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Here it is, one race away from crowning a champion! Let me preface by saying, just because you are in the final 4 doesn’t mean you are top 4 in the power rankings. Which that out of the way, let’s rank these drivers for the final time. Honorable Mention: Since Michigan, Ryan Preece has only finished outside the top 15 just 5 times. That streak includes the last 4 races (3 of which are top 10s) and 5 of the last 6. A 6th place run backs up his 7th earlier in the year at Martinsville. Preece finished 15th at Phoenix in the spring, but has been improving steadily since then. Expect a solid top 10 run out of him and teammate Buescher to end the year. 10: Bubba Wallace falls to 10 after an 18th place Martinsville finish. It’s clear all eyes are on 2026 for 23XI (and probably more importantly, the lawsuit). Wallace was wrecked early in the first Phoenix race, and this doesn’t seem to be one of his best tracks. He only has 3 top 10s in his 15 stars here. With that being said, 2 of those have come in the last 4 races, and both were the season finale.  9: Joey Logano captured his 12th top 10 of the year, but it was too little, too late for the 22 team. Logano failed to make the final 4, which was expected. After all, the year ends in an odd number; we’ll see how he shows up next year. Logano has 4 wins at Phoenix: his 2 most recent Cup titles, spring of 2020, and fall of 2016. I don’t think he wins, just judging by how the year has gone, but he, and all of Team Penske, for that matter, should be competitive. 8: Tyler Reddick maintains 8th after an 11th place, one spot shy of 5 top 10s in a row. Reddick only mustered P20 in the spring, which seems to be the trend. Every Phoenix finish for Reddick has been top 6 (minus one 10th) or 20th or worse (minus 2 P19s). Much like his teammate, though, I see too many distractions for this team to make a legitimate run at the win, however. 7: Chase Briscoe falls to 7, which is really funny considering I think he wins the title this year. But, when you have an engine failure the week before the championship, eyebrows start to raise. Briscoe has prior success at this track, winning his first ever Cup race here in 2022. Briscoe did finish 35th after a wreck in the spring, along with just a poor overall run, but that was before he and this 19 team bonded the way they have since the summer. Briscoe is eyeing his first title, but this team is going to need a Scot-free day to do so. 6: Chase Elliott moves to 6th after a P3 ended his playoffs just one race early. A really solid 2nd half of the season that saw this team start to be competitive finally also saw them get more and more inconsistent as well. Top 5s turned into race winning runs, but as a result, mid pack runs turned into DNFs, and those proved to be too much for Elliott to overcome. Elliott finished 10th in the spring at Phoenix, and he’s looking for one more solid run to close out a good season for the 9 team. 5: Much like his teammate, Denny Hamlin is going to drop because of an engine failure. It’s one thing to run mediocre at Talladega when locked into the Championship 4…it’s another to blow an engine at a flat, 750 horsepower racetrack the week before a champion is crowned. Hamlin has 2 wins at Phoenix, but the last time this happened, he still had Erik Jones as a teammate, so it’s been a while. Hamlin did finish 2nd by just a few feet in the spring, though. 4: Ryan Blaney came one spot and 30ish laps short of a 3rd straight Championship 4 berth. A 2nd for Blaney wasn’t enough to overcome his consecutive sub 20th place finishes before Martinsville. While Blaney doesn’t have a win at Phoenix, he does has 9 straight top 10s, (8 of which are inside the top 6, 4 of which are P2s) if you take away his most recent run, where his engine grenaded down the backstretch, resulting in a P28. Blaney would easily be the title favorite if ol’ Willy B didn’t give him the bumper. 3: Kyle Larson just snuck his way into the Championship 4 by only a few points over Christopher Bell. A P5 was just good enough to lock him in, which sets Larson up for his 2nd title in 5 seasons. Larson finished 3rd at Phoenix early in the year, his 5th top 10 in the last 6 starts and 11th in the last 14. In that mix was Larson’s only Phoenix win, his 2021 Championship.  2: The playoffs are cruel. Christopher Bell has only finished outside the top 8 once in the playoffs, with that being the very first race, the Southern 500. Since then, (the last 8 races) Bell has an average finish of 4.75. In the Round of 8, Bell had an average finish of 6, (Larson had 11, Briscoe had 14, Hamlin had 20, and Byron had 20.67, for reference.) Christopher Bell should be fighting for a chance at his first NASCAR title, but instead, has to settle with a best possible result of 5th for a 2nd straight year in a row. Not to mention, he won this race in the spring. Oh well, you know the spiel by now. Bright lights, and all that… 1: Who else but William Byron to top the list? Even though his 2 finishes before Martinsville were terrible, he was running top 5 in both before wrecks took him out late. Byron finished 6th at Phoenix in the spring and won at Phoenix in early 2023. He’s led laps in 5 of the last 7, and finished top 6 in 5 of the last 6. In the Next Gen, only Ryan Blaney has a better average finish (6.4 to an 8.0). Hands down, Byron is the favorite to win both this weekend and, more importantly, the Championship.

