Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Matt Crafton can breathe a little easier as his fifth-place finish in Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Darlington Raceway has been restored. The run was previously taken away when his #88 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro failed post-race inspection.

After the race, the truck was ruled to be too low in the front, a violation of Section 14.17.3.2.1.2.A of the rulebook and resulting in a disqualification. ThorSport appealed to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel, which later announced announced:

“Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:

The panel was led by Dixon Johnston, Tom DeLoach, and Hunter Nickell. Johnston previously worked as a racing marketing executive while Nickell was the CEO of Raycom Sports. DeLoach was the co-owner of Truck team Red Horse Racing from 2004 to its closure in 2017.

With the penalty wiped, Crafton improves from thirteenth to tenth in points. Consequently, Matt DiBenedetto is bumped back from tenth to eleventh in the race finish.

The Motor Prince’s Medal (Motorprinsens Medalj) is one of the highest honours a Swedish racing figure could receive. Forty-seven years after its introduction, Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky has become the first female driver to be awarded the medal, doing so in a ceremony on Wednesday.

Åhlin-Kottulinsky received the medal for her achievements in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and Extreme E, the former of which saw her finish second in the 2021 championship while she currently leads the latter’s standings with Rosberg X Racing. She is the first female driver to win in the STCC, with two career wins in 2018 and 2019. In Extreme E, she scored her maiden win in the 2022 season-opening Desert X Prix, while her five podiums lead all drivers regardless of gender. In March, Åhlin-Kottulinsky and fellow Swede Annie Seel won the inaugural Rally Jameel, an all-women’s rally raid in Saudi Arabia.

Åhlin-Kottulinsky joins Tina Thörner as the only women to earn the medal. Thörner, the 2012 recipient, did so in recognition of her rally co-driving.

“I am extremely honoured to be awarded the Motor Prince’s Medal as the first female driver,” Åhlin-Kottulinsky wrote on social media. “Thank you KAK (Kungliga Automobil Klubben; the Royal Automobile Club) for the award, I will wear this medal with pride!”

Wednesday’s ceremony was overseen by Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland. Also honoured were fellow STCC driver Thed Björk, RXR team-mate Johan Kristoffersson, and Extreme E peer Timmy Hansen.

Lance Stroll drove superbly at the Miami International Autodrome last Sunday, to claim a point despite having started from the pit-lane. On the other side of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team, Sebastian Vettel had another race to forget after being forced into retirement late-on.

Stroll did brilliantly to work his way through the field at the Miami Grand Prix, the Canadian started the race on the Hard compound and ran deep into the Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver made the most of the race’s only Safety Car, by pitting the moment it was brought out.

This saved Stroll valuable seconds, leaving him within touching distance of a points finish. Stroll initially crossed the line in eleventh-place but was bumped up to tenth after Fernando Alonso was awarded a late time penalty.

The Canadian spoke to the media before Alonso’s penalty was awarded, about how frustrated he was to have at the time, just missed out on some points.

“Overall a frustrating afternoon. It was a shame to start from the pit lane but once the race was underway we showed some reasonable pace today. It was quite difficult to overtake off-line, but we made good decisions and put ourselves in a position to finish inside the top 10 by pitting under the Safety Car. I think points could have been on the table, but a bad restart and contact with Kevin [Magnussen] prevented that.”

It was a mixed Miami Grand Prix for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team, after Lance Stroll recovered to finish tenth whilst team-mate Sebastian Vettel retired late-on at the Miami International Autodrome.

Stroll put in a strong performance in Miami, to take home a single-point despite having started from the pit-lane. The Canadian initially crossed the line in eleventh but was elevated to tenth following a late time penalty for Fernando Alonso.

Vettel was also on-track for a points finish, until he was suddenly forced into retirement after Mick Schumacher dived-up the inside of him at Turn 1, where the pair then collided.

Aston Martin Team Principal, Mike Krack blamed Schumacher for Vettel’s retirement when he spoke to the media before Alonso’s penalty was announced.

