Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Briar Starr

  • Josh Williams Motorsports seeks driver with sponsorship for Lucas Oil 200

    Josh Williams Motorsports seeks driver with sponsorship for Lucas Oil 200

    It has been two years since Josh Williams has fielded an ARCA car for a race. The last time his own team competed on the ARCA circuit was in April of 2018 at Talladega Superspeedway, where Williams started 12th and finished sixth.

    Recently the Port Charlotte, Florida native brought his team to the annual ARCA test session at Daytona with Ryan Vargas who piloted the No. 60 Chevrolet at the test and led the team to finish 11th on Saturday.

    The test went so well that the team hopes to have a funded driver for the season opener at Daytona next month on Saturday February 8th. Co-Owner Kevin Williams says the test went better than expected.

    “The test was successful, real successful,” said Kevin Williams, co-owner of JWM. “It’s been a while since JWM has participated in an ARCA Menards Series test session at Daytona, but we came to the test and had speed and our drivers did exceptionally well, including Ryan. Quietly we’ve been working hard behind the scenes at JWM to not only prepare to compete at Daytona but other races on the schedule in 2020.”

    Despite the season opener quickly approaching, the team still does not have a driver but hopes to have one in time before the week of the race. Even though the team has hopes to race at Daytona, they aren’t expecting to run the full ARCA schedule this late in the off-season. However, they have cars ready for any of the upcoming races on the ARCA schedule.

    Team Owner Josh Williams gives more explanation about the situation.

    “We’re not looking to run a full schedule at this point, but the races that we’re able to field an ARCA car – we’re focused on going to the track with a ton of leadership, a confident group and fast race cars. We have opportunities this year for funded drivers on a variety on levels, including single-race and multi-race options and hope to make some announcements in the near future.”

    The team says if any driver has the funding or is interested to compete at Daytona, they are advised to contact Josh Williams Motorsports at 941-628-9362.

    Williams had a breakout year in the ARCA Menards Series in 2016, having two wins, five top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. The year prior, he had six top fives and 15 top-10 finishes in the ARCA Series.


  • Decker joins Niece Motorsports for part-time efforts

    Decker joins Niece Motorsports for part-time efforts

    Niece Motorsports announced today that Natalie Decker will join the team on a part-time schedule in the No. 44 Chevrolet. The former DGR-Crosley driver will compete at Daytona International Speedway next month, where she will make her Niece Motorsports debut.

    Decker says, change can be a great thing, while also not knowing what the outcome maybe in return.

    “Change is inevitable, change is expected and exciting, and change is also frightening,” said Decker. “But this year is a year I’m ready for! I have never felt so prepared with my health, in the gym, and mentally. There are so many things to be excited about working with Niece Motorsports, starting with my teammates Ross and Ty. I’m ready to learn from them and be 100% open minded going into the season!”

    In addition, team owner Al Niece is excited with Decker racing for the team in 2020.

    “We are excited to have Natalie join the team,” said team owner Al Niece. “Natalie has shown a lot of talent, and we are excited to see her continue to develop that at Niece Motorsports. We are certain we will put her in competitive equipment that will really give her a chance to shine.”

    Decker will join Ross Chastain and ARCA standout Carson Hocevar on a part-time basis for the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry. Her best finish in the Truck Series was 13th last year at Las Vegas in March.


  • Graf Jr to race with SS Greenlight Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series

    Graf Jr to race with SS Greenlight Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series

    With the series of announcements today, SS Greenlight Racing owned by Bobby Dotter also made one of their own. It was announced that former Richard Childress Racing driver Joe Graf Jr will compete in the No. 08 entry for SS Greenlight Racing in 2020 with sponsors from Eat, Sleep, Race. With Graf Jr only making select starts last season, the Mahwah, New Jersey native is scheduled for Rookie of the Year honors this season.

    “To be racing fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is super cool. My boys at EAT SLEEP RACE are really pumped and I am looking forward to having them back on the car,” said Graf Jr.

    “Bobby (Dotter, team owner) and Patrick (Donahue) prepare solid cars. To have the chance to get into a competitive race car for a full season is exactly what I need to continue developing at this level. “My goal is to learn as much as possible, contend for strong finishes and maybe even earn a berth into the Xfinity Series Playoffs. I know I have a lot to learn, but I’m eager for the challenge and am ready to get to Daytona and getting the season underway.”

