TMW: Lundgaard Lands at Arrow McLaren
The IndyCar squad will bring in Christian Lundgaard to replace Alexander Rossi in 2025.
The Morning Warmup
July 3, 2024
A quick note: Hey all! I’m going to take the next edition of the newsletter off so I can rest up (I’m still pretty sick over here) and focus on celebrating the Independence Day holiday with my wife. I’ve tried to include all the racing schedules for the weekend down below and will see you all on Monday. Have a great weekend! - Aaron
Today’s Top Stories
1) Lundgaard in at Arrow McLaren for ’25; Rossi out (IndyCar)
Arrow McLaren’s evolving driver lineup is due for another shakeup for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The organization confirmed Tuesday that Christian Lundgaard will take over its No. 7 Chevrolet next year. He’ll replace Alexander Rossi, who will depart from the company.
Lundgaard will arrive from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR), where he landed after leaving the Formula 1 ladder system. The 22-year-old has one victory, three podiums and finished eighth in the 2023 standings.
It’s uncertain who will replace the Danish ace at RLLR. Rossi could be a candidate, as could reserve driver Juri Vips. Others like Theo Pourchaire, Callum Ilott and Rinus Veekay are potentially available in the free agent market.
Rossi is instantly a strong free agent candidate. The Californian currently sits fifth in the standings after a consistent opening half of the 2024 season. He’s an Indianapolis 500 champion and eight-time race winner with a best finish of second (2018) in the championship - though he’s mystifyingly won just once since 2019.
The Associated Press reported that Rossi and Arrow McLaren couldn’t agree on terms for his return. “We talked for months,” Pieter Rossi, father and manager of Alexander, told AP. “We just, quite simply, couldn’t come to terms on a lot of the bits, and that’s OK.”
Lundgaard’s confirmation continues a string of changes for Arrow McLaren set off by a breach of contract from Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou in 2023. The defending champ was meant to replace Felix Rosenqvist, who went to Meyer Shank Racing, but instead stayed put. That led the team to bring in David Malukas, who was ousted before he could race after missing the opening stretch of the season with injury.
The combination of Ilott and Pourchaire took his place, with Pourchaire announced for the full-time ride. But weeks later the team reversed course and instead gave the ride to 19-year-old prospect Nolan Siegel. Its 2025 lineup will feature Pato O’Ward, Siegel and Lundgaard.
(Source(s): Joey Barnes / Motorsport, Jenna Fryer / Associated Press)
2) Carson Hocevar penalized for Burton spin at Nashville (NASCAR Cup)
NASCAR fined Spire Motorsports rookie Carson Hocevar $50,000 and docked him 25 pointsr Tuesday for the intentional spinning of Harrison Burton under caution during Sunday’s Ally 400.
An upset Hocevar had made contact with Todd Gilliland’s machine under the prior yellow. When a subsequent caution flew for a Brad Keselowski crash on Lap 244, Hocevar drove up to Burton’s rear bumper and spun his No. 21 Ford around.
“He hit me under caution because I’m blocking down the straightaway,” Burton radioed to his team at the time. “He can go kiss my (expletive).”
Burton avoided contact with the wall or another driver after the incident. He went on to finish 28th.
This is the second time NASCAR’s penalized Hocevar for an intentional crash. The then-Craftsman Truck Series competitor was previously held two laps for spinning Taylor Gray during a Truck race at Martinsville Speedway.
It’s also the second penalty for a crash under yellow this season. Austin Hill was docked 25 points and fined $25,000 for hooking Cole Custer in a similar manner during an Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
The penalty drops Hocevar from 22nd to 24th in the championship standings.
(Source(s): Dustin Long / NBC Sports, Basso488 / X)
3) Nikita Mazepin tests in Europe after EU sanctions lifted (F1)
Former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin has completed a GT3 test in Hungary months after the sanctions imposed on him by the European Union (EU) were lifted.
Mazepin’s sanctions, which stemmed from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were waived by the EU’s General Court in March. The EU found no obvious links between Mazepin and his father - Dmitry, also on the sanction list - so it found no reason for him to continue being subjected to restrictions.
The judgement to annul the sanctions came into effect on May 30, officially opening the door for Mazepin to return to the EU. He quickly took advantage, testing at Balton Part Circuit in an LMGT3 car.
"I am happy the EU has acknowledged that athletes like myself who have no relation to politics should not be placed under sanctions," Mazepin said of the decision.
"It is my hope that all athletes who are currently prevented from participating in international competitions due to geopolitics will be returned to their rightful place in the sporting community."
The Russian driver previously drove for Haas F1 Team in 2021, running with sponsor support from Uralkali, the fertilizer company ran by his father. Haas terminated its partnership with the driver and company after Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, leading to a payment dispute that went to Swiss arbitration court. Haas was ultimately allowed to keep a portion of a requested $13 million refund covering the agreement until its termination on March 4, 2022. The rest was refunded to Uralkali.
It’s unlikely that Mazepin will return to F1 anytime soon. But the door is opening for the Russian to chase more racing opportunities moving forward.
