All posts by Luis Torres

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Age has its limits and rookie Tyler Ankrum was no different after sitting out the first three NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races because according to the NASCAR rulebook, he wasn’t eligible to compete at ovals bigger than a mile as he wasn’t 18-years-old until March 6th. A few weeks removed from finally turning magic age No. 18, last year’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion is set to make his first start of the season at Martinsville Speedway, driving the No. 17 Toyota Tundra forRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was quite the captivating weekend for Austin Dillon, who not only led the field to the green, but also battle an illness throughout Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, finishing a valiant 10th. Dillon’s Busch Pole Award on Friday was overshadowed after none of the 12 competitors crossed the line before the final round struck zero, and because of him being the fastest in Round 2, he was credited as the pole winner. The qualifying fiasco was the least ofRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Auto Club Speedway was once again unkind to John Hunter Nemechek, who took a heavy shunt past the start/finish line on the 84th lap of Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300 in Fontana, California, and will be credited with a 28th place result. Already dealing with adversity such as a brush in the Turn 4 wall during Stage 1 and later in Stage 2, he lost a lap by pitting for a vibration, but would have a decent recovery and saw himself battling Justin Haley for theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final leg of the “West Coast Swing” will be an important one for Garrett Smithley, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, as he’ll have a special partnership for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Smithley’s major partnership will be the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and 10 Tanker Air Carrier, with a goal of raising awareness for the CDF Benevolent Fund. What makes the deal significant for the 26-year-old is that hisRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer On the eve before the first on-track activity for the Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park commences, FIA Formula One Race Director Charlie Whiting, 66, passed away in Melbourne Thursday morning. In a statement released by the FIA, Whiting’s cause of death was a result of pulmonary embolism. FIA President Jean Todt sent his condolences to Whiting: “It is with immense sadness that I learned of Charlie’s sudden passing. I have known Charlie Whiting for many years and he has been a great Race Director,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Josef Newgarden winning the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was far from the biggest story. Instead, it was television and streaming contracts, two media outlets INDYCAR fans have gone full rage all week. Just as the sport is hitting mass strides, something alters their momentum every time. This time around, it’s the television deals around the world that’s brought a lot of frustrations from the fans. Let’s start off with the biggest piece of the TV puzzle – NBC Sports. Last season, INDYCAR announced INDYCARRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer In a span of 12 races, only four times Kevin Harvick has failed to lead a single lap at ISM Raceway, a track that’s been his playground for over half a decade. Sunday’s Ticket Guardian 500 was one of those four instances after a ninth-place result marked his worst result since March 2013 where he ended up 13th, his last non-top-10 finish. After a relatively uncharacteristic 10th place run in Stage 1, Harvick’s best stint took place in Stage 2, when he ran inside the top-fiveRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The season opener of the NTT IndyCar Series saw a lot of action that resulted in six retirements, notably in the first 30 laps that took out some of the heavy favorites in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. One of the major storylines heading into the 110-lap contest was the struggles of two-time St. Pete winner Sebastien Bourdais, who was eyeing on a three-peat at the 1.8-mile circuit. His bid for a three-peat was already facing multiple roadblocks. Not only he hadRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Austin Cindric came into Saturday’s iK9 Service Dog 200 at ISM Raceway with a game plan of executing a strong performance that could pay dividends in November, and strong they were. Cindric brought his No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang home in fifth and racked up that essential playoff point he’s been fighting for throughout his NASCAR career. The first caution of the afternoon came out on Lap 32 after Bayley Currey’s No. 17 Port of Tucson Chevrolet Camaro blew an oil line and slammed the TurnRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer A driver’s fear is unable to see the racetrack, hoping to avoid chaos. Both Justin Allgaier and pole sitter Christopher Bell faced that epiphany and were involved in a crash after Stephen Leicht hand grenaded his engine the exit of Turn 3 during Saturday’s iK9 Service Dog 200 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, ending Leicht and Bell’s afternoons. With 71 laps to go, Leicht’s No. 01 JD Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro had just lost a lap to race leader Kyle Busch, and was running in 20thRead More