JULY 27, 2022

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: As most longtime AE readers know, even though I have the utmost respect for the drivers and the technical staffs on the teams involved in the sport, I have been the harshest anti-NASCAR critic in the media by far. No one has even come close, in fact. I have frequently commented on the ridiculous length of the NASCAR schedule, which is the most absurd schedule in all of sport (and that’s saying something with the NHL and NBA around); the fact that NASCAR refused to adopt center-locking wheel hubs until this year, when the entire racing world has been using them for two decades at least; the same goes for on-board jacking, which would be far safer than the "jack-dance" they do now; and what about using refueling hoses instead of clinging to the use of the ancient gas cans? I also have advocated for more road races on the schedule, while at the same time reducing the total number of races (I have repeatedly said that the NASCAR schedule should be no more than 25 races, and that the repeat visits to the same tracks during the season was a complete joke). And, of course, that any “reimagined” NASCAR schedule should have Road America on it. (Sidebar? Even though I relentlessly beat the drum for Road America to be on the Cup schedule, I was blocked from being considered for the Road America board of directors because a certain board member - a narrow-minded prick who shall remain nameless - thought my anti-NASCAR commentaries would prevent the track from getting a NASCAR date.) So, after all of my anti-NASCAR columns, I see a lot of my recommendations were adopted by NASCAR, including adding Road America - “America’s National Park of Speed” - to the schedule. And what does NASCAR do? True to form, after just two Cup races, they delete Road America from the schedule in favor of a gimmicky street race in downtown Chicago. I didn’t comment about this initially because it is so predictable, so flat-out stupid and pathetic on the part of the NASCAR “brain trust” that I didn't want to bother. But thanks to reader Ron in Frisco, I am commenting on it now. Only NASCAR would abandon the finest natural-terrain road racing circuit in North America and considered to be one of the finest in the world - just ask Mario - in order to chase a pipe dream on the streets of Chicago. Remember, these are the same brainiacs who decided to have a ridiculously tiny oval paved inside the L.A. Coliseum and call it perfect. My prediction? NASCAR's Chicago street race will be an abject failure, if it comes to fruition at all. Despite all of the "radical" moves made by the NASCAR honchos in Daytona Beach of late to "change" their series for the better, they're still the same posse of rumbling, bumbling fools they have always been. And the litany of stupidity continues. Too many races along with a steadfast refusal to drastically reduce its schedule to align with the actual demand; too many races at tracks they shouldn't be racing on, while ignoring tracks they should be racing on; races that drone on excruciatingly, because, well, "that's the way we've always done it," and on and on and on. We have purposely reduced our coverage of NASCAR since the beginning of the year because I find that it is just too damn tedious to bother with. We may cover the road races, but the rest? No. And one more thing. The fact that the automobile companies continue to enable NASCAR by pouring endless amounts of cash into this clown show is an ongoing disgrace, which I have written about before and which I will devote an upcoming "Fumes" column to again. And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week. -PMD

(Formula1.com)
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) won the 2022 French Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) crashed out of the race on Lap 18 – walking away unscathed – as the Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) and George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) completed the podium at Paul Ricard. High track temperatures meant tire management was key at Le Castellet, and after Verstappen pitted on Lap 17, it was up to Leclerc to respond. A cruel snap of oversteer at Turn 11 spelled the end of his race – and cued a scream of frustration – before bringing out a Safety Car. Verstappen stayed out and inherited the lead, Hamilton and Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) pitted and would give chase for the restart. Championship leader Verstappen led comfortably when the race resumed on Lap 22, opening a four-second gap over Hamilton by Lap 30 of 53 and eventually winning by a margin of more than 10 seconds. Perez lost P3 to Hamilton at the start of the race and couldn’t keep pace with him. He nonetheless seemed a favorite to finish third, but after a late Virtual Safety Car - triggered by Zhou Guanyu’s on-track stoppage in the Alfa Romeo - he lost the final podium place to Mercedes right as the VSC ended on Lap 50. Perez and Russell had previously made contact at Turn 8 – no penalties applied – in a fraught battle for the rostrum, which ended with the pair split by just 0.8s by the flag. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
Pato O’Ward (No. 5 McLaren SP Arrow Chevrolet) won the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google on Sunday at Iowa Speedway after dominant leader Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet) crashed out of the race with 65 laps remaining. O’Ward finished 4.2476-seconds ahead of Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet). Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Team Penske Freightliner Chevrolet, giving the Penske team two of the top three finishers. “We knew that we had a great car,” O’Ward said. “So, it was all about just capitalizing and being there when it counted. The guys did a great job calling when we had to pit. It was very, very enjoyable.” Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda) finished fourth, while his teammate and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson recorded the best finish of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career by placing fifth in the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing American Legion Honda. O’Ward earned his second victory of the season – he also won May 1 on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park – and fourth win of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. The victory, coupled with his second-place finish Saturday in the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash, helped O’Ward climb from sixth to fifth in the series standings. He is 36 points behind leader Ericsson. It looked like Team Penske might sweep the top two spots until Newgarden spun into the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier while leading on Lap 235 of 300. Newgarden, who won Saturday on the .894-mile oval, had led 148 of the first 234 laps and was 2.8384 seconds ahead of O’Ward before the stunning incident. Newgarden was in cruise control before the crash, maintaining a steady gap to O’Ward. As he entered Turn 4 on the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet,” the left front wheel of his car lifted off the ground after an apparent mechanical problem in the rear of the car, sending Newgarden spinning into the SAFER Barrier. His car suffered heavy rear-end damage, but Newgarden walked away from the incident. Newgarden later collapsed by his hauler after the race and was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital where he was listed as being awake and alert. Power led 80 laps, second only to teammate Newgarden’s 148 laps. O’Ward led 66 laps and averaged 140.681 mph in a race slowed by just two caution periods for 25 laps. Next up for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Gallagher Grand Prix on Saturday, July 30, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. It’s the fourth race in three weekends. Live coverage starts at noon ET on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
Josef Newgarden and Roger Penske after Newgarden's win in Saturday's INDYCAR SERIES Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash. It was Newgarden's fourth career win at the .894-mile oval and his fourth win of the 2022 season in the No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet. Newgarden, who started second, beat Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) to the checkered flag by 6.1784 seconds for his 24th career victory. NTT P1 Award winner Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet on a scorching day in which air temperatures nearly reached 100 degrees. Watch the race highlights here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)

(BMW Motorsport images)
BMW M Motorsport returns to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. One year after its debut season in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023, the new BMW M Hybrid V8 will also take on the top-class opposition in the Hypercars category in the official FIA World Endurance Championship. On Monday, July 25th, the first BMW M Motorsport prototype since the legendary BMW V12 LMR completed its first laps at the roll-out in Varano de Melegari, in Italy.

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG