(Stephanie Lecocq/Associated Press)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) led from start to finish to win the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on Sunday. It was Hamilton's 89th career F1 win and moves him to just two behind Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record. The world champion rocketed away from pole position (a record-extending 93rd career pole, which he dedicated to the late American actor Chadwick Boseman), beating his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) to the finish by eight seconds. Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) finished third. Hamilton’s fifth win from seven races also extended his championship lead over Verstappen to 47 points with Bottas drifting back to third. Hamilton is odds-on to win a seventh title to tie Schumacher’s existing F1 record. Schumacher won five of those F1 titles consecutively during an unbeatable era for Ferrari, but the proud Italian team is reeling from a string of off-the-pace performances. Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finished 13th and Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) 14th. (Thank you to Associated Press.)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) led from start to finish to win the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on Sunday. It was Hamilton's 89th career F1 win and moves him to just two behind Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record. The world champion rocketed away from pole position (a record-extending 93rd career pole, which he dedicated to the late American actor Chadwick Boseman), beating his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) to the finish by eight seconds. Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) finished third. Hamilton’s fifth win from seven races also extended his championship lead over Verstappen to 47 points with Bottas drifting back to third. Hamilton is odds-on to win a seventh title to tie Schumacher’s existing F1 record. Schumacher won five of those F1 titles consecutively during an unbeatable era for Ferrari, but the proud Italian team is reeling from a string of off-the-pace performances. Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finished 13th and Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) 14th. (Thank you to Associated Press.)
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
By using a late-race pit strategy call and winning a daring pit-exit duel, defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara) claimed his second victory of 2020 in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Race 2 on Sunday, Aug. 30 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Newgarden pitted for the final time on Lap 153 from the third position to try to undercut the leaders and gain time on them. Exiting pit lane, Newgarden was locked in a stirring side-by-side race with Pato O’Ward (No. 5 McLaren SP Arrow Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara). Newgarden pulled ahead of 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year O’Ward and cycled through to the lead on Lap 157 of the 200-lap race. He held off a hard-charging O’Ward in the final laps until Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 30 ABeam Consulting Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) made contact with the wall in Turn 2 with four laps to go, resulting in a caution and an end to the race. Sato finished ninth. “This was all a pit stop victory right here for me,” Newgarden said. “We got pretty dicey with Will (Power) and Pato (O’Ward) there on track. My guys have been amazing in the pits. They have put me into position every time. It was really fun racing Pato out of the pit. That was for the win right there, that race when we went side by side out of the pit exit. “Really proud of my team. They won the race. I didn’t win it; they won it.” Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara). O’Ward’s second-place finish matched his career-best finish from earlier this year at Road America on July 12. It was his third podium finish of the year. O’Ward is third in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings. Newgarden gained on points leader Dixon. He entered the race 117 points behind five-time series champion Dixon but closed the gap to 96. O’Ward is 119 behind Dixon. Finishing the day in nineteenth position was 2004 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Tony Kanaan (No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing/Big Machine Vodka Chevrolet Turbo V6). This was the final race of Kanaan’s “TK Last Lap” tour where he competed on all the oval races this season. 2013 Indy 500 winner Kanaan holds the record for the most consecutive starts in the series at 318, which ended after the season-opening race June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. “I wish I could have given the boys and A.J. (Foyt) and Big Machine a better result, but the rest of the day was fun,” Kanaan said. “It was a good way to end it. I want to thank my fans, my team and everyone who has been involved in this journey, my family. It’s been good. I’m done for this year but hopefully not done totally, but we’ll see. My fingers are crossed that maybe I could come back for a proper last lap with my fans, but for now, drop the mic.” The next race on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule is the INDYCAR Harvest Grand Prix Doubleheader Oct. 2-3 on the 2.439-mile IMS road course. (Thank you to INDYCAR Communications.)
