NASCAR teams are always looking for ways to get ahead, and sometimes that means bending the rules. Alex Bowman’s #48 team, however, pushed too far at the Roval race, with NASCAR officials finding the car underweight in the post-race inspection. This violation cost Bowman his playoff spot just as he was finding his stride.

Though some thought the team might appeal, they accepted the penalty. While reactions have been mixed, Chase Elliott stepped up to defend Bowman’s team, pointing out that the weight issue likely didn’t impact his race performance.

Setting up the race cars is one of the crucial factors that can make or break a driver’s fortunes on the racetrack. Team engineers and crew chiefs try their best to find that extra bit of performance with their skill set. Back in the day, you could clearly identify the top running teams based on speed and their set-up. However, in the Next-Gen era and parity racing, it is hard to find that differentiating factor.

Everyone is running with the same parts spruced by NASCAR’s licensed third-party vendors. So, the team setting up the cars has little space in how they can find that extra bit of edge over the competition. It’s hard to guess if Blake Harris and the team intentionally tempered with the weight of the #48 Chevy, but given the verdict, it’s evident that they pushed beyond the limits.

For some, this is appalling, but for a regular like Chase Elliott, this is how the game is played. But was disappointed to see his teammate being on the bitter end of things after the Roval race. “It’s a delicate line, but one that us as competitors across the sport, you have to push the boundaries as much as you can because there’s performance in different areas, and you have to do that, and everyone’s doing that. So trying to find that balance.”

Dale Earnhardt Sr. is one of the most revered names in NASCAR. Popularly known as ‘The Intimidator’, Dale Sr. was the most dominant driver in his era. Known for his aggressive driving style, the NASCAR legend in his 676 race starts bagged 76 wins and seven Cup Series championships from 1975 to 2001. Feb. 18, 2001, is regarded as one of the darkest days in NASCAR, as a crash in the Daytona 500 led to his demise.

However, he is still and will probably always be considered among the greatest of all time. His legacy is being continued by his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. And Jr. wished to continue his father’s legacy with the Dale Earnhardt Inc. racing team. However, due to ownership battles with his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt that were Teresa became probably the most unliked Earnhardt. n’t possible, this led to an uproar from Intimidator’s fans, basically all the NASCAR fans. And Teresa became probably the most unliked Earnhardt. Recently, another move by Teresa has deeply upset the legend’s fans.

Teresa Earnhardt is yet again accused of dishonoring Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Teresa became a target for trolling since her fallout with Dale Earnhardt Jr., all thanks to the latter’s huge fan following. The two-time Xfinity Series champion started his NASCAR career with DEI in 1999. However, after being nine years with the team that his father started, Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports. This was since Junior asked Teresa to give him 51% ownership in the team, which she promptly refused, saying if Jr. left, the team would “make another Dale Earnhart Jr.” For the remainder of his career, Dale Jr. stuck with Hendrick Motorsports, and DEI shut operations soon after his exit.

Had Dale Earnhardt Jr. not left, the team would probably still flourish. Naturally, he is a fan favorite, and Teresa has always gotten quite the opposite response. In another move, Teresa Earnhardt has invited backlash. Recently, as reported by the Charlotte Observer, Teresa Earnhardt has planned to transform 399 of her rural acres in east Mooresville into an industrial park, according to her rezoning application for the vast former farmland property. The large piece of land is amongst many Dale Sr acquired during his time and is considered part of his legacy.

In fact, the land that is going to be converted into an industrial park is largely wooded and was probably the hunting ground for Dale Earnhardt Sr. Senior’s hunting exploits, which are as legendary as his NASCAR career. One of his closest friends, Donnie Rives, had recently spoken about how the legend had gifted eyesight to scout his hunting targets. The land is a memory of Dale Earnhardt Sr., and fans believe an industrial zone is not something he would have liked.

Teresa Earnhardt is the third wife of Dale Earnhardt Sr., and after the legend’s passing, she inherited almost everything Sr. owned, including his race team and properties. Her rift with Dale Sr.’s son is just one of the instances where she’s been accused of sabotaging the Earnhardt name.

Teresa also filed a lawsuit against Kerry Earnhardt, the intimidator’s oldest son. When he planned to roll out a line of homes and furniture called “The Earnhardt Collection,” Over the many family disputes in the Earnhardt family, fans strongly believe Sr. would have not liked this. One fan wrote, “Dale would be ashamed.”

Additionally, Teresa’s management of DEI has been controversial, with fans often arguing that she prioritized financial gains over family relationships and Dale Sr.’s legacy. Similar to the case of the recent farmland conversion. This has some fans questioning Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s choice to marry Teresa. One fan wrote, “What a shame…can’t believe Dale was married to this woman” Another one echoed the same emotions and noted that Sr would not have allowed this if he were alive. The fan on this note wrote, “Dale would be very pissed.”

Some fans even wondered how Dale Jr. reacted to this news. A fan wrote, “Interested to hear Dale Jr.’s thoughts on this. That’s a lot of land. I wonder if that was some of Dale Srs. hunting land.” However, the recent past has shown that Jr. has little to no interest in locking horns with his stepmother yet again. When the trademark of the iconic #8 font expired, Dale Jr. had said he was okay with it being with Teresa as long as it stayed in the Earnhardt family.

Mick Schumacher is being “evaluated” for the second seat at Sauber next year and is on Mattia Binotto’s shortlist.

Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, spent two years on the grid in F1 with Haas from 2021-2022 before being dropped following a difficult second campaign.

The German has since played the role of reserve driver at Mercedes behind George Russell and Lewis Hamilton and is a regular presence in the paddock, but has been limited to in-house testing sessions. The 25-year-old has, however, raced this year for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship.

However, as revealed to The Independent earlier this year, he is still focused on landing a second chance in F1 but there is now only one seat unconfirmed for next year, at Sauber.

Yet Binotto, who knows Schumacher well from his time at Ferrari, revealed to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport that Schumacher is on his shortlist to be Nico Hulkenberg’s team-mate next year.

“Definitely, we are evaluating him,” Binotto said.

“I have met and talked to him, I have known him for a long time having been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I know the merits and advantages of him, he is one of the names we have in mind.”

Valtteri Bottas is believed to be the favourite to retain his seat at Sauber, who officially become Audi in 2026, with McLaren junior driver and F2 championship leader Bortoleto also a serious candidate alongside Williams’ Franco Colapinto.

A factor which could work in Schumacher’s favour, however, is that Sauber’s new chief technical officer, Binotto, worked with Schumacher during the German’s time as a Ferrari junior driver.

Schumacher stated in June that he is “really hungry” to carve a route back into F1 as a first choice over other motorsport series.’
“There’s a lot which hasn’t been seen yet, especially from a driving point of view,” he said.

“It’s never been a secret, my goal is to be back on the grid. I’ve shown in multiple ways that I am capable of winning championships. It’s just a matter of it fitting into somebody’s schedule, does it fit into their plan?