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Author: Briar Starr

  • Extreme E and Chip Ganassi Racing Announce First Driver

    Extreme E and Chip Ganassi Racing Announce First Driver

    Ahead of the first inaugural season which is slated for 2021, Chip Ganassi Racing (a premiere racing team in the NASCAR and IndyCar division) announced their first driver lineup for the Extreme E Tour.

    It has been deemed, Sara Price, who is a Off Road Truck Champion and X Games Medalist standout, will be competing in Extreme E when 2021 rolls around. Price becomes the first female driver announced in the series history, as does Chip Ganassi Racing becomes the first team to announce part of their driver lineup. Price is a 27-year old from California and has already made a big splash in other forms of racing, such as dirt bikes, and trophy trucks. The California native also experience in Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Truck Series.

    “This is a tremendous opportunity for me and something I’ve been working my whole career for,” Price said. “When you think of the name Chip Ganassi, you immediately think about winning. It’s a team I’ve long admired whether it be in INDYCAR, NASCAR, sports cars or rallycross. Chip’s teams define winning. As a racer, that’s the type of owner you want to race for. He’s a former driver and I’m honored to represent the team while also becoming the first female driver for CGR and Extreme E. The 2021 season seems far away but there is much to be done to get ready in a new form of racing and for the challenges the series presents. It’s a very exciting time not only for myself, but for this championship and the climate and environmental issues it intends to bring attention to.”

    Mike Hull, the Managing Director for CGR, says they are excited about Price joining the team as she becomes the first female driver in the teams stable history.

    “Today’s announcement of Sara Price as a Chip Ganassi Racing driver is significant,” Hull said. “Yes, she is a female, but first, Sara is an accomplished race driver. She has proven herself in the all-terrain arena on two and four wheels from a young age. Her next step represents her craft globally with several firsts. She makes Chip Ganassi Racing the first to unveil an Extreme E driver; the first female in the series; and, the first female driver in our team’s 30-year history. The series promotes a world’s-first gender equality platform. The teams will each have a male driver counterpart who swaps the driving chore in the same race car ‘at the turn’ by driving head-to-head in multiple heat races to get into the final. Our drivers will unselfishly share in support of each other to get it done on-track and off-track. Equal teammates have always defined Chip Ganassi Racing’s culture. Extreme E is about innovation through engagement. Its message to preserve the environment and protect the planet will create social awareness. To be a part of what the future holds in partnership is a very positive step. Our entire team is excited to have such a quality person in Sara to help stimulate team growth.”

    Meanwhile, CEO of the series and founder of Extreme E, Alejandro Agag shares the excitement as everyone else.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Sara Price to Extreme E,” Agag said. “As a driver she has already achieved so much and with the support of an incredible team like Chip Ganassi Racing, I’m sure she will be a force to be reckoned with behind the wheel. This is a great milestone as Extreme E now has its first confirmed driver. Chip Ganassi Racing has certainly set the bar high with Sara and we look forward to welcoming the rest of our competitor field over the coming weeks.”

    Fans of Sara can follow her on Twitter and visit her website.

  • BBC scheduled to host virtual W Series challenges

    BBC scheduled to host virtual W Series challenges

    W Series Racing league announced today that BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) will be the home for the 10 W Series virtual races that are slated to begin Thursday, June 11. The virtual series races can be seen on the BBC including the BBC digital channels.

    Catherine Bond Muir, W Series Chief Executive Officer, says partnering with BBC is going to be major step for the series.

    “We want the brand-new W Series Esports League to be intensely competitive, serious and authentic. Our partnerships with Logitech G, Beyond Entertainment and iRacing are going a long way to help us realise that ambition, and this new partnership with the BBC takes us further still. The W Series Esports League can open both W Series and the world of esports to a wider audience, and the BBC’s unrivalled experience, trusted voice and diverse platforms will be the perfect conduit for that.”

    Yesterday, the series also revealed their race format for the first race.

    Race 1 is set for 15 minutes plus one lap, race No. 2 is a reverse grid race plus one lap, while the third and final race is 20 mins and one lap. For the reverse grid, the starting lineup will be set by the finishing order of race one.

    As far as the points situation goes, the winner of each race earns 20 points maximum and an additional point should any driver score the fastest lap of the event. The points will look like this if all goes to plan.

    Race 1: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & 1 point for fastest lap
    Race 2: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & 1 point for fastest lap
    Race 3: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & 1 point for fastest lap

    The race for the virtual W Series Challenge is Thursday, June 11 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Italy) at 7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. ET United States time.

  • Kyle Larson Gets Second Consecutive All Star Circuit of Champions Victory

    Kyle Larson Gets Second Consecutive All Star Circuit of Champions Victory

    Coming off a dominating win at 81 Speedway Sunday night, Kyle Larson and the No. 57 Paul Silva Team headed three hours south to Lawton, Oklahoma to continue winning.

    Larson started on the outside row in fourth position for the 40 lap A-Main at Lawton Speedway. He had to chase down rival competitor Aaron Reutzel in order to take the victory. Reutzel led early on in the event, but lap traffic gave Larson an advantage and eventually, made the pass for the lead on lap 13. From that lap on, Reutzel kept Larson in a close distance throughout the rest of the event, but Larson managed his pace and grabbed another checkered flag for a second consecutive night.

    “To come out here and win two in a row like this says so much about this team and what we have going on,” Kyle Larson said, who was victorious one night prior at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. “It’s pretty incredible to see so many people out here supporting this deal, especially on a Monday night. It’s exciting to be a part of it.”

    Despite having Reutzel trying to give Larson a run for his money, Larson still had to maintain the lead with a couple of instances. Before the initial green flag flew, two cautions slowed the pace as Larson kept the lead. Reutzel challenged for the lead at least three times throughout the 40-lap feature. However, Larson was able to keep Reutzel behind him, especially veteran Danny Dietrich, who also challenged the lead.

    A break in the race came at lap 29, where a fuel stop was seen. This gave another chance for other competitors to catch Larson, but Larson proved unbeatable in the final 11 laps and fended off any other challengers.

    “There’s a lot of strategy that goes into racing on a surface that gets like that. It makes it fun in a way, but it can be really stressful,” Kyle Larson explained, driver of the Paul Silva-owned / Tarlton and Sons/Finley Farms/No. 57 sprint car. “I knew Aaron’s (Reutzel) only shot to get by me was going to be a slider in one of the corners. I was just trying to run easy. I didn’t want to get too close to the guys in front of me, and the track was still really wide at that point. He was almost carrying too much speed when he got by me that he actually slipped up out of the rubber.”

    Tony Stewart earned the Hercules Tire A-Main Hard Charger award, by gaining eight positions from the start.

    Official Results

    1. Kyle Larson, led 27 laps
    2. Aaron Reutzel, led 12 laps, Won Dash No. 1
    3. Danny Dietrich, Qualified on the pole
    4. Josh Baughman
    5. DJ Netto
    6. Cory Eliason, Won Heat Race No. 2
    7. Skylar Gee
    8. Gio Scelzi
    9. Zeb Wise
    10. Ian Madsen
    11. Greg Wilson
    12. Tony Stewart
    13. Paul McMahan
    14. Dominic Scelzi
    15. Blake Hahn
    16. Justin Peck
    17. Brock Zearfoss
    18. Sam Hafertepe Jr
    19. Harli White
    20. Kyle Clark
    21. Robbie Price
    22. Justin Sanders, Won Heat Race No. 3
    23. Danny Wood
    24. Danny Smith

    Official Points Standings

    1. Aaron Reutzel, 898 points
    2. Danny Dietrich, 858 points
    3. Zeb Wise 856 points
    4. Cory Eliason, 854 points
    5. Brock Zearfoss, 836 points
    6. Tony Stewart, 812 points
    7. Paul McMahan, 808 points
    8. Justin Peck, 794 points
    9. Josh Baughman, 782 points
    10. Skylar Gee, 780 points

    Up Next: The All Star Circuit of Champions continue at Lawton Speedway Tuesday night for night No. 2 at Lawton, Oklahoma. The event is a rain make-up date, due to the original event getting rained out on Saturday June 6. Night No. 2 begins at 7:15 p.m./local time and live on floracing.com.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Atlanta

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Atlanta

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series came to town on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Hampton, Georgia for the annual running of the Echo Park 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

    Coming off his controversial win at Bristol, Noah Gragson was looking for more of the same Monday night as he was qualified for the Dash 4 Cash Xfinity program. He drew the pole position in the No. 9 Chevy JR Motorsports entry and had a great car early on, leading the first six laps. However, throughout the event, Gragson’s team somewhat struggled, as drivers like Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton proved to be strong challengers for the race victory. 

    Somewhat surprising, A.J. Allmendinger, who had a disappointing Bristol finish, had the best car late in the race and was contending for the top five. A caution bunched up the field one more time and gave Allmendinger a chance to take the lead. After the restart, the Kaulig Racing driver took the lead and never looked back as he fended off Gragson for his first career oval victory. 

    While Allmendinger claimed the victory, there were other drivers who had strong performances as they looked to make up some extra ground in the point standings.

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the eighth race of the season.

    1. Noah Gragson – Gragson started on the pole with no qualifying which gave him the advantage at a track where track position means everything. The Las Vegas native led the first six laps of the race but then managed his race and ran solidly inside the top-10. Gragson finished sixth in both stages. He found himself catching leader Allmendinger late but ran out of time to make anything happen. Despite not getting the victory, Gragson did collect the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second

    2. Austin Cindric – If it wasn’t for a mid-race caution, we would be talking about a different race winner right now. Cindric was class of the field, winning both stages and leading a race-high of 68 laps. However, Cindric was one of the unlucky ones as a caution came out on Lap 126. However, in order for the No. 22 Team Penske’s plan to work, Cindric needed the race to remain green until the checkered flag as did not have any more new tires. When the caution came out, he was forced to put on scuffed tires. This ended his chance for the win and Cindric went on to finish 17th. It was a valiant effort by the No. 22 team who had the best car of the race.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    3. Daniel Hemric – Hemric and the No. 8 JR Motorsports team continue to play consistency on a part-time basis. Hemric came into Saturday’s race after finishing sixth at Bristol Monday night. The Poppy Bank Chevy managed to get top-10 stage finishes by placing the No. 8 fifth in the first stage and fourth in the second stage. Had a late-race caution flown, Hemric would have been in the position to pull off a thrilling victory. Even so, it was another solid finish for the No. 8 team as Hemric came home fourth. It was also confirmed that he had qualified for the Dash 4 Cash prize this weekend at Homestead.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    4. Harrison Burton – Another week and another top-five finish for Burton and the No. 20 Toyota Supra. He never got to lead a lap but his crew chief (Ben Beshore) made the right changes to the DEX/Hunt Brothers Pizza car and Burton brought it home to a fifth-place finish. It was Burton’s sixth top-five of the season.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fifth

    5. Justin Haley – Continuing the Kaulig Racing momentum, Justin Haley wounded up in the third position, after starting fourth. Haley ran a good race and got some decent stage finishes, which kept the No. 11 Chevy in the top-10. The Kaulig driver got to lead eight laps, but it was his teammate (A.J. Allmendinger) who stole the show by grabbing the checkered flag. With Allmendinger scoring the victory, Haley placed another Kaulig entry in third, while Ross Chastain finished seventh making it a great day at Atlanta.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked

    Fell Out

    1. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe had a strong No. 98 Ford and led 40 laps of the scheduled 163 laps. Unfortunately, Briscoe was caught for speeding on the last round of pit stops under the last caution on Lap 126. This ruined a great chance for Briscoe to win the race and he had to settle for a ninth-place finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Brandon Brown – Brown brought the No. 68 team to a 12th place finish Saturday afternoon. It was somewhat of a disappointment considering the last few weeks where he was able to get close to the top five. All in all, a great finish for Brown’s team with what they have.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third 

  • Interview: Catching Up with Julia Landauer

    Interview: Catching Up with Julia Landauer

    In this week’s interview, Speedway Media catches up with race car driver and motivational speaker, Julia Landauer. Landauer has competed in all kinds of racing series including the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West Series, specifically the west. She has also competed in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in Canada and the NASCAR Euro Series (competing internationally).

