Editor’s Note – Apologies for the delay in posting the Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, but we’ve been busy preparing for the Motorama Show. Hope to see everyone there this weekend! Visit MotoramaShow.com for tickets and info.
Viewers will see something different for the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks at Darlington Raceway on March 20, with a drivers only broadcast led by Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in the booth. This will be a break from the usual Jamie Little and Michael Waltrip. Sadly, Little apprenticed under Rick Allen and his ‘green flag is in the air’ methodology. She studied the wrong mentor as she should have emulated Mike Joy, the very best announcer out there. Waltrip? What’s to say other than he is a cloying supplicant to NASCAR!!! And his clownish actions on race day, running around the pits like a chicken with its head cut off, MUST stop. I look forward to the Darlington broadcast.
I don’t understand why the NHRA is ignoring the Pro Mod situation. There were 64 cars at Bradenton, FL and 32 of them qualified less than 0.05 seconds apart. At the Gators, also in Florida, there were only 16 entries. Strange, VERY strange.
NASCAR Cup Series – Joey Logano (Ford) picked up the pole at Phoenix Raceway over Kyle Larson (Chev) and Austin Cindric (Ford). 37 cars, 18 Chevs, 10 Fords and 9 Toyotas.
The first stage went green and clean and Ryan Blaney grabbed the stage win. At Lap 94, the yellow came out for Shane Van Gisbergen, who suffered a flat tire, hit the wall and spun. The yellow came back out at Lap 103 when Chase Elliott got tagged by a spinning Daniel Suarez. Ryan Preece and Josh Berry got collected as well. On Lap 132, Chase Briscoe got a flat right-front tire and got into the wall. Yellow.
At the halfway mark, it was Christopher Bell over Logano and Denny Hamlin. At Lap 158, Noah Gragson had a right-front tire failure and he hit the wall. Yellow. There seemed to be a LOT of tire issues!! The announce team felt it was from running over debris. There were shots of broken and missing brake rotors. Hmmm. Bell picked up the stage two win.
It was cool to have the IndyCar drivers commenting at the Cup race as it showed different perspectives. On Lap 210, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got together with Preece, spinning Preece. Connor Zilisch got bumped but kept going. I saw that wreck differently than the announcers!
The restart did NOT go well as a bunch of cars got wadded up. Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Anthony Alfredo, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace were involved after Logano tried pushing Chastain. Didn’t work! I was amazed by the amount of brake dust on the left-front fenders of most of the cars. At Lap 246, SVG spun for yet another yellow.
This is what I would call a ‘Rack ‘em and Wreck ‘em’ race! On the restart at Lap 254, Logano got put into the spin cycle when he squeezed up in front of A. J. Allmendinger, who then hit him. Suarez, Berry, Austin Dillon, Elliott and SVG were also involved. On Lap 288, another yellow, a flat right-rear tire, this time for Dillon. On the restart, shockingly, another caution! Stenhouse, John Hunter Nemechek and Zane Smith got together.
At the flag, it was Blaney over Bell and Larson. Blaney’s win gives Roger Penske a sweep of the doubleheader weekend. We need more of these double deals with NASCAR and IndyCar. In the points, it is Tyler Reddick over Blaney by 60 and Wallace by 72. The next race is Las Vegas on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
NASCAR Cup Series – opening three races – Kyle Busch (Chev) started on pole for the Daytona 500 ahead of Chase Briscoe (Toyota) and Joey Logano (Ford). 19 Chevs, 11 Fords and 11 Toyotas.
Zane Smith took the stage one checker. In the top-ten were six Fords and four Chevs. Briscoe was the top Toyota in 11th. On Lap 123, the ‘Big One’ happened at start/finish with a bunch of cars involved. Blaney, running third, bump drafted Hamlin in second. Hamlin then went up and got into leader Justin Allgaier. And, of course, over half the field stacked up behind them. Bubba Wallace won stage two under caution. And the Live Timing Timeline BOT posted ‘the caution flag is out at Michigan International Speedway with 75 laps remaining’! Still a few refinements to be made?
The yellow came back out with eight laps to go. The Toyotas of Hamlin and Bell got together after Corey Heim bump drafted Hamlin. At the flag, it was Tyler Reddick, who only led one lap, the last one. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second, followed by Joey Logano in third. And, of course, they wrecked at the line. And the crowd went wild. Three and a half hours of sitting on the very edge of their seats or standing.
