Tag: NASCAR

Kyle Larson posts a heartbreaking message after missing out on the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 Double

This was such a bummer.

Kyle Larson tried, but Mother Nature wouldn’t cooperate.

The NASCAR star attempted to pull off two races in one day — he was a rookie in the Indy 500 and finished 18th. Then, he flew to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 for an attempt at The Double, but because the weather in Indianapolis delayed the start of that race, he didn’t get into Charlotte until the middle of the NASCAR race.

Then, weather stopped that race, giving Larson a chance to replace Justin Allgaier… but it was eventually called due to rain.

Larson posted on X (formerly Twitter) and sounded so heartbroken. You’ve got to feel for him:

A portion of that statement:

So much time, money, and effort went into this experience and it just kills me to have it all end the way it did. I feel like I let so many people down. We knew all along weather could throw a wrench into things but seeing it come to reality is a horrible feeling.

Up until Sunday it was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I can’t describe how appreciative I am of everyone’s support of me to live out a dream. I hope it’s not the last opportunity I have to try the Double but if it is I guess it was memorable.

Thank you to everyone at Arrow McLaren, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all the competitors there for making me feel welcomed.

Ready to get back on track now and get refocused on winning a 2nd championship for our team.

Betting on Kyle Larson’s attempt at the Memorial Day Double? Read your house rules closely

There are a lot of ways to get your Kyle Larson bets voided this weekend.

Kyle Larson will attempt to become just the second driver to ever complete all 1,100 miles of the Memorial Day Double, racing in the Indianapolis 500 in the early afternoon, then flying to Charlotte to run NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

Finishing all 1,100 miles an incredible feat of endurance, timing, logistics and, of course, speed, that only Tony Stewart in 2001 pulled off. That year, Stewart finished sixth in the Indy 500, then took third at the Coke 600.

The expectations for Larson’s attempt are much higher.

At BetMGM, Larson is the favorite to win the NASCAR race at +475. He’s also the most-bet IndyCar driver to win the Indianapolis 500 at +675.

But anyone wagering on Larson this weekend at all will want to take a very close look at their house rules as a number of obstacles could limit how much racing Larson actually gets to do in both circuits.

There’s potential rain in the forecast in Indiana on Sunday. And if Larson arrives late to Charlotte — or leaves Indy early — another driver getting behind the wheel of either ride could complicate wagers.

Here’s how FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and ESPN Bet decide whether or not a bet is action or void in these situations.

Spoiler: ESPN Bet has the strictest policy.

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • The start of the race is the signal to commence the warm-up lap. If a driver is not on the grid or ready to start from the pit lane when the signal is given we will void all bets on the selection.
  • Bets will be settled on the result at the time of the podium presentation regardless of any subsequent disqualifications.
  • The race must be run within 72 hours of the scheduled start time for bets to stand.

BetMGM

  • Motor Racing events must take place within 72 hours of the original start time or bets will be void.
  • All wagers will be settled according to the unofficial results reported immediately after the conclusion of the race by the governing organization. Any changes to the finishing order that occurs based on appeals, penalties or scoring malfunctions after the race has concluded, will not be recognized. If a race is abandoned and no presentation position or official result is declared all bets on that race will be void except for bets on any markets which have been unconditionally determined.
  • Match-up Props: If a driver does not take part in the race, then bets on them will be void.
  • Match-up Props:
    • A. Wagers are placed on the driver only, not the car or team.
    • B. If the original driver is replaced by another driver after the start of the race the original driver is the driver of record and the wager will be action.

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • The race must be completed within one week of the scheduled start time for bets to have action.
  • All bets are action unless the driver who was wagered on does not start the race.
  • Match-up Props: Both drivers must start the session for bets to have action. For race settlement if a driver fails to complete the race, the other driver in the match-up wager will be declared the winner. If both drivers fail to complete the race, the number of full laps completed will determine the winner. If both drivers fail to complete the race on the same lap, the official placing assigned by the league’s governing body will be used for settlement. For all other sessions the official placing assigned by the league’s governing body at the end of the stated session will be used for settlement.
  • Winning Manufacturer/Team: All bets are action regardless of certain drivers not starting the race.
  • Not/To Be Classified: In the event a driver does not start, all bets will be cancelled.

ESPN Bet

  • For settlement purposes, a driver/rider who has taken part in an officially-sanctioned practice or qualification session is considered to have taken part in the event, regardless of his eventual participation in the actual race.
  • In “Head to Head” bets all listed participants must take part in the session to which the bet refers to for bets to stand, irrespective of whether a driver manages to get an official time.
  • In “Outright” or “Place” bets, no refunds will apply on those participants who do not take part for any reason, for the session/event/championship to which the offer refers to.
  • All bets which make reference to teams’ performances will stand regardless of any driver/rider changes.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

Here’s every angle of the vicious Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch fight, including a dad getting involved

This escalated quickly.

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.

In case you missed it, we got a pretty nasty fight between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch after Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race.

After Busch knocked out Stenhouse early in the race, Stenhouse got in Busch’s face and threw a punch, which ended up in some chaos in the melee near the haulers.

There were a lot of cameras in the area filming the whole thing, so it’s time to take a look at every angle of it, and there’s one that shows Stenhouse’s dad, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., getting in on the action. What an absolutely wild moment.

Here are a bunch of videos:

Kyle Larson shows off his stunning new helmet for his first Indy 500 attempt

This is so cool.

Kyle Larson is preparing for a very busy race day over Memorial Day Weekend, and regardless of how he does, he’ll be doing it in style.

Larson, a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for Hendrick Motorsports, will attempt his first Indianapolis 500 behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren and Hendrick, assuming he successfully qualifies for the race. And it’s not just his first Indy 500; it’ll be his first IndyCar Series race in general.

And after his first Indy 500, he’ll head down to Charlotte Motor Speedway and compete in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, aiming for a total of 1,100 miles of racing in a single day. So yeah, busy weekend.

Wednesday, the 31-year-old driver and 2021 NASCAR champ revealed the special helmet he’ll wear for the Indy 500 — and, presumably, Indy 500 events, like practice and qualifying. It’s a clear tribute to the iconic race, Yard of Bricks included, and Indianapolis as a whole.

With the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, Larson is aiming to become the fifth driver to do what’s known as “The Memorial Day Double.” Drivers John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch have all competed in The Double, but Stewart is the only one to complete all 1,100 miles.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393221]

Chris Buescher had the perfect response to Kyle Larson’s historically close NASCAR photo-finish win

The perfect response after a wildly close photo finish.

We got a pair of photo finishes in races this past weekend, with NASCAR giving us one for the ages.

At Kansas Speedway, both Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher appeared to hit the finish line at the same time. But the photo finish review revealed that Larson crossed 0.001 seconds (!!) ahead of Buescher at the AdventHealth 400.

How did Buescher react? He was totally cool about it, tweeting that he should have stuck his tongue out like Lightning McQueen did in Cars.

Very funny, and as Buescher noted in other posts on X (formerly Twitter), he had no hard feelings toward Larson after the race.

Commanders superfan Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fired up for draft day

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready for draft day.

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never been shy about his fandom for the Washington Commanders. Growing up in North Carolina, Earnhardt has been a Washington fan since he was a kid and has told stories of wanting to know the scores of games during a race.

These days, Earnhardt hosts a popular podcast and works in the NASCAR media, but he still closely follows his favorite NFL team.

Earnhardt’s favorite team has a big day on Thursday. The 2024 NFL draft kicks off Thursday night, and the Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick. They are expected to select LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

After midnight on Thursday, the Commanders tweeted about draft day. Earnhardt retweeted and commented on Washington’s hashtag: #RaiseHail

The hashtag is a nod to Earnhardt’s legendary father, Dale Sr., whose fans would cheer, “Raise hell, praise Dale.”

It’s safe to say Earnhardt Jr. will be watching as Washington looks to finally solve its quarterback problem.

 

NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie’s car crossed the Talladega finish line on its side and flipped after a huge wreck

Corey LaJoie is OK after what he described as a “pretty wild ride” at Talladega.

NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie is thankfully OK after going for a wild ride — and a wild sideways finish — at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

Chaos and big wrecks at Talladega are fairly common at NASCAR’s longest track, and Sunday’s Geico 500 was no different, and the race ended with a huge wreck as Tyler Reddick crossed the finish line for his first win of the year — and 23XI Racing’s first win with team co-owner Michael Jordan in attendance.

On the last lap of the 500-mile race, leader Michael McDowell was throwing multiple blocks while trying to maintain his position, but he ultimately ignited a multi-car crash just as cars were coming to the finish line.

