Sydney Sweeney encourages racing fans with speech before NASCAR championship race
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Sydney Sweeney got racing fans’ hearts racing Sunday before the green flag was waved in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
Sweeney took the stage holding a checkered flag and reminded William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe what winning will mean to their legacies.
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Sydney Sweeney poses for a portrait at the 28th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 27, 2025 in Savannah, Georgia. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SCAD)
“Most days this checkered flag means victory, but today it means something else,” he said. “A dream come true, a life changed, a name that will never be forgotten. In my new movie ‘Christy’, I play a warrior. A fighter who refused to quit. ‘Christy’ is about courage, about determination, the same spirit that it takes to reach Championship Four.
Actress Sydney Sweeney takes the checkered flag before the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (right) poses for a photo with actress Sydney Sweeney before the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
“So, to our future champion, remember what this flag means. You’re not just another driver, you’re a NASCAR champion.”
SYDNEY SWEENEY FEELS LIKE A ‘CAGED ANIMAL’ IN HOLLYWOOD, BUT FINDS FREEDOM BY MAKING A STUDENT OF HER CURVES
Sydney Sweeney arrives at the AFI FEST 2025 – “Christy” Premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater on October 25, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
Sweeney will play boxer Christy Martin in her new film. The film takes a look at the legendary wrestler’s career and her husband’s attempt to murder her in 2010. The film will be released later this week.
The actress sported a racing jacket, boots and shorts as she walked to the racetrack in Avondale, Arizona.
He recently spoke about dealing with the challenges that come with being a Hollywood movie star.
“I play a lot of very divisive characters and I think a lot of people think they know me, but they don’t,” he told Variety. “So when people think, ‘Oh, she’s a sex symbol,’ or ‘She’s leaning into that,’ I’m like, ‘No, I just feel good, I’m doing it for myself and I feel strong.’
Actress Sydney Sweeney gave a speech at a NASCAR race. (Getty Images)
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“And I hope I can inspire other women to be confident and just flaunt what they’ve got and feel good because you shouldn’t have to apologize or hide or cover up in any room.”
News’ Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.