Next was Atlanta, where the kids played nicely for the entirety of stage one and Austin Cindric got the stage win. The lack of yellows lasted until Lap 82, when Ty Gibbs spun in turn three after contact with Josh Berry and collected Christopher Bell, BJ McLeod, John Hunter Nemechek, Riley Herbst and Cole Custer. Gibbs car actually set the infield grass on fire. After two more wrecks, Reddick led at halfway. Bubba Wallace won stage two after another crash.
The pattern of wrecks continued through three laps to go, when the caution came out for a huge wreck back in the pack, possibly due to a flat tire on William Byron’s car. The red flag came out at Lap 259 for track cleanup. The restart did NOT go well as Carson Hocevar tried to go through a hole that was NOT there and bumped and spun Bell. Restart. At the flag, it was Reddick over Briscoe and Ross Chastain. Fox reported that 28 of the 38 cars were involved in wrecks.
Then at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Reddick (Toyota) won the pole ahead of Chastain (Chev) and Briscoe (Toyota). Road course ringers were way down in the pack – A.J. Allmendinger seventh, Shane Van Gisbergen 13th and Connor Zilisch 25th. I must admit that I really love this facility. The promoters have done an awesome job of adding lots and lots of features for the fans as well as sports fields, a concert venue and a karting track. They have attracted not only NASCAR but Formula One, FIA World Endurance, Motorcycle Grand Prix, Trans-Am, GT World Challenge and MotoAmerica. AWESOME!!
Stage 1 went very smoothly with lots of passing, lots of bumping, lots of sliding and LOTS of entertainment. But no caution flags. Ross Chastain got the stage win. Stage 2 went smoothly as well and Ty Gibbs got the stage win. The first race caution finally came out on Lap 75 (of 95) when Chastain lost a right-rear wheel in corner 19.
For the first time in Cup Series history, a driver won the first three races of the season. Reddick, driving for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, took the win over Van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell.
NASCAR O’Reilly Series – Taylor Gray (Toyota) won the pole at Phoenix over Jesse Love (Chev) and Brandon Jones (Toyota). 40 cars timed for the 38 starting spots. 29 Chevs, 3 Fords and 6 Toyotas.
Well, I had a laugh when clicking on NASCAR’s Live Timing for the race. I opened ‘Raw Feed’ only to find Taylor Gray and Joey Logano tied in first place! The first stage went very smoothly other than the wild five- and six-wide battles coming to the start/finish line and Sammy Smith took the stage win. Jesse Love won the trouble-free second stage.
The first race caution came out on Lap 165, when Lavar Scott spun after getting a little help from Anthony Alfredo, who got into Scott’s left-rear corner. Then on Lap 177, William Sawalich and Brandon Jones got together for the second race caution. Also involved were William Byron, Sammy Smith, polesitter Gray, Dean Thompson and Blaine Perkins. Seven cars in total. The green came back out with 15 laps to go.
At the flag, it was the veteran Justin Allgaier over Love and Carson Kvapil. The end of a really cool day of racing!
In the points, Allgaier leads Love by three and Austin Hill by five. Their next race is Las Vegas, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET on CW and USA Network (Canada).
NASCAR O’Reilly Series – opening three races – Austin Hill won the pole at Daytona over Jesse Love and Sam Mayer (all in Chevs). I thought the guy from United Rentals was going to blow a gasket during his command to start the engines. A wreck at the start brought out a caution, while another yellow flag ended stage one when several cars got together on corner four exit. Hill led all 30 laps to win the stage, before also winning stage two.
The final restart came with three to go. At the flag, it was Hill with the dominating win over Justin Allgaier and Ryan Sieg. Two hours and 35 minutes to run 300 miles. Lots of excitement.
Sam Mayer picked up the pole at Atlanta over Carson Kvapil (both in Chevs) and Taylor Gray (Toyota). Jesse Love collected the stage one win, while Rajah Caruth won stage two. There were several wrecks during the race, including with 12 laps to go, when Josh Williams had a tank slapper and spun down off the track after contact with Mayer. Red flag for debris on the track.
