NM Motor Sports Report April 2023

TheMonte Carlo is one of the most comfortable and welcoming restaurants in the Duke City, a bona fide throwback to the 70’s. “My dad bought the bar in 1970 and two years later he purchased the package liquor store,” said Louis “Louie” Katsaros. “In 1979, we started the restaurant.” Currently brothers Louis and George Katsaros run the family operation in the South Valley on Central at Atrisco.

“In the early seventies or my dad had it. We had a bartender, her name is Shirley, and she would bartend, cook, dishwash, serve, everything by herself,” described Louie. “Now it’s a full-blown, big-time restaurant. It used to be a 25-stool bar and over the years. My dad added that little grill area and it took part of the bar out. The reason why the grill is so close to the package store is so he could watch everything including the drive up. You can watch the register here and do everything.”

To those in the know, you can enter directly through an entrance on the restaurant’s west side but be ready to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. You used to be able to enter the steak house through the package liquor store which provides an extensive selection for the classic, full-service bar.

The business model for the Monte Carlo is simple. “Honesty: good food, good service and a good price. That's about it, to be honest. It's no miracle on food. I mean, you got to be reasonable (on price) and the customers just come back,” explained Louie. “You go to some restaurants where they have ten-page menu. If you have so much product, most of the stuff spoils because he gets old. Got to throw it out. Here, there is nothing old. There's nothing we keep from one day to serve the next day. It's all fresh every single night.”

One customer was so pleased that they contacted Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The Food Channel favorite produced an episode in 2008 entitled “Where the Locals Go” in which “local hot spots” got the inimitable Guy Fieri treatment. Many people had never heard of the Monte Carlo until the Food Network introduced it to them. It truly was one of Albuquerque’s best kept secrets.

Like most local racers, it all started on South Eubank. “My brother and I had a ’67 GTO back in 1975-76,” said Louie. “We started wrenching, had no money, nothing, just do the best you can and make it work. We got into Pontiacs because that was our first car but if it would have been a Chevelle, we would have been into Chevy’s. All our race cars have Chevy’s anyway.”

Louie’s passion has been bracket racing and Monte Carlo has been a longtime sponsor at the Albuquerque Dragway. “I have a 655 cubic inch Chevy in my Firebird and a blown alcohol Chevy, almost 600 cubic inches In my ’55 Chevy ROD,” referring to his replica 1955 Real Outlaw Door Slammer (ROD). “I have really focused on my bracket car because you can run it without a lot of maintenance. I live 20 minutes from the track. It’s easy to just go out and have some fun. With the ROD, I was doing some traveling and that was difficult with the business. Typically, those races are three-to-fourday deals.”

“Both of the cars are in the shop right now,” said Louie. “The Firebird is going through a renovation. I put a big motor in it, that 665 cubic inch motor which makes 1,300 horsepower. That motor was already in the car, but I hurt the frame. So, I took it to a buddy of mine at Kennedy race cars up in Denver and we're redoing all the frame, going from a ladder bar to a four-link. Back in 2000, I did a big wheelie and when it came down, it bent the frame. We did a repair but now we are going remove the factory subframe and put on an after-market round tube. I'm still leave it at all metal. All metal bumpers glass, everything.”

“The 55 Chevrolet Pro-Mod is an all-fiberglass car, chopped. It has a 588 cubic inch Steve Morris alcohol injected motor with a pro charger F36. It is 3300 horsepower on the dyno. It’s not like you're going to use all that horsepower but it’s there,” Louie said with a smile. “It has a Mark Micke Transmission and a Jerry Biffle Rearend it. I mean it's a pretty good car, it's pretty fast.”

PHOTOS BY SARA PENNINGTON - CHERRY BOMB PHOTOWORKS

What in the World is WeBe racing?

By MJ Dodson, Owner of WeBe Racing

WeBe Racing...most off road motorcycle racers in the Southwest know what this organization represents.

