by David Vodden
Brothers Truex won in NASCAR competition at the Dover Delaware “Monster Mile” last Monday. This seems highly unlikely to me but is not uncommon in NASCAR where the race sponsors cars omehow always ends up in victory circle. There was the famous where a driver scores his 200th and last career win when the President of the United States was present. Strange things happen in NASCAR and so it was when Martin Truex Jr, after a 54 race losing streak won on Monday after his younger brother, Ryan, won for the first time in his thirteen year career on the Saturday in the Xfinity race. Who would have guessed? To be fair, there was no collusion or stealth tricks. Ryan Truex was in a Joe Gibbs car as part of his part-time, buy a ride, season. His drive showed to the world that he “belongs in the Xfinity Series.” He hopes, his first win in eighty-nine starts will earn him a full-time ride. Behind Ryan was Josh Berry followed by his JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier. Austin Hill and John Hunter Nemechek completed the top five. Cole Custer earned his second Xfinity bonus award of $100,000 for being the highest finisher over the three other eligible drivers.
Following a Sunday rain out, Martin Truex Jr., became the eighth different winner in CUP racing this year and a four-time winner at Dover. Equally statistically impossible, three of his four wins at the Monster Mile came on a Monday following a rain delay. It was Martin Truex’s thirty-second career win in CUP. Truex literally drove by the competition in the closing laps showing a significant advantage over the competition just as Richard Petty did when he won his 200th Cup race. Ross Chastain finished second after a mid-race controversial move that saw him ram the back of Brennan Poole entering the first turn. The obvious hit caused Poole to veer up the track in the path of Kyle Larsen who hit Poole hard enough to eliminate his chances of scoring a win. Larson’s luck has been terrible this year even though he has two wins and was shown on the top of the playoff points standing before the accident. Ryan Blaney finished third with William Byron and Denny Hamlin completing the top five. As with the Xfinity race the action around the track was good. There was lots of passing and drama even though the race leaders did tend to stay out front for some time.
The Formula One race in Baku City was won by Sergio Perez with his domineering teammate Max Verstappen a close second. It turns out that the big drama in F-1 this year may occur within the Red Bull team as Verstappen and Perez battle for the title. Each has won two of the four races held thus far. Verstappen is six points ahead of Perez as the traveling show moves to Florida this weekend for the second edition of the “Miami Grand Prix.” Last year this event was star studded and an amazing happening. “Happening” is the new word for big races. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari. Fernando Alonzo took fourth in his Aston Martin while Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished fifth. The first Mercedes finisher was Lewis Hamilton on sixth.
Scott Mclaughlin won the Indy car race at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama Sunday driving for team owner Roger Penske. It was his fourth win in Indy Car since leaving New Zealand and the Australian Super Car Series there. He beat second place finisher Romain Grosjean when his Michael Andretti Honda ran out of “Push to Pass”, the bonus power Indy cars have. They have 200 seconds of fuel additive that each driver can apply at will throughout the race. Will Power took third with Pato O’Ward fourth and Alex Palou fifth. Pato and Alex battled all race long fighting to top the Indy Car point standings entering the INDY 500-month of May. McLaughlin was the fourth different winner in four races this year.
John Force Racing dominated the NHRA Four Wide National at Z-Max Raceway in North Carolina Sunday. Unfortunately, no one from the family won which means John Force himself nor daughter Brittany. Instead the winners were Austin Prock in TFD and Robert Hight in TFFC. They drive for John Force. Deric Kramer won the Pro Stock final and Gaige Herrera won in Pro Stock Motorcycle. RA race
Dominic Scelzi won the NARC sprint car feature at Antioch Speedway. Brady Bacon the perennial USAC non-wing sprint car champion, added a World of Outlaw winged sprint feature to his resume at Tri City Speedway. Local driver Buddy Kofoid topped the current rankings of sprint car drivers in the nation as a result of his performance in the World of Outlaws series.
There will be more than sixty hours of NBC related television distribution leading up to this year’s Indy 500. Over the past several years the traditional500-mile race has been getting better and better with heavy duty drivers doing battle with more competitive teams.
Legacy Motor Club racing, formerly Petty Motorsports, is changing from Chevrolet to Toyota for the 2024 racing season. Cooper Webb, former 450cc champion in the Red Bull Super Cross series is out for the rest of the season following a fall and resulting concussion in Tennessee last weekend.
Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico will see sprint car actionthis Sunday on the quarter mile dirt track there.
BIG SPORTS CAR CLUB NATIONALS ON TAP AT THUNDERHILL
Close to two hundred racers from all over the country converged on Willows earlier this month to participate in the Sports Car Club of America “Super Tour Series” of racing on the nearby Thunderhill Raceway Park three-mile road circuit. The three-day event began on Friday and concluded Sunday at 4pm.Gates open at 9am each day. Fans will be welcome into the race teams pit area to meet the drivers. Grandstands are available that look out over the road course.
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