Teammates clash, tempers flare, and we’ve got a front-row seat to the action.
What a great weekend of racing. There was so much action, in fact, that I didn’t mind that the rain-delayed Cup race had to be pushed to Monday (it also helps that I have Mondays off). We truly had it all – cars flipping, a driver flipping another driver off, a penalty for a cheaty engine, and a tribute to a fallen legend. No matter what you watched this past weekend, you probably had a great time doing it. Let’s get you up to speed on anything you make have missed.
IndyCar – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – World Wide Technology Raceway – August 18, 2024
Once again, it was Penske Racing that showed their speed at the 1.25 mile oval, with Scott McLaughlin sitting on the pole and all three Penske cars running up front. Eventually, it would be oval ace Josef Newgarden who would find his way to victory lane. In nine starts at WWTR, he’s won five times. How’s that for an impressive stat? The remainder of the podium was made up of McLaughlin in second place and rookie Linus Lundqvist in third. The win wasn’t without drama, though – Newgarden managed to win despite a spin on lap 196. Luckily, he made no contact with the wall or other cars and was able to prevail. This, of course, was helped along by a caution with 10 to go, caused by a less-lucky David Malukas spinning into the outside wall. The most unlucky driver all weekend, though, was championship contender Will Power, who was rear-ended during the subsequent restart by Alexander Rossi. At least we were treated to an encore performance of Will Power’s double deuce salute, this time directed at his winning teammate. Why? Power believes that Newgarden hung back on the restart, causing a chain reaction that ended the day for the 12 car. We’d like to have been a fly on the wall for the weekly Penske competition meeting.
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Cabo Wabo 250 – Michigan International Speedway
– August 17, 2024
When folks talk about old-school racing, one thing we don’t miss is old-school crashes. Seeing a blowover at a big track, like we did last weekend, is like a wreck straight out of ’90s plate racing. That’s a not a good thing, but thankfully, Kyle Sieg was able to exit the car on his own after a dramatic last-lap crash. Starting back at the beginning, pole sitter Sheldon Creed seemed poised to finally win his first Xfinity Series race after nearly a dozen second-place finishes. Riley Herbst joined Creed on the front row and fought hard to lead, eventually turning Creed but not ending his day. Ryan Sieg, Kyle’s older brother, would win Stage 1 before the race would be delayed for rain. Once the action got back underway, Herbst would make a desperate attempt to lead, cutting over too soon and turning himself into the wall with Sieg’s bumper. The elder Sieg would eventually finish 13th. Meanwhile, Sheldon Creed fought his way back to the front after the earlier spin, but would finish second yet again to Justin Allgaier, notching his second win of the season.
NASCAR Cup Series – FireKeepers Casino 400 – Michigan International Speedway
– August 18/19, 2024
Like the Xfinity race the day before, nasty weather played a major part in the NASCAR Cup series race in Michigan. Once the track was sufficiently dry, we made it all the way through Stage 1 before the race was postponed to the following day. Bubba Wallace surged to an early lead, and his car owner, Denny Hamlin, fought for position before sliding into the wall and careening across the front stretch. The 23XI cars showed plenty of speed, with Tyler Reddick hanging around in the top 5 for more or less the entire race before winning on Monday. Reddick, a former protégé of dirt racing legend Scott Bloomquist, dedicated the win to his mentor, who lost his life in a plane crash last week. Unfortunately, the early spin wasn’t the only bad luck for Denny Hamlin this week. The results of a post-race inspection after the Bristol spring race revealed an illegal motor, resulting in a massive 75 point fine and the loss of 10 playoff points announced just this week. Ouch. Like the Xfinity race the day before, Corey Lajoie found himself upside down after contact with Noah Gragson. Thankfully, he was uninjured. NASCAR will try some new aero tricks to keep these cars planted on terra firma next week. In other news, a fourth-place finish by Kyle Busch indicates that Austin Dillon‘s newfound speed last week wasn’t just a fluke. RCR has clearly keyed into something and found some speed. Busch’s last chance to win his way into the playoffs next week at Daytona.
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