Family environment. Fun courses. Great crew…the positive attributes keep coming to mind. How did WeBe Racing accomplish this? By starting 20 years ago with Brett and Wendy Craig. Building a great racing series from the ground up. Putting in the time and effort to make their fledgling adventure blossom into the four corners premier Hare Scramble race series. What's a Hare Scramble? It's a racecourse with an average length of 8 miles, wandering through tight trails over varying terrain. Whether splashing through a river or navigating around trees, the racing action is never lacking. Racing in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah over a 7-month period challenging the racers to always perform their best. From the sand at The Dunes OHV Park just south of Farmington, up to the beautiful slopes of Powderhorn Ski Resort, WeBe Racing strives to deliver unique racing locations. 2017 opened a new chapter for WeBe Racing with James and Chelsea Wagner purchasing

the race series. They forged ahead for the next 6 years. Bringing a new outlook and fostering a great environment for the next generation of racers, the Wagners made WeBe a thriving enterprise. Participants are never too young or old. From 3 years up to 60 plus, there is a racing class for everyone. Rounding the corner of riding fast for 20 years, WeBe starts its next adventure with a new family guiding its future. The Dodson family is excited to get the 2023 race season underway. Riders of all abilities are welcome. From the fastest Pro to the beginner just starting out, we invite everyone out to experience this great race series. With a possible new race location in the schedule and plans in place for some fun and unique events,

the future of WeBe is bright for another 20 years to come. Stop by the website, weberacing.com, to view the schedule or check out some great pictures while there. You can also check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We'll see you at the races!!!

Photos provided by WeBe Racing

"WeHaveEverythingEveryoneLovesSpinning"

Wheels Museum is a 501(c)3 organization in the Albuquerque Rail Yards dedicated to collecting, preserving, and creating educational exhibits about the history of transportation in Albuquerque and New Mexico with emphasis on the impact on the development of the area. Our collections embrace the history of the railroads, the impact of the rail yards on Albuquerque, as well as automobiles, horse and wagon, and other modes of transportation. Insider fact: WHEELS (an acronym for “We Have Everything Everyone Loves Spinning”).

Wheels Museum is open Monday – Thursday from 9 am to 12 pm and on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, and closed Sundays. Note: As museum hours are subject to change without notification and may be different during special events, please call (505) 243-6269 prior to your visit.

Wheels Museum is currently housed in what the Santa Fe Railyards once referred to as The Storehouse, a long and narrow structure built in 1914, in which was kept an enormous inventory of all manner of parts and supplies for the larger maintenance shops and the entire Santa Fe railroad system in general. Please call (505) 243-6269 or e-mail: info@wheelsmuseum.org for more information.

April 8, 11 am. “Historic Albuquerque” Ronn Perea will present old Albuquerque anecdotes including delightful stories about our beloved Alvarado Hotel and the politicians, actors and entertainers who stayed there. This is a free event but, of course, donations are always appreciated.

April 22, Wheels Museum Day trip to Rancho De Chimayo Restaurante, El Santuario de Chimayo and the Santa Fe Plaza. Call Leba or Janet at (505) 243-6269 for more information. The museum is a 501C3 non-profit community organization whose mission is to create a transportation museum at the downtown Albuquerque Steam Locomotive Repair Shops.

May 19-May 23, Train trip to the Grand Canyon. Only a few spaces left.Scheduled through Amtrak Vacations, call Leba or Janet at (505) 243-6269 for reservations and more information.

May 27, 10 am. “Railroad Time” Historian Roland Penttila introduces you to Sir Sanford Fleming and describe how missing his train got him thinking about time and how we understand it. His work led to the world time zones and the standardized use of time that was a boon to the emerging industrialized world.

Reservations (505) 243 6269. Admission is free, but of course, donations are gratefully appreciated.

Membership Categories with Annual Rates:

Individual – $30

Senior – $20

Family (2 adults & their minors) – $55

Do you have a few hours each month to help the Wheels Museum? Volunteers are needed so the Museum can be open more; run the model railroad trains, also help needed with events, marketing, fund raising. Call Leba Freed at (505) 243-6269.

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID SWOPE

Dave: What do you think about being down south here in Las Cruces and the southern hospitality?

Bobby : We moved here January 1 (from Bosque Farms) and got thrown right into the big fire of the Wild West Shoot-Out. Yes, we have noticed. It's a small-town hospitality. Everybody has just been super friendly, super helpful. We're really enjoying it so far. It's been a great place to spend the winter.

Dave: What are some of the short-term items that you guys are going to be working on?

Bobby : As far as track improvements, you bet. We are just finishing clearing all the licensing hurdles and inspections. We're just about to start construction on a new giant tech building in the pits and it's a dual-purpose thing. We need to update the tech shed, so we can do better tech inspection on the race cars. But also, this gives us an opportunity to really step up in that area. We will soon have real bathrooms instead of porta-potties and we will have showers in the pits. We will have a concession stand and a new check in booth for transponders and [pill draw]. It will have a couple of windows so we can cut down on the lines.

Dave: This place is just so popular. Car count is amazing.

Bobby : I ran the numbers for the banquet. We had over 500 different race cars check-in last year. So, it's just getting bigger by the day. We get people who are putting this on their bucket list.

Dave: You've had some practice sessions, when does the season officially start?

Bobby : [The Winter Meltdown] is our opener. We decided to just go ahead and make the opener the Meltdown because it's a big event and we can put a lot of push into this. This is the kind of event that will draw some people who aren't regular Saturday night fans and introduce them to what we do here and see if we can hook them.

Dave: What are all the different divisions you have?

Photos by Studio Z

Bobby : Oh gosh, we have 9 regular divisions plus a traveling division that comes through. We start out at the entry level with a Pure Stock class. We move up from there to USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods and USRA A-Mods. We also have INEX Legends, we have the only track in the region that runs the Legends. We have our Late Model class. We have 305 Winged Sprints. We have 360 Non-Winged Sprints and a few times a year some 360 Winged Sprints with a traveling series. Since we have a couple of visits a year from the 360 Winged sprint. All three of the Sprint Cars are with the POWRi Series.

Dave: Sounds like it takes a team to run this whole thing.

Bobby : Yeah, I'm the rookie here. After I took the job in October, we came down for a meeting with all of the crew. The thing that just I walked away with was that Royal Jones pulls such loyalty out of his employees. The average person has worked for Royal at a racetrack has been here a minimum is 10 years and the average is probably like 14. These people run this track by remote control. They've done it so long and so well. They don't need me to run the track. They need to promote it because it needs nothing in that regard.

“High’s The Limit” for Larson and Sweet’s New Series

Story By Spencer Hill

Photos By Mark Funderburk | High Limit

The High Limit Sprint Car Series makes its debut in 2023 as one of the most anticipated racing series to hit the market in sprint car history. The series is co-owned by 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson and four-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Champion, Brad Sweet. Their goal was simple: add high-dollar events to the annual sprint car racing schedule to attract big names.

After a couple dry runs late last year, the High Limit Sprint Car Series is now set to crown their inaugural series champion. The series originally set out to run 12 races this season, with the season opener being held as a non-points event at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA on March 21st. Unfortunately, due to a record amount of rainfall in California this year, the event was forced to be cancelled and the season will now kick off at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS on April 11th as drivers battle for a $50,000 pay day.

In addition to every High Limit race paying a minimum of $23,023 to win, several unique twists have been added to make the series stand out even more.

One of those twists will be the DURST Dice Roll where front row started for the A-Feature will be offered a choice to “roll the dice” and start further back in the field for an opportunity at extra winnings. The dash winner will be offered the dice roll first. If accepted, the driver will roll two dice with the combined value determining their new starting position, between 2nd and 12th. If they can win from their dice roll position, they will be rewarded with that many more thousands of dollars in victory lane. (ex. 6 + 6 = 12th place start for a chance to win an extra $12,000) If the dash winner declines the DURST Dice Roll, the other driver on the front row will be the final driver with the option to roll.

Another unique twist for the High Limit Series will be the use of a “choose cone” rule until 10 laps to go in the A-Main. After the lineup is deemed correct from the scoring tower, a cone will be placed on the front straightaway and allow drivers to choose the inside or outside row for a double file restart to resume the action. If the race has 10 laps or less remaining, then they will revert to single file restarts.

Fans will also be delighted to hear a pair of familiar voices calling the action this year as father/son duo, Dillon and Vince Welch have been named the official announcers for the 2023 High Limit Sprint Car Series season. For the Welch family, it’s a rare opportunity to be the newest unique aspect of the High Limit Sprint Car Series. Dillon and Vince are veterans in the NASCAR broadcast circle. Although they have teamed up to work pit road together on a broadcast before, this year’s High Limit Sprint Car Series will mark the first time in racing history that a father and son will exclusively share the booth to call the action on track.