The results from the weekend were not what we had expected. With only 7 spots available for the next round of the final’s series, the pressure was on. In first qualifying, one driver was already feeling the pressure with Brodie Kostecki unfortunately crashing into the barrier and severely damaging the car, so much so it had to be taken back to the factory to be fixed overnight. This left his finals hopes hanging in the balance with only a win on race 29 that would save him. Brodie Kostecki with a massive shunt in qualifying for race 28. Both the drivers and photographers were okay. Race 28 was full of dramas for various teams, including Ryan Wood who had a great qualifying session, starting on pole position but soon having a leak that would result in him being very far behind the rest of the field and unable to help his finals chances. His teammate however, Chaz Mostert ensured his position in the finals having won race 28. It was going to be difficult given the drivers as well as all the dramas in this race alone, but he managed brilliantly.   Our first safety car period involved loose barrier signage that was needed to be fixed before we could go racing, once we did though it was every man for themselves. Broc Feeney led after the first safety car, ahead of Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert. Not too much later and we had our second safety car, after a crash involving Cooper Murray and Jaxon Evans, luckily both were okay, but damage to both cars meant they would not be able to continue. Our next restart was also clean, with all drivers managing well, although Broc Feeney was quick to make a mistake that saw the top 3 significantly closer. Stanaway also received damage in a later battle fighting between P10 to P14, this would drop him to the back of the field and finishing just ahead of Wood. Race 28 start at the Gold Coast 500 with Ryan wood leading from Feeney and Payne. By lap 38, Mostert was finally able to overtake Waters and go for the top spot. It was a clean chase for Mostert as eventually he was able to catch up and overtake Feeney. The gap between Mostert and Feeney quickly grew to almost 3 seconds, which was going to make it difficult to regain that position.   Penalties were given out to car 19, Matt Payne for an unsafe release in the pitlane, which was served about halfway through the race, whilst Will Davison received a 5 second penalty for a driving infringement. But in the end, it was the win for Chaz Mostert who was extremely happy about the result and secured his spot in the next weekend of finals. Finishing in P2, was Broc Feeney who similarly also qualified for the next round of finals. Finally, in P3, in an unexpected result and after pitstops paid off was Kai Allen, who drove exceptionally well and was also to defend against those behind him.   But after this race, we expected similar results from the next day. Brodie Kosteckis car had been worked on overnight and had been completed, meaning he was able to race in race 29 of the championship. It was a huge ask for him to have success in the next race, but a bad qualifying result was not going to help with him starting in P14. Another driver who we did not expect to be that low was Ryan Wood who started P13 and after Saturday’s race, he would have been looking to try and regain his spot in the next round. Kostecki's car returns to the pit lane after being worked on overnight at the DJR factory. In the shootout, it was Broc Feeney who took the top spot, followed by Matt Payne in P2 and Chaz Mostert in P3. It was a good start, with very little going on and some hard racing from the top 5. There were still 5 spots up for grabs in the next round and 8 drivers looking to make their mark.   Will Davison was an early pitstop for a new tyre after an incident with Bryce Fullwood, which would cost Fullwood a pitlane penalty. Similarly, Kostecki and Wood also found themselves doing an early pitstop on lap 6 to try and make some moves in the field, these two were desperate to make up spots. Amongst the minor moments was Fullwood who had a minor collision with a barrier but was able to continue. We saw teammates overtaking each other including Payne overtaking Allen on lap 19.   