Checkered Weekend: Bearman's 50G F1 Crash Forces Changes, Roczen Wins in Detroit, NASCAR Ups Horsepower Subaru Teases Rally Car

Bearman's 50G Crash Forces F1 Safety Conversation

Formula 1's 2026 technical regulations have been under discussion since before the season started, but Oliver Bearman's massive accident at F1's Japanese Grand Prix moved the conversation from the boardroom to the front page.

Bearman had been running approximately one second behind Alpine's Franco Colapinto on lap 21 when the gap closed suddenly and sharply as they approached Spoon Corner. The difference in electrical boost between the two cars created a closing speed of 45km/h. The Alpine was not actively harvesting energy at that moment, meaning its rear warning lights were not illuminated in the seconds before the incident. Bearman swerved to avoid contact at 308km/h, went sideways over the grass on the inside, skidded back across the track, through the run-off, and into the barrier. The impact registered at 50G.

The reaction from the F1 community was immediate. Grand Prix Drivers Association director Carlos Sainz said the moment had been coming.

"There were a lot of big moments there in the first three laps while we were all sorting out our energies until our systems learned with the closing speeds we have with the boost button," Sainz said. "It was only a matter of time, the first big crash was going to happen."

Speaking separately to Sky F1, Sainz added that drivers had already raised concerns with the FIA and Formula 1 management before the season began. "We've been warning them about this happening. These kind of closing speeds and these kind of accidents were always going to happen, and I'm not very happy with what we've had up until now."

The FIA responded with a statement confirming that a structured review of the energy management regulations was already scheduled for April, and that safety remains a core element of the process. The governing body stopped short of confirming what changes, if any, would be made, noting that any adjustments require careful simulation and analysis.

A broader review of the qualifying format was already under consideration, and the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds earlier this season had pushed the scheduled F1 Commission meeting to April 9th. With Bearman's crash now added to the equation, the urgency of that meeting has increased considerably.

Roczen Wins in Detroit as Title Fight Flips Upside Down

Round 11 from Ford Field in Detroit produced the most significant championship shakeup of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, with Ken Roczen delivering a landmark 25th career victory while points leader Hunter Lawrence suffered a race-ending crash.

Jorge Prado grabbed his fifth holeshot of the season at the start of the 20 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event with Roczen slotting in behind him and Chase Sexton, making his return to action after missing three races, running third. Lawrence started deep inside the top 10, while Eli Tomac launched outside the top 10 as well.

Roczen spent several laps pressuring Prado before making his move and taking the lead. Shortly after, Prado and Cooper Webb came together and both went down, removing two contenders from the front of the race in one moment. Roczen quickly built a multi-second lead over Sexton, while Lawrence worked his way up to third from his difficult starting position.

The race changed dramatically just before halfway. As Sexton and Lawrence had begun to close the gap to Roczen, Lawrence crashed hard exiting the whoops section, widely regarded as the most demanding whoop section of the season. He remounted but was forced to have his machine attended to in the mechanics area, costing him a lap. He ultimately salvaged 18th place.

With the threat behind him gone, Roczen managed the race comfortably to the finish, taking the win by 7.7 seconds over Sexton. Malcolm Stewart broke through for his first podium of the season in third, with Justin Cooper fourth and Tomac fifth.

The championship picture looks entirely different heading out of Detroit. Tomac reclaims the points lead for the first time since round four, holding a four-point advantage over Lawrence with six races remaining. Roczen's win pulled him to within 14 points of the lead, setting up a genuine three-rider title fight for the final stretch of the season.

"I don't know what to say, but this is exactly what I was talking about," Roczen said after the race. "The whoops were a 50-50 chance you were going to make it through or end up on your back. We closed up some points, but we still have a lot of racing to go."

NASCAR's Horsepower Debate Is Getting Louder

The conversation around whether to introduce the 750 horsepower tapered spacer package to intermediate tracks picked up significant momentum at Darlington last weekend, and the drivers are far from unified on the answer.

Darlington ran a higher horsepower, lower downforce configuration this year, and the results were mixed. Lead changes and green flag passes increased, but the field spread out more than some would have liked, and tire falloff came in below projections as teams managed their runs carefully throughout the race.

