Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the newest celebrity to dip his feet into the world of NASCAR team ownership. On Tuesday, The Money Team Racing announced it will begin Cup Series competition at the Daytona 500 with the #50 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Kaz Grala will drive the car while veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr. oversees the pit box.

“I love fast cars and I love to compete,” stated Mayweather. “I know NASCAR will not be easy, but anything easy isn’t worth doing to me. With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand.”

The Money Team, named after Mayweather’s lifestyle brand, initially planned to run the 2019 season finale at Homestead before aborting it in favour of preparing for 2020. At the time, Mayweather was simply lending his brand’s name to the team rather than having an actual commitment like what is suggested in Tuesday’s announcement. Presumably due to reasons like the COVID-19 pandemic and/or sponsorship, the team instead went without any statement over the next two seasons. During this stretch, TMT became somewhat of a running gag in the NASCAR community, with many fans regarding it as a sports version of vapourware. Now that the team has formally confirmed itself to be real and ready to race, the #50 will hope to make its Cup Series début at Daytona. As a part-time team, TMT is not locked into the race and therefore must qualify on speed or Duel performance.

The #50 Chevrolet will receive engines from ECR Engines; ECR is operated by Richard Childress Racing, who fielded a car for Grala in the Xfinity Series in 2019 and 2020. Executives from StarCom Racing, who folded after the 2021 season, have a “vested interest” in TMTR, particularly StarCom CFO William “Bill” Woehlemann, CEO Michael Kohler, and president Matt Kohler.

Grala has four Cup starts to his name, including his maiden series race with RCR as a subsitute for Austin Dillon in 2020, with top tens in two. Much of his NASCAR career has been as a part-timer after finishing seventh in Camping World Truck Series points in 2016 and running the first half of the 2018 Xfinity Series, and this will continue in 2022 as he intends to run four Xfinity races for Alpha Prime Racing. He is also APR’s reserve driver.

Like its inaugural season, the Superstar Racing Experience will run a six-race schedule in 2022. The series announced its calendar on Monday, and will once again be a summertime show beginning in mid-June and ending in late July.

“When I look at the 2022 schedule, I see varying kinds of race tracks in six different locations throughout the USA,” said SRX CEO Don Hawk, who was appointed to the position in early January. “These tracks and fanbases have a passion for racing and they all were extremely excited to land an SRX on CBS date on this schedule.

“The drivers will need multi-faceted discipline and skill with four pavement and two dirt tracks of all different shapes and sizes. We couldn’t be more excited as nothing is better than superstars on a short track on a Saturday night with CBS Sports delivering an innovative motorsport broadcast showing the intensity and grit that our fans love.”

Only two tracks return from the 2021 season in Stafford Motor Speedway and the Nashville Fairgrounds, which are respectively the third and fourth races for 2022. Stafford, a half-mile track and staple on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, hosted the inaugural SRX race. Fittingly, the race was won by six-time Modified champion and Stafford star Doug Coby. The historic Fairgrounds is currently the target of a revitalisation project by Speedway Motorsports, and was the site of the SRX season finale won by 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott.

“We’re honoured to have the SRX series back at Stafford,” Stafford CEO Mark Arute commented. “The 2021 race was a moment in Stafford history that none of us will ever forget between the incredible driver line-up, amazing atmosphere, and great story with the hometown hero Doug Coby getting the win. July 2nd will be another event that race fans will not want to miss.

Lucas di Grassi’s first weekend with ROKiT Venturi Racing saw him take a well-deserved podium finish in race two of the Diriyah E-Prix, but the veteran Brazilian was disappointed to lose out to Robin Frijns for second place.

After a fifth-place finish in race one on Friday, di Grassi showed much better pace in Qualifying for race two and lined-up inside the top four.  He was involved in the lead battle right from the get-go, and even led some laps as he used his second attack mode to good use.

However, team-mate Edoardo Mortara used his own attack mode to pass him for the lead, and di Grassi was then forced to defend from Envision Racing’s Frijns.

Despite having more usable energy than the Dutchman, di Grassi found himself passed by his rival, moments before the safety car was called for a crash by Mahindra Racing’s Alexander Sims.  Therefore, he was unable to use his additional energy to attack back on Frijns, and he was forced to settle for the bottom step of the podium.

“I’m very happy to score my first podium for ROKiT Venturi Racing,” said di Grassi.  “Starting from fourth we deployed our Attack Mode very well and with the strategy I was able to move all the way up to first position.

