An IndyCar doubleheader and three NASCAR series made for a busy weekend of sitting on the couch and yelling at the TV.
If you’re a fan of oval racing, it was one heck of an action packed weekend. IndyCar headed to the freshly-repaved Iowa Speedway for a weekend doubleheader, while the top three series of NASCAR competition took to the tricky triangle, Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway. It was also a good weekend to be a fan of Penske Racing, as their drivers swept top honors in the three major races of the weekend. Let’s do a quick recap of the IndyCar weekend first.
IndyCar – Hy-Vee Homefront 250 – Iowa Speedway – July 13, 2024
Since the repave, there’s nothing inherently treacherous about Iowa Speedway. However, like many recently-repaved ovals, the racing was more or less one groove all weekend. This made passing difficult, causing many drivers to take risks in an attempt to move up through the field. For some – such as Josef Newgarden – the strategy paid off. A series of gutsy moves throughout the race propelled Newgarden to a third-place finish from a disappointing qualifying effort that saw the oval ace take the grid starting 22nd.
Those Hail Mary moves didn’t work out so well for many of the other competitors, though. Just 18 cars finished the race unscathed. The rest fell victim to numerous incidents ranging from accidents to mechanical failures. A notable member of that list is defending series champion Alex Palou, who continued his unfortunate streak of bad luck from Mid-Ohio.
In the end, it was Newgarden’s Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin who would ultimately prevail in Saturday’s race. McLaughlin notched his sixth career win, holding off Mid-Ohio winner Pato O’Ward. It marks McLaughlin’s first series oval win.
IndyCar – Hy-Vee One Step 250 – Iowa Speedway – July 14, 2024
Sunday’s race would be more good news for Penske, as Will Power returned to victory lane for the 43rd time. This puts him fourth on the series’ all-time wins list. Like Newgarden the day before, he started 22nd on the grid and planned his moves carefully to thread his way through the field, leading 51 laps en route to victory. The previous day’s winner, Scott McLaughlin, would finish third, while Alex Palou would improve his luck over the previous day’s result, finishing second.
It’s wasn’t all good luck across the board, however. A serious multi-car pileup happened in turn two just as the leaders took the checkered flag. Sting Ray Robb collided with Alexander Rossi, sending his car airborne. Kyle Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter would spin attempting to avoid the incident, with carpenter’s car landing on top of Kirkwood. Robb would be transported to the hospital via helicopter as a precaution, but he was said to be conscious and in good spirits. Thankfully, he was treated and released. Now, let’s move on to NASCAR.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – CRC Brakleen 175 – Pocono Raceway – July 12, 2024
One of these days, we’re going to get tired of saying “It’s Heim Time.” Corey Heim notched his fifth victory of the year in Friday’s race. The race was relatively uneventful, with very few cautions. However, with just nine laps remaining, rain in turn 2 prompted a red flag, putting Heim’s substantial 2 second lead over second place Grant Enfinger in jeopardy. The race eventually resumed, with Enfinger gradually whittling that lead down to just 0.867 seconds when they crossed the line but never quite getting close enough to make something happen.
Christian Eckes would finish third, followed by Taylor Gray in fourth and full-season Cup competitor Ross Chastain in fifth. Chastain, driving for Niece Motorsports, ran as high as third in the closing laps but a late bobble would drop him behind Eckes and Gray (spoiler alert – things didn’t go any better for the Melon Man on Sunday).
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 – Pocono Raceway – July 13, 2024
JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier would lead 30 laps of this 90-lap race, but a late charge from defending series champion Cole Custer would take him to victory lane for the first time in 2024. Perhaps the recent news that the Stewart-Haas Xfinity Series program would survive more or less unscathed has put a little extra pep in his step. This win helps Custer to maintain his regular season points lead over Allgaier heading into the playoffs, which are just seven short races away.
Cup Series regular and 2024 Daytona 500 winner William Byron would bring it home in third, while two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray, would round out the top five. Byron caught a major break in Stage 1, where a debris caution – caused by the carcass of his tire left on the track – allowed him to make his way to pit road under caution. Some guys have all the luck.
NASCAR Cup Series – Great American Getaway 400 – Pocono Raceway – July 14, 2024
When Jerry Reed sung “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” we’re almost certain that he had no idea how that would relate to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in the 21st century. Oh his podcast, Actions Detrimental, fellow driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin talked about the importance of getting on a hot streak at the right time in regards to Ryan Blaney‘s impressive 2023 championship run. It seems as though the number 12 team – and the Penske organization as a whole – have taken those comments to heart as we inch ever closer to the playoffs. Blaney notched his second win of the season yesterday, and both of his teammates are locked in with recent wins.
Behind Blaney, the Top 5 consisted of Denny Hamlin in second, Chicago race winner Alex Bowman in third, William Byron in fourth and Joey Logano in fifth.
Some of the big news as of late has been tied to silly-season antics, which had some on-track consequences on Sunday. When Josh Berry penned his deal to drive the legendary #21 Wood Brothers car next year, his crew chief, the equally legendary Rodney Childers, was conspicuously absent. Many assumed a deal was in the works, and found themselves shocked when it was announced that Childers would be Corey Lajoie‘s crew chief at Spire next year. Many thought that this would be just what Corey needs to find his way to success in the Cup Series.
Then we get to the restart on lap 120.
Lajoie tries to go four wide, dives to the inside, bumps Kyle Busch, gets blocked, and then bumps him again, sending him sideways and taking out…well, pretty much everybody. Several cars went spinning, but when the smoke cleared, Busch, Ryan Preece, Harrison Burton, AJ Allemendinger, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would sustain damage. In a frighteningly calm interview, Busch would call Lajoie a kamikaze while smiling behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses. I have a feeling that the folks who hang the bodies at Spire are going to have some job security for the next few weeks. You don’t need me to tell you that Busch is having a bad year and we know he’s ready to take it out on just about anyone. See you next week!
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