For more information and a full schedule of events, go to www.highlimitracing.com

Personally, I’ve been around the motorsport of drag boat racing for most of my life. My dad, Dick Welch, was a drag boat racer and event organizer all the way back to my single digit days. Dad had a 10 second, 100 mph, liquid 1/4 mile, Wesco v-drive flat bottom, back in 1971. This boat was my first “good” ride in a drag boat and afterwards I was hooked! A couple years later dad went to a single seat, unblown gas Sanger hydro, called “Black Jack”. During this same period, dad was VP and Race Chairman for the Houston Drag Boat & Ski Club and was involved in the forming of the Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA). The SDBA has been organizing and promoting drag boat racing ever since.

In about 1974 my dads medical career had transferred our family to Phoenix Az. About the same time, Firebird Lake, was being built in the southern Phoenix suburb of Chandler. Dad got involved and was even offered a position with the organization building the lake. But it was not lucrative enough to pull him away from his career in the medical industry, so he just volunteered his knowledge and some time to help get the facility going. Dad ended up making the first official timed pass on the lake at the first gathering on Firebird, circa 1975. I have vivid memories.

Since then many drag boat racing events have happened at Firebird. It has been the site for the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series, World Finals, for the better part of the last 15 years. Rumor has it that the original lease of the Native American land had expired and the land has been annexed by the state to expand on the amazing highway system for the drivers in the Phoenix metroplex. I’ve been told by the current SDBA owner and Series Director, David Carroll, that he has been told that last years 2022 SDBA Nationals would be the final race ever at the facility. It was only the second SDBA race at the lake.

If it holds true, the pictures you see here will be the last by me at the iconic boat racing facility. And I might be one of only a handful of people that were at both the first and last race there. But Drag Boat racing will live on with the SDBA. Lake Lucas in Wheatland was just built a few years ago and now carries the torch as the premier drag boat racing facility. As well there are still several river and lake based H2O tracks that are excellent for the sport.

When it’s comes to spectating at a motorsports event there isn’t much better than drag boats, in my opinion. sprint cars and nitro dragsters are in the mix as well! If you get the chance, don’t miss out. Every motorsports fan should see at least one Top Fuel Hydro make a pass!

Cole Allen in "Total Kaos" gets out of shape at over 200MPH

New Mexico's Jeff Luehring - "Nasty Rumors" PCFB

Farmington New Mexico is the granddaddy of rock crawling for the werock grand nationals and home of rock crawling events. But is also the home of Loren Healy and he’s one of the best in the world to date. It's been a busy couple of years for me in Ultra4! I helped Ford launch the new 2021 Ford Bronco, won my fourth consecutive Ultra4 short course race at the 'Big House' in Crandon, Wisconsin, won the 2021 El Rey de las Bajas in San Felipe, and I teamed up with Paul Horschel to win the 4400 class at the 2020 Baja 1000.

Off-Road is my whole life -- my passion, my hobby, and my career. I'll be here 'til I die.

2019 Archive: Loren is one of Ultra4 Racing’s top drivers and is a two-time King of the Hammers. What landed him on the Hall of Fame Impact Award list for 2019 is his performance at this year’s Ultra4 Stampede, where he came back from a spectacular crash in qualifying to win the main event in his 4400 car and also win the UTV class in his

Polaris Turbo S. Winning one class at the highly competitive short course Stampede is a fete. To win two classes in the same day in two different vehicles that are so mechanically and physically different is what made us take notice. Healy’s Polaris Turbo S UTV has 180 horsepower, his Ultra4 car pushes 800+. Healy’s ability to adjust to two entirely different race vehicles and come away with wins in both on the same day is a testament to his skill as a driver.