On the last lap, leader Austin Hill cut down to block Ross Chastain and spun off the front of Chastain’s car down onto the shoulder but, incredibly, he saved it. THAT save will definitely be a part of many highlight reels! The win went to Sheldon Creed over Parker Retzlaff and Nicholas Sanchez. Hill tried to blame his spin on Chastain but, in my opinion, it was not Chastain’s fault but Hill’s all the way!
Connor Zilisch edged Shane Van Gisbergen for the pole at COTA. Canadian road racer Alex Labbe (Chev) started 28th. To add to the drama, there were TWO Austin Hills in the field. Points leader Austin Hill started third while Austin J. Hill started 38th.
Points leader Austin Hill grabbed the stage one win, while Sam Mayer won stage two. With 8 laps to go, Sage Karam had something in his suspension appear to break and he slowed and pulled to the side of the track in corner 14. The second race yellow. Oh baby, business was really picking up back in the pack. Cars were spinning, bouncing off other cars and wrecking. BUT the green stayed out. Zilisch was one of the favourites to get tangled up in one of the messes. At the flag, it was SVG over the real Austin Hill and Sammy Smith. Labbe finished a very impressive 13th.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks – opening three races – Five RAMs joined the field at Daytona, marking the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR. Ty Majeski (Ford) took the pole over Michael McDowell (Chev) and Tanner Gray (Toyota). The quickest RAM was Tony Stewart (an old goat driving a goat?) in 15th. Canadian Stewart Friesen returned after his serious sprint car crash last year and started 24th. Maritime hot shoe Cole Butcher started one spot ahead of Friesen. British Columbia runner Jason (I will race anything!) White started 36th.
Tanner Gray won stage won, while Chandler Smith won stage two. A caution came with five laps to go, meaning it would be about a two-lap dash to the flag. Smith picked up the almost five-wide win (by 0.044 seconds!) over Giovanni Ruggiero and Christian Eckes. Brenden Queen was the top-finishing RAM in seventh. Friesen finished 10th, Butcher was 14th and White ended up 33rd.
Jake Garcia (Ford) won the pole at Atlanta over Ben Rhodes (Ford) and Kyle Busch (Chev). Due to the rain in the morning that cancelled Cup qualifying, the start of the Truck race was delayed by an hour. And that meant the race had to be completed by 4:20 to allow the O’Reilly race to start on time. Corey Heim won stage one, while Stewart Friesen won stage two. At the flag (125 laps instead of 135), it was Busch ahead of Carson Hocevar and Gio Ruggiero. Friesen ended up 20th and Cole Butcher finished 31st after a spin on Lap 100.
The Trucks next ran as a support race for the IndyCar season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, FL. Connor Mosack (Chev) nabbed the pole, while Canadians were well-represented with the ‘Mayor of Hinchtown’, James Hinchcliffe (Chev)(or Jimmy Hinch, his NASCAR name!) starting third, Stewart Friesen (Toyota) 17th, Cole Butcher (Ford) 30th and Derek White (Ford) 32nd.
On Lap 3, Friesen got together with Justin Haley, who spun. On Lap 8, Hinch got together with Dario Franchitti (yup, THAT Dario) but no harm, no foul. Ben Rhodes won stage one, while Layne Riggs won stage two. At the flag, it was Riggs over Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes (all in Fords). Hinch finished 10th, Butcher was 14th, Friesen was 26th and White was 35th. A really good showing by the Canucks!!
In the points, Chandler Smith leads Rhodes by 34 and Majeski by 50. Their next race is Darlington on Friday, March 20.
Formula One – Oops, Max Verstappen stuffed his Ford/Red Bull into the tire wall in Q1 after swapping ends under braking on corner entry. In Q3, a cooling fan fell off the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and it was hit by the McLaren of Lando Norris, bringing out a red flag.
Charles Leclerc was quickest in FP1 in his Ferrari, Oscar Piastri was the best in FP2 in his McLaren, George Russell put his Mercedes atop FP3 and then won the pole over teammate Antonelli and the Ford/Red Bull of Isack Hadjar. Verstappen started 20th. The two Caddys (Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas) started 18th and 19th, while the two Aston Martins (Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll) were 17th and 22nd. Stroll was allowed to start the race despite not having attempted a qualifying run. Two cars did not start the race – Oscar Piastri in a McLaren and Nico Hulkenberg in an Audi. Piastri, the local favourite, crashed on the formation lap, hitting the wall hard.
