By Jeffrey Hrunka - Motorsports Today Contributor
Numerous major racing series are in the midst of their summer breaks. This is partly due to the 2024 Summer Olympics taking precedence over these series. While fans await the return of IndyCar, NASCAR, and Formula 1, let’s look back at the best moments this season across these three series.
6) Kyle Larson Attempts “The Double” - NASCAR and IndyCar
For over a year, Kyle Larson was in the headlines for IndyCar as he geared up to attempt the Memorial Day double—running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Larson looked to add his name to the prestigious list of those who could tackle this achievement, which was last attempted by Kurt Busch in 2014.
Unfortunately for Larson, that list would not change, as his racing weekend was plagued by weather. This forced the Indy 500’s original start time to be delayed four hours from 12:45 pm to 4:45 pm, leaving Larson to make a choice: stay to run the Indianapolis 500 and risk a shot at the NASCAR postseason, or leave and run the Coke 600.
He chose the former, leading numerous laps and finishing 18th in his first attempt at “The Double.” After the Indy 500 concluded, he rushed to Charlotte to relieve Justin Allgaier of his driving duties in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. The rain would follow him to North Carolina, ending the Coke 600 before he could get in the race.
While Larson did not achieve “The Double,” his attempt sits sixth on our list due to the headlines it made. It helped both sports, introducing fans who may not have watched both events if Larson had not been involved. Luckily for Larson, he got the playoff waiver from NASCAR for his efforts to get back into the car. He hopes to achieve this feat in 2025, as he and Hendrick Motorsports are getting everything worked out for a second go.
5) Norris and Verstappen Tangle, with Russell Stealing the Win - Formula One
A lackluster race typically doesn’t result in an intense finish, yet the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring ended with Formula One fans split. The race showcased the best drivers in the world, driving to the extent of their abilities, putting this moment fifth on our list.
Max Verstappen entered the Austrian GP weekend with back-to-back victories, looking to extend his championship lead over the rest of the field. This momentum carried into the race weekend as he swept sprint qualifying, race qualifying, and the sprint race. A mistake on lap 52 put his race in jeopardy, as the Red Bull Racing pit crew had a slow pit stop, allowing second-place runner Lando Norris to launch himself back in contention for the race lead.
Norris played second fiddle to Verstappen all weekend, placing second in both qualifying sessions and finishing third in the Sprint Race. Entering the weekend, Norris was second in the championship standings. He needed to outduel Verstappen to close the gap. With Verstappen’s mistake, it allowed Norris to pressure him through every corner. Norris made multiple attempts to pass Verstappen to no avail, each move getting increasingly aggressive as the laps continued to tick down. On lap 64, both drivers made contact, leaving Norris with a broken wing and Verstappen with a blown tire. This allowed Russell to steal a victory over the championship contenders for his second career win and the first since 2022 for Mercedes.
This race proved the existence of a growing intense rivalry between these two drivers. They put the risk of finishing the race with a good finish on the line to eliminate the opportunity for each other to gain an advantage in the championship. It demonstrated that in a series full of domination, drivers can still be competitive no matter the circumstances.
4) Daniel Suarez Wins in Dramatic Fashion - NASCAR
Atlanta Motor Speedway has been a racetrack filled with controversy since its repave in 2022. This split the NASCAR fanbase, as drivers and fans either loved or hated it. It changed from a drivers’ track where you must manage the rough surface conversing tires to a two-to-three-lane superspeedway race with competitors stuck behind one another.
On Feb 25, the Atlanta Motor Speedway was viewed in a different light as the racetrack put on its best race since the repave for the Ambetter Health 400. It featured 48 lead changes split between 14 drivers, split pit strategy and aggressive moves, which kept fans on the edge of their seats. All of the action boiled down to the end of the race for one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history.
With five to go, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez were on the front row, leading the field for what was the final restart of the race. Blaney got a push from Truex Jr. to take the lead and hold until the final lap. Kyle Busch and Suarez were able to force it three-wide on him up to the line, with Suarez taking the victory over Blaney by 0.003 of a second. Busch finished third behind Suarez by 0.007 of a second, the closest finish in track history.
This moment sits fourth on our list due to the surprising nature of the finish after a lackluster first two runnings of the event. It provided an underdog winner who has been yearning to return to victory lane for over a year. The Ambetter Health 400 was an action-packed race with numerous lead changes, which led to one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history.
