Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

NASCAR’s stars outside the United States will get another chance to battle it out on the virtual stage. The eNASCAR International iRacing Series has been renewed for a second season in 2022, with an expanded schedule of five races. The series has also partnered with D-BOX Technologies and Digital Motorsports, branding it the D-BOX eNASCAR International iRacing Series presented by Digital Motorsports.

Débuting in 2021, the series is one of many sim racing divisions created since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. NASCAR’s iRacing leagues grew in popularity, while the months-long pause of real-life racing that spring resulted in the formation of the Pro Invitational Series, an exhibition series that features Cup Series drivers. The International Series seeks to bridge the gap between NASCAR’s non-American series: the PEAK Mexico Series, the Pinty’s Series in Canada, and the Whelen Euro Series; each of the three also host individual sim racing series. Various members of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity programme will also take part.

The 2021 schedule saw three races at Brands Hatch, Circuit of the Americas, and the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. EuroNASCAR 2 driver Simon Pilate dominated at Brands Hatch, which perhaps came with little surprise as he finished on the podium in two races there in 2021, while four-time Turismo Carretera champion and sports car sim racer Agustín Canapino wiped the floor at COTA. Leonel Pernía, also a regular in TC who placed second behind Canapino for an Argentine 1–2 finish, won the finale.

Unlike the road course-only 2021 schedule, the 2022 season will begin on 8 January with an oval race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which NASCAR’s three American national series (Cup, Xfinity, Truck) competes at. A week later, the series visits Pinty’s Series and former Truck Series stop Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Circuit Zolder in Belgium, where the Euro Series races, is scheduled for 22 January.

The Daytona RC returns on 29 January; the layout welcomed NASCAR in 2020 and 2021 as temporary dates. The final race on 5 February aligns with the NASCAR Championship Weekend in reality at Phoenix Raceway.

Over a decade after last appearing in NASCAR as a driver, J.C. Stout has returned as a team owner. On Monday, Stout announced the formation of SQR Development, a team that will field Toyota Supras in the Xfinity Series for ten to twelve races in 2022. A number and driver(s) were not immediately announced, nor has a full schedule, though the team intends to début at Richmond Raceway on 2 April.

After enjoying success at the local level, Stout did not do much during his time in NASCAR as he was mainly relegated to start-and-park roles, mainly for his Stellar Quest Racing team. He ran thirty-five races in the Camping World Truck Series from 2003 to 2010 for various teams including current Cup Series operation Rick Ware Racing, recording a best finish of thirteenth at Darlington in 2010 for Team Gill Racing.

From 2008 to 2010, he was in nine Xfinity events and finished just one, a thirty-seventh at Charlotte in 2009 with Stellar Quest. Much of his Xfinity attempts came with current team JD Motorsports, also in an S&P capacity.

“I can’t reiterate enough that I’ve been more than blessed to have learned from some of the best businessmen, mechanics, team owners, crew chiefs, engine builders, whether at a regional short track level where at one time we may have been foes or on a NASCAR national level,” commented Stout in a press release.

The team acquired chassis from Joe Gibbs Racing and engines from Pro Motor Engines. PME also provides engines to JDM and B.J. McLeod Motorsports.

One of NASCAR‘s longest running sponsorships will come to an end at the conclusion of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. On Monday, Mars, Incorporated announced they will depart the sport at year’s end after spending over two decades as a primary sponsor across the three national series.

Mars is a conglomerate that has sponsored cars and races through multiple brands, most notably its candies like M&M’s and Skittles. The company joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 to back the #18 Cup car of Kyle Busch, a relationship that has produced two championships while his car has become a beloved design. Prior to JGR, Mars sponsored the likes of Ernie Irvan (Skittles) and Elliott Sadler (M&M’s). The latter’s Robert Yates Racing team maintained a close partnership with Mars before the switch to Gibbs. Outside of confectionery, Mars’ other groups like its Pedigree pet food brand has also appeared on JGR’s cars.

“One of the great things I love about NASCAR is the opportunity to build meaningful relationships,” said JGR owner Joe Gibbs. “Mars has been a tremendous example of that. We have experienced so much together over the past fifteen years, including two Cup Series championships, while developing friendships that will extend well beyond next year. I know everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing feels that way and I’m glad we have the 2022 season to celebrate Mars and the contributions they have made to our sport over the past three decades.”

