All posts by Luis Torres

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Sonoma Raceway announced Monday “The Chute,” the layout NASCAR ran from 1998-2018, will make its return June 10-12. This comes after the Cup Series ran “The Carousel” layout (2.52-mile circuit) in 2019 and 2021. Those respective races were won by Martin Truex, Jr. and Kyle Larson. Sonoma General Manager Jill Gregory explained in a press release that fans openly expressed how much they’ve enjoyed the 1.99-mile layout. “We heard from many fans and drivers how much they loved it when we raced the Chute,” said Gregory.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Matt DiBenedetto will move to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on a full-time basis, driving the Rackley W.A.R.’s No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado. The announcement was confirmed Thursday morning as the former Cup regular, who spent the last two seasons driving for Wood Brothers Racing in the Cup Series, will have a fresh start in Trucks where he’s never competed before. “I can honestly say that, at this time in my career, I am truly excited,” said DiBenedetto. “I feel like I’m going back to myRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Al Unser passed away at his New Mexico home Thursday after a long battle with cancer. President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway J. Douglas Boles issued a statement of Unser’s passing. “In the 112 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Al Unser’s career stands out among the others. His four Indianapolis 500 wins and most laps led in the ‘500’ (644) solidify him as one of the greatest of all time. Al achieved his successes competing against many of theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato will continue his NTT IndyCar Series career in 2022. It was announced Thursday morning that he’ll drive for Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 team on a full-time basis. Sato will take over the Honda-powered entry that was primarily driven by Romain Grosjean this past season. The two-team effort were able to score a pole in the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis and ended the year with three podiums — all accomplished by the Frenchman, who’ll nowRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the first time since Brendan Gaughan in 2004, a former West Series champion will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time. That man being two-time West champion Todd Gilliland, who’ll make the leap from the Camping World Truck Series to the sport’s top level in 2022. The third-generation racer will continue his tenure at Front Row Motorsports. Only this time, he’ll be accompanied by a teammate in Michael McDowell. As part of the Gilliland family tradition, Todd will pilot the No. 38 Ford Mustang. MuchRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Williams Racing co-founder Sir Frank Williams died on Sunday at the age of 79, two days after being admitted into a hospital. For over five decades, Williams’ along with Patrick Head (from 1977-2004) made a tremendous impact in Formula One. Specifically, when it came to the caliber of drivers they’ve had and went on to win races. As Team Principal, Williams scored 114 wins and seven F1 Drivers’ Championships with seven different racers, including greats such as Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost. On topRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final piece of the 2022 Formula One driver lineup was confirmed Tuesday morning. The much talked about second Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN seat will be filled by Formula 2 driver Guanyu Zhou, who’ll replace Antonio Giovinazzi next season. Zhou will become the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula One on a full-time basis. The 22-year-old will be teammates with Valtteri Bottas, who’ll depart from Mercedes at season’s end. Ever since the age of five, the Renault Academy racer has dreamt of someday becoming anRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was quadruple championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway where the three NASCAR national touring divisions and ARCA West crowned its season champion. Needless to say, all four title-deciding races ended up being unforgettable. Here’s my latest “Race in Pictures” gallery featuring all four races as Kyle Larson (Cup), Daniel Hemric (Xfinity), Ben Rhodes (Trucks) and Jesse Love (ARCA West) left Arizona as champions.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The most decorated Road to Indy scholar has found a home in the NTT IndyCar Series. After weeks of uncertainty, Kyle Kirkwood was announced Wednesday as AJ Foyt Racing’s newest driver. The Floridian will replace Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 14 Chevrolet on a full-time basis next season. Bourdais will be make the move to IMSA once again as he’ll join Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac DPi program. Kirkwood said he’s over the moon of driving for Foyt, knowing he’ll have big shoes to fill by takingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Martin Truex, Jr. was again denied a second NASCAR Cup Series championship. Instead of hoisting the Bill France Cup, Truex had to settle for second in Sunday’s Cup Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. When the laps were winding down, Truex appeared to have the title in the bag. That’s when debris from David Starr changed the outcome of the race, bringing out the caution flag on Lap 282. Erasing Truex’s lead, the caution flag would bring the field down pit road for theRead More