The Morning Warmup
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Good morning and happy Thursday! Welcome back to the daily version of this newsletter. For those that don’t know, I wrote this daily through the bulk of the season for about five years before cycling back as life got in the way after the COVID-19 pandemic.
I wrote more about this last night if you’re curious, but to keep things short: I’m going back to that cadence moving forward. It should keep me plugged in and hopefully help all of you be smarter racing fans/industry members, which has always been my goal.
You’ll also want to keep an eye out for other content in the afternoons as time allows. I’ll try to make sure those posts are things that are worth your time.
Anywho, that’s enough spiel. We’ve got (non)penalty decisions and an unfortunate driver injury to discuss.
It’s good to be back. Now let’s talk racing.
Today’s Top Stories
1) Shane van Gisbergen, Zane Smith dodge penalties for Chicagoland crashes (NASCAR Cup)
Both drivers were involved in separate incidents during NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday. Van Gisbergen collided with longtime rival Austin Hill, while Smith sent the oft-maligned Carson Hocevar for a spin.
Of the two crashes and penalty decisions, van Gisbergen’s seemed the most noteworthy. The Kiwi has had history with Hill and was taken out by a Hill mistake in San Diego a few weeks back, damaging his chances of making the Chase as a road course standout. He’s also still clinging onto a provisional Chase spot, making the risky decision to crash Hill a dangerous one given the chance for a points penalty.
Hill was adamant that the crash was intentional - a thought echoed by TNT Sports’ broadcast crew after the race. But van Gisbergen never admitted to it over the radio and ultimately dodged a penalty.
Smith is one of a litany of drivers that has fallen afoul of the aggressive Hocevar since his arrival in the Cup Series. The Front Row Motorsports star appeared to choose not to lift to avoid contact while trailing Hocevar early in Sunday’s race.
But again, there was nothing to prove Smith crashed Hocevar intentionally, so he’s ultimately avoided a penalty for the run-in.
“We include everything from telemetry to radio communication, all vintage footage, race data, everything we have before we get in the middle of what really happened inside the race car,” Cup Series managing director Brad Moran told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio of the decisions on Wednesday. “And there just wasn’t enough evidence there to say the incident was intentional, nor was there enough to do the same to (Smith and Hocevar).
“They were both looked at and reviewed yesterday and determined there will be no penalties issued. However, we’ll be talking to both groups and making it pretty clear what we need.”
The drivers involved aren’t out of the woods just yet. NASCAR intends to talk to both sets of drivers this weekend to make sure the conflicts don’t escalate at EchoPark Speedway or beyond. The company’s vice president of racing communications, Mike Forde, confirmed as much on the sport’s “Hauler Talk” podcast.
These penalty no-calls follow a decision to penalize Ryan Preece earlier in the year after he appeared to intentionally wreck Ty Gibbs at Texas Motor Speedway. Preece had indicated that he’d be “done with him” when he got back to Gibbs after the crash.
(Source(s): Matt Weaver / Motorsport, Kelly Crandall / RACER)
2) Maximilian Paul out indefinitely with three fractures after DTM horror crash (Sports Cars)
DTM competitor Maximilian Paul suffered a trio of fractures during the opening race of the Norisring weekend.
Grasser Racing Team revealed Wednesday that Paul, 26, suffered fractures to the fibula and tibia of his left leg in the crash with Schubert Motorsport’s Kelvin van der Linde. He also endured a lumbar vertebra fracture.
Paul underwent surgery on Tuesday and is now poised for an arduous road to recovery.
The crash occurred when Paul lost control over an oil spill on the Norisring circuit, sliding at speed and slamming into the driver’s side door of van der Linde’s BMW, which was breaking for the corner ahead. You can see the accident here if you’re interested, but be warned that it was a nasty one.
“The accident was a major setback for me,” Paul said. “I’d like to thank all the rescue workers and the doctors who looked after me so exceptionally well.
“Now it’s time to look ahead. I’m taking a break for the time being to look after my body and my health, and I’ll be back in full force soon.
“I’ll be in hospital for the next few days, after which I’ll be heading to rehab. I really appreciate the support of my family, my team, my friends and everyone who’s checking in on me at the moment, and I’ll be consciously focusing on that support and my recovery in the coming weeks.
“I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the many kind words and get-well wishes. They give me strength and keep me going on my road to recovery.”
Paul was in the midst of a big year, having been named as a works driver for Lamborghini Squadra Corse in February. But he’ll be forced to endure a lengthy battle to return to the cockpit.
Van der Linde was also sent to the hospital, but escaped the next day without serious injury after being kept under observation for the night. The South African star hopes to return to racing once his pain subsides.
(Source(s): John Dagys / Sportscar365)
3) NHRA rolls out first four dates of 2027 and plans to honor John Force (Drag Racing)
The NHRA is set to honor its biggest modern star and kick off its season in a familiar place next year - albeit with an unfortunate conflict within the motorsports realm.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series officials announced the 2027 campaign’s first four dates and locations on Wednesday, kicking things off with a familiar return to the Pomona Dragstrip on Feb. 18-21. From there the series will roll through Arizona’s Firebird Motorsports Park (Feb. 26-28) before venturing east to Florida’s Gainesville Raceway (March 11-14) and Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway (April 2-4).
The tour’s biggest challenge will come with the opening weekend. With NASCAR shifting its regular season back a week to avoid a fight with the NFL’s later Super Bowl, the elimination portion of the NHRA’s Pomona opener will take place on the same day at the Daytona 500.
In addition to confirming the opening rounds of the season, NHRA officials also confirmed plans to launch a season-long celebration honoring the sport’s winningest star, John Force. It will pay homage to Force’s 50-year journey in the NHRA and kick off at his home track in Pomona.