2023

Congratulations to Vaughn Gittin Jr., Loren Healy, Eric Davis & Jesse Amyx and the whole Fun-Haver #FordBronco crew on winning the Spidertrax Off-Road 4600 Class in the 4 Wheel Parts #EverymanChallenge at the 2023 Progressive King of The Hammers, powered by #OPTIMAbatteries

NEW MEXICANS AT THE MINT 400

The biggest race in the us went down March 9-12th in Las Vegas Nevada. The famous Mint 400 is one of the toughest against desert vs machine. Albuquerque's Herman and Austin Johnson of metal center were ready for battle in pro utv class. Watch for these New Mexico racers on the pro circuit of best in the desert and score. Next race is San Felipe 250 in Mexico.

Edgewood New Mexico’s Wright family just came back from the Mint 400 desert race in Las Vegas Nevada. It’s a family tradition that’s all about family.

"Our first Mint 400 was a blast," said Haskel Wright. "We unfortunately did not complete the race as the motor decided to disassemble itself. We all had an incredible time being there, experiencing everything the Mint has to offer and doing it as a family. It was great getting to walk down Fremont and thank you to everyone who came to talk to us and singled out our car. Back home safe with the car unloaded, ready to be prepped for upcoming events! We will be back!" @swright0828. @garrett.wright.3323

They battled all day and ended up with a blown motor but that racing and they will be ready for the next one!

Owners, Steven Maes and Thaison Garcia, may have had a slight idea of how busy their lives would become in 2018, when Garcia founded the first Rust is Gold Coffee location in the Albuquerque Northeast Heights. But they never would have expected the obstacles and the success that would eventually come their way. Before opening the first RIG location in 2018, owner Thaison Garcia was just a young enthusiast, who enjoyed vintage motorcycles and coffee. Twice a year he would travel back to his home state of California and make the pilgrimage to like-minded shops such as Deus Ex Machina in Venice and Chain and Sprockets in San Francisco. He had heard rumblings in the mid- 2000’s of other Moto-themed coffee shops opening around the country and made it his mission to visit them all. Thaison was inspired by the growing vintage culture and custom build scene that had appealed to him as far back as he could remember. Fortunately, the “cafe racer” and custom build culture was also beginning to awaken from its long slumber and enter the motorcycle scene again. Around the same time, business partner Steven Maes was starting to experiment with his own passion for building and modifying vintage motorcycles in the Duke City. Starting with a Honda CX 500 and CB 750, at that time easily accessible and fairly inexpensive, he began to modify and redesign the stock motorcycles into the “throw-back” style of the

early British Rockers. Steve had been working in the booming New Mexico film industry as a graphic designer and he quickly started to merge his passion for design and motorcycles together.

It was the mid-2000’s and the growing Cafe Racer and vintage motorcycle scene, that was popular on the east and west coasts had not quite reached the southwest and especially the small city of Albuquerque quite yet. However, over the course of the next few years, some like-minded vintage moto-enthusiasts had started to come together for small meetups and rides. Inspiring each other to modify and build Cafe Racers, this group would come to call themselves the Duke City Rockers, a ragtag bunch riding vintage Yamahas, Hondas and Triumphs, and taking their style and aesthetic from the original British Rockers. A few years later, as fate would have it, Steve would meet Thaison, then President of the Duke City Rockers, at an organized vintage motorcycle ride, and the two would become fast friends.

In keeping with the British Rocker tradition, the Duke City Rockers would meet at a coffee shop on Sunday mornings, usually an Einstein’s Coffee. They would make their ascend to the backside of the Sandia Mountains to what was a popular gathering point for motorcyclists called Coffee at Dawns. The initial group was small, and

the club was slow going but sometimes humble beginnings can have enormous outcomes, as each year the club would attract a few new riders. Eventually its small annual rally held at local breweries would continue to grow and attract newer riders. Eventually Albuquerque would catch up with the vintage motorcycle scene that the Duke City Rockers were already at the forefront of. With the vintage motorcycle culture and caffeine fueled gatherings, Thaison’s idea for a moto-themed coffee shop and Steve’s passion for retro-design and motorcycles, the Duke City was primed for it’s very first motorcycle themed coffee shop, Rust is Gold Coffee.

