JULY 26, 2023

(Formula1.com)

Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) stormed to victory over Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren F1 Team) and Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) with another commanding performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix, giving the reigning double world champion his seventh straight triumph and Red Bull Racing its 12th in a row – beating McLaren’s long-standing record. Verstappen passed pole-sitting Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team) at the start before settling into the lead and easily pulling clear of the chasing pack, chalking up a lights-to-flag win that puts further distance between himself and teammate Perez in the drivers’ standings. Red Bull continues their 100% winning run for the 2023 season, while setting a new outright milestone in terms of successive race wins, with their staggering tally now one clear of the 11 McLaren achieved with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during the 1988 campaign. Verstappen took the checkered flag comfortably clear of Norris, who dropped behind fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri early on but regained the place at the first round of pit stops, while Perez – one of only two drivers, along with George Russell, to go long in the first stint on hard tires – rose from ninth to third with another strong recovery drive. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Photo of Josef Newgarden by Chris Owens for Penske Entertainment)

Josef Newgarden completed a sweep of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader at Iowa Speedway by winning the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on Sunday, bookending his victory Saturday in the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden drove his No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet to his sixth career victory at Iowa by .7050 of a second over teammate and reigning series champion Will Power in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet. The close finish came after a three-lap dash to the checkered flag due to a late caution period. Newgarden has won all four oval races this season – including the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 28 – and can complete a season sweep of circle-track events at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, Aug. 27, at World Wide Technology Raceway. He has won six of the last seven oval races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES over the last 12 months. “We knew we had a great car, and the pressure was there because I think we wanted to execute on it and make sure it was a great weekend,” Newgarden said. “I’m happy now. When you finish the first race, it’s great to have a doubleheader, but you just feel incomplete until you get through today. To be able to come back and do it again, I’m so proud of the team. It’s very gratifying because I know how good our car is here. When you show up with a car like this, you’ve got the pressure to just execute and get the job done. When you don’t get the job done, you feel like you did something wrong.” There’s even more history. Newgarden joined legendary four-time Indy 500 winners A.J. Foyt and Al Unser as the only drivers to win five consecutive oval races in the INDYCAR SERIES, as Newgarden’s streak started last August at WWTR. Foyt won seven in a row in 1964, and Unser won five straight in 1968 and 1970. This was Newgarden’s 29th career victory, tying him with four-time Indy 500 winner and fellow Team Penske legend Rick Mears for 13th on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES win list. Newgarden also became the first driver to sweep an INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader since Graham Rahal in 2017 in Detroit. Championship leader Alex Palou finished third in his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing The American Legion Honda. Palou’s lead over second place Newgarden slimmed to 80 points with five races remaining this season. The Spaniard, who finished eighth Saturday, led by 117 points entering this doubleheader weekend. Still, he extended his streak of finishing in the top eight to all 12 races this season. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)

(Photo of Josef Newgarden by Chris Jones for Penske Entertainment)

Josef Newgarden dominated the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart at Iowa Speedway on Saturday afternoon, staying perfect in oval races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season in the No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet. Newgarden also won the PPG 375 in April at Texas Motor Speedway and the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two-time series champion Newgarden also has won five of the six oval races in the last 12 months, including this race last year. The only race he didn’t win during that streak was the second race of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend last year, as he crashed out while leading due to a mechanical failure. “It’s a great day,” Newgarden said. “My team, they are unbelievable. They always give me a great car. I show up every weekend, and I feel like I’ve got the best of the best behind me. I love Iowa.” This was Newgarden’s 28^th win of his INDYCAR SERIES career. Race 2 from Iowa will happen Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Team Penske finished 1-2 today, as Scott McLaughlin tied his career-best oval finish of second in the No. 2 Team Penske XPEL Chevrolet, 3.3755 seconds behind Newgarden. Pato O’Ward placed third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)

(IMSA)

It was a magical Saturday at Lime Rock Park for Aston Martin, the Heart of Racing Team, and its team principal, Ian James. As James celebrated his 50th birthday, the Heart of Racing-prepared Aston Martin Vantage GT3s swept both IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes at the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix presented by Liqui Moly. Motul Pole Award winner Ross Gunn and co-driver Alex Riberas claimed their first race win of the 2023 slate in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) competition in the Heart of Racing’s No. 23 Aston, while the No. 27 Vantage GT3 shared by Roman De Angelis and Marco Sorensen triumphed in GTD for the first time since the season opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ben Barnicoat (No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) kept Riberas under heavy pressure in GTD PRO before making a slight mistake in Turn 1, also known as ‘Big Bend,’ with a little more than five minutes remaining. That gave Riberas a bit of breathing room, and he eased up before crossing the line 0.336 seconds ahead of Barnicoat as the top four cars were separated by just 1.138 seconds. Gunn and Riberas raced a brand-new chassis that had to be built up in the two weeks since the No. 23 team’s primary car was heavily damaged in the last WeatherTech Championship race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. “That car had never run before and it was faultless,” said James. “The crews and the driving teams on both cars have just executed and I couldn’t be prouder.” Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)

(IMSA)

It was a similar story in GTD, where Sorensen (No. 27 Aston Martin) was pursued but never passed by a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)s – the No. 92 fielded by Kellymoss with Riley and driven by Alec Udell and Julien Andlauer, and No. 77 Wright Motorsports with drivers Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman – with Andlauer closing to within 0.555 seconds at the checkered flag. “Keeping the two Porsches behind was definitely a challenge today,” Sorensen admitted. “This win is really big.” The triumph was a big boost for the Heart of Racing Team's championship hopes. Incoming GTD class leaders Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 found themselves in comeback mode for the second half of the race at Lime Rock after a pit penalty, recovering to eighth place. That unofficially cut their points cushion over De Angelis and Sorensen from 208 points to 86. The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America, August 3-6. (Thank you to John Oreovicz/IMSA Wire Service)

Our dearly departed billboard at Road America. As most of you know, Peter coined the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" and gifted it to the track. -WG

The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track and for fan viewing areas, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines. Since opening in 1955, countless facility improvements have been made over the years, but the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course itself is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. Now in 2023, an entirely new track surface stands ready for racers and enthusiasts alike. - Road America

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