TMW: Could NASCAR Come to Long Beach?
NASCAR's in search of a SoCal home. A longtime IndyCar staple could be a candidate.
The Morning Warmup
March 27, 2024
Today’s Top Stories
1) NASCAR reportedly interested in Long Beach (NASCAR)
With Auto Club Speedway’s reconfiguration months away and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s NASCAR slate seemingly complete, there’s a search for the right Southern California venue for the sport.
An intriguing option has emerged - Long Beach.
RACER reported Tuesday that NASCAR has been actively pursuing the 50-percent stake in the Long Beach Grand Prix held by the estate of late businessman Kevin Kalkhoven.
While it was launched as a Formula 5000 event in 1975 and briefly served as a Formula 1 date, Long Beach has been a fixture of the NTT IndyCar Series calendar since 1984. It’s effectively the tour’s second biggest race, behind only the Indianapolis 500 in terms of prestige.
Kalkhoven purchased the event in the 2000s in a 50-50 partnership with former Champ Car series owner Gerald Forsythe through Aquarium Holdings, LLC. He passed away in 2022, leaving his half of the race to go to market.
That could lead to a battle for the race’s rights between America’s top two sanctioning bodies. RACER reported from similar sources that IndyCar owner Penske Entertainment is trying to block NASCAR’s efforts and buy Kalkhoven’s share for itself.
No side of the equation offered anything substantive comment-wise in the article, though NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy admitted that NASCAR “would have a race in Southern California every year” if it could.
This year’s Long Beach Grand Prix remains an IndyCar event and is scheduled for April 19-21.
(Source(s): Marshall Pruett / RACER)
2) NASCAR official acknowledges work to do after penalty-filled weekend (NASCAR)
If you were annoyed by the frequent penalties for shortcutting the course during NASCAR’s race weekend at Circuit of the Americas, you weren’t alone.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, admitted there is “some work to be done” after the sanctioning body issued 40 penalties for short cutting the course across its three national series races.
“We’re calling balls and strikes on every lap and that’s not really where we want to be,” Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio during Tuesday’s “The Morning Drive” program. “I commend our team and the tower. I thought they did a good job, but it’s way too much about us and not enough about the athletes and our teams and our pitstops and strategy and things of that nature. Some work to be done.”
NASCAR attempted to police short cutting through the esses on the 3.41-mile road course, allowing competitors to drive off-course without issue elsewhere. The move was a response to drivers driving straight through the section in an effort to lower their lap times.
There’s no guarantee that NASCAR will be back at the Texas track in 2025. But the Austin American Statesman reported Sunday that the series will return next year. If so, NASCAR will have work to do to sort out its penalty process.
Saywer also admitted that NASCAR plans to “take a deeper dive” into what happened when Marco Andretti’s truck lost its rear-end housing during Satuday’s Craftsman Truck Series race.
(Source(s): Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
3) Lola planning a racing return in Formula E (FE)
A familiar name for old-school racing fans is reportedly coming back in FIA Formula E.
The Race reported Tuesday that Lola Cars - a brand previously associated with CART, Formula 1 and the Le Mans 24 Hours - is taking delivery of a Gen3 test car and has registered as an official manufacturer for the all-electric tour.
Lola is expected to enter the tour as a powertrain supplier, partnering with an existing team.
The Lola name is owned by British businessman Till Bechtolsheimer, an IMSA competitor based in the US. He acquired the brand and some of its remaining assets in 2022, a decade after it went into administration. His decision comes after attending races in New York, London and Mexico City.
More from The Race:
Lola has recruited significantly in recent months, having captured the services of former key Techeetah figures Mark Preston (below) and Keith Smout.
It has also long since had experienced technical staff that have included former McLaren and Williams designer Mark Tatham as technical director and ex-HWA and Mercedes-Benz engineer Michael Wilson as managing director.
Lola has already been active in Formula E working group meetings, including those attended by the Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association (FETAMA), which Preston has attended.
(Source(s): Sam Smith / The Race)
Race Recaps
Sim Racing
Williams Esports stood tall in the iRacing 12 Hours of Sebring. (Morgan Raynal / RACER)
Steven Wilson prevailed for the first time in his eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing championship defense at Richmond Raceway. (Evan Posocco / X)
On the Beat
Here’s our breakdown of Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
…And here’s an updated look at the playoff picture. (Aaron Bearden / Motorsports Beat)
News and Notes
NASCAR
Some final stories and takeaways from Circuit of the AmericasL
This week’s “Top 5” talked about the lack of cautions and what to do about track limits violations. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic)
One I missed from Sunday: How the race was effectively won on Lap 13. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
Alex Bowman scored a solid top-five, but was “bummed” that he didn’t have enough to contend for the win. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Ty Dillon is coming back to the Cup Series. He’ll make five starts for Kaulig Racing. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
NASCAR has been named in a wrongful death lawsuit tied to preparations for last year’s Chicago Street Race. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
Can anyone challenge Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports this year? (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
Ty Gibbs is off to a fantastic start this year. He’s just missing a trip to victory lane. (Bob Pockrass / FOX Sports)
SVG is unique, a breath a fresh air in NASCAR circles. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
IndyCar
People had some takes about that race weekend at The Thermal Club:
One column trashed the race, saying it was a glorified advertisement for the track and a poor attempt to recreate the worst elements of Formula 1. (Elizabeth Blackstock / Jalopnik)
This column is friendly comparison. It doesn’t consider the event to be a failure, but does acknowledge that it wasn’t much to behold, either. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Here’s a look at what worked—and what really didn’t. (Jack Benyon / The Race)
…And here’s what drivers had to say after the event. (Nate Ryan / NBC Sports)
They’ve offered various thoughts on the exhibition and ideas for its future. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
Linus Lundqvist felt he gained “great experience” as the only rookie in the final. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
USAC regular Taylor Ferns is joining Abel Motorsports for four oval races in INDY NXT. (USAC Media)
Juncos Hollinger Racing is leaning into its Spanish interest by launching new social media channels catering to its Spanish crowd. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
F1
With Red Bull in search of a potential replacement for Sergio Perez, team principal Christian Horner claims it isn’t ruling out Carlos Sainz. (Chris Medland / RACER)
Why is Sainz suddenly on Red Bull’s radar? (Scott Mitchell-Malm / The Race)
Red Bull junior and Super Formula regular Ayumu Iwasa will make his FP1 debut at the Japanese Grand Prix with RB. (Filip Cleeren / Motorsport)
Here’s the latest on Felipe Massa’s case over the 2008 championship. (Madeline Coleman / The Athletic)
Daniel Ricciardo’s off to a shake start in 2024. What does it mean for his F1 future? (Luke Smith / The Athletic)
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has offered praise for Kevin Magnussen, who was a team player despite justifiable reason to be “pissed off” in Australia. (Adam Cooper / Motorsport)
With Lola back in the news cycle, here’s a look back at when its 1997 attempt to join F1 turned farcical. (Charles Bradley / Motorsport)
Sports Cars
Sebastian Vettel has completed his first Hypercar laps in a Porsche Penske 963 at Spain’s Motorland Aragon. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
Peugeot has revealed its updated 9X8 FIA WEC Hypercar prior to next month’s 6 Hours of Imola. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
Turner Motorsport is returning to GT World Challenge America. (Daily Sportscar)
AWA is stepping back down to a single-car program in IMSA, with Anthony Mantella and Nico Varrone’s entry no longer competing. (Daily Sportscar)
Dirt
Chase Briscoe is starting his own sprint car team this year. (Tyler Burnett / FloRacing)
The World of Outlaws is rolling on. Here’s a look at what to watch for this weekend. (Alex Nieten / WorldofOutlaws.com)
Short Tracks
How did Bubba Pollard come to land a NASCAR Xfinity Series opportunity? (Brandon Paul / FloRacing)
Here’s a look at the NASCAR Whelen Modifed Tour entry list for this weekend at Richmond Raceway. (Rob Blount / FloRacing)
Moto
Pedro Acosta is everything KTM wanted in the prodigy rider and more. It’s changing the company’s timelines. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)
Ducati has a tricky kerfuffle to manage with Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. (Lewis Duncan / Motorsport)
Next up for Supercross: St. Louis. Here’s a look at the round by the numbers. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
Rally
With the Safari Rally Kenya coming up, Thierry Neuville is hopeful Hyundai has conquered its reliability woes for the event. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)
On Track This Week
All Times ET
Wednesday, March 27
Dirt
Weekly Racing (Millbridge Speedway): 6:15 p.m., DirtVision
Thursday, March 28
No races scheduled.
Fast Fact
It took William Byron until his third Cup Series season to earn and win and he didn’t score multiple wins until his fifth. But over the past three years, Byron’s been a consistent force. He’s won 10 times in the Next Gen era, with victories at road courses, superspeedways, short tracks and intermediate ovals.
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