Sunday
Apr162023
APRIL 19, 2023
Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 09:18AM 
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
Twenty-four-year-old Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Andretti Autosport AutoNation Honda) earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory Sunday by winning the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach from the pole. The win came in Kirkwood’s 20th career start and third with Andretti Autosport, which he joined after driving for AJ Foyt Racing as a rookie in 2022. “This is amazing, man,” Kirkwood said. “What a day. The calmest day I’ve had in two years, and it was a win. I was so happy with just the pole yesterday, but I’m over the moon right now. This is incredible for the whole team. We had a stellar day for the whole team with Andretti Autosport.” Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean finished second in the No. 28 DHL Honda, .9907 of a second behind Kirkwood. 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Chocolate Honda) rounded out the podium and took the championship lead by 15 points over Pato O’Ward, who finished 17th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Florida native Kirkwood entered the series last season in the tire tracks of becoming the first driver to sweep titles in USF2000, USF Pro 2000 and INDY NXT by Firestone in successive seasons. But he had an incident-filled rookie season with the Foyt team and ended up 24th in the championship, the second-lowest full-time driver in the standings. The first two races of this season also were rocky for Kirkwood. He finished 15th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and was eliminated by a mechanical problem from the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing in 27th place. But Kirkwood put everything together this weekend on the sun-splashed streets of the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary circuit, finally fulfilling the huge promise he showed throughout the junior categories. The win helped him jump from 20th to fifth in the championship standings. “I just had a moment of relaxation (after crossing the finish line), to be honest,” Kirkwood said. “I felt like I needed this win, and we got it today. A moment of relief, no doubt.” “He’s the real deal," Michael Andretti said. "We knew it a long time ago when he won the championship for us in the INDY NXT series. We knew he was something special.” Kirkwood led 53 of 85 laps and took the lead for good on Lap 56. Watch the Race Highlights here. The next event of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, April 30 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
Twenty-four-year-old Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Andretti Autosport AutoNation Honda) earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory Sunday by winning the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach from the pole. The win came in Kirkwood’s 20th career start and third with Andretti Autosport, which he joined after driving for AJ Foyt Racing as a rookie in 2022. “This is amazing, man,” Kirkwood said. “What a day. The calmest day I’ve had in two years, and it was a win. I was so happy with just the pole yesterday, but I’m over the moon right now. This is incredible for the whole team. We had a stellar day for the whole team with Andretti Autosport.” Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean finished second in the No. 28 DHL Honda, .9907 of a second behind Kirkwood. 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Chocolate Honda) rounded out the podium and took the championship lead by 15 points over Pato O’Ward, who finished 17th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Florida native Kirkwood entered the series last season in the tire tracks of becoming the first driver to sweep titles in USF2000, USF Pro 2000 and INDY NXT by Firestone in successive seasons. But he had an incident-filled rookie season with the Foyt team and ended up 24th in the championship, the second-lowest full-time driver in the standings. The first two races of this season also were rocky for Kirkwood. He finished 15th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and was eliminated by a mechanical problem from the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing in 27th place. But Kirkwood put everything together this weekend on the sun-splashed streets of the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary circuit, finally fulfilling the huge promise he showed throughout the junior categories. The win helped him jump from 20th to fifth in the championship standings. “I just had a moment of relaxation (after crossing the finish line), to be honest,” Kirkwood said. “I felt like I needed this win, and we got it today. A moment of relief, no doubt.” “He’s the real deal," Michael Andretti said. "We knew it a long time ago when he won the championship for us in the INDY NXT series. We knew he was something special.” Kirkwood led 53 of 85 laps and took the lead for good on Lap 56. Watch the Race Highlights here. The next event of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, April 30 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(IMSA)
Nick Tandy/Mathieu Jaminet (No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) won the first sprint race of the new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) era for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach on Saturday. Connor de Phillippi/Nick Yelloly (No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8) finished second, and Matt Campbell/Felip Nasr (No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) came in third. The win was the eighth in WeatherTech Championship competition for Jaminet and the 19th for Tandy. It was also the 33rd IMSA triumph for the Penske team, the first since WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in late 2020. “(Taylor) had fresher tires and after I got caught in traffic with two laps to go, it made sense that he went for it,” Jaminet said. “I braked really late, and I saw him going past. I thought, ‘If he can make it stop, I’ll be impressed.’ I saw him lock up and he went straight in the fence. “I knew it was going to be very close,” he added. “I just tried to make no mistakes with the traffic. As a team, you need to figure out the opportunities and take what’s there when it’s in front of you. Today was a real team effort, in the pits and with car No. 7. Everybody can be proud today.” The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N, May 12-14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Watch the Race Highlights from NBC Motorsports here. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
Jack Hawksworth/Ben Barnicoat (No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO class in the 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hawksworth qualified on the GTD PRO class pole position, but second among all GT cars behind GT Daytona (GTD) class polesitter, Marco Sorensen in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The Englishman got around the Dane off the start as the GT field avoided a pair of spinning Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) cars on the first-lap run down to Turn 1. That positioned Hawksworth clear of the GTD class leader as a buffer to the rest of the GTD PRO field, and set up the Vasser Sullivan crew to deliver a pit stop to ensure the car stayed up front once the pit window opened. Pitting shortly after the 40-minute mark, the last of the three leading GTD PRO contenders to do so, Hawksworth turned over the No. 14 Lexus to co-driver Barnicoat. His countryman brought it home by 2.785 seconds to take this car’s third win in the last six GTD PRO races, dating to 2022 (Road America, Motul Petit Le Mans). The win is Hawksworth’s 10th in the WeatherTech Championship and Barnicoat’s fourth. The car led all 73 laps of the race, as well. “Perfect weekend for us, really,” Hawksworth said. “One of the best executed races we’ve been a part of. It was good to clear Sorensen off the start, and that put our Lexus RC F GT3 up at the front. Had an amazing pit stop and then Ben drove his tail off from there.” Jordan Taylor/Antonio Garcia (No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R GTD) finished second, and Patrick Pilet/Klaus Bachler (No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) was third. (Thank you to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
“Starting P3 on a street course isn’t a terrible place to start. We’re here to win.” Words from Madison Snow after Friday qualifying proved prescient as he and Bryan Sellers prepared to win their third straight Long Beach GTD race in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 from third place on the starting grid. With a team known for executing excellent strategic moves and pit stops from the box, the No. 1 car vaulted from that third place to first after the only pit stop of the race. For that, the team’s third straight win in Long Beach’s 100-minute race was achieved. The win was Sellers’ 16th and Snow’s 11th in IMSA and their second straight in 2023 after also claiming the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring victory. It also marks one year since Sellers and Snow delivered the first BMW M4 GT3 win in the WeatherTech Championship. Roman De Angelis/Sorensen finished second in their No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin, 4.468 seconds in arrears, with Frankie Montecalvo/Aaron Telitz third in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Round 4 of the WeatherTech Championship is the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N, May 12-14, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The GTP, GTD PRO, GTD and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes will be in competition. (Thank you to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)
Nick Tandy/Mathieu Jaminet (No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) won the first sprint race of the new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) era for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach on Saturday. Connor de Phillippi/Nick Yelloly (No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8) finished second, and Matt Campbell/Felip Nasr (No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) came in third. The win was the eighth in WeatherTech Championship competition for Jaminet and the 19th for Tandy. It was also the 33rd IMSA triumph for the Penske team, the first since WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in late 2020. “(Taylor) had fresher tires and after I got caught in traffic with two laps to go, it made sense that he went for it,” Jaminet said. “I braked really late, and I saw him going past. I thought, ‘If he can make it stop, I’ll be impressed.’ I saw him lock up and he went straight in the fence. “I knew it was going to be very close,” he added. “I just tried to make no mistakes with the traffic. As a team, you need to figure out the opportunities and take what’s there when it’s in front of you. Today was a real team effort, in the pits and with car No. 7. Everybody can be proud today.” The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N, May 12-14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Watch the Race Highlights from NBC Motorsports here. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)Jack Hawksworth/Ben Barnicoat (No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO class in the 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hawksworth qualified on the GTD PRO class pole position, but second among all GT cars behind GT Daytona (GTD) class polesitter, Marco Sorensen in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The Englishman got around the Dane off the start as the GT field avoided a pair of spinning Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) cars on the first-lap run down to Turn 1. That positioned Hawksworth clear of the GTD class leader as a buffer to the rest of the GTD PRO field, and set up the Vasser Sullivan crew to deliver a pit stop to ensure the car stayed up front once the pit window opened. Pitting shortly after the 40-minute mark, the last of the three leading GTD PRO contenders to do so, Hawksworth turned over the No. 14 Lexus to co-driver Barnicoat. His countryman brought it home by 2.785 seconds to take this car’s third win in the last six GTD PRO races, dating to 2022 (Road America, Motul Petit Le Mans). The win is Hawksworth’s 10th in the WeatherTech Championship and Barnicoat’s fourth. The car led all 73 laps of the race, as well. “Perfect weekend for us, really,” Hawksworth said. “One of the best executed races we’ve been a part of. It was good to clear Sorensen off the start, and that put our Lexus RC F GT3 up at the front. Had an amazing pit stop and then Ben drove his tail off from there.” Jordan Taylor/Antonio Garcia (No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R GTD) finished second, and Patrick Pilet/Klaus Bachler (No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) was third. (Thank you to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)“Starting P3 on a street course isn’t a terrible place to start. We’re here to win.” Words from Madison Snow after Friday qualifying proved prescient as he and Bryan Sellers prepared to win their third straight Long Beach GTD race in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 from third place on the starting grid. With a team known for executing excellent strategic moves and pit stops from the box, the No. 1 car vaulted from that third place to first after the only pit stop of the race. For that, the team’s third straight win in Long Beach’s 100-minute race was achieved. The win was Sellers’ 16th and Snow’s 11th in IMSA and their second straight in 2023 after also claiming the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring victory. It also marks one year since Sellers and Snow delivered the first BMW M4 GT3 win in the WeatherTech Championship. Roman De Angelis/Sorensen finished second in their No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin, 4.468 seconds in arrears, with Frankie Montecalvo/Aaron Telitz third in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Round 4 of the WeatherTech Championship is the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N, May 12-14, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The GTP, GTD PRO, GTD and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes will be in competition. (Thank you to Tony DiZinno/IMSA Wire Service)
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet) won the NASCAR Cup Series NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. It was the 2021 champion’s first victory at the famed half-mile track, making the pass for the win with 30 laps remaining. Larson then had to hold off another past champion in Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford), whose runner-up finish Sunday was also impressive considering he started at the rear of the field after a post-qualifying adjustment moved him to the back. It marks the second win of the season for the 30-year-old Californian, who joins his teammate William Byron as the only multiple race winners on the year. Larson was also recently named one of NASCAR's 75 greatest drivers ever as well. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)
Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet) won the NASCAR Cup Series NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. It was the 2021 champion’s first victory at the famed half-mile track, making the pass for the win with 30 laps remaining. Larson then had to hold off another past champion in Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford), whose runner-up finish Sunday was also impressive considering he started at the rear of the field after a post-qualifying adjustment moved him to the back. It marks the second win of the season for the 30-year-old Californian, who joins his teammate William Byron as the only multiple race winners on the year. Larson was also recently named one of NASCAR's 75 greatest drivers ever as well. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)
(Photo of Alex Rins by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
The Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas in Austin, Texas, proved that anything can happen in MotoGP™ as Alex Rins (No. 42 LCR Honda Castrol) capitalized on a crash by Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) to become the first rider to win a race on a Honda in 2023, in just his third Grand Prix for the Japanese manufacturer. Luca Marini (No. 10 Mooney VR46 Racing Team) continued the podium streak for the VR46 team after fending off Yamaha team leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who picked up his first podium of 2023. Watch the Race Highlights here. More to come. (Thank you to motogp.com)
(Photo of Alex Rins by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
The Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas in Austin, Texas, proved that anything can happen in MotoGP™ as Alex Rins (No. 42 LCR Honda Castrol) capitalized on a crash by Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) to become the first rider to win a race on a Honda in 2023, in just his third Grand Prix for the Japanese manufacturer. Luca Marini (No. 10 Mooney VR46 Racing Team) continued the podium streak for the VR46 team after fending off Yamaha team leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who picked up his first podium of 2023. Watch the Race Highlights here. More to come. (Thank you to motogp.com)
(Photo of Alex Rins by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
(Photo by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
We're sure Alex Rins and his team partied far into the night in Austin on Sunday.
We're sure Alex Rins and his team partied far into the night in Austin on Sunday.
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