It’s with this passion and energy for the Moto-community that we look forward to writing monthly articles on the southwest two-wheel scene - from racing, builds and rides to spotlights on collectors and enthusiasts around our great state of New Mexico.

eNASCAR’s Michael Conti refuses to slow down

By Justin Melillo Junior Gaming and eSports Editor, Traxion.GG

In any form of motorsport, there comes a point where it’s time for any driver to hang up the helmet. In NASCAR, Kevin Harvick will call it quits this season after 23 years of racing at the top level. Similarly, the 2014 champion of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series is also calling it a career when the final lap is in the books at Homestead-Miami later this year.

Michael Conti, who drives the No. 8 WR1 Chassis Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, announced on the morning of January 14th that 2023 would be his final season of competition in eNASCAR’s top series. A member of the JR Motor-

Even in Swan Song season,

sports family for the last four seasons, Conti is looking to continue to build his own legacy for one last season as the face of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s esports team.

In the 193 races that he’s competed in over his illustrious career, Conti has collected 14 race wins, 65 Top 5 finishes, and as mentioned above, the 2014 eNASCAR Championship. Conti is one of 10 champions ever in the 13-season history dating back to 2010. Since he went full-time in 2012, Conti has never finished worse than 14th in the standings. Since the inception of the eNASCAR Playoffs, eDriver 8 has never missed a chance at racing for the championship, qualifying for the Championship 4 twice in six playoff berths.

Thank You Race Fans!

2023 is Conti’s farewell tour, something he and his fans are calling the #ItsBeenGr8 Tour. Some drivers take the opportunity in their final seasons to wind down and appreciate what the series has given them. Not Mike. “Still, my desire and motivation to compete and win are as strong as ever, and now with the end in sight, there’s truly no time to waste,” Conti wrote in his farewell letter on Twitter.

“As bad as this might sound, I’ve been thinking about retirement for about eight or nine years now,” Conti explained during eNASCAR Production day. “In 2014, when I won the championship, at the beginning of the year, I said ‘I just want to have fun, this is a part time schedule, as soon as I stop having fun, I’ll skip a race’.”

“I never skipped a race because I never stopped having fun, and I won the championship.”

After barely missing out on a chance to compete for the 2022 title on a points technicality, Conti made his decision to hang it up during the offseason. “It’s hard to put an exact date on when I knew this was it, but I just feel like 2023 has great potential for me and the people around me, and I think we can go out on top this year,” Conti said. “That’s exactly how I want to go out… I think that would be the ultimate send off.”

Low and behold, not even a quarter of the way into the 2023 season and who else but Michael Conti would be leading the playoff standings through three races. A man of his word, Conti fully intends to leave on his own terms and on the top of his game. Still, the decision to step away is one that has weighed on him for many years.

“I think a lot of things for me changed in 2019, when I lost Mom and went through everything there. I love working with Dale, I love sim racing in this series, but I think reality set in on August 15th, 2019. That’s when I got a slap in the face. Time is not limitless, life is short, understand where you’re at in the moment and appreciate it, and never look too far ahead into the future.”

There are still 15 races left to go in the 2023 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. That’s 15 more opportunities for Conti to add on to his already incredible career. “I feel like I’ve already done everything I need to do, and that’s why I can retire… but let me get a win, let me extend my playoff streak, and just give me a shot at the final four.”

Hagan’sGatorsWinRemindsThatNHRA FunnyCarTitleChaseNotJustTwo-ManShow

By Susan Wade Photos courtesy NHRA.com

Robert Hight won eight of last year’s 22 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car races, nearly one-third of them, and was runner-up four more times. He led the standings following 12 straight races down the stretch, but Ron Capps denied him his fourth championship by three points, the second-smallest margin in class history.

Hight talked about it all winter long, lamenting the points system that he admittedly has benefitted from in the past. And Capps said he became “tired of it” and that “it’s starting to irritate me” – and said in a public interview that Hight should “get over it.” Naturally, that rankled Hight. So the two of them are intensifying their rivalry.

Meanwhile, one podcast host said the media ought to play up the combat between Hight and Capps, suggesting they are the future of the sport, successors to John Force and heirs to the public-relations riches Force has cultivated

through the years. Both are gunning for a fourth title, with Hight focused on his place in history if he could match Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme and Capps’ sights set on three in a row.

