In this edition of the Dave Mathers Motion Motorsport Report, Dave touches on the off and on-track drama in F1, NASCAR’s weekend at COTA, IndyCar’s debut at the Thermal Club, NHRA’s soggy weekend in Pomona and more.
The ongoing soap opera taking place in Formula One of late has taken another interesting ‘potential’ turn, one involving the Canadian owner of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll.
Rumours have it that the rich oil business sponsor of Aston Martin, Saudi Arabian owned Aramco, has expressed interest in buying the team.
And there is, apparently, a lot of interest in them getting Max Verstappen to drive for them. This evokes that age-old adage ‘Money Talks’!! Stay tuned.
And in similar news, it appears that the McLaren Group, the owner of McLaren Racing is now completely owned by Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain.
I read an interesting article online rating countries based on their air pollution numbers. Two in the top 15 (worst) currently host Formula One races – #12 Bahrain and #13 Qatar. But the one that really stuck out was #3 India, a country where the FIA is considering returning for an F1 race. Really?
So, Bahrain and Qatar suffer from not only the sand blowing across the track but also air pollution? Hmm.
NASCAR drivers are calling for more horsepower. Who knew? BUT I agree with them. Having more power would possibly create more passing, but who knows for sure? Tire management would be a bigger issue so the drivers who did it best would win.
I’m sure the engine builders would LOVE to put out some 1,000 HP motors so why not try it at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro?
NASCAR has announced that they have bought the lease on the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The neat little quarter-mile track surrounds the football field for the Winston Salem State University football team and has, wait for it, 17,000 seats. How cool is that?!
Many, many battles have been played out on that little bullring. Now that NASCAR is in this ‘expansion mode’ maybe, just maybe, there’s hope that they might take a long, hard look at buying Jukasa Motor Speedway, the former Cayuga Speedway at Nelles Corners, here in Ontario. There are ten million people within a two-hour drive of the track!! Such a deal!
Apparently, the obituary for the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) was written prematurely. The series started by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham and others has been sold to the Skip Barber Racing School and part of the deal has former SRX CEO Don Hawke moving over to Skip Barber as Chief Strategy Officer.
They indicated that 2024 plans are currently being formed! Good news. And maybe a race at the finest dirt track on the planet – Ohsweken? Hope springs eternal!
NASCAR Cup Series: In qualifying for the Cup race at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), William Byron (Chev) won the pole over Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick, both in Toyotas. There were 4 Chevs and 6 Toyotas in the top ten with Austin Cindric being the first Ford in 11th.
Stage 1 ran very clean with just some bumping, but no cautions and it was won by Christopher Bell. Stage 2 was equally clean, and it was won by Denny Hamlin.
To give an idea of how competitive the race was at lap 50 there were still 35 of the 39 starters still on the lead lap.
Lots of cars spinning out but no full course yellow flags during the third stage.
At the flag it was William Byron over Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs. My opinion of Gibbs is changing! Thirty-four cars still on the lead lap after 68 laps and NO CAUTIONS!!!!! Wow.
Kyle Busch and Bell were seen making dinner plans after the race and Kyle was really emphasizing his choice!! LOL.
In the points, Martin Truex leads Gibbs by 5 and Ryan Blaney by 9.
Their next race is Richmond, Sunday at 7 P.M. on TSN 4 and Fox.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: In qualifying for the Xfinity race at COTA Cup star Kyle Larson (Chev) put half a second on number 2 qualifier New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen (Chev) and Ty Gibbs (Toyota). Canadian Alex Labbe (Toyota) started 26th. Nine drivers were sent to the rear of the field, seven for ‘unapproved changes,’ one for driver change and one for ‘inspection failure.’
TSN, I take back all of the good things I have said about you. Your failure to broadcast the Xfinity race was disheartening. Yes, you were covering Men’s basketball, Tennis, Women’s curling and Women’s basketball BUT you had Men’s basketball on TWO channels!!! ‘Nuff said.
One of the ‘unapproved changes’ drivers was none other than pole sitter Larson. Van Gisbergen gladly started first and jumped out into the lead. On lap 10 A.J. Allmendinger was able to get around Shane for the lead after Shane had problems in Corners 8 & 9.
On lap 12 the leaders pitted by Van Gisbergen stalled his car exiting and lost spots. Parker Kligerman won Stage 1, 14 laps on this awesome road course. Brandon Jones won Stage 2. There was lots of fender banging and ‘offs’ but, fortunately, no cautions in that stage. Well done.
On lap 38 (of 46) Van Gisbergen gets around Dinger to retake the lead, Ty Gibbs in a strong 3rd and Larson 4th. On lap 43 Ed Jones slid off track in 11 with what appeared to be oil leaking from his car. A caution with 5 to go. Lap 46 and Daniil Kvyat spun collecting three other cars. Yellow!!
Ty Gibbs comes up and hits Dinger after the two of them had ‘gotten together’ on the previous restart. I don’t think it was Dinger’s fault. The original 46 lap distance was then increased to 50 due to the two overtimes. Austin Hill shoved leader Van Ginsberg wide in 1 taking the lead. While those two were fighting Larson got past both of them.
