I owe B.C.’s Jordan Lazic an apology. With NHRA mistreating the Pro Mods as usual, the class did not run until well after the other Pro classes had been completed. In my haste to get things done, I misspelled his name in last week’s blog – Jordan Lazi, dropping the final ‘c’. Sorry about that!
In one of the worst-kept secrets of NASCAR’s ‘silly season’, Chase Briscoe has been announced as the replacement for Martin Truex at Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe, who had replaced popular driver and now announcer Clint Bowyer at Stewart-Haas Racing, was at risk of losing his job at the end of the year as SHR had initially announced that they were closing down completely. However, Gene Haas has since announced that he will retain one Cup Charter and will also field two Xfinity rides.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced that he will be running in the July 20th ‘Hampton Heat’ Late Model race at Hampton, Virginia’s Langley Speedway. A really good way to fill the place.
Red Bull honcho Helmut Marko has indicated that Sergio Perez has to up his game to how he was running at the start of the season. Early on, he was finishing 2nd or 3rd to his teammate Max Verstappen, but lately, he has slipped further down the finishing order. Do they regret signing him for two more years? I believe they do.
Is Daniel Ricciardo’s job at Red Bull in jeopardy? Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko is suggesting that it may be time to bring on development driver Liam Lawson. More to come.
I was in London Thursday, and as I drove by Ray Cullen Chev, I saw Steve McCaw’s Camaro sitting out front, the one he would be running in the weekend’s two APC Hot Rod races at Delaware. After I checked my car in at Courtesy for an oil change, I walked down to congratulate him on the cool marketing move. He told me Burt McColl was out in the service area. So I went out, and we had a lot of laughs. Burt and I go back to 1965 when he and Brian Setterington had the ‘Half Fast’ Ford drag car. Say that name fast!
Good news from F1 land. Aston Martin has signed a 2-year contract extension with Canadian driver Lance Stroll. Stroll’s father, Lawrence, owns the team.
MORE good news: Canadian Robert Wickens, injured in an IndyCar race six years ago and subsequently confined to a wheelchair, drove in a GEN 3 Formula E car at the Portland E-Prix.
And speaking of F1 and the FIA, they are tripping over themselves making changes to the Austrian circuit to ensure that the brutally embarrassing show that happened last year at the Red Bull Ring in Austria does not get repeated this year. That embarrassment, completely self-inflicted, came from their brain-dead ‘track limits’ nonsense. F1 is selling entertainment NOT racing, and they should let the ‘best drivers in the world’ race anywhere that is paved. Club Racing on steroids.
And more from F1. Is there ‘trouble in paradise’ at Ferrari? Consistent rumors indicate that the infighting is rather intense. Ditto for Red Bull?
News from IMSA indicates that Wayne Taylor Racing will not be running Acuras next year as Meyer Shank Racing has announced that their team will field Acuras. A return to Caddy perhaps for WTR?
The Twitterverse was going wild last week about a reported ‘discussion’ between Aric Almirola and Bubba Wallace during a combined JGR/23XI team meeting before the Charlotte race on May 26. Early reports had Aric fired, but subsequently, it turned out to be only a suspension, and Aric will be driving for JGR at Indy. Good news for a really nice guy.
In the ASA/CRA Super Series Busch Lite 100 at Pensacola Speedway last week, Bubba Pollard won the race with Nova Scotia driver Cole Butcher 5th. Kevin Harvick was 13th, and Chase Elliott was 16th.
NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin (Toyota) won the pole for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway ahead of Josh Berry (Ford) and Christopher Bell (Toyota). 38 cars.
Stage 1 went clean and green with Bell taking the win. The yellow came out on lap 117 when John Hunter Nemechek spun with a flat tire as the weather was threatening. On lap 126, Ty Gibbs spun down and across the infield grass after sliding up into Alex Bowman, who kept going.
On lap 135, the yellow came out for the weather, especially lightning. After an hour and about twenty minutes, the green came back out, and Bell won Stage 2 as well. Denny Hamlin made another friend at the end of the stage when he drove down on Kyle Larson on the cool-down lap.
