TMW: NASCAR Races Late in Chicago

Hours after a memorable British Grand Prix and the start of IndyCar's new hybrid era, NASCAR raced to darkness on the streets of Chicago.

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Morning Warmup

July 8, 2024

Race Recaps

NASCAR

Cup Series: He didn’t win a stage or lead the way for most of the day. But when a wet-to-dry race to darkness opened the door for strategy plays, Alex Bowman stayed out on wet tires to score a playoff-clinching win in Chicago. (Reid Spencer / NASCAR.com)

Xfinity Series: On a sunny Saturday, Shane van Gisbergen continued his Xfinity Series road course dominance with a fierce drive to victory at Chicago. (Holly Cain / NASCAR.com)

ARCA Menards Series West: Sean Hingorani scored a weekend sweep at Irwindale Speedway, winning a pair of races at Irwindale Speedway. (Brandon White / ARCARacing.com)

Other notes from Chicago:

• Van Gisbergen was a favorite to win and Stage 1 winner early on in Sunday’s Cup race, but he was wiped out by an out of control Chase Briscoe in a mid-race crash. (Nate Ryan / NBC Sports)

• Bubba Wallace was less than thrilled with Bowman after being spun by the eventual winner during Sunday’s race. (NASCAR / X)

IndyCar

IndyCar: The hybrid era is underway. Pato O’Ward held off Alex Palou to claim Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Paul Kelly / IndyCar.com)

Indy NXT: Brazil’s Caio Collet struck with a stellar lights-to-flag drive to pick up his first series win at Mid-Ohio. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)

Stories leaving Mid-Ohio:

• The new hybrid unit was generally successful in its first official race. (Eric Smith / IndyCar.com)

• Palou didn’t get the win he was after, but the defending champ boosted his title pursuit with another solid run in Ohio. (Curt Cavin / IndyCar.com)

• A hybrid system glitch hurt Scott Dixon’s title hopes during Sunday’s race. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)

Formula 1

F1: Get in there, Lewis Hamilton. The Briton broke through at his home race for the ninth time to end a winless streak that dated back to 2021 with Mercedes. (F1.com)

Here are the highlights of Hamilton’s return to the top step of the podium.

F2:

• Hamilton’s prospective replacement also had a good weekend. PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli struck for his first Formula 2 win in Saturday’s Sprint race. (FIAFormula2.com)

• In the feature race, Isack Hadjar claimed victory from pole to take over the points lead leaving Silverstone. (FIAFormula2.com)

F3:

• It was all Arvid Lindblad in England. The British ace took his third win of the season in Saturday’s Sprint. (FIAFormula3.com)

• …Then struck again in an action-packed feature to sweep the weekend in Formula 3. (FIAFormula3.com)

Takeaways from Silverstone:

• With the win now behind him, Hamilton admits he feared never winning again before Sunday’s surprising home triumph. (Jake Boxall-Legge / Motorsport)

• The victory put a pair of doubt-filled years to rest. (Luke Smith / The Athletic)

• Lando Norris and McLaren threw away a chance to win Sunday with a strategy the team admittedly got wrong. (Madeline Coleman / The Athletic)

• Champ Max Verstappen was happy with solid strategy that helped him salvage second at race’s end. (F1.com)

• Ferrari saw a poor weekend made even worse by a bad pit call for Charles Leclerc. (Jake Boxall-Legge / Motorsport)

• The Prancing Horse actually reverted to an old specification of floor and bodywork for the race - a move that showed its biggest weakness. (Edd Straw & Gary Anderson / The Race)

• Antonelli’s F2 win was a timely answer to a challenge from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. (Samath Kanal / The Race)

Supercars

• Matt Payne used a three-stop strategy to score victory in the NTI Townsville 500. (Daniel Herrero / Speedcafe)

Sports Cars

DTM:

• A mixed-weather opener at the Norisring went the way of three-time DTM champ Rene Rast. (Richard Asher / Motorsport)

• Nicki Thiim took an emotional victory in Sunday’s second race, making him the first son of a DTM winner to also prevail on the tour. (Richard Asher / Motorsport)

Dirt

World of Outlaws Late Models:

• Ryan Gustin kicked off NAPA Gopher 50 week in style, narrowly beating Nick Hoffman in the opener at Deer Creek Speedway. (Nick Graziano / WorldofOutlaws.com)

• Brandon Sheppard went wire-to-wire in the following night’s feature at the same track. (Matt Skipper / WorldofOutlaws.com)

• But in the big feature, it was Bobby Pierce that rolled to his second-consecutive NAPA Gopher 50 win. (Matt Skipper / WorldofOutlaws.com)

Lucas Oil Late Models:

• The Independence 50 was a write-off, with rain canceling the planned race at Portsmouth Raceway Park. (LucasDirt.com)

• Saturday’s showdown at Muskingum County Speedway was met with better weather. Devin Moran led wire-to-wire to pick up a $20,000 paycheck. (LucasDirt.com)

