In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, Dave Mathers talks about the future of the Toronto, er, Markham Indy, the Cadillac F1 team, and racing action from around Ontario and the world of racing.
The two teams that have launched an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI, are now warning they may go out of business if NASCAR sells their franchises. A simple fix: sign the contracts and stop paying the lawyers. The suit is a needless distraction.
McLaren F1 has secured a major sponsor for the 2026 season, after which the team will be known as the McLaren MasterCard Formula One Team. Fans are already wondering how large the cheque was—and whether some of the cash will support McLaren’s IndyCar operation.
Cadillac Formula One has announced its driver line-up for next year’s series debut. Veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will lead the team, with a reserve driver possibly added later. And just today, American driver Colton Herta was announced as the team’s test driver for 2026.
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has urged Lewis Hamilton to retire. “Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is. But like a lot of leading sports personalities when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it’s not a good direction. It’s only down.” On this point, I tend to agree with Bernie.
Also unveiled today, the organizers of the Toronto IndyCar event announced that starting next year, the long-running race that has taken place on Toronto’s lakeshore will be moving to Markham, Ontario. Moving to mid-August (from its traditional mid-July date), the agreement is for five years.
The official reason for the change is the conflict with the FIFA World Cup which will contest games at the CNE grounds next summer. But a general lack of support from Toronto City Hall (car racing is politically incorrect!), issues with the venue and strong support on the part of Markham to host the Indy seemed to put the final nail in the event’s future downtown.
The race, which reportedly generates over $50 million in economic activity each year, will now do so for Markham and its surroundings.
The Cup Series race at Darlington paid a purse of $10,447,135. Yet one of the same team owners suing NASCAR continues to complain, going so far as to insult his technical partner and call rival teams childish names. Perhaps NASCAR isn’t the right fit for him?
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DELAWARE SPEEDWAY: The next big event on Delaware Speedway’s 2025 schedule is the busy September 12-13 weekend featuring the weekly racing program on Friday, Sept. 12 (Autograph Night, Super Stock, Delaware Modified and Bone Stock) and Saturday’s (Sept. 13) NASCAR Canada Series doubleheader Twin 125s. That card also includes a 35-lap V8 Stock special. For tickets and info for these events and others at Delaware Speedway go to www.DelawareSpeedway.com.
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Fans of Cracker Barrel will be pleased that management has reversed its decision to replace the recognizable logo. Even former U.S. President Donald Trump complained, though one suspects he has never eaten there — they don’t sell Big Macs.
It’s hard to believe 40 years have passed since our family sat in the stands at Darlington Raceway to watch Bill Elliott win the Winston Million. A Dawsonville, Georgia fan sat behind us, shouting “Come on Bill!” for all 367 laps. Afterward, I grabbed five of the commemorative “Million Dollar Bills” tossed into the crowd. Three were lost when my race bag was stolen at Michigan, one I sold at Talladega for $100, but I still have the last one.
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CASC-OR: The BEMC Late Summer Trophy Races take place September 20-21 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The fifth event of the 2025 CASC-OR Road Race Series will feature many classes, including: Toyo Tires F1600, F Libre, F4, VARAC Formula Classic, VARAC Vintage / Historic + VARAC CL/MC 3-5, Pirelli Super Touring and Grand Touring, Formula Prototype Challenge and VARAC Classic / Modern Classic. For more on this event and all things CASC-OR go to www.CASC.ON.ca.
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NASCAR Cup Series
Denny Hamlin won the pole at Darlington ahead of Chase Briscoe and Josh Berry. The field featured 38 cars: 16 Chevrolets, 13 Fords and 9 Toyotas.
The race began with an early yellow when Berry got loose and hit Tyler Reddick. Briscoe claimed Stage 1. On lap 152 Carson Hocevar overdrove Turn 4 and spun. At halfway it was Briscoe ahead of Erik Jones and Reddick. More yellows followed: Cody Ware into the wall on lap 204, Ryan Blaney spun by Austin Dillon after contact with Kyle Busch, and Derek Kraus’ engine fire on lap 313. Briscoe also won Stage 2. On the final lap, Reddick’s attempt to pass fell short, leaving Briscoe the winner ahead of Reddick and Jones. Toyotas claimed six of the top 10 spots.
Briscoe leads the playoff standings, three points up on Hamlin and eight on Kyle Larson. The next race is at Madison on Sunday (TSN 5, NBC, 3 p.m.).
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EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Saturday, September 6 is Seniors Appreciation Night at EIR. The evening will feature races for the Late Models, Thunder Cars, Pure Stocks, Future Stocks and Stackers. Visit www.EdmontonRaceway.com for tickets, info and to register to race. EIR is Western Canada’s only NASCAR-sanctioned race track.
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NASCAR Xfinity Series
Connor Zilisch won the pole at Portland over Justin Allgaier and Austin Hill. Canadian Alex Labbé started 37th. Zilisch swept Stages 1 and 2, then held off William Sawalich and Nick Sanchez in NASCAR Overtime to earn the victory. Labbé finished 36th.
Zilisch leads the standings by 20 points over Allgaier and 50 over Sam Mayer. Next race: Madison, Saturday (CW, 7:30 p.m.).