Of Busch’s fifty-nine career Cup wins, forty-six have come with Mars branding: thirty-four with M&M’s, seven with Skittles, two with Combos and Snickers apiece, and one with Doublemint. His historic 100th Xfinity Series triumph also came with M&M’s on the car, though Mars’ involvement in that series was fairly limited. Sadler won two races in the #38 M&M’s car in 2004.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Mars for nearly 15 years now,” commented Busch. “During this time, Mars Associates have been like family to myself, (wife) Samantha, and (son) Brexton. In particular, my friendship with the Mars family will be something that will last a lifetime. We have a relationship so much deeper than just having the honor of driving their colorful cars. I’m also proud that we’ve been able to bring them to victory lane 55 times in the Cup Series, including two Cup Series championships. I know our #18 team will work as hard as ever to bring them to Victory Lane as many times as we can in 2022 and hopefully even another championship we can celebrate together.”

Nico Rosberg is partying like it’s 2016. Five years after beating Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the Formula One World Driver’s Championship, his Rosberg X Racing team defeated Hamilton’s Team X44 for the inaugural Extreme E crown.

Despite Team X44’s best efforts in the season-ending Jurassic X-Prix as Cristina Gutiérrez and Sébastien Loeb won qualifying, their semi-final, and the final race to notch 155 total points, they lost on a tiebreaker to the Rosberg X car piloted by Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor on race victories: RXR had three to X44’s one.

The Kristoffersson/Taylor duo hit the ground running early in the year by winning all but one of the first four rounds (Andretti United XE‘s Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen broke up the streak at the Arctic X-Prix after technical issues and a rollover plagued the Rosberg team). Entering the Jurassic X-Prix held at Dorset, United Kingdom, RXR maintained a sixteen-point advantage over X44.

X44 set the fastest time in qualifying while Rosberg placed fourth, and both teams won their respective semi-finals. RXR only needed to finish fourth to clinch the title even if X44 won and claimed the five bonus points for having the best Continental Traction Challenge time. The latter was ultimately achieved, but RXR placed fourth after starting second and therefore secured the championship on the tiebreaker.

“We are so delighted to be crowned the inaugural Extreme E Champions and I am really proud of the entire RXR team,” said Rosberg. “The team has worked so hard all season and performed consistently, racing in some of the world’s most remote locations. To be champions is such an honour.

Daniel Ricciardo said it was good to end the 2021 season with a positive day of testing in Abu Dhabi, with the Australian testing Pirelli’s eighteen-inch tyres on Tuesday.

The McLaren F1 Team driver, who took a surprise victory in the Italian Grand Prix in September, said it was important to get some knowledge of the new tyres ahead of next season, and he says they’ve made a good start to that learning.

Ricciardo will now head home to Australia to see his family and friends before he gets back on track in pre-season testing next February.

“It’s been a good day of testing to close out the 2021 season,” said Ricciardo.  “Getting some track time on the 2022 tyre has been really useful.

“We’ve managed to learn a lot and gather a load of data, which is useful heading into next season. There’s still some bits we need to learn before we go racing next year but we’re in a good place.

Jüri Vips said it was a privilege to drive the car that took Max Verstappen to his maiden World Championship, with the Estonian driving the RB16B in the Young Driver Test at the Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday.

Vips, a member of the Red Bull Junior Team and a race winner in FIA Formula 2 with Hitech Grand Prix in 2021, took to the track for ninety-six laps of the circuit in Abu Dhabi, with the twenty-one-year-old admitting it took some time to adapt to the speed and downforce levels of the Formula 1 machine.

Aside from a small moment in the afternoon, it was a straightforward day for Vips as he set the sixth fastest time overall, and he thanked Red Bull for giving him the opportunity to test as he worked on ensuring the correlation between track and simulator was on par.

“I have been looking forward to this test for a while now, it is such a privilege to drive a Formula 1 car, even more so a Championship-winning one,” said Vips.  “It took my brain some time to get used to the speed of the RB16B because the pace is just crazy but then it is like any other car and you just get used to it and do your job.

“I had a small moment in the afternoon but fortunately everything was okay and I was back in the car soon after. I am super fortunate, first to be working with Red Bull Racing Honda but secondly to get the opportunity to drive this car.”

