Dave Mathers
In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report, Dave Mathers covers some recent events in the world of motorsports, as well as a ton of local and international action from this past weekend.
Oh baby, the conspiracy theorists sure came out of the woodwork after last Sunday’s Brickyard 400. They are saying, possibly correctly, that Kyle Larson jumped the restart after the second-last caution and was not penalized for it. As well, NASCAR actually, believe it or not (get hold of Ripley’s), finished a race under yellow. Think back to the outcry about the five overtimes at Nashville.
They have played games for years on their finishes. About 15 years ago they changed from one green-white-checkered to three. They later changed it to unlimited times. One is sufficient, as proven Sunday at Indy, and makes so much sense. Git ‘er done!!
Of course, NASCAR does not have a corner on conspiracies. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, race leader Lando Norris was ordered by his team to move over and let his teammate Oscar Piastri pass him for the win. How many times have we heard F1 brass state that team orders are against the rules? But, have they ever done anything about it? Not for at least ten years. What does that tell you?
Cup driver Ross Chastain is going to take advantage of the downtime in NASCAR to run in IMSA at Road America this weekend. He’ll be driving in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race with Skip Barber Racing. Hopefully he won’t try running up against the wall.
Red Bull’s junior team, VCARB, and driver Yuki Tsunoda were issued a 60, yes 60, place penalty at Spa for installing a new power unit, which included a new turbo, a new MGU H, MGU K, a new energy store, new control electronics and new exhaust. Ouch. Does he have to start from Liege?
In the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour race on Friday night at Toledo Speedway, Cody Coughlin won (fittingly in a series sponsored by his grandfather), with Canadians Kyle Steckly second and Chase Pinsonneault seventh. Kyle sits eighth in the ASA/CRA Super Series, while Chase leads the All-Stars Tour.
Jerry Wilcox and I, plus three others, went to a Late Model race at Toledo in 1979 and Randy Sweet hit the wall HARD in Turn One. I talked to him after the race and asked if he could save anything. ‘Yup, the left-rear wheel and tire,’ he laughed. A VERY fast racetrack.
It was really cool to see Treyten Lapcevich paint his Late Model in Junior Hanley colours, including Hanley Enterprises, Prototype Engines and the number 72 for the Throwback CARS Tour race at Hickory Speedway.
Defending Xfinity champion Cole Custer will be running the sole Haas Factory Team Mustang next year in Cup. Team President Joe Custer, Cole’s father, said that the team had offered Cole’s Xfinity ride to Riley Herbst, but a deal has not yet been signed.
NASCAR Cup Series: Their next race is Richmond Raceway on Sunday, August 11 – it’s currently the Olympics break for NASCAR.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Their next race is Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, August 17.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: Their next race is Richmond on Friday, August 10.
Formula One: Max Verstappen, facing a ten-spot grid penalty for a new power unit, topped FP1 at Spa, while Lando Norris was fastest in FP2. Canadian Lance Stroll was 10th and 11th. Verstappen topped FP3 and set fast time in qualifying, but would start 11th after the penalty.
As a result, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) started from the pole, with Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in a possible job-saving second and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) third.
Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) started 15th since the team had to rebuild his car after a serious off on Friday.
It appeared the rain that plagued the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday moved up to Spa, as the track was wet Saturday for FP3 and damp for qualifying.
Hamilton got the best start in the race, getting around Perez for second on the initial start before passing Leclerc for the lead on Lap 3. At the same time, Verstappen moved up to eighth. And in a headscratcher, Daniel Ricciardo started on soft tires, with the rest on mediums, except one backmarker on hard. The strategy didn’t work, as he dropped from his 13th starting spot to 16th by Lap 10.
Hmm, early pit stops on Lap 11 as Max and George Russell pit. That opened the flood gates for the rest of the pack. Everything went smoothly right to the end.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates on the podium during the Belgian GP at Circuit de Spa Francorchamps on Sunday July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. But not so fast… (Photo by Zak Mauger / LAT Images)
At the flag, Russell won over Hamilton, Piastri, Leclerc and Verstappen.
