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Chase Elliott penalized NASCAR Board
Chase Elliott penalized NASCAR Board
Chase Elliott and Joey Logano will serve penalties at the start of Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Elliott, who won in Atlanta in 2022, was moved to the rear of the 37-car field due to making unapproved adjustments, which included changing an engine sensor.
Logano, who won the pole, is starting from the front row, but will have to do a pass-through at the start of the race for gloves not meeting SFI specification. That violation came in qualifying.
Elliott is coming off a 14th place finish Monday at the Daytona 500. Logano led the most laps at Daytona 500 (45), but failed to finish after being involved in a late-race crash.
The Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday ended up being a forgetful affair for Cup Series mammoth, Hendrick Motorsports. The team flew to Atlanta on the back of a victorious weekend at Daytona and were hoping to make their 40th-anniversary celebration a tad bit louder, but missteps prevailed.
None of the four high-caliber stars found it in them to follow through on the strength of their cars and ended up outside the top 10 at the race end. The biggest disappointment of the day came from #5 driver Kyle Larson. Highly regarded as one of the most skilled drivers of the current generation, Larson started the race in 5th place.
The opening stage saw him battle Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney for the lead before he finished it in 4th place. He then proceeded to put on a great display of speed and finished the second stage in 2nd place with chances of victory lane reigning high. However, an issue with a rear tire caused him to have a lengthy pit stop, after which he restarted the final stage from 18th place.
Despite the setback, he found his way back to the top five. But that was only until he got involved in a wreck in the 219th lap. The incident involved Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie and ended up with Larson finishing 32nd. “There wasn’t anything I could do from my seat,” Larson regretted. The showcase was his best in the Atlanta Motor Speedway since its reconfiguration.
The fallback of Chase Elliott and the other Hendrick Heroes
Chase Elliott’s day in Atlanta was filled with wrecks, damages, and pit stops. The #9 Chevrolet Camaro’s pilot saw himself starting from the rear courtesy of an unapproved adjustment to his car. He was then involved in an accident in just the second lap of the race that forced him to the pits for repair.
After a delayed start in the second stage, he found his way to the leaderboard for a short while. He continued exchanging blows in the top ten when Ross Chastain spun him out in lap 199. Elliott avoided significant damage through some clever handling and resumed his race. He finished 15th in the standings.
The latest Daytona 500 champion William Byron was one of the most expected drivers for the Ambetter Health 400. He qualified 11th and held positive odds for a back-to-back win, but continual issues with his car hurt his chances. He led the #24 Camaro to a 17th-place finish. He was the second-best driver for HMS behind Elliott on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the #48 driver, Alex Bowman’s day took a bad turn right from the beginning. He was involved in the 16-car wreck on lap 2 and found himself alongside Elliott in the pits for repair. He eventually ended the day in 27th place. Looking ahead the four drivers will race in Las Vegas on March 3.
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H. Marko lashes out at Steiner: Defend Mick Schumacher
Helmut Marko believes Mick Schumacher deserves a return to Formula 1, naming two teams he thinks would consider the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. The 81-year-old Austrian lashes out at Guenther Steiner, who sacked the German at Haas F1 just under two years ago.
“Mick is one of the politest and nicest people in the whole paddock, which is a disadvantage for him. He also has the handicap of a big name,” Marko said in an interview with Sport1.de. “In sporting terms, he has already achieved a lot. He won the Formula 3 championship, he won the Formula 2 championship, that alone made him interesting for Formula 1 teams.”
Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut at Haas F1 in 2021. There, he lasted two seasons. After a disappointing season in 2022, Guenther Steiner showed him the door and they opted for more experience with Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Marko: ‘Netflix superstar’ Steiner treated Schumacher unfairly
“As far as we were concerned, there were no sporting reasons why we never got together,” Red Bull Racing’s team advisor explained. “He was a Ferrari junior at the time, but Mercedes took him into the team [afterwards]. So he wasn’t even on the market.”
“At Haas, he was not treated fairly by Netflix superstar Guenther Steiner. That’s a fact. Once you drive outside Formula 1, it becomes a difficult story. But behind the scenes, you only hear good things about him. Toto Wolff praises him to the skies. I think Alpine and Audi are seriously considering him. I wouldn’t begrudge him, because he deserves it,” Marko said.
Verstappen and Hamilton CRASH as FIA take action in Hungary
Max Verstappen was involved in a dramatic collision with Lewis Hamilton for P3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman attempted an overtake on his rival into Turn 1, going though the inside but locking up as Hamilton’s front right collided with Verstappen’s rear left.
In dramatic fashion the Red Bull was launched into the air, and was lucky to remain in the race, falling behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen has been placed under investigation by the stewards, with the FIA calling a 4.50pm UK time summons, where the sport’s governing body confirmed their findings.
F1 RECAP: Piastri claims STUNNING maiden victory as FIA announce Verstappen penalty verdict
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash in Hungary
A nightmare Hungarian GP for Max Verstappen
It was a difficult race for the champion who went wide on the opening lap, and was forced to give the position back to Lando Norris after claiming P2.
The Red Bull star accused the Brit of running him wide, and continued to deliver a series of furious radio messages to his team during the grand prix.
Verstappen’s frustrations came to the fore as he attempted to overtake Hamilton, with the pair lucky to not be embroiled in more devastating contact.
In the end Hamilton claimed P3 and a podium in Hungary, with Verstappen languishing back in fifth.
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“It’s going to be emotional for me” – Chase Briscoe on honoring Tony Stewart’s legacy
Chase Briscoe, in a recent media session, shared his emotions about racing on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Briscoe will be driving the No. 14 car, a number famously associated with his current team owner, Tony Stewart.
Stewart won several races and the 2011 championship with this car. He also co-owns NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), which will be shutting down after this season.
NASCAR first raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1994, which was the first race there besides the Indianapolis 500 in 1916. Since then, many different racing series have raced at IMS. As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Brickyard 400 after three years off, Chase Briscoe, who grew up in Mitchell, Indiana, faces an emotional weekend.
“It’s going to be emotional for me, I mean full transparency I cry every year just on the ride around deal so with it being on the oval and doing it in the 14 all that it’s going to be definitely, probably emotional,” said Briscoe.
“It’s really special to be back here at home in Indiana. Every race car driver dreams of racing at Indianapolis, but for me, it’s even more special because I grew up here,” he added.
Chase Briscoe eyes playoff spot and #14 legacy
A win this weekend will help Chase Briscoe secure a spot in the 2024 Cup playoffs. It would also be a fitting end to SHR’s legacy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Briscoe has raced at the Brickyard before, twice in the Xfinity Series and won on the road course layout in 2020.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to race on the oval. So being able to do it this year means a lot to me,” Briscoe stated.
The #14 car has a special place in NASCAR history. After Stewart retired in 2016, Clint Bowyer took over and won two races in 2018. Chase Briscoe then drove the #14 in 2021 and earned his first win in 2022. Other notable racers like Fonty Flock, Hershel McGriff, and A.J. Foyt, also drove this famed car.
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