Hitech GP announced all three of their 2022 GB3 Championship contenders on Tuesday.

The Silverstone-based team confirmed Bryce Aron, Luke Browning and Cian Shields would join for its third season at this level.

In its first season, Oliver Oakes’ team took Kush Maini to second place in the 2020 Drivers’ Championship, finishing second in the inaugural Teams’ Championship in 2021.

GB3 Team Manager, Phil Blow said the team was “confident [Aron, Browning and Shields] will give us the best chance possible to fight for the title and we look forward to a strong season.”

Former Team USA Scholar Aron joined the GB3 grid with Carlin for 2021, and finished all 24 races, only disqualified from Race 3 at Silverstone following a collision with Dexter Patterson.

Robin Frijns put the disappointment of his no score from race one in Saudi Arabia behind him as he claimed his first points and first podium of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season on Saturday evening.

The Envision Racing driver ended Friday’s opening race outside the points in sixteenth after picking up a penalty for a collision with Mahindra Racing’s Oliver Rowland, but he had no such problems in race two as he converted a top four start into a second-place finish on Saturday.

Frijns was involved in the lead battle for much of the race, and he had just passed ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Lucas di Grassi for second when the safety car was deployed for the crash of the other Mahindra of Alexander Sims.

The race was to end behind the safety car, ending the possibility of a grandstand finish to the race, and ending the chances of Frijns winning the third E-Prix of his career.  But despite this, he was pleased to bring home a good haul of points to kickstart his season.

“After a difficult day yesterday, scoring no points, and seeing how quick Mercedes were yesterday, we knew it would be a tough job today,” said Frijns.  

Edoardo Mortara proved that the form he and his ROKiT Venturi Racing team showed during season seven of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was not a fluke as he started season eight with a victory in race two of the Diriyah E-Prix last weekend.

The Swiss driver came out on top of a battle that involved team-mate Lucas di Grassi, Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns and Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team’s Nyck de Vries to claim his third career Formula E victory, with the win also moving him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship after he finished sixth in race one.

Mortara said it was a calm start to his race in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening as he settled into a rhythm behind early leader de Vries, and it was clear early that the pace of the Venturi car was looking strong.

He used his attack modes to good use to hit the front, passing first de Vries and then di Grassi (who had used his attack mode earlier to pass them both) to take the lead, a position he would hold until the end despite late pressure from Frijns.

“What a day and what a result!” said Mortara.  “The first part of the race was quite calm and I settled into a nice rhythm following Nyck [de Vries].

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a time when drivers come from all across the world to compete in one of the most coveted endurance races in the world, but the NTT IndyCar Series can boast the cream of the crop as Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud helped Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist pilot Meyer Shank Racing to the overall win in the 60th running of the event this past weekend.

This marks the eighth time in the last 12 years that an IndyCar driver has been a part of the overall-winning team and second consecutive victory for Castroneves, who was a part of the Wayne Taylor Racing effort that won in 2021.

Castroneves battled back despite two flat tires before the halfway point in the race as well as a pit road speeding penalty to be right in contention for the win against his former team. After the final restart with 30 minutes to go, Castroneves pulled away from Ricky Taylor as the two made their way through slower traffic to win by a 3.028 second margin.

The 46-year-old Brazilian has found a second wind in his career as of late with Meyer Shank, winning his fourth Indy 500, Shank’s first, and now the team’s second ever Rolex 24 victory.

“Forty-six feeling like 22, brother,” Castroneves said post-race.

Kyle Weatherman has joined DGM Racing for a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule in 2022, the team announced Monday. He will run at least the first five races of the season in the #92 Chevrolet Camaro: Daytona International Speedway (19 February), Auto Club Speedway (26 February), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (5 March), Phoenix Raceway (12 March), and Atlanta Motor Speedway (19 March). Additional races may be added depending on sponsorship, which he has from the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) for the five scheduled rounds.

Weatherman spent the last two seasons racing for Mike Harmon Racing, which included running the full 2021 season. During this stretch, he recorded his and the team’s maiden top ten when he finished eighth at Kentucky 1 in 2020. His 2021 campaign saw him record a best finish of fifteenth at Daytona and Richmond as he placed twenty-fourth in points. He departed the team in early January.

