It was a rainy night, with a lot of lightning, in Lebanon, Tennessee and Chase Elliott prevailed in Sunday night’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Elliott stayed on the track after a late caution flag and led the field after the restart with four-laps left in the lightning delayed race. He finished .551 seconds ahead of runner-up Kurt Busch for his second Cup Series win this season and 15th of his career. Elliott led 42 laps on Sunday.
“We’ve had a pretty rough month, month and a half, so just nice to get back going the right direction,” said Chase Elliott. “Getting a win is always huge. To do it in a really cool city like Nashville is even better.”
Ryan Blaney finished third with Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain rounding out the Top 5 at the Ally 400. After 17-races this season Elliott sits atop the standings followed by Chastain, Blaney, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.
LAT Images)
Robert Wickens won his first race after sustaining severe spinal chord injuries during a 2018 IndyCar race that left him paraplegic. Wickens and co-driver Mark Wilkins drove to victory in the Touring Car (TCR) class of the Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday.
Wickens was very understated about his victory, “Not bad,’’ he said. “Not bad.’’
The former IndyCar driver returned to racing this season and is driving the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport in a Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Wickens’ racecar uses a specially constructed steering wheel to steer as well as control the brakes and throttle.
News and Notes:
Nissan and McLaren announced a multi-year technical collaboration that will commence at the start of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season. McLaren is entering Formula E next season and their racecars will have Nissan EV powertrain technology.
“As we are shaping the team for its first season as McLaren in Formula E, we are naturally seeking the best partnerships and opportunities on every front – with the technical aspect being one of the key areas,” said Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing.
The agreement with McLaren is on top of Nissan’s work in the Gen3 homologation of Formula E. Nissan will continue to race in Formula E with its own factory team.
Porsche unveiled their LMDh prototype at Goodwood on Friday. The Porsche Penske Motorsport team will race the new Porsche 963 in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2023.
The 963 will carry the traditional Porsche motor racing colors of white, red and black. Its official racing debut is planned for the January 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. Porsche Penske Motorsport has targeted a non-competitive dress rehearsal at the final round of the season in Bahrain this November.
“After 7,889 test kilometers (4,900 miles) during the first half of 2022, we’re on a very good path but there is still work to be done before the start of next season,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Motorsport. “Our new Porsche 963 should continue the legacy of legendary models such as the 917, 935, 956, 962 and the 919.”
