Adam Sinclair

Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway more than 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of traveling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week.

Adam spent several years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.

Be sure to tune in for his sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place (almost) every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.

Contact Adam: Email

Racing News

FIA Formula E Announces Provisional Season 9 Calendar with New Races in India and Brazil

Saturday, Jul 02

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will expand in Season 9 and the debut of the Gen3 race car to include more E-Prix races in more world cities with more race teams on the Formula E grid than ever before.

The Season 9 provisional calendar was published today by Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) following ratification by the FIA World Motor Sport Council and with the support of local ASNs (National Automobile Clubs) for each city.

The planned schedule for next season currently features 18 races between January and July 2023 on street circuits in 13 world cities, beating the previous record of 16 races in 10 different cities this season.

Deafening cheers from the Foro Sol grandstand will greet the new Gen3 race car, the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built, when it debuts at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez track in Mexico City on 14 January for Round 1 of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Two major motorsport fanbases will welcome E-Prix for the first time. Round 4 of the championship will be held in Hyderabad, India, on 11 February, while fans in Brazil will see the São Paulo E-Prix on 25 March for Round 7.

Berlin remains the only city to host an E-Prix in all nine seasons of the championship, while Seoul and Jakarta will see Formula E return following inaugural races this season. The record-breaking TV audience and sold-out grandstands in Jakarta means the city will now host an expanded double-header of races next season.

Diriyah in Saudi Arabia will host the popular double-header of night races on 27 and 28 January. Monaco, Rome and London complete the schedule of named races.

Alberto Longo, Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer, Formula E said:

“The Season 9 calendar of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is our most expansive and dynamic racing schedule yet and I cannot wait to get started. We will continue to push the international boundaries of all-electric street racing with E-Prix in Hyderabad and São Paulo, while maintaining the hugely-popular races in Diriyah, Mexico City, Berlin, Monaco, Rome and London with Jakarta and Seoul now established on the calendar. We are also working hard to include Cape Town and a race in the USA when the provisional calendar is updated later this year.”

As well as the arrival of the much-anticipated Gen3 race car - the world’s first net zero carbon race car in the world’s first net zero carbon sport – the Formula E grid will be formed from 12 teams and 24 drivers.

From next season the only place to see new arrivals McLaren Racing, Maserati and ABT go head-to-head with historic motorsport names including Porsche, Jaguar and Nissan is on the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship grid.

Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer, Formula E said:

“From Round 1 in Mexico City to the climax of Season 9 in London, the stage is set for the most successful Formula E season yet. Engineers and sustainability experts at the FIA and Formula E have worked together to build the Gen3, a race car that proves how high performance and sustainablity can powerfully co-exist without compromise. We welcome Maserati back to motorsport for the first time in decades alongside McLaren Racing and the incredible roster of teams and manufacturers that makes Formula E unique. We expect Season 9 to continue our momentum of growing the global fanbase for the sport.”

Season 9 Provisional Calendar:

Event	Round	Location	Date
1	1	Mexico, Mexico City	14 January 2023
2	2 & 3	Saudi Arabia, Diriyah	27 & 28 January 2023
3	4	India, Hyderabad	11 February 2023
4	5	TBD	25 February 2023
5	6	TBD	11 March 2023
6	7	Brazil, São Paulo	25 March 2023
7	8	Germany, Berlin	22 April 2023
8	9	Monaco, Monaco	6 May 2023
9	10 & 11	South Korea, Seoul	20 & 21 May 2023
10	12 & 13	Indonesia, Jakarta	3 & 4 June 2023
11	14	TBD	24 June 2023
12	15 & 16	Italy, Rome	15 & 16 July 2023
13	17 & 18	United Kingdom, London	29 & 30 July 2023

Racing News

Candy Digital to Launch First-Ever Richard Petty Digital Collectibles

Saturday, Jul 02

Candy Digital, the next generation digital collectible company, in partnership with Hall of Fame Digital, today announced the upcoming launch of the first-ever digital collectibles featuring Richard Petty. Coinciding with the celebration of Petty’s upcoming 85th birthday, the Track Titans: Richard Petty Collection will showcase iconic imagery of the seven-time NASCAR racing champion across a range of limited-edition digital collectibles, some of which grant owners access to physical Richard Petty memorabilia items and in-person experiences, including a tour of the Richard Petty Museum by none other than The King himself.

“One of the greatest parts of my racing career is being able to find ways to interact with race fans, new and old,” said Richard Petty. “These digital collectibles that we worked on with the team at Candy Digital highlight important moments in my career and I am excited to the reaction from race fans when they see what we created.”

“Richard Petty is known as ‘The King’ for good reason: he’s one of the best to have ever raced. We’re humbled and thrilled that this living legend has entrusted us to create digital collectibles commemorating his storied career,” said Candy Digital’s CEO, Scott Lawin. “Racing fans have a deep reverence for the history of their sport and those who paved the way for the current generation of drivers, and we’re excited to give fans a new way to deepen their connection to one of the all-time greats.”

The Richard Petty Collection will feature multiple products beginning on Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, through Tuesday, August 16, 2022.

The King | Petty Blue Bust

A 1-of-1 digital collectible bust of Richard Petty sporting his signature hat and sunglasses, as well as an exclusive curated video showcasing key moments over the course of his career.

The winner of this digital collectible auction will also be granted one-of-a-kind experiences that will bring them face-to-face with The King himself, including a Richard Petty-guided tour of his museum; a drive with Richard Petty through his hometown; and a race day with Richard Petty at a to-be-determined track.

The auction will begin on July 19th, 2022 at 12pm ET and close on Tuesday, July 26th, 2022 at 7pm ET.

The King | Asphalt Bust

A limited edition of 85 digital busts of Richard Petty in his signature hat and sunglasses accompanied by a 1/64th scale 1992 Richard Petty Appreciation Tour Diecast.

They will be available for $200 each, as long as supplies last, from July 19th, 2022 at 12pm ET until on Tuesday, July 26th, 2022 at 7pm ET.

Richard Petty Collection Digital Cinemagraphs

Three (3) different limited-edition Richard Petty digital cinemagraphs featuring never-before-seen imagery from Richard Petty’s career. 200 of each edition will be available for $43 each. These three editions are:

Richard Petty | Rising Son
Richard Petty | Birth of a King
Richard Petty | A Legacy is Born

Each limited edition will be available for seven (7) days, with the first, second and third editions becoming available on Tuesday, July 26, Tuesday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 9, respectively, beginning at 12:00 PM ET. Any fan who collects all three cinemagraphs will be eligible to receive an additional free, fourth cinemagraph, delivered to their Candy account via airdrop. Details of what this cinemagraph will feature will be revealed at a later date.

The Richard Petty Collection will be minted on the Palm blockchain, an environmentally friendly Ethereum-compatible side-chain with a nearly 0% carbon footprint, and will trade on the Candy Racing secondary marketplace.

Candy Digital and Hall of Fame Digital will continue to work together to bring additional racing legends to life through digital collectibles in the future.

Additional information and updates can be found at www.candy.com/racing.

eRacing News

Zynga and CSR Racing 2 Embark on American Road Trip 2

Saturday, Jul 02

Zynga Inc., a wholly-owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) and a global leader in interactive entertainment, today announced that its subsidiary NaturalMotion will host American Road Trip 2 in CSR Racing 2 (CSR2), its hyper-real drag racing game. In the expanded new installment of the popular American Road Trip series, players will join a coast-to-coast U.S. tour celebrating American car culture and the spirit of racing between late June and October 2022. After being awarded a free RAM 1500 TRX truck for their collection, players will race across the country in-game from California to New York, unlocking new cars for their collection as they go.

The American Road Trip series is CSR2’s tribute to America’s rich automotive history, taking players through historic cities like Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles as they compete in multiple races across 14 different events like the Indianapolis Trinity Cup or Phoenix Legendary Gold Cup. American Road Trip 2 adds four new stops as players race toward New York, including the famed Nevada Route 160 highway, Albuquerque, Wakita and Nashville.

The new installment also adds over ten new vehicles for players to collect and race including the RAM 1500 TRX, the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400, the Czinger 21C, the 2022 Hennessey Venom F5, the NASCAR Next Gen Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet ‘Sick Seconds 1.0’ Camaro SS created by Tom Bailey. Bailey is a 4-time winner of HOT ROD Drag Week and his Camaro earned the title of HOT ROD’s Fastest Street Car in America by running 6-second quarter mile passes five consecutive times. He is also the first person ever to have run a 5-second quarter mile pass during competition.

