🏎 Adiós Auto Club

Kurt Busch contemplates retirement while Kyle Busch breaks a new record

February 28, 2023

"The best 5 minutes in motorsports"

- Money Lap 

Good morning! The racing world is in full swing as F1 concludes their pre-season testing and gears up for the start of the 2023 season in Bahrain this weekend. Meanwhile, NASCAR is entering its third week of racing and IndyCar is set to launch their season in St. Petersburg, FL. With the heart of race season finally upon us, sit back and take in the latest news, interviews and funniest memes from over the past week.

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Auto Club Results

NASCAR

Auto Club's Closer

Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in California, marking his 19th consecutive season with at least one victory and surpassing Richard Petty's record. Busch also claimed the final victory on the track, which is scheduled to be removed from the Cup schedule in 2024 and transformed into a short track.

He fought back from a pit road speeding penalty to take the lead on lap 143 and finish 2.998 seconds ahead of Chase Elliott. Ross Chastain led the most laps but faded to third, while Daniel Suarez and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

JHN takes JGR to first victory of 2023

John Hunter Nemechek won the Production Alliance Group 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Auto Club Speedway, which was postponed until Sunday due to rain and snow. Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, took the lead for the last time after a restart on Lap 139 of 150 and finished 0.761 seconds ahead of Sam Mayer.

The Xfinity Series win was the third of his career, and it came at the track where his father, Joe Nemechek, won the first Cup pole of his career and the first-ever pole at the venue. Cole Custer, the defending race winner, swept the first two stages but finished 27th after hitting the outside wall and sustaining further damage.

Race Day Revival 

Former NASCAR driver and current dirt racing ace Kenny Wallace will host the BMS Race Day Revival at the Food City Fan Zone Stage at Bristol Motor Speedway, along with veteran broadcaster John Roberts. The hour-long show will include driver and special guest interviews and various antics and high jinks.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early and bring homemade signs, with the best one being chosen to win a prize. The Bristol race weekend will include the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race on Sunday, April 9, and the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race on Dirt and taking place on Friday.

Kurt Busch's Long Race to Recovery

In an interview, Kurt Busch stated that although he hopes to race again in the future, Busch is at peace with the possibility that his racing career may be over, after having enjoyed a 23-year long career in the sport. He has not raced since suffering a head injury in July 2021, but he remains optimistic about making a full recovery. Despite still experiencing balance and eye movement issues, Busch is working with physical therapists to rebuild core strength and has since taken on a consultant role with 23XI Racing. 

"I’d just like to go and race cars. We’ll see where things pan out. Whether it’s my decision or somebody from up above, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m very happy and complacent. To have had this opportunity to race in this sport for 23 years and to hit all the high notes and low notes — I wouldn’t trade it for a thing."

Kurt Busch

F1

Redbull Repeats Dominance in Pre-Season Testing

Red Bull Racing is being seen as the clear team to beat once again this season after impressive performances in testing in Bahrain. Red Bull's Sergio Perez set the overall benchmark, while teammate Max Verstappen was also consistently fast and comfortable in the car. Red Bull's car appeared to be relatively easy to drive for its drivers, with Verstappen praising the balance of the car and the ease with which he was able to try different setups.

The team also appears to be benefiting from tweaks to Pirelli's tyres, which give Verstappen what he wants in terms of front-end grip. Red Bull's performance in testing was seen as impressive, but teams know that it is difficult to translate that into success in the actual races.

More Testing Takeaways: 

  • AlphaTauri logged the most laps (456) while McLaren logged the least amount (311)

  • Alonso and Aston Martin made a splash as they showed significant improvement over 2022

  • Williams finished at the bottom of the speed charts but were happy with gaining 2.378 seconds over last year's pre-season testing (the biggest gain of any team)

McLaren's living in 3023 

Chicane has Left the Chat

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, will undergo several changes ahead of this year's race. The chicane introduced in 2007 will be removed to restore the original layout, and new safety features will be added, such as TECPRO barriers in the high-speed corners, a wider run-off area in Turn 1, and a new fence protecting Turns 1 and 2. The paddock facilities will also be renovated, including the enlargement and modernization of hospitality and corporate areas and the refurbishment of permanent toilets in fan areas. The new edition of the Spanish Grand Prix will take place on June 2-4.

Stroll's Start up in the Air

Aston Martin has confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will replace Lance Stroll if the Canadian is unable to participate in the Bahrain Grand Prix due to the injuries he sustained while training. The team stated that it would continue to give Stroll every opportunity to compete, but if he is unable to do so, then Drugovich will drive alongside Fernando Alonso.

Stroll is expected to try out in the Aston Martin simulator at Silverstone before a final decision is made, and if he starts but needs to withdraw, then Drugovich will need to participate in at least one practice session or qualify the car to be eligible to race.

IndyCar

 Ignoring the Red Flags

IndyCar is making changes to it's qualifying sessions for the 2023 season. Rather than having the 10-minute countdown clock start when the first car sits on pit lane, the clock will start when the first car in each session takes to the track and crosses the alternate start/finish line. This will give teams more time to gap themselves and get their drivers onto the track. The change should add 60 to 90 seconds of time to each round for drivers to use.

IndyCar has also adjusted its rules for managing red flags during qualifying, stopping the clock during the first red flag in each knockout round, but not for subsequent ones. This is to encourage teams to go out and make their Money Lap early on in the session. 

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🏆 Toyota looks to defend WEC title... How they made the Toyota GR010 Hybrid more raceable

Memes

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Kimi Raikkonen 2013 Chinese GP Onboard

Take a lap around the Shanghai International Circuit with Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus-Renault E21. This Q3 lap of 1:34.761 would put him starting P2 on the grid. Kimi would go on to also finish P2 in the race just behind Fernando Alonso. 

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