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Chase Briscoe‘s difficult 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season just got way worse. Due to an L3-level penalty for counterfeiting a NACA duct, he has been penalised 120 driver points and 25 playoff points, while also losing his crew chief Johnny Klausmeier for six races and fined $250,000. The penalty is one of the largest handed down by NASCAR in its history.

The NACA duct, named after and designed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (predecessor to NASA), is an air inlet intended help air flow through without disrupting flow. While its roots are in the aerospace field, such ducts are also used as hood scoops in automobiles. NASCAR introduced the duct in 2021 to help reduce cockpit temperatures by making the transmission tunnel cooler, but the ducts can also be manipulated to adjust downforce.

Since the Next Gen’s début in 2022, the NACA duct is supplied by a single vendor classified NG72841. Under Section 14.6.3.B of the rulebook, “The engine panel NACA duct (NG72841) must be used and must remain unobstructed.”

Single-vendor parts are already not allowed to be modified by teams, which can result in hefty points penalties such as the 100 initially levied upon Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing in April for louver violations before being overturned, but the sanctioning body takes even greater issue if teams were to attempt to replicate the components themselves. As a result, Briscoe’s penalty is significantly harsher than the aforementioned.

After finishing twentieth in Monday’s Coca-Cola 600, Briscoe’s #14 was taken to NASCAR’s Research & Development Center for further inspection where they discovered the opening in the duct was smaller than usual. Stewart-Haas Racing competition team director Greg Zipadelli conceded it was a “quality control lapse” and the team will not appeal the ruling.

While Chase Elliott is barred from racing Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway as he serves a one-race suspension, Hendrick Motorsports cannot turn to their usual substitute driver Josh Berry as he is competing in the Xfinity Series at Portland.

Instead, the team will entrust Corey LaJoie with Elliott’s #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Gateway. LaJoie arrives from technical ally Spire Motorsports, and his #77 will be filled by Cup newcomer Carson Hocevar.

Elliott was suspended for Gateway after his Coca-Cola 600 on Monday ended in a wreck with Denny Hamlin on lap 185. Analysis of the contact’s telemetry, provided in public by Hamlin, revealed Elliott had turned hard left into Hamlin’s right-rear bumper, shooting him into the frontstretch wall in what Hamlin called an “Absolute left hook. Cranked the wheel 4X harder left than he did making any corner through the whole day.”

He is the first Cup driver of 2023 to be suspended for on-track conduct and the first since Bubba Wallace did the same at Las Vegas the previous year. Elliott remains eligible for the playoffs via waiver, but only has eleven more races to win and guarantee himself a spot in the postseason after missing six rounds due to a broken leg.

In the meantime, LaJoie takes over the #9 and sits nineteenth in points with a best finish of fourth at Atlanta. LaJoie had frequently made his interest in racing for Hendrick public, having written a letter to team owner Rick Hendrick; ironically, he opined Elliott should not have been suspended for the Charlotte wreck.

Sam Bird has pulled out all the stops whilst training ahead of this weekend’s physically demanding Jakarta E-Prix double-header, where all of the drivers will be pushed to their limits.

Indonesia is known for its intense heat and humidity, making it a real challenge for both the drivers and the cars this weekend. To be as prepared as possible for the conditions, Bird has spent some time in Gaydon (UK) at JLR, using their Climatic Wind Tunnel. At the state of the art facility, Bird trained in thirty-six degrees Celsius at ninety-percent humidity, in a bid to replicate this weekend’s conditions.

Bird labelled his time at JLR as “quite an experience”, with the hope being that it’ll help him adjust to the elements in Jakarta.

“Training in the Climatic Wind Tunnel at JLR was quite an experience. The team turned the heat up to 36 degrees Celsius and I could really start to feel the impact on my stamina. As a racing driver, training is an incredibly important factor in race performance.

“The loads on the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 when competing at high speeds takes a toll on the body and you have to be able to handle that physically. But add in another layer of intense heat and humidity, and that can make it all the more challenging. Thanks to the team at JLR for helping me to get race-ready in the impressive facility.”  

After demonstrating excellent pace three weeks ago in Monaco, the Nissan Formula E Team are aiming to “build momentum” this weekend at the Jakarta E-Prix double-header, where the entire team will be pushed to their limits in the Southeast Asian heat.

Both Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato looked good at the Circuit de Monaco, with the pair having qualified second and third. With Jake Hughes having claimed pole, the Japanese manufacturer remarkably had their powertrains in first, second and third, the first time a supplier has achieved that this season. Whilst Fenestraz finished fourth and Nato finished the race in eighteenth, it was nevertheless a great weekend for the team, who showed to have strong pace.

Team Principal Tommaso Volpe was pleased to see his side make “big improvements” in Monaco, with him hoping that the side will be able to “fight” in both races this weekend for some points. Should they score some solid points, then they’ll potentially be able to escape the scrap for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, with just four points separating four teams.

“We’ve been working hard since Monaco to give us the best possible chance to build on our performance and continue to build momentum, which has been a challenge for us this year,” said Volpe. “We definitely made big improvements ahead of the last round, so we’ve been aiming to consolidate that and continue our development. Jakarta will be tough for all the teams mainly because of the conditions.

“It’s hot and humid and tough for the drivers during the races. Because of this, we’re focusing on finding the best possible set-up to help the car stay cool and to look after the tires. Our goal for the remainder of the season is to find some more consistency and to be able to fight with both cars in the points. Jakarta will be a challenge, but it’s one we’re ready for.”

Sacha Fenestraz heads into his first Jakarta E-Prix this weekend having been warned by everyone “how tough” the conditions are in the Indonesian capital, with it set to be even more challenging this season given that it’s a double-header.

The rookie is “very excited” for the tenth and eleventh rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, having shown excellent pace three weeks ago in Monaco. The Frenchman would’ve claimed his second pole position of the season, had his time in the Final not been deleted for an overuse of power. Despite this, he still claimed a season-best result of fourth, with the aim now being to prove that their pace at the Circuit de Monaco “wasn’t a one-off”.

Looking ahead to the trip to Southeast Asia, Fenestraz is targeting another good result, with the aim being to build some momentum throughout the double-header.

“The hottest race of the year, everybody has been telling me how tough it will be! On the racing side, I’m very excited, following our best weekend of the season in Monaco. Heading to Jakarta, we are happy and in a good position in terms of the team environment.

“We’ll be looking to back up our performance from Monaco and prove it wasn’t a one-off, so it’s an important event for us. The track looks interesting, similar to Monaco or Cape Town in terms of some of the corners and the track characteristics, so I’m hoping for a great weekend.”

Alex Albon has exclaimed that his Monaco Grand Prix outing was a ‘boring’ one, after the Thai drivers fourteenth place finish at the Circuit de Monaco marked the fifth consecutive race of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship without a points finish for the Williams Racing team.

Albon was left with an uphill task to climb inside the points paying positions after qualifying in thirteenth place, and the former Oracle Red Bull Racing drivers prospects would prove to become even tougher after his FW45 was equipped with the medium tyre to start the race.

The Thai driver was able to make it through the opening lap unscathed and still in his original grid position, despite a tight squeeze with Lance Stroll down at the Grand Hotel Hairpin threatening to stunt any further progress. However, Albon would soon find his medium tyres overheating by lap eighteen, forcing the Williams pit-wall to call him in for a set of hard tyres.  

Albon had looked set to see out the remaining sixty laps of the Grand Prix out on his new set of hard tyres and before the eventual threat of rain did arrive, the Williams driver looked an outside bet to potentially claim a points finish.

“A lot of drivers started on the Hard tyres which created a bit of a train but the Hard tyre was so much better than the Medium tyre”, Albon stated. “It was basically a race you wanted to be on the Hard tyres as soon as possible.

Mario Andretti is a legendary figure in the world of motorsports, particularly in auto racing. He was born on February 28, 1940, in Montona, Italy (now Motovun, Croatia), and later became a naturalized American citizen. Mario Andretti is considered one of the most versatile and accomplished drivers in motorsport history, with an illustrious career spanning several decades.

Some key highlights of Mario Andretti's career include:

1. Formula One (F1): Andretti competed in Formula One from 1968 to 1982 and won the World Championship in 1978 driving for the Lotus team. He achieved 12 race victories and 18 pole positions in his F1 career.

2. Indianapolis 500: Andretti won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 race in 1969, driving for the Andy Granatelli-owned STP team. He had a remarkable performance, leading 116 of the 200 laps and securing his place in history as one of the few drivers to win both the Formula One World Championship and the Indianapolis 500.

3. IndyCar Racing: Throughout his career, Andretti had immense success in IndyCar racing. He won the USAC National Championship four times (1965, 1966, 1969, 1984) and secured numerous race victories, including wins at iconic races like the Daytona 500 and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The 2023 FIA European Rallycross Championship returns to another rallycross track on 3/4 June. Montalegre, Portugal, plays host to the second round of this exciting championship, with a large portion of the field keen to grab the top spot of the podium.

