREA Driver of the Year.
Marin put together another outstanding campaign across AREA competition, consistently establishing himself as one of the fastest drivers in the league throughout the season.
He earned the honor from an incredibly accomplished group of finalists that included five-time Cup Series champion Jake Nichols, Season 8 Pro Series champion John Hall and breakout Cup Series contender Van Drugmand.
Marin also closed Season 8 on a high note by winning the Pro Series season finale at Auto Club.
His speed and consistency across the season ultimately earned him the community's vote for AREA's highest individual award.
TEAM OF THE YEAR — LVV RACING
Winner: LVV Racing
Finalists:
Low$ Racing
Lucky Ducks Motorsports
LVV Racing
Solar Flare Racing
LVV Racing has been voted the Season 8 AREA Team of the Year.
LVV was a factor throughout the season across multiple AREA series, ultimately capping the year by capturing its first AREA Pro Series Team Championship.
The organization earned the award over a strong group that included Season 8 Truck Series team champion Low$ Racing, Lucky Ducks Motorsports and six-time Cup Series team champion Solar Flare Racing.
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD — JOHN HALL
Winner: John Hall
Finalists:
John Hall
Jake Nichols
James Scioly
David Wiseheart
Season 8 Pro Series champion John Hall adds another honor to his championship campaign after being voted the winner of the AREA Sportsmanship Award.
The award recognizes more than results. It honors the respect, character and sportsmanship displayed toward fellow competitors and the AREA community throughout the season.
Hall's reputation among his fellow competitors earned him the vote over Jake Nichols, James Scioly and David Wiseheart.
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER — REECE SCHAEFER
Winner: Reece Schaefer
Finalists:
Alex Chillcut
Tyler Nichols
Ryan Nowicki
Justin Oplinger
Reece Schaefer
A career year for Reece Schaefer has resulted in the Season 8 Most Improved Driver Award.
Schaefer delivered his best Cup Series campaign to date and finished a career-best sixth in the AREA Cup Series standings.
His improvement throughout Season 8 established him as a consistent presence near the front of AREA's premier series and earned him the community's vote from a five-driver group of finalists.
BEST NEW DRIVER — COLE CABRE
Winner: Cole Cabre
Finalists:
Chase Cabre
Cole Cabre
Cody Dempster
Logan Helton
Alex McCollum
It's difficult to make a stronger first impression than Cole Cabre did in Season 8.
In his first season competing in AREA, Cabre didn't just contend — he became a champion.
Cabre entered the Truck Series finale at Auto Club with a 15-point advantage and completed his breakthrough campaign by capturing the Season 8 AREA Truck Series Championship.
Now he can add Best New Driver to the list.
Cabre earned the award over Chase Cabre, Cody Dempster, Logan Helton and Alex McCollum after one of the most successful debut seasons in recent AREA history.
DWAYNE DUNN CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR — DWAYNE DUNN
Winner: Dwayne Dunn — Garrett Grant
Finalists:
Dwayne Dunn — Garrett Grant
Ryan Nowicki — Solar Flare Racing
Quami Scott — Peyton Howell
The first presentation of the Dwayne Dunn Crew Chief of the Year Award could not have had a more fitting winner.
Dwayne Dunn.
Dwayne was one of AREA's original members, committing to the league when AREA was still only an idea. Before the first race was held, before championships were decided and before this community became what it is today, Dwayne believed in it.
He competed in 18 AREA races himself, including the first Truck Series race in 2021, but his impact on AREA went far beyond his time behind the wheel.
For years, Dwayne served as the crew chief and spotter for Garrett Grant, whose 389 AREA starts stand as a league record. On seemingly every one of those race nights, Dwayne's voice could be heard on Garrett's radio. It became one of those familiar pieces of AREA that competitors simply expected to be there.
Following Dwayne's passing during the closing days of Season 8, AREA renamed its Crew Chief of the Year Award in his memory.
During the Pro Series finale, the field honored him with a silent missing-man pace lap as Garrett drove Dwayne's No. 39 at the front of the field.
Now his name will forever remain attached to one of AREA's annual awards.
And fittingly, the first recipient of the Dwayne Dunn Crew Chief of the Year Award is Dwayne himself.
RACE OF THE YEAR — THE AREA 500 AT DAYTONA
Winner: Cup Series at Daytona — The AREA 500
Finalists:
Cup Series at Daytona
Pro Series at Chicagoland
Cup Series at Auto Club
Of all the races to earn this honor, it seems fitting that AREA's biggest race of the season takes home Race of the Year.
The AREA 500 at Daytona has officially been voted the Season 8 Race of the Year after producing a record-breaking night at the World Center of Racing.
The race featured an incredible 59 lead changes, setting a new AREA record and creating constant action at the front of the field throughout the event.