    With Graf Jr excited for the season opener at Daytona in less than a month, team owner Dotter says he’s seen Graf compete for a long time.

    “I’ve been watching Joe for a little while now, especially when he ran a few NASCAR Xfinity Series races last season and I’ve seen he’s eager to learn and perform,” explained Dotter. This is a big step for him, but he is determined to put the effort in and have a good rookie season. With Patrick’s leadership and the strength that our team has shown in recent seasons, there’s no reason that we can’t go out there and do the same with Joe in 2020. I’m looking forward to getting the year started.”

    The newly acquired SS Greenlight driver has a best finish of 14th in the Xfinity Series, which came last year at Richmond.

  • 2020 Truck Series Preview: An early season outlook for the Truck Series

    2020 Truck Series Preview: An early season outlook for the Truck Series

    It’s hard to imagine that we just left Homestead and crowned the 2019 Truck Series champion, Matt Crafton, and now we are less than a month away from the season opener at Daytona for the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series season. Since the season finale at Homestead, there have been many announcements including driver, teams and/or crew chiefs changes. With the new season quickly approaching, let’s take a look at some of the changes the Truck Series experienced during the “off-season.”

    Kyle Busch Motorsports kicked off the series announcements with the driver changes. Raphael Lessard and 2018 ARCA Menards Series Champion Christian Eckes will take over the No. 4 and No. 18 rides, respectively. Lessard replaces Todd Gilliland in the No. 4, while Harrison Burton makes the leap to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Eckes takes over the famed 18 full-time after doing multiple part-time attempts. It is expected that team owner Kyle Busch will drive part-time in the No. 51 and Chandler Smith in the No. 46 as well. Busch has yet to announce what his races will be. Also, Mike Hillman, Jr. is to serve as crew chief for Lessard as Rudy Fugle pairs up with Eckes. Danny Stockman will serve as crew chief for the No. 51.

    Following in KBM’s announcements in the terms of drivers is GMS Racing. GMS will have four full-time drivers with Sheldon Creed in the No. 2, Zane Smith in the No. 21, Brett Moffitt piloting the No. 23, and Tyler Ankrum moving over from DGR-Crosley to drive the No. 26. Sam Mayer and David Gravel will split share the No. 24 Chevy. Gravel is expected to make six starts with the team.

    With the driver announcements for GMS also comes some crew chief announcements. Kevin Manion will serve as crew chief for Smith, Chad Norris serving for Moffitt, and Chad Walter for Ankrum.

    As for ThorSport Racing, it is expected for all drivers to return to the team. Defending series champion Matt Crafton in the No. 88, Johnny Sauter in the No. 13, Grant Enfinger in the No. 98 and Ben Rhodes in the No. 99. The crew chiefs remain the same for each driver.

    Also during the off-season came some manufacturer news. DGR-Crosley switches over from running a Chevy to Ford for both teams. But the team has yet to make any driver announcements for the No. 17 and No. 54. Ankrum piloted the No. 17, while Natalie Decker drove the No. 54 in 2019. Halmar Racing made manufacturer news as well. After competing in a Chevy last year, the team moves to Toyota as they will get trucks prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Some other small news to report is that Jordan Anderson, who owns Jordan Anderson Racing, will return as driver and owner this season along with crew chief Wally Rogers. Austin Hill returns to the No. 16 Hattori Motorsports Toyota after having a breakout season in 2019. For Niece Motorsports, Ty Majeski takes over the Ross Chastain No. 45 Chevy full-time with Chastain moving to the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. The No. 44 team details are yet to be announced. Multiple drivers competed in the entry last season.

    A couple of new teams will race in the Truck Series this year. Bill McAnally formed a team with Hattori Racing to field the No. 19 Toyota full-time in 2020. Derek Kraus and ENEOS/NAPA Filters will be the sponsor with Kevin Bellicourt as crew chief. The team competed part-time running select races in 2019.

    Speaking of new teams, the Cup Series team of Front Row Motorsports is expanding its program for the Truck Series. Former KBM driver Todd Gilliland will compete in the No. 38 Ford full-time with crew chief Jon Leonard. Front Row Motorsports will have support from DGR-Crosley.

    As far as full-time efforts that’s all there is to report right now. Several teams including Young’s Motorsports, NEMCO Motorsports, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Reaume Brothers Racing, DGR-Crosley, Roper Racing, Norm Benning Racing, CR7 Motorsports, Clay Greenfield Racing, Mike Harmon Racing, Henderson Motorsports, Jacob Wallace Racing, Rette Jones Racing and RBR Enterprises have yet to make announcements. Though it is expected that these teams will return with either full-time or part-time schedules.

    Also of note, Roper Racing, Norm Benning, CR7, Clay Greenfield, Mike Harmon, Henderson, Jacob Wallace, Rette Jones and RBR all competed part-time last season while Young’s, NEMCO, Jennifer Jo Cobb in the No. 10, Reaume Brothers and DGR-Crosley were full-time.

    Henderson Motorsports, who competes in the No. 75, is looking for a full-time venture and is trying to become a development program. Parker Kligerman has normally competed in this ride. Jason Little Motorsports who fielded the No. 97 JJL Ford sold its team to Diversified Motorsports Enterprises at the end of 2019. With Jason Little not owning the team anymore, new owner Logan Puckett, the president of Diversified Utility Group LLC, took over the team as owner. Jesse Little is expected to run Xfinity Series races this year but is also listed to return part-time to the team in 2020.

    As always there will be more announcements to come for the Truck Series in the coming weeks leading up to the season opener at Daytona, so stay tuned.

    *Disclaimer- Some teams have yet to announce their 2020 plans, so this is an unofficial team preview.*

  • General Tire signed on for four more years with ARCA

    General Tire signed on for four more years with ARCA

    Ever since the 2015 season finale at Kansas Speedway, General Tire has been a partner of the ARCA Menards Series and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of great success. Due to that success, General Tire is moving forward for four additional years with the ARCA Menards Series through 2024. And with the East, and West Series falling under the ARCA banner for the foreseeable future, General Tire will also become their official tire for the series. With the sponsorship comes more activation for the brand. Fans at the track will see General Tire pretty much everywhere, from race entitlements, at-track activation and billboards, broadcasts, and service at the track for ARCA Menards Series, East and West teams.

    ARCA President Ron Drager says the partnership has been great for the series.

    “General Tire has been a fantastic partner over the last four seasons,” said Drager. “They have supported the series by sponsoring races at some of the biggest venues in America, supported our live broadcasts, and created a lot of really great activities and content for our fans at the track. And most importantly they have brought a consistent race tire that our teams can count on from the high-speed tracks like Daytona and Talladega to the dirt tracks at Springfield and DuQuoin and to the road courses like Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen. We’re extremely pleased to have General Tire on board with the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East and West for 2020 and beyond.”

    In addition to Drager speaking on the additional partnership, Travis Roffler, Director of Marketing for General Tire, is satisfied with the pairing for the series as well.

    “We’re pleased to announce the extension of our partnership with the ARCA Menards Series and look forward to expanding our presence by adding the ARCA Menards Series East and West,” said Travis Roffler, Director of Marketing, General Tire. “Our team works hard to provide competitive, action-packed racing each week for the fans and we’re proud to continue that tradition and to build on the relationship we established in 2016.”

    General Tire will continue to provide support as the official tire including being the supplier status for the ARCA Menards East and West Series, as well as the ARCA Menards Series overall.

    In less than a month, the ARCA Menards Series will be back on-track for their season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday February 8 live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 4:30 p.m./ET.



  • Dominique Van Wieringen tops final test session in preparation for ARCA Lucas Oil 200

    Dominique Van Wieringen tops final test session in preparation for ARCA Lucas Oil 200

    When you hear the name Dominique Van Wieringen, you normally associate her with what was formerly named the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Van Wieringen has made 15 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts with four top-fives and six top-10 finishes, along with one NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start.

    She made her ARCA debut this weekend by competing in the two-day test session ahead of the Lucas Oil 200.