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SUBJECT MOTORSPORTS: In the high-octane world of motorsports, the difference between victory and defeat is often measured in fractions of a second. Coaching race car drivers has evolved far beyond intuition and experience, thanks to the power of data. By leveraging advanced data analytics and cutting-edge tools, coaches can provide tailored guidance that maximizes a driver’s performance on the track. Visit www.SubjectMotorsports.com to see how they can help you.
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Layne Riggs won the pole at Darlington over Chandler Smith and points leader Corey Heim. Canadian Stewart Friesen’s replacement, Kaden Honeycutt, started fifth. Heim won Stage 1, Riggs claimed Stage 2, and Heim took the chequered flag ahead of Daniel Hemric and Grant Enfinger. Honeycutt finished 18th.
Heim leads the standings by 59 points over Riggs and 64 over Hemric. Next race: Bristol, Thursday, Sept. 11 (8 p.m.).
Formula One
At Zandvoort, McLaren dominated practice and qualifying, with Oscar Piastri taking pole over teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Canadian Lance Stroll crashed twice during practice and qualified last.
The race featured multiple safety cars. Verstappen stormed into second at the start, Hamilton crashed out on lap 23, debris triggered a virtual safety car on lap 31, and late incidents slowed the field again. Norris’ engine failure set up a final sprint, with Piastri winning ahead of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Stroll staged a comeback to finish seventh, one spot ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Piastri leads the championship by 34 points over Norris and 104 over Verstappen. McLaren leads Ferrari by 324 in the constructors’ standings. Next race: Monza, Sunday (TSN 5, 8:55 a.m.).
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BARRIE AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET: This weekend (September 4-7) is the 54th Annual Fall Barrie Automotive Flea Market. The event takes place at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte. Billed as ‘Canada’s Finest Automotive Flea Market,’ BAFM has everything from collectibles and classic cars to hard-to-find car parts and more. Visit www.TheBAFM.com for more info.
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IndyCar
Pato O’Ward claimed pole at Nashville but crashed out with a tyre failure. Josef Newgarden, racing at home, won ahead of Alex Palou and Scott McLaughlin. Palou clinched the championship over O’Ward and Scott Dixon.
NHRA
The U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis drew 836 entries. Highlights included Justin Ashley winning Top Fuel, Austin Prock winning Funny Car, and Canadians Shawn Cowie (Top Alcohol Dragster) and Nathan Sitko (Legends Funny Car) earning victories. Eric Latino reached the Pro Stock field.
Next race: Maple Grove, Sept. 14.
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BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY: The BOS wrapped up its points championships this past Saturday. Click here for a full race report and results from the final weekly class events of the season. On September 14, the track will host the Fall Monster Enduro featuring Men’s V8s, Trucks, Mini Vans, V6, Ladies V4 Powder Puff and Men’s V4 races. After that, all eyes turn to the track’s season-ending DIRT Outlaw Apparel Fall Nationals on October 17-18. Visit www.BrockvilleSpeedway.com for info.
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NASCAR Canada Series
Marc-Antoine Camirand muscled past Connor Bell and Sam Fellows to win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Camirand leads the standings by 12 over Andrew Ranger and 15 over D.J. Kennington. Next race: Delaware, Saturday, Sept. 13.
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: This Saturday (September 6) at Flamboro Speedway, the track’s Memorial Night will spotlight the Steel City Rumble Series Super Stocks, the Pro Late Models, Ontario Pro Challenge, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks. Fan gates open at 5:00 p.m. with racing commencing at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.FlamboroSpeedway.ca for more information.
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Delaware Speedway
Sterling Roberts won the Bone Stock feature, Jordan Morris claimed the V8 Stock main, and Pete Vanderwyst Jr. took the crash-filled Dave Lawrence Memorial Super Stock 50.
The Dodge EV pace car broke down before the start, forcing officials to use a company truck as the pace vehicle.
Next race: Friday, featuring Late Models, Super Stocks, V8 Stocks and Delaware Modifieds.
APC Series
Jake Sheridan won at Sunset Speedway, topping Kyle Steckly and Josh Stade. Stade leads the standings by four points over Steckly and 10 over Sheridan. Next race: Delaware, Saturday, Sept. 27.
Upcoming Events
- Ohsweken Speedway: Championship Friday
- Flamboro Speedway: Flamboro Memorial, Saturday
- Buxton Speedway: Can-Am International, Friday and Saturday
- Sunset Speedway: Back to School Bash, Saturday
- Grand Bend Speedway: Brad Clarke Memorial, Sunday
- Grand Bend Motorplex: Ontario Team Finals, Sept. 13–14
- St. Thomas Dragway: Hot Rod Reunion, this weekend
- Toronto Motorsports Park: Take it to the Track, this weekend
- Shannonville Drags: Season Wrap-up, Sept. 20–21
- Targa Newfoundland: The 2025 edition of the legendary Targa Newfoundland event runs September 11 to 18. It will cover approximately 2,000 kms, including about 500 kms of stages on closed public roads.
Comments may be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or through Facebook Messenger.
