In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, Dave Mathers recalls his memories of the NHRA US Nationals, in Indianapolis, and more, as well as wrapping up action from the Canadian and International racing scenes this past weekend.
The Big Go, the Indy Nationals, is on this weekend. I went to my first National Event at Detroit Dragway in 1959 at age 16. I was hooked. In 1966, I volunteered at Indy to learn tech inspection from the late, great Marty Barrett. Same thing at Bristol the same year. I worked for NHRA at Indy, Bristol and Englishtown over the next two years before my job at the Central Chev High Performance Center took over. Great memories.
The 32-car Top Fuel and Top Gas fields at Indy. The Junior Stocker and Modified Production parades down the return road. Standing close to Don Garlits when he shaved his beard in 1967 after finally running a six-second pass. Standing at the finish line in 1969 when Jim Nicholl had a clutch explosion and cut his car in half. I was the first guy to his car, just the rear cage and wheels, and he said he was okay.
Definitely the best drag race in the world, year after year after year.
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CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK… ADVANCED DISCOUNT TICKET PRICES END TODAY (SEPT. 2)!!: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s Labour Day Weekend Sprints will bring the curtain down on the facility’s 65th anniversary major event season with three days of exciting racing action, September 4-6.
Headlining the holiday weekend are the NASCAR Canada Series and the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, creating one of the most anticipated road racing events of the year. Fans will also enjoy racing featuring Radical Cup Canada, Formula Regional Americas, Formula 4 U.S. and Challenge Canada competitors.
Beyond the on-track excitement, spectators can explore the CTMP Marketplace, food vendors, beer garden and the Canadian Tire Fun Zone, while Saturday evening features live music followed by a spectacular fireworks display. Full paddock access and complimentary fan shuttles give fans an up-close look at the teams, drivers and race cars.
Advance tickets are available until September 2, with Weekend Super Tickets priced at $70 and Sunday race-day tickets at $40. Children 16 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Tickets, camping options and VIP Grand Prix Club packages can be purchased online through the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park website at canadiantiremotorsportpark.com.
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It was great to see that the NASCAR Cup race at MIS has returned to its long-running date, Father’s Day, June 20 next year. I was at the first race there in 1969 with Fred Harris, Glen and Drew Lackey, the three of them fellow workers at Grand Bend Dragway. Fred jumped at least a foot when the cars first came past us at full song under green.
Toronto Motorsports Park is putting on a First Responder demonstration on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. to kick off its Labour Day Spectacular weekend. An actual race car chassis will be used to show proper extraction methods along with other demonstrations.
Included in the IndyCar weekend in Washington a week ago was the return of the IROC cars. Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffman brought the series back in 2024 after an 18-year absence. After a year off, two races were staged in Washington, with Jeff Gordon winning both races. He had to start dead last in Race 2. Kurt Busch was second in Race 1 with Helio Castroneves third. Busch also finished second in Race 2 with Tony Kanaan third.
I wish they had aired the races.
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Wow, as a former Ford dealer, this announcement got my attention!
“The FIA announced on Wednesday that Red Bull’s internal-combustion (Ford) engine was the best in the field by a large enough margin that every other manufacturer would be granted special allowances to help shrink the deficit.”
Maybe that’s why Max decided to stay? And only the first year for the engine.
News out of the Daytona weekend indicated that Days of Thunder 2 will hit theatres in 2028. Of course, Tom Cruise, the guy who never ages, will be back as Cole Trickle. Hard to believe that it has been 36 years since the original hit the big screens. Time flies when you’re having fun?
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: This Saturday night (September 5) at Flamboro Speedway, FlowerPot 51’s: Ontario Sportsman Series (Twin 50-lap features), Plus FlowerPot 51’s for Mini Stocks & Pure Stocks (25 & 26 lap feature races, respectively) plus Spectator Drags. Spectator gates open at 5:00 p.m. with racing starting at 6:30 p.m. Visit FlamboroSpeedway.ca for more info.
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NASCAR Cup Series – With time running out to get into the Championship Chase, Ross Chastain (Chev) won the pole for Saturday’s race at Daytona, the last regular-season race, hoping to somehow get into the Chase. Chris Buescher (Ford) started second, with Austin Hill (Chev) third.
On the last lap of Stage 1, Buescher was leading when he got an off-centre push from Kyle Larson. That spun Buescher, who collected Larson and Ryan Preece. Shane Van Gisbergen won Stage 1 under yellow.
Ryan Blaney won the caution-free Stage 2.
With four laps to go, Carson Hocevar, running third, went down for a pass, then spun down off the track and came back up across the field, collecting Erik Jones. The second-race yellow and, of course, NASCAR Overtime!