USAC:

• Logan Seavey snagged the Bill Gardner Sprintaculer opener at Lincoln Park Speedway. (Richie Murray / USAC Media)

• Seavey followed that up with his 10th USAC Sprint win of the season to sweep the weekend at Putnamville. (Richie Murray / USAC Media)

• The Terre Haute Action Track’s Sumar Classic USAC Silver Crown race was washed out and rescheduled for Oct. 6. (USAC Media)

Short Tracks

CARS Tour: Brent Crews picked up his second victory of the season on a contact-filled midweek show at Caraway Speedway. (Matt Weaver / Short Track Scene)

SMART Modified Tour: A short track showdown at Caraway Speedway went Bobby Labonte’s way on Saturday night. (Matt Weaver / Short Track Scene)

Pro All Stars Series: Joey Doiron played the tire strategy right to score a $40,000 payday in the PASS Celebration of America 300 at Oxford Plains Speedway. (Jeff Brown / Short Track Scene)

Moto

MotoGP

• Jorge Martin proved dominant in the German Grand Prix, dominating the bulk of the race’s running. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)

• Sunday’s feature went poorly for Martin, though. A late crash for the title hopeful opened up the door for Francesco Bagnaia to claim a Sachsenring win and the points lead. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)

Here are the best moments from the MotoGP weekend in Germany.

A few quick notes from Germany:

• Title hopeful Marc Marquez suffered a broken finger and bruised rib in a nast highside crash during Friday’s practice. (Simon Patterson / The Race)

• Marquez went on to endure a crazy weekend overall - one he probably should have ended with a win. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)

• Joan Mir had his own Marquez-like tirade moment last week, but he isn’t going anywhere. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)

Pro Motocross: It was all Chase Sexton at the RedBud. Sexton swept the motos to take over the red plate. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)

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News and Notes

NASCAR

• NASCAR officially rolled out its EV prototype car on Saturday in Chicago.(Kelly Crandall / RACER)

• David Ragan detailed some of the differences associated with driving the EV car after its unveiling. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)

• Josh Berry has a home for the 2025 Cup Series season - Wood Brothers Racing. (Jim Utter / Motorsport)

• The team knows it needs to be better. Can Berry help it get there? (Jim Utter / Motorsport)

• Team owner Richard Childress admits that he’s been more involved as his organization works to turn around its recent poor run of form. (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)

• After his penalty was issued, rookie Carson Hocevar respected the decision. But he also suggested there was more to the story - namely in SMT data. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)

• Are Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson forming NASCAR’s next great rivalry? (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)

• He’s been locked into the playoffs for months with an early-season win, but Daniel Suarez admits his floundering No. 99 team has work to do before the postseason arrives. (Jim Utter / Motorsport)

• This Cup season has been a trying year of missed potential for Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)

• Bubba Wallace is growing tired of trying to make the playoffs on points without securing a win. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)

IndyCar

• Prema claims it’s talking with current F1 competitor Logan Sargeant over a switch to IndyCar in 2025. (Charles Bradley & Marcus Simmons / Motorsport)

• IndyCar’s new hybrid power is just the beginning. Long-term the plan is to increase power and replace the push-to-pass overtake system. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)

• Why won’t the series go fully-electric? (Charles Bradley / Motorsport)

• Arrow McLaren kicked off the hybrid era with an innovative new cockpit lighting system. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)

• With his future now uncertain, what’s next for Alexander Rossi? (Marshall Pruett / RACER)

• Rossi opened up about the Arrow McLaren split and his future in an interview with Motorsport’s Joey Barnes.

• Rinus Veekay insists that he’s loyal to Ed Carpenter Racing, but he’s exploring his options for the future in the final year of his current contract. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)

• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has an early target to replace the exiting Christian Lundgaard - Juri Vips. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)

• Pato O’Ward could feel the difference after his first practice session in the hybrid indy car. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)

• The Race’s Jack Benyon ranked IndyCar’s top-10 drivers at the midway point of the season.

• Early in his time with Meyer Shank Racing, David Malukas is already showing his potential. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)

• Toby Sowery’s Mid-Ohio IndyCar debut was a long time in the making. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)

• A handful of drivers were given penalties for unapproved engine changes heading into the Mid-Ohio race weekend. (RACER)

F1

• Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie has been formally revealed. It has a nice, simple name: “F1.” (Filip Cleeren / Motorsport)

• Haas has officially locked in Ferrari Driver Academy member Oliver Bearman as one of its drivers for 2025 in a multiyear deal. (Chris Medland / RACER)

• Bearman himself filed a column with Motorsport discussing his F1 dream.

