This Week in Motorsports August 5

Matt Smith won again in the Pro-stock motorcycle final while Aaron Stanfield beat Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock showdown.

Pruett had not won a TFC final since 2019 and was perhaps fortunate that her competitor in the face-off, Justin Ashley, failed to make it to the starting line. It was only her ninth career win since joining the fastest class in a career of many wins starting back when she was a bit of a tyke racing in the junior dragster class that NHRA set up as a feeder system for six year old’s.

Capps beat J.R. Todd in the final scoring his first win of 2021 and adding to his sixty-six wins in top fuel funny cars. The score gave the likable Californian the series point lead in the class.

Keeping with the theme of first-time winners, Esteban Ocon of France drove a French based F-1 car to victory in the Hungary Grand Prix on Sunday. The event was a hoot starting with a massive crash on the opening lap that damaged series point leader, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Honda as well as his teammate Sergio Perez. This week it was the other Mercedes driver who spoiled the Red Bull day, Valtteri Bottas missed his braking point and punted several cars off course on the opening lap. Bottas was out as was Perez.  Verstappen was able to continue albeit at a reduced level resulting in a tenth-place finish and the loss of the world championship drivers point lead. Two weeks from hero to zero, our close. Lewis Hamilton crew chief made a major error in tire selection deciding not to put for rain tires under the long red and yellow flags. Then the rain started and Lewis Hamilton end up being the only car on track when the green flag fell again after a lengthy delay. When he did pit under green, he fell back to last place among the remaining cars and had to struggle to get back to third place. This became second place, when the race ended. The battle between Hamilton and Fernando Alonzo was epic and very entertaining. Alonzo was excellent in his race-craft with the champion and clearly deprived Hamilton of the opportunity to regain the lead and take the win. Ocon, meanwhile, had Sebastian Vettel on his tale and was equally brilliant in keeping this four-time champion at bay. Hamilton did get past Alonzo and was closing in on Vetel and Ocon when time ran out. Hamilton was advanced to second when Vettel was disqualified due to fuel consumption or lack of sufficient fuel in the car at the end. The Formula One guys take their summer break now returning at SPA at the end of the month.

NASCAR returns this weekend at Watkins Glenn with all three divisions seeing action. The Trucks start off and can be seen on FOX Sports One. The Saturday Xfinity race, a property of NBC now, can be seen on CNBC and not NBC sports or the network as the Olympics end their run. On Sunday NBC Sports will show the CUP cars on the fast road course that is clearly the best of all the road courses now on the NASCAR schedule.  The talking heads think Chase Elliott will win again. What are the odds?  Ross Chastain has been named to driver along side Daniel Suarez on the new team cut from the departing Chip Ganassi race team.  This leaves Kurt Busch on the free-agent list as silly season continues.

Indy cars return this weekend to NBC sports on Sunday at 2:30pm. There have been ten Indy car races so far in 2021 and eight different drivers have won. The race will be run on the streets of Nashville on a special-built course. Will there be a ninth different winner or another repeater? Watch and see.

Kyle Larsen won the 100-lap, $50k to win World of Outlaw stockcar race in Fairbury Illinois. The long-standing event had all the best drivers in the field but Larsen was best. He started seventh and led the last seventy laps to score his first-ever WoO late model trophy. Larsen will be among the best at the Knoxville Nationals next week starting on Wednesday night in Knoxville Iowa. This is another one of those races that Larsen desperately wants to win. He is always considered a threat but you have to start in the front row on Saturday night to have much of a chance. It will be interesting to see. Try You Tube.

NASA had a huge field of cars last weekend at Thunderhill Park. The local recreational venue remains busy but with smaller events.  With the car show not far away, a great many who attend that will also find their way to Thunderhill to see the racetrack that so many people are talking about. You can come anytime and it is mostly free. Come today.