A staple of the European rallycross scene, and a regular fixture in the FIA World Rallycross Championship as well, Montalegre is known for its beautiful views and hosting spectacular racing. The long start finish straight splits charges into the first hairpin, the former Joker section. The Joker section now follows on from this opening turn. Who can forget the spectacular contact at the Joker merge between current championship leader Janis Baumanis and reigning champion Anton Marklund in 2022? With an excitingly close-fought battle at Nyirád, Hungary, last time out, we could well see similarly spectacular battles this time.

The opening round was an event that defied odds. Baumanis battled to victory despite battling an illness for most of the weekend; Marklund, having described his Ford Fiesta RX as one of the worst he’d ever driver, managed to finish second; and rising star Patrick O’Donovan took his Peugeot 208 RX to third on the podium on only his second Euro RX1 outing.

Marklund was also involved in a heavy crash with Sivert Svardal in heat three, which many thought would end his weekend – including Marklund. Speaking after the final, Marklund said “To be honest, I still can’t really believe what we did. We decided that we could not continue with the damage after heat three – it shouldn’t have been possible to repair the car in that timeframe – but then there was a moment, where we sat and discussed and everyone stood up to at least try. The guys worked flat-out. I think the team was surprised too that we got out again, but they did it, and this P2 is like a victory for all of us. It was exhausting and a tough couple of days, but we did what we needed to do.“

Despite his disappointing end to the weekend, Svardal also believes he can fight for victory. Reflecting on the possibilities for the second round, Svardal said “We were really happy with the performance of the new car at Nyirád – it’s still not the quickest on the grid, but it’s definitely a step forward and the best feeling I’ve ever had in a rallycross Supercar. I obviously have more experience now too, which gives me the confidence to push harder. If things go well, I honestly believe we can compete with the top guys this year and cause them some trouble. It’s a really strong field in Euro RX1 and the leading four drivers in the championship will all be in Portugal, but my goal is to get through to the final – and from there, anything is possible.”

The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team are targeting a strong haul of points this weekend as the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Indonesia, for the Jakarta E-Prix double-header.

Rounds ten and eleven are likely to be the most physically demanding of the season, with the heat and humidity set to make life difficult for the entire Woking-based team. They at least head to Southeast Asia having returned to form in Monaco, with rookie Jake Hughes having claimed his second pole position of the season. He backed it up with fifth in the race, marking the team’s first top-five since Cape Town.

René Rast wasn’t quite as strong in Monaco, with the German having finished seventeenth. Hughes at least showed that the British team do have a competitive car; however, Team Principal Ian James did admit ahead of this weekend that there are “still improvements to be made” to exploit its full potential.

“It’s great to return to Jakarta after a few weeks since our last race in Monaco. The fans in Indonesia are hugely passionate and I hope we can put on a good show for them. 

“In Monaco, we secured our first pole position since Diriyah, which was a fantastic boost for the team. However, there are still improvements to be made as we aim to convert our qualifying performance into race pace and podium finishes. 

Rookie Jake Hughes heads into his first Jakarta E-Prix weekend looking to replicate his recent performance in Monaco, where he stormed to his second pole position of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

With this weekend being a double-header, Hughes will have two opportunities to claim a third pole position of the year, whilst he’s also targeting back-to-back top-five finishes. After a challenging few races, the Briton returned to his rapid ways at the Circuit de Monaco, with the aim being to potentially “bring back some silverware” in Southeast Asia.

Whilst he’s never raced in Indonesia, Hughes did attend the race last season with Mercedes-EQ, meaning he at least knows how challenging the conditions will be. The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver heads to Jakarta in good spirits and with the aim of making the “team proud”.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Jakarta. I was there last year with the team and it was a really great event, especially seeing how popular Formula E is in that part of the world. The track is really special. I’m looking forward to continuing the positivity we had in Monaco, where our qualifying strength returned and we finished the race in the top five.

“To finish in the top five again is our goal, and if everything goes right, hopefully we can get on the podium. As a double header event, we have two attempts, so I’m hoping we can do the team proud and bring back some silverware.”

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s Valtteri Bottas was satisfied with his Monaco Grand Prix performance, gaining four positions from fifteenth to eleventh– narrowly missing out on a points result at a circuit where it is traditionally difficult to make up places.

“We had a solid race and probably got as much as we could out of the day. When you make up four places in Monaco, it’s not a bad result and it’s only a pity we couldn’t get any points from our efforts. 