• The deal was a huge relief for Bearman amid what’s proven to be a difficult Formula 2 campaign. (Chris Medland / RACER)

• With rumors of Renault canceling its F1 powertrain program, Mercedes is open to supplying Alpine with engines in 2026. (Filip Cleeren / Motorsport)

• Liam Lawson is due for a Red Bull test as rumors swirl of him replacing Perez after the summer break. (Jonathan Noble / Motorsport)

• Everyone wants to know where famed technical mind Adrian Newey will land post-Red Bull. But it’s probably going to take until September to learn his plans. (Jonathan Noble / Motorsport)

• After another dismal qualifying session - this one ended early with a spin - Red Bull’s Sergio Perez insists the pressure has nothing to do with his recent poor form. (Chris Medland / RACER)

• What’s actually going on with Red Bull’s rumored driver swap? (Scott Mitchell-Malm / The Race)

• Was last week’s Verstappen-Norris clash blown out of proportion? (Jake Boxall-Legge / Motorsport)

• The FIA admits it should have done more about the incident. (Jonathan Noble & Filip Cleeren / Motorsport)

• How do F1 drivers race against Max Verstappen? It’s a tough fight that’s “on the limit” for competitors. (Luke Smith / The Athletic)

Sports Cars

• Mike Conway has recovered from injury and is ready to return for the next FIA World Endurance Championship round at Interlagos. (Gary Watkins / Motorsport)

• Is DTM’s future at the Norisring in danger? (Sven Haidinger / Motorsport)

Dirt

• A huge story from the dirt late model world - Ricky Thornton Jr. and SSI Motorsports have parted ways. (Kyle McFadden / FloRacing)

Short Tracks

• What should Dale Earnhardt Jr. do next? Chase Elliott would like to see him try a Super Late Model. (Matt Weaver / Short Track Scene)

• With the right circumstances, SLM fans could soon see Christopher Bell among the field at their local short track. (Matt Weaver / Short Track Scene)

Moto

• A thumb injury has forced Jett Lawrence out for the remainder of the Pro Motocross season. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)

• MotoGP’s once again on the hunt for a prospective new venue. Plans to cancel the Kazakhstan trip and replace it with a second race at Qatar have now been met with issues. (Oriol Puigdemont / Motorsport)

• Alex Rins is staying on with Yamaha, leaving it with an unchanged rider lineup for the next two years. (German Garcia Casanova / Motorsport)

• Fabio di Giannantonio is also staying put, racing with VR46 until at least 2026. (German Garcia Casanova / Motorsport)

• KTM has parted ways with MotoGP technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini. (Valentin Khorounzhiy / The Race)

• The tour’s top riders had much to say about Lewis Hamilton’s rumored interest in team ownership. (Simon Patterson / The Race)

• A year on from Marc Marquez’s meltdown - and after similar frustration from Joan Mir - has Honda improved? (Lewis Duncan / Motorsport)

Drag Racing

• John Force is continuing to improve in the first weeks after suffering a traumatic brain injury and other injuries in a Funny Car crash. The NHRA legend has been moved out of neuro-intensive care and into acute neurological care. (RACER)

Rally

• The World Rally Championship is launching a new female driver program that will offer a fully-funded Junior WRC drive next year. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)

• It’s also set for an expanded calendar with three new events in 2025. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)

• Ott Tanak was thankfully unharmed in a high-speed Rally Estonia crash. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)

• Rally Finland will have the year’s biggest Rally1 field, with Toyota expanding to five cars while team principal Jari-Matti Latvala drives a Rally2 machine. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)

• Rally ace Kalle Rovanpera has earned his first circuit race win in a Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux race at Imola.

Electric Racing

• After weeks of tumultuous negotiations that, at times, seemed unfruitful, The Race’s Sam Smith reported Friday that Formula E’s Antonio Felix da Costa and Porsche have reached a deal to continue their relationship.

• Legacy Motor Club will field Patrick O’Donovan in next weekend’s Extreme E Hydro X Prix in Scotland, replacing Jimmie Johnson. (Dominik Wilde / RACER)

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On Track This Week

All Times ET

Monday, July 8

Dirt

• Castrol FloRacing Night in America (Lincoln Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing

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Tuesday, July 9

Dirt

• DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models (Shadyhill Speedway): 6:30 p.m., DirtVision

• USAC Tuesday Night Thunder (Red Dirt Raceway): 7:30 p.m., FloRacing

• Super DIRTcar Series (Thunder Mountain Speedway): 5:45 p.m., DirtVision

• Weekly Racing (Millbridge Speedway(: 6:15 p.m., DirtVision

• Weekly Racing (Beaver Dam Raceway): 7:30 p.m., DirtVision

Short Tracks

• Summer Shootout (Charlotte Motor Speedway): 5:00 p.m., FloRacing

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Fast Fact

I’m going to yield to NASCAR stat guy Trey Ryan on this one. Sunday’s rain-shortened Cup race (127.6 miles) was was the shortest by distance since Kyle Petty’s 1992 win at Watkins Glen International, which went just 124.95 miles.

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