    During the interview, Landauer discusses her first race as a driver, the toughest track she’s competed on, and when her career is over how she hopes to be remembered.

    SM: What was the very first race that you competed in as a race car driver? Was it everything you expected?

    JL: “Ha! My first race in a race car was awful,” Landauer said. “I was 13 and it was in Skip Barber in October 2005, at Lime Rock Park in the rain. Lime Rock is hard in the dry and notoriously treacherous in the rain. I was pretty nervous and I did not thrive; the leader lapped me twice. But then, I won the championship the next year, so I figured it out. Perseverance is key.

    SM: How calm are you during a race? Are you a driver that’s more fired up behind the wheel or do you take it easy until the halfway point?

    JL: “My calmness depends on the race,” she said. “Races, where I’m in the lead and can just get in the zone and focus on hitting my marks with no one in front of me, are pretty calm. But if the car has a problem or we’re all really close or something, there are more variables to juggle and I can be more “fired up” as you say.”

    SM: What’s the most exhilarating race you’ve ever been a part of? Any come to mind? 

    JL: “I’ve had a lot of exhilarating races,” Landauer said. “National go-kart races in WKA (World Karting Association) or Stars were really intense and things happen so quickly in go-karts, so they’re always fun. My first win at Motor Mile in 2015 was also pretty exhilarating, because although I was calm during the race, I felt so much pressure and hadn’t won in a couple of years, and then I won. It was amazing.”

    SM: Which track has been the toughest track that you’ve driven on in your career so far? Why is that track so tough for you?

    JL: “Honestly, I’ve had a really hard time at Sonoma,” she said. “I’m good at road courses in general and got my start in road courses, but for some reason, Sonoma hasn’t been good to me.”

    SM: Speaking of racetracks. What track out there are you hoping to improve on? 

    JL: “My goal, whenever I go back to a track is to be better than I was before,” Landauer said. “But I guess Sonoma would be the obvious answer to that question.”

    SM: Have you participated in any iRaces during your time off?  

    JL “I have not,” she said.

    SM: Are you a driver that goes back to watch old races? If so, what races have you watched? 

    JL: “Definitely,” Landauer said. “I watch old races from any tracks I’m going to be racing at. I watched the entire K&N season from 2015 when I raced in 2016, I’ve been watching the EuroNASCAR series from last year in preparation for this year, etc. It helps me get a sense of where passing happens, how the races play out, and it helps familiarize myself with the track ahead of time, etc.”

    SM: This pandemic has been a little crazy for everyone. Have you discovered any new hobbies during this down time of racing?

    JL: “I’d say I’ve “rediscovered” hobbies,” she said. “I really like painting and have been doing watercoloring, I had an Instagram series called Because Racecar where I did mundane home stuff in my suit and helmet, I’ve been cooking and baking, reading, and getting creative with workouts and building strength at home with limited equipment.”

    SM: If you could go without one social media app for a year, which app would you choose?

    JL: “I’d give up Facebook,” Landauer said.

    SM: If you were able to visit any planet in the solar system, what planet would you choose to visit? 

    JL: “Saturn,” she said.

    SM: When your career is all over years from now, what do you want your retirement story to be?

    JL: “I want to be remembered as a fierce competitor, great to work with, and driven.”

     In Landauer’s career, she has a total of 28 starts in what was then called the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. During that series, she has eight top-fives and 20 top-10 finishes, with a best career finish of second in 2016 at Meridian. In the East Series, she scored one top-10 finish, finishing seventh at Bristol in 2017. Meanwhile, Landauer has earned a top-10 finish at Bowmanville in 2019, placing 10th.

    Fans of Julia can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and “like” her on Facebook. In addition, you can visit her website.

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Atlanta

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Atlanta

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series continued their momentum with another consecutive race following Charlotte Motor Speedway and sped to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the VetTix/Camping World 200 in what would be another thrilling race in typical Truck Series fashion.

    After winning the season opener at Daytona, Grant Enfinger had high hopes of continuing his early-season momentum and march toward another playoff run later in the year. Meanwhile, Georgia native, Austin Hill had great motivation as he entered his hometown racetrack. 

    While Kyle Busch was dominant in the early and middle portions of the race, it was Austin Hill and Enfinger who battled for the checkered flag. Enfinger managed to get Hill loose and take the checkered for his first Atlanta victory. 

    With Enfinger and Hill taking the top two spots, other Truck Series regulars also had a strong, but quiet day at Atlanta. We’ll detail Enfinger’s race along with Hill and check out the others to see how they fared in the fourth race of the 2020 season. 

    1. Austin Hill- Yes. While Hill did not win the race and the last lap dash to the finish with Enfinger, the Georgia native had the best Truck late in the going, especially on the longer runs. The No. 16 Hattori Racing team was nearly flawless all day, having great pit stops and keeping the truck in contention, should the opportunity present itself. Hill’s time to shine came during the final round of green-flag pit stops when race leader Kyle Busch was penalized twice for speeding. The Hattori driver took over the lead on Lap 99 and all the way up to Lap 134 (the original final lap of the race) before the Charlotte winner, Chase Elliott, spun and brought out a late-race caution. Hill did get a good restart but it wasn’t enough to keep Enfinger behind him. However, you can’t discount the effort of Hill’s team, who came up just a tad short in a disappointing loss. But this should give them some motivation heading into Homestead, as Hill won that race last year. In addition, he placed the No. 16 team fifth in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2 and gained the fourth top-10 in a row for the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    2. Grant Enfinger – Flipping the roles, Enfinger also had a solid No. 98 Ford F-150 before he took the checkered flag. It took all race to get up in position to have the opportunity to win but the Alabaman led the laps that counted the most after getting Hill loose coming to the last lap. Enfinger also had some solid stage finishes, finishing ninth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. So far, the No. 98 team is on a roll early and could be a sleeper in the championship.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Todd Gilliland – After a disappointing Charlotte outing a week prior, Gilliland and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team looked to put that behind them. The No. 38 team started 12th, finished 10th in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. Gilliland spent 130 laps in the top 15 throughout the majority of the race, before a timely caution came with a few laps left. He restarted in the top five and had a chance to win the race. Ultimately, Gilliland and company placed fourth for his first top-five finish of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fell Out
    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton and the No. 88 Menards F-150 had an up and down day but managed to fight back to a respectable 12th place finish. However, during the competition caution, there was a major check-up on pit road. Unfortunately, Crafton was on the receiving end and had some front-end damage to the hood of his truck. This set the team back a bit and they finished 20th in the first stage. In the second stage, he fought back to a 10th place finish. Crafton continued to make the best out of his day and brought the truck to a salvageable top-15 finish.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    5. Christian Eckes – Eckes finally brought home his first top-five finish of the 2020 season in the No. 18 Safelite Tundra. The first three races weren’t so kind to Eckes who has finished outside the top-10 and had only a best finish of 14th the week prior in Charlotte. He did note during the week that Eckes and the team had a come to Jesus meeting about what they could improve on and gave him some motivation. Obviously, that meeting worked as Eckes finished third in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2. At the end of the day, he finished third for the first top-five of his Truck Series career.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked 

    Fell Out 

    1. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt and his GMS Racing Chevy was a quiet contender all day long. He was up at the front during certain parts of the race but never challenged for the lead or victory. The Iowan did manage to finish sixth in Stage 1, but received no stage points for Stage 2. Moffitt eventually brought the No. 23 to an eighth-place finish. It was somewhat disappointing after a strong finish of fourth at Charlotte.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    2. Johnny Sauter – It was a crazy turn of events for Sauter on Saturday afternoon. The No. 13 driver had respectable finishes in both the stages, placing ninth and seventh, respectively. Troubles arose post-race when series officials disqualified Sauter’s finishing position of 17th. The officials found a tire modification violation after one of the tires was tested in what is called a dunk test, which will indicate any changes with the tire. Unfortunately, a penalty is expected later in the week, as this is an L2 penalty. This mean the driver could be penalized 75 points with the crew chief serving a four-race suspension along with a $25,000-$75,000 fine. It was a disappointing ending for Sauter, who had originally finished 17th.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth 
  • Four Takeaways From The VetTix/Camping World 200 At Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Four Takeaways From The VetTix/Camping World 200 At Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Three months ago the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series was originally scheduled to visit Atlanta Motor Speedway but the event was postponed when racing was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, interrupting the series schedule. Looking back it’s hard to believe that Atlanta Motor Speedway was the next stop for the Truck Series schedule after previously visiting Charlotte Motor Speedway as they were originally supposed to race that Friday night. But that’s when NASCAR changed the weekend plans as more news broke and businesses began shutting down, events were canceled including motorsport leagues and NASCAR canceled the race weekend which included the Truck Series event. 

    The Truck Series returned to Atlanta, only this time in June, and brought some great moments of escape for race fans. The highlight was a last-lap pass for the win while there were other exciting moments during the race as well. 

    Here are this week’s Four Takeaways in what we might have missed following Round No. 4 at Atlanta.

    1. Enfinger Carries Momentum – In what is quite possibly one of the best seasons early on for Grant Enfinger as he and the No. 98 team continues to carry their early season momentum as the series inches closer to the playoffs. It seems as though once Enfinger won at Daytona, the victory brought added motivation to the team to try new things and go for victories more often. There were a couple of disappointing finishes at Las Vegas (31st, crash) and Charlotte (12th), but that didn’t seem to bring the team down a bit. Heading into Atlanta, Enfinger is normally strong on 1.5-mile tracks, especially if he is in prime position. The 35-year-old once again grabbed victory for win number two of the year after a thrilling finish with Austin Hill. Not only did Enfinger bring home the victory, but he also brought home a $25,000 bonus to his team that was set up by Camping World and Gander RV CEO Marcus Lemonis. After getting that victory and the added bonus, the team looks to be unstoppable right now.
    2. Difficult Outing For Rowdy – When Kyle Busch is entered in a Truck race, he most certainly has a chance to win any race, especially at tracks like Atlanta where he has multiple wins. The Kyle Busch Motorsports Team owner did not dominate like he normally does but did sweep both stages again as he did in 2019. It looked as though this was going to be another victory in the win books for Busch but it all went south with late-race pit stops. The No. 51 driver was nabbed for speeding on his last stop and got caught for speeding again when he was serving his previous penalty. After serving those two penalties, Busch was caught up in an incident with Jordan Anderson and incurred damage to the No. 51 Truck. Atlanta was a forgettable race for Rowdy, as he would finish 21st, one lap down, an uncharacteristic race for Busch.
    3. Ben Rhodes Makes 100th Career Start – Saturday afternoon when the engines fired was a special moment for Ben Rhodes as the Kentucky native made his 100th career start in the Truck Series in a span of six years. Rhodes went on to finish in the top-10, quietly finishing ninth. It was a milestone moment for Rhodes who has been a part of the series since making his debut at the age of 17 at Martinsville Speedway.
    4. Wild Moment For Austin Wayne Self – There was a close call between AM Racing’s Austin Wayne Self and the No. 00 of Angela Ruch. It occurred when Self spun to a stop off the exit of Turn 4. This created havoc for the leaders, Busch and Chase Elliott, who had to maneuver around the No. 22 machine. However, what could have been a big moment, was avoided when Ruch, who was coming at full speed, thankfully missed the sitting vehicle of the No. 22 and went on to finish the race. Unfortunately for Self, he would wind up with a 30th place finish. 
  • Rowland and Siggy Take Virtual Races At Berlin, Vandoorne collects virtual championship in Driver’s Grid