At the flag it was Larson over Van Gisbergen and Hill. But NASCAR decided that Van Gisbergen should be penalized 30 seconds (30? Really?) for ‘exceeding track limits’ or was it ‘cutting the course?’
Did they sneak the F1 stewards up into Race Control? The penalty put Van Gisbergen back to a 27th place finish, one spot behind Labbe.
In the points Hill extended his lead on Chandler Smith to 9 and by 30 on Cole Custer. Their next race is Richmond, Saturday at 1.30 P.M. on TSN 2.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: In qualifying for the Truck Race at COTA, 17 year old Connor Zilisch (Chev), winner at both the Rolex 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Sebring this year, grabbed the pole ahead of Corey Heim and Taylor Gray (both in Toyotas). Canadian Stewart Friesen (Toyota) started 13th. Eight trucks including Marco Andretti had to go to the back on the initial start for ‘unapproved changes.’
Things started as normal until they hit the top of the hill going into Corner 1. Polesitter Zilisch had issues and slid straight off going from 1st to 35th in a heartbeat. He returned to the track and began his march back through the pack. On lap 3 former ACT Series and motorcycle racer Dale Quarterly had problems and put some debris on the track for a yellow.
Nick Sanchez won Stage 1. On lap 22 Lawless Alan spun then couldn’t get his truck started bringing out the caution flag. Corey Heim won Stage 2.
Zilisch put on a clinic coming from DFL to as high as second before making contact with another truck pushing his fender into his tire.
The smoke slowly stopped but he has taking it easier and got passed. On lap 37 (of a scheduled 42) Lawless Alan once again stopped on track for a caution (and a shootout??). Zilisch pitted to replace his damaged tires and put on another clinic coming through the pack. Wow.
With 2 to go Marco Andretti had the entire rear axle (a 9” Ford!!) come loose under braking and separated from his truck rolling over onto the grass. I haven’t seen something like that in many, many years. The video will make the highlight reels for sure. NASCAR wisely red flagged the race to allow for the cleanup.
At the flag it was Corey Heim over Taylor Gray and Ty Majeski. The 17-year-old Zilisch finished 4th and Friesen fell out of the top ten on the last lap after contact and finished 22nd.
In the points Heim leads Majeski by 10 and Tyler Ankrum by 11.
Their next race is Martinsville, Friday, April 5 at 7.30 P.M. on Fox Sports Racing.
Formula One: Things did not start well at the Australian Grand Prix for Alex Albon. During Free Practice 1 he bottomed out then bounced his Williams off the wall in Turn 6, followed by hitting the wall in Turn 7. He finally crossed the track and hit the opposite wall. He managed to hit three of the four corners on his car. He was okay but he was not able to go out in Free Practice 2.
Update: Williams determined that Albon’s car could not be repaired and, as they had no spare tub at the track, they were taking American driver Logan Sargeant out of his ride in their other car and giving it to Albon. Sad. Time to sell to Andretti / Cadillac and put a stop to the ongoing misery of this once proud and successful team?
The weather was absolutely perfect (and HOT) for both sessions.
No surprises in qualifying as Max Verstappen, as usual, took the top spot in his Red Bull over Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull). BUT Perez was penalized three grid spots by the stewards for blocking Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) in Q1.
And all the positive talk from Mercedes was just that – talk. Toto has been spending too much time commenting on the perceived problems at Red Bull and not enough time on his real job. His cars qualified 7th (Russell) and 11th (Hamilton).
Amazingly they got through the first corner with no contact whatsoever in the pack! It didn’t take long for Max to gap the field on lap 1. BUT on lap 2 Sainz got around Max cleanly for the lead. And the crowd went wild!!
Two laps later, the right rear brake on his Red Bull caught fire almost melting the tire and he ‘box, box, boxed’!! His car spit out a few brake parts on pit in!!
On lap 16 Lewis Hamilton slowed to a stop on the edge of the track bringing out a Virtual Safety Car. Estabon Ocon came in on lap 19 and there was concern about the right rear brake on his Alpine but, fortunately, he returned to the track.
On the last lap George Russell crashed out his Mercedes forcing the race to end under caution. He got into the wall hard and then climbed up and over his own rear tires almost tipping over. Scary.
Update: The stewards decided post-race that Alonso had braked about 100 meters earlier thus causing Russell to also brake early in the wrong spot and losing control. Alonso was handed a 20 second time penalty and lost three championship points.
Not a good day for Mercedes or Red Bull. But a GREAT day for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz won, teammate Charles Leclerc was 2nd and Lando Norris 3rd in his McLaren. Perez didn’t help with his job security finishing 5th in his Red Bull.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen’s lead has been cut to only 4 over Sainz with Perez 3rd one point back of Sainz.
Red Bull leads the Manufacturers’ Championship but now only by 4 over Ferrari and by 42 on McLaren. Mercedes is 4th 29 behind McLaren and only 1 point up on Aston Martin.
