Roger Diez
It might be winter here, but it’s summer down under and that means racing in Australia. After two rough days in the High Limit International sprint car race at the Perth Motorplex, Kyle Larson got it right on the third and final day. Larson took the win along with a check for 100,000 Australian dollars ($62,201 U.S.), the biggest payout in Australian sprint car racing history. Larson is now back in the U.S. and won the Winged Sprint A class and Winged Sprint Outlaws last weekend in the Tulsa Shootout at Tulsa Raceway Park. Christopher Bell bested Larson in the Non-Winged Outlaw division. Both Kyle Busch and 53-year-old Jeff Gordon also competed, but did not make the main events.
•••
Bell and Larson will be back at Tulsa Raceway Park starting Sunday with practice for the 39th annual Chili Bowl Nationals, the most prestigious event for Midget racers in the country. Bell has won it three times and Larson twice. In addition to those two, NASCAR drivers Busch, Ty Gibbs, J.J. Yeley, and Josh Bilicki will compete. As of Jan. 6, there were 371 official entrants, just 10 shy of 2022’s record turnout of 381. Drivers from 36 states and five other countries are included in the entry list. Qualifying takes place Monday through Friday with mains starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. All the action will be available live on FloRacing with a subscription.
•••
Also next weekend, the Roar Before the 24 warmup for the Rolex 24 will take place Friday through Sunday. There are 61 entries for this year’s endurance classic: 12 each in the GTP and LMP2 categories, 15 GTP pro cars, and 22 GTP teams. To watch, you’ll need a premium subscription to Peacock. The Rolex 24 at Daytona will start two weeks later on Jan. 25, with the checkered flag the next day. I expect coverage to be spread between NBC, Peacock, and the USA channel, as it was last year.
•••
The NASCAR Cup Cook Out Clash will run on Feb. 2 at a new venue for the event, Bowman Gray Stadium. Daytona 500 qualifying is on Feb. 12 with Daytona Duels 1 and 2 on the 13th and the race on February 16. It will perhaps be the only race of the year to exceed the maximum race field 40-car limit, meaning one or more drivers will not make the race. One driver without a guaranteed starting position will be IndyCar veteran Helio Castroneves driving the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing “guest” Chevrolet. Unlike previous drivers of the No. 91 entry, Castroneves has plenty of oval experience with four Indy 500 wins, three IROC starts at Daytona, and three Rolex 24 victories. Castroneves likened the situation to his performance on Dancing with the Stars in 2007 because he has no idea what will happen (he won, by the way). Castroneves will test at Talladega prior to attempting to qualify for the 500.
•••
After months of speculation, rumors, and denials, Sergio Perez and Red Bull have parted ways for a rumored $16 million buyout. Yuki Tsunoda had expected to move up from the junior RB team, but instead the nod went to Liam Lawson, who sat in for Daniel Ricciardo in the second RB car the latter part of 2024.
•••
And finally, the Arrow McLaren NTT IndyCar team is now solely McLaren, having bought out the 25 percent ownership of team founder Sam Schmidt and partner Ric Peterson. McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the purchase deepens the company’s commitment to motorsports in North America. The team will run three cars all season for Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel, and Christian Lundgaard. Kyle Larson will run a fourth car for the Indy 500.