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A32 sports
Diamars 22 maart 2022

Motorsports celebrates strong weekend across several series

F1 season opener in Bahrain. 2023 invitation — it seems a ing the series for a 35th time.
Hendrick Motorsports won formality — the good ol’ boys
its third NASCAR race of the from stock cars will head to Texas has been terrible for
year with its third different France for the first time since IndyCar since the track ap-
driver in Atlanta. 1976. plied a traction compound
to its turns to accommodate
IMSA The World Endurance NASCAR. The slick PJ1 at
This is where it all kicked Championship opened its the top of the track was too
off with the bombshell an- season at Sebring with much dangerous for IndyCar, so it’s
nouncement that NASCAR of the top talent in the world now one long parade line at
hopes to take its Next Gen participating, and then IMSA the bottom as drivers avoid
car to the 24 Hours of Le closed the weekend Satur- the top for fear of crashing.
Mans next year in a special day when Ganassi claimed Dwindling attendance and
project with Hendrick Mo- his second victory in the 12 frustration over the lousy
torsports. Hours of Sebring with Earl IndyCar races at Texas had
Bamber, Alex Lynn and Neel threatened to make Sunday’s
(AP) — What a week- ness and busted brackets The “Garage 56” entry al- Jani. race the final in the long part-
end for motorsports, the that have become engrained lows NASCAR to work with nership between the two.
bit player on the massive in American sports culture. Hendrick and Chevrolet on Formula one
stick-and-ball sporting Car racing? A distant after- a souped-up version of its Observers insisted Ferrari Speedway Motorsports,
landscape so eager for its thought. seventh-generation race car made the most offseason owner of Texas, already may
own time in the spotlight. for one of the biggest races in improvement, and this will have decided it was done
Each series shone in its own the world. The one-slot en- be the year the team wins with IndyCar even before
The past four days belonged right on a weekend of domi- try at Le Mans highlights in- its first championship since the race based on the lack of
to college basketball, with its nating performances. Ferrari novation and technology, and Kimi Raikkonen in 2007. advertising and promotion in
three weeks of March Mad- pulled off a 1-2 sweep of the should NASCAR earn the the fifth-largest market in the
Ferrari didn’t disappoint United States. On both days
with a 1-2 finish by Charles of the event, it seemed Texas
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. officials did little more than
Yes, expectations were high unlock than gates for Indy-
for Ferrari, but in actually Car to use its facility.
holding off Mercedes at the
same time reigning cham- But IndyCar worked hard to
pion Red Bull was implod- put on a good show and sev-
ing, it was indeed “Mamma en drivers volunteered for a
Mia!” as Leclerc screamed as special Saturday practice ses-
he crossed the finish line. sion designed to create a sec-
ond racing line on the track.
Haas was the laughingstock It was risky and not entirely
of Formula One all of last successful — some drivers
season, a team sucked into still crashed directly into the
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine outside wall when they drift-
because both its sponsor and ed into the slick second lane,
driver were Russian. So many but others made it work, and
people wished Haas would it’s where Newgarden made
just stop driving and sell the his winning pass.
team to Michael Andretti.
Nascar
Kevin Magnussen was sup- Speedway Motorsports also
posed to be driving at Se- owns Atlanta Motor Speed-
bring on Saturday in Ganas- way, host this weekend of
si’s winning car. Instead, the NASCAR and clearly where
F1 team that fired him at the the company focused most of
end of 2020 called at the last its attention.
minute and offered him his
old seat after Haas dumped Atlanta was reconfigured
both driver Nikita Mazepin ahead of the race with new
and sponsor Urakali. pavement and steeper bank-
ing, and the remodeling cre-
Magnussen wound up finish- ated frenzied pack racing and
ing fifth and teammate Mick a finish that looked a whole
Schumacher was 11th on lot like a white-knuckled race
Sunday. Haas was last on the at either Daytona or Talla-
grid in almost every session dega.
last season, and in overcom-
ing the many crises brought There were 46 lead changes
on by its Russian ties — Sun- among an Atlanta-record 20
day was also bolstered by drivers, and nine crashes cre-
the much-improved engines ated a race that ran more than
Haas receives from Ferrari — four hours.
the Americans might not be
the joke of the grid this year. NASCAR races next week
at Circuit of the Americas in
Indycar Austin, Texas, where Chase
It was a battle at Texas Mo- Elliott is the defending race
tor Speedway, the track that winner. He ia the only Hen-
has hosted IndyCar since it drick driver yet to win a Cup
opened in 1997 but faced an race this year.
expiring contract after host-