But hold the presses! Russell was 1.5 kg light in post-race tech and was disqualified, giving the win to Hamilton. Ouch. Red Bull’s concerns with Perez continue, as he fell from his second-place starting spot to finish eighth, or seventh with the Russell DQ. Max started 11th and finished fourth with the DQ. Two great anthems to wrap things up. And in typical F1 style, the final results do not mention Russell. Wow, it’s like he was never there entertaining the fans.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen extended his lead a bit to 78 points over Norris and 100 points over Leclerc. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull extended their lead to 43 points over McLaren and 64 points over Ferrari. Their next race is Netherlands on Sunday, August 25.
IndyCar: Their next race is Gateway on Sunday, August 17.
IMSA: Their next race is Road America on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on REV TV.
United Racing Series – APC Late Model Series: Their next race is at Sauble Speedway on Saturday. Looking further down the road, Delaware Speedway will host the Great Canadian 300 weekend. The season finale will pay $10,000 to win, with a total purse of $60,000! Click on the banner, at right, for info.
NHRA: In qualifying for the Denso Nationals at Sears Point, it was clear by the numbers that they had a great track to race on.
Top Fuel – Doug Kalitta was quickest of the 14 cars, with a 3.649, but not the fastest. Clay Millican laid down a 338.26 MPH pass. Shawn Langdon defeated Kalitta in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Antron Brown won the final over Tony Stewart, with a 3.746. Kalitta still leads the points by 125 over Shawn Langdon and by 150 atop Steve Torrance. Five upsets (lower qualified car wins) and eight smokers (one or both cars lost traction).
Funny Car – Bob Tasca told the Top Fuelers to ‘hold my beer’ as he laid down a 3.839 at a faster 338.43 MPH. Austin Prock beat Blake Alexander in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Eighteen entries. Tasca won the final, with a 4.088 over Ron Capps. Prock continues to dominate the class and is 256 points ahead of both Tasca and Matt Hagan. Two upsets, four smokers.
Pro Stock – Greg Anderson topped the 17 entries, with 6.491. Canadians Eric Latino and Sienna Wildgust qualified third and 14th which meant, for the second race in a row, they faced each other in Round 1. Troy Coughlin Jr. defeated his uncle Jeg Coughlin Sr. to win the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. In the final, Aaron Stanfield beat Cory Reed, with a 6.540. In the points, Dallas Glenn leads Anderson by 115 and Erica Enders by 152. Eric Latino sits 10th. Four upsets and two smokers.
Pro Stock Bike – Matt Smith set fast time of the 12 entries, with 6.655. Smith defeated Jianna Evaristo to win the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. In the final, Smith took out John Hall, with a 6.700. Gaige Herrara still leads the points by 226 over Smith and by 351 on Hall. Four upsets.
Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals winners: Antron Brown, Bob Tasca III, Aaron Stanfield and Matt Smith. Photo by NHRA Media
I was very impressed that they got the races finished by 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. Good job. Their next race is Brainerd on Sunday, August 18.
Kevin Lacroix led the field to the green flag for the NAPA 300 NASCAR Canada Series race at Edmonton Int’l Raceway. Photo by Perry Nelson
NASCAR Canada Series: Kevin Lacroix won practice over Andrew Ranger, D.J. Kennington, Donald Theetge and L.P. Dumoulin. Lacroix repeated that speed in qualifying by grabbing the pole over Marc-Antoine Camirand, Dumoulin, Jamie Krzysik and Danny Chisholm. Twelve entries. At the halfway mark, it was Lacroix, Ranger, Chisholm, Theetge and Camirand. Lacroix got the win over Camirand, Chisholm, Theetge and Kennington.
In the points, Camirand leads Lacroix by 10, Ranger by 11, Dumoulin by 36 and Jason Hathaway by 44. Their next race is at the GP3R on Sunday, August 11.
Lacroix taking the checkered flag at EIR. Photo by Perry Nelson
Grand Bend Motorplex: Their next race is the WDRA Canadian Nationals on Saturday & Sunday. This is one of the biggest and longest-running drag racing events in Canada. Click on the link below for tickets and info.
Delaware Speedway: Was off this weekend for their Monster Truck extravaganza. Their next race is Late Model 75 and Super Stock 50 on Friday.
Flamboro Speedway: Their next race is the Outlaw Super Late Models on Saturday.
Toronto Motorsports Park: Their next race is regular racing this weekend. The track is also gearing up for their Labour Day Weekend Spectacular. For details and tickets, click on the link below.
Laird Raceway: Laird Raceway had a great night of action last Thursday night. Click here for a report and photos. The Sault Ste. Marie paved oval will be back for another night of racing this coming Thursday (August 1).
CASC-OR: The BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races took place under sunny and warm conditions this past weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Watch InsideTrackNews.com for a report and gallery of images in the next day. Their next event is the OSCC Calabogie Summer Classic, at Calabogie Motorsport Park, in mid-August.
Oyster Bed Speedway: On Saturday night, in PEI, former Oyster Bed Speedway Late Model champion Robbie MacEwen led a race-high 78 laps in the BJ’s Truck Centre 150 and survived a race of carnage under the lights, in which he remained clean the entire night, en route to a popular second-career East Coast International Pro Stock Tour win, in front of a large crowd at his home track. Click here for a full report.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park: On August 9-11, CTMP hosts Canada’s biggest motorcycle road racing weekend of the year, the Superbike Doubleheader Weekend, featuring the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK). The country’s top riders will take on the legendary Grand Prix circuit twice (with races on Saturday and Sunday) in a pivotal weekend in the chase for the Pro Superbike crown. Other pro and amateur national classes include the Pro Sportbike, Pro/AM twins, Pro/Am Ninja 400rr Cup, AM Superbike, AM Sportbike, and Pro/AM lightweight. Click here for info.
Canada Heads Up: This series’ next event takes place August 17-18 at Toronto Motorsports Park. Click on the banner below for info.
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame – Celebration of Speed at CTMP: On Monday, August 5, the legendary Grand Prix Circuit at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will be the setting for the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame’s annual Celebration of Speed (COS) event. It’s a one-day track event where car enthusiasts and the public, aged 10 and older, can experience the “ride of their life” in exceptional cars with experienced race car drivers. It’s $150 for four sessions (three laps each!). Guests may select which vehicle they wish to ride in each session and ticket sessions may be shared with different passengers.
For tickets and info, click here.
St. Thomas Dragway: Their next race is the CanAm Stock/Superstock, ONDR and Chatham Kent on Saturday and Sunday.
Ohsweken Speedway: Their next race is the Duke Electric & All-Lift, Ltd night on Friday.
Sunset Speedway: Jordan Howse won the Junior Hanley Classic race on Saturday night over Jo Lawrence, Dwayne Baker, pole sitter Jake Sheridan and Billy Zardo.
Ontario Sportsman Series: Similar to the NASCAR Canada race, 12 cars showed up for the OSS at Peterborough Speedway. Connor James started from the pole, followed by Brendan Patrick, Ollie Ferguson, Derek McCullough and Kevin Trevellin. James got the win over Ferguson, Patrick, Shawn McGlynn and McCullough. Buxton Speedway: Their next race is OTS on Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway: Their next race is Regular Racing on Saturday, plus Enduro on Sunday.
Grand Bend Speedway: Their next race is Home Track classes plus Touring Series on Saturday.
PMRA: Their next event is August 15-17, with Pro Mods, Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series at Empire Dragway.
660 Sportsman Nationals: Their next race is at Grand Bend on August 16-18.
Shannonville Drags: Their next race is on August 17 & 18.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at [email protected] or by Facebook Messenger.
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Publish date : 2024-07-30 20:11:54
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