Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Bubba Wallace might have the highest profile NASCAR penalty this week, but the hammer has come down on Jeremy Clements as well. Due to a composite body infraction in Sunday’s Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he has received an L1-level penalty that drops forty points from his total. His crew chief Mark Setzer has been fined USD$25,000 (€25,585.12) and suspended for the upcoming race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In particular, Clements’ #51 car was found to have violated Section 14.4.B of the rulebook which reads, “Flange Fit Composite Body must be used as supplied from the manufacturer without modification.” Rather than steel like in the past, Xfinity car bodies since 2017 are made of composite material that is separated into thirteen pieces and put together. In the event of a crash that damages parts of the body, teams can simply replace that section rather than repair the entire body.

To keep teams from tampering with the body for aerodynamic advantages and the like, NASCAR instituted Section 14.4.B into the rules.

It is the second penalty that Clements received in 2022 after suffering an L2 penalty in August following his Daytona win, though that was subsequently overturned.

“JCR respects NASCAR’s decision on the penalty levied to us today relating to our rear bumper cover, which did not conform to the repair guidelines set forth by NASCAR,” reads a team statement. “We apologize to our fans and partners for this unfortunate oversight and are focused on continuing to represent them with the same fervor as our previous 12 years of NASCAR competition.”

Bubba Wallace has been suspended for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway as punishment for wrecking Kyle Larson during the most recent race in Las Vegas.

Wallace, fresh off winning Stage #1, was battling Larson on lap 95 when the latter slid up the track and squeezed him into the wall. In retaliation, he hooked Larson’s right-rear quarter panel and spun him into the wall, during which he took out Wallace’s Toyota ally and playoff driver Christopher Bell. Upon exiting his car, Wallace confronted Larson with multiple shoves that Larson did not return.

The wreck was deemed intentional and therefore a violation of Sections 4.3.A and 4.4.C and E of the rulebook. Wallace initially defended the incident as a steering failure, but apologised on social media on Monday the day before the suspension was doled out.

“I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car,” begins a statement he posted on Monday. “My behavior does not align with the core values that are shared by 23XI Racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport.

“I want to apologize to NASCAR and the fans, along with Christopher Bell. Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota for putting them in a situation in the Playoffs that they do not deserve.

Sébastien Loeb has some work to do if he wants to take home a World Rally-Raid Championship, but things are off to a good start for him as he led the T1 category in the prologue to the Andalucía Rally.

Loeb recorded a time of seven minutes and fifty-two seconds, seventeen seconds quicker than Yazeed Al-Rajhi and thirty-one over Rallye du Maroc overall winner Guerlain Chicherit. Nasser Al-Attiyah, who entered the round with a twenty-two-point lead on Loeb, suffered a one-minute time penalty for speeding and was classified twenty-first at 8:57.

“It was the stage where we could do a recce, so for me, it was a bit like WRC style and I could really push with the car right from the start,” said Loeb. “We made a big attack that ultimately was perfect, no mistakes at all so it was nice; a great opener. However, it’s only the initial kilometres with the long stages coming tomorrow and over the next days.”

While João Dias is not competing for the W2RC T3 title, he was more than willing to run interference in his home race as his 8:25 led Guillaume de Mevius by three seconds. Points leader Francisco López Contardo was fourth at 8:33, with non-championship driver Pedro Carvalho ahead of him with 8:30.

Rokas Baciuška, who led T4 by just one point entering Andalucía, drew first blood by topping the category at 8:29. Marek Goczał, second in the standings, was fourth (8:38) while Austin Jones, three back of Baciuška, trailed at 8:47.

The final round of the 2022 World Rally-Raid Championship will also be the final run for the Andalucía Rally as an FIA international championship leg. On Wednesday, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the 2023 schedules for the W2RC and three Cross-Country Bajas Cups (World, European, Middle East).

As usual, the championship will begin with the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on 31 December 2022 and run through 15 January 2023. The second round will once again be the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from 25 February to 3 March.

The next two legs will take place in the Americas for the first time beginning with the Sonora Rally on 22–28 April followed by the Desafío Ruta 40 on 26 August to 8 September. The FIA rarely visits either continent for rallies due to travel constraints as teams are primarily based in Afro-Eurasia.

Held in Mexico with the 2022 edition taking place concurrently with Andalucía, the Sonora Rally is regarded as the top rally raid-style event in North America as its multi-stage format makes for good practice ahead of the Dakar Rally. Mexico already has one of the top off-road scenes in the world with premier races like the Baja 1000, and the arrival of the W2RC will only add to its reputation.

“You feel a sense of satisfaction when you finish the Baja 1000. In the moment, it’s difficult to call it fun,” Sonora Rally competitor and 2023 Dakar Rally entrant Ace Nilson told The Checkered Flag in August. “It’s a lot of survival, you know? But I think I like the staged races of, like, the Sonora Rally and Baja Rally, just because the days are difficult, but it’s not just one day, it’s multiple days, so you might have a 250-mile day and then you have to rest and turn around and do it over again.”