    Rowland and Siggy Take Virtual Races At Berlin, Vandoorne collects virtual championship in Driver’s Grid

    Just like in Round No. 5 in the Race At Home Challenge hosted by FIA Formula E, Tempelhof Airport (city of Berlin) hosted the grand finale of the virtual racing challenges. It featured the Challenge Series (that makes up some of the best sim racers in the world) and the Driver’s Grid (featuring real-life Formula E drivers) that made up the grid. 

    As the sim racers arrived for the grand finale, the Challenge Series sim racers had a unique prize waiting for them. That prize was to test drive a real Formula E car at an upcoming event.  

    Coming into the last round of the virtual series, Mahindra Racing’s Pascal Wehrlien and Lucas Mueller had swept the previous day races at virtual New York. 

    The last round was a double points championship event for both series. 

    Challenge Series 

    Mueller was coming in with a head of momentum and extra motivation after getting to compete in a couple of laps, with his favorite racing driver, Wehrlein. He needed to beat rival competitor Kevin Siggy (in the BMW i Andretti camp) to score the championship. 

    Knowing it would be difficult for Mueller, who has been successful throughout the virtual series, it all started with a decent qualifying position. The grid would be lined up based on points and that meant Siggy would start on the pole and Mueller would be slated alongside Siggy. 

    As the lights went out, Mueller was all over the back of Siggy, who was trying hard to take the race lead, while Siggy was doing everything in his power to keep Mueller at bay. Mueller got to the back bumper of Siggy a couple of times and even attempted a couple of shunts. Though, Siggy fended off every battle from Mueller. 

    When the laps started to click down on the short circuit in Berlin, Siggy slowly and surely started to pull away from Mueller. Eventually, Siggy started to stretch his lead and the race pace had settled for the time being. 

    Mueller kept his pace and a decent distance behind Siggy in hopes of catching him, should Siggy slip in the final moments. However, Siggy proved to be a tough match for Mueller, when the BMW i Andretti driver led all 15 laps from pole position and took the virtual victory over Mahindra’s Mueller. 

    In the running order, Jaguar’s Petar Brljak was third, the GEOX Dragon of Peyo Peev was fourth, and Joshua Rogers in the TAG Heuer Porsche rounded out the top five finishers. 

    With Siggy getting another virtual victory and the championship, he will get to test a real life Formula E at a track of his choosing. 

    When asked if he had a preference to test drive at any track, he said, “any that doesn’t have walls.” 

    It was a special moment for the sim racer Kevin Siggy, who also set the fastest time of the race with 1:08.943

    “I cannot believe it!” Siggy said. “I do not have any words right now. I am so proud of myself that I was able to hold the lead in turn one and on lap one. Lucas [Mueller] was giving me a tough time on the first lap, but I am really happy it ended the way it did. I cannot wait to drive the real car.”

    Driver’s Grid 

    In the driver’s grid, it was a competitive battle, between Mahindra’s Pascal Wehrlein and Mercedes-Benz EQ driver, Stoffel Vandoorne. After Saturday’s victory in virtual New York, Wehrlein had a 14 point gap over Vandoorne heading into the double points event. 

    In qualifying, it was actually Nissan e. dams driver, Oliver Rowland who set the pace of 1:09.139. Wehrlein was second 1:09.280, and Vandoorne third with a time of 1:09.283. 

    Also in qualifying, there was a special guest appearance by W Series and British racing driver, Alice Powell, who competed in the Envision Virgin Racing entry. Although, qualifying proved difficult for her, as she started last. 

    When it came time to go green, there was a hectic start in the first turn. The Venturi of Edoardo Mortara caused an accident, as he would make contact with Sebastien Buemi, who then got into Vandoorne going through the turns, which then caused Vandoorne to spin around the championship points leader Wehrlein in the going. Vandoorne escaped the melee and came out in second place, as Wehrlein dropped to 15th. 

    Despite the accident, series officials ruled no penalties for any of the drivers involved. 

    After the chaos, a calm race was seen just three laps into the event and really, no further shunts as we have seen in previous races. 

    Rowland in the Nissan e.dams machine continued to set the pace over Vandoorne. Though all Vandoorne had to do was, was have a perfect drive and bring the virtual car home in one piece. 

    In doing so, Vandoorne could never catch Rowland who went to take the virtual victory at Tempelhof. Vandoorne, who finished second, had just enough to claim the virtual series championship and give Mercedes-Benz EQ the constructors championship. 

    Wehrlein meanwhile, had came back from the lap 1 incident and originally finished ninth, but was given a 10 second penalty for contact. This saw Wehrlein finish 12th instead in the final running order. 

    “First of all, I am really happy to win this competition,” Vandoorne said. “It has been a tough day and the start was very chaotic. I had a good start alongside Pascal (Wehrlein) on the outside and then into turn two I got bumped from behind, which sent him into a spin. It would been nice to have had a proper fight on track. But I have been unlucky as well in a couple of races, so it is a well-deserved win for us.” 