3) Hamilton Returns to the Top of the Podium - Formula One
Lewis Hamilton entered the 2024 Formula One season on a two-year winless streak. Leading up to the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit, he looked to break it at one of his most successful tracks. In a season filled with uncertainty for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton, they showed they still had it.
Throughout the last two years, Hamilton has been outshined by teammate Russell in the win column. Many question if he still had the aggressive spark, but come Saturday’s qualifying session, he put his Mercedes on the front row.
Once the race got underway, Hamilton was pressured at the start by the two McLarens, Oscar Piastri and Norris. He held them off, but this allowed Russell to get away. It wasn’t until lap 18 that Hamilton made his move. He took the lead, but shortly after, sitting in third, Norris got the better of him, taking the lead a lap later.
It wasn’t until the second set of pit stops began that Hamilton took back the lead. He and his team timed out the track's dryness perfectly, getting dry tires on Hamilton’s car a lap earlier than Norris. The undercut worked, and he won his 105th race, his ninth at the Silverstone Circuit.
This moment sits third on our list because of the impact surrounding the victory. Hamilton broke his long winless streak dominantly by out-strategizing the rest of the grid. He won in front of his home crowd at one of his most successful circuits. You couldn’t write a better script.
2) Kyle Larson Squeaks Past Chris Buescher in the Closest Finish in History - NASCAR
Larson’s month of May will always be considered impressive. It involved him racing numerous vehicles at racetracks across the country, ranging from asphalt to dirt. The most impressive feat for Larson during this period came in the Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 5.
Kansas Speedway has been the premier faculty for racing with the Next Gen car. The track allows for numerous lanes to run, which allows for more passing and the racing surface lets many teams differentiate in strategy. These attributes set up the prime conditions for the closest finish in NASCAR history to occur.
Entering the final ten laps, Larson's chances of winning the Advent Health 400 were out of reach. He was over four seconds back, running in sixth place; however, a spin by Kyle Busch brought out the caution to force the race to overtime.
This split the strategy, with multiple drivers electing to go on two tires. Larson elected to go on two tires, which put him third on the restart. He got the jump on the restart and forced race leader Denny Hamlin up the track to claim the second spot. That left him and Chris Buescher battling for the race win. Buescher held the lead until Larson sent his car to the outside of his door car on the final lap in turn four. This allowed Larson to side-draft Buscher’s car down the front straightaway to get in front of him and beat him by 0.001.
This moment sits second on our list because it is the closest finish in NASCAR history. The media surrounding the race win, combined with the controversy around the call, put the sport in the limelight. NASCAR continues to grow the sport to a younger audience and finishes similar to the Advent Health 400 finish are the most direct way to achieve this goal.
1) Joseph Newgarden Goes Two in a Row - IndyCar
Entering Indianapolis for the Indy 500, Joseph Newgarden and Team Penske had been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The NTT INDYCAR Series announced that Newgarden and teammate Scott McLaughlin would be stripped of their first and third-place finishes from the season opener at St. Petersburg, as the teams used an illegal version of the push-to-pass software to gain an advantage in that race. This marked the sport's first disqualification in 29 years.
Penske Racing issued in-house penalties, which saw multiple top employees ejected over the Indy 500 weekend. This included Luke Mason, the race engineer of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet, setting the team at a setback to repeat their success from last year. However, this did not hinder the teams' performance, as they were at the top of the charts in nearly every session leading up to the race weekend.
Newgarden started third for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 and stayed in that position until the first pit stops got underway. Throughout the race, he consistently found himself inside the top five, but strategy forced him to claw his way from seventh to get back to the race lead with under 50 to go.
With 15 to go, the stage was set. Newgarden led, with the Arrow-McLaren Chevrolets of Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward behind. All three drivers traded the lead for numerous laps until O’Ward got past his teammate, making it a two-horse race. He stayed behind Newgarden in his tow. O’Ward wanted to wait to take the lead until the final lap, which limited the opportunities the Newgarden would have to make another run back at himself. Unfortunately for O’Ward, he was able to generate a run down the back straightaway to take the lead in turn three for the final time.
This moment is at the top of our list due to the obstacles and setbacks Newgarden had to face to accomplish this feat. It involved a natural last-lap duel, demonstrating the strategy the drivers have to face when reaching the closing laps of the race, something that the previous year’s race lacked. Finally, it marked the fifth time the winner of the greatest spectacle in racing went back-to-back. All these factors made it an easy decision to put this moment at the top of our list.
Comments