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: Domination
It’s only three races into the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but Richard Childress Racing’s two drivers — Austin Hill and Jesse Love — have led 73 percent of the laps (257 of 354) and won two of three races. The next victory for one of these two will be the 100th in Xfinity Series history for RCR.
Qualifying: Daytona 200
For those of you who believe stock car racing alone built Daytona Int’l Speedway, please remember the Daytona 200 Superbikes race. Sanctioned by MotoAmerica, the event will be run for the 83rd time Saturday afternoon at the World Center of Racing.
First Heat: It’s All In The Name
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is promoting the season-opening High Limit sprint car races at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas as Kyle Larson’s High Limit Racing series. Christopher Bell is also mentioned in the ad, but none of the full-time High Limit contract drivers are mentioned. The promotion is aimed at NASCAR fans in town for the Cup Series race on the same weekend, but we wonder how this type of promotion flies in the pit area.
Second Heat: Gator Time
The 56th Gatornationals opens the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series campaign at Florida’s famed Gainesville Raceway.
Full fields will be on hand in all classes, with 17 Top Fuel cars, 18 Funny Cars, 21 Pro Stocks, 19 Bikes and 23 Pro Mods entered.
SPEED SPORT’s David Hoffman is there. Follow his reports on SPEEDSPORT.com and on SPEED SPORT social media channels.
Third Heat: Some Never Learn
Will Ross Chastain just never learn to reign in his overaggressive moves, or does he feel the pressure of development driver Connor Zilisch warming up his NASCAR Cup Series seat with Trackhouse Racing? One way or another Chastain’s wild maneuvers on the opening lap at Circuit of The Americas last week won’t soon be forgotten.
Fourth Heat: Officiating Struggles
NASCAR’s officiating struggles which have included inconsistent calls on green-white-checkered finishes during the first two weekends of the season, continued this week.
The National Appeals Panel overturned the hefty penalty levied against Joe Gibbs Racing and Chase Briscoe following the Daytona 500 on Wednesday, while the previous day it fined Austin Cindric $50,000 for “hooking” Austin Dillon during the race at Circuit of The Americas. However, unlike previous cases when the driver was suspended, such a penalty was not levied against Cindric.
Dash: Mint 400
America’s most historic off-road race, the Mint 400 runs this weekend in the desert outside of Las Vegas. First run in 1968, the Mint 400 will be broadcast on SPEED SPORT 1 Friday and Saturday with multiple classes in action on Friday, followed by the Mint 400 for Unlimited vehicles and bikes on Saturday.
B Main: Television Rankings
The NTT IndyCar Series made its debut on FOX Sports on March 2. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was the most watched non-Indianapolis 500 IndyCar race on any network since 2011. The season opener drew 1.4 million views, an increase of 45 percent over last year’s St. Petersburg opener on NBC.
Later in the day, the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas attracted 4.132 million viewers, an increase of 25 percent over last year’s 3.310 million average when the event was held later in March.
Feature: Extracurricular Activities
It’s extremely interesting that for years, Joe Gibbs kept his NASCAR Cup Series drivers from competing in short track events, but now that Christopher Bell has been given the green light to return to dirt-track racing.
Bell is off to a fast start with two big dirt victories and back-to-back Cup Series triumphs.
Meanwhile, Gibbs’ grandson, Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs, has raced midgets and recently tested a winged sprint car.
Gibbs, 22, is in his third full season in the Cup Series after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series title. He has 23 top-10 finishes in 90 career starts in the Cup Series and has yet to visit victory lane. He ranks 35th in the standings after three events this season.
