Numbers increasingly favor Palou as IndyCar title chase heads for Portland

NTT IndyCar Series championship leader Alex Palou was summarily beaten by Team Penske last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, who authored a 1-2 finish with Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. And yet, in what’s becoming part of his legend, …

And yet, in what’s becoming part of his legend, the infinitely lucky Chip Ganassi Racing driver somehow managed to lose to the team’s scariest rival and extend his lead in the championship ahead of the fight that reconvenes on Sunday in Portland. In fact, the three drivers closest to Palou lost ground to him at WWTR, and they’re running out of chances to gain yardage. Simply put, less than a month remains in the season, and there’s no time left to gradually chip away at the leader.

Palou went into WWTR with 49 points over Penske’s Will Power and left with a 59-point cushion over Andretti Global’s Colton Herta, who’s risen to his strongest championship position since 2020 by motoring from fourth to second in the standings.

Palou’s Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon came and went from WWTR in third, but he’s seen his gap grow from 53 to 65 points.

And then there’s Power, who was close to making inroads on Palou at WWTR, but with the late restart crash, he swapped championship positions with Herta and sits fourth going into Portland, having descended from 49 to 66 points shy of the lead. The last of the realistic contenders for the title is Penske’s McLaughlin in fifth. He needs to find 73 points to draw even with Palou.

After McLaughlin, the odds begin to grow with Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in sixth (+98 points), Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood (+121 points), Newgarden (+126 points), and those with no hope whatsoever like McLaren’s Alexander Rossi in ninth (+166 points) and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist in 10th (+194 points).

With four contests left (Portland, two races at Milwaukee, and Nashville), there’s a maximum of 216 points available to any driver if they execute four perfect race weekends (54 points x four). And with Palou owning a championship lead of 59 points — greater than one full race — the urgency for all of his rivals, and especially those from O’Ward on back, to reel in the Ganassi driver at Portland is significant.

And while it’s possible for this to happen, it would likely require Palou’s luck to run out; he’s won two out of the last three races at Portland and has more road racing wins this season (two) and poles (three) than any other driver. Of the four races waiting to be run, Portland is Palou’s best chance to pad his lead before venturing into Penske territory on three straight ovals to close the season.

Palou has been among IndyCar’s best on ovals over the last 12 months, and while he’s yet to score his first oval victory, the two-time champion has been close to the Penske trio — winners of every oval this season — with a fifth at the Indianapolis 500, a second at the second Iowa race, and fourth at WWTR.

If we assume the Penske oval juggernaut will continue, Palou has one race left to build a wall of points that can’t be scaled by Power, McLaughlin, and Newgarden. And if something silly happens with a crash or mechanical problems on Sunday, real championship drama could await the contenders the following weekend at the Milwaukee doubleheader.

As we saw at WWTR, Palou can also stretch his lead or have crucial points taken from his closest pursuers if one of the drivers with slim chances to take the title capture the win. If Palou can’t get it done at the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland, he’d welcome someone like Kirkwood or Rossi coming home first and denying the main protagonists from filling up on points.

In the Rookie of the Year race, Linus Lundqvist’s run to third at WWTR and teammate Kyffin Simpson’s early crash took a 40-point advantage and has blown it out to 71.

Despite his WWTR disappointment, David Malukas still has Meyer Shank Racing No. 66 poised for a critical points finish. Perry Nelson/Motorsport Images

The stampede to make it into the top 22 in the entrants’ championship by the end of the season to earn one of Penske Entertainment’s 22 $1 million contracts is also going to be a central focus at WWTR.

The chase for one of Penske Entertainment’s 22 $1 million Leaders Circle contracts also continues at Portland. Using the entrants’ championship where the top 22 in the standings receive the guaranteed prize money for the following season, some movement was made at WWTR,

Of those who are currently on the safe side of the cutoff line, the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda is 19th with 154 points, despite the crash by David Malukas that left the car 21st at the finish. In 20th it’s the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda (151 points) which drew much closer to the No. 66.

Thanks to his career-best finish of ninth, Sting Ray Robb took the No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevy from 22nd and being on the Leaders Circle bubble to 21st (144 points). He isn’t expected to make a lot more headway at Portland, but Robb’s quite good on ovals, and that could be impactful in getting the No. 41 farther away from the bubble.