(Source(s): Rachit Thukral / Motorsport)
Race Recaps
Sim Racing
eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series: The road course king’s done it again. Bobby Zalenski won at virtual Chicago. (eNASCAR / X)
News and Notes
NASCAR
Since Sunday’s race ran late, here are some articles that trickled in after I finished the newsletter to catch up:
The Athletic’s takeaways called for calmness and sticking with the current win-and-in system and overtime rules after Nashville’s five-OT ending. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic)
FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass talked about Joey Logano locking up his playoff spot and the various ways others lost the race.
Here’s what drivers had to say after Sunday’s race. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
It didn’t seem possible to stretch fuel to the end, but Joey Logano’s Ford refused to run out of gas. (Jordan Bianchi / The Athletic)
Late chaos wreaked havoc on the race and dramatically altered its outcome. (Jim Utter / Motorsport)
Zane Smith was “pissed” after coming up one spot short of a season-altering victory. (Nick DeGroot / Motorsport)
It looked like his race to lose, but there were too many late restarts for Denny Hamlin in Nashville. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Tyler Reddick was bitterly disappointed after coming up just short in the decisive fifth overtime. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Christopher Bell admitted that he “lost (his) cool” after throwing a dominant day away with a crash in the final stage. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
NASCAR explained its late decision to give Kyle Busch his spot back after one of the many overtime crashes. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
Other Goodies:
Joey Logano will replace Hailie Deegan at AM Racing for this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Chicago in an attempt to evaluate the team’s performance. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
Hendrick Motorsports has cut ties with Hooters as a sponsor due to the company failing to fulfill obligations. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
With frustrations on the rise, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch faced a steep road back to the playoff field. (Bob Pockrass / FOX Sports)
NASCAR’s Chicago Street Track has been added to Rocket Racing on Fortnite. (The Race)
IndyCar
Sorry, Theo Pourchaire. Andretti Global’s ruled out expanding to bring the former Arrow McLaren driver in with Sauber working to keep him on the grid. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
IndyCar’s hybrid era is here. Here’s an explainer on the new-look drivetrain. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
F1
Former Mercedes F1 engine boss Andy Cowell will replace Martin Whitmarsh as Aston Martin’s group CEO in October. (Alex Kalinauckas / Motorsport)
Argentina’s Franco Colapinto will make his Formula 1 practice debut for Williams at the British Grand Prix. (James Newbold / Motorsport)
With pressure building, Carlos Sainz says he won’t be pressured to rush a decision about his future. (Jake Boxall-Legge / Motorsport)
Something to chuckle about: F1’s only American driver - Logan Sargeant - will fly the Union Jack on his livery just after Independence Day. (Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik)
It thankfully didn’t cause a mistake, but Toto Wolff admitted a radio message he sent to winner George Russell during the Austrian Grand Prix was “the single dumbest thing I’ve done in 12 years.” (Chris Medland / RACER)
In the wake of another controversy, should the FIA clamp down on the aggressive Max Verstappen-style defending? (Motorsport)
Supercars
Refueling has come into focus for PremiAir Racing in search of its first podium. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)
Something cool to follow: Supercars is launching a new driver-led podcast project. (Andrew van Leeuwen / Speedcafe)
The series is also working to tighten enforcement of event curfews. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)
Sports Cars
Hyundai appears poised to enter the Hypercar class, while its long-term World Rally Championship future is shrouded in uncertainty. (Gary Watkins & Tom Howard / Motorsport)
Felipe Albuquerque will join United Autosports’ No. 22 ORECA LMP2 entry for the upcoming Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. (Richard S. James / RACER)
It takes 600 helpers and over 10,000 hours. Here’s a look at how the Norisring’s DTM circuit comes together in two weeks. (Sven Haidinger / Motorsport)
The FIA World Endurance Championship will soon come back to Circuit of the Americas for the first time since 2020. Its Texas return comes in the tour’s finest hour. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
Moto
Could Lewis Hamilton be part of the team buying the satellite Ducati MotoGP team, Gresini Racing? (Simon Patterson / The Race)
Alex Rins has undergone surgery after getting injured in a Dutch Grand Prix crash and will miss MotoGP’s trip to Germany. Remy Gardner will take this place for Yamaha. (German Garcia Casanova / Motorsport)
Honda has signed the retiring Aleix Espargaro as a test rider for the 2025 MotoGP season - a move to help it develop its struggling RC213V. (Rachit Thukral / Motorsport)
Espargaro’s arrival could be the program’s first true improvement of the year. (Simon Patterson & Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)
Marc Marquez will have a new crew chief when he joins Ducati’s factory team in 2025. (Oriol Puigdemont / Motorsport)
Rally
World Rally Championship title hopeful Thierry Neuville would like more seat time with Hyundai to prepare for upcoming rounds in Latvia and Finland. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)
On Track This Week
All Times ET
Wednesday, July 3
Dirt