During the wreck, LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet was hit against the outside wall of the 2.66-mile track and turned on its side. The sideways car had so much momentum that it kept sliding around the track and amazingly crossed the finish line for an 18th-place finish.

The car then slowed down, flipped entirely upside down and then rolled upright again.

And here’s LaJoie’s view from inside the car:

LaJoie is thankfully OK, and he explained what happened from his perspective to FOX Sports after being cleared by the in-field care center, calling it a “pretty wild ride” and noting he couldn’t see much beyond smoke.

He said, via FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass:

“Just never could quite get it in the right spot at the right time there at the end, and then you just know you’re just waiting to pile ’em up. Good thing I gave the belts a good ol’ tug with about three [laps] to go so I didn’t bounce around too much. …

“I did a full rotation. So I did like, left side on the ground for a bit. Then it kind of stopped. Then it flipped over, hit the roof and then landed on all fours, and the all-four hit was pretty big. Glad I slipped past the start-finish line though, so I didn’t have to run past it like I was Carl Edwards.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393221]

Michael Jordan celebrated Tyler Reddick’s Talladega win by picking up the NASCAR driver’s son

Michael Jordan was SO happy.

Michael Jordan, as we all know, is the most competitive. 

And when he wins? We know he’s overjoyed. But in the five times his team, 23XI Racing, has won a NASCAR race, he hasn’t been in attendance.

As for No. 6? On Sunday, his driver, Tyler Reddick won at Talladega, and you can imagine how happy he was in the moment.

“Everybody tells me when we win, we can have a good celebration,” Jordan told Fox Sports after the win. “But this is the first time I’ve been here. And to my wife and my kids and everybody — yeah, we did it!”

RELATED: NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie’s car crossed the Talladega finish line on its side and flipped after a huge wreck

How happy was he? He picked up Reddick’s son and chatted with him before meeting up with the driver:

Denny Hamlin reveals the staggering amount of money NASCAR teams waste on tires

Denny Hamlin reveals how much NASCAR Cup Series teams spend – and waste – on tires over the course of a season.

It costs a lot of money to fund a NASCAR Cup Series team, but Denny Hamlin shared a shocking stat on his podcast that revealed how much cash some teams are wasting in unused Goodyear tires over the course of a season.

Each weekend when teams arrive at the track, a Goodyear truck will be stocked with hundreds of sets of tires. Each race has a maximum allotment of tires that can be used, and teams will always buy as many as they can get to give themselves strategic flexibility during a race – but not all of those sets of tires are used on a Sunday. Goodyear does not allow teams to turn unused tires back in for a refund, however.

“Say we go to Texas this weekend and they give us eight sets of tires. If we use six, we don’t get a rebate on those two [left over]. We do not get reimbursed for those tires…. If we have a leftover set, $2,400 a piece or whatever they might be, we can’t just turn them back into Goodyear and get a refund. They tell us ‘you’re buying these sets of tires and they’re yours now, you can do whatever you want with them.”

The problem for NASCAR teams is that on most NASCAR tracks, there are usually enough long green flag runs – and not enough tire degradation – to get through a race without using every set purchased. Which means most weekends, teams are bringing unused tires back home.

For a four-car team like Joe Gibbs Racing, which Hamlin is a part of, those costs quickly add up. Hamlin said that in 2022, the first year that NASCAR used the current next-gen car, JGR’s inventory of unused tires at the end of the season was worth nearly seven figures.

“Nearly $1 million dollars worth of tires that [Joe Gibbs Racing], the team spent on tires that it never ran.”

So why can’t NASCAR teams just re-use the tires next week?

It’s complicated. Hamlin explained that the tires his teams saved in Texas could potentially be used again when the Cup Series visits Kansas – a similar 1.5-mile track, on May 5th, but given the competitive advantage to having the freshest tires possible from Goodyear, it’s unlikely they would be used.

“They’ll put [the unused tires] in inventory…. Let’s say we go to Kansas next weekend, we likely would tap into that extra set and say ‘OK, we’re going to practice on those tires.’ But if Kansas is three, four months down the road we’re not going to want old date codes. We’re not going to want older tires because they age. Rubber ages and it changes compounds. It’s funny when you get older tires, that can really mess up a car. So it just goes to waste.”