And three Fords out front, but not the usual suspects – Smith and Preece along with Blaney.
And, of course, they wrecked on the backstretch on the last lap!
How many millions of dollars worth of wrecked race cars were there?
Preece, the same guy who got spun at the end of Stage 1, got the win, his first in Cup, over Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell.
BTW – let the record show that I LOVE night races! The cars look so much better under the lights!
Denny Hamlin leads the points going into the Chase by 25 over Blaney and by 35 over Tyler Reddick.
Next Race: Darlington – Sunday at 5 p.m. on TSN 5.
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PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY: Regular season racing wraps up Saturday, September 5 at Peterborough Speedway with the Championship Clash, presented by APC Auto Parts Centres. 2026 titles for the home track Bone Stock, Mini Stock, Renegade Truck, Super Stock, Late Model and Junior Late Model divisions will be clinched. Be sure to come early as grandstand gates open at 3:00 p.m. with racing starting at 4:00 p.m. Visit PeterboroughSpeedway.com for more information.
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NASCAR O’Reilly Series – Rajah Caruth won the pole for Friday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway ahead of Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love (all in Chevs). Thirty-nine cars timed for the 38 spots: 31 Chevs, six Toyotas and one token Ford.
Things ran well until Lap 28 when Patrick Staropoli got tapped by Jeremy Clements and collected four other cars – Daniel Dye, Sam Mayer and Josh Williams among them.
Hill won Stage 1.
Hill’s luck ran out coming to the flag for Stage 2 when he got spun by Anthony Alfredo. Caruth took the stage win.
Nearing the end of the race on Lap 97, Caruth got spun in Turn 3 by Justin Allgaier. Of course, this brought NASCAR Overtime!
Ryan Sieg got the race win over Hill and Kvapil.
In the playoff points, Allgaier leads Kvapil by 25 and Sheldon Creed by 35.
Next Race: Darlington – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on USA and CW.
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BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY: This Saturday night, September 5, Brockville Ontario Speedway is the setting for the Polite Sand & Gravel Final Points Night of 2026 featuring the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stock and Mini Stocks. Click HERE to view the full report and results from last Saturday night at Brockville, and head to BrockvilleSpeedway.com for race reports on recent racing events at the BOS Bullring as well as info about upcoming events.
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NASCAR Craftsman Trucks – Next race: Bristol – Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.
Formula One – Next race: Monza – Sunday at 8:55 a.m. on TSN 1 & 5.
IndyCar – Scott McLaughlin won the pole for the first Milwaukee race over Alex Palou and David Malukas.
The yellow came out on Lap 64 for rain and finally, on Lap 91, the red flag came out. They finally threw in the towel, lots of them, and the race was rescheduled until Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
So I got up early only to discover that the time had been changed to 6 p.m. D’oh.
Racing resumed Sunday afternoon at 6 o’clock. At the halfway mark it was Malukas over Dixon and Schumacher.
Will Power was the first casualty at Lap 154 of the second half, followed by Caio Collet on Lap 204.
At the flag it was Pato O’Ward ahead of Malukas and Rinus VeeKay.
Palou won the pole for the second of the two weekend races at Milwaukee over Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden.
The first yellow came out on Lap 36 when Newgarden had a slow spin off Corner 2 but didn’t hit anything.
At the halfway mark it was VeeKay over Palou and Kyle Kirkwood.
The yellow came back out on Lap 142 when Newgarden had another spin, this time off Turn 4. And, once again, he barely touched the wall, but he was out of the race.
On the restart, Romain Grosjean lost it in Turn 4 and spanked the wall hard. Caution.
At Lap 170, all three McLarens were running three-wide. Wow. Scary wow!
I’d love to hear the tape of Jeff Gotelaer talking to his driver at that point!
At the flag it was O’Ward over McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard.
Next Race: Laguna Seca – Sunday at 3 p.m. on Fox and TSN 3.
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EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Back To School & Education Appreciation Night is this Saturday, Sept. 5 at EIR! We’re celebrating back to school season AND the amazing educators in our community this Saturday at Edmonton International Raceway! FREE ENTRY for all education workers AND their families! Be sure to register online at EdmontonRaceway.com before race day under “Schedule – Registration Forms” to receive your complimentary admission. Get ready for an action-packed night featuring NASCAR Late Models, NASCAR Thunder Cars, NASCAR Pure Stocks, Future Stocks, and Stackers. ALSO, Kids Bike Race around the track! Kids, bring your bikes and get ready to race around the track! Gates open at 4:00 p.m. Driver Autograph Session at 5:00 p.m. and racing starts at 6:00 p.m. Visit EdmontonRaceway.com for info.
