Good morning! The off-season in motorsports can seem like a never ending set of announcements. Some expected, some unexpected all using the word "excited" and occasionally some that make us wish it turned out differently. In today's email there are a lot of "excited" and one that made these authors sad. This is some of our best work, but enough about us - start scrolling. 

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

F1

23 Races in 2023

Formula 1 has announced that the 2023 season schedule will consist of 23 races, with the Chinese Grand Prix removed from the calendar due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19. The decision to cancel the race in Shanghai leaves a three-week gap between the Australian Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The teams will have to make adjustments as the reduction in the number of races means they will be limited to four gearboxes for the season, instead of five if the calendar had run to 24 events. The number of power units available and the rest of the calendar remain unchanged. 

Seb Already Tired of Retirement

In an interview, Four-time Formula 1 champion, Sebastian Vettel, has hinted that he might be interested in rallying after retiring from F1. Vettel mentioned that he has always liked rallying and that it is a major challenge, but he is not sure yet if he will pursue it. He will test his off-road skills at the Race of Champions in Sweden on January 28-29. He said that he is looking forward to "nothing" after 16 years of Grand Prix racing and that there are many other things he is interested in such as environmentalism, sustainability, charity, and social justice. He said he is looking forward to being surprised by life after F1 and learning more about himself, spending more time with his family, and giving more room to the things he naturally did not have time for while racing.

Records up for Grabs this Season

As the 2023 Formula 1 season approaches, many records are in reach for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Hamilton is striving to secure his 8th drivers' championship, which would be a record. Meanwhile, records held by Michael Schumacher such as most consecutive races leading the championship and most wins at the same Grand Prix may be challenged. With the start of the season approaching, it will be exciting to see which records will be broken by the drivers.

Check out the full list of records that could be broken during the 2023 season here

More F1

 🎸 Miami Grand Prix announces major upgrades... F1 Paddock moves into Hard Rock Stadium

🔀 FIA makes major changes in management... Steve Nielsen leaves F1

NASCAR

NASCAR's Most Opinionated Driver gets a Microphone

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s multimedia platform, Dirty Mo Media, has signed a podcast deal with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. The podcast, called "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin", is set to debut on February 6, with new episodes dropping weekly during the NASCAR season. The first episode will air following the season-opening, non-points-paying Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The podcast will be part of the Dirty Mo Media podcast network, which already includes Earnhardt's own show, "The Dale Jr. Download".

Cassill Forced to Step Away From Full Time Competition

Landon Cassill said in a statement on Wednesday that he won't be returning to the Kaulig Racing no. 10 car in a full time capacity next year. Cassill hasn't announced any other plans regarding the 2023 season other than he will "be training and preparing for the opportunity to win."

SRX Tabs Busch, Bowyer, Harvick and Castroneves 

NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick will make their debuts in Tony Stewart’s summer all-star series, Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), while four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves confirmed he will return for a third season. The series will now take place on Thursday nights as part of a new television package with ESPN.

Kyle Busch will race in the middle two events of the season, taking place at Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia and Berlin Raceway in Michigan. Bowyer will race in the opener at Stafford Speedway in Connecticut, at Motor Mile, and the finale at Lucas Oil Speedway in Missouri. Kevin Harvick will compete at Stafford and Berlin while Castroneves, who won last year’s SRX opener, will compete at Motor Mile, Berlin Speedway, and Lucas Oil.

More NASCAR

🖊 Chandler Smith to attempt Cup Series Debut at Daytona with Kaulig... Four impressive open teams stand between him and the 500

📈 Daytona 500 sells out for eighth consecutive year... NASCAR set to kick off 75th year on a high note

IMSA

Will Power Withdraws From Rolex 24

Two-time and reigning IndyCar champion Will Power has withdrawn from next week’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona due to ongoing medical issues for his wife Elizabeth. Power was set to make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut at the wheel of Kenny Habul’s GTD-class SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3, sharing the ride with Habul, Axcil Jefferies and Fabian Schiller. Power's wife Elizabeth has spent more than a week in hospital, including two days in ICU, after undergoing back surgery. Power has decided to stay at home to support her and their son Beau.

Win The Weekend - Episode 1

INDYCAR

Takuma Sato, a 13-season veteran of the NTT IndyCar Series, will join Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 as the driver of the team's No. 11 Dallara-Honda for oval races and the Indianapolis 500. Sato, who will turn 46 later this month, was previously a fierce competitor of Chip Ganassi Racing but will now join the team for five races this season.

His first race for Ganassi will be the April 2nd Texas Motor Speedway race. This will end his streak of 216 consecutive races attempted in IndyCar. Sato is the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500 in 2017, and has a shot at joining the prestigious club of drivers who have won the Indy 500 with three different teams.

GLOBAL MOTORSPORT

Take a trip to far away motorsport lands

 🏁 The World Rally Championship returns this weekend... Everything you need to know

🛢 Gen 3 Supercars to run on new fuel blend... E75 is the new E85

🏎 Felipe Nasr compares Porsche 963 GTP to F1... "the hybrid system reminds me of my F1 days."

Memes

NASCAR Media Day brought to you by @nascarcasm

ONBOARD OF THE DAY

Jarno Trulli Monaco 2004 Onboard

Hop on board Jarno Trulli's Reanault R24 as he flies around the streets of Monaco as he scores the pole position and eventually the win. 

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