Car FYI

Photo Credit: Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. untitled Despite the best efforts of the 20 Formula 1 drivers and teams, the ultimate winner of this weekend racing at Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was the weather. Complicating Saturday’s qualifying for the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix by soaking the fast Eau Rouge section of the popular race track, rain continued into Sunday greatly hindering what was supposed to have been a 44-lap event. Instead of pole sitter Max Verstappen leading the field with his #33 Red Bull Racing RB16B race car, the vehicle at the front during the limited laps around the course was the safety car. In fact, the lap count at the end of the Belgium Grand Prix would be a series record for the shortest grand prix ever to be run by Formula 1. Conditions ahead of the start Belgian Grand Prix instantly signalled how miserable the weather competitors, track workers and race fans would have to endure as Formula 1 attempted ...

Photo Credit: Toyota Motor Corporation untitled For the 89 th time, auto racing’s pinnacle event testing the endurance of machinery as well as human being over 24 hours was held in Le Mans, France. Running for the second time in August as opposed to its traditional June date to allow for spectators to attend, the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans instantly presented the added difficulty of a wet race track that resulted in the first two laps taking place behind a safety car. Conditions changed between dry, then wet, then dry against during the running of the daylong race on the 13.626-kilometer (8.467-mile) Circuit de la Sarthe. With 61 cars starting among four main classes on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the highest honour in 24 Hours of Le Mans to be the overall winner. At the conclusion of the 2021 edition of the great endurance event, the Toyota Gazoo Racing team stood in the coveted top spot of the podium. The #7 Toyota GR010 Hypercar driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayas...

Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar untitled The final oval event on the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series calender, Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway gave fans one more chance to see the truest sensation of blazing speed of open wheel race cars this year. The Madison, Illinois track’s fast-paced challenge against competitors would ultimately serve as a massive reset to the championship. Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar Will Power qualified on pole for the 260-lap race on the 1.25-mile with an average lap speed of 180.618 miles per hour, the pilot of the #12 machine would control the opening lap until the second-place starter Colton took the top spot and held it for 56 consecutive laps. The yellow flag flew often in the opening one-quarter distance of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 including one occasion for a lighting malfunction. It would be the fifth caution of the race after a restart on lap 65 that had instant ...

Photo Credit: Richard H Shute/Auto Imagery Inc./Stellantis While there was plenty of action at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals among several classes at Brainard International Raceway, the major drag racing sanctioning body’s elite categories were represented only by Top Fuel and Funny Car. The Top Fuel contest was decided by what would be fantastically close final round elimination between Steve Torrence and Clay Millican that lasted less than four seconds. Millican secured his second consecutive final round appearance by beating Brittany Force in what was a rematch and reversal of last weekend’s match at Heartland Motorsports Park . Torrance entered Brainard as the point leader in the Top Fuel class but had missed the finals in the previous two events. The two determined competitors launched their dragster’s away from the Christmas tree at almost identical reaction times and maintained a tight side-by-side battle until the finish line where...

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry/Getty Images untitled Leading 142 laps of the total 163-lap distance of the Toyota 200 presented by CK Power at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Sheldon Creed scored an important victory in what is the first event in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ 10-race, three-round playoff. Sheldon Creed and Zane Smith swapped the lead through the middle of the race before the #2 Liftkits4less.com Chevrolet Silverado of Creed took firm control of the Friday night event on lap 50. In an overtime finish at the 1.25-mile oval, Creed fended off the charge from the #88 Toyota of Matt Crafton to cross the line in first by a 0.292-second margin. Smith would have to park his #21 Chevrolet after 99 laps due to a rear gear failure. An event slowed by eight cautions, one of the more unusual breaks in the racing action was a power outage at World Wide Technology Raceway that resulted in a 48-minute red flag. Another major caution occurred during th...

Photo Credit: Walt Kuhn/IndyCar untitled Six days after an unforgettable first street course race won by Marcus Ericsson, NTT IndyCar Series drivers and teams return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since May’s 500-mile race. A race held in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series race weekend on the 2.439-mile road course connected to the famous oval track, IndyCar presented the most familiar sight having competed on the exact circuit 10 times before the 85-lap Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix. Containing the healthy field of 28 open wheel cars that included 2021 Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and RC Enerson driving for the #75 Top Gun Racing team, the Indianapolis road race also featured the debut of Danish driver Christian Lundgaard competing in the third car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Pato O’Ward driving the #5 Arrow McLaren SP car took the pole position on Friday with a 1-minute, 10.7147-se...

Photo Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty Images untitled For 2021, the NASCAR Cup Series arrives at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for what might have been the most hyped event since their inaugural race on the famous 2.5-mile oval. Instead of running on the speedway synonymous with the IndyCar Series’ crown jewel competition, NASCAR’s top stock cars battled on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. The final of three all-new road courses appearing on the 2021 Cup Series schedule, the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard had the premise for being something unique and spectacular. The race was indeed memorable but only because of some late-race issues with the track setting up a path to victory for one less than likely winner. With William Byron taking pole as well as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson leading sizable stints, Hendrick Motorsports again showed their customary mastery of road course racing as they have done throughout the year. Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler ...

Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar untitled NASCAR Cup Series: Kyle Larson Fends Off Elliott For Watkins Glen Win                        The premier event of NASCAR’s triple-header at the Watkins Glen International road course in the state of New York featured the NASCAR Cup Series competing for 90 laps on the 2.45-mile track. Sunday’s running of the Go Bowling at The Glen started with Penske Racing teammate at the front with Brad Keselowski on pole position alongside Joey Logano. Keselowski led the opening nine laps but lost the lead in dramatic fashion when his #2 Wabash National Ford Mustang spun entering turn 10 on the 10 th lap. Apparent brake issues complicated Brad Keselowski’s race and a similar loss of control occurred entering turn 1 on lap 56 with his car colliding with Logano’s #22 car. After Joey Logano took the first stage and M...