On lap 202, Riley Herbst brought out the yellow when he got tagged by Corey Lajoie and hit the wall. Unfortunately, two-time stage winner Bell hit the wall on lap 227 and was out of the race.
There were several attempts at a green/white/checker, with the FIFTH one the charm (shouldn’t the Mercy Rule prevail??). At the flag, it was Joey Logano picking up the win over rookie Zane Smith in his best-ever finish and Tyler Reddick. Ford, Chevy, and Toyota!!
In the points, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are tied for the lead with Denny Hamlin 3rd, 40 points back.
Their next race is Chicago Street Race, Sunday at 4:30 P.M. on TSN 5.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: In qualifying for the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway, Ty Gibbs (Toyota) nabbed the pole over Cole Custer and Ryan Sieg (both in Fords). There were 39 entries for the 38 spots.
Stage 1 was green all the way with Gibbs picking up the win. The second stage went all green as well, with John Hunter Nemechek picking up the win. All the more amazing as the temperatures were very hot, and some drivers were experiencing cool suit failures. Those types of conditions can sometimes lead to short tempers.
On lap 136, Justin Allgaier tagged Gibbs’ left rear fender, causing him to spin out. Gibbs then tried to hit Allgaier down on the apron. Chandler Smith was an innocent victim of the ‘crime’. The first race caution of the event.
At the flag, it was Nemechek over Chandler Smith and Jesse Love, who started DFL. Nemechek wins a guitar for the win, and I remember the All American 400 at the Nashville Fairgrounds in about 1990 where DW won but was DQ’d, giving the win to Junior Hanley. He sold the guitar before leaving the track. His comment was a classic – ‘I can’t play a guitar’!! LOL
Cole Custer leads Chandler Smith in the points by 15 and Allgaier by 48.
Their next race is Chicago Street Race, Saturday at 3:30 P.M. on TSN 5.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: Canadian Stewart Friesen (Toyota) nabbed the pole for the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway ahead of Grant Enfinger and Christian Eckes (both in Chevys) in front of 36 trucks.
It didn’t take long for problems as Mason Maggio hit Dean Thompson in corner 3 on the first lap, taking out five other trucks as well.
On lap 9, one of the accident trucks, Bret Holmes, looped it by himself in his damaged truck for a second caution. Eckes won Stage 1. On the restart, Ben Rhodes spun Taylor Gray for a yellow. Proving the old adage that ‘yellows breed yellows’, Dawson Cram crashed after the inside line appeared to slow. Clint Bowyer received some damage as well (and was NOT happy!!). Eckes also won Stage 2. On lap 113, Conner Jones tagged Jack Woods for another caution.
At the flag, it was Eckes who led every one of the 150 laps as he had gotten around Friesen on the first lap. Daniel Dye was 2nd with Corey Heim 3rd. Friesen finished 11th.
In the points, Eckes leads Heim by 40 and Nick Sanchez by 89. Friesen sits 12th.
Their next race is Pocono, Friday, July 12.
Formula One: In qualifying for the Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took the pole over the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. In the actual Sprint Race, which didn’t seem to be aired by TSN, at least not that I could find, Verstappen, unsurprisingly, won atop Piastri and Norris.
In qualifying for the actual Grand Prix, Verstappen once again won the pole over Norris and George Russell (Mercedes). Lance Stroll qualified 17th.
Oh, wow, the ‘beloved’ stewards must have been going into FULL meltdown on the initial start as I counted almost half the field exceeding the brain-dead ‘track limits’ in the very first corner!! It appeared that Hamilton was on a mission passing Sainz very quickly to move up to 4th. And, of course, the stewards are reviewing the pass!!! Then Hamilton gave the spot back so ‘no action taken’ after Lewis was threatened with a five-second penalty.
On lap 18, it was Hamilton up to 2nd, and Verstappen had a 1.5 second lead. Then the floor fell out from under Lewis. He started reporting no power on lap 29, and Verstappen won the race over Norris and Russell. The TV broadcast gave a few seconds to Valtteri Bottas.
In the points, Verstappen has a 6-point lead over Norris with Hamilton 7 back.
Their next race is Silverstone, July 10-11.