    The Ontario native placed quickest on the last day of testing with a time of 49.615 seconds with a speed of 181.397 mph. Van Wieringen, competing in the No. 30 Rette Jones entry, was surprised to find that she was at the top of the charts at the end of the day.

    “I was really surprised when Mark (Rette) said we went to the top of the charts,” Van Wieringen said. “I was practicing trying to time the draft for qualifying and I didn’t get it times just right. Hopefully, when we come back for the race I can time it out a little better in qualifying and get even more.”

    It was the first time the Rette Jones driver completed any laps at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. Despite the history surrounding the place and the legendary names that have won and competed at the speedway, Van Wieringen says she was calm.

    “It’s been a good experience. It’s really intimidating because you go really fast and when things go wrong they go wrong really fast. For the first time out, it was better than I thought it would be. It was actually really relaxing. I don’t know how to explain it, it was just really relaxing.”

    Testing out his experience in the stock car world was a usual name in the World of Outlaws, David Gravel. Gravel was second in the No. 28 KBR Development Chevy with a time of 49.659 seconds at 181.236 mph. The Sprint Car driver is supposed to make select starts in the Truck Series and will compete in the ARCA season opener.

    Rounding out the top five in the final test session was Sean Corr with the Empire Racing Group, ARCA Menards Series Championship runner-up Michael Self and Drew Dollar, along with Ryan Repko as Venturini Motorsports makes its name heard once again in the ARCA world.

    Official Test Results

    1. Dominique Van Wieringen- Saturday Test Session
    2. David Gravel- Saturday Test Session
    3. Sean Corr- Saturday Test Session
    4. Michael Self- Saturday Test Session
    5. Drew Dollar- Saturday Test Session
    6. Ryan Repko- Saturday Test Session
    7. Bret Holmes- Saturday Test Session
    8. Connor Hall- Friday Test Session
    9. Ronnie Osmer- Friday Test Session
    10. Jacob Heafner- Friday Test Session
    11. Ty Gibbs- Friday Test Session
    12. Riley Herbst- Saturday Test Session
    13. Andy Seuss- Friday Test Session
    14. Gus Dean- Friday Test Session
    15. Tristian Van Wieringen- Friday Test Session
    16. Ryan Vargas- Saturday Test Session
    17. Tanner Gray- Saturday Test Session
    18. John Ferrier- Saturday Test Session
    19. Hailie Deegan- Saturday Test Session
    20. Dave Mader III- Saturday Test Session
    21. Harold Crooms- Saturday Test Session
    22. Tom Hessert- Saturday Test Session
    23. Willie Mullins- Saturday Test Session
    24. Kieth McGee- Saturday Test Session
    25. Sebastian Airias- Saturday Test Session
    26. Jason Kitzmiller-Friday Test Session
    27. Derek Kraus- Saturday Test Session
    28. Chuck Walker- Friday Test Session
    29. Gabe Sommers- Friday Test Session
    30. Chuck Hiers- Friday Test Session
    31. Ryan Huff- Saturday Test Session
    32. Greg Van Alst- Saturday Test Session
    33. Jason White- Friday Test Session
    34. Ruben Garcia- Saturday Test Session
    35. Benny Chastain- Saturday Test Session
    36. Sean Corr- Friday Test Session
    37. Dawson Cram- Saturday Test Session
    38. Chandler Smith- Friday Test Session
    39. Sam Mayer- Saturday Test Session
    40. Doug Herd- Saturday Test Session
    41. Ed Pompa- Saturday Test Session
    42. Scott Reeves- Friday Test Session
    43. Jared Irvan- Friday Test Session
    44. Tim Richmond- Friday Test Session
    45. Rick Tackman- Saturday Test Session
    46. Eric Caudell- Saturday Test Session
    47. Mike Senica- Saturday Test Session

    Up Next: With the annual two-day test session complete, the ARCA Menards Series drivers will now focus on next month’s Lucas Oil 200 season opener.


  • Chad Bryant Racing leads the way in ARCA Preseason test at Daytona

    Chad Bryant Racing leads the way in ARCA Preseason test at Daytona

    The ARCA Menards Series returned to on-track action for the annual preseason test at Daytona International Speedway. Rain showers interfered in today and shortened testing on day one. Despite the limited test, one driver was still smiling at the end of the session and that was Chad Bryant’s Connor Hall in the No. 22C Ford with a time of 49.711 seconds equaling 181.046 mph.