Ah-ah-ah – not so fast, Tony Stewart Racing driver Matt Hagan would caution. He told Hight, Capps, and everyone else with his season-opening Amalie Oil Gatornationals victory that he, too, is a three-time champion with his own ambitions. After all, he was right in the title chase last fall –and, lest his rivals forget, he was atop the standings after six early 2022 races, from the April Las Vegas four-wide event through the June race at Bristol, Tenn.

After completing back-to-back Gatornationals victories, Hagan broke a tie with Tony Pedregon to become fourth on the class’ all-time victories list with 44. As for being on that “Funny Car Mount Rushmore” with Capps and Hight and John Force (who seemingly has been overlooked in this latest power struggle), Hagan put it in perspective.

“Those two guys – Capps and Hight – they're great drivers. Ron's a good friend of mine, and Robert, I got a lot of respect for him. It always comes down to those two and me and a couple other drivers every year. There's never been in the last probably eight years that I can think of that we haven't been had a title shot at it at the last day, at the last race,” Hagan said. “Capps, Force, and Hight . . . I don't know, maybe one day we might catch Robert.” (Hight has 61 victories, third-best in the category, compared to Capps’ No. 2-ranked 72 – all behind Force’s

runaway 155.)

“But.” Hagan said, “as far as Force goes, he's going to be the G.O.A.T. forever. I'm going to have to do it ’til I'm 200 if I'm going to catch Force. And Ron's got actually 20 years on me, as far as his driving. To pass some of these other guys that have been out there doing it is an honor, just to even be in that caliber of drivers and people and showmen. It's incredible.”

So would a brilliant season in which he ends up producing a championship for his Tony Stewart Racing team and beating Hight and Capps to a fourth crown.

Opening Day for open-wheel racing

By John Haverlin

Photos courtesy of Indycar | Formula 1

March 5 started a new season for two of the world’s top racing leagues -- the NTT IndyCar Series and the Formula 1 World Championship.

IndyCar kicked off its year at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, while F1 saw the lights go out for the first time in 2023 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Marcus Ericsson and Max Verstappen won their respective events, but they weren’t the ones to make all the headlines when the racing was all said and done.

Romain Grosjean, now in his third IndyCar season, started from the pole and looked like he would be the man to beat in St. Pete. He led 31 laps but only completed 71 of the total 100 after battling and crashing with Scott McLaughlin, who was looking to blend onto the track ahead of Grosjean after exiting the pits on Lap 72.

McLaughlin came out in front of Grosjean’s No. 28 Honda, but he couldn’t hold him off for long on cold tires. Grosjean had the hot,

grippier tires, and the two were side-by-side on a narrow straightaway before it all went sour.

Grosjean tried to overtake McLaughlin from the outside on a righthand turn, but they touched and collided into a tire barrier, thus ending both drivers’ chances at a trophy. Grosjean, clearly frus-

racing dazzles in St. Pete, Bahrain

trated, climbed out of his car and slammed his fist against the tire barrier before heading to the infield in the AMR safety vehicle.

McLaughlin continued to drive but ended up a lap down in 13th after leading a race-high 38 laps. Ericsson won his fourth IndyCar race, while Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon rounded out the podium.

After the race, McLaughlin and Grosjean talked things over. They hugged and had a conversation as good sportsmen would do.

“Glad we could talk man to man. Racing hard, both going for the win. We have had many good battles with @RGrosjean - I apologise for my part in this. Press on.,” McLaughlin tweeted.

“Thanks for coming to see my friend!” Grosjean replied. “I’m excited to fight for the lead with you in many more occasion.”

In Bahrain, two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen took the pole and led Red Bull to a 1-2 finish to start the 2023 campaign. He was P1 for all but three laps, led by his Mexican teammate Sergio Perez.

But while the Red Bulls dominated out front, the battle for the final place on the podium contained all the excitement. Fernando Alonso, in his first race with Aston Martin, got P3 after overtaking Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. in the second half of the race. Alonso passed Hamilton for fourth on Lap 38 and then overtook fellow countryman Sainz seven laps later.

After getting by a Mercedes and Ferrari, it was a well-earned and exciting 99th career podium for the 2005-2006 champion.

He repeated the feat two weeks later in Saudi Arabia. Alonso started second, took the lead in Turn 1 on the first lap, but then was given a five-second penalty for improperly positioning his car in his grid slot after the formation lap.