“American Road Trip 2 will bring our players a thrilling summer racing road trip across the country with exciting new vehicles to drive – all without leaving home,” said Julian Widdows, Senior Vice President of Racing at NaturalMotion. “The new series willshowcase the fastest street car in America, Tom Bailey’s ‘69 Camaro SS, and we can’t wait to bring this new adventure to mobile racing fans.”

“It’s great that mobile gamers can now harness the raw power of my ‘Sick Seconds 1.0’ Camaro SS for the first time in CSR2,” said Tom Bailey. “I’m looking forward to seeing players blow by other competitors in the SS, taking advantage of its ability to push over 3,000 HP to its rear wheels. Never settle for second place!”

CSR2 is available to download for free on the App Store as well as on Google Play.

Racing News

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Featuring LMP3, GT4 Cars to Launch in 2023

Saturday, Jul 02

A new, multiple-class, sprint-race series will make its debut in 2023 as International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today unveiled the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, with entitlement sponsorship from longtime pillar IMSA partner VP Racing Fuels.

The series will feature currently homologated Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and Grand Touring 4 (GT4) race cars in 45-minute sprint races with one driver per car. The new series class names will be LMP3 and GSX respectively. To be eligible to drive in either class, all drivers must have an FIA Driver Categorization of either Bronze or Silver. A five-event, 10-race schedule is planned for the series, which replaces the current IMSA Prototype Challenge series.

The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will continue in its traditional endurance format, featuring the Grand Sport (GT4) and Touring Car (TCR) classes, competing across a 10-race schedule.

“We are grateful to our longstanding partners at VP Racing Fuels for expanding their relationship with us to bring a new and different brand of excitement for IMSA race fans,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “LMP3 and GT4 cars, drivers and teams have delivered fantastic competition over the years. Putting them together in a sprint format is a fresh and differentiated approach that we expect will be popular with fans and competitors alike.”

Each IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge event weekend will include a qualifying session in which the fastest timed lap will set the field for the first race. The second fastest qualifying lap by each car will determine the starting grid for the second race of the weekend. There will be no pit stops during the races, and all race cars will ride on Michelin tires.

The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge further expands a robust partnership between IMSA and VP Racing Fuels. Since 2014, VP has supplied the Official Fuel of IMSA, and in 2020, the company added the distinction of Official Performance Coolant of IMSA with its “Stay Frosty” line of automotive coolants. Last year, the partnership expanded again, becoming the Official Performance Additive of IMSA with VP’s “Madditives” line of fuel treatments and octane boosters.

“VP Racing and IMSA have enjoyed a nearly decade-long partnership, bringing world-class racing to racers and fans around the globe,” said Bruce Hendel, Senior Vice President of Global Sales for VP Racing. “We are proud to enhance our relationship as the entitlement sponsor of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, an appropriate entitlement, signifying our continued commitment to IMSA.”

All 2023 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races will be streamed live in the United States on Peacock, with television coverage airing post-event on USA Network. Live race streaming for international audiences will be available on IMSA.com.

The schedule for the inaugural IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season will be unveiled as part of IMSA’s annual State of the Sport presentation planned for Saturday, Aug. 5 at Road America.

Racing News

Kirby's "Boost! Roger Bailey's Extraordinary Motor Racing Career," Now Available at Racemaker.com

Saturday, Jul 02

Racemaker Press has announced that “Boost! Roger Bailey’s Extraordinary Motor Racing Career” – the latest biography from author Gordon Kirby – is now available at Racemaker.com.

Perhaps nobody in the history of automobile racing enjoyed a career of wider reach and diversity than Roger Bailey. Over the course of 52 years, from 1959-2012, Bailey competed as a mechanic, engine builder, crew chief, sanctioning body technical inspector and, finally, co-founder and administrator of the Indy Lights series.

“Boost!” details Bailey’s life and career, documenting the many skills that made him so successful. “Roger was such a great guy,” said Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation and decades-long owner of multiple race teams. “He worked with us in the SCCA Can-Am Series in 1967 and you could see that his passion for racing was as strong as anyone’s. He brought a lot of good ideas to us and was one of the hardest workers we ever had in our organization.

“You could see that when he took over running the Indy Lights series. He had a wide wing span of what he could do and people liked him as a person to be their leader. If you can lead people like Roger has done over the years you build real momentum and he was at the top of that list.”

“In 'Boost!' I’ve tried to capture not only Roger Bailey’s talents but his ability to work with a variety of different personalities in this sport to achieve success and maintain lifetime relationships based on his tactful straightforwardness. He made it work, and it worked well,” said Kirby, who now counts eight books that he’s authored for Racemaker Press of the 17 of his career.

Bailey started his career in 1960 with the Jim Russell School in England. He then worked for the Cooper Car Company, winning the 1961 British Saloon Car Championship with Sir John Whitmore’s Mini-Cooper and the 1964 British Formula 3 Championship with Jackie Stewart’s Ken Tyrrell Cooper. He worked on Bruce McLaren’s F1 Cooper in 1965, then worked on Ford’s Le Mans program, building Ford GT mk 2s for the 1966 and ’67 Le Mans 24 Hours. After a season in the Can-Am with George Follmer’s Penske/Lola T70, Bailey spent two years at Ferrari preparing Chris Amon’s Formula 1, Tasman, sports cars and Can-Am cars. He was the first non-Italian to work for Ferrari’s race team.

In 1970 Bailey worked on George Eaton’s BRM Can-Am cars then spent five years with McLaren Engines in Detroit building turbo Offenhausers for Johnny Rutherford’s McLaren Indy cars, twice winning the Indy 500 with Rutherford. He moved on to run at McLaren turbo BMW 320i in IMSA for David Hobbs before spending four years with IMSA as the sanctioning body’s technical director.

His career as a mechanic came to its culmination in 1986 when he co-founded the American Racing Series with Pat Patrick. In 1991, the ARS became the Indy Lights series with Bailey at the helm of the category through its heydays until his retirement in 2012.

“Boost!” Is a large format, hard-backed book filling 210 pages with 120 photographs. The book retails for $60 plus shipping and is available from Racemaker Press at 39 Church St., Boston, MA 02116. The book may be ordered at Racemaker.com.

Racing News

Keegan Kincaid Posts Season-Best Finish in Crandon Brush Run

Saturday, Jul 02

Defending Championship Off-Road Pro 2 champion Keegan Kincaid returned to action at his home track, Crandon International Raceway, for the 29^th Annual Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run on Saturday and Sunday. When all was said and done, he continued to climb into the 2022 title chase thanks to a season-best fourth place result on Sunday in the #4 Lucas Oil/Cooper Tire/Vision Wheel Pro 2.

“I’m glad we were able to start getting our season back on track with some better results in Crandon,” said Kincaid. “We showed on Saturday that we’ve got the speed to get back on top of the box, we just need some racing luck to start going our way. Still, racing in front of the hometown fans is always a huge confidence boost, and we know it’ll just be a matter of time before we’re taking checkered flags once again this year!”

After a disappointing start to the year at Antigo Lions Roaring Raceway, Kincaid would enter the Brush Run as one of its defending Pro 2 race winners. He’d show the same pace on Saturday, holding point for much of the race after taking the holeshot on the land rush start, but would drop to ninth at race’s end. Redemption finally came on Sunday, when Kincaid managed to hang onto fourth, matching his Sunday finish in last year’s second Pro 2 race at the event.

Despite the early-season struggles, Kincaid remains well within the hunt for another championship with seven points races remaining. With an immensely competitive class of racers in the field, no one driver has been able to set himself apart, giving the Wisconsin native every opportunity to capitalize over the next few months of racing.

Keegan Kincaid’s 2022 season continues on July 15-16 at ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota. Tickets to watch Keegan take on the rest of COR’s Pro 2 field are available right now, while live streaming will be carried as always by FloRacing, with TV airings on the CBS Sports Network later in the year.

