Good morning! Hopefully your week has started off as perfect as Max Verstappen’s impressive weekend in Spain! If it hasn’t? Well we still have some of the latest racing news, funny memes and even a corny joke to get it back on track!

What do race car drivers feed their babies?

*Answer at the bottom

F1

Verstappen Victorious in Spain

Reigning world champ Max Verstappen secured his fifth victory in 2023 at the Spanish Grand Prix, consolidating his championship lead. Despite initial hiccups with Norris, Lewis Hamilton drove his upgraded Mercedes W14 from P4 to an impressive P2, highlighting the enhanced pace of the vehicle 🚀. George Russell finished third completing the double podium for Mercedes.

Verstappen, after bagging pole position, remained in firm control of the race, extending his lead throughout. Hamilton, not to be overshadowed, displayed some solid overtaking maneuvers to secure his spot. 🔀

Sergio Perez and Russell were the day's big movers, overcoming low grid positions to finish fourth and third respectively.

F1 Entry Deadline: Evaluating the Contenders

🏁 The race for new Formula 1 teams is on a pit stop 🛑, with initial applications now in the hands of the governing body, FIA, for review. The checkered flag waved on the process after months of submissions 📨, with prospective teams like Andretti Cadillac and ‘Formula Equal’ vying for a spot on the grid.

As an FIA spokesperson said, the org's focus is now on scrutinizing entries for "technical capabilities, funding, experience, and sustainability" 🌍. New applicants must show their carbon-neutral plan for 2030 and how they'd "achieve a positive societal impact."

The FIA will be radio silent 🤫 while reviewing in the interest of confidentiality. No word on the exact number of submissions, but multiple new teams could potentially join the race. 🚥

More F1

🏎️ Russell admits rain-sweat confusion during Spanish GP was embarrassing - Russell mistook his sweat for rain during the Spanish GP.

🏁 Hamilton offers fresh Mercedes contract update as he prepares for meeting - Hamilton updates on his contract talks with Mercedes.

🗣️ Steiner reprimanded for stewards outburst - Steiner faces consequences for his comments towards stewards during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

📝 Mercedes fined over parc ferme breach - Mercedes fined for violating the updated parc ferme regulations.

NASCAR

Busch Bests the Field at Gateway

Kyle Busch drove his way to victory at the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday 🏎️💨 Beating Denny Hamlin in a late-race restart, Busch scored his 63rd career win and the first at World Wide Technology Raceway 🏆 This win also marked a hometown victory for his crew chief Randall Burnett from Fenton, MO.

"This one is pretty cool," said Busch. Despite 11 cautions and a weather delay, Busch kept his cool and dominated, leading for 121 laps - the most by a Richard Childress Racing driver in a decade 👏

Hamlin took the second spot, while Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five. Hamlin commented on his improved performance following last week's crash: "I obviously feel a lot better than I did last week at this time." 🏁🚀

Custer Survives Chaos in Portland

From third row to first place, Cole Custer 🏎️ steered to his initial victory of 2023 in the NASCAR Xfinity series at Portland International Raceway. 🔀 Custer snatched the lead amidst the final lap frenzy when Parker Kligerman's daring three-wide pass attempt went south. 🚀🎢

Justin Allgaier trailed close, but Custer clung on, securing his 11th career win and his playoffs ticket. 🎫 Post-race, Custer said: "Just trying not to make mistakes...I'm just so happy...I’ve been so close, so many times. It’s just awesome to win this." 🏆🔒

The race ended not without a scuffle - Jeb Burton clashed with Chandler Smith over some late-race contact. 🥊🔥

Top-ten: Custer, Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Josh Berry, Austin Hill, Myatt Snider, Sheldon Creed, Connor Mosack, Smith, and John-Hunter Nemechek. 🏆🚗

Enfinger Grabs Gold at Gateway

In a pulse-racing finish at the Toyota 200, Grant Enfinger clinched his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season. 🎉 Seizing the opportunity from a surprising wreck involving Ty Majeski and Zane Smith, Enfinger sped into the lead. 🚚💥

