All posts by Joey Barnes

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso and McLaren Racing confirmed plans to compete in the 2019 edition of the Indianapolis 500. With wins in both the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Spaniard needs only a victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to achieve the Triple Crown, which has only ever been achieved by the legendary Graham Hill. Next May will mark Alonso’s second attempt at the Brickyard, having previously ran there in 2017 in a collaborated effort with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport. TheRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Pietro Fittipaldi has been confirmed as the official test driver for Haas F1 Team for the 2019 Formula One season. He will also get behind the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time later this month when he takes part in the Pirelli tire test on November 27 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The 22-year-old Miami-born Brazilian is a grandson of the two-time Formula One champion / two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Emerson Fittipaldi. “I’m pleased to welcome Pietro Fittipaldi to HaasRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas — Martin Truex Jr. kept his championship hopes alive after overcoming a series of setbacks to finish ninth in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The day began with Truex playing catch up. Despite qualifying a solid 13th, the Furniture Row Racing team elected for an engine change in the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour Energy Toyota Camry following final practice, which forced them to start the race at the rear of the field. Even with the initial obstacle, the reigning MonsterRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas – Clint Bowyer faces a must-win scenario after enduring a miserable 26th-place finish in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 39-year-old Kansas native was optimistic heading into Sunday’s race after qualifying second – a personal best at the 1.5-mile oval. A dream of advancing from the Round of 8 and into the Championship 4 quickly turned into a nightmare. Pole sitter Ryan Blaney took off as the green flag waved, with the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 FordRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas — Brandon Jones turned mid-race misfortunes into a stout sixth-place finish in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing started 14th and managed to find the front briefly to lead four laps. However, his race appeared to come undone towards the halfway mark. He brought out the caution on Lap 97 restart, and then was also in an accident while running in solidly in the top 10Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas — Todd Gilliland endured a devastating defeat after running out of gas on the final lap of the JAG Metals 350 while leading on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. The talented 18-year-old was out front for a race-high 60 of the 147 laps, commanding a solid lead of 1.3 seconds over Justin Haley on the last lap and looking poised for his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. However, everything came undone on the backstretch as Gilliland’s No. 4 KyleRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas – Kyle Busch is quietly confident heading into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 33-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada, comes into the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings sitting 46-points above the cutoff line, best among potential drivers to make the Championship 4 on points. With Joey Logano winning last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, there are only three spots left to fight for over the next two races to set the field for the seasonRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Tony Stewart has been widely known as one of the best to strap into a race car, but he has really started to establish himself as one of the premier team owners in all of racing over the past 10 seasons. The owner of Stewart-Haas Racing is now retired from driving in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but still keeps his edge behind the wheel by racing at dirt tracks around the country. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid sat down with Stewart to talkRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 12 drivers from the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the ninth-place finisher, Marco Andretti. Marco Andretti, No. 98 U.S. Concrete Honda 2018: 9th in the championship  Wins: 0, Top 5: 2, Top 10: 8, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 22 Best Finish: 4th (Detroit – Race 1) Marco Andretti quietly put together a solid season, which saw him return to the top 10 in the championship standings for the first time since 2015. The third-generationRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Haas Formula One team has confirmed that Rich Energy will become the official title sponsor beginning in 2019. The multi-year deal will see the team become Rich Energy Haas F1 Team and will undergo a significant livery change that share the black and gold colors of the British energy drink company. “Securing a title partner in Rich Energy is another milestone moment in the development of Haas F1 Team,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said. “We welcome their commitment to us as an organization, andRead More