Good morning! Another action packed weekend is on tap with F1's return to the grid in Azerbaijan and NASCAR heads North to Dover! Catch up on some of the biggest motorsport stories from the week and sound off in the comments! This week we want to know - Should professional drivers be banned from participating in outside racing?

What is the grand prix drivers favorite button on his keyboard?

*Answer at the bottom

Motorsports Moneyline

Baku Driver Odds (provided by BetMGM)

-200 Max Verstappen

+450 Sergio Perez

+1000 Fernando Alonso

+1200 Lewis Hamilton

+1400 Charles Leclerc

Dover Driver Odds (provided by BetMGM)

+600 Kyle Larson

+700 William Byron

+700 Chase Elliott

+900 Denny Hamlin

+900 Martin Truex Jr.

Trending Up 📈

Lewis Hamilton - After a three week hiatus, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are ready to hit the track with some upgrades. It's still remain to be seen if they can compete with Red Bull's pace but look for them to try to overtake Aston Martin as the #2 team.

Josh Berry - Coming off of a stint with Hendrick Motorsports covering for Chase Elliott, Berry got the call again to fill in for an injured Alex Bowman. Josh impressed in his opportunity with the no. 9 team. With some comfortability and familiarity under his belt he should do more of the same.

Trending Down 📉

Charles Leclerc - Ferrari and Leclerc have not had the start to 2023 that they were hoping for. With reliability issues and a general lack of pace, Leclerc should be avoided for the time being.

Daniel Suarez - Unlike his teammate Ross Chastain, Suarez has had a tough go of it in '23. With an average start of 17.4 and an average finish of 17.3, the no. 99 Trackhouse team have struggled to find any momentum this season.

eRacr's AI Generated Fantasy Lineup

Based on current trends and previous race statistics here is the ideal lineup for your NASCAR Fantasy team heading into Dover:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Chase Elliott

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. William Byron

Garage: Kevin Harvick

NASCAR

Bowman Sidelined After Sprint Car Crash

Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR driver Alex Bowman has been injured in a sprint car crash and is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks. He sustained a compression fracture of a vertebra while competing in the Limit Sprint Car Series in Iowa. Bowman's injury marks the second time this year that a Hendrick driver has been sidelined by an injury, with Chase Elliott missing six races earlier in the season after fracturing his tibia. Bowman will be replaced by NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry. The team will request a medical waiver so that Bowman can remain eligible for the playoffs.

Let us know what you think! Should drivers avoid sprint car/open wheel racing? Should they outlaw extracurricular racing in general? Sound off and comment your take below 👇

Van Gisbergen Coy on Cup Series Confirmation

Shane van Gisbergen, the three-time Supercars champion, has denied any confirmation of a move to NASCAR with Project 91. However, he maintains his wish to race in the series and has been trying to contact Paul Morris to connect him with NASCAR. There has been speculation that van Gisbergen could be the new driver to take over the Trackhouse Racing-run initiative, as he was in preliminary talks with Justin Marks last year. While his short-term future is in Australia, van Gisbergen has admitted to having seriously thought about other options and wants to continue his extracurricular activities such as rallying and Sprintcar racing.

Keselowski and Bell Talk Tires

More NASCAR

🤝 NASCAR and Sirius XM announce partnership extension... Sirius XM received a multiyear extension for broadcasting agreement

⭐️ Kyle Larson joins Kaulig Racing's 'All-Star' Car... Larson will driver the no. 10 car at the Darlington Xfinity Series race

👋 Toni Breidinger makes NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Debut in Kansas... Victoria's Secret will partner with Breidinger to field the no. 1 Truck out of TRICON Garage

F1

Sprint Race Shakeup

Formula 1 has confirmed changes to the sprint format, with the outcome of the sprint no longer affecting the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. The Sprint will become a standalone element with a qualifying session, called the Sprint Shootout, to determine the grid for the Sprint. Qualifying for the Grand Prix will now take place on Friday, with Fridays including an FP1 session and a standard qualifying session to set the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. The revised sprint format will carry the same points system as last season and the way penalties are handed out has also been revised.

Mazepin Sues Entire Country in Hopes of an F1 Return

Nikita Mazepin, a Russian racing driver who was dropped by the Haas Formula One team, is planning to take legal action against the Canadian Grand Prix. He claims that his failure to qualify for the race in 2021 was due to a technical issue with his car that was not his fault. Mazepin hopes that this legal action will help him to secure a place on a Formula One team in the future, after his controversial behavior caused Haas to terminate his contract.

More F1

🚀 Lewis Hamilton's plans to go to space... He reveals that he has been talking to Elon Musk and making plans to take a trip to outer space.

🛞 Lights out for LED wheel cover system in 2024... F1 and teams scrap idea of incorporating the LED covers next season

IndyCar

Nashville Gets a New Look

The Tennessee Titans' new stadium will impact the Nashville Grand Prix's current layout, which is positioned around the Titans' existing stadium. However, it won't threaten the popular event's place on the NTT IndyCar Series' calendar. The Nashville GP CEO Jason Rittenberry has said that they have been planning with circuit designer Tony Cotman and IndyCar for a plan for 2024 and beyond, and they are in the process of signing a new three-year extension with IndyCar. They will continue the race on a new course, but it will still be in downtown Nashville. The process of mapping out alternate courses has already begun and will continue until the next design is finalized and approved by the city and series.

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🇬🇧 United Kingdom bid for WRC Rally event extended... a push to get WRC to return to the UK but more time is needed to make it happen

🦘 Supercars head to Perth for the Perth Super Sprint... Full details and everything you need to know here

🔧 Official torque sensor failures prompt new WEC rule change... new procedure will prevent lengthy repairs for the sensor failures

🏍️ MotoGP schedule cut down to 20 races... why Kazakhstan was cut from the 2023 calendar

Money Lap Fantasy by eRacr

Join the eRacr Fantasy leagues to compete against other Money Lap subscribers and compete for exclusive prizes all season long! It's not too late to enter! Join below:

Join NASCAR here!

Join F1 Fantasy here!

Standings

Memes

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Kyle Larson Millbridge Midget 2020 Onboard

From flipping in turn one on lap one to a photo finish for the win, hop on board with Kyle Larson as he expertly navigates his way through the field in a 30 lap shootout at Millbridge Speedway in the Carolina Midget Showdown.

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*Answer

'F1'!

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