Joey Logano made no attempt to hide his position. He wants more power, more falloff, and more variables in a discipline that increasingly resembles a spec formula.

"We have to be a tenth to two-tenths faster to make passes these days, so how are you going to find that?" Logano said. "Maybe if someone burns their stuff up early, they pay the price later, and then you see the difference come in."

Brad Keselowski acknowledged the argument but pushed back. "We do have a really good package right now, and there are a handful of tracks that you could argue would benefit from it, but a handful of tracks where I could argue it would make the racing worse," the 2012 champion said, pointing to the Brickyard 400 as a race that might improve while suggesting Kansas could get worse.

William Byron was direct about the competitive implications. Hendrick Motorsports would benefit from more power, he said, but that does not make it good for the product. "If you have to get out of the gas more, it comes down to who can make their car handle better, and that would mean fewer cars on the lead lap and less passing in the top five."

Michael McDowell offered perhaps the most candid take of the weekend, framing the debate around what the sport is actually trying to achieve. More power means more separation. The best car wins by more. That may be satisfying for drivers but it is not necessarily what fans want to watch.

"Our mile and a half package has been good. The racing's been good," McDowell said. "We just have to be careful that we don't ruin a good thing by chasing something that we all feel like would be more fun."

The discussion is unlikely to produce an immediate answer, but with Darlington serving as something of a live test case, the data from Sunday's race will inform whatever decision NASCAR makes heading into the second half of the season.

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 Ballot Revealed

The NASCAR Hall of Fame has announced its 15-nominee ballot for the Class of 2027, with Kevin Harvick, Ray Elder, and Ernie Elliott joining the Modern Era candidates for the first time.

Harvick, now in his third season as a Fox Sports analyst, enters the ballot with credentials that include the 2014 Cup Series championship, 60 Cup victories including the 2007 Daytona 500, and two titles in what is now the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Elder won a record six championships in the former NASCAR Winston West Series and claimed two Cup victories, both at Riverside International Raceway. Elliott, brother of 2015 inductee Bill Elliott, built engines that powered the family team to 40 Cup wins and the 1988 championship, earning recognition as Engine Builder of the Decade for his work in the mid to late 1980s.

Two new names were added to the Pioneer Era Ballot as well. Ray Fox, a successful mechanic and car owner from NASCAR's early years, returns to the ballot for the first time since 2020. Herb Nab, who won 92 Cup Series races and two championships alongside Cale Yarborough for car owner Junior Johnson, makes his first ballot appearance. They join returning nominees Banjo Matthews, Larry Phillips, and Harry Hyde, who transitions from the Modern Era Ballot to the Pioneer list this cycle.

T. Wayne Robertson joins the Landmark Award ballot for the first time. Robertson oversaw the R.J. Reynolds sports marketing division during a period of significant growth for NASCAR, including playing a central role in the creation of the NASCAR All-Star Race in 1985. He joins returning Landmark candidates Alvin Hawkins, Lesa France Kennedy, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, and Les Richter.

Fan voting opens April 14 and runs through May 17 on NASCAR.com, counting as one ballot in the selection process. The voting panel will meet in Charlotte on May 19 to finalize the Class of 2027, with the results announced live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Subaru Is Building a BRZ Rally Car

Subaru has announced plans to develop a turbocharged, four-wheel drive rally version of its BRZ, with veteran rally driver Toshihiro Arai set to debut the car during the first half of Japan's national rally championship season.

The announcement marks a new direction for a brand that built much of its identity through factory involvement in the World Rally Championship during the 1990s and 2000s, winning three consecutive manufacturers' championships from 1995 to 1997. Since withdrawing from the WRC at the end of 2008, Subaru has continued competing in the American Rally Association National Championship and the All Japan Rally Championship, with the WRX claiming five consecutive ARA titles in the United States.

A render of the new BRZ rally car was shown to media during the opening round of the Super Taikyu Series at Motegi last weekend. Full technical specifications have not yet been released.

"We are diligently developing a machine with significantly improved competitiveness, and we plan to introduce it midway through the season," Arai said.

Further details are expected to be made available as the car's debut approaches.