Leclerc, starting fourth, had an amazing start and grabbed the lead in the first corner. On Lap 12, the Ford/Red Bull of Hadjar pulled off with smoke trailing from it. Reportedly it was a blown motor. Lap 15 saw Alonso retire his Aston Martin. On Lap 19, Bottas parked his Caddy. At the halfway mark, it was Russell over Lewis Hamilton and Antonelli.
At the flag, it was Russell over Antonelli – Mercedes first and second, followed by the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton. I was most impressed by Haas as Oliver Bearman finished seventh and Esteban Ocon 11th. I question the pit stop strategy employed by Ferrari during the Virtual Safety Car period. I think they gave away a second-place finish. And I must say that the passing in the race was the best I’ve seen in years, especially for the lead. Very well done. And the Caddys had nothing to be ashamed of in their debut.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Russell leads Antonelli by seven and Leclerc by 10. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads Ferrari by 16 and McLaren by 33. Their next race is China, Sunday at 2:55 a.m. ET on TSN 5.
IndyCar – I was really pleased to see NASCAR and IndyCar do a joint weekend together at Phoenix Raceway. I would LOVE to see more of these going forward. Qualifying saw David Malukas grab the pole ahead of Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal. Twenty-five cars took timed runs. Will Power spanked the wall on his second lap and started 24th. This is his third crash this year.
In the race, Dennis Hauger spun but kept it off the wall somehow on Lap 26 – he actually went down the track backwards!! Just after the restart, defending series champion Alex Palou drove up the track and contacted Rinus Veekay, turning Palou into the wall and out of the race. It almost looked like the IndyCar drivers were trying to go full NASCAR as they were running VERY close together. At the halfway point, it was Christian Rasmussen over Newgarden and Malukas. On Lap 140, Louis Foster got into the wall, bringing out another caution period. On Lap 207, Rasmussen got into leader Power, cutting down Power’s right-rear tire for another caution period. At the flag, it was Newgarden over Kyle Kirkwood and Malukas.
In the points, Newgarden leads Kirkwood by five and Scott McLaughlin by 12. Their next race is the streets of Arlington, TX on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on TSN 1 and Fox.
The previous weekend, McLaughlin won the pole for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opener. On the first lap, three cars running at the back of the pack, Sting Ray Robb, Mick Schumacher and Marcus Armstrong, all got together in turn four. Robb had climbed up on top of Santino Ferrucci. Yellow. Power overcooked corner entry on Lap 24 and scrubbed the wall hard. The track stayed green. On Lap 27, Rasmussen got spun by Kyffin Simpson but was able to get going so no yellow. On Lap 40, Scott Dixon lost a right-rear wheel, bringing out a yellow. Thankfully the catch fencing stopped the loose wheel from getting into the grandstands. Things went smoothly over the second half and Palou picked up the win over McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard.
NHRA – The series once again started the season at Gainesville, FL. It’s hard to believe that I was at the very first Gators in 1970, 56 years ago. Is the Gator Pond still there? LOL.
Top Fuel – Antron Brown won the Top Fuel All-Star Callout, putting down a 4.290 at 258.76 to defeat Clay Millican, who ran a 4.573 at 172.54 in the tire smoking final. In qualifying, Josh Hart, the replacement driver in the John Force Top Fueler, was quickest at 3.658, a new track record, at 340.30. Canadian Dan Mercier qualified 16th. Nineteen entries. Hart won the final with a 3.733 at 337.83 to take out Doug Kalitta. Three upsets (lower qualified car wins) and 11 ‘smokers’ (one or both cars had traction problems).
Funny Car – Ron Capps topped the 19 entries, running 3.890 at 334.07. Canadian Spencer Hyde qualified 14th while Alberta racer Todd Lesenko failed to qualify. In a MAJOR upset, new Tasca driver Austin Prock did not qualify. Chad Green won the final over Alexis DeJoria with a 3.959 at 329.91. Four upsets and eight smokers. John Force Racing just missed having a double win weekend.