“Today was a frustrating day. First, we had a fuel temperature issue that delayed the release of our cars from the garage, resulting in both our drivers starting the race from the pit lane. They made good progress on Hard tyres early on, and we were able to bring them in for Mediums during the Safety Car deployment triggered by [Lando] Norris’s lap-41 shunt. Sebastian was then running in 11th  place on new Mediums, just behind [Esteban] Ocon on older Softs and [Mick] Schumacher on older Hards.

It’s finally May, and that means that the NTT IndyCar Series is back home again in Indiana. Kicking the festivities off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the GMR Grand Prix, the fifth race of the 2022 season.

After a Penske-perfect start to the year, Pato O’Ward became the first non-Team Penske driver to win a race this season with his victory at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. A tough outing at Barber Motorsports Park for then-championship leader Josef Newgarden saw him drop the top spot to Alex Palou, who takes control of the title race with 144 points.

“The Captain” still dominates the top five, with Scott McLaughlin holding strong in second place, only three points behind Palou with 141 points. Newgarden sits third now on 135 points. Will Power is in fourth only one point behind Newgarden with 134 points, and O’Ward leaps into the top five after his win on 114 points.

This weekend also marks the return of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya to the grid, as he prepares for another run at the Borg-Warner Trophy.

Who gets their May off to the best possible start? Will Penske be able to regain form? Can Chip Ganassi Racing turn Palou’s championship lead into their first win of the season? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the GMR Grand Prix.

The GB3 Championship is already at one-quarter distance, with six of 24 races completed after the second round at Silverstone (7/8 May).

An early title fight is emerging, while storylines are being established up and down the grid which will likely run all season.

Let’s take a look at the state of play after the first of two visits to the home of the British Grand Prix in 2022.

Granfors storms through reverse-grid to lead standings

Joel Granfors stepped up from the F4 British Championship for this season, and has no doubt made the best start to life in GB3 of the seven making that step up.

A maiden podium in Race 2 at Oulton Park, which saw him have to defend from reigning British F4 champion Matthew Rees, was an impressive drive for only his second race in F3 machinery.

Stoffel Vandoorne arrives at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit with confidence and the championship lead after winning the Monaco E-Prix last time out, and the Belgian is eager for more success this weekend.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver took his first victory of the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season in Monaco, and he has fond memories of this weekend’s venue having taken his maiden series win there in 2020.

And Vandoorne is confident he can return to the top step of the podium this weekend and further cement himself as one of the favourites to take the title this season.

“We’ll be back in Berlin at the weekend for another double header and our team’s home race,” said Vandoorne.  “We’ve done well in Berlin previously.

“I’ve been on pole a couple of times before there, have taken quite a few podiums and secured my maiden win in Formula E in 2020, so you could say that this track has suited us well so far.”

Speaking with Extreme E, Kevin Hansen gave more details on the injuries he suffered in February’s season-opening Desert X Prix that left him hospitalised and rehabbing for the next few months.

In the Crazy Race for the Desert X Prix in Neom, Hansen roared to an early lead in the JBXE car before switching off to team-mate Molly Taylor. However, an especially hard landing during his furious charge caused him to break his T8 vertebra and bruise his lung. Hansen explained a major factor in the injury came in the seat arrangement.

“Molly had an insert in her seat and I didn’t, and that compression in the final downhill run in Neom meant that my hips were not fully fixed to the seat,” Hansen told Extreme E. “When I moved forward, the weakest point of my body going over any jumps was my back. My hip moved a bit and it compressed my top vertebra, which led to the crack.

“I’ve been through worse compressions previously when competing in rallycross, but just catching the wrong part of terrain at the wrong time was a bit too much and that caused the injury. I experienced huge, incredible pain almost immediately and I knew I had broken my spine straight away. I had no doubt about that. I also heard the crack and it was really loud. I could feel it directly.”

After confirming he still had feeling in his legs, he completed the painful drive to the switching bay. Once Taylor got in, Hansen laid down before medical assistance arrived. JBXE would finish third.

Oliver Rowland may have missed out on points in the Monaco E-Prix, but the British racer says he was ‘really proud’ of his Mahindra Racing team for the way they came to the principality with a strong car after a difficult opening few races of the season.

Rowland was in contention for the points in Monaco, but a late race crash with Tag Heuer Porsche FE Team’s André Lotterer put paid to his chances and left him with only four points to his name across the first six races of the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.

Heading into the Berlin E-Prix double header, Rowland says he hopes the form and progress shown by Mahindra can continue into the two races at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, with an appearance in the Qualifying duels amongst his aim for the weekend.

“Despite not getting a result in Monaco, I actually left feeling really proud of my team and what they had achieved in the two weeks since Rome,” said Rowland.  “After Monaco, we did the same again – heads down and working hard – so hopefully we can move forward in the same way again this weekend.

“I won in Berlin back in 2020, after taking pole position, so I’ll be arriving this weekend aiming for more success. I’ve just missed out on the Duels in the last two events so getting through is a main goal of mine.”

Edoardo Mortara is eyeing strong performances in Qualifying for this weekend’s double header at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, with the Swiss racer knowing the importance at starting near the front of the field.

The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver has shown he has had the pace during the races during the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season but fighting through the field has meant he has not been able to score as many points as he would have liked heading to the Berlin E-Prix.  He currently sits fifth in the standings, thirty-two points behind championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne.

Mortara had a good weekend in Berlin during season seven last year, and he hopes for a return to the kind of form that took him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship earlier in the season.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Berlin,” said Mortara. “Last season we showed real promise in Berlin and in Race One, we missed out on the win by only a handful of tenths of a second.

“Although we have had the pace to fight through the field this season, qualifying is as important as ever. If I can start in a good position, I know that we can contend for big points and hopefully have a strong race weekend.”

Mitch Evans is aiming to maintain the momentum from the past couple of rounds of the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season this weekend, with the New Zealander looking for another good haul of points at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver took a double victory in the Rome E-Prix and followed that up with a second place in the Monaco E-Prix, with Evans only nine points behind championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne heading into this weekends Berlin E-Prix.

Evans says that despite the good run of results, there are always things to improve on, and he is keen to do just that this weekend in Germany.

“Monaco was another strong weekend for me and I’m delighted I could bring home another trophy for the team,” said Evans. “That said, there is always room for improvement and I’m keen to build on the positive momentum.

“I secured a podium in Berlin last year and with only nine points between myself and the top of the driver standings, I’m determined to bring home another points haul this weekend.”

As international support for Ukraine continues with the country now seventy-seven days into its defence from Russian invasion, Spire Motorsports has joined the increasing pool of aid. On Tuesday, the NASCAR Cup Series team announced a partnership with the Ukranian American Coordinating Council (UACC), which will paint the #77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in blue and orange for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway. Josh Bilicki will drive the car.

The livery’s base resembles the Ukrainian flag with blue atop a yellow band, but also features the pattern—albeit rotated—running from the nose to rear. Besides the colours, the #77 features the phrase “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”) along the quarter panels. Underneath the slogan are the cities Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kherson, and Mykolaiv, all of which are locations of major battles in the conflict.

The UACC is a nonprofit founded in 1965 by Ukrainian World War II veterans who immigrated to the United States with the goal of supporting Ukrainian Americans. Following Russia’s invasion, the UACC shifted towards helping Ukrainian civil defence by providing helmets and body armour. Receiving the blessing of the U.S. State Department, the UACC acquired such equipment through direct purchases and donations from parties like police and state defence forces.

“In 1991 when Ukraine became independent, many believed that their dreams had finally come to fruition, showing those in Ukraine the path to true democracy,” said UACC Vice President Oksana Tscherepenko. “Now, as we watch the occupiers threaten Ukraine’s right to freedom and democracy, it becomes obvious that this dream is not fully realized and our men, women, children and elderly are being killed just for protecting their fundamental rights to democracy. Many civilians are defending themselves and Ukraine with little training and without proper gear or protection.