Alonso attempted to serve his time penalty in the pits, but race control initially declared that it wasn’t done correctly. The race stewards said that the rear jack shouldn’t have been touching his car in the pit box before the five seconds was up, but Aston Martin petitioned the decision saying that there were seven previous instances in F1 of the jack touching a car during a time penalty that didn’t result in further discipline.

Because of the additional five seconds added for the jack touching the car, Alonso was relegated to P4. But when the FIA reversed its decision, it placed the Spaniard back on the podium for the second time in two races.

Perez won the race from the pole, while Max Verstappen salvaged a P2 finish after starting 15th from a driveshaft failure that occurred during the second round of qualifying.

NASCAR hits Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing with big penalties; appeals coming

By Jonathan Fjeld (Photos courtesy TRE)

NASCAR levied massive penalties against all four Hendrick Motorsports teams and Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing team for unapproved parts modifications. The sanctioning body docked each NASCAR Cup Series team 100 owner points and ten playoff points. They also suspended each crew chief for four Cup races, with a $100,000 fine tacked on. Except for the No. 9 team, NASCAR also docked each team 100 driver points and ten playoff points. Josh Berry replaced Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet at Phoenix and Las Vegas but Berry isn’t running for Cup driver points.

NASCAR confiscated each team’s louvers at Phoenix Raceway. The sanctioning body inspected the parts at the R&D Center and found unapproved modifications, which prompted the penalties. After NASCAR levied the penalties, Hendrick Motorsports fired back, saying they plan to appeal based on the following factors:

- Louvers provided to teams through NASCAR’s mandated single-source supplier do not match the design submitted by the manufacturer and approved by NASCAR

- Documented inconsistent and unclear communication by the sanctioning body specifically related to louvers

- Recent comparable penalties issued by NASCAR have been related to issues discovered during a postrace inspection

JoshWilliamssuspended1raceforAtlantaincident

By Jonathan Fjeld

Officials parked Williams after debris flew off of his car and caused a caution. Under caution, Williams parked his car at the start-finish line, then walked across the infield grass to his pit stall.

Alex Labbe drove Williams’ No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing at Circuit of the Americas.

No word on if NASCAR will grant Williams a waiver to remain playoff-eligible.

Williams issued this statement after NASCAR penalized him.

One of the most memorable moments of the Atlanta race weekend happened Saturday during the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ RAPTOR 250.

NASCAR suspended Josh Williams for one race after an incident in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Photos courtesy TRE / Fox News

Zane smith Wins Back-to-Back truck series races at circuit of the americas

By Holly Cain Photos courtesy NASCAR Media

Ford driver Ty Majeski, Toyota’s Tyler Ankrum and last year’s NASCAR Cup Series COTA winner, Ross Chastain, in a Chevrolet rounded out the top-five.

It’s the second victory of the year for Smith, who won the season-opener at Daytona too – the same first two victories he earned in his 2022 championship season as well.

Peak and all our partners. It was fast when it mattered. I just enjoy coming to all the road courses, especially here. So cool. Just a true testament to this team.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Zane Smith became the first repeat NASCAR winner at the famed Circuit of The Americas road course, the reigning series champion holding off veteran Kyle Busch to claim his second straight victory in Saturday’s XPEL 225 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.

The 23-year-old Californian’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford led the final 15 laps – a race best 16 of the 42 laps in all – and crossed the finish line an impressive 5.451-seconds ahead of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch. The win makes Smith’s Front Row Motorsports team a perfect 3-for-3 in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at COTA. Todd Gilliland won the 2021 inaugural here.

“Shout out to Chris Lawson for an amazing strategy,” said Smith, whose Ford F-150 had a small fire under it extinguished after his burnout.

“So cool for [sponsors] Speedco,

“Once we got to that eight-to-go point and I was told Kyle [Busch] was in second, my heart rate went up a little bit, just because he’s so good at managing his stuff when it mattered,” Smith continued. “So, I just tried not to make any mistakes.”

The win Saturday was Smith’s ninth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and puts him in the driver standings lead by two-points on ThorSport Racing’s Majeski heading into the next race.