Liam Lawson admitted he was nervous when he pulled out of the garage for the first time during the Young Drivers’ Test at the Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday, but the New Zealander said it was an ‘amazing day’ behind the wheel of the AT-02.

The Red Bull Junior Team member and FIA Formula 2 race winner was given the opportunity to test with Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda in Abu Dhabi, and Lawson finished second fastest overall having completed one hundred and twenty-five laps.

Lawson had experienced the car in the simulator but was taken aback by its pace, power and downforce levels when he got out on track, with all of these significantly more than he had been used to in junior formulae.

“What an amazing day, it’s incredible how unbelievably fast these cars are,” said Lawson.  “I’ve obviously driven in the simulator before and when I’m there I always think that there’s no way that the car can actually be that quick in real life, but it really is.

“I want to say a huge thank you to Red Bull, Dr Marko and everyone that has made it possible to be here driving for Scuderia AlphaTauri today. This has been something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid so it’s just incredible and I’m really, really happy.

In just a month, Logan Sargeant has gone from being a podium contender in FIA Formula 3 to racing in FIA Formula 2, and now to cap it off, he was given his first chance to test a Formula 1 car in the post-season Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi.

The young American was testing with the Williams F1 Team, the outfit that brought him into their young driver programme earlier this year, and he completed ninety-two laps of the Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday.

Sargeant admitted it was ‘incredible’ to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time, and he praised the team for giving him the car and the confidence to attack throughout his day around the Yas Marina Circuit.

“What an incredible first day in a Formula 1 car; it was everything I expected and more,” said Sargeant.  “I want to start by saying a massive thank you to Williams, as that was the experience of a lifetime. The team did a great job preparing me for today and giving me the confidence to go out there, enjoy it and do the best I could.

“We got through the run plan and I really progressed a lot throughout the test. The first couple of runs felt unbelievable with the amount of grip and power the car has, but I got used to it fairly quickly and felt comfortable by the end of the day.

Two-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner Pato O’Ward had his first taste of a Formula 1 car during the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit, and he described the opportunity as ‘awesome’.

The Mexican, who races for Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar, was handed the opportunity to run in the young driver test in Abu Dhabi as a reward from CEO Zak Brown for winning a race during the 2021 season, and he grasped the chance with both hands.

O’Ward, who admitted he did struggle with his neck during the day, managed to complete ninety-two laps of the Yas Marina Circuit, and he thanked everyone with the McLaren F1 Team for allowing him the chance to test a 2021 Formula 1.  He also did not want the day behind the wheel of the MCL35M to end.

“Today was awesome!” said O’Ward on Tuesday.  “The car exceeded my expectations of what it’s capable of – it’s ridiculous how much grip there is, specifically in the fast corners – it’s unbelievable.

“For sure, in the morning, my head was still on my neck. But towards the end of the day, I really think what ended up limiting me being able to go quicker was just not being able to hold my head up and see fully where I was going. My head actually was just looking down because I couldn’t hold it up!

Gabriele Mini has committed his immediate future to ART Grand Prix after signing for a second season of Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with the French outfit.

The 2020 Italian Formula 4 champion stepped up to FRECA with ART in 2021 and took four podium finishes on his way to seventh in the Drivers’ standings. Mini secured a best finish of second, which he achieved twice, firstly at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and then at the Circuit Zandvoort.

And the Italian teenager is looking to make the next step with the team in 2022 and make a fight for the championship crown, having watched his 2021 team-mate Grégoire Saucy win the championship.

“I am very happy to continue my young career with ART Grand Prix, because it is a family just as much as it is a fantastic team,” said Mini.  “They welcomed me with open arms in 2021 and I believe we had a good first season.

“I learnt a lot and the next step is to fight for the title, and I know I have all the tools to do it, both from the team and myself. I want to thank my sponsors, my management as well as the Italian Federation ACI for their support and confidence.”

Kas Haverkort will remain in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2022 after signing with Van Amersfoort Racing.

The eighteen-year-old Dutchman raced for MP Motorsport in his first full season in FRECA last year having impressed in the final few races of the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup with the same outfit.  He ended his 2021 season with his best result of the year, a fourth-place finish in race two at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

And Haverkort will be looking to build on what he learned in 2021 when he moves to a new team for 2022, with the 2020 Spanish Formula 4 champion aiming high

“Last year, my first season in FRECA, was all about learning” said Haverkort. “The car is very different to a Formula 4 car and has a much higher level of complexity to it.

