Roger Diez
Two remarkable things happened at Phoenix International Raceway last Sunday. Christopher Bell got his third consecutive win of the season; the first time a driver has done that since Kevin Harvick’s 2018 hat trick.
The race ended in a wild two-lap shootout with Bell edging out Denny Hamlin for a Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2 finish. Kyle Larson finished right behind them, all three within less than 0.1 second.
The second thing was the option tire, which provided an extra element to race strategy. Drivers with the red option tire were able to cut through the field with ease, and the tires lasted longer than expected. Some observers thought it was too “gimmicky” (which I find hilarious in a series that is already the WWE of motorsports) and others thought it added interest. There are no future races scheduled for option tire use, but NASCAR’s managing director of race communications, Mike Forde, said that it is on the table for future discussions. Personally, I think NASCAR and Goodyear have found a winning combination.
Saturday’s Xfinity race featured a wild overtime finish with Aric Almirola throwing a hip check that would make a hockey defenseman proud on Cup regular Alex Bowman to take the win by 0.045 second. Unfortunately, a lot of fans missed it as, in a move reminiscent of the infamous “Heidi Bowl,” some CW outlets chose to switch to a baseball commercial. The fans were understandably upset.
•••
This weekend all three of NASCAR’s top series are at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The track has hosted NASCAR since 1998, adding a second race in 2018.
Joey Logano leads all active drivers with four wins, most recently last fall. Larson won last spring, one of his three Las Vegas victories, and Brad Keselowski also has three. One-time winners include William Byron, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, and Hamlin.
Saturday’s schedule features Cup practice airing at 10:35 a.m. with qualifying at 11:40 a.m., both on Prime. The CW will broadcast the Xfinity race at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 will air at 12:30 p.m. on FS1.
•••
Formula 1 kicks off the 2025 season this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. Due to time zones and that pesky international dateline, Australia is 18 hours ahead of us, so practice and qualifying are done by the time you read this. The race itself will air at 9 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
Carlos Sainz won last year in a Ferrari but will be driving for Williams this season. Max Verstappen drove his Red Bull to his only Australia win in 2023 and Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari in 2022. Only two other active drivers have Australian victories, Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and 2015 and Fernando Alonso in 2006. The race was canceled due to COVID in 2020 and 2021.
Since The Australian Grand Prix joined the Formula 1 championship calendar in 1985, Ferrari and McLaren have each taken 11 wins, Williams five, Mercedes four, and Red Bull two among currently active teams.
•••
The field has a different look this year.
Veterans Hamilton, Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon are with new teams. Hamilton now drives for Ferrari, Sainz is at Williams, Hulkenberg has joined Kick Sauber, and Ocon is at Haas.
Rookies in the field include Jack Doohan at Alpine, Oliver Bearman at Haas with Ocon, Gabriel Bortoleto joining Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber, Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, and Liam Lawson partnering with Verstappen at Red Bull.