    Official Driver’s Grid Results 

    1. Oliver Rowland
    2. Stoffel Vandoorne
    3. Maximilian Gunther
    4. Edoardo Mortara 
    5. Sebastien Buemi 
    6. James Calado 
    7. Nyck de Vries
    8. Felipe Massa
    9. Kelvin van der Linde
    10. Andre Lottrer
    11. Antonio Felix da Costa 
    12. Pascal Wehrlien
    13. Alexander Sims, OUT, Did Not Finish
    14. Jean-Eric Vergne, OUT, Did Not Finish
    15. Brendon Hartley, OUT, Did Not Finish
    16. Sam Bird, OUT, Did Not Finish
    17. Sam Dejonghe, OUT, Did Not Finish
    18. Ma Qing Hua, OUT, Did Not Finish
    19. Lucas di Grassi, OUT, Did Not Finish
    20. Alice Powell, OUT, Did Not Finish
    21. Oliver Turvey, OUT, Did Not Finish
    22. Joel Eriksson, OUT, Did Not Finish
    23. Neel Jani, OUT, Did Not Finish
    24. Mitch Evans, OUT, Did Not Finish 

    Official Driver’s Grid Standings

    1. Stoffel Vandoorne, 154 points
    2. Pascal Wehrlein, 130 points
    3. Oliver Rowland, 122 points
    4. Maximilian Gunther, 118 points
    5. Edoardo Mortara, 59 points
    6. Robin Frijns, 50 points
    7. James Calado, 41 points
    8. Neel Jani, 35 points
    9. Antonio Felix da Costa, 30 points
    10. Sebastien Buemi, 29 points
    11. Nico Mueller, 29 points
    12. Oliver Turvey, 23 points
    13. Kelvin van der Linde, 20 points
    14. Nick Cassidy, 19 points
    15. Felipe Massa, 18 points
    16. Nyck de Vries, 18 points
    17. Andre Lotterer, 13 points
    18. Mitch Evans, 10 points
    19. Jerome D’ Ambrosio, 2 points
    20. Ma Qing Hua, 2 points
    21. Alexander Sims, 1 points
    22. Jean-Eric Vergne, 0 points
    23. Lucas di Grassi, 0 points
    24. Brendon Hartley, 0 points
    25. Sam Bird, 0 points
    26. Sam Dejonghe, 0 points
    27. Alice Powell, 0 points
    28. Joel Eriksson, 0 points

    Official Constructors Championship Standings

    1. Mercedes-Benz EQ, 172 points 
    2. Nissan e.dams, 151 points
    3. Mahindra Racing, 132 points
    4. BMW i Andretti Motorsport, 119 points
    5. ROKiT Venturi Racing, 77 points
    6. Envision Virgin Racing, 69 points
    7. Panasonic Jaguar Racing, 51 points
    8. TAG Heuer Porsche, 50 points
    9. DS Techeetah, 30 points
    10. GEOX Dragon, 29 points
    11. NIO 333 FE Team, 25 points
    12. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, 22 points 

    Official Challenge Grid Results 

    1. Kevin Siggy
    2. Lucas Muller
    3. Petar Brljak 
    4. Peyo Peev
    5. Joshua Rogers
    6. Jacob Reid
    7. Kush Maini 
    8. Cem Bolukbasi
    9. Jan von der Heyde
    10. Marius Golombeck
    11. Markus Keller
    12. Ben Hitz
    13. Jim Parisis, OUT, Did Not Finish
    14. Niek Jacobs, OUT, Did Not Finish
    15. Noah Reuvers, OUT, Did Not Finish
    16. Arjan Veltens, OUT, Did Not Finish
    17. Alisdair Irvine, OUT, Did Not Finish
  • Scott Dixon captures dominating win at Texas

    Scott Dixon captures dominating win at Texas

    When IndyCar was last on site at a racetrack, it was at the originally planned season opener in St. Petersburg back in March. Everything was going as planned until a few hours before practice started. Once more news came out about COVID-19, everyone in the world began shutting down, including major sporting leagues. IndyCar was sticking with their schedule before series officials called the entire race weekend and eventually parts of the season were either canceled or races were postponed.

    Fast forward to three months later, the NTT IndyCar Series drivers were back on-track for the season opener at Texas Motor Speedway, in what was a hot and steamy Saturday with temperatures well into the 90s.

    Hoping to continue his momentum and recent IndyCar dominance, Josef Newgarden qualified the No. 1 XPEL Chevrolet on the pole with a speed of 215.740 mph, while Scott Dixon was on the outside pole with a speed of 215.638 mph, just narrowly missing out on the pole position.

    Right up until the green flag, there was some pre-race drama. The No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing of Takuma Sato, crashed in the only practice session earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the team could not repair Sato’s car before the green flag flew. Due to the incident, the Japanese driver was credited with a last-place finish and was unable to start the race. Sato’s teammate, Graham Rahal, also faced issues with his car and spent a couple of laps in the infield when the event was underway. Rahal, however, got back on track but was eventually penalized for unapproved adjustments and for re-entry. Rahal was given a drive-through penalty after he returned to the track.

    The drama also continued with the Andretti Autosport team. Alexander Rossi in the No. 27 machine and teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 28 had problems of their own before the start. Though, despite not being able to start right away, both cars were able to get on the track before the green flag. However, Rossi and Hunter-Reay were also penalized for unapproved adjustments. Rossi was penalized again for speeding while serving his earlier penatly.

    Early on, Newgarden was the fastest car of the race and was keeping Dixon at a sizable pace. At Lap 11, Dixon made the pass for the lead and took the top spot from Newgarden. It was from that point on, where the Dixon domination began, but it wasn’t all that easy.

