MARCH 6, 2024

(Formula1.com)

Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) converted pole position into the race win with a controlled drive in Saturday night’s Bahrain Grand Prix, leading home Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) and Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) to start his latest title defense in predictable fashion. Verstappen maintained his advantage as the encounter got under way and never looked back over the 57 laps that followed, ultimately crossing the line 22 seconds clear of Perez, who made up for his low-key qualifying effort to complete a Red Bull one-two. Sainz rounded out the podium for Ferrari after a thrilling exchange with team mate Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari), who struggled with tire degradation and suffered multiple lock-ups en route to finishing fourth, having cleared George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM) late in the race. Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM) encountered issues with their batteries across the race, with the seven-time world champion – who also reported a broken seat – having to settle for seventh position behind Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team). Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) led 181 of 267 laps of the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Kyle Busch led the second-most — 18. And, yes, Larson swept the first two stages and took the checkered flag to secure his third victory at Las Vegas, tying Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski for most among full-time active Cup drivers. The truth is that Larson had to use all his consummate skills behind the wheel to hold off Tyler Reddick (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota) after a restart with 27 laps left. Larson had the short-run speed, enough to build significant advantages early in a run. But Reddick began closing the gap, so much so that with two laps left, Reddick was a scant 0.143 seconds behind Larson at the stripe, roughly one car length. Larson, however, was adept at blocking the progress of Reddick, and when the race ended two laps later, Larson had increased the margin to 0.441 seconds. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)

(Alejandro Alvarez/NASCAR.com)

Rajah Caruth made a promise after taking the checkered flag in the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “There’s more to come, for sure,” said the 21-year-old Spire Motorsports driver moments after securing his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win from the pole position in Friday night’s race. An alumnus of NASCAR'S Drive for Diversity program, Caruth is the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series race, joining Hall of Famer Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace. It was a day for firsts for Caruth, who earlier on Friday won the initial Truck Series pole of his career by 0.001 seconds over Christian Eckes. But it was Caruth’s pit crew that helped decide the issue. During a 62-lap green-flag run to the finish, crew chief Chad Walter called Caruth’s No. 71 Chevrolet to pit road early in the cycle. The over-the-wall crew performed a flawless stop, and after other contenders made their stops during the cycle, Caruth inherited the lead on Lap 114 with an advantage over Taylor Gray of nearly two seconds. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG