Roger Diez: Big races fill Memorial Day schedule

McLaren driver Lando Norris almost scored his second career Formula 1 win last Sunday at Imola, as he reeled in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the closing laps. But with only one DRS zone on the track he couldn’t overtake the points leader and settled for second by only 0.725 second.

The Red Bulls struggled in Friday’s practice sessions, but Verstappen took pole on Saturday and led much of Sunday’s race until things went sour. But it must be troubling for the dominant team to show weakness where there had been none before.

Sunday, they will race at perhaps the most glamorous of all Formula venues, the streets of Monaco. Passing is even more difficult there than at Imola, so Saturday’s qualifying will be critical. You can watch it at 7 a.m. on ESPN2 with coverage of Sunday’s race starting at 4:30 a.m. on ABC.

•••

It was a good weekend for the Penske organization at both Indianapolis and North Wilkesboro. Team Penske scored a front-row lockout for the first time since 1988 with Scott McLaughlin on pole for Sunday’s Indy 500. Then continuing Penske’s excellent day, Joey Logano dominated the NASCAR All-Star race, leading all but one lap to take home the million dollar top prize. It may also bode a turnaround for Logano’s winless season, which has him currently 17th in points. Logano had the advantage of a previous tire test, helping him manage both the standard and softer option tires. Is NASCAR taking a page from F1 and IndyCar with tire compound options? Stay tuned.

•••

Kyle Larson had a good day at Indy, making the Fast Six and qualifying fifth for Sunday’s classic. Then two helicopter jaunts and a plane ride put him in his Hendrick Chevrolet NASCAR Cup machine for the All-Star race.

Larson started at the rear of the field and after challenging for the lead in the second half of the race ended up fourth. There was also drama early on as Kyle Busch retaliated for an imagined foul and dumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevy into the wall. This ended Stenhouse’s race but not the altercation, as a post-race “discussion” turned into a brawl.

NASCAR responded with a $75,000 fine for Stenhouse Jr., an indefinite suspension for his father, and suspensions of four and eight weeks for a pair of the team’s pit crew members. Busch and his crew were not penalized, the rationale being that the 47 crew went to Busch’s hauler looking for trouble. For his part, Stenhouse Jr. backed off on his threat to wreck Busch at Charlotte this coming Sunday.

•••

Sunday, Larson will become the sixth driver to attempt the “double,” running both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.

He spent Monday’s practice session acclimating to driving in traffic and honing his IndyCar pit stop procedure. He finished the session 28th on the time charts as Josef Newgarden set the speed standard on the day. It also appears that the engine glitches that plagued the Chevy-powered teams last Saturday have been resolved.

Coverage of the Indy 500 begins at 8 a.m. on NBC and Peacock.

•••

Ending a full day of racing will be NASCAR’s longest race, the traditional Memorial Day 600-mile marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Seven active drivers have won the big race and Martin Truex Jr. is the only multiple winner with two victories. Ryan Blaney is the defending winner with Denny Hamlin, Larson, Brad Keselowski, Busch, and Austin Dillon posting one win each.

Saturday’s racing action starts with the BetMGM300 for the Xfinity series on FOX at 10 a.m. followed by NASCAR Cup practice and qualifying at 2 p.m. on FS1. Sunday’s Coca Cola 600 airs on FOX at 3 p.m.