In 22nd, it’s the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy, which fell behind the No. 41 after another frustrating race for Ed Carpenter (136 points). Thanks to a stout performance by Conor Daly, who overcame adversity on at least two occasions at WWTR, the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy is within striking distance of the top 22 (133 points).

Last again among Leaders Circle contenders in 24th is the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda (120 points). Coyne’s No. 18 Honda is a distant 25th (101 points).

Racing on TV, August 23-25

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Friday, August 23 Dutch GP practice 1 6:25-7:30am Dutch GP practice 2 9:55-11:00am Daytona qualifying 3:00-4:30pm Watkins Glen TA2 3:45-6:00pm Daytona qualifying 5:00-6:30pm Portland practice 1 …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Friday, August 23

	Dutch GP practice 1	6:25-7:30am
	Dutch GP practice 2	9:55-11:00am
	Daytona qualifying	3:00-4:30pm
	Watkins Glen TA2	3:45-6:00pm
	Daytona qualifying	5:00-6:30pm
	Portland practice 1	5:55-7:10pm
	Daytona	7:00-7:30pm pre-race 7:30-10:30pm race

Saturday, August 24

	Dutch GP practice 3	5:25-6:30am
	Dutch GP qualifying	8:55- 10:00am
	Portland practice 2	12:00-1:00pm
	VIR race 1	12:15- 1:05pm
	Crawfordsville	1:00pm
	VIR	2:10-4:15pm
	Portland qualifying	3:30-5:00pm
	VIR qualifying	4:45-5:05pm
	Daytona	7:00- 11:00pm
	Portland practice 3	8:15-8:45pm

Sunday, August 25

	Dutch GP	7:30-8:55am pre-race 8:55-11:00am race
	VIR race 2	8:35-9:25am
	VIR	12:00-3:00pm
	Milwaukee	1:00-3:00pm
	Portland	1:10-2:25pm
	Watkins Glen TA	1:15-2:30pm
	Portland	3:00-3:30pm pre-race 3:30-6:00pm race
	Milwaukee	4:00-6:30pm

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

MotoGP is now airing live on TruTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. Check your streaming provider for air times

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

MAVTV.com

MotorTrendOnDemand.com

Evans leads Jaguar one-two in final Portland practice

Mitch Evans continued his strong Saturday form into the second half of the Portland E-Prix by topping Sunday morning’s practice session ahead of his Jaguar TCS Racing teammate Nick Cassidy. The session took place in cooler conditions than Saturday’s …

Mitch Evans continued his strong Saturday form into the second half of the Portland E-Prix by topping Sunday morning’s practice session ahead of his Jaguar TCS Racing teammate Nick Cassidy.

The session took place in cooler conditions than Saturday’s running, with clouds covering the track, and despite locking out the top two spots, both Jaguar drivers had moments during the session, with Evans ending up on the grass at the final corner in the final few minutes, while Cassidy straight-lined the Turn 1 chicane.

Nevertheless, with a best time of 1m 08.659, Evans’ fastest lap was 0.044s quicker than Cassidy who spun out of the lead during Saturday’s race, handing victory on the road to Evans, who ultimately lost it as well due to a penalty for a collision with Jake Hughes.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

NEOM McLaren driver Hughes, who dropped out of the lead battle early on Saturday after the collision with Evans, was third quickest ahead of the declared Saturday winner, TAG Heuer Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa, with Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi fifth.

Dan Ticktum continued to show strong pace for ERT, ending the session sixth, ahead of Andretti’s Norman Nato, Envision’s Robin Frijns, and Edoardo Mortara of Mahindra. Both Nissans of Sacha Fenestraz and Caio Collet were next up, in 10th and 11th, with Nyck de Vries 12th in the other Mahindra.

Jean-Eric Vergne was 13th for DS Penske, making him comfortably the highest-placed Stellantis driver, while Porsche-powered duo Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) and Jake Dennis (Andretti) finished a lowly 14th and 15th, some way off their counterparts.

Sergio Sette Camara was 16th in the second ERT, ahead of Abt Cupra’s Nico Mueller, DS Penske’s Stoffel Vandoorne, Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther, and McLaren driver Sam Bird, with Lucas di Grassi and Jehan Daruvala completing the field for Abt Cupra and Maserati respectively.