Nick Percat was our first talk, given he had a broken shock absorber, and the car was to be reapired. He came into the pitlane and by lap 41, he was ready to return to the car and continue his race. This had damaged his overall position on track but had no effect in the finals. An unfortunate 5 second penalty was later given to Richie Stanaway for a driving infringement, but eventually his race would result in him not finishing. Another driver with a tough race was the hometown hero, James Courtney who was forced to retire after a collision with teammate Anton De Pasquale, who attempted to make a move at turn 11 and instead hit Courtney. De Pasquale received a 15 second penalty for the incident which he claimed was “unfair”. James Courtney very unimpressed with teammate Anton De Pasquale after crashing into him and being unable to finish the race. At the end of the day, someone had to win race 29. And for Walkinshaw Andretti United, it was a double race win for their driver Chaz Mostert, taking out race 29 as well. Broc Feeney joined him on the podium again in P2, and another unexpected P3 was Andre Heimgartner. Chaz Mostert with the double win at the Gold Coast 500. As for the finals hopes, the 3 eliminated drivers from the final’s series were unfortunately Ryan Wood with a tough weekend on the Gold Coast, Brodie Kostecki who had a decent recovery but just wasn’t enough and Anton De Pasquale after his penalty dropped him down too far to salvage his finals chances.   After that weekend, there was lots to look over and evaluate, especially for the remaining 7 in the finals. At the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, which starts on November 14th, there’s still plenty to play for with only 4 positions in the Grand Final at the BP Adelaide 500. An exciting weekend ahead at the Sandown 500.

The US Grand Prix was a weekend of very unexpected results, especially the sprint race. With the McLaren pairing fighting for the championship, there was plenty of doors left open for their rivals. McLaren having a double DNF during the sprint race, by no fault of their own, allowed their biggest rival Max Verstappen to close the gap to both drivers by quite a lot. Ferrari was also able to gain essential points for their constructor title fight against Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. Race Results: As for the race, it was a high degradation for the tyres with most teams struggling on their strategy choice. Overall, it was the weekend for Max Verstappen, taking out not only the sprint race win, but also the main race as well. He was able to manage the tyres much better than his opponents and taking out an easy result, which was essential for his championship contention. He managed to gain an easy 33 points over the span of the weekend. Lando Norris managed to take out P2, which was also essential to the title fight against his teammate. He however had plenty of gain on the weekend after the sprint race DNF, he needed the points. He also had the difficulty of passing Charles Leclerc who ultimately would finish P3. It was the right tyre strategy and overall management that helped Leclerc finish on the final podium spot. Your 2025 US Grand Prix Podium; Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton managed to finish the weekend out strong with a P4 in both the sprint and the main race. His strategy was difficult to manage in the race, given finishing the race on a set of softs, but with his experience it was able to be done. Oscar Piastri had a similar weekend to teammate Norris, given the DNF in the sprint race, but managed to regain some points in the main race finishing P5. He was able to defend against other drivers around but struggled to keep up with the top 4 positions. Yuki Tsunoda had a great result finishing P7 in both the sprint race and the main race. He had a strong weekend with vital points and proving his capability as a driver. His defence against the likes of Oliver Bearman were also important to note for his overall results.   The Mercedes pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli had a different weekend to the previous race. George was able to get major points in the sprint race with p2 and gaining 7 points, whilst Kimi received the last spot in the top 8 and gained 1 point. For the race itself, it was quieter for the duo, with George Russell finishing in P6, whilst Kimi Antonelli was unable to make it to the top 10, after an incident with Carlos Sainz reduced his chances, he went on to finish P13. George Russell during the weekend at the US Grand Prix. The remaining three in the top 10, had decent weekends with Nico Hulkenberg scoring his first points since his Silverstone podium. It was a brilliant drive from him, coming home to finish P8. P9 was Oliver Bearman and after the sprint race, he would be determined to perform as he was given a 10 second penalty in the sprint race which dropped him to the back of the grid. He drove great during the main race, even having a moment with Yuki Tsunoda halfway through. Finally, P10 was Fernando Alonso and like Bearman he had something to prove, given Aston Martins double DNF in the sprint race. He had a much cleaner race and was able to get a vital point for the team.   