The nerve-wracking overtime saw Enfinger crossing the finish line a mere 0.256 seconds before Christian Eckes, thus pocketing a sweet $50k bonus in the Triple Truck Challenge. 🏆💰

"It's just so hard to win these races," Enfinger admitted, attributing recent success to teamwork: "But these last five races, I feel like we've come to our own." 🙌

Following close behind were Stewart Friesen in third, Carson Hocevar in fourth, and Chase Purdy completing the top five. 📈

More NASCAR

🚗 How a NASCAR team aced the Le Mans test day - A historic debut for a NASCAR team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans test day, where they showed impressive speed and performance.
☎️ What did Rick Hendrick say to Corey LaJoie when he got the call? - LaJoie breaks down the conversation that led to him filling in for Chase Elliott

IndyCar

Street Savvy: Palou's Power Play

🏁 Alex Palou's white-knuckled drive in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix resulted in his second win of the season. 🏎️ Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing Honda faced a nail-biting battle with Will Power's Penske Chevy, overcoming numerous cautions to claim victory.

The 2021 champion, Palou, was quoted saying, "Gearbox issues nearly cost me the perfect Detroit weekend", but held strong to extend his lead to 51 points in the championship. 🏆 Power was a surprise contender, taking a different tire strategy, and said, "We race hard, but I think we also race fair", after being nudged onto two wheels during a late restart.

💥 On-track chaos saw Rossi hitting a wall, Kyle Kirkwood's commendable fightback to 6th place, and a wild start with only the first eight cars lined up properly.

More IndyCar

🏆 How a 60-year-old trophy brought tears to Penske’s eyes - The man behind the most successful racing team in history got a surprise gift at the Indy 500: his first ever trophy from 1963.

👏 Kanaan earns McLaren’s respect and admiration - The 46-year-old driver showed his skills and experience at the Texas doubleheader, making McLaren keen to work with him again.

😂 Power rants about IndyCar, F1, and his own blunders - The outspoken Aussie driver didn’t hold back his opinions on the state of racing, his rivals, and his own mistakes.

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

🏁 Le Mans test day: Ferrari beats Peugeot, Toyota in trouble - Ferrari shows its pace in the first session of the Le Mans test day, while Toyota faces a setback with a crash.

💪 Rovanpera’s smart drive earns him second WRC podium in Sardinia - Rovanpera overcomes the disadvantage of being first on the road on Friday to finish third in the WRC Sardinia rally.

🏆 Sutton dominates BTCC race two at Oulton Park - Sutton takes his sixth win of the BTCC season in a commanding performance in the second race at Oulton Park.

🌏 Macau street circuit to host FIA GT World Cup in 2023 - The FIA GT World Cup will make its comeback to the challenging Macau street circuit in November, after missing two years due to the pandemic.

🏁 Morad and Ward clinch first Michelin Pilot Challenge win in Detroit - Morad and Ward survive a chaotic race at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park to take their first Michelin Pilot Challenge win of the season.

⚡ Evans fends off Vergne to secure Jakarta E-Prix podium - Evans manages to finish third in the Jakarta E-Prix, despite having a damaged car and low energy, and keeps Vergne behind him.

The Money Lap Podcast | Episode 5

Episode 5 is out NOW! In this episode, they delve into the implications of Jacques Villeneuve's benching, explore Parker's newfound passion for the "Endurance Legends" series, and decrypt the intriguing relationship between Hertz and racing. Parker and Landon decodes Verstappen's Monaco triumph and speculate on potential strategy tweaks at Redbull and Mercedes, all while airing out cautionary tales about over-reliance on racing simulators.

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Memes

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Michael Schumacher 2003 Spanish GP Onboard

Let’s throw it back to 2003 during the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit De Catalunya. Hop on board as Schumacher takes you around for a lap during a Friday quali session!