Good morning! There's a lot to catch up on with all three of NASCAR's premiere series, IndyCar, AND F1 all in action. Despite Max and Red Bull cruising to an easy victory, the Bahrain GP was not short of drama. Meanwhile, the Firestone GP witnessed the wildest start in history, and NASCAR's Most Popular Driver was sidelined in Vegas.

Let us bring you up to speed on all the latest motorsports news, test your knowledge with some Las Vegas trivia, and see how you fared in this week's fantasy.

What was the first racing series held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

*Answer at the bottom

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Money Lap Fantasy by eRacr

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Fantasy Results

F1

Red Bull Returns to Form in Bahrain

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2023 Formula 1 season, for Red Bull Racing. Sergio Perez finished second in another Red Bull, with Fernando Alonso taking third for Aston Martin. Verstappen led from the start and only briefly surrendered his lead during pit stops. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc suffered a loss of power and was forced to retire. Hamilton and Bottas of Mercedes struggled with tires throughout the race, finishing fifth and ninth, respectively.

Alonso Hype Train Rolls on

Fernando Alonso stated in an interview, that he believes he can win a race this season after finishing on the podium in his first race for Aston Martin. Alonso finished third, behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, and believes that he has 22 opportunities this season to win. He also said that he did not expect to be that competitive this year, and that his goal was to lead the midfield and get close to the top three teams.

Stroll Struggles Through the Pain for Career Day

Canadian Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll finished sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix less than two weeks after breaking two wrists and a toe in a training accident. Stroll underwent surgery on one wrist and returned to the car for the first time on Friday. Despite being in pain for the last 20 laps of the race, he split the Mercedes pair to support team-mate Fernando Alonso’s third place finish.

Can Redbull Achieve the Perfect Season?

George Russell believes Red Bull has a strong chance of winning every race this season and securing the 2023 championship based on their dominant race pace in the Bahrain Grand Prix. He thinks that no other team will be able to challenge them stating "Red Bull have got this championship sewn up. I don’t think anyone will be fighting with them this year."

Meanwhile, Russell admits that Mercedes needs to improve its race car performance as it was not competitive enough in the first race of the season.

More F1

📈 Williams makes "unbeleivable progress" in Bahrain... Alex Albon breaks down how the team found success and scored a point in the season opener

🔧 Ferrari claims that concerning performance in Bahrain is due to poor setup not concept... they claim that they will be good enough to take the fight to Red Bull

NASCAR

A Hendrick Hold Up in Vegas

William Byron won the NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after rallying in overtime, passing Martin Truex Jr on the final lap to hold off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson by 0.622 seconds. With Alex Bowman finishing third, Hendrick claimed a 1-2-3 finish, the team’s third-ever. Byron won his fifth career victory and his first of the 2023 season. The top three lockout was taken by the team’s remaining full-time drivers, as fourth regular entry Chase Elliott is out of action after suffering a leg injury.

Chase Elliott Misses First Cup Start

Josh Berry, driving for an injured Chase Elliott, finished 29th in Sunday's Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports has not stated a timetable for Elliott's return, who suffered a fractured tibia in a snowboarding accident on Friday in Colorado.

Berry, who competes full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, had run only two previous Cup races, making this weekend his first time in a Next Gen Cup car. Berry finished two laps behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, who won the race. Hendrick Motorsports has not stated who will drive the No. 9 car beyond Sunday's race at Las Vegas until Elliott returns.

Last Lap Magic

Austin Hill won the Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, passing pole winner Chandler Smith on the final lap. This was Hill's second win of the year, having won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Smith, who led for 118 laps, finished third behind Hill and Justin Allgaier. Kyle Busch finished fourth in his first Xfinity Series start of the season. John Hunter Nemechek won the first stage but finished sixth after losing track position due to a loose wheel.

Busch Continues Statement Start to the Year

Kyle Busch won the Victoria's Voice Foundation 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, driving his own Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevy. He led 84 of the 134 laps and beat Zane Smith by 4.981 seconds. The victory was Busch’s fourth at his home track, the first of the season and the 63rd of his career.

More NASCAR

🏎 Ross Chastain considers IndyCar ride... Justin Marks states that IndyCar is an area he is interested in exploring for Trackhouse

IndyCar

Ericsson Eeks Out Victory over O'Ward

Marcus Ericsson has won his fourth NTT IndyCar Series race and his third on a street course, finishing 2.4 seconds ahead of Scott Dixon at the Grand Prix of St Petersburg. Ericsson's victory earned the Chip Ganassi Racing team their 124th IndyCar victory. Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward held a half-second lead over Ericsson with three laps to go, but a brief engine problem allowed Ericsson to streak away to victory. The race was beset with crashes and saw only 12 drivers on the lead lap by the end.

St. Petersburg Starts off with a Bang

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg saw at least three tubs destroyed and extensive damage to several cars, with some teams potentially facing $700,000 in damage. In an interview with Racer, Andretti Autosport COO Rob Edwards claimed that they lost two of their four cars and needed to repair and replace many parts before the next event.

Several other teams, including Meyer Shank Racing, also suffered damage to their cars. Teams are now working to rebuild before IndyCar’s next race at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

More IndyCar

📊 IndyCar debuts new telemetry system... new features will help improve team's performances and assist the IndyCar Medical team

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🤝 M-Sport Optimistic that Ford and Red Bull's new partnership will strengthen WRC team... Ford has previously stated that other motorsports efforts would remain unnaffected

🆕 Team BMW unveils new car ahead of 2023 British Tour Car Championship season... Check out the upgrades, driver lineup and other specs here

🏁 Race #2 of GT America breakdown and results... Memo Gidley wins another chaos-filled race in St. Petersburg

Memes

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Romain Grosjean Firestone GP Qualifying Onboard

Today's onboard video is brought to you courtesy of Romain Grosjean. Watch his pole lap in St. Petersburg for the Firestone GP. Grosjean would start the race in first but a chaotic race would leave him with a P18 finish.

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS

*Answer

The first racing series to ever hit the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the IndyCar Series! Richie Hearn was the first race's winner on September 15th, 1996. NASCAR didn't compete at the speedway until 1998.

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