Category: MotorSports

NASCAR drivers and fans can’t believe Jimmie Johnson wasn’t a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer

Jimmie Johnson is one of the most successful NASCAR drivers in history – but he wasn’t a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer.

There are few NASCAR drivers in history with a resume as impressive as Jimmie Johnson. He’s one of only three drivers in Cup Series history, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, to win seven championships.

From 2006 to 2010, Johnson won an unprecedented five consecutive titles. Although he has not yet officially retired, his Cup Series win total of 83 is good for sixth all time. He won the Daytona 500 twice, and the Brickyard 400 four times.

Yet four Hall of Fame voters decided that Johnson’s résumé was not sufficient to qualify him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There has never been a unanimous first-ballot selection in NASCAR history, and with Johnson’s snub, it’s unlikely that there ever will be.

Johnson, his longtime crew chief Chad Knaus, and Donnie Allison are all part of the class of 2024, with trailblazer Janet Guthrie receiving the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Jeff Gordon came the closest to becoming a unanimous Hall of Famer in 2019, garnering 96 percent of the vote, and there were calls for change to NASCAR’s voting system after Gordon missed out on the honor.

After Johnson, a seven-time champ, received even fewer votes than Gordon, Denny Hamlin is among the many calling for a complete overhaul and for the votes to be made public.

NASCAR fans react to Denny Hamlin walling Kyle Larson en route to controversial win

NASCAR fans at Pocono showered Denny Hamlin with boos after a controversial ending.

Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson collided for the second time this season with a victory in the balance, and NASCAR fans in the stands at Pocono were irate after a controversial finish saw Hamlin become the all-time wins leader at the track.

The race for the win appeared to be a shootout between Larson and Martin Truex Jr., but Alex Bowman spun with 11 laps to go after Hamlin got within inches of his rear bumper and upset the handling of Bowman’s car.

On the restart, Hamlin opted for the outside lane behind leader Larson, but took an opportunity to dive below Larson into Turn 1. Hamlin drove up the track and into Larson’s door, which sent Larson into the outside wall. Shortly after, Justin Haley spun to bring out another caution.

Larson was clearly upset, and ran into Hamlin under caution on the frontstretch.

Hamlin, however, went on to win the race, while Larson dropped back to 21st with a damaged car. There was even more drama before the checkered flew, however, as Ryan Preece spin with two laps to go. Instead of throw a caution flag and give fans a sprint to the finish, NASCAR opted to wait until Hamlin saw the white flag and then throw a caution, ending the race.

Hamlin was showered with boos as he went down the frontstretch, and one fan even threw a bottle over the fence toward Hamlin’s car. In his post-race interview, Hamlin argued that Larson wrecked himself, and upheld that he left enough room for Larson during their incident.

 

How to watch INDYCAR’s action-packed doubleheader at Iowa Speedway

All you need to know ahead of the NTT @INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader at Iowa Speedway.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to Iowa Speedway this weekend for a doubleheader at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”

With two races adding up to a bevy of championship points on the line, and superstars like Ed Sheeran and Caitlin Clark highlighting festivities, INDYCAR Iowa weekend is quickly becoming a fan-favorite spectacle.

Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward will try to defend their race wins at Iowa a season ago in the first oval races on the schedule since the 2023 Indianapolis 500.

Fans in attendance will also enjoy four massive concerts bookending each race. On Saturday, Carrie Underwood will perform the pre-race concert, with Kenny Chesney performing the post-race concert. On Sunday, Zac Brown Band will kick things off, with Ed Sheeran closing out the weekend in Iowa.

So when should you tune in to catch Race No. 2?

Sunday, July 23rd: Hy-Vee One Step 250

The following day, the Hy-Vee One Step 250 will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday on NBC and Peacock.

Race 1 Recap:

Josef Newgarden proved once again he’s the man to beat in Iowa, leading the most laps en route to a fifth career victory at the short track. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin finished close behind, but Newgarden was so dominant that only five total cars finished on the lead lap.

NTT INDYCAR Series points standings:

With four race wins in 2023, Alex Palou enters the doubleheader weekend with a commanding advantage in the standings.

1st. Alex Palou, 442 points

2nd. Josef Newgarden, 344 points

3rd. Scott Dixon, 328 points

4th. Pato O’Ward, 309 points

5th. Marcus Ericsson, 307 points

6th. Scott McLaughlin, 298 points

7th. Will Power, 274 points

NASCAR reveals 2024 Hall of Fame nominees, including Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus

There are 15 total nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2024.

NASCAR on Wednesday revealed its nominees for the Hall of Fame class of 2024, and it should come as a surprise to no one that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is on the list for his first year of eligibility.

Johnson, his seven-time champion crew chief, Chad Knaus, and Donnie Allison are the three newcomers, bringing this year’s total number of nominees to 15. Johnson and Knaus are on NASCAR’s Modern Era Ballot, while Allison is on the Pioneer Ballot, a separate category to celebrate drivers who began their careers more than 60 years ago.

Per NASCAR, two inductees will be selected from the Modern Era Ballot and one from the Pioneer Ballot.

Here’s a look at the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2024.

Brad Pitt’s super-cool F1 movie is being filmed at an actual race, and it looks so realistic

Brad Pitt’s F1 movie looks so cool.

