From the quarter-mile Anderson Speedway, to the streets of Monaco, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Memorial Day weekend provides the biggest stage of the season for motorsports.
The Greatest Spectacle In Racing
The 107th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will take the green flag Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Polesitter Alex Palou will lead the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. The average speed for the 33-car field is 232.184, shattering the record of 231.023 set last year.
Palou drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, which won the 500 last year with Marcus Ericsson.
NASCAR’s Longest Race
The 64th annual Coca-Cola 600 caps off the Memorial Day Sunday racing card, starting in the daylight and finishing under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the 600-mile event on the 1.5-mile superspeedway tests both man and machine. Denny Hamlin won last year’s event.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series also compete at CMS over the holiday weekend.
Indiana Nights
Short-track racing in the Hoosier state gets its week in the spotlight during Indianapolis 500 week. The USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship kicked things off Tuesday night at Terre Haute Action Track, followed by a two-night show at the quarter-mile Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis.
On Friday night, Lucas Oil Raceway hosts the USAC Silver Crown Series for the return of the Hoosier Hundred with the USAC midgets also on the card.
Anderson Speedway hosts the annual Little 500 sprint car race on Saturday night, with 33 cars running 500 laps on the quarter-mile oval.
Monaco
The most prestigious Formula 1 event of the season takes place the same day as the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500, with the Monaco Grand Prix run on the Circuit de Monaco street circuit. The race was first run in 1929. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez won last year.
Outlaws
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will anchor the holiday weekend with two nights of racing at Ohio’s Atomic Speedway on Friday and Saturday. The series then returns to action on Memorial Day Monday at Indiana’s Lawrenceburg Speedway. Donny Schatz takes a two-race winning streak into the weekend’s events.
All Stars
The All Star Circuit of Champions heads East for four events beginning Thursday at New Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway. The series stops at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway on Friday before heading to Port Royal Speedway for races on Saturday and Sunday.
The first three rounds of the series will pay $10,000 to win, with Sunday’s Bob Weikert Memorial finale paying $29,000.
Show-Me
The 31st running of the Show-Me 100 on Saturday night will conclude a three-night stand for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.
The track’s signature event runs 100 laps and pays $50,000 to win.
Battle At The Border
The World of Outlaws Case Construction Equipment Late Model Series invades Ohio’s Sharon Speedway for three nights of racing and a $156,000 purse. The final night’s main event is scheduled to offer $25,000 to the winner.
Motocross Returns
With the Supercross season in the books, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicks off its campaign at California’s Fox Raceway.