Last week the NASCAR Cup string of single-race winners ended. This week will be a busy one, races for Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, and NHRA. NASCAR Camping World Trucks and Cup are at Richmond, Formula 1 is at Imola in Italy, the IndyCar season opener is at Barber Motorsports Park in Virginia, and NHRA’s Four Wide Nationals take place in Las Vegas.
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Martin Truex Jr. won at Martinsville last Sunday after the Saturday night race was halted by rain, becoming the first NASCAR Cup two-time winner this season. Once again Denny Hamlin dominated the race, leading 276 of the 500 laps, but lost the lead to teammate Truex with 15 to go. Hamlin finished in third place for the third time this season and remains winless although leading in the points. The top 10 finishers included all four Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, three Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets and one Richard Childress Racing Chevy plus one Ford each from the Penske and Stewart-Haas stables.
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Truex will be on pole for Sunday’s race, Hamlin will start alongside, and the Hendrick Chevys of Chase Elliott and William Byron will occupy row two. The starting order looks much like Martinsville’s finishing order with just a few swapped places. Truex has won two of the last three Richmond races, so is favored by the oddsmakers at 9/2 to win with Hamlin next at 6/1. Last fall’s Richmond winner Brad Keselowski is 7/1 and there’s an 8/1 three-way tie between Elliott, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson. Kyle Busch’s odds are 9/1 and Kevin Harvick is 11/1. Both have had disappointing seasons so far, but Busch has five Martinsville wins to his credit and Harvick three. Perhaps luck will change for one of them tomorrow. The ToyotaCare 250 for the Camping World Trucks airs today at 10:30 a.m. and the Toyota Owners 400 Cup race will air Sunday on FOX at noon.
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The NTT IndyCar season is starting off with an intense series of four races in three weekends: the Barber Motorsports Park road course Sunday, the St. Petersburg street circuit next weekend, and a doubleheader at the Texas Motor Speedway May 1-2. Sunday’s starting field for the season opener features the most experienced “rookie” class ever to compete in the series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will make his open-wheel debut for Chip Ganassi Racing while Roman Grosjean, veteran of 179 Formula 1 starts, will pilot a Dale Coyne Racing machine. They will be joined by three-time Australian V8 Supercar champion Scott McLaughlin, driving for Penske Racing. Johnson is joining three Ganassi teammates, McLaughlin has three partners on the Penske squad, and Grosjean will have one Dale Coyne stablemate. There are 24 entries in all, 13 with Honda engines and 11 powered by Chevrolet. Qualifying airs today at 7 p.m. on tape delay on NBCSN with the race broadcast Sunday at noon on NBC.
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Formula 1 qualifying at Imola was probably over this morning before the newspaper hit your doorstep. I expect it was a fierce battle for pole between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two Mercedes drivers. Valtteri Bottas was fastest in both Friday practice sessions with Lewis Hamilton second. Verstappen was third in P1 but out early in P2 with a driveshaft issue. Verstappen the favorite for Sunday’s race at 5-4 odds, with Hamilton at 3-2. Max served notice at the season opener in Bahrain that he will be a serious challenge to the Mercedes juggernaut this season. The race will air on ESPN at 6 a.m. Sunday, so set your DVR if you’re going to sleep in.