IndyCar: Their next race is Mid-Ohio, Sunday at 1:30 PM on TSN 5.
IMSA: Their next race is Mosport (CTMP), Sunday, July 14.
NHRA: I am thunderstruck but not really surprised that NHRA did not run Pro Mods at Norwalk. After all, that track is basically the spot where the class was born under Bill Bader’s vision. I remember going down to see Herb Rodgers, whom I sponsored, race his Alcohol Funny Car on a rain date Wednesday night about 36 years ago. There I saw Charles Carpenter and his shoebox ’55 Chevy Pro Mod. Up until then, I had never seen a door car pull that hard in the back half of the track. Wow, I was instantly hooked on the class.
Top Fuel: 19 cars entered for the 16 spots. Doug Kalitta continues his charge running 3.692 for the top spot. Quebec racer Dan Mercier qualified 14th with a 3.790. In the final, Antron Brown took out Kalitta – 3.736 to a 3.747. There were 5 upsets (lower qualified car wins) and 4 smokers (one or both cars lost traction). Kalitta extends his points lead to 67 over Shawn Langdon and 108 over Justin Ashley.
Funny Car: 16 cars with Austin Prock also continuing his charge running 3.853 for the number 1 spot. In round 1, only Paul Lee spun but he ‘spun and won’!! Bob Tasca won the final over Ron Capps – 3.908 to a 6.966. There were 5 upsets and 5 smokers. Prock leads his injured team owner John Force by 131 points and Matt Hagan by 166.
Pro Stock: 16 cars with Greg Anderson topping the charts with a 6.592. Canadian Eric Latino qualified a strong 7th with a 6.608, 0.016 off Greg. Aaron Stanfield won the final over Dallas Glenn – 6.539 to a 16.581. There were 7 upsets and 6 smokers. Glenn continues to lead the points by 40 over Greg Anderson and by 65 over Erica Enders.
Pro Stock Bike: Only 14 bikes showed with Matt Smith running a 6.748 for the top slot. And Herrera was 3rd!! Herrera took out Smith in the final – 6.704 to no time (Smith hit the timing blocks so no time). There were 3 upsets. Herrera leads Richard Gadson by only 253 points and Matt Smith by 256.
Top Alcohol Dragster: Hunter Green qualified number 1 with a 5.255. Canadian Jeff Veale was the winner over Julie Nataas with a 5.351 to an 18.056. Shawn Cowie leads the points with Veale sitting 12th.
Factory X: 8 cars qualified with Alex Laughlin on top with a 7.056. In the final, Lenny Lottig took out Aaron Stanfield who almost got the double win – 7.091 to 7.152. There were 4 upsets. Greg Stanfield leads the points by 25 over his son Aaron Stanfield and by 92 over Jesse Alexandra.
Factory Stock: An even 16 cars showed up and Stephen Bell was quickest with a 7.806. He faced Canada’s own ‘Smokie’ Mike Clark in round 1. Smokie treed Bell but lost by only 0.028 seconds. Number one qualifier Bell won the final over Mark Pawuk – 7.811 to a 13.974. There were 3 upsets. Bell leads the points by 69 over David Janac and by 74 over Mark Pawuk. Their next race is Seattle, Sunday, July 21.
IROC: Their first (and only??) race is July 20 at Lime Rock Park.
NASCAR Canada Series: With Sunday looking bad weatherwise, the decision was made to run both races on Saturday. In qualifying for the first race, the Pro Line 150, Kevin Lacroix won the pole over Jason Hathaway and L.P. DuMoulin at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. 19 cars entered for the race.
First time I saw the track I called it the ‘Bristol of the North’. Fun, fast, and a pretty racetrack. At the flag of the first race, it was Lacroix over Hathaway and Alex Guenette. My Live Timing stalled out at lap 142 of 150, apparently as a result of a power outage.
At the halfway mark of the Choko 150, it was Lacroix, Hathaway, and Dumoulin. At the flag, it was Lacroix making it two in a row followed by Hathaway and Guenette, the same order as the first race. Their next race is at Ohsweken, Thursday, July 11.