    There was also a morning test, which accompanied the afternoon test session. Hall said, they did some single-car runs throughout the morning and was somewhat pleased the way things went on day 1 of testing.

    “We were working on single-car runs this morning,” Hall said. “We had a game plan to work on the car and getting air where we wanted it. We made some gains and learned some things we liked and didn’t like. That’s what testing is all about. We were focused on what we needed to be better on last year. We have a great racecar. We are happy but not totally happy so we’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

    Following in Hall’s footsteps was Jacob Haefner, who placed third fastest in the test session. Haefner piloted the No. 77H Chad Bryant Racing Ford and laid down a lap of 49.767 seconds, 180.843 miles per hour. This was the first time Haefner got on-track at Daytona and while he was excited in the beginning, the Chad Bryant Racing driver was able to calm his nerves.

    “It was a learning curve at the beginning,” Haefner said. “I calmed myself down and got to driving. It is a big change coming from late models on short tracks. We worked a little on single-car runs and then got out there in the draft a little. We’re learning a lot and ready to come back in February.”

    Splitting the Chad Bryant Racing team was the No.02O Chevrolet of Ronnie Osmer for Our Motorsports. Osmer’s lap placed him second on the charts with a time of 49.754 seconds at 180.890 mph. Rounding out the top five was Ty Gibbs in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, with Andy Seuss completing the top five in the No.02S Our Motorsports Chevrolet.

    All in all, just 37 drivers took part in the first day of ARCA testing at Daytona right before the rains came and shortened testing. There will be another day of testing with day two taking place tomorrow morning/afternoon. However, should the rain interfere in that session and wash it completely out, there is a reserve date set for Sunday, January 12.

    Official Results

    1. Connor Hall
    2. Ronnie Osmer
    3. Jacob Heafner
    4. Ty Gibbs
    5. Andy Seuss
    6. Gus Dean
    7. Riley Herbst
    8. Dominique Van Wieringen
    9. Tristian Van Wieringen
    10. Bret Holmes
    11. David Gravel
    12. Dave Mader III
    13. Jason Kitzmiller
    14. Drew Dollar
    15. John Ferrier
    16. Harold Crooms
    17. Tanner Gray
    18. Hailie Deegan
    19. Kieth McGee
    20. Michael Self
    21. Chuck Walker
    22. Gabe Sommers
    23. Chuck Hiers
    24. Jason White
    25. Tom Hessert
    26. Willie Mullins
    27. Sean Corr
    28. Sebastian Airias
    29. Chandler Smith
    30. Sam Mayer
    31. Scott Reeves
    32. Jared Ivan
    33. Ryan Vargas
    34. Ed Pompa
    35. Dawson Cram
    36. Tim Richmond
    37. Doug Herd

    Tomorrow’s test session resumes at 9:00 a.m./ET lasting until 5:00 p.m./ET with an hour for lunch at 12:00 p.m./ET.

  • Start times announced for 2020 IndyCar season

    Start times announced for 2020 IndyCar season

    Announced on Monday afternoon were the start times for the 2020 IndyCar schedule. Not much have changed compared to this season, but there are some notable changes.

    The season opener at St. Petersburg has a new start time next year. Originally, the start time was 1:40 p.m./ET. However in 2020, a new start time of 3:30 p.m./ET will take place instead. The Firestone Grand Prix is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Grand Prix that started back in 2009. Another notable change is the Circuit of the Americus. In 2019, the track saw the green flag at 1:43 p.m./ET, that is changed to 4:10 p.m./ET.

    A few more changes to note. When the IndyCars’ race at Iowa in July, it will be a night race as the start time shifts to 9:00 p.m./ET, (8:00 p.m. in Iowa). The Mid-Ohio Sports Car race slated for Sunday August 16 starts at 12:45 p.m./ET, a major shift from the normal start time of 4:05 p.m./ET. And finally, the returning Richmond Raceway on Saturday June 27 sees the green flag at 8:15 p.m./ET.

    Official broadcast schedule

    Sunday March 15- Streets of St. Petersburg- 3:30 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday April 5- Barber Motorsports Park- 4:15 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday April 19- Streets of Long Beach- 4:45 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday April 26- Circuit of The Americas- 4:10 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Saturday May 9- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course- 3:50 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Sunday May 24- Indianapolis 500- 12:30 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Saturday- May 30- Streets of Detroit Race 1- 3:50 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Sunday May 31- Streets of Detroit Race 2- 3:50 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Saturday June 6- Texas Motor Speedway- 8:45 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday June 21- Road America- 12:50 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Saturday June 27- Richmond Raceway- 8:15 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday July 12- Streets of Toronto- 3:40 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Saturday July 18- Iowa Speedway- 9:00 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday August 16- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course- 12:45 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Saturday August 22- World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway- 8:45 p.m./ET- NBCSN
    Sunday September 6- Portland International Raceway- 3:40 p.m./ET- Regular NBC
    Sunday September 20- WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca- 3:25 p.m./ET Regular NBC

    More information regarding broadcast details for next season is going to be released later on.

  • Hamilton flawless en route to victory at last race of 2019 season

    Hamilton flawless en route to victory at last race of 2019 season

    Already locking up the championship a few weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes-Benz driver had nothing to worry about but win. That’s exactly what the British driver accomplished at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton qualified on the pole and led every lap from start to finish, to score his 11th win of the season.

    “Honestly I’m proud, definitely, but just super grateful for this incredible team, to all at Mercedes who have continued to push this year,” the Mercedes driver said. “Who would have thought at the end of the year we’d have this strength in the race. Even though we had the championship won, I just really wanted to keep my head down and try to see if we could learn and if we could extend and extract more from this beautiful car, it’s a piece of art.

    “Thank you for watching, thank you for supporting. I feel so happy”

    As soon as lap 1, Hamilton jumped his lead to almost two seconds. With Hamilton setting the pace early, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen slid in second and set eyes on the leader. While Hamilton and Verstappen were breaking away from the field, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly had to come to pit road to fix a missing wing to the No. 63 Williams FW42 / Mercedes M10 EQ Power+ machine. Just a few laps later, Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race at the moment with a time of 1:42.503.

    Pit stops were taking place at the one-third part of the race. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettle had a slow pit stop, as it appeared the left front tire was not on correctly. The issue cost Vettle a lot of ground to the leaders. With the rest of the field pitting, Hamilton was building his lead to well over 10 seconds ahead of second. At lap 26, second place Verstappen pits in hopes to out-best Hamilton.

    Worried about a Safety Car, the British driver pits from the lead the next lap later. However, it was a slow pit stop for Hamilton’s No. 44 Mercedes-Benz team with a time of 3.1. He pitted for a set of hard tires. Despite some concerns about a Safety Car, Hamilton still came out as the leader after stops in front of Charles Leclerc. After the stops, the DRS was activated, meaning any driver could use this to his advantage in hopes of gaining more speed.

    Even with the DRS, no one could touch the race leader Hamilton. However, one driver had his problem toward race end. SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team’s Lance Stroll had to retire from the race at lap 45, 10 laps before the checkered flag. A critical point in the race with Vettle and Alexander Albon. Both were racing side-by-side for a position with no driver willing to give up a spot. Finally, Vettle got the upper hand on Albon and passes him for fifth.

    On the final lap of the race, Hamilton set another record for the Fastest Time of the Race with a 1:34.05.715. With a lead well over 16 seconds, the British driver went on to win his 84th career Formula 1 victory. The win puts Hamilton seven behind the All-Time wins list leader Michael Schumacher, who has 91 in his name.

    “What a way to end the season,” Hamilton said on Twitter. “I’m so grateful to my team @MercedesAMGF1 for the hard work they have put in this year, constantly raising the bar. But above all, thank you #TeamLH for your support. The positivity you give me is overwhelming. I feel your love all around the world.”