“I’ve watched Kyle grow year after year, and I’m really impressed with what he’s been able to achieve on the track,” commented team owner Mario Gosselin. “We’re looking forward to working with Kyle and seeing what he can accomplish at DGM as he embarks on the next chapter of his racing career.”

He moves to DGM, who also has Mason Massey for a “majority” of the schedule in the #91. In 2021, DGM fielded the #36 and #92 full-time for Alex Labbé and Josh Williams, as well as a multi-driver #90 and #91. Williams moves to B.J. McLeod Motorsports for 2022, while Labbé, who notched three top tens in 2021, has not revealed his plans.

Prior to the Xfinity Series, Weatherman primarily competed in the now-ARCA Menards Series, winning once at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2015. He also recorded eleven NASCAR Cup Series starts between 2017 and 2019, and the Camping World Truck Series season finale in 2015.

Joining the Richard Mille Racing team in their revamped 2022 driver line up, eight-time World Rally Championship winner Sebastien Ogier will make his FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this season.

The Richard Mille team joined WEC as a full time entry last year, competing in all eight rounds with an all-female line up after joining the series at sporadic races in 2020 as part of their European Le Mans Series campaign. Their best result of the season was sixth in class, achieved at the 8 Hours of Portimao and the 6 Hours of Bahrain. For their second year as a full season LMP2 entry, the team has decided to exchange their all female crew in favour of a diverse range of talents from the world of motorsport.

Hot of the heels of establishing himself as one of the greatest rally drivers of all time, Ogier has come to Richard Mille and the WEC looking for a fresh challenge and to prove his talents in a new discipline of racing. Having been a partner of the Richard Mille brand since 2016, the synergy of Ogier’s debut fits perfectly in line with the new direction the team are looking to go this season, attempting to establish themselves as front runners in LMP2.

“I know it’s a big challenge, but I have been looking for a programme that motivates me more than the easy option.” Ogier said in the team’s press release, announcing his new career direction. “Up until now, I have focused on my rally career, but it has been on my mind for a long time that endurance racing could be a good challenge.

“All drivers tend to be a bit self-centered, but there comes a time you want to share more when you are lucky enough to have had a successful career. LMP2 is a fantastic category and the best way for me to reach the highest level of endurance racing and improve in this discipline.

NASCAR‘s presence at the 2022 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona was relatively limited compared to previous years as full-time Cup Series drivers were busy gearing up for the arrival of the Next Gen car. The lone exception was Austin Cindric, who was the only active national series driver to run the prestigious endurance race. The Cup Series rookie and his #15 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition team finished fifth in the GTD Pro class and twenty-third overall.

Cindric, making his Rolex 24 début, drove the #15 Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Patrick Assenheimer and Dirk Müller. He began the race in the car and started third. Seven hours in and a few driver swaps later, he spun in the West Horseshoe but avoided further damage. Cindric’s next final stint came during the graveyard shift, where he ran third in the class, before he closed it out by finishing fifth. He spent the most time on track of the trio with eight hours, forty-four minutes, and fifteen seconds.

P5, best in AMG in the GT field, a smile on my face, and a tired body,” Cindric tweeted. “Thanks @RaceWeatherTech (WeatherTech Racing), @muellerdirk, Patrick, and the whole team. Love this race.”

While Cindric was the only active Cup regular, series part-timer James Davison was in the #32 GTD for Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports as a late replacement for Guy Cosmo. Sharing the car with occasional NASCAR road ringer Mike Skeen, Scott Andrews, and Stevan McAleer, Davison’s stint began five hours in. In his first IMSA start since 2017, he recorded slightly over five hours of track time, the fewest of the quartet. The #32 finished third in class.

Although no longer a NASCAR regular and is instead grouped with the twelve NTT IndyCar Series drivers, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson watched as his #48 Ally Cadillac DPi got off to a hot start with Kamui Kobayashi. Unfortunately for Johnson, his late-night stint ended in disaster when contact with the #15 of Assenheimer resulted in the #48 spinning and substantial damage to the rear suspension. The team was able to restore the car and return it to the race, though multiple laps down, and placed fifth in DPi and twenty-two laps down.

Edoardo Mortara secured victory in the second race of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend in a race full of intrigue that ended behind the safety car.

The ROKIT Venturi Racing driver passed team-mate Lucas di Grassi for the lead as he utilised his attack mode to perfection as early leader and race two polesitter Nyck de Vries slid down the order after leading the early laps.