“After receiving a license from the U.S. State Department, the UACC purchased gear and received incredibly generous donations from individuals, law enforcement agencies, and state national guards, allowing us to ship an abundance of ballistic gear including helmets, vests and plates. One hundred percent of that gear is delivered to civilians in Ukraine who need it the most.”

Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin is dubbed the “World’s Fastest Quarter Mile Oval” thanks to its length and 33° banking in the turns. Since its opening in 1948, the track has been one of the premier venues for grassroots and occasionally national stock car racing, with the Slinger Nationals being a major super late model event while NASCAR Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth and Alan Kulwicki made their names here before moving up.

This past weekend, the traditionally paved oval was the site of… off-road racing?

6/7 May saw Slinger host the season opener of the Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA). Founded in 2021, it assumed the identity of the series that served as the hub for Midwestern short course racing from the 1970s to 1990s with notable drivers like longtime NASCAR faces Brendan Gaughan and Jimmie Johnson. After racing exclusively at Gravity Park USA in the inaugural year, the series branched out to add dates at Slinger and Outagamie Speedway & County Fair. The Slinger round was originally scheduled for 29/30 April before being postponed a week due to weather.

But why Slinger? Track owner and promoter Todd Thelen recalled the interest in holding an off-road race began circa 2014/15 with a stunt by his friend Garret Loehrer.

“This all started about eight years ago when a friend brought out his off-road race truck out at one of our SlamFest (Eve of Destruction) events to go over a jump,” Thelen told The Checkered Flag. “Of course, he went way further than anticipated and landed halfway up turn two and almost hit the wall, the place went nuts. After that event we started talking about some day doing an off-road race.

Williams Racing added two more points to their 2022 collection, after Alex Albon finished in ninth-place at the Miami Grand Prix. Nicholas Latifi finished fourteenth at the Miami International Autodrome.

Albon recovered brilliantly from his eighteenth-place starting position, to cross the line initially in tenth before being promoted to ninth following a late five-second time penalty for Fernando Alonso.

Latifi on the other hand struggled, the Canadian suffered some issues with his FW44 early-on resulting in a miserable afternoon for the Williams driver.

Both Albon and Latifi suffered slightly from the race’s late Safety Car. Latifi started the race on the hard compound with the aim of running deep until a safety car was released. The Canadian pitted several laps before Lando Norris‘ and Pierre Gasly’s collison, meaning starting on the hards hadn’t paid off.

Under the safety car, Albon was unfortunate to drop behind Esteban Ocon who made a late pit-stop whilst the time lost was reduced.

Save for the pandemic-impacted 2021, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series grid continues to grow with each season. For this weekend’s season opener at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo, thirty-seven cars will comprise the field across the EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 levels; the thirty-seven is a series record, trumping the thirty for 2021.

As with any Silly Season, 2022 sees new faces in new places, perhaps most notably in three-time champion Alon Day moving from CAAL Racing to PK Carsport, with whom he won the 2020 title. Some drivers graduate from EuroNASCAR 2 to PRO like Tobias Dauenhauer and reigning champion Martin Doubek.

Others have never raced in the Euro Series before. Such débutants include sports car veteran Lucas Luhr, YouTube personality Alberto Naska, touring car regulars Christoph Lenz and Riccardo Romagnoli, European Abarth Trophy star Cosimo Barberini, and rally driver Yannick Panagiotis who worked as co-driver to NWES CEO Jérôme Galpin at the Dakar Rally in January. Reigning champion Loris Hezemans will not defend his title as he is in America competing in the Cup Series, but his younger brother Liam is racing in EuroNASCAR 2 for the first time as a team-mate to Doubek.

European Truck Racing Championship outfit Buggyra ZM Racing will join NWES and field a pair of newcomers in sisters Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc. David Vršecký, a twice champion of the truck series, is scheduled to race part-time for the team, as is Gustas Grinbergas, who helped Cup Series driver Cody Ware win the 2019/20 Asian Le Mans Series. Racingfuel Motorsport is also a new organisation with Luhr.

Eleven cars are in the Club Challenge.

EuroNASCAR

Club Challenge