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IMSA – Next race: Indianapolis – Sunday, Sept. 20.
NHRA – Next race: The Indianapolis Nationals – this weekend.
NASCAR Canada Series – Twenty-four cars showed up to do battle on the circuit at ICAR, formerly known as Mirabel Airport, about an hour north of Montreal.
We have flown through that airport a few times on the way to cities in Europe and back, although it is no longer a passenger airport. It was a really cool facility at the time.
In qualifying, Alex Guenette grabbed the pole over Kevin Lacroix and Alex Tagliani. Points leader Marc-Antoine Camirand started sixth, guaranteeing a show for the fans and the TV audience.
On Lap 20, Sam Fellows swapped ends on corner entry and ended up facing the wrong way at the side of the track. Yellow/jaune.
At the halfway mark it was Guenette over Andrew Ranger and Lacroix.
With 10 to go, Camirand was up to third and pressing hard.
At the flag it was Guenette, who led every lap, over Ranger and Camirand. A good, clean race on a very challenging course with no damaged race cars and a bonus world-class burnout by the winner.
In the points, Camirand leads L.P. Dumoulin by 82 and Lacroix by 106.
Next Race: CTMP (Mosport) – Sunday at 2 p.m. on REV TV.
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APC Series – Next race: Delaware – Saturday, Sept. 26.
Ontario Sportsman Series – Next race (TWO of them) – Flamboro, Saturday.
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Delaware Speedway – Friday night saw the largest crowd in years attending the races. Cars were actually parked down the road on both sides.
The reason? It was JAAR Night and they had 600 employees there.
As well, Trevor Collver repeated his “Fill the Track” program and their 650 attendees filled the main centre section of the grandstand.
Plus, the weather was perfect and, in addition to the Late Model 50 and the Super Stock 35, there was the always-popular King of the Hill.
Unfortunately, Collver’s night did not start well.
In the first Super Stock heat, at the end of the first lap, Trevor tried to make it three-wide in Turns 3 and 4 and Darrell Lake got bumped high. But the contact appeared to flatten Collver’s right-rear tire and it actually came off his car as he slid into the Turn 1 wall.
Nic Ramsay got the Heat 1 win while Shawn Chenoweth won Heat 2.
In the feature, Jay Cox got the win over Chenoweth and Ramsay.
The Late Models saw Matt Robblee win Heat 1, with Ray Morneau winning Heat 2.
In the feature, things went smoothly until Lap 35 when Ron Beauchamp got sideways trying to stay off the car beside him on Corner 4 exit and spun, stopping just inches from the wall.
On the restart, Paul Major got under Logan White and turned right to avoid spinning White. Unfortunately, Beauchamp was there and he got bumped hard into the Corner 4 wall.
Thankfully, he was okay.
At the flag it was Connor Pritiko over Carson Nagy and Jesse Kennedy.
Stop the presses! Pritiko was too light in post-race tech and the win went to Nagy.
I counted 34 entries for King of the Hill and former winner Kevin Farrow took the win in his bad-fast Eagle Talon.
Next Race: The previously scheduled Sprint Cars have unfortunately been cancelled, leaving Super Stock, V8 Stock and Bone Stock on Friday.
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Ohsweken Speedway – Next race: Championship Friday.
Flamboro Speedway – Next race: OSS (TWO races), PS & MS – Saturday.
Buxton Speedway – Next race: Joe Atkinson Memorial Night, LM, Mods, TS, MS, MM – Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway – Next race: Bone Stock Invitational – Saturday.
Grand Bend Speedway – Next race: Championship Night – Saturday.
Grand Bend Dragway – Next race: Ontario Team Finals – next weekend.
St. Thomas Dragway – Next race: Points Series – next weekend.
Toronto Motorsports Park – Labour Day Spectacular – this weekend.
Can Am Stock/Super Stock – Next race: TMP – this weekend.
Quick 32 Sportsman Series – Next race: TMP – this weekend.
John Scotti NHRA Canadian Championship Series – Next race: TMP – this weekend.
Shannonville Drags – Next race: Sept. 20 & 21.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
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CASC-OR: The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region sanctions the RaceOntario Championships, a series of race events run from April through October at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsports Park, and Calabogie Motorsport Park. CASC-OR is a group of nearly thirty motorsport enthusiast clubs with two thousand members within Ontario. The organization sets rules and regulations for four divisions, Road Racing, Time Attack, Autoslalom and Ice Racing, and administers & promotes provincial championships in each. For more info, visit the CASC-OR website HERE.
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