Good morning! It's apparently National Hot Tea Day (ugh, the holiday thing is so played out) but we bring this up because it's fitting for today. As much of what you will read is about either an American racing legend fighting against an establishment much like the British Aristocracy or an American racing legend launching a new brand aimed at the feelings a 1950s Jaguar stirs up about the good old days in motor car racing. So have a spot of tea and enjoy the day!

As always, at the bottom, we'd appreciate your feedback in our poll.

FORMULA ONE

Andretti vs F1 Aristocracy

In an expansive and very open interview, prospective Formula One team owner Michael Andretti spoke with Forbes about the pushback he's received from current F1 team owners regarding his General Motors-backed team's acceptance into the championship.

Andretti claims that the opposition is driven by greed and fear of losing a portion of prize money and American sponsors. There have been accusations that GM is simply "rebadging" an engine and that there is no way his team could be ready for 2025.

In this interview, he responded to all of those claims, but most interestingly, it's the sour taste this is leaving in American race fans that may be his best card. To embolden American racing fans even more, he also revealed plans to pursue a NASCAR Cup Series team in the future. Michael Andretti means business.

F1 Resists Enthusiastic Potential Owner's Advancements

In an op-ed for Racer - Respected F1 journalist has some advice for Michael Andretti. He says despite the Andretti team ticking all the major boxes for an F1 team entry and having the support of the FIA, F1 as a sport has not been as enthusiastic and teams have not made any public statements in support.

He suggests that Andretti's public approach and accusations of greed against the existing teams may backfire and potentially harm the team's chances of entry. And that the sport is looking deeper into the GM aspect of the project and that there might be more compelling and significant commitments from other manufacturers such as Porsche that may have more chance of being accepted.

Read the full piece here 

More F1

🏅 Juan Pablo Montoya's son joins Redbull Junior Team... F1 is his aim

😬 Kevin Magnussen doesnt need a new friend ... Like say his teammate

NASCAR

LEGACY Motor Club

NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson have revealed that they are renaming their team Petty GMS Motorsports as LEGACY Motor Club. This new name serves as an honor to their past achievements as drivers and a symbol of their aspirations for success in the future.

According to Petty "The “Motor Club” is a perfect fit because we want our fans to pull for the whole team. When I see the No. 42 & 43 cars, no matter who the driver was, is currently, or could be in the future, I want our fans to remember the Petty history that comes with them, and that history will continue to be made with Legacy M.C.".

Johnson, who joined the team as co-owner in 2022, will be participating in a limited schedule as a driver. He will be piloting the No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro, which was selected as it is the inversion of the iconic No. 48 that he made famous while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. The number also symbolizes his aim for 84 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series. He currently has 83 wins under his belt.

It's BRISTOL DALE JR, BABY

JR Motorsports announced that NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to the Xfinity Series this year, driving the Unilever-branded No. 88 entry at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. Earnhardt Jr, has participated in at least one Xfinity Series event annually over the past few years since his retirement in 2017. He has previously won in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series at Bristol Motor Speedway.

From Malcolm to Mustang

Actor and professional motorsports athlete Frankie Muniz has announced that he will be racing the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing and competing for the ARCA Menards Series championship at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2023. He said that it was a dream of his to pursue racing in NASCAR since childhood and that he was excited to join Rette Jones Racing for the full schedule this year, and work with a team that aligned with his long-term objectives and vision.

DAKAR

Dakar Drivers Face More Danger

The past two days has had no shortage of excitement as we blow past the halfway mark of the 2023 Dakar Rally. Here's what you missed:

Stage 9: Klein Crashes out of contention, closest bike race in history, Sainz retires after scary flip

Stage 10: Quintero leads USA with T3 victory, Klein slips into second place, riders rest up for marathon in stage 11

Money Lap will continue to update stories and results throughout the event, but if you'd like to watch it in the USA:

• Coverage is on Peacock each night, Or watch extended highlights (10minutes) below

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

❄️ NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Indefinitely Postpones first race it's been put on ice

👊 Supercar driver loses seat fighting at the awards gala?

📈 2023 FIA WEC entry list sets record former F1 Champ set to make debut

Motorsports Puzzle

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Fernando Alonso 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

Ride onboard Fernando Alonso's Ferrari F2012 as he navigates through the first lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix!

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