A late race safety car, caused when Alexander Sims crashed his Mahindra Racing car at turn six, prevented any racing in the final five minutes, and Mortara was able to hold on ahead of Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns, who had passed the second Venturi of di Grassi on lap twenty-nine.

De Vries kept hold of the lead at the start and was followed into turn one by his fellow front row starter Mortara, and the early laps were fairly uneventful, compared to what was to come.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver held onto the lead through the first round of attack modes, but when di Grassi made an early move to activate his for a second time, the race began to turn.  The veteran Brazilian jumped Frijns for third and then took over second as Mortara took his second attack mode, with di Grassi then using his additional power to catch and pass de Vries for the lead.

Helmut Marko has revealed that Honda will now continue to supply Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri engines until 2025 rather than until the end of 2022.

Honda withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of 2021 on an official basis but agreed to continue to supply the two Red Bull teams engines for 2022, but this agreement has now seemingly been extended until the end of the current regulations.

Red Bull are currently assembling their own engine department – Red Bull Powertrains – in order to develop their own engines, with the Milton Keynes-based team taking over the intellectual property of the Honda engines in order for them to continue running them this year.

Marko says the change in the plan with regards to engines will help them when it comes to developing the 2026 power units, where Red Bull will be in complete control of the development.

“We have now also found a completely different solution to the one originally envisaged,” Marko is quoted as saying to Austrian publication Autorevue.at.  “The engines will be manufactured in Japan until 2025, we will not touch them at all.

Franz Tost says that whilst the new budget cap is a step in the right direction, it alone will not help some of the smaller teams close the gap on the bigger outfits, including his Scuderia AlphaTauri team.

Regulation changes have meant that teams are restricted to a maximum spend of $140million this year, and while that will mean the likes of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari will have to reign in their spending, other teams do not have the infrastructure in place to take advantage of this.

Tost, the Team Principal of the Faenza-based squad, says the money that the bigger teams have put into the team, in particular the infrastructure such as their simulations, in previous years will still keep them ahead and leave the smaller teams that have been run on lesser budgets still behind.

“We still have to work on the infrastructure, to optimise everything on this side,” Tost is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “If I see the simulation tools, and I can only hear what these top team have, we simply don’t have that. They invested in the last few years, millions for this.

“We have a good budget, but we never were in a position to invest so much money for simulation tools. And simulation tools are getting more and more important, because we are running less at the track.

The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the Formula 1 schedule until at least 2028 after the track signed an extension to their contract.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit returns to the calendar in 2022 after both the 2020 and 2021 races were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it will host its latest night race on 2 October, a week after the Russian Grand Prix and a week before the Japanese Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel took his last win for Scuderia Ferrari the last time Formula 1 raced in Singapore back in 2019, while Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen completed the podium.  Vettel has scored the most wins at the track with five, one more than Lewis Hamilton, while Fernando Alonso (twice) and Nico Rosberg are the only other drivers to stand on the top step of the podium there.

Singapore hosted the first-ever night race in Formula 1 history back in 2008, and Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula 1, has welcomed the extension to the contract with the venue up until the end of 2028.

“I am delighted that Formula 1 will continue to race in Singapore for another seven years,” Domenicali said.  “The Marina Bay Street Circuit hosted the first night race in F1 history in 2008, and Singapore has continued to thrill fans, teams, and drivers ever since.

Nyck de Vries secured only his second pole position of his ABB FIA Formula E World Championship career by just five-thousandths of a second in the Qualifying final against Edoardo Mortara on Saturday.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver appeared to have it firmly in his grasp as a slide at the first turn by the ROKiT Venturi Racing driver left Mortara on the back foot, but the Swiss driver attacked throughout the lap and closed the gap going into the final sector.

De Vries held on by the narrowest of margins to secure top spot and score three more points towards the championship, with the Dutchman having started the season with a victory in race one on Friday.

De Vries was the only driver to make it into the semi-finals on both days of Qualifying, and he edged out Venturi’s Lucas di Grassi, while Mortara beat Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns.  As a result of setting the faster time, Frijns will start third on the grid and will be aiming for his first points of the year on Saturday evening.

Di Grassi had one of the more controversial moments of the session as he was unable to get on track for his quarter-final as DS Techeetah’s António Félix da Costa did not leave the pit lane when his green lit shown at the end of the pit lane, with the Portuguese leaving when di Grassi was supposed to.