    Throughout the race, there 35 lap tire stints. Therefore, on Lap 35, it was mandatory for the drivers to come to pit road for a pit stop. Just a few laps before his pit stop, Newgarden had reported a vibration. In doing so, Newgarden pitted early in hopes of coming out ahead of Dixon on the track. After Dixon made his pit stop, he maintained the lead, but the first caution came out. Two rookies, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay were collected in a wreck off Turn 2. VeeKay’s car was way up in the marbles and came down in the middle of the backstretch. That is where Palou got involved, as VeeKay’s car would clip the No. 55 Dale Coyne Honda. While it was a heartbreaker for both of the rookies, the good news is, they were both checked and released from the accident.

    As the early caution flew, that still didn’t stop Dixon as the leader. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver would continue to extend his lead. In fact, Dixon had increased his lead over Newgarden by 4.5 seconds on Lap 70. Seven laps later, another caution flew for debris on the track. The leaders all came down pit road to make a pit stop. During the pit stop sequence, Team Penske driver Will Power stalled but eventually, Power’s car was restarted and he got back going.

    From Lap 86 to near the end of the race, there was a long green flag run. Dixon’s car continued to be the class of the field but he did have some challenges. His Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, provided a challenge to Dixon. At one point, Rosenqvist was on the back bumper of Dixon, where he decreased the lead to 1.8 seconds. Another challenge for Dixon was maneuvering lap traffic. The lap traffic caused havoc for him, as the New Zealander had a tough time lapping the field with around 30 to go.

    When the final round of green-flag pit stops pursued, Rosenqvist had pitted with 15 to go. While Rosenqvist pitted, Dixon continued to stay out and wait for the right time to pit. Dixon finally did so with around 12 to go. Hoping not to make a mistake that could cost him the race, the No. 9 driver made a clean pit stop and now he could set sail. Unfortunately, like earlier where Dixon had trouble getting around lap traffic, his teammate Rosenqvist, was sent crashing into the wall after racing with a couple of lap down cars. Despite the strong effort, Rosenqvist finished 20th.

    A late-race restart was set up with three to go. Unlike NASCAR, there was some lap traffic separating Dixon and the leaders. This created an advantage for Dixon and he pulled away from the field. The checkered flag flew on lap 200 and Scott Dixon took home his fourth checkered flag at Texas, the 109th victory for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar.

    “I can’t thank the team enough, everybody at PNC,” Dixon said. “It’s such strange times right now, and I just can’t thank the team. It was such a team effort. We had a couple of mistakes at the start and throughout the race, but we recovered. It was awesome. Honda, they were huge with the power out there. It was just so fast. Any situation we were in we could just go for it. Huge thanks to everybody involved. Bummed that the fans aren’t here. We wish everybody was here to celebrate.”

    With the victory, the win ties him with IndyCar legend, A.J. Foyt and he is now five wins away from Mario Andretti.

    Team Penske drivers, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium finishers.

    1. Scott Dixon
    2. Simon Pagenaud
    3. Josef Newgarden
    4. Zach Veach
    5. Ed Carpenter
    6. Conor Daly
    7. Colton Herta
    8. Ryan Hunter-Reay
    9. Oliver Askew
    10. Tony Kanaan
    11. Charlie Kimball, one lap down
    12. Pato O’Ward, one lap down
    13. Will Power, one lap down
    14. Marco Andretti, one lap down
    15. Alexander Rossi, one lap down
    16. Jack Harvey, one lap down
    17. Graham Rahal, two laps down
    18. James Hinchcliffe, two laps down
    19. Marcus Ericsson, four laps down
    20. Felix Rosenqvist, OUT, Crash
    21. Santino Ferrucci, OUT, Mechanical
    22. Rinus VeeKay, OUT, Crash
    23. Alex Palou, OUT, Crash
    24. Takuma Sato, OUT, Did Not Start

    Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will have a few weeks off again, before visiting the famed Indianapolis on Saturday July 4 for the Indianapolis Grand Prix, scheduled for 12:15 p.m./ET live on NBC.

  • Grant Enfinger wins in overtime thriller at Atlanta

    Grant Enfinger wins in overtime thriller at Atlanta

    In typical Atlanta Motor Speedway fashion, there was a last-lap dash and pass to the finish in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Vet Tix Camping World 200 race. This time, however, it was between Grant Enfinger and Hattori Racing Enterprises’ Austin Hill.

    Hill had led up until a late caution that flew with four laps to go when Chase Elliott spun off Turn 4. When the event went back green, Hill got a good jump on the restart, but it was eventually ThorSport Racing’s Enfinger who took home the win over Hill by 0.215 seconds.

    “It was definitely wild, that’s for sure,” Enfinger said. “We didn’t lead too many laps, but we led the ones that counted. It was just a unbelievable, Farmpaint Ford F-150 on the short run. We didn’t have everything that we needed to make a real run at those guys, to keep up with Chase (Elliott) and Kyle (Busch) on the long run. We were decent on the long run, but we weren’t great. On the short run, I knew if it came down to it, we could make it happen if we had a good restart.”

    “Fortunately, we got a good restart,” he continued. “Austin (Hill) blocked me on the backstretch and I felt like we could probably clear him either way but I was kind of glad he went to the bottom. I never used that move, but I (had) seen Kyle (Busch) and Johnny (Sauter) be successful with that same move. From there, it was just a matter of holding him (Hill) off and we had the speed to do that.”

    Stages 30-30-70 made up the 130 lapper for the fourth race of the season with a competition caution on lap 15. Kyle Busch Motorsports driver, Christian Eckes, drew the pole earlier in the week while Tyler Ankrum of GMS Racing drew outside pole.

    Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 30

    Eckes led early on but the race was slowed a couple of times by the No. 28 of Bryan Dauzat. Dauzat spun around twice, once on Lap 2, and a second time on Lap 12. Eventually, Dauzat would be out of the race, due to the damaged vehicle policy.

    Before the competition yellow, KBM teammates, Eckes and Kyle Busch traded the lead. When the yellow flew, Johnny Sauter, Zane Smith, Brennan Poole, Stewart Friesen, and Ankrum were among the drivers to pit under yellow.

