In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report, things are starting to heat up. Dave Mathers looks back at last weekend’s NASCAR action in L.A. and ahead to several upcoming events and new items.
Last weekend was great for sports fans. Saturday afternoon the NHL All Star Game was held, a game that wrapped up the ‘Connor McDavid Week’!! Saturday night saw the Busch Lite Challenge run after being moved ahead from Sunday night. Sunday afternoon it was the NFL All Pro Game which is anything BUT a game!!
Formula One has voted against allowing Michael Andretti and Cadillac to gain an entry into the top series. Their reasoning – “our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, in and of itself, provide value to the championship” – creates more questions than answers.
I feel this is the wrong decision but I don’t get a vote!! AND I find it strange, VERY strange, that shortly after this decision was released the Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari news came out thus overtaking the Andretti story. A coincidence? You be the judge.
I will go out on a limb here and suggest that the Hamilton move will not be successful. Others (Vettel, Prost, Alonso) have tried it, and they did not succeed.
NASCAR Canada and the APC Series have lost two of their ‘top guns’ this year as 2023 Series Champion Treyten Lapcevich and his teammate Kyle Steckly have both gone south for rides in American racing series. Treyten will be running in the zMax CARS Tour while Kyle is joining the ASA Stars National Tour racing for Rette Jones Racing.
As well, Windsor, ON racer Chase Pinsonneault, a front runner in both the APC Late Model Series and the Qwick Wick Super Stock Series last season, has been confirmed as joining Carson Hocevar Racing where he will be running a diverse schedule that currently includes 27 events at various tracks in the U.S. His grandfather and father both used to run in both the ASA Series and CASCAR.
NASCAR Cup Series: The Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum got moved ahead one day due to the weather forecast, a 90 to 100% chance of rain on Sunday night. In qualifying, Denny Hamlin (Toyota) nabbed the number one spot ahead of Joey Logano (Ford) and Ty Gibbs (Toyota). I found it very interesting that the pits were on a side street outside the stadium. Cool.
I found it also VERY interesting that the stands were far from full.
Thirty-six cars were entered for the event with 23 qualifying for the race. Ryan Blaney started 23rd. Ty Gibbs was able to get past Logano on the start and then a few laps later he got around Hamlin for the lead. Logano then got past Hamlin.
By the one third mark of the 150-lap race, Hamlin had slid back to 5th. On lap 71 Todd Gilliland looped it on corner entry for the first caution. On lap 76 (later changed to 74??? Did they have the IMSA timekeepers there??)
Logano, the leader, got into the door of John Hunter Nemechek spinning him. One lap later they had the halfway red flag. The first half took, wait for it, 17.57 minutes!!
Just after the restart Bubba Wallace got spun for a yellow. At the same time Chase Elliott was in the infield with his hood up. On that restart Ross Chastain got spun for yet another caution. On the restart Gibbs got around Logano for the lead. With 10 to go Michael McDowell spun for another yellow after (deliberate?) contact with Chastain.
Hamlin got under both Gibbs and Logano on the restart with Logano falling back to 6th. They all had the left front tires smoking under braking going into the corners. On the one to go lap Gibbs got spun by Kyle Larson for a caution flag. Green / white / checker!!
DRAMA!! Hollywood!! Who knew? At the flag it was Hamlin ahead of Kyle Busch and ‘come from the back’ Blaney in third. Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford, 1, 2, 3!! Parity!!
Chastain and Tyler Reddick got together after the flag. Gibbs and Logano exchanged plans for a mid-week picnic!! Tempers flaring at a short track? Unheard of!! I counted six caution flags plus the one for half-time. About half the count from last year.
Even though this race was hurt by the threat of weather, it was still a good show. Can it continue in L.A.? I, personally, highly doubt that it can.
I still remember the 1992 Busch Clash when Linda and I were in the Ford Suite. Bill Davis walked in with this skinny little kid with a lame excuse for a mustache on his upper lip. Lee Morse introduced us to Bill, who I had met before, and the kid, Jeff Gordon.
I was amazed that somebody that small could be that good a driver. Anyway, the Clash was run back then on the Sunday before the 500 and it included from time to time the ARCA cars and the Daytona Dash cars. It made for a full day of good racing. Time to return to that format and that location? Go with what works!!
Their next races are the Duels on Thursday, February 15, 7 P.M. on TSN 1.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Their first race is Daytona, Saturday, Feb. 17, 5 P.M. on TSN 3.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: Their first race is Daytona, Friday, February 16, 7.30 P.M. on Fox Sports Racing.
Formula One: Their first race is Bahrain, Sunday, March 2. If last week’s news was about Hamilton going to Ferrari, this week everyone was watching to see if Red Bull boss Christian Horner would be out… for “controlling behaviour?”
IndyCar: Their first race is St. Petersburg, Sunday March 10.
IMSA: Their next race is St. Petersburg, March 10.
Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by eBay Motors: This show runs March 8, 9 & 10 at The International Centre across from Toronto’s Pearson Airport. There’s a huge Racing Zone featuring many of the region’s top series and tracks. On Saturday, March 9, the Fast Eddie Night of Champions honours anyone who won a season-long championship (road racing, drag racing, short track racing) in 2023. For info and tickets go to www.MotoramaShow.com.
NHRA: Their first race is March 10 at Gainesville.
PRO Superstar Shootout: In Bradenton, February 8 – 10.
World Series of Pro Mod: In Bradenton, March 1 – 3.
NASCAR Canada Series: Their first race is at Mosport (CTMP), Sunday May 19. They will have a nice display at the Motorama show, in Toronto, March 8-10.
APC Series: Their first race is at Sunset Speedway, Saturday, May 18. They will also be at Motorama with a display and several cars.
Ontario Sportsman Series: Their first race is at Delaware, Friday, May 17. Also at Motorama.
Delaware Speedway: Their first race is Friday, May 10.
Ohsweken Speedway: Schedule TBD. They will also have a booth at Motorama.
Flamboro Speedway: Their first race is Saturday, May 4. Look for them at Motorama, too. Rumour has it track co-owner John Casale is celebrating a birthday again that weekend.
Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (Buxton): The status of the track is uncertain at this time.
Grand Bend Speedway: Their first race is Saturday, June 1.
Grand Bend Motorplex: Their first race is the weekend of May 19.
Canada Heads-Up Shootout Series: They’ll have a huge presence again at Motorama, as well.
St. Thomas Dragway: Their first race is the weekend of May 19.
Toronto Motorsports Park: TBD due to track improvements, but they’ll be at Motorama with two booths, promoting their ‘experiences’ and the drag strip events.
Dragstrip Memories: Sunday, April 14, 9 – 4, Hamilton Airport.
Shannonville Drags: Their first race is the weekend of May 5. They’ll also have a booth at Motorama, March 8-10.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