If you see an 11th team on the grid at Formula 1’s stop at Silverstone this weekend, it’s not a mistake.

That team would be known as APXGP, and it’s fictional. Because it’s part of the movie that Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are filming in England at this weekend’s F1 race.

Pitt apparently plays Sonny Hayes, a driver coming out of retirement to help young Joshua Pearce (Idris). Drive to Survive fans are going to love this.

The photos and videos from the weekend have already begun dropping, so let’s show you what we’ve seen so far from the track:

NASCAR’s first street-course race led to a hilarious on-track traffic jam in Chicago

A NASCAR pile-up in downtown Chicago!

The first NASCAR Cup Series street-course race in history was a special sight and seemingly a success that included a thrilling finish as New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen — in his Cup debut behind the wheel of the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet — edged out Justin Haley and Chase Elliott for the checkered flag.

Of course, race day wasn’t without a couple bumps in the road, including NASCAR deciding to shorten the race as the result of dimming sunlight and weather-related delays.

And, as it goes sometimes in big cities, there was also a traffic jam — just mid-race on Lap 49 of an eventual 78 total and in the middle of the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course in downtown Chicago. And because it was more like back-to-back fender-benders where everyone was OK rather than a serious wreck, it’s hard not to laugh at this.

As cars pile up behind Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, drivers even farther back coming into the turn likely had little idea what they were turning into.

One after the other, they innocuously piled up and created a hilarious traffic jam, and anyone who took the turn a tad too wide couldn’t get through. Not exactly what you want to see in the middle of a race…

Screenshot: @NASCARonNBC

And listening to Jeff Burton freaking out during his play-by-play of the pile-up makes it even funnier.

MORE NASCAR: 15 super cool photos from NASCAR’s first street race in downtown Chicago

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15 super cool photos from NASCAR’s first street race in downtown Chicago

The backdrop of Chicago and its skyline made for some spectacular NASCAR photos.

The NASCAR made history Sunday in Chicago with the premier Cup Series’ first street-course race, and New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen found himself walking away with the checkered flag for the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet — making him the first driver to win his first Cup start in 60 years.

Because of inclement weather, however, the Grant Park 220 was shortened from 100 laps down to 75 before the race went into overtime for a 78-lap event.

The 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course laid out in downtown Chicago is a totally novel concept in NASCAR, and the backdrop of the city and its skyline made for some spectacular photos. Here are 15 of our favorites from NASCAR’s first street race in Chicago.

6 things to know about NASCAR’s first street race in downtown Chicago

Breaking down the setup for NASCAR’s first street-course race.

Throughout the last several NASCAR seasons, the sport’s governing body has made some drastic changes to its schedule to spice it up with things like more road courses, a dirt race and the Clash at the Coliseum.

Those changes continued into the 2023 season, as NASCAR celebrates its 75-year anniversary, with a new street race in the heart of the Windy City this weekend.

The NASCAR Cup Series is returning to the Chicago area — it hasn’t raced at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois since 2019 — for Sunday’s Grant Park 220 (5:30 p.m. ET, NBC), which will have drivers racing on the city streets rather than on an oval or road course. It’s expected to be the first of three Chicago street races.

NASCAR is making history this weekend, so ahead of its debut in downtown Chicago, here are a few things to know about the race.

Power ranking every 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title contender

With just 10 races left to go before the start of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, we’re ranking all the 2023 title contenders.

The NASCAR Cup Series will return from its Father’s Day break on Sunday in Nashville, and with nearly half the season in the books, every weekend will be crucial for playoff positioning.

Superstar Chase Elliott is currently outside of playoff position, while veterans like Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace are in need of a victory to seal their spot in the postseason.

With 10 races left to go until the start of the 2023 Cup Series playoffs, FTW NASCAR analysts Nick Schwartz and Michelle Martinelli ranked every title contender, from the longshots to the favorites. Each writer ranked drivers from 1 to 20, and we took the average placement of every driver to determine our final power ranking.

Microsoft and Porsche are giving away a limited-edition Xbox Series X

Porsche and Microsoft are teaming up and giving away a small number of limited-edition Xbox Series X consoles

Porsche and Microsoft are teaming up and giving away a small number of limited-edition Xbox Series X consoles based on some of Porsche’s iconic car designs. The Xbox Porsche collaboration is meant to celebrate the car maker’s 75th anniversary, including appearances in several racing games, with 75 consoles in development, though only six are being given away.

The sweepstakes is open now through Oct. 1, 2023, and you can enter by filling out a form on the giveaway’s website.

Entrants can submit one entry per day until the time the sweepstakes closes. A drawing will take place on Oct. 3, 2023, where the contest runners will draw six winners at random from the pool of eligible entry submissions. Winners will receive one of the 75 limited-edition Xbox consoles and a wireless controller.

The guidelines didn’t mention whether the controller matches the console design, though, so you might get something multicolored and fancy or just a plain black or white controller.

Which pattern you get seems to be random, though these are the ones up for grabs:

  • Salzburg (1970)
  • “Hippie” (1970)
  • “Pink Pig” (1971)
  • Porsche Racing Edition (1978)
  • 911 GT1 (1998)
  • 75th Anniversary / Porsche 963 (2023)

75 isn’t very many consoles, and six is even fewer, though considering you only need to enter your name and email – and be over 18 years of age – there’s really no harm in trying to get your hands on one.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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