Time has released its list of the 100 most influential people in sports in 2026. This extensive list includes three people from the world of NASCAR.
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Time split the list into multiple categories. This includes Icons, Titans, Innovators, and Leaders. Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin both made the Innovators list as a joint entry while young driver Carson Hocevar made the Leaders list.
"Michael Jordan is pretty well-known for transforming basketball," Sean Gregory writes. "But few would have predicted that Jordan, in tandem with three-time Daytona 500-winning driver Denny Hamlin, would initiate monumental change in NASCAR, too."
Gregory particularly used this entry to highlight the 2024 antitrust lawsuit that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed against NASCAR, as well as the move to evergreen charters as part of a settlement. He noted that this move made it easier for teams to secure sponsorships and recruit drivers.
While Jordan and Hamlin both made the top 100 for how they forever changed the sport of NASCAR, Hocevar landed on the list for how he handles himself on the race track.
"Carson Hocevar could very well be the next face of NASCAR," wrote Michael Errigo. "The 23-year-old from Michigan, who claimed his first Cup Series victory in April, possesses a combination of talent and confidence that attracts a fervent following."
Errigo continued and particularly highlighted Hocevar's wild post-win celebration at Talladega Superspeedway. This celebration featured the Spire Motorsports driver sitting on the window sill while using his foot to drive down the frontstretch of the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
NASCAR is not the only racing series with representatives on Time's list. F1 driver Kimi Antonelli, who has five consecutive wins, also made the Leaders list. He joined defending F1 champion Lando Norris, who is on the Icons list.
Amna Al Qubaisi also made the list as the "first woman to race in the Pro class of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia." Susie Wolff, the managing director of the all-female F1 academy is part of the Innovators list.
