It’s time for our weekly Friday morning tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, here’s what’s on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: Fisticuffs
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway has two NASCAR weekends and a Major League Baseball game scheduled this season. We predict there will also be amateur boxing on the card during this weekend’s Tripleheader for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Grinding sheet metal and flying fists. Now that tag line might sell the place out.
Qualifying: Will The Streak Continue?
Can anyone stop Alex Palou? The three-time and reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion has won both races this season. He’s a favorite to make it three in a row as the series contests the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend. Lots can happen on the tight confines of the Long Beach street circuit and we predict it will. Palou’s streak ends at two.
First Heat: Anything, Anywhere
Ricky Thornton Jr. will drive his Koehler Motorsports Friday and Saturday at Farmer City Raceway in quest of winning the prestigious Illini 100. Sunday Thornton will head east to the legendary Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track for his first USAC Silver Crown Series race.
Thornton, one of the biggest late model winners in recent years, has raced midgets and winged sprint cars in recent years as well.
Second Heat: I-55 Stellar Field
With High Limit Racing on a two-week break in its schedule, a stellar field should be on hand for the two-night World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series weekend at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo.
The full Outlaw contingent, many of the High Limit racers, POWRi regulars and Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway drivers are expected to be on hand.
An even better field should be on hand April 18-19 when Knoxville opens its season with two nights of World of Outlaws action.
Third Heat: Busy Weekend
It’s the busiest weekend of the season thus far. All three (Cup, Xfinity, Truck) NASCAR national series are in action, the NHRA is racing four-wide in Las Vegas, IndyCar and the IMSA WeatherTech Championship are headlining the Grand Prix of Long Beach, while Formula 1 visits Bahrain and Formula E is in Miami.
On the short-track scene, USAC has three races scheduled in three nights, with the World of Outlaws Late Models, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series, Southern Super Series super late models and the USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series all scheduled for two nights of competition.
Dash: Changing Seats
Silly season has started early in the sprint car world.
Jacob Allen retired two weeks ago and he has hired Cale Thomas to drive the No. 1a Shark Racing sprint car beginning this weekend at I-55.
Meanwhile, Landon Crawley left Michael Dutcher Motorsports and has joined Johnny Herrera Racing where he replaced Jace Park.
B Main: Sad News
The racing media industry lost a pair of heavyweights on back-to-back days this week.
Longtime reporter Al Pearce, who covered motorsports for six decades, died at the age of 82. Pearce reported on 56 consecutive Daytona 500s.
The next day we lost public relations guru Jon Edwards and the young age of 53. The longtime Hendrick Motorsports employee worked for decades with Jeff Gordon and has walked the beat with Kyle Larson in recent years.
Rest in peace gentlemen.
Feature: Four Horses
Is it a four-horse race for the NASCAR Cup Series championship? Probably not, but after nine races, four drivers certainly stand out above the rest. They represent two teams — Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
Gibbs pilots Christopher Bell (three) and Denny Hamlin (two) have combined to win five races so far this season and have also shown good consistency.
Series point leader William Byron and Kyle Larson have each won once for Hendrick and both appear to be in contention on a weekly basis.
Chances are, especially during the playoffs, someone will come from nowhere to contend for the title, but so far these four appear a cut above the rest.
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