Keegan Kincaid is supported by Lucas Oil, Vision Wheel, Cooper Tire, Battle Approved Motors, Champion Power Equipment, Langlade Ford, Roush Performance Products, Fox Shocks, Impact, Ehren PSP, and VP Racing Fuels. For more information and to stay in the loop, follow Keegan on Facebook and Instagram.

Racing News

Rowe Dominates USF2000 at Mid-Ohio as d’Orlando Stumbles

Saturday, Jul 02

Myles Rowe scored a dominant win today for Pabst Racing in the first of three races that will comprise the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. A third victory of the season for the 22-year-old from New York, N.Y., moved him back atop the point standings in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship after an early incident restricted previous leader Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), from Hartsdale, N.Y., to a 14th-place finish.

Australian Lochie Hughes initially crossed the finish line in second place, although his impressive debut for Jay Howard Driver Development came to naught when his car failed post-race technical inspection. Rowe’s Pabst Racing teammate Jace Denmark, from Scottsdale, Ariz., thereby inherited the position ahead of Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport), from Auckland, New Zealand.

Results

Rowe started the 20-lap race from the inside of the front row after claiming his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season during an intense qualifying session this morning which ended with the top 10 drivers separated by less than three tenths of a second.

Rowe immediately took off into the lead although he was placed under intense pressure during the first couple of laps by d’Orlando, who started on the outside of the front row. Rowe fought off several challenges before being given some respite when Hughes, who had overtaken Denmark on the opening lap, made an opportunistic pass on d’Orlando for second place at Turn Nine.

After a brief full-course caution following an incident farther down the field, the race was restarted with Rowe leading from Hughes and Denmark. D’Orlando and Frazer should have lined up fourth and fifth, but d’Orlando instead made for the pit lane to change a damaged wing, while Frazer fell to 12th place as the green flag waved.

Rowe immediately asserted his superiority as he pulled rapidly away from a tremendous battle for second place between Hughes, Denmark and 14-year-old Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla. Johnson rose as high as third before ending his race due to contact after 14 laps.

Rowe by then was long gone, earning a fifth PFC Award of the year for winning team owner Augie Pabst as he took the checkered flag some 8.7031 seconds clear of Hughes, who remained just ahead of Denmark. The eventual one-two sweep for Pabst Racing enabled the Wisconsin-based team to extend its lead in the Team Championship to 33 points over Cape Motorsports.

Frazer provided one of the drives of the race as he fought his way back from 12th to third, followed by Jagger Jones (Cape Motorsports), from Scottsdale, Ariz., and fellow New Zealander Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), who recorded his best result of the season in fifth.

Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 19th on the grid to 10th.

The second race in this triple-header weekend will start at 10:45 a.m. EDT on Saturday, July 2, with the finale also tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.

Provisional championship points after 11 of 18 races:

1. Myles Rowe, 243

2. Michael d’Orlando, 225

3. Jace Denmark, 217

4. Billy Frazer, 206

5. Jagger Jones, 199

6. Bijoy Garg, 171

7. Thomas Nepveu, 162

8. Christian Weir, 138

8. Spike Kohlbecker, 130

10. Simon Sikes, 119

Myles Rowe (#22 Penske Entertainment-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “The race today was good. It was fairly simple; there was only one restart, which was good. I was afraid there was going to be another restart at the end after I had a huge lead but luckily I didn’t have to do that. The original start, it wasn't plain and simple. I had to defend several different corners over the first two laps from Michael d’Orlando but it went well. We banged some wheels a little bit but it was all clean racing. Michael and I go way back (to karting) so I’m pretty sure he enjoyed that, I hope, too. After that it was just about making consistent laps and making sure I could get to the end, and that’s what we did. Pabst Racing gave me a great car and my support system, Penske Entertainment, Sparco and Bell, I couldn’t do it without them so all credit to them for this one.”

Racing News

Kaz Grala Wins Second-Consecutive Motul Pole, Sets Track Record at Road America

Saturday, Jul 02

Practice and qualifying are complete for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s TA/XGT/SGT/GT race at Road America tomorrow. For the second weekend in a row, series newcomer Kaz Grala earned the Motul Pole Award, setting a new track record in his No. 2 Technique Chassis/STEEL-IT/Weaver Dodge Challenger with a lightning-fast lap of 2:02.891.