    As the race went back green on Lap 16, Eckes got ahead for the lead but Busch took the top spot on Lap 24. KBM Team Owner Busch went on to win Stage 1 with Elliott, Eckes, Smith, Hill, Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed, Ross Chastain, Sauter, and Enfinger rounding out the top-10.

    When the leaders pitted, there was a log jam on pit road and a collision. Ryan Truex, who was ahead of John Hunter Nemechek, checked up which caused Nemechek to run into the back of the No. 40 truck. Seasoned veteran, Matt Crafton also received front-end damage to his No. 88 machine after the incident and Nemechek had left-rear quarter panel damage to his Truck as well.

    However, Sauter and Chastain were too fast on pit road and Angela Ruch was penalized for pitting outside the box. TJ Bell was also penalized for improper fueling. Zane Smith did not elect to pit, stayed out and was deemed the new leader for the Stage 2 restart.

    Stage 2: Lap 36 – Lap 60

    After staying out hoping for track position, Smith fell back and was almost run over by drivers with fresher tires in the back.

    Last week’s winner, Elliott, took the lead on Lap 38 and held it until Lap 51 when Busch once again made his way to the top of the leaderboard. The two traded positions before a caution halted the field when Austin Wayne Self in the No. 22 was stopped sideways off Turn 4. A few drivers, including Ruch, had to make some extra moves to avoid the sitting truck.

    When the stage restarted with four to go, there wasn’t much of a challenge for Busch and he took the stage win. Enfinger, Kraus, Chastain, Gilliland, Eckes, Sauter, Raphael Lessard, Crafton, and Hill completed the top-10 finishers in the second stage.

    Stage 3: Lap 66 – Lap 136

    The final stage saw the longest green-flag run of the day with 62 laps. Busch took the lead from Niece Motorsports’ Chastain with 44 to go and it looked as though he would set sail.

    The final round of green-flag pit stops began with 35 to go with Chastain the first to start the sequence. Busch pitted from the lead one lap later. Meanwhile, Elliott had troubles slowing when he tried to pit and was forced to make an extra lap.

    When Busch pitted, he was too fast on pit road and was given a penalty. As Busch re-entered the track, he nearly got into the No. 3 of Jordan Anderson in Turns 3 and 4. However, the No. 51 Cessna Tundra, was too fast again on pit road when Busch served the initial penalty. Receiving two penalties in a row would eventually end Busch’s chances of winning the race.

    After that, Georgia native Hill was in prime position as he inherited the lead during the pit stop cycle. He appeared to be on his way to score the big victory until Elliott went spinning around in the No. 24 Hooters machine off Turn 4 with four to go, setting up an overtime restart.

    There were some questions as to whether Hill would pit and everyone else would stay out or if Hill stayed out and everyone else would pit. However, all the lead lap trucks pitted under the final yellow.

    Eventually, a two-lap dash to the finish ensued and anybody inside the top five had a chance to win. But when it came down to it, Enfinger and Hill were the two trying to get to the finish line first. Enfinger was on the outside while Hill was on the inside. Enfinger was able to get Hill loose just enough to take the lead and would score the first Atlanta victory of his career.

    In 2020, Enfinger has earned two wins early in the season.

    “Obviously, it started at Daytona,” he said. “Superspeedways can be so crazy and hit and miss. It’s something I like though. The fact we won at Daytona and I shouldn’t say this, but shouldn’t be the reason we won today. That, however, changes our mindset at the shop even before we get here. Like my spotter, Chris Lambert said, ‘we won this race at the shop.’ Some of those guys can’t even celebrate with me right now, so we won this for the shop. We might not have made the same move, had we not won (at Daytona) and we would be points racing. Thankfully, we get to take some of Marcus Lemonis’ (CEO of Gander RV and Camping World) money home to those who deserve it.”

    Enfinger led twice for seven laps and now has four career victories. Not only did the Alabama native score his fourth career victory, he and the team picked up the $25,000 bonus from Marcus Lemonis.

    There were six cautions for 28 laps and 14 lead changes among seven different drivers.

    Note: Following the post-race inspection, Sauter’s 17th place finish was disqualified due to an unspecified tire modification. He was relegated to last place in the finishing order. This moves everyone who finished after him up one spot in the results.

    Official Results

    1. Grant Enfinger, led seven laps
    2. Austin Hill, led 36 laps
    3. Christian Eckes, 18 laps
    4. Todd Gilliland
    5. Zane Smith, led five laps
    6. Ross Chastain, led 17 laps
    7. Derek Kraus
    8. Brett Moffitt
    9. Ben Rhodes
    10. Stewart Friesen
    11. Tanner Gray
    12. Matt Crafton
    13. Ryan Truex
    14. Sheldon Creed
    15. Tyler Ankrum
    16. Jeb Burton
    17. Johnny Sauter – DQ – Officially scored in last place
    18. Brennan Poole
    19. Raphael Lessard
    20. Ty Majeski, one lap down
    21. Chase Elliott, one lap down
    22. Kyle Busch, one lap down
    23. Timmy Hill, one lap down
    24. Cory Roper, one lap down
    25. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down
    26. Spencer Davis, two laps down
    27. Clay Greenfield, two laps down
    28. Spencer Boyd, two laps down
    29. Angela Ruch, two laps down
    30. Korbin Forrister, two laps down
    31. Austin Wayne Self, four laps down
    32. Tate Fogleman, four laps down
    33. Bayley Currey, five laps down
    34. Codie Rohrbaugh, six laps down
    35. Gray Gaulding, seven laps down
    36. Jesse Little, nine laps down
    37. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Too Slow
    38. Jordan Anderson, OUT, Crash
    39. TJ Bell, OUT, Clutch
    40. Bryan Dauzat, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy