Monday, June 6, 2022
Monday, July 6, 2020
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Monday, May 20, 2019
All-Star Race weekend, Indianapolis 500 Qualifying, and the loss of a legend...
Well, it's been a weekend of motorsports for sure. The All-Star Race turned out to be pretty good, but the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series... you're not missing much there. Matt Crafton won Stage 1, Kyle Busch won Stage 2 and inevitably the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Didn't miss much.
The All Star Open, however, that was awesome. An intense final few laps with the front runners swapping positions in Stage 1 and 2, won by William Byron and Bubba Wallace, respectively. It was so cool to see Bubba so happy after he won the stage - those moments of light in the dark really help those who need them. Stage 3 - Kyle Larson kinda ran away with it, but it was still competitive before he dominated the final stage. Alex Bowman transferred over into the All Star Race with the Fan Vote. To be honest, if Bubba or Byron didn't transfer over via their wins, they would have contested for the Fan Vote.
The opening stages of the All Star race were kinda boring, but after the 2nd stage, that's when things picked up. Track position not only mattered, but tires as well! You could stay out and still have the lead, but someone with tires could race their way through the small field and contest for the lead. Clean air was still a dominant factor, but it wasn't God like it has been over the past few years. Kyle Larson was able to pass the leaders of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick under green, and while leading the field, he was able to hold off Kevin Harvick who was charging at him for several laps. Lots of drivers had great cars and it was a fantastic show. Even Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman fought after the race! That says a lot about the quality of the show this year!
Indianapolis 500 Qualifying took part Saturday and Sunday - the final row shootout and Fast 9 qualifying on Sunday were the intense days along with the qualifying sessions on Saturday. Pippa Mann held off of the bubble and was able to lock herself into the race. She may start 30th, but she's the only woman in the field. Things might go her way in the race, you never know. Simon Pagenaud was able to clinch the pole position for the 103rd Indianapolis 500, while former F1 Champion and winner of both the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans driver Fernando Alonso was bumped out of the final spot in the Indy 500 by .019 miles per hour. His team offered to buy him a seat in the race from a car that qualified, but he turned down the offer - he felt it would have been immoral to do so.
Next Sunday's action will start with Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix, moving onto the Indianapolis 500, and finally, the Coca-Cola 600. Over half a day of racing around the world.
Speaking of Formula 1, May 20th, 2019 was the day that Formula 1 and the whole realm of motorsports lost a legend. Niki Lauda passed away at the age of 70. If you've never heard of Niki Lauda, you may have heard of the film Rush from 2013. It focused on his rivalry with former living legend James Hunt from Formula 3 into Formula 1. A pivotal point in both the film and Lauda's life was the crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. A fiery crash left Lauda severely burned both externally and internally - his lungs were burned from the heat of the flames. Had other drivers not pulled over, or those involved in the crash walked away, and didn't help Lauda out of his car along with the safety workers, we wouldn't have the rest of the story of the legend's career. Only six weeks later, he would return to racing in the same car that nearly killed him. There's more to the story, and I'm not a historian, but the world of motorsport lost one of the best drivers ever. Rest in peace, Niki Lauda.
The All Star Open, however, that was awesome. An intense final few laps with the front runners swapping positions in Stage 1 and 2, won by William Byron and Bubba Wallace, respectively. It was so cool to see Bubba so happy after he won the stage - those moments of light in the dark really help those who need them. Stage 3 - Kyle Larson kinda ran away with it, but it was still competitive before he dominated the final stage. Alex Bowman transferred over into the All Star Race with the Fan Vote. To be honest, if Bubba or Byron didn't transfer over via their wins, they would have contested for the Fan Vote.
The opening stages of the All Star race were kinda boring, but after the 2nd stage, that's when things picked up. Track position not only mattered, but tires as well! You could stay out and still have the lead, but someone with tires could race their way through the small field and contest for the lead. Clean air was still a dominant factor, but it wasn't God like it has been over the past few years. Kyle Larson was able to pass the leaders of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick under green, and while leading the field, he was able to hold off Kevin Harvick who was charging at him for several laps. Lots of drivers had great cars and it was a fantastic show. Even Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman fought after the race! That says a lot about the quality of the show this year!
Indianapolis 500 Qualifying took part Saturday and Sunday - the final row shootout and Fast 9 qualifying on Sunday were the intense days along with the qualifying sessions on Saturday. Pippa Mann held off of the bubble and was able to lock herself into the race. She may start 30th, but she's the only woman in the field. Things might go her way in the race, you never know. Simon Pagenaud was able to clinch the pole position for the 103rd Indianapolis 500, while former F1 Champion and winner of both the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans driver Fernando Alonso was bumped out of the final spot in the Indy 500 by .019 miles per hour. His team offered to buy him a seat in the race from a car that qualified, but he turned down the offer - he felt it would have been immoral to do so.
Next Sunday's action will start with Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix, moving onto the Indianapolis 500, and finally, the Coca-Cola 600. Over half a day of racing around the world.
Speaking of Formula 1, May 20th, 2019 was the day that Formula 1 and the whole realm of motorsports lost a legend. Niki Lauda passed away at the age of 70. If you've never heard of Niki Lauda, you may have heard of the film Rush from 2013. It focused on his rivalry with former living legend James Hunt from Formula 3 into Formula 1. A pivotal point in both the film and Lauda's life was the crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. A fiery crash left Lauda severely burned both externally and internally - his lungs were burned from the heat of the flames. Had other drivers not pulled over, or those involved in the crash walked away, and didn't help Lauda out of his car along with the safety workers, we wouldn't have the rest of the story of the legend's career. Only six weeks later, he would return to racing in the same car that nearly killed him. There's more to the story, and I'm not a historian, but the world of motorsport lost one of the best drivers ever. Rest in peace, Niki Lauda.
Monday, May 13, 2019
NASCAR shenanigans
I'll be doing race reviews or whatever the fuck after the race weekends. Main series only - IndyCar, the national touring NASCAR series, and IMSA. If there's Formula Drift you can go check out twitch.tv/mraerohd and twitter.com/aeroteq for that stuff.
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