“There is something special about beginning an NHRA season in Pomona,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said in a series release. “It’s one of the most iconic venues in our sport and a place where so much history has been made.
“Returning to this traditional schedule allows us to honor our roots as we begin to celebrate one of the most remarkable figures in motorsports at John’s home track in Pomona. We’re very excited about these first four races of 2027, which will be another special year in NHRA history.”
(Source(s): Drag Illustrated)
4) Chase Elliott set for Truck start with Spire at North Wilkesboro (NASCAR Trucks)
Here’s something you don’t read often: Chase Elliott is going Truck racing.
Spire Motorsports announced Wednesday that the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion will pilot its No. 7 Chevrolet in the July 18 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The effort will be Elliott’s first in the Craftsman Truck Series since the 2023 season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. It comes with HendrickCars.com sponsorship and is happening in place of the late Kyle Busch, who was previously slated to run the event.
Elliott has just 18 Truck starts to his name, but a few of them have been key to his NASCAR legacy.
The Georgian earned his first NASCAR national series win in the tour’s 2013 race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, controversially knocking Ty Dillon aside in the final corner. Seven years later, Elliott joined an informal bounty program slated against the then-dominant Busch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, earning his third and most recent series victory to date. He also claimed a 2017 race win at Martinsville Speedway.
This one-off appearance will come ahead of the Cup Series’ first points race at North Wilkesboro since its return to the series schedule in 2023. It arrives amid a strong 2026 season for Elliott, who finds himself fifth in the Cup Series standings after scoring a pair of early victories.
(Source(s): Nick DeGroot / Motorsport)
News and Notes
NASCAR
The Cup Series’ most well-regarded broadcasts under its current TV deal have come with Prime Video. The good news is that Prime wants to broadcast even more races. The bad news is that it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to until the 2030s. (Adam Stern / Sports Business Journal)
NASCAR enjoyed a strong race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, but it also has rumored ambitions for a Chicago street race return. Could both options end up on the calendar next year?(Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune)
Austin Hill was this week’s guest for the “12 Questions” series, where he discussed the annoyance of waiting for driver introductions and the challenge of replacing Kyle Busch in May. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic)
Tip of the cap to Thomas Annunziata and Nitro Motorsports for this beautiful Kyle Busch throwback that’ll run this weekend at Lime Rock Park… I think. All related posts disappeared late last night, so there might be some last-second licensing issues to sort through.
On the for-sure-released-and-cool side of the internet, we have this sobering, realistic short film about the harsh realities of the business side of motorsports:
IndyCar
RACER’s Marshall Pruett took a moment Wednesday to eulogize veteran open wheel mechanic, team manager and leader Neil Mickelwright, who died aged 69.
With Scott Dixon off to Arrow McLaren next year, Chip Ganassi Racing is set to enter a new era. Thankfully it already has its on-track leader in Alex Palou. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Mid-Ohio gave IndyCar a solid ratings boost this weekend on FOX. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
USF Pro Championships has unveiled renderings of its new planned USF Pro 2000 chassis for 2028. (RACER)
Formula 1
A frustrated Max Verstappen admitted to being fed up with Red Bull’s issues in Silverstone. What could that mean for his F1 future? (Luke Smith / The Athletic)
His crashes have led the FIA to inquire about the safety of Red Bull and Ferrari’s rotating wings. (Ronald Vording / Motorsport)
Take this with a grain of salt given Aston Martin’s brutal struggles this year. But it’s veteran driver, Fernando Alonso, has offered a scathing critique of the 2026 F1 ruleset and lack of driver talent required to race with it. (Ed Hardy & Jake Boxall-Legge / Motorsport)
F1 was full of controversy on Sunday when the British Grand Prix ended under what seemed like a bungled safety car period. Jenson Button and Martin Brundle have different ideas about how to avoid a similar issue moving forward. (Michelle Foster / Planet F1)
Sports Cars
McLaren customer team Volante Rosso Motorsport has acquired a second McLaren GT3 car to compete in GT World Challenge Australia. (Ewan Wane / Daily Sportscar)
Dirt
We’ve had a driver change in the Michael Dutcher No. 17GP. Brock Zearfoss is taking over the ride, replacing Hank Davis on the High Limit Racing tour. (FloRacing)
Short Tracks
The Slinger Nationals are almost here. Take a look at the 35-car entry list here. (Scotte Sprinkle / Short Track Scene)
Moto
MotoGP manufacturers pushed for a share of the tour’s profits under the commercial agreement reached earlier this season, but ultimately backed out. Guenther Steiner helped explain why in this piece from Motorsport’s Gerald Dirnbeck.
The tour’s team setup is fairly similar to F1, but the process of selecting riders is slightly different. (Valentin Khorounzhiy & Simon Patterson / The Race)
Tip of the cap to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi for stepping outside of his NASCAR comfort zone and telling this story about rising MotoAmerica prospect Kayla Yaakov.
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On Track Today
All Times ET
Dirt
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Butler motor Speedway): 5:45 p.m., DirtVision
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars (Hartford Speedway): 6:15 p.m., DirtVision
Short Track Super Series (Outlaw Speedway): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Lucas Oil Late Models (34 Raceway): 7:15 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Jackson Motorplex): 6:15 p.m., DirtVision
Number of the Day: 9.4
EchoPark Speedway tends to provide fast-paced, chaotic racing for the NASCAR Cup Series. The track has averaged 9.4 cautions since its restructure in 2022, with at least five in every race and as many as 13. Expect to see the sport’s top stars spend a healthy amount of time behind the safety car this weekend.