UNITED RACING SERIES: The Racing Gods were not kind again for the second weekend in a row as very overcast skies threatened Friday night’s Dayco Super Stocks and the OSCAAR Modifieds and Hot Rods but they got everything in.
The Hot Rod heats were won by David Rockwood and Trevor Thompson while the main was won by second-generation driver Tyler Hahn followed by another second-generation driver Steve Book, Cole Weber, Rob Bromley, and Mat Hopkins. Modified heats were won by Brad Pearsall and T.J. Edwards while the main was won by Pearsall over Steve Trendell, Jason Keen, Marshall Schrenk, and Ryan Dick.
Edwards had a quick change/rear-end failure resulting in an oil down on the front straight taking him out of the race. Super Stock qualifying saw Ryan Dyson top the field over Jay Doerr, Lane Zardo, Carson Nagy, and Pete Vanderwyst, Jr.
With rain threatening, Dyson ran a perfect race from green to checker running consistent 20.20s in the humid air with no caution flags to make it three for three – fastest in practice, fastest qualifier, and race winner. Zardo finished 2nd over Doerr, Nagy, and Darrell Lake.
With a 100% chance of rain on Saturday, the track made the correct decision to postpone the race until Sunday afternoon. Sunday started out cold and overcast but luckily the skies cleared and the sun came out warming things up for all three finals.
The OSCAAR Hot Rod heats were won by Steve Book and Kenny McNicol while the main was won by Tyler Hawn over Rob Bromley, Mat Hopkins, McNicol, and Steve McCaw. In the OSCAAR Mods, the heats were won by Jay Cox and T.J. Edwards while the main went to Cox, Jason Keen, Edwards, Steve Trendell, and Ryan Dick.
The 100-lap APC Late Model event saw Kyle Steckly set fast time of the 19 cars at 18.150 followed by Joe Lawrence, Jake Sheridan, Josh Stade, and Connor Pritiko. On lap Shae Gemmell slowed in 2 and got hit by Kody Ferri with Tyler DiVenanzo collected as well.
On lap 25 Sheridan grabbed the lead. At the halfway mark, it was Sheridan, Steckly, Pritiko, Lawrence, and Blair Wickett. On lap 83 Cole Quinton came to a stop at the top of 4 for another yellow. At the flag, it was Steckly over Lawrence, Sheridan, Wickett, and Ray Morneau who had started DFL. Their next race is at Flamboro, Saturday, July 13.
Toronto Motorsports Park: TMP put on its Canadian Nitro Nationals on the weekend. Saturday was a washout, pushing the main event back to Sunday at the track, which is celebrating its 70th season this year. Watch InsideTrackNews.com for photos and videos from this incredible event. See below for a few images from Peter Anderson. TMP’s next race is regular racing this weekend.
Canada Heads Up: Their next race is July 13-14 at Toronto Motorsports Park.
Ontario Sportsman Series: Results from Sauble show Ollie Ferguson as the winner of the 100-lapper ahead of points leader Cory McAllister, Chad McGlynn, Kevin Trevellin, and Brendan Patrick. Their next race is at Delaware, Friday, July 12.
Delaware Speedway: The weekend’s two APC/OSCAAR races are covered above. Their next race is Friday with the Super Stocks, Bone Stocks, and V/8 Stocks.
Ohsweken Speedway: Their next race is the Strickland’s & Hunsingers Plumbing Friday. Mike Bowman won last Friday.
Flamboro Speedway: Their next race is the Pro Late Models this Saturday.
Buxton Raceway: Their next race is the OTS this Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway: Their next race is the Pro Sprints, Saturday.
Grand Bend Speedway: Their next race is Saturday.
Grand Bend Motorplex: Their next race is the Berlin Klassik Euro Cars, Saturday and Sunday.
St. Thomas Dragway: Their next race is the Can-Am Stock/Super Stocks, Saturday and Sunday.
PMRA: Their next event is August 15 – 17 with Pro Mods, Quick 32 Sportsman Series & Pro Bike & Sled Series, Empire Dragway.
660 Sportsman Nationals: Their next race is Grand Bend, August 16 – 18.
Shannonville Drags: Their next race is July 20 & 21.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