When it was finally over, Van Drugmand emerged victorious in his first career AREA Cup Series start, beginning what would become one of Season 8's biggest breakout campaigns.
AREA's biggest race delivered one of its wildest editions yet, and the community has now made it official:
The Season 8 AREA 500 was the Race of the Year.
BEST FINISH — CUP SERIES AT BRISTOL
Winner: Cup Series at Bristol
Finalists:
Cup Series at Daytona
Pro Series at Iowa
Truck Series at Talladega
Cup Series at Bristol
Four thousandths of a second.
That was all that separated Jake Nichols and Adam Cabot at the finish line at Bristol.
Nichols edged Cabot by just 0.004 seconds in an incredible drag race to the checkered flag, producing one of the closest finishes in AREA history.
Against a group of memorable finishes from Daytona, Iowa and Talladega, the Bristol thriller earned the community's vote as the Season 8 Best Finish.
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE — 609 MOTORSPORTS
Winner: 609 Motorsports
Finalists:
609 Motorsports
Josh Parrish
LVV Racing
Peyton Howell
609 Motorsports has been voted the Season 8 winner for Best Social Media Presence.
AREA has continued to grow beyond what happens on the racetrack, and the personalities, teams and drivers who create content around the league have become an increasingly important part of the community.
609 Motorsports stood out throughout Season 8 and earned the community's vote over Josh Parrish, LVV Racing and Peyton Howell.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR — HUNTER SLEPPY
Winner: Hunter Sleppy (2nd time)
Finalists:
Brad Dalton
Corey Silva
Hunter Sleppy
Hunter Sleppy has been voted the Season 8 AREA Broadcaster of the Year.
AREA's broadcasts help turn each race into an event, telling the stories of the drivers, rivalries and championship battles unfolding on track every week.
Sleppy's work throughout Season 8 earned him the community vote over fellow finalists Brad Dalton and Corey Silva.
WRECK OF THE YEAR — JAMES SCIOLY AT AUTO CLUB
Winner: Cup Series at Auto Club
Finalists:
Cup Series at Daytona
Pro Series at Charlotte
Cup Series at Auto Club
There are crashes — and then there are crashes that immediately become AREA lore.
On the final lap of the Cup Series race at Auto Club, James Scioly found himself headed toward the inside wall at the end of pit lane.
What followed was spectacular.
Scioly slammed into the inside wall and was sent flipping wildly through the air, producing one of the most dramatic crashes of the entire season.
It was chaotic, unforgettable and exactly the type of moment the Wreck of the Year Award was created for.
The community agreed, voting James Scioly's final-lap Auto Club flip as the Season 8 Wreck of the Year.
PAINT SCHEME OF THE YEAR — SEBASTIAN MARIN AT RICHMOND
Winner: Sebastian Marin at Richmond
Finalists:
Van Drugmand at Darlington
Peyton Howell at Darlington
Sebastian Marin at Richmond
Brett Punkari at Darlington
Brad Slaughter Jr. at Daytona
Sebastian Marin wasn't finished after taking home Driver of the Year.
His Richmond paint scheme has also been voted the Season 8 AREA Paint Scheme of the Year.
The winning design beat out a field featuring Van Drugmand, Peyton Howell, Brett Punkari and Brad Slaughter Jr., including three schemes from AREA's annual throwback weekend at Darlington.
The award gives Marin two victories on the night, including the biggest individual honor of them all.
ONE FINAL CELEBRATION OF SEASON 8
With the votes counted and the awards decided, the book can officially close on another unforgettable season of AREA competition.
Season 8 crowned Jake Nichols as a five-time Cup Series champion, Cole Cabre as a Truck Series champion in his first AREA season and John Hall as a first-time Pro Series champion.
It gave AREA a record-breaking 59-lead-change AREA 500, one of the closest finishes in league history at Bristol, breakout stars, new winners and moments that will be remembered well beyond this season.
It also gave AREA an opportunity to permanently honor one of the people who helped make this community possible, with the Dwayne Dunn Crew Chief of the Year Award now becoming an annual part of AREA history.
Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, voted in the Season 8 Awards and supported AREA throughout the season.
Congratulations to every finalist and each of the Season 8 AREA Award winners:
Driver of the Year: Sebastian Marin
Team of the Year: LVV Racing
Sportsmanship Award: John Hall
Most Improved Driver: Reece Schaefer
Best New Driver: Cole Cabre
Dwayne Dunn Crew Chief of the Year: Dwayne Dunn
Race of the Year: The AREA 500 at Daytona
Best Finish: Cup Series at Bristol
Best Social Media Presence: 609 Motorsports
Broadcaster of the Year: Hunter Sleppy
Wreck of the Year: James Scioly at Auto Club
Paint Scheme of the Year: Sebastian Marin at Richmond
Congratulations to the winners, the finalists and everyone who made Season 8 one to remember.