Robert Shwartzman admits the 2022 season has been ‘very different’ for him as he has not competed in any championship, but he is excited by the chance to get behind Scuderia Ferrari’s F1-75 this week as part of his reserve driver role.

With all teams mandated to run junior drivers in at least two free practice sessions throughout the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Ferrari have opted to give the young Russian – through an Israeli licence – the chance to run in both the Circuit of the Americas this weekend and at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Shwartzman is naturally thrilled to be getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari this weekend, and he hopes to see how it compares to driving the car in the simulator, which he has focused on predominantly during 2022 as part of being the team’s reserve driver.

“2022 has been a very different year for me as it was planned that I would not race in any championships,” said Shwartzman.  “Instead, I am working full-time for the Scuderia, doing a lot of work in the simulator and I am very happy to have been part of this year’s team effort.

“The experience I have gained this year has taught me a lot, and helped me become a more complete racing driver.

Dave Robson says the Williams Racing team will not be bringing any updates to its FW44 for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, and instead they will be looking to maximise the options they have with the car and set it up as best they can to suit the Circuit of the Americas.

A lot of Williams’ attention has switched to developing their 2023 car, which they hope to be more competitive than this years’ effort, but they have not switched off completely on this year as they bid to add to their tally of eight points across the remaining four races.

Robson says they will need to adapt the settings of the FW44 to better suit the COTA track and the softer compounds Pirelli are bringing to the track compared to two weeks ago in Japan.

“As we start to head towards the end of the 2022 season, the car is essentially unchanged from Japan and our job is to maximise the options around us to best suit the demands of COTA,” said Robson, the Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams.  

“Although there are some similarities to Suzuka, the overall demands of the circuit are different, and we’ll need to make some changes to the car to suit both the track layout and the softer tyre compounds that Pirelli have made available this weekend.”

Nicholas Latifi will be looking to build on his first points finish of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season in Japan two weeks ago this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Williams Racing driver scored a ninth-place finish at the Suzuka International Racing Course after making an immediate jump to the intermediate tyre at the resumption of the race following a safety car, and he used the tyre to good use to jump from the back of the pack into the top ten.

It was Latifi’s first top ten finish since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, and he now heads to the United States Grand Prix with confidence, although he will miss the first session of the weekend as Williams are giving Logan Sargeant a chance to test as part of their mandatory young driver sessions.

“I’m super excited to be heading back to Austin,” said Latifi.  “It was one of the more enjoyable races last year and this will be only my second visit there as a F1 driver.

“In a way it’s the team’s second home race. The atmosphere in Austin is always great. The track is enjoyable and hopefully a bit smoother this year after repaving it as it has been bumpy in the past.

Logan Sargeant will make his FIA Formula 1 World Championship free practice debut with the Williams Racing team this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, and the American is excited by the prospect of driving in front of his home fans.

Sargeant was signed by Williams last year to join their young driver development programme and first ran for them in the young driver test in Abu Dhabi in December, but this weekend will see him get his first chance behind the wheel of the FW44.

The twenty-one-year-old, who has been linked with a full-time promotion to the team in 2023, hopes the make the most of the session at the Austin track, and he is extremely thankful to Williams for everything they’ve done for him since he joined their development programme.

“To be making my FP1 debut at COTA in my home country is special moment for me,” said Sargeant, who has been competing in the FIA Formula 2 championship this season.  “I’d like to thank Williams and Dorilton Motor Sports for this opportunity and the support they’ve given me since I joined the Academy this time last year in Austin.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the simulator at Grove and shadowing the team at previous race weekends to help with my preparations for FP1.

Sebastian Vettel, who made his FIA Formula 1 World Championship race debut in the United States back in 2007, will attack his final race in the country before retirement this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.

The German debuted for the BMW Sauber F1 Team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in place of the unavailable Robert Kubica in 2007, who was ruled out after a high-speed crash in the preceding Canadian Grand Prix, and Vettel went on to score a point for eighth place.

Despite it being fifteen years ago, Vettel still finds excitement in his racing and coming to the United States, and cannot wait for the challenge this weekend at CotA.

“I made my Formula One debut at the US Grand Prix, at Indianapolis, fifteen years ago,” said Vettel.  “It is always a great feeling to return – especially to such an exciting track, with lots of really challenging sectors.”

Vettel has been encouraged by the recent points scoring run of his Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team, with the German himself helping himself to an eighth and a sixth-place finish in the past two races in Singapore and Japan.

Spire Motorsports will retain a two-car lineup for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, but both cars will be filled by one driver each rather than the carousel of years past. Corey LaJoie remains the full-time driver in the #7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, while the team has signed Ty Dillon for the #77.

Dillon has bounced between multiple teams since his four-year stint at Germain Racing ended with their demise. Things seemed to finally stabilise when he became the first driver signed by Petty GMS Motorsports for 2022, but he has struggled compared to team-mate Erik Jones; Dillon sits twenty-ninth in points with just a single top ten versus Jones who has a victory and is eleven spots ahead in the standings.