“Obviously, it’s much faster, but especially the grip levels are spectacular. I really enjoy the characteristics and look extremely forward to race with this car for another year.

Chris Dittmann Racing has announced its first signing for the 2022 GB3 Championship season, with Branden Oxley remaining with the team after a partial campaign in 2021.

Joining the Tewkesbury outfit at a wet Snetterton 300 in August, he qualified fifth for his first race in the Championship, holding position for an impressive debut points haul.

Building on that momentum, he took six top-ten finishes by the end of the season, finishing every race.

A disqualification from Race 3 in the second visit to the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit struck off his first podium, the Anglo-Thai driver adjudged to have caused a collision between himself, Roman Bilinski and Roberto Faria.

Despite blotting his copybook a little in Northamptonshire, Team Manager Chris Dittmann spoke glowingly about Oxley to The Checkered Flag ahead of qualifying at Donington Park in October, hinting at a full campaign in 2022.

Max Verstappen can understand why Lewis Hamilton would not be happy following the outcome of the final race of the 2021 Formula 1 season, but he hopes the Briton uses his past successes and performances to continue in the sport into 2022.

Hamilton lost the chance to take a record breaking eighth World Drivers’ Championship in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Verstappen passed him on the final lap, with the Dutchman instead taking his maiden title.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team protested the result, feeling they were cheated out of the Drivers’ title thanks to the actions of the stewards and race director at the Yas Marina Circuit, but the German marque opted not to follow up on their rejected protests and put in an appeal on Thursday.

Mercedes’ Team Principal, Toto Wolff, said that both he and Hamilton were ‘disillusioned’ with the way the final few laps of the Abu Dhabi race unfolded and the ‘random decision making’ within the stewards’ room, but despite this, Verstappen believes Hamilton should continue racing next year and again fight for his eighth title.

“I can understand that the first few days after a race like that, you’re not happy,” Verstappen is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “But you should also understand, like I said before, that this is racing at the end of the day, and these things can happen to you.

Toto Wolff says the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team feel ‘wronged’ following the final few laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, but neither they nor lead driver Lewis Hamilton wanted to win the World Drivers’ Championship in the courtroom.

Max Verstappen denied Hamilton the Drivers’ crown by passing him at turn five on the final lap at the Yas Marina Circuit, but it was the actions from the race director and the stewards’ room that angered the team as they feel what happened in the run-up to that last lap went completely against Mercedes.

Initially, the lapped cars in between then race leader Hamilton and his title rival were not going to be allowed to unlap themselves prior to the restart, but the decision was reversed on the penultimate lap, which allowed the Red Bull Racing driver to be on the tail of the Briton heading to the restart.

Mercedes initially protested the stewards decision only for it to be rejected, and were looking at their options to appeal, only to decline appealing the result on Thursday.  And Wolff, the Team Principal at Mercedes, says it was a joint decision from driver and team not to follow through on their appeal threats despite the way they were feeling following the conclusion of the race.

“Every step on the way it was joint decisions,” Wolff is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “We decided together with Lewis to protest, to launch the appeal, and to withdraw the appeal.

Toto Wolff has revealed that both he and Lewis Hamilton are ‘disillusioned’ following the outcome of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he hopes the seven-time World Champion will return to racing in Formula 1 in 2022.

Hamilton missed out on a record breaking eighth title at the Yas Marina Circuit after circumstances appeared to conspire against both him and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in the final handful of laps. 

A late safety car in Abu Dhabi for Nicholas Latifi’s crash was called upon, and the FIA and race director Michael Masi opted to allow the five lapped runners in between Hamilton and Max Verstappen to pass the then race leader, despite earlier notifications that they would not be allowed to do so.

This gave Verstappen the edge on the final lap restart after he had pitted for fresh soft tyres, meaning he was able to pass Hamilton into turn five to take over the lead and secure the victory and his maiden Drivers’ Championship.

Wolff says the disillusionment has not come from falling out of love of Formula 1, as both he and Hamilton ‘love’ the sport, but more to do with the ‘random decision making’ that seemed to take place in Abu Dhabi.  And Mercedes will be looking to discuss this with the FIA and their new commission to improve what happens in race direction in the future.