Last weekend the NASCAR Cup playoff picture became clearer, and it looks like Team Penske has hit its stride in IndyCar. This weekend is one of transitions as NASCAR completes its regular season and sets the playoff field, Formula 1 returns after a four-week hiatus, and IndyCar prepares for a west coast swing featuring the final three races of 2021, beginning Sept. 12.
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While it looked like Hendrick Motorsports was going to have another romp at Atlanta last Sunday, it was Penske Racing driver Ryan Blaney taking the checker and completing the weekend sweep for the Captain.
Taking the lead on a restart with eight laps to go, Blaney threw more blocks than the Tampa Bay offensive line in last year’s Super Bowl. He held off Hendrick drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson, who finished second and third. Larson finished two places ahead of Denny Hamlin and now leads the regular season points by 28, 1,004 to Hamlin’s 976.
Whichever one comes out on top after Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona will be the regular season champion, which awards an extra 15 playoff points to their total. Larson has already amassed 52 playoff points, far ahead of Martin Truex Jr.’s second-best tally of 25. Larson will carry those points throughout the playoffs, making him a likely participant in the final four.
But Saturday it’s Daytona, where anything can happen and usually does. It’s a place where unlikely winners abound, like this year’s Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell. Past winners of the 400 include Justin Haley in 2019, Erik Jones in 2018, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2018, Aric Almirola in 2014, and David Ragan in 2011. Nothing is a given here, and a first-time winner might just take the last playoff berth available.
Yes, there’s just one spot left after Kevin Harvick’s point total locked him in at Michigan. Only Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon are in reach of that final playoff spot on points, but a new winner could grab the brass ring and become a playoff contender. Tune in at 4 p.m. on NBC with the post-race show at 8 p.m. on NBCSN.
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The battle for Formula 1 dominance resumes this weekend at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, a favorite track of many drivers. The track’s signature turn is Eau Rouge, a daunting, high speed corner. That turn is even more treacherous in the rain, which is predicted for Saturday’s qualifying with moderate showers on tap for Sunday’s race.
The two current titans of the sport, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, are separated by only eight points for the drivers’ championship. Their respective teams are a mere 12 points apart in the constructors’ title chase, and Mercedes leads in both categories.
Hamilton has won four times at Spa over a 10-year span, most recently last year. Verstappen has yet to win there. Two drivers reach milestones this weekend as Verstappen will start his 50th Grand Prix and McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo his 200th. And if Hamilton wins Sunday, it will be his 100th F1 victory. The race airs on ESPN at 6 a.m.
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And sadly, there’s another passing to report. Robin Miller, perhaps the best motorsports journalist to ever walk a pit lane or confront a hapless race official, succumbed to his battle with cancer last week. He was 71.
Miller wrote for nearly every racing publication and was a fixture on several TV networks. If you wanted the inside scoop on open-wheel racing in the U.S. for the last 30-plus years, Miller was the go-to guy. From USAC to CART to Champ Car, IRL, and IndyCar, Robin spoke truth to power and did it with grace and humor. He will be sorely missed. Godspeed, Mr. Miller.