In July, Petty GMS and Dillon announced they would part ways after 2022; Noah Gragson was later tabbed as his replacement. By moving to Spire, he will hope for a fresh chance.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity, a new beginning with a very hungry team that is excited for the future,” said Dillon. “Spire Motorsports has been growing year after year, when you look at the way that Corey and the #7 team has developed to be competitive. The organization is heading in the right direction and I’m excited to be a part of bringing the #77 up to where Corey has been running. Hopefully we raise the whole level of competition together.”

LaJoie joined Spire in 2021 on a multi-year deal. While his current points standing of thirty-first is two spots lower than his 2021 placement, he nearly won but still scored his first career top five at Atlanta.

After a weekend off, the FIA Formula 1 World Championship returns this weekend for one of the highlights of the year for both the fans and the drivers’, the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

Max Verstappen claimed a narrow victory at COTA last season, whilst being hunted by Lewis Hamilton in what proved to be a vital result in regard to the Drivers’ Championship.

With flowing corners, heavy braking zones, one of the longest straights of the season, and that famous climb to Turn One, COTA truly is a circuit like no other, making it easy to understand why it’s loved amongst the paddock.

Pirelli have opted for their middle range this weekend, meaning the C2, C3 and C4 compounds will be in use, with it set to be fascinating to see how the larger and heavier cars deal with the constant direction changes, especially in sector one. Porpoising is potentially going to return in the opening practice sessions on Friday, with the COTA surface still being concerningly bumpy in places, something which could see some teams be forced to increase their ride height to reduce any chance of a penalty.

As was meant to happen at the Japanese Grand Prix, Free Practice Two will be ninety minutes rather than sixty, with the entire time to be spent testing Pirelli’s 2023 prototype tyres. However, any side that runs a young driver in Free Practice One will have thirty minutes of the second Friday session to do whatever they wish.

Scuderia AlphaTauri recently announced Carl Friedrik as the Official Luggage Supplier of the team.

Carl Friedrik is a leather and travel goods brand founded in 2012 by Swedish brothers Niklas and Mattis Oppermann. The company has made a name for itself selling premium leather accessories along with a large range of everyday essentials such as briefcases, luggage and wallets.

AlphaTauri and Carl Friedrik are releasing a special collaboration for a limited-edition suitcase featuring exclusive colours of the Formula 1 team.

AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost is delighted to have reached an agreement and is looking forward to the future.

“Scuderia AlphaTauri represents elegance and lifestyle in the Formula One paddock, that’s why a premium and fashionable brand like Carl Friedrik is a great fit for our team.

McLaren F1 Team Principal Andreas Seidl said that the team is excited to be racing at the United States Grand Prix this weekend, where the team will be looking to pick up important points going into the last four races of the season. 

“The United States Grand Prix is a favourite for many of the team, so we’re all looking forward to the weekend at COTA. The fans are brilliant and really add to the exciting atmosphere in Austin.” 

Seidl said that setup will be a focus for the Grand Prix, as the team have to strike a balance for the varied turns and straights of Circuit of the Americas. 

“The track itself has some interesting features such as elevation changes and wide turns with multiple overtake lines, so it will be important to balance the setup between some of the slower corners and the speed needed for the straights.”

Spanish IndyCar driver Alex Palou will be taking over Daniel Ricciardo’s car for free practice one as part of the mandated young driver outings. Seidl said that he is excited to have Palou in the car and gain his insights on the car’s performance. 

Daniel Ricciardo is excited to visit one of his “absolute favourite” events of the year, the United States Grand Prix, and push through the season’s final races of McLaren F1 Team’s battle for fourth in the constructor’s championship. 

He said that the setting in Austin allows him to bring another level of energy and enthusiasm, and that he looks forward to running at Circuit of the Americas.

“Austin let’s go! The US GP is one of my absolute favourite races of the year. The extra energy I get from the atmosphere is immeasurable and I love everything about it. From the crowd to the food and music, it’s like nothing else. I can’t wait to get on track. 

McLaren’s closest rival, BWT Alpine F1 Team, has the upper hand as of the Japanese Grand Prix, scoring eighteen points to McLaren’s one at Suzuka International Racing Course. As a result, Alpine is in fourth place with 143 points to McLaren’s 130. 

Ricciardo said that he will look to draw as much performance as possible in order to keep McLaren in the running for the divisive position.

Nil Solans who was looking to enter his home rally of RallyRACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada in Spain this weekend has now withdrawn from the rally due to an accident. The two-time Junior WRC and 2017 WRC3 champion was going to be behind the wheel in the WRC2 class but unfortunately, he crashed out heavily during pre-event testing on Monday afternoon.

The 30-year-old driver crashed into the trees on the side of a tarmac road in his Hyundai i20 R5 yesterday due to dirt on the road that was hard to avoid. The emergency services had to intervene to extract Solans, who complained of back pain, and suffered from two fractured vertebrae. He was taken by ambulance to the Joan XIII Hospital in Tarragona, where he underwent a thorough medical examination he will be transfered to Barcelona to obtain new medical opinions and later the treatment will be decided.

Solans scored an eighth place in the 2021 Rally Spain on his WRC debut at the wheel of a Hyundai i20 WRC for the Hyundai´s second-tier team 2C Compétition.