Their next race is Japan, Sunday, April 7 at 9 A.M. on TSN 4.
IndyCar: All 27 drivers showed up for the non-points big buck race at the Thermal Club, California, a very private club just south of the world famous Coachella Festival. Alex Palou set fast time in ‘Test Session 1′ ahead of Christian Lundgaard and Marcus Armstrong. No Canadians in the field.
Qualifying Heat #1 started but unlike F1 the drivers did NOT get out of the first lap without crashing. Scott Dixon tagged Romain Grosjean for the first caution collecting some others as well. LOVE the 360-degree camera on the roll cage!!
The course is three miles long, has 17 corners, a full pit road and is surrounded by a bunch of incredible million dollar plus estates. It was wisely built with wide straights and corners and is very fast. It was interesting to hear that there was a sandstorm on Friday. Shades of the first two F1 races.
Heat 1 was won by Felix Rosenqvist over Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden.
Heat 2 was won by Alex Palou, No. 11 Marcus Armstrong, No. 15 Graham Rahal.
The heat races determined the starting lineup for the 20-lap main event, so Rosenqvist started on the pole with Palou beside him. There were six cars from each heat race for a total of only 12 starters.
The main event had a break at the halfway mark to allow the teams to work on the cars. They were only allowed to adjust tire pressures, adjust front and rear wings, add fuel and attend to the driver. No other work allowed. Interesting. Pietro Fittipaldi was disqualified for the second half of the race as his team had not filled his fuel tank fully for the first half. Hmm.
At the flag it was Alex Palou for the $500,000 win followed by Scott McLaughlin and Felix Rosenqvist. As this was a non-points race there are no points to report. Good race, GREAT facility.
Their next race is Long Beach, Sunday, April 21.
IMSA: Their next race is Long Beach, Saturday, April 20.
NHRA: Rain managed to delay Saturday’s action but the sun finally came out late in the day for the ‘Winternationals’ in Pomona. I guess NHRA missed the calendar entry where SPRING replaced WINTER last Tuesday? LOL. I don’t remember rain like that in February.
Due to the rainy weather only two rounds of qualifying were held, one Friday and one Saturday after the track dried. However just before the finals the rain returned Sunday. The decision was made to run the finals at Phoenix the weekend of April 7.
In Top Fuel Brittany Force topped the 15 entries with a 3.711. Up to the semis there were 3 upsets (lower qualified car wins) and 6 ‘smokers’ (one or both spun the tires). The final will see Justin Ashley against Tony Schumacher.
Matt Hagan was fastest of the 20 Funny Cars with a 3.893. Also up to the semis there were 5 upsets and 11, yes, 11 smokers. The final will have Matt Hagan and John Force.
Dallas Glenn beat the 20 Pro Stockers with a 6.536. Two Canadians were in the field: Eric Latino (12th) and youngster Sienna Wildgust (16th). Unfortunately, they were both first round ‘runners up.’ Eric, however, set the quickest time in round 1, a 6.529! Up to the semis there were 5 upsets and 5 smokers. The final will be Dallas Glenn and Erica Enders.
It would appear that the Factory Stock Showdown class has turned into Pro Stock Lite. Former Pro Stock driver Mark Pawuk laid down a 7,856 to be quickest of the 10 cars, 8 Chevs and 2 Challengers but no Fords.
I had so much hope for this class where all three manufacturers could play on a level field. The class only got in two rounds and there were 4 upsets. The semis will see Mark Pawuk against David Davies II while Stephen Bell gets the bye run.
Their next race is Phoenix, Sunday, April 7.
NASCAR Canada Series: Their first race is at Mosport (CTMP), Sunday May 19. In pre-season news, veteran team owner Jim Bray announced that his Bray Autosport NASCAR Canada Series team is switching to Ford Mustangs in 2024.
With the support of crew members Don, Paul, Will and Norm, the team will field ‘Darkhorse’ Mustangs. Bray is a Darkhorse Trailers dealer, in Brantford, Ontario. This is a bit of a homecoming for Bray, who has long been knows as a ‘Ford guy.’ The team plans to field its No. 98 and No. 81 Mustangs in NCS action this season.
APC Series: Their first race is at Sunset Speedway, Saturday, May 18.
Ontario Sportsman Series: Their first race is at Delaware, Friday, May 17.
Delaware Speedway: Their first race is Friday, May 10.
Ohsweken Speedway: Their first race is Friday, May 17.
Flamboro Speedway: Their first race is Saturday, May 4.
Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (Buxton) : Their first race is Saturday, May 25.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway: Their first race is Saturday, May 4.
Grand Bend Speedway: Their first race is Saturday, June 1.
Grand Bend Motorplex: Their first race is the weekend of May 19.
St. Thomas Dragway: Their first race is the weekend of May 19.
Toronto Motorsport Park: Their first race is the weekend of April 20.
Dragstrip Memories: This great event takes place Sunday, April 14, 9 – 4, Hamilton Airport.
Shannonville Drags: Their first race is the weekend of May 5.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