    Official Results

    1. Lewis Hamilton, led all 55 laps, 26 points
    2. Max Verstappen, 18 points
    3. Charles Leclerc, 15 points
    4. Valtteri Bottas, 12 points
    5. Sebastian Vettel, 10 points
    6. Alexander Albon, eight points
    7. Sergio Perez, one lap down, six points
    8. Lando Norris, one lap down, four points
    9. Daniil Kvyat, one lap down, two points
    10. Carlos Sainz Jr, one lap down, one point
    11. Daniel Ricciardo, one lap down
    12. Nico Hulkenburg, one lap down
    13. Kimi Raikkonen, one lap down
    14. Kevin Magnussen, one lap down
    15. Romain Grosjean, one lap down
    16. Antonio Giovinazzi, one lap down
    17. George Russell, one lap down
    18. Pierre Gasly, two laps down
    19. Robert Kubica, two laps down

    Retirement
    Lance Stroll

    Up Next: It is now off-season for the Formula 1 drivers and team, and now will focus on the 2020 season entering a new decade. Though, before they get there, they will have a end-of-the-season test session from December 2-4. When the new decade arrives, another test session will take place at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona on February 19, 2020.

    The first race of the new decade takes place on March 15 at the Australian Grand Prix.

  • Alexander Sims takes wild Round 2 in Ad Diriyah ePrix

    Alexander Sims takes wild Round 2 in Ad Diriyah ePrix

    English native Alexander Sims took Round 2 for the Ad Diriyah ePrix race after a wild race. Sims started first and led all 30 laps to take home his first win of the season.

    Though, there were several controversies following the event.

    When the ePrix got underway, it was all Sims out front in the BMW i Andretti Motorsport entry. With Sims pulling away, Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi followed behind him in second and third, respectively. DS Techeetah Antonio Felix da Costa also was having a strong while Jerome d’ Ambrosio had a difficult outing and had to retire from the race. Ambrosio was the first retiree of the event by not making any laps.

    Some intense action took place behind the leaders. Da Costa was pressuring Buemi for a potential spot in the top three. However, he pushed too hard and sent Buemi around into oncoming traffic. Both drivers got their vehicles running again but the incident was investigated under the FIA. Later, the FIA gave da Costa a 10-second drive-through penalty.

    Yesterday’s race winner, Sam Bird had his own troubles as well. There were 30 minutes remaining on the clock before Bird was bumped by Mitch Evans and the Panasonic Jaguar Racing entry in Turn 4 at Lap 14. The incident was severe enough that Bird could not continue due to the crash damage. The Englishman became the second retiree of the event.

    Another yellow flew on Lap 19 of the ePrix. This time it was for the No. 4 of Robin Frijns, who had an accident in Turn 6. Furthermore, Sims still had control of the race despite all the mishaps behind him. Di Grassi used an Attack Mode to pass Stoffel Vandoorne by having an additional 35kW energy available.

    Sims continued to have the lead with just five minutes remaining in the ePrix. His teammate, Max Gunther was behind him and fought hard to hold di Grassi off hoping for an Andretti 1-2 sweep. And so it worked (for the most part) with Sims taking the checkered flag, but Gunther was issued a penalty due to passing Lucas di Grassi when the Safety Car was deployed. Therefore, Gunther saw a 24 second time penalty added to his race result. Instead, the new Mercedes-Benz entry took the podium in third.

    Official Results

    1. Alexander Sims, led all 30 laps, 28 points
    2. Lucas di Grassi, 18 points
    3. Stoffel Vandoorne, 15 points
    4. Edoardo Mortara, 12 points
    5. Oliver Rowland, 10 points
    6. Daniel Abt, eight points
    7. James Calado, six points
    8. Jean-Eric Vergne, four points
    9. Brendon Hartley, two points
    10. Antonio Felix da Costa, three points, Fastest Lap
    11. Max Gunther
    12. Sebastien Buemi
    13. Neel Jani
    14. Andre Lotterer
    15. Pascal Wehlein
    16. Nyck de Vries
    17. Felipe Massa
    18. Mitch Evans
    19. Qing Hua

    Retired
    Oliver Turvey- DSQ
    Nico Muller
    Robin Frijns
    Sam Bird
    Jerome D’ Ambrosio

    Up Next: Formula E’s next event will be in the new decade at Santiago for the third race of the season at the Parque O’ Higgins Circuit on Saturday, January 18.