Good morning! This week both F1 and NASCAR will be in action so there's a lot to catch up on in the motorsport world! Pre-season testing for Formula 1 gets underway at Bahrain today giving us our first glimpse of on-track action in 2023. Meanwhile NASCAR heads West!

Why did the F1 driver get electrocuted after finishing one lap?

*Answer at the bottom

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

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Standings

Motorsports Moneyline

Daytona 500 Driver Odds (provided by BetMGM)

+600 Kyle Larson

+900 Denny Hamlin

+900 Ryan Blaney

+1000 Chase Elliott

+1000 Kyle Busch

Trending Up 📈

Kyle Larson - Coming in as this week's favorite, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion looks to return to form at his home track, and one of his notoriously best performing tracks.

Trending Down 📉

Brad Keselowski - Keselowski and the no. 6 had a strong showing at Daytona, no doubt. But don't let that fool you, the Roush Fenway Keselowski team still has a lot to prove outside of the superspeedways.

F1

Pre-Season Testing

Formula 1 teams and drivers will gather at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain this week for three days of pre-season testing before the start of the new season. This will be the first chance to see the new cars on track and assess whether Red Bull is still the team to beat or if Mercedes has resolved its problems from last year. While teams will be monitoring their rivals for any unexpected technological advancements, it is possible that some teams may opt to hold back and intentionally underperform during the weekend in order to hide their true potential.

Key Changes for 2023

The Formula 1 Commission recently met to discuss and approve key regulatory changes for the upcoming season. Among the changes are a new wet-weather tire that does not require the use of tire blankets, updates to circuits in Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Miami, and Zandvoort, and adjustments to the DRS zones to facilitate overtaking. The Commission also approved a proposal to relax the regulation of radio messages and changes to Parc Fermé for events that include a Sprint session. Minor amendments to the 2023 Sporting, Technical, and Financial Regulations were also unanimously approved.

Read the full changes here

Two Lead Drivers

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are looking forward to partnering together at Alpine for the 2023 season, with the two former karting rivals now focused on working together to get the most out of the team's new A523 challenger. Despite racing against each other during their karting days, the two drivers insist that any past tensions are behind them, and they are both focused on achieving their shared goal of fighting at the front of the grid.

Alpine is taking an interesting approach again in 2023 with no clear lead driver. Ocon stated “Me and Fernando last year, we had same approach, the same feedback for the team. But there was not one leader or one guy that was not a leader. We had two number ones and I expect that to be the same thing this year."

Remains of Grosjean's VF-20 Put on Display

The chassis and survival cell from Romain Grosjean's car, which split in two and caught fire during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, will be on display as part of the F1 Exhibition in Europe starting in Madrid in late March. The display will showcase the safety systems that helped save Grosjean's life, as well as previously unseen footage of the crash in a specially-titled room called "Survival." The exhibition offers a range of experiences for fans to explore the history, people, and future of F1.

More F1

📺 Drive to Survive Season 5... Release date, how to watch, and more...

👔 Lewis Hamilton has a personal stylist... Eric McNeal shares his favorite outfits from 2022

🥇 Seidl wants more for Sauber... He says they should be fighting for victories in the near future

NASCAR

Fontana's Finale?

NASCAR is set to demolish the Auto Club Speedway built by Roger Penske. The, originally named, California Speedway was constructed for $125 million and received high praise for its garage bays, pit stalls, suites, facilities, and gym. However, Paul Oberjuerge, sports editor of The San Bernardino County Sun, wrote a column in 1997 titled "Speedway: Bigger Isn't Always Better," which raised concerns about the mammoth infield and Penske's endless ambition. Six weeks after the column was published, Jeff Gordon won the inaugural California 500, and the track became a staple of NASCAR's premier series in Southern California.

However, 26 years later, Oberjuerge's words are proving to be prescient, as the Fontana oval is set to be blown up and rebuilt as a short track, which has raised serious questions about NASCAR's past, present, and future in SoCal. There are no official blueprints, and there has been no timetable for when – or even if – the repurposed short track will open.

Goodyear Debuts New Tire for Auto Club's Last Race

Goodyear has launched a new tire for the NASCAR Cup Series' last race at Auto Club Speedway, which is set to undergo renovations following this weekend's event. Goodyear has created different left and right-side tires this year, noting changes to the construction and mold shape of the tires. Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, has warned that the abrasive racing surface will make tire wear and management crucial during the race, as NASCAR limited 12 sets of tires per team.

Daytona Delivered

California Dreaming

NASCAR, often associated with its southeastern roots, has a long and rich history on the West Coast. Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR, met Hershel McGriff in 1950 during the Pan-American Road Race in Mexico, and the latter's invitation to the Southern 500 later that year helped fuel France's vision of making NASCAR a national sport. By 1951, NASCAR's top series had California on its schedule, and in 1954, the Pacific Coast Late Model Circuit was founded, which eventually became the ARCA Menards West Series. NASCAR has had a strong presence in California since then, and in the 21st century, drivers from the Pacific Time Zone have won 13 of 22 series titles.

More NASCAR

😃 Pastrana says Daytona was "one of the most exciting things i've ever done"... Breakdown of his 11th place run

👃 Chevrolet's new noses were an improvement at Daytona... Suarez says they gave better pushes and allowed drivers to be more aggressive

IndyCar

Patrick and Tirico Back in the Booth

Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick will be hosting NBC's coverage of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2023. Tirico has been hosting the event since 2019, while Patrick, a former driver with eight Indy 500 starts, has previously worked as a studio analyst and a pit lane analyst. Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe will serve as the lead commentary team for the event, with the rest of the commentators to be announced later. The 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season will begin with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 5, and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🆕 Tony Stewart ready for new challenge... He'll be racing full-time with the NHRA in 2023

☕️ Accusations and drama at Supercars test... Chevrolet teams say Mustangs lack of pace due to 'gamesmanship'

🆘 WRC UK revival attempt #4... But they risk losing the sport altogether in the region if it fails again

Memes

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Nico Rosberg 2013 Bahrain Onboard

Ride alongside Nico Rosberg as he races around the Bahrain International Circuit for his Pole Lap! The Mercedes AMG W04 would set quick time in qualifying but fell all the way down to P9 in the race.

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS

*Answer

Because he completed the circuit!

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