Pro Mod – Mike Stavrinos topped the 16 entries with a 5.688 at 252.14. And, of course, NHRA learning nothing form the 64 cars at Bradenton STILL treats Pro Mod as a second-tier class and ran first round on Saturday. Derek Menholt won over Lyle Barnett with a 5.690 at 251.02. Eight upsets and one smoker.
Pro Stock – Cody Coughlin was quickest of the 21 entries, putting down a 6.523 at 210.01. Canadians Matt and Eric Latino qualified third and eighth. All Camaros. Matt Hartford beat Greg Anderson in the final with a 6.530 at 210.41. Eight upsets.
Pro Stock Bike – Angie Smith qualified at the top of the 16 bikes with a 6.740 at 199.58. Seven Buells and nine Suzukis. Richard Gadson won the final over John Hall with a 6.753 at 200.05. Two upsets.
Factory Stock Showdown – Jonathon Allegrucci topped the 16 entries with a 7.714 at 178.26. Ricky Hord topped David Janac in the final running with a 7.735 at 178.38. Five upsets and one smoker.
Next race is Phoenix, March 22 on Fox Sports Racing.
February 15 Commentary – The good news from Daytona Speedweeks? The Daytona 500 sold out once again and Fox reported that ALL their advertising spots have been sold. I wonder if the brass is second-guessing the decision to tear down the Super Stretch (back straight) grandstands a few years ago? As well, Canadians had some good runs at both New Smyrna Speedway and Volusia Speedway. Josh Stade, Kyle Steckly, Chase Pinsonneault, Raphael Lessard, Mat Williamson and Glenn Styres all made Canada proud.
While I am VERY happy to see the new CTV Speed Channel on Rogers, I would suggest that they have some ‘splaining to do. The Truck race was on Friday night but the guide showed them airing the race ‘live’ on Saturday night. The info stated – NEW (2/13/26) The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series kicks off ……………! Saturday was the 14th. AND the same thing for the following race on Saturday at Atlanta, scheduled for 1:30 on SUNDAY!! Are we going to get tape delayed races only for TV this year?
February 22 Commentary – Local drag racing ace (and race promoter) Ian Hill qualified at the top of the X275 class at the gorgeous South Georgia Motorsports Park (right beside I-75) during the Lights Out 17 event. He put down a 4.117 at 175.50. He made it to the semis before a broken lifter ended his great run.
March 2 Commentary – In the World Series of Pro Mod at Bradenton, FL, Aaron Stanfield put down a 3.576 at 210.83 to take out Peter Norton, who ran a 3.585 at 210.57 in the Pro Mod final. Stanfield picked up $150,000 for the win. Thirty-two (out of 64 entries!!!) cars had qualified less than 0.05 seconds apart. Canadian Spencer Hyde (Q3) met Kenny Lang (Q28) in the first round and Lang prevailed. In the tough PRO 10.5 class, Canadian Nick Agostino qualified second with a 3.899 run. Johnny Pluchino ran a 4.081 to take out Derrick Reese in Mountain Motor Pro Stock. I wonder if NHRA has noticed how many competitive Pro Mod cars there are out there?
Upcoming Races:
IMSA – Sebring on Saturday, March 21.
24 Hours of Le Mans – June 14-15.
IHRA – Benson, NC on March 21.
NASCAR Canada Series – season opener at CTMP on Sunday, May 17.
APC Series – season opener at Delaware Speedway on Saturday, May 9th.
Ontario Sportsman Series – season opener at Delaware Speedway on May 15th.
Delaware Speedway – Friday, May 8th.
Ohsweken Speedway – Friday, May 15.
Flamboro Speedway – Saturday, May 2.
Buxton Speedway – Saturday, May 2.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway – Saturday, May 9.
Grand Bend Speedway – Saturday, June 6.
Grand Bend Dragway – Saturday and Sunday, May 30 & 31.
St. Thomas Dragway – Saturday, May 9.
Toronto Motorsport Park drag strip – Saturday, May 9.
Can Am Stock/Super Stock – Cayuga, May 17.
John Scotti NHRA Canadian Championship Series – Cayuga, May 17.
Quick 32 Sportsman Series, Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) and 5.50 Super Series – schedule not released yet.
Shannonville Drags – June 8.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.