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🏎 Duking it out at Darlington

Is Carl Edwards making a return to NASCAR?

May 16, 2023

Good morning! As we wrap up an eventful throwback weekend in Darlington, we're not quite done reminiscing yet... NASCAR heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend to finalize the track's resurrection with some short track truck action and the All-Star race!

Who won the last NASCAR event held at North Wilkesboro?

*Answer at the bottom

F1

Pirelli Plays Catchup

Pirelli, the tire supplier for Formula 1, will introduce a new type of slick tire starting from the British Grand Prix in response to the increased performance of the 2023 cars. Despite changes in floor regulations that were expected to slow down lap times, the cars have been consistently faster in the first five races of the season. Pirelli has been working on a new tire construction to better handle the future developments that will further increase speeds and downforce levels in the sport.

The new tire specification will incorporate materials already developed for 2024, making the tires more resistant without affecting other technical parameters. To ensure fair testing, Pirelli will provide two additional sets of tires per car for the teams to use during the practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix. The new tires will debut at the Silverstone race after five more races are completed.

Bottas Boasts "Many, Many More Years"

Valtteri Bottas, currently in his 11th season in Formula 1, has expressed his intention to continue racing for "many years" despite having spent a decade in the sport. The 33-year-old Finnish driver, who has started 205 Grands Prix so far, considers himself young compared to some of his peers and hopes to remain on the grid for years to come. Bottas acknowledges that various factors, such as the state of the sport, the team he is with, and the overall atmosphere, could influence his decision. He also mentioned that the extensive traveling involved in Formula 1 might become a consideration in the future. Bottas, currently racing for Alfa Romeo after leaving Mercedes, has a contract set to expire at the end of the 2024 season.

More F1

📆 Christian Horner says 'Insane' F1 schedule is at it's breaking point... This year already features a record 23 races

🤩 Guenther Steiner discusses his rise in popularity after Drive to Survive... He states "I need to think about where I hang out"

NASCAR

Byron Bypasses Chaos for Win #3

William Byron emerged as the winner in Darlington after a series of late accidents and restarts. Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson crashed while racing for the lead, leaving Byron in the lead for the remaining laps. Despite the chaotic final segment, Byron managed to maintain his position and win the race. Byron became the first driver to win three times this season and secured the first Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington since 2012. The next races are the All-Star Open and All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21.

Larson's Last Lap Mayhem

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway after an intense battle with John Hunter Nemechek. Larson made contact with Nemechek several times on the final lap, ultimately sending him spinning coming out of the final corner. Both drivers described it as good, hard racing. It was Larson's 14th Xfinity victory and his first win at Darlington. Justin Allgaier finished second, followed by Cole Custer, Austin Hill, and Nemechek.

Eckes Survives Darlington Double OT

Christian Eckes claimed victory in the NASCAR Truck race at Darlington Raceway amidst a slew of caution and multiple late race restarts. Eckes overtook Hailie Deegan on a restart with fresh tires and managed to hold off various challengers in two overtime attempts. Stewart Friesen finished second, followed by Tanner Gray in third.

Carl Edwards Resurfaces

Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, who retired in 2016, revealed that he is finding retirement increasingly challenging and is considering a return to racing at a competitive level. Edwards, who came close to winning the Cup series title multiple times but never secured the championship, made a rare trackside appearance at Darlington and expressed his desire to continue driving cars.

He mentioned the possibility of engaging in simulation work to assess if he still has the skills required. Edwards emphasized his love for racing and driving but stated that he wants to return to the sport only when he can give it his full commitment. Throughout his career, he achieved 28 victories in the Cup series, finishing as runner-up twice, and also won the 2007 Nationwide Series title.

"It was easy to not race when I first stepped away, but it's getting harder and harder. I like sliding stuff around and driving cars. So there'll be a time when I go do something. Maybe sim work, something like that ... to see if I could still drive. It's a step-by-step process."

Carl Edwards

More NASCAR

😡 Team owner Rick Hendrick speaks out on Ross Chastain... He says that Chastain "is going to make a lot of enemies"

IndyCar

Palou's Perfect Run

Alex Palou won the GMR Grand Prix in Indy thanks to an aggressive tire strategy. Palou's team chose an aggressive tire strategy that quickly placed him out front. He led for 21 laps and won the race by a margin of 16.8006 seconds over Pato O'Ward. This victory marked Palou's first win of the season and the fifth win of his career on road courses. The win also propelled him to the top of the championship standings. Palou's team, Chip Ganassi Racing, had a strong showing overall, with teammates Alexander Rossi finishing third and Felix Rosenqvist finishing fifth.

More IndyCar

🤔 Lewis Hamilton says he is interested in IndyCar test... Hamilton wants to test an "old-school" IndyCar but is fully committed to F1

🇦🇷 Argentina IndyCar bid takes the next step... A 2024 event is fully conceivable even if it is a post championship race

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🔄 WEC tire warmer ban reversed ahead of Le Mans... FIA and Le Mans listen to teams and lift the ban

💪 Rovanpera shows strength with dominating performance in Portugal... Competitors said he was "in another category"

🍀 Bourdais and Van Der Zande finally find some luck in Laguna Seca... bad crashes, first time winners and more in an eventful Round #4

The Money Lap Podcast | Episode 3

Episode Three is out NOW! This week, Landon and Parker ponder whether elbows and wild finishes are becoming the norm on the last lap. They dive into Rajah Caruth giving the big dogs a run for their money, almost beating Byron and Eckes in a career-best finish. Meanwhile, they analyze Parker's weekend and Larson emerging victorious in a wild Xfinity race, after sending JHN into the inside barrier like a bowling pin. The two investigate what happened in the late race restarts that resulted in controversy across every NASCAR fan base as Ross finally ends up on the wrong end of a scuff up.

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ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Marc Gené F2007 Imola Test Onboard

Take a lap around Imola with Ferrari test driver Marc Gené as he rips around the track in the F2007. This was one of the first tests ahead of F1's return to the track in 2020.

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Jeff Gordon claimed a victory in the Tyson Holly Farms 400 on September 29, 1961

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