Bottas said that the team’s decision to pull the trigger on intermediate tyres soon after the rain began was the right one, with him being one of the very first to take to the pits before the conditions became treacherous. 

“The rain helped us a bit by mixing up the race, but we had to take some important decisions and we made all the right calls. It was not easy out there, even on inters, as the track was very wet in places and drier in others, but we chose to play this card before everyone else and we gained ground as a result.”

The update the team brought to the C43 in Monaco was a step forward according to Bottas, and he looks forward to seeing the kind of pace they’ll have at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next time out. 

Maserati MSG Racing Team Principal James Rossiter is very much aware that this weekend’s Jakarta E-Prix double-header will be “very physically demanding on everyone”, due to the immense heat and humidity in Southeast Asia.

Edoardo Mortara and Maximilian Günther are going to have to work incredibly hard in the tenth and eleventh rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with their concentration set to be tested to its absolute limit, given the unbearable conditions.

The Monte-Carlo-based team head to Jakarta having left Monaco without a point, due to Günther having retired late in the race whilst running amongst the top ten, following a collision with Dan Ticktum. Mortara finished eleventh which was actually a very good result, given that he pitted early in the race for a new front wing after hitting Günther.

Maserati’s point-less weekend at the Circuit de Monaco has left them in a real scrap for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, with just four points separating seventh to tenth in the standings. A good weekend though, could see Maserati breakaway from the midfield grip, with Rossiter recognising that whilst the results haven’t always been great the team have boasted “competitive pace”.

“Although Jakarta is one of Formula E’s newest venues we know from our experience last year that the high heat and intense humidity will be very physically demanding on everyone in the team. Since Berlin we’ve been showing good, competitive pace, and although the results haven’t always come to fruition, we know that we’re getting there in terms of performance.

Edoardo Mortara is hoping his fortunes will change this weekend at the Jakarta E-Prix double-header, with the Swiss driver having claimed a podium in Southeast Asia at the inaugural event last season.

Having been a title contender last year, the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been massively disappointing for Mortara, who finished eleventh at the recent round in Monaco. Given that he broke his front wing early on following contact with his team-mate, eleventh was a solid result for the Maserati MSG Racing driver, due to the fact he was forced to pit for repairs.

Being twentieth in the Drivers’ Championship certainly isn’t where he wants to be though, with time quickly running out if he wants to salvage a top ten. He has two opportunities to score some good points in Jakarta, with this weekend being the third double-header of the season. With Indonesia being known for incredibly high temperatures, Mortara has admitted that this weekend will be the “most physically challenging” of the season, meaning concentration will be absolutely key.

Mortara is hopeful that he can enjoy a “clean” weekend and claim some points for the team, who are currently in a fight for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.

“After a podium finish there last year, I’m looking forward to heading back to Jakarta. Because of its high ambient temperatures and high humidity, Jakarta is the most physically challenging race of the season, and we won’t be racing once, but twice.

Juan Zunino died Monday in an accident while pre-running for Saturday’s Baja 500. He was 28.

The single-bike crash occurred near Cohabuzo, where the 132nd mile of the Baja 500 is scheduled to run through. Another pre-runner encountered the scene and alerted Baja Pits, who had a pit area two miles away, but Zunino was pronounced dead at the scene.

Initial reports say he suffered severe head trauma in the accident, though specific injuries have yet to be confirmed by the coroner.

“I had the worst experience of my life today,” wrote Pro Moto Unlimited rider Arturo Salas Jr. “I never thought I would see something so harsh in my sport, more so being there… I hope evervone takes care of themselves in whatever they do, take care prerunning this baja! Blessings to all…”

Zunino was a relative newcomer to the SCORE International World Desert Championship, but already had experience racing for other teams that included finishing third in Pro Moto Unlimited at the 2022 Baja 400 as part of Ignacio Laviosa‘s #32X stable.

The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula 1 race held annually in Spain as part of the Formula 1 World Championship. Here are some key details about the Spanish Grand Prix:

Location: The Spanish Grand Prix is held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, located in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain.

Track Characteristics: The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for its mix of fast and slow corners, as well as its long straightaways. It offers a challenging layout for drivers, with a variety of technical sections.

History: The Spanish Grand Prix has a long history, dating back to 1913. Over the years, it has been held at various venues in Spain before settling at its current location, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in 1991.

Attendance and Atmosphere: The Spanish Grand Prix attracts a significant number of spectators, with fans from around the world coming to witness the race. The atmosphere is electric, with passionate supporters cheering for their favorite teams and drivers.