It’s time for our weekly Friday tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, here’s what’s on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: It’s Oval Time
The NTT IndyCar Series heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend for its annual doubleheader at the seven-eighths-mile oval. It also marks the beginning of a stretch run for the series which features six of the eight races on ovals. Is Rick Mears coming out of retirement?
Qualifying: Same Old Cracker
Kudos to NHRA for releasing next year’s schedule in July. That said, there was nothing eye-popping on a schedule that felt like the same old song.
First Heat: Next Season
It’s only July, but a lot of drivers are already looking forward to next season.
One of those has to be Corey LaJoie. LaJoie’s Spire Motorsports team has hired crew chief Rodney Childers, who was looking for a job because of the closing of Stewart-Haas Racing, to lead LaJoie’s No. 7 team next year.
Childers has had great success with Kevin Harvick and Josh Berry — two drivers with similar backgrounds to LaJoie.
Second Heat: Firecrackers
Two of the hottest drivers in short-track racing this season are USAC regulars. Logan Seavey and Daison Pursley are dominating their respective divisions. Seavey has won 10 USAC sprint car main events and leads the standings, while Pursley is the midget point leader with a series-best five feature victories.
Seavey has two midget wins and Pursley has a single sprint car triumph. Pursley has also won in the Silver Crown division.
Third Heat: Wrist Slaps
It’s interesting to see how the NASCAR fanbase gets riled up on a nearly weekly basis when the sanctioning body hits a driver with a $50,000 fine for on-track incidents like those levied against Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar after the last two NASCAR Cup Series races.
If they really wanted to stop these shenanigans, a points penalty would be more effective.
Fourth Heat: Start Times
First off, I do understand the importance of television to major motorsports and the fact that the networks dictate the starting times. Still, when significant races such as the Chicago Street Race are impacted by mid-summer thunderstorms after they start at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, I can’t help but shake my head. Had the race started at 1 p.m. local time it would have ended long before the rain came.
C Main: Blaney Brew
Wonder if Hall of Fame sprint car racer Dale Blaney ever thought he’d see one of his race cars on a beer can? That’s exactly what’s happening, though, as Pennsylvania’s Floating Feathers Brewing Company is producing 750 cans of its pilsner to promote the upcoming Phil Walter Classic 410 sprint car race at Clinton County Speedway. Blaney is the defending winner of the event that will run Aug. 10. Cheers!
Hooligan Race: Don’t Miss These Columns
Longtime SPEED SPORT columnists Keith Waltz, Stan Kalwasinski and Ron Hedger contributed a trio of bang-up columns this week. Waltz and Kalwasinski’s efforts can be found on SPEEDSPORT.com, while Hedger’s fine piece regarding sportsman modified racing is part of this week’s edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
Dash: A Formula 1 Six Pack?
When Lewis Hamilton ended a three-year Formula 1 winless streak last weekend by winning his home country’s British Grand Prix of the ninth time, he also became the fifth (Max Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz) different driver to win a grand prix this season. Do I hear six?
B Main: Headscratcher
The split between late model star Ricky Thornton Jr. and SSI Motorsports may be the headscratcher of the season at this point. It was far more surprising than Hailie Deegan’s dismissal from her NASCAR Xfinity Series ride with AM Racing.
Thornton had won 19 features and led the standings in two different series at the time of his July 7 dismissal. It’s odd when dominating the competition is not good enough for a team to stay together.
Thornton, however, has already landed with Koehler Motorsports and is back on track this weekend.
Feature: Eldora Is Next
It’s time for the big sprint car races of the summer season and all eyes will be on Ohio’s Eldora Speedway next week with both national tours racing at the same track during the same week for the only time all season.
It begins with two nights of High Limit Racing competition July 17-18, which will culminate with the $100,000 Joker’s Jackpot on Thursday night.
The World of Outlaws take over the track on Friday with the $25,000-to win Knight Before the Kings Royal leading into Saturday night’s $175,000 Kings Royal.
The top drivers from both series are expected to compete in all four events at the historic half-mile oval, creating what should be an intriguing four nights of racing where bragging rights may be as important as the large amount of money on the line. Well, maybe not.
It all starts with the Brad Doty Classic July 16 at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park.