“That was really, really fun,” said Grala while collecting his pole award. “Yesterday we practiced on our Mid-Ohio tires. We felt like we were pretty fast, but we didn’t really know what tires [Chris] Dyson was on, or how far off our tires were from the other competitors, so we kind of had that question mark headed into today. But when we all put on new tires and were all even, this No. 2 Technique Chassis/STEEL-IT Weaver Dodge was fast; like, crazy fast. The handling was great. I caught traffic on a couple of laps, but luckily the seas parted on one of the laps and I got a totally clean one. I’m having such a blast in these Trans Am cars. We had a heck of a battle for the win last week, and I hate that we didn’t make it to the end to be able to see that through, but hopefully tomorrow we will be able to do just that. It seems like there’s a few more really super-fast cars here this weekend, so I think it’s going to be a great race for the win. I’m glad we’re starting from the point, but we have a lot of work ahead of us to try to spray some champagne on the podium.”

Current points leader Chris Dyson was second in his No. 20 ALTWELL Ford Mustang, making a lap time of 2:03.324. Paul Menard, who returns for the first time since his Charlotte Motor Speedway victory, was third fastest in his No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro with a 2:04.220. Last week’s TA2 victor Thomas Merrill was fourth in the No. 21 allgram Mustang with a 2:04.267, and David Pintaric rounded out the top five in his No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang with a time of 2:05.030.

Marc Austin in the No. 11 MAD Race Sim Lab Mercedes AMG GT3 was the fastest in the XGT class with a time of 2:13.962, followed by Randy Hale in the No. 31 Hale Propeller Corvette with a 2:16.011, and Danny Lowry in the No. 42 BridgeHaul/Bennett International/Pitboxes Audi R8 LMS with a 2:18.933.

Cindi Lux topped the SGT class, laying down a lap time of 2:18.208 in her No. 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper. Milton Grant in the No. 55 Sentry Self Storage/Springhill Suites Porsche 991.1 was second with a 2:19.901, and his son Carey Grant was third in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche GT3 Cup with a 2:20.448.

Full qualifying results can be found here.

Yesterday in practice, Dyson topped the TA charts with a best time of 2:04.576. Grala was second with a lap time of 2:05.441, followed by Pintaric with a 2:05.792. Menard was fourth with a 2:06.141. Ken Thwaits in the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro was fifth with a time of 2:06.497.

Hale was the fastest XGT car with a 2:16.152, followed by Austin with a 2:18.990 and Lowry with 2:19.903.

In SGT, Milton Grant was quickest with a 2:20.850, with Leuenberger second in class with a 2:21.813. Carey Grant was third with a 2:22.172, followed by Larry Bailey in the No. 02 Logical Systems Inc./Sam Pierce Chevy Corvette with a 2:31.163.

Full practice results can be found here.

The TA race will be contested on Saturday, July 2 at 5 p.m. CT. The event will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and will premiere on Saturday, July 9 at 2 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation on Sunday, July 10 at 10 p.m. ET.

Racing News

NEOM Island X Prix double-header course revealed

Saturday, Jul 02

With Extreme E’s NEOM Island X Prix double-header on the horizon next week (6-7 July and 9-10 July), co-organised by the Automobile Club d'Italia and Regione Sardegna, the electric off-road series is excited to reveal a thrilling course that brings the 10 teams and 20 world-class drivers to the shores of Sardinia for its first ever back-to-back race format.

The Mediterranean island will present tough challenges for both the drivers and the ODYSSEY 21. In the midst of a hot Italian summer, which has already seen record high temperatures in the region.

Inland from the coastal town of Porto Pino on Sardinia’s southwest coast, the undulating course sits within the Capo Teulada training area. The elevation change is less dramatic than other locations that the series has raced at with a relatively modest change of 28 metres, but the rutted terrain will provide the toughest challenge.

The start of the course provides a unique opportunity for the drivers, with a multi-lane section offering very different approaches before the cars rejoin and resume battle. Doing their homework on the course will form a crucial part of team preparation, as the optimal combination of speed and distance could prove elusive.

