Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “It took a little while to get the Menards Chevy running fast, but it definitely was at the end. There was so much tire degradation that it was difficult to get a great feel for balance. Essentially, seventh is not bad. It’s not what we want to do, but starting 11th and being unlucky with the draw in qualifying are factors. I can’t complain about it. That’s the sport. We just need to be patient and keep doing what we’re doing. At some point we’ll get…
Author: Mike Haag
Mike Haag
Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 39 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 19 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. — Steve Torrence powered his Top Fuel dragster to his fifth victory of the season Sunday at the 20th annual Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters at Route 66 Raceway. Ron Capps (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the 13th of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Top Fuel points leader Torrence secured the win with a run of 3.779-seconds at 326.08 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to…
By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service SPARTA, Ky. – After all was said and done, the dominant car won the race – but not without extreme complications. With just over a lap to go in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. held a lead of more than 15 seconds over second-place Kyle Larson, with only eight cars remaining on the lead lap. But before Truex could take the white flag signaling the final lap, the engine in Kurt Busch’s Ford expired, dumping oil on the 1.5-mile track. Under the caution, only Truex stayed out, with…
SPARTA, Kentucky – Brad Keselowski sounded off about the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car after wrecking his car on the restart following the break between Stages 1 and 2 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night. The wreck also collected Jimmie Johnson and both drivers suffered damage to their cars to the extent that they could not continue racing in the Quaker State 400. Here’s what Brad had to say after the race. BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion: Accident on Lap 87 WHAT HAPPENED? “I just got in an aero wake and it pulled me…
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. — Brittany Force powered to her first No. 1 qualifier of the season Saturday evening at the 20th annual Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters at Route 66 Raceway. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 13th of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Force maintained her lead in the Top Fuel category with a run of 3.711-seconds at 323.04 mph in her Monster Energy dragster…
Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series NEWTON, Iowa – As strong as he normally is in Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying, Will Power doesn’t usually need the added advantage of being last in the qualifying order – when track conditions are typically best – or the benefit of seeing how his Team Penske teammates perform before him. With the bonus of drawing the last spot in today’s Verizon P1 Award qualifying for the Iowa Corn 300, Power was not to be denied. The 36-year-old Australian blitzed the field to earn the 48th pole position of his 13-year Indy car career, with a…
Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “That was a bit of a scary ride. I don’t know if it was the different kind of rubber laid down by the other series or what, but the Menards Chevy was a little loose. That can happen when you go out first. You’re just never really sure what you’re going to get. I’m not worried about anything though. I know the car is strong. My teammates that went out later in the session had good runs, so we’ll just need to work through some traffic to…
By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service SPARTA, Ky. – As Kyle Busch spun his No. 18 Toyota wildly during his celebratory burnout at Kentucky Speedway, the right rear tire exploded with an audible pop after it hit the drain below the apron. It was an astute call by crew chief Eric Phillips that enabled Busch’s tires to survive long enough to win Saturday afternoon’s rain-delayed Alsco 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the 1.5-mile track. In effect, Phillips was the architect of Busch’s second victory this season, his fourth at Kentucky and the 88th of his career, extending his own…
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. — Robert Hight powered to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday evening at the 20th annual Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters at Route 66 Raceway. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the 13th of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Hight set both ends of the track record after a 3.851-second pass at 334.73 mph in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS…
News, notes and photos courtesy of NASCAR NASCAR XFINITY Series Next Race: Alsco 300 The Place: Kentucky Speedway The Date: Friday, July 7 The Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 7:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200) NASCAR XFINITY Series Friday Night Under The Kentucky Lights: A Playoff Preview Performing well is especially important this weekend at Kentucky Speedway in the Alsco 300 on Friday, July 7 (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR…