By ZECH YODER
Well, this week in motorsports was big.
The NASCAR Cup Series set its playoff lineup with another new winner at the “track too tough to tame.” INDYCAR has a chaotic weekend at the Milwaukee Mile and hometown driver, Conor Daly, reached the podium for the first time in eight years. And McLaren’s Formula 1 team left another win slip through their fingers as Ferrari won at home.
Few in the NASCAR community doubt the driving ability of Chase Briscoe, though his driving ability has been seriously tested by the underperformance of Stewart-Haas Racing. Briscoe entered the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway 18th in points and in a must-win scenario. Given his lack of performance in 2024 and the emphasis Darlington places on car performance, Briscoe was an afterthought. The focus was on Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, and Ross Chastain, who were all vying for the last spot in the playoff field. Barring a new winner, either Buescher, Wallace, or Chastain was headed to the playoffs.
In dramatic fashion, Briscoe ruined playoff dreams and won his way into the Cup Series Playoffs. Briscoe’s car was strong, running second to Kyle Larson for much of the race. Second, however, was not good enough to keep his playoff hopes alive. A late race restart gave Briscoe the opportunity to make a spectacular three-wide pass down the backstretch, pushing Kyle Larson high and punching his ticket to the playoffs. Even Kyle Busch, on new tires and desperate for a win, could not catch Briscoe.
As a cut-off race for the playoffs, Darlington was remarkable. I was not sure if it would like up to the hype of Daytona. That question is settled. Darlington surpassed the excitement of Daytona. Daytona derives its excitement from chaos and carnage.
But setting the playoff field at Daytona comes with a hint of arbitrary luck bent. Darlington, on the other hand, feels more genuine. It is a driver’s track. Darlington is typically won by the driver who makes the least number of mistakes and outlasts the field. Its nickname, “the track too tough to tame,” reflects the battle drivers face each lap in racing one another while attempting to keep their cars from sliding into the fence.
The back-and-forth between Buescher and Wallace was great. The three-wide pass for the lead by Briscoe was great! The late but unsuccessful charge by Kyle Busch was great. Darlington is an exceptionally difficult track. Having it host the cut-off race was brilliant. Enough said.
While NASCAR was in Darlington, INDYCAR was at the Milwaukee Mile for a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader. One of the oldest ovals in the country, Milwaukee did not disappoint. Particularly because Noblesville’s own Conor Daly drove his way through the field and onto the podium with a third-place finish at the Saturday race.
Daly’s first lap heroics on the highline of the racetrack put him in sight of the top 10. He continued making steady progress when a late race caution put him into the second position. After pitting and getting shuffled back to sixth, Daly again took to the highline and made quick progress to fourth. When Santino Ferrucci slowed after being pushed up the track by Will Power, Daly made quick work of Ferrucci, his final pass for position. A remarkable day for both Daly and his team, Juncos Hollinger Racing, as the young team claimed its first ever podium. Race 2 did not bode well for Daly. A clutch issue relished him to 17th.
Alex Palou’s championship hopes took a hit when the hybrid system on his car malfunctioned, causing him to go more than 20 laps down. His saving grace came when Will Power, who was running inside the top 6 with a chance for a podium, spun coming to a restart. While Power rallied back to 10th, Palou was able to preserve a 33-point lead heading into the final race at Nashville. Is the gap insurmountable for Power? No, but he will need some help from Palou.
The most bizarre race of the weekend was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, qualified 1-2 ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
On the opening lap, Oscar Piastri made a daring move to the outside of his teammate, Lando Norris, who sits second in the Drivers’ Championship. Piastri and Norris were unable to pull away from the Ferraris, and an advantageous pit strategy ultimately put the Ferrari of Leclerc to the front, taking the win in front of an enthusiastic Italian crowd. What struck me as bizarre was the aggressive battle between Norris and Piastri, which very well may have cost McLaren a 1-2 finish.
McLaren is in the hunt for the Constructors Championship, only eight points behind Red Bull. With Verstappen finishing 6th and Perez finishing 8th, a McLaren 1-2 would have put them ahead of Red Bull.
More intriguing is the Drivers’ Championship. Lando Norris currently sits 62 points behind Max Verstappen. Given McLaren’s pace and Red Bull’s struggles, Norris can catch Verstappen. Yet on at least two recent occasions, Piastri has taken points from Norris. I’ll admit that I am no fan of team orders, but I think it is time that McLaren prioritize Norris. McLaren’s tactical struggles are reminiscent of Ferrari over the last few years and McLaren has left a lot of points on the table. Zac Brown should be commended for the job he has done at McLaren. But they need to straighten things out fast.
There are two championships within McLaren’s grasp. Inexperience and pressure seem to have cost them thus far. They must turn things around because Red Bull will not be on the back foot long.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.