Having rejoined the main course, the drivers will take a sharp left and traverse a more open, but bumpy plain. Another left followed by a right will take the all-electric SUVs over one of the small inland hills, before a fast, downhill section leads them into the first of two water splashes. Small trees and bushes form the scenery of the next section of the course, which the cars will carve their way through before dipping their Continental tyres in the water for a second time.

The course then winds its way through narrow turns and over more inland rises, before heading out to one of the fastest sections. This long, flat run down to a tight ninety-degree left turn will provide a good opportunity to exploit the ENOWA Hyperdrive.

After two 90-degree left hand turns, we enter the new-for-2022 section of the course, which begins with a jump and continues through a fast, flowing section with quick elevation changes before re-joining last year’s course via a tight left/right chicane to complete the lap.

Extreme E has been working closely with Automobile Club d’Italia - the national sports federation co-organising and coordinating the event - the Region of Sardinia, and its Tourism Department plus the Ministry of Defense and the Italian Army to deliver what promises to be a week of double the racing and double the excitement.

To learn more about Extreme E, visit - www.Extreme-E.com

Racing News

From Watkins Win to Wesley, What a Week for Wickens

Saturday, Jul 02

By Jeff Olson

IMSA Wire Service

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – Quick summary of Robert Wickens’ week:

Landmark victory at Watkins Glen. Travel to Canada to begin homecoming race week. Unscheduled late-night trip to Indianapolis. Become a father. Travel back to Canada. Try to win again.

If you were wondering why he wasn’t at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Friday, there’s a wonderful reason: Wickens and his wife Karli welcomed Wesley Joseph Wickens to the world. Wickens then hustled back to Canada to compete later today in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.

"For those of you wondering why I wasn’t at the track today," Wickens posted on social media, "I would like everyone to meet Wesley Joseph Wickens. Born two weeks early but we could not be happier. Baby and Mom are doing great! I am so grateful to be married to such a strong woman! Let’s start the next chapter!"

It’s just one more chapter in the story of Wickens’ life, which provides inspiration beyond the motorsports world – even if he doesn’t see himself the way others do.

“I don’t see myself as an inspirational person,” Wickens said earlier this week. “I’m just a guy trying to get back to something I love to do. People tell me that they think they beat cancer because of how motivated and driven I was, and they thought they could do it. When people tell me their life story and what they’ve been through, it’s a crazy experience. It’s hard to explain in words.”

He’s likely to hear similar stories today as he prepares for the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 at the historic track in Bowmanville, Ontario, a short drive from his boyhood home. Because they didn’t participate in Friday’s qualifying, Wickens, co-driver Mark Wilkins and the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR will start at the back of the field in the race, which starts at 4:10 p.m. ET and airs live on Peacock (in the U.S.), IMSA.com/TVLive (outside the U.S.) and IMSA Radio.

After Wickens and Wilkins teamed to win the Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 last week at Watkins Glen International – Wickens’ first win since returning from a crash in 2018 that left him with a spinal cord injury – Wickens is once again the inspirational and motivational talk of racing.

And, since it’s his first race in Canada since finishing third in an IndyCar Series race at Toronto in 2018, he’s expecting to see plenty of family members, friends and fans. In his younger years, Wickens watched races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, then known as Mosport International Raceway, from Turn 2.

“It’s definitely going to be a great turnout,” Wickens said. “I know I’m going to have some close friends and family there, people who haven’t seen me race since 2018 and a lot of people who haven’t seen me since prior to my accident.”

While he expects the attention, Wickens says he doesn’t have any other expectations.

“I always work on not having any expectations in anything,” Wickens said. “You kind of set yourself up for failure if you expect something great. If it doesn’t happen, you’re disappointed. But if you didn’t expect anything, you’re not disappointed.”

When he returned home in 2019 after extensive rehabilitation, Wickens found “cases and cases” of cards and other correspondence from fans. At the time, he said he didn’t know the full effect of the support. Three years later, with his career resumed and victory in hand, he still doesn’t know the full effect.

“It’s very humbling,” he said. “All I can say is that the fans in motorsports are a great group of people. They’re very kind. Everyone in the IMSA paddock has been so welcoming to me. It’s a category I wasn’t really a part of in my prior life, but they’ve welcomed me with open arms. It’s been a very nice experience so far.”

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Adam Sinclair

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