By using a late-race pit strategy call and winning a daring pit-exit duel, defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara) claimed his second victory of 2020 in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Race 2 on Sunday, Aug. 30 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Newgarden pitted for the final time on Lap 153 from the third position to try to undercut the leaders and gain time on them. Exiting pit lane, Newgarden was locked in a stirring side-by-side race with Pato O’Ward (No. 5 McLaren SP Arrow Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara). Newgarden pulled ahead of 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year O’Ward and cycled through to the lead on Lap 157 of the 200-lap race. He held off a hard-charging O’Ward in the final laps until Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 30 ABeam Consulting Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) made contact with the wall in Turn 2 with four laps to go, resulting in a caution and an end to the race. Sato finished ninth. “This was all a pit stop victory right here for me,” Newgarden said. “We got pretty dicey with Will (Power) and Pato (O’Ward) there on track. My guys have been amazing in the pits. They have put me into position every time. It was really fun racing Pato out of the pit. That was for the win right there, that race when we went side by side out of the pit exit. “Really proud of my team. They won the race. I didn’t win it; they won it.” Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara). O’Ward’s second-place finish matched his career-best finish from earlier this year at Road America on July 12. It was his third podium finish of the year. O’Ward is third in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings. Newgarden gained on points leader Dixon. He entered the race 117 points behind five-time series champion Dixon but closed the gap to 96. O’Ward is 119 behind Dixon. Finishing the day in nineteenth position was 2004 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Tony Kanaan (No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing/Big Machine Vodka Chevrolet Turbo V6). This was the final race of Kanaan’s “TK Last Lap” tour where he competed on all the oval races this season. 2013 Indy 500 winner Kanaan holds the record for the most consecutive starts in the series at 318, which ended after the season-opening race June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. “I wish I could have given the boys and A.J. (Foyt) and Big Machine a better result, but the rest of the day was fun,” Kanaan said. “It was a good way to end it. I want to thank my fans, my team and everyone who has been involved in this journey, my family. It’s been good. I’m done for this year but hopefully not done totally, but we’ll see. My fingers are crossed that maybe I could come back for a proper last lap with my fans, but for now, drop the mic.” The next race on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule is the INDYCAR Harvest Grand Prix Doubleheader Oct. 2-3 on the 2.439-mile IMS road course. (Thank you to INDYCAR Communications.)
(Honda Racing)
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) grabbed the lead following the final round of pit stops in Saturday's opening round of the Bommarito Auto Group 500 doubleheader race weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, then held off a charging Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing ABeam Consulting Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) to win his fourth INDYCAR race of the 2020 season and the 50th of his illustrious career. Dixon is now just two victories behind Mario Andretti (52 wins) in all-time INDYCAR wins. It was also Honda's sixth NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victory of the season. After starting third, Dixon kept the leaders in sight throughout the first two-thirds of the race on the 1.25-mile oval. Sato meanwhile, fell back to midfield in the early stages, but made improvements to the handling of his RLL Honda during each pit stop, and returned to contention for the win in the closing stages. During the final round of pit stops on Lap 177, Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing team enabled him to get by Pato O'Ward (No. 5 McLaren SP Arrow Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara) for the lead, with Sato emerging in third. Sato then executed a ballsy outside pass of O'Ward for second on Lap 179 and began his chase of Dixon for the victory. At the checkers, Dixon held on for the win by the narrow margin of just 14 hundredths of a second. O'Ward was impressive all day long and served notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in INDYCAR from here on out.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) grabbed the lead following the final round of pit stops in Saturday's opening round of the Bommarito Auto Group 500 doubleheader race weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, then held off a charging Takuma Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing ABeam Consulting Honda Turbo V6/Dallara) to win his fourth INDYCAR race of the 2020 season and the 50th of his illustrious career. Dixon is now just two victories behind Mario Andretti (52 wins) in all-time INDYCAR wins. It was also Honda's sixth NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victory of the season. After starting third, Dixon kept the leaders in sight throughout the first two-thirds of the race on the 1.25-mile oval. Sato meanwhile, fell back to midfield in the early stages, but made improvements to the handling of his RLL Honda during each pit stop, and returned to contention for the win in the closing stages. During the final round of pit stops on Lap 177, Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing team enabled him to get by Pato O'Ward (No. 5 McLaren SP Arrow Chevrolet Turbo V6/Dallara) for the lead, with Sato emerging in third. Sato then executed a ballsy outside pass of O'Ward for second on Lap 179 and began his chase of Dixon for the victory. At the checkers, Dixon held on for the win by the narrow margin of just 14 hundredths of a second. O'Ward was impressive all day long and served notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in INDYCAR from here on out.
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
With his NASCAR Cup Series Playoff hopes on the line, William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) earned his first career victory Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 regular season finale. Byron took the lead from this year’s Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) on an overtime restart with two laps to go and with cars spinning out behind him, and ultimately was able to hold off Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) by a blink-of-the-eye .119-second. Hamlin finished third. The victory meant an automatic berth into the playoffs for the 22-year old Byron. The only two playoff positions still up for grabs on the night were filled by Byron and Matt DiBenedetto (No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford), who earned the 16th and final Playoff position with a 12th place effort – a mere six points better than seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), who nursed a badly-damaged car home to a 17th-place finish. “I’m just extremely blessed and this is incredible,” said Byron. “It’s been a hard couple of years in the Cup Series and trying to get my first win and gel with this team. These guys did an awesome job today and got us in the Playoffs and it’s amazing." The 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin next Sunday with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Seven-race winner Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), the regular season champion, is the top seed and takes a 10-point advantage into the playoffs over six-race winner Denny Hamlin. Next is Brad Keselowski, followed by Joey Logano; Elliott; Martin Truex Jr.; Ryan Blaney; Alex Bowman; Byron; Austin Dillon; Cole Custer; Aric Almirola; Clint Boyer; Kyle Busch; Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service.)
With his NASCAR Cup Series Playoff hopes on the line, William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) earned his first career victory Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 regular season finale. Byron took the lead from this year’s Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) on an overtime restart with two laps to go and with cars spinning out behind him, and ultimately was able to hold off Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) by a blink-of-the-eye .119-second. Hamlin finished third. The victory meant an automatic berth into the playoffs for the 22-year old Byron. The only two playoff positions still up for grabs on the night were filled by Byron and Matt DiBenedetto (No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford), who earned the 16th and final Playoff position with a 12th place effort – a mere six points better than seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), who nursed a badly-damaged car home to a 17th-place finish. “I’m just extremely blessed and this is incredible,” said Byron. “It’s been a hard couple of years in the Cup Series and trying to get my first win and gel with this team. These guys did an awesome job today and got us in the Playoffs and it’s amazing." The 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin next Sunday with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Seven-race winner Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), the regular season champion, is the top seed and takes a 10-point advantage into the playoffs over six-race winner Denny Hamlin. Next is Brad Keselowski, followed by Joey Logano; Elliott; Martin Truex Jr.; Ryan Blaney; Alex Bowman; Byron; Austin Dillon; Cole Custer; Aric Almirola; Clint Boyer; Kyle Busch; Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service.)
(Dodge)
The new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is powered by a supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI V8, and it will be the quickest, fastest and most powerful Drag Pak ever offered by the manufacturer. It will give sportsman racers a new, turnkey package, loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and built for NHRA and NMCA competition. Safety enhancements include all-new NHRA-certified roll cage for elapsed times as low as 7.50 seconds in the quarter-mile. To register for the opportunity to place an order, all interested customers and dealers must contact the Dodge//SRT Concierge at (800) 998-1110. Registration opened on Sept. 2, 2020. Order reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The 50-unit, limited production, serialized, non-VIN units of the 2021 Drag Pak will have a starting U.S. MSRP of $143,485. Customers can head to dodgegarage.com/drag-pak to find complete vehicle configuration and ordering information. Production of the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021.
The new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is powered by a supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI V8, and it will be the quickest, fastest and most powerful Drag Pak ever offered by the manufacturer. It will give sportsman racers a new, turnkey package, loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and built for NHRA and NMCA competition. Safety enhancements include all-new NHRA-certified roll cage for elapsed times as low as 7.50 seconds in the quarter-mile. To register for the opportunity to place an order, all interested customers and dealers must contact the Dodge//SRT Concierge at (800) 998-1110. Registration opened on Sept. 2, 2020. Order reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The 50-unit, limited production, serialized, non-VIN units of the 2021 Drag Pak will have a starting U.S. MSRP of $143,485. Customers can head to dodgegarage.com/drag-pak to find complete vehicle configuration and ordering information. Production of the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021.