RESULTS

Wickens makes open-wheel return with Portland Formula E drive

Robert Wickens will return to the cockpit of an open-wheel racing car this weekend when he samples GEN3 Formula E machinery at the Portland E-Prix. The Canadian was paralyzed in a crash at Pocono during his maiden IndyCar campaign in 2018, but has …

Robert Wickens will return to the cockpit of an open-wheel racing car this weekend when he samples GEN3 Formula E machinery at the Portland E-Prix.

The Canadian was paralyzed in a crash at Pocono during his maiden IndyCar campaign in 2018, but has been racing Hyundai touring cars in the TCR class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge since 2022. His brief run in the Formula E car will mark the first time he has driven an open wheeler since his crash.

[lawrence-related id=316675]

“I’m ecstatic to get the chance to drive Formula E’s GEN3,” Wickens told the Formula E website. “It’s the car I’ve wanted to try since the birth of the series and I’ve never really had an opportunity yet with the career paths I’ve taken, and when I was racing in DTM.

“Formula E has always been in that elite category because of the competition there, and there’s less emphasis on the car [performance]. If there are competitive drivers there, everyone wants to be involved. It’s always been like that for me and just getting the opportunity to try the car is the main goal, initially. If that leads to further opportunities then I’ll be very happy.

“What’s amazing about Formula E is that for years it’s been making things work that people said ‘can’t be done.’ It’s always doing things that people didn’t think possible and that’s another reason it’s been high on my list of series to try. I knew I’d be welcomed here with open arms because people aren’t afraid to go against the grain here.

“On top of that, it’s an FIA World Championship – and competition at that level is something I’ve always wanted to achieve. Every kid wants to be a world champion, whether that’s in karting or at the elite level of motorsport.”

Wickens almost won on his IndyCar debut on the streets of St. Petersburg, having qualified on pole and led most of the race until a late collision with Alexander Rossi took him out of contention. He was also a two-time winner in DTM’s Norisring street race and a winner on the streets of Durban in A1 GP, and he feels Formula E’s street racing focus could play to his strengths, should he race in the category in the future.

“To race at historic circuits like Monaco, and the other groundbreaking city circuits and locations Formula E heads to, just brings the excitement,” he said. “I love street racing and it’s always been my forte and something I’ve enjoyed and excelled at.”

Wickens actually came close to a Formula E ride in the past, having been approached by an unnamed team back in 2018, although the offer came after he’d already signed his contract with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to race in IndyCar that year.

Even for a simple demonstration run, Wickens still goes full-on into prep alongside team owner Michael Andretti. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images

“Ironically, I almost had an opportunity, but it was just a little too late back in 2018 and I’d already signed a contract with an IndyCar team,” Wickens said. “I was offered the chance to join a team in Formula E but I couldn’t take it and my life went in a separate direction.

“To come full circle and get the chance to drive the car is incredible. Seeing how the series has grown and developed over the years is amazing, and I’ve been an avid fan – and most of the drivers here are either former colleagues from various paddocks or teammates of mine from the past. It’s been a bit of a reunion!

“One of the blessings of having an underfunded junior formula career is that you don’t have the textbook career path, so I had the fortune to jump into nearly every European junior series along the way for tests, part seasons or full seasons.

“That built me as a driver and I feel like it added more tools to my belt for when I became a full-time professional driver. Then, once I had the opportunity to come back Stateside and race in IndyCar, I didn’t feel like I was a rookie there and I just hit the ground running.”

While it didn’t quite happen six years ago, Wickens is now eyeing a move into Formula E if his run in the car this weekend goes well.

“A lot of teammates and former colleagues have told me I’d probably excel in Formula E knowing how methodical I am [in] my race approach in terms of handling the strategy and energy management,” he said. “In the sportscar world those same skills translate, and I like to think I’m one of the better ones at it, so I’m really happy to give it a shot here.

“The important thing for me is my goal to return back to the elite level of motorsport after being paralyzed in IndyCar. I didn’t really know how I would end up there or get back to that level – and I didn’t know if I would jump straight back into a top level seat or have to work my way back up.

“It seems to me it’s more likely the latter. I’ve been racing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series with Hyundai for [three seasons now], and we won the championship last year in the TCR category, so we’re finally back to winning ways.

“On paper, Formula E feels [like] such a good fit for me. The stars just never aligned but hopefully they can in the future.”

Nato tops opening Portland E-Prix practice for Andretti

Norman Nato put Andretti atop of the times on home soil in the opening practice session for this weekend’s Portland E-Prix. The Frenchman set a best time of 1m09.079s, with a session-best first sector, beating both factory Jaguars to the top spot. …

Norman Nato put Andretti atop of the times on home soil in the opening practice session for this weekend’s Portland E-Prix.

The Frenchman set a best time of 1m09.079s, with a session-best first sector, beating both factory Jaguars to the top spot. It wasn’t all good news for Nato, though, after he was given a reprimand for speeding under full course yellow. As it was his third driving infringement reprimand of the season, it resulted in a 10-place grid penalty being levied for Saturday’s race.

Mitch Evans was second fastest, 0.174s behind Nato and a mere 0.033s ahead of his Jaguar TCS Racing teammate Nick Cassidy, with Antonio Felix da Costa – who found out this week that the appeal against his disqualification from the first Misano E-Prix race was unsuccessful earlier this week – in fourth for TAG Heuer Porsche.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

Nyck de Vries was a fine fifth for Mahindra Racing, 0.340s off the top spot, ahead of Abt Cupra’s Lucas di Grassi and Pascal Wehrlein in the second works Porsche. Sergio Sette Camara (ERT), Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) and Edoardo Mortara completed the top 10, which was covered by just over 0.5s. Mortara and de Vries, however, found themselves under investigation for a “technical infraction” at the end of the session.

Jehan Daruvala was 0.144s off that top 10, finishing the session 11th in the second Maserati, ahead of reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) Sam Bird (NEOM McLaren), Nico Mueller (Abt Cupra) and the DS Penske pairing of Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Jake Hughes was next up for McLaren, with ERT’s Dan Ticktum 18th, and Caio Collet – filling in for the unwell Oliver Rowland – 19th for Nissan, two places ahead of his teammate Sacha Fenestraz. The pair were separated by Robin Frijns, with his Envision Racing stablemate Sebastien Buemi completing the field.

RESULTS

Rowland to miss Portland doubleheader due to illness

Nissan Formula E driver Oliver Rowland will miss this weekend’s Portland E-Prix doubleheader due to illness, with the team’s reserve and simulator driver Caio Collet filling in instead. The team released a statement ahead of opening practice for the …

Nissan Formula E driver Oliver Rowland will miss this weekend’s Portland E-Prix doubleheader due to illness, with the team’s reserve and simulator driver Caio Collet filling in instead.

The team released a statement ahead of opening practice for the weekend confirming the news, adding that “the whole team wishes oli a quick recovery and to see him back in action in London next month.”

The news is a huge blow for Rowland’s title chances, with the British driver (pictured above) currently just 36 points off leader Nick Cassidy with four races remaining. He’s scored six podiums so far this season, including four in a row across the Diriyah, Tokyo, and Misano weekends, ending with a win in Italy after on-the-road victor Antonio Felix da Costa was disqualified. It was very nearly two wins — which would have made him the only driver to sweep a doubleheader weekend this season — but an energy miscalculation led to him retiring from the lead in the second Misano race.

Rowland’s stand-in, 22-year-old Brazilian Collet, has been with Nissan since the start of this season, and drove for the team at the Rookie Test immediately after the Berlin E-Prix in May.

Collet has been dovetailing his role as the team’s simulator and reserve driver with a campaign in Indy NXT. He is currently third in the Indy NXT standings with four podiums from eight starts so far, including a pair of second places in the most recent round at Laguna Seca.

Racing on TV, June 27-30

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, June 27 Mid-Ohio TA2 8:00-9:00pm (D) Mid-Ohio TA 9:00-10:00pm (D) Friday, June 28 Austrian GP practice 1 6:25-7:30am Austrian GP sprint qualifying 10:25- 11:30am Nashville qualifying …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Thursday, June 27

	Mid-Ohio TA2	8:00-9:00pm (D)
	Mid-Ohio TA	9:00-10:00pm (D)

Friday, June 28

	Austrian GP practice 1	6:25-7:30am
	Austrian GP sprint qualifying	10:25- 11:30am
	Nashville qualifying	4:30-6:00pm
	Nashville	8:00-8:30pm pre-race 8:30-10:30pm race

Saturday, June 29

	Austrian GP sprint	5:55-7:00am
	Austrian GP qualifying	9:55-11:00am
	Watkins Glen	11:00am- 1:00pm (D)
	Portland qualifying 1	12:30pm
	Nashville qualifying	12:00-1:30pm
	Southwick	1:00pm
	Nashville qualifying	2:00-4:00pm
	Portland race 1	4:00pm
	Road America TA2	4:00-6:00pm (SDD, live on MAVTV Select)
	Nashville	4:30-5:00pm pre-race 5:00-8:00pm race
	Shelton race 1	6:00-7:00pm
	Michigan	10:00pm- 12:00am (SDD)

Sunday, June 30

	Austrian GP	7:30-8:55am pre-race 8:55-11:00am race
	Watkins Glen	12:00-1:00pm (D)
	Portland qualifying 2	12:30pm
	Road America TA	1:00-3:00pm
	Norwalk qualifying	2:00-4:00pm (D)
	Nashville	3:30-7:30pm
	Norwalk Finals 1	4:00-5:00pm (SDD)
	Portland race 2	4:00pm
	Norwalk Finals 2	5:00-7:00pm (SDD)
	Shelton race 2	6:00-7:00pm

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

MotoGP is now airing live on TruTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. Check your streaming provider for air times

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

MAVTV.com

MotorTrendOnDemand.com

Some welcome familiarity for Formula E with Portland return

Formula E’s pair of races in Portland International Raceway this weekend marks the first time since the Monaco round on April 27 that the series has run on a familiar circuit. Berlin featured a new track layout, while the most recent event in …

Formula E’s pair of races in Portland International Raceway this weekend marks the first time since the Monaco round on April 27 that the series has run on a familiar circuit.

Berlin featured a new track layout, while the most recent event in Shanghai was a new venue altogether. But in returning to the U.S., Formula E will be back on familiar ground, and Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther says that will mean a different approach will be needed going into this weekend.

“It’s definitely a slightly different approach,” said the German, who finished sixth in the first Portland race (pictured above) last season. “Everybody has got more references and experience from the previous year — I actually watched the gaps already last in qualifying over the whole weekend, and it was extremely competitive. So, what you can expect this year is just another step up.”

This is the second season of the GEN3 regulations, and the resulting natural convergence has made the field the closest it’s been. Guenther says that means capitalizing on the knowledge of the previous Portland visit will be crucial.

“We’ve seen such tight margins this year, especially in qualifying, that we very much know that we need to really work and go deep into all these fine details that make the difference at the end of the day,” he said. “Every little hundredth that you can gain here or there can give you a few positions on the grid. So that’s the mindset we have going into the weekend.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

Formula E will be expanding its number of doubleheaders to six next season — an announcement that drew some criticism from fans who would prefer to see the series visit more locations. Guenther and his Maserati teammate Jehan Daruvala see merit to both sides of the debate.

“I think both have pros and cons,” Guenther said. “For sure, I like to go to different places to only have one chance and deliver the job on each track. On the human side, I guess as well, it has got both pros and cons, because you could say the doubleheaders, they’re extremely intense, especially on a second race day — we all don’t have a lot of sleep, we are very, very tired on the second day. So, it really pushes you to the limit, every individual of the team.

“But, on the other hand, if you go to 17 different destinations, this means a lot as well on the traveling side. So, I think it’s about finding a good balance. The locations we have, they’re absolutely amazing. The calendar for next year is looking great.”

“We’re not doing doubleheaders every weekend,” Daruvala noted. “There’s some weekends which are doubleheaders and some not, and I feel like a balance is quite good. So yeah, I would like to see what that brings us.”

Van Gisbergen grabs first Xfinity win in Portland

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen claimed his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway. The popular Kiwi celebrated the hard-earned win with a burnout all the way around the 1.967-mile road course and then climbing out of his Chevy and topping it off by kicking a signed ball into the thrilled crowd.

It was a popular win all-around for the 35-year-old three-time Australian Supercars champion, but he had to work for it. The series rookie – who won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his first NASCAR Cup Series start last summer – led laps early in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet but struggled with restarts for much of the day. He lost positions on the early restarts and even had to overcome a couple miscues – dropping his tires off track into the dirt – before steadily and masterfully working his way forward in the closing laps to challenge for the win.

He passed the day’s most dominant driver, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier on the final restart with four laps to go and pulled away to a 0.941s victory over the series veteran, who led a race best 46 of the race’s 75 laps.

It’s a battle for the win at @Race_Portland! @shanevg97 goes back to the lead! pic.twitter.com/zeiZgRwnSe

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 1, 2024

JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer, van Gisbergen’s Kaulig teammate A.J. Allmendinger – who started last in the field – and Sam Hunt Racing’s Ed Jones – an IMSA sportscar and IndyCar veteran — rounded out the top five.

“What a day, really cool, had some great racing,’’ said van Gisbergen, who immediately apologized to pole-winner Mayer who he collided with and spun on the opening turn of the race.

“I need to get better on my restarts and learn how to position, but that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars, they’re great.’’

It was a particularly crushing runner-up showing for Allgaier, who finished second in this race last year as well. At various points, his No. 7 Chevrolet held a nearly three-second advantage on the field, but two cautions in the final 12 laps essentially equalized the competition and van Gisbergen steadily made his way forward on the restarts before taking the lead in Turn 5 with four laps to go.

Allgaier not only led the most laps but swept both stage wins for the third consecutive race – the six consecutive stage wins a series record. His series-leading 10 stage victories on the season are the most ever through the opening 13 races.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]

But it just wasn’t enough for the trophy on Saturday.

“I don’t know [what I could have done differently],’’ a discouraged Allgaier said. “On those restarts we were so free taking off and the car was just struggling to get grip.

“I think that’s the hardest part, once he got by me there, I probably overdrove it trying to get back to him and probably didn’t help my cause any,’’ he added. “Really proud of this team. All the effort this team puts forward is incredible. To come in second two years in a row stings a little bit but at the same time, really proud of everybody.’’

Last year’s Portland winner Cole Custer finished sixth in the Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with Kaulig’s Josh Williams, Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman, Jordan Anderson Racing’s Parker Retzlaff and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst rounding out the top 10.

With his sixth-place finish Saturday, Custer takes the championship lead by 18-points over Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith. Hill – who was fined 25 points and $25,000 for purposefully wrecking Custer last week at Charlotte – finished 11th and Smith, whose No. 81 JGR Toyota suffered a late race engine problem, finished 35th.

The series stays on the West Coast with the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 on the Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway road course next Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.

RESULTS

Notre Dame lacrosse alumnus Taylor Clagett’s ‘Jeopardy!’ run ends

Hey, winning twice is pretty good.

After three episodes, former Notre Dame lacrosse player [autotag]Taylor Clagett[/autotag] is done on “Jeopardy!” The two-day champion lost his third game to library circulation assistant Julie Sisson, who hails from Everett, Washington. He leaves the show with winnings totaling $32,800.

Clagett led for most of the game but didn’t ring in again after the Double Jeopardy! round had just passed the halfway mark. At that point, his score of $9,700 was $6,900 more than Andrew Knowles, a psychologist resident from Portland, Oregon who was then in second place. But Knowles and Sisson closed the gap after that, and only $3,300 separated all three players going into Final Jeopardy!

In the category “Compound Word Origins”, the game’s final clue was as follows:

“This compound word meant an astronomical object of exceptional brightness in 1910; it was soon applied to actors & athletes”

Sisson and Knowles both came up with the correct response of “What is superstar?” However, Clagett only came up with “What is star?” With Sisson already having taken the lead with her response, that spelled the end for Clagget on the legendary quiz show. His wager of $8,722 knocked him down to third place and the cash award of $1,000 that is reserved for such losing contestants.

All told, it was a great few episodes for Clagget. Most “Jeopardy!” contestants are lucky to win only once. That he did it twice should give him a sense of pride going forward. And it will be beneficial for the Taylor Anne Foundation, which was established in honor of his niece who passed away in 2022.

Oh, and for the last time, see how you would have done in this particular episode.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89