MARCH 30, 2022

(Getty Images/F1)
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) won a late-race battle over Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) in Saudi Arabia with Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) completing the podium behind his Ferrari team mate. Pole-winner Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) had to settle for fourth after pitting just before a pivotal Safety Car. Watch the highlights here. (Thank You to F1 Media)
(Trans Am Series images)
2021 champion Chris Dyson (No. 20 Altwell Ford Mustang) started from the pole, pulled out to the lead and held it through the entire 40-lap TA feature to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Road Atlanta on Sunday. After an early crash last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL, Dyson came to Road Atlanta looking to bounce back with a good weekend and a good points day. Dyson was fast right off the hauler, topping the charts in both of the weekend’s test sessions. Unfortunately, adversity struck in the official practice session when Dyson experienced engine issues, which prevented him from making a lap before qualifying. However, the CD Racing team performed a fast engine change in the paddock, and Dyson was quick enough to earn his second Motul Pole Award of 2022. Front row starter Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang) pushed Dyson until lap 15, but then he experienced a mechanical issue, which caused his Mustang to smoke and oil to enter the cockpit. Drissi fought for the remainder of the race to maintain the second position, but the issue slowed him enough to allow Dyson to drive away, and he crusied to the win by leading every lap of the race. Wally Dallenbach Jr. (No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang) finished  third overall and first in the Trans Am Heritage class, while Ken Thwaits (No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro) finished third in the TA class. “Today was a great display of what this team is capable of,” said Dyson in Victory Lane. “The car was absolutely brilliant right off the truck and throughout the weekend. We had engine problems yesterday in practice, and after we won the pole, I was just so proud of this team and extremely excited for today’s race. I’m so happy to have the Altwell car back in Victory Lane. Tomy [Drissi] pushed me the whole way. Today was really good for our points and I’m really excited heading into the next race.” “I enjoy racing in this series so much,” said two-time Trans Am champion Dallenbach Jr., who won the Trans Am Heritage class. “Today was great; I’m having so much fun. The Trans Am Series is such a blast, and I enjoy racing with everybody. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. These are my favorite cars to drive, and I’ve got a pretty good one. This is home for me.” This race will will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, April 2 6:00 p.m. ET. TA returns to the track next month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. (Thank you to Trans Am Media)
(Trans Am Series)
Chris Dyson (No. 20 Altwell Ford Mustang) started from the pole, pulled out to the lead and held it through the entire 40-lap TA feature to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Road Atlanta on Sunday.

(Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet) persevered in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix to win his first career NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas — the sixth different winner this season. Chastain really had to earn this one — coming out on the right end of a frantic, four lead-change, two-lap final overtime. And he did — moving veteran AJ Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet) and Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) in the final series of turns on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn circuit to take not only his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series but also give his Trackhouse Racing’s Justin Marks his first win as a new owner in stock car’s big leagues. After grabbing the position in the final corner, Chastain raced off to a 1.331-second victory over Bowman, who unlike Allmendinger, was able to recover from the last-lap contact and continue to the checkered flag. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) and Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) rounded out the top five. Chastain’s family owns a watermelon farm in tiny, rural Alva, Florida, and as he has famously done with past victories in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series, Chastain stood on top of his winning car, the No.1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, and dropped a watermelon to the track, crushing it on the ground as his team and fans exploded in cheers. “It’s insane to go up against some of the best and I know he’s (Allmendinger) going to be upset with me, but we race hard, both of us,” said Chastain, who was runner-up in the last two NASCAR Cup Series races coming to Austin. “But when it comes to this Cup win, I can’t let that go down without a fight.” The race produced a Cup road-course record of 30 green-flag passes for the lead. And the 29-year-old Floridian became the 12th consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race winner under the age of 30 and the third first-time winner this season. It was as equally a thrilling maiden win for the former NASCAR and sportscar driver Marks, who was interviewed during the FOX telecast just before the final restart, revealing with a smile that “It’s a little easier to be a driver of one these things than to watch.” “It seemed like a real tall order when I dreamt this thing up,” Marks said. “But every man and woman that’s trusted the vision and committed to Trackhouse and worked so hard owns a piece of this victory. I’m so happy for everybody. Everybody believed in this, and I can’t wait for next week.” Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)

(Honda)
Honda gave the 2.4-liter internal combustion component of the next-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES hybrid power unit its first on-track test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday (3/28). With six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon at the controls of the Honda test chassis operated by Chip Ganassi Racing, the new internal combustion engine (ICE) was put through its paces on a modified version of the 13-turn, 2.6-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course layout that hosts two races each year on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Although low temperatures in the morning delayed the start of the test, Dixon and the Ganassi team completed the full list of opening-day test items prepared by HPD engineers without any issues. A second day of running is planned for Tuesday, with slightly warmer temperatures in the forecast for Indianapolis. Twenty-five years after winning its first Indy car Manufacturers’ Championship, Honda clinched its 10th overall, and fourth consecutive, NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021, including a dramatic record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 triumph for Helio Castroneves in May. Watch a (short) video here.