USAC Sprints (Red Hill Raceway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Benton Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
PA Speedweek (Port Royal Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Short Track Super Series (Fonda Speedway): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
CARS Tour (Caraway Speedway): 5:15 p.m., FloRacing
-
Thursday, July 4
NASCAR
ARCA Menards Series West (Irwindale Speedway): 9:50 p.m., FloRacing
Dirt
USAC Sumar Classic (Terre Haute Action Track): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
World of Outlaws Late Models (Derek Creek Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Riverside International Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
Super DIRTcar Series (Land of Legends Raceway): 5:45 p.m., DirtVision
Bill Shea Memorial (Utica-Rome Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
360 Sprints (Silver Dollar Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
Firecracker 50 (Meridian Speedway): 6:45 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Thunder Road Speedbowl): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
-
Friday, July 5
F1
All at Silverstone Circuit
Free Practice 1: 7:30 a.m., ESPNU/F1 TV
Free Practice 2: 11:00 a.m., ESPNU/F1 TV
Supercars
All at Townsville
Qualifying (Race 13): 8:15 p.m., SuperView
Top 10 Shootout (Race 13): 10:05 p.m., SuperView
Dirt
USAC Sprints (Lincoln Park Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Lucas Oil Late Models (Portsmouth Raceway Park): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
World of Outlaws Late Models (Deer Creek Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Paducah International Raceway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
Weekly Racing (Attica Raceway Park): 6:30 p.m., DirtVision
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Autodrome Granby): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Williams Grove Speedway): 7:00 p.m., DirtVision
IMCA Weekly Racing (Marshalltown Speedway): 7:45 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
Weekly Racing (Stafford Motor Speedway): 5:30 p.m., FloRacing
-
Saturday, July 6
NASCAR
All but ARCA at Chicago Street Course
Xfinity Series Practice: 10:00 a.m., USA/NBC Sports App
Xfinity Series Qualifying: 11:00 a.m., USA/NBC Sports App
Cup Series Practice: 12:30 p.m., USA/NBC Sports App/MRN
Cup Series Qualifying: 1:30 p.m., USA/NBC Sports App/MRN
Xfinity Series The Loop 110: 3:30 p.m., NBC/NBC Sports App/MRN
ARCA Menards Series West (Irwindale Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
F1
All at Silverstone Circuit
Free Practice 3: 6:30 a.m., ESPN2/F1 TV
Qualifying: 10:00 a.m., ESPN2/F1 TV
Supercars
All at Townsville
Race 13: 12:40 a.m., SuperView
Qualifying (Race 14): 8:05 p.m., SuperView
Top 10 Shootout (Race 13): 10:05 p.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
Porsche Sprint Challenge (Watkins Glen Inernational): 9:00 a.m., FloRacing
Dirt
USAC Sprints (Lincoln Park Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Lucas Oil Late Models (Muskingum County Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Clarksville Speedway): 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
World of Outlaws Late Models (Deer Creek Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
Weekly Racing (Fremont Speedway): 5:15 p.m., DirtVision
Hall of Fame Night (Fonda Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
PA Speedweek (Port Royal Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Terry Van Roy Memorial (141 Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Knoxville Raceway): 7:45 p.m., DirtVision
NARC David Lindt Memorial (Petaluma Fairgrounds Speedway): 8:15 p.m., FloRacing
USAC WS Midgets (Placerville Speedway): 8:30 p.m., FloRacing
Short Tracks
SMART Modified Tour (Caraway Speedway); 5:50 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Jennerstown Speedway): 4:15 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Cecil Palm Tree 160 (Riverhead Raceway): 4:30 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Berlin Raceway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Supermodified Twin 40s (Oswego Speedway): 6:20 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Langley Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Hickory Motor Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Moto
American Flat Track (DuQuoin State Fairgrounds): 4:30 p.m., FloRacing
-
Sunday, July 7
NASCAR
All at Chicago Street Course
Cup Series Grant Park 165: 4:30 p.m., NBC/NBC Sports App/MRN
F1
All at Silverstone Circuit
F1 British Grand Prix: 9:55 a.m., ESPN2/F1 TV
Supercars
All at Townsville
Race 14: 12:40 a.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
Porsche Sprint Challenge (Watkins Glen International): 9:00 a.m., FloRacing
Dirt
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Tri-State Speedway): 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
484Ever 40 (Brushcreek Motorsports Complex): 5:00 p.m., FloRacing
Taner Pelster Memorial (Boone County Raceway): 5:00 p.m., FloRacing
Short Track Super Series (Bridgeport Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Huset’s Speedway): 7:30 p.m., DirtVision
Short Tracks
NASCAR Youth Series (Indianapolis Motor Speedway): 8:00 a.m., FloRacing
Firecracker 100 (Thunder Road Speedbowl): 4:00 p.m., FloRacing
Fast Fact
So… Who’s going to win the second edition of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race? It’s hard to tell with how little track time everyone got last time out (remember all that rain?). Defending winner Shane van Gisbergen will be back in the Cup field after leading nine laps and shocking the field last year. Christopher Bell led a race-high 37 laps in 2023. The top-five finishers last year were all Chevrolets. Will any of these stats mean anything on Sunday? Honestly, no one knows.
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