Their teammates were not necessarily able to provide points but still were helpful for the team. Gabriel Bortoleto unfortunately was stuck quite far at the back but still had some good battles between the alpine pairing, going on to finish P18. Esteban Ocon was desperate for a better result as well, given the DNF in the sprint, he could not gain any points but still had a good result overall. Ocon would finish P15. Lance Stroll had a quiet weekend and wanted to perform for the team and himself. He was extremely close to getting into the top 10 but just did not have the pace to keep up with those ahead of him. He finished just behind his teammate and Racing Bulls driver, Liam Lawson, finishing P12. The moment during the sprint race that both Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll had to DNF. The Racing Bulls pairing unfortunately had a weekend to forget, with both drivers outside the top 10 in the sprint race as well as the main race. They had a very difficult time with getting stuck in battles with other drivers, to just being unable to keep up with those around them. Liam Lawson was able to finish in P11, whilst Isack Hadjar finished in P16. Alpine was another team with a bad result, especially with Franco Colapinto who felt he could not keep behind teammate Pierre Gasly, both drivers had a tough result. Franco Colapinto finished in P17, and teammate Pierre Gasly in P19.   Finally, our last duo, Williams. Their sprint race was great, with both drivers scoring points for the team. Carlos Sainz managed to finish in P3, whilst teammate Alex Albon finished in P6. However, they had a tough race with Carlos Sainz with a DNF after his incident with Kimi Antonelli. This incident will also cost him this weekend in Mexico as a 5-place grid penalty. Before that, he was doing well with pace and keeping up to the pack. Alex Albon was stuck in the middle of the grid and just unable to make a break for the top 10. He later went on to finish P14. The unfortunate moment that Carlos Sainz had to DNF during the US Grand Prix. This weekend, we head back to Mexico for the Mexican Grand Prix. This is a high-altitude track, so cars may be tough to drive. Some teams may find this easier, whilst others may struggle. We will also see 9 reserve drivers in the seats for the Free Practice One. This includes Pato O’Ward (McLaren), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes), Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari), Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull), Luke Browning (Williams), Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls) and Paul Aron (Alpine). The race start from the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix.

Honorable Mention: Even though the result sheets don’t show it, Chris Buescher had a great run on Sunday, making his way to the lead with 4 laps to go. It was short lived, however, as Buescher was soon sent spinning towards the inside wall, nearly identical to the way his race ended in the spring. (Not-so-fun fact, these will both go down as the only DNFs of the year for Chris, barring the last 2 races run off as normal). This was probably the last chance for Chris, and RFK as a whole, to win a race this year, unless his teammate in the 60 can make some magic happen at this weekend.  10. Joey Logano may have just seen his title hopes go up in flames. After leading 35 laps throughout the day, Logano was seemingly absent after a spin by Cody Ware brought out the caution with 20 laps to go. Maybe his reputation caught up to him, because it seemed like nobody wanted to push the Shell Pennzoil 22 late. He now sits 38 points below the cutline after a 16th place finish, not quite must-win territory, but he’s going to need some shenanigans to happen if he’s not going to outright win and still make it. He only has 1 previous win at Martinsville, but everyone remembers what it was. Can he repeat his 2018 magic and make a run at a 4th championship? (Probably not, it’s an odd numbered year). 9. Tyler Reddick came home 7th after a solid Talladega run but he drops a spot to his teammate. Since joining 23XI, Reddick has an average finish of 20.6 at Martinsville, yikes. Much like Chris Buescher, Talladega looked to be Reddick’s last shot at a victory this year, and they came up just a little short.  8. Bubba Wallace moves up to 8th. Can’t put too much stock in a superspeedway race, but a P4 for Bubba is a solid outing on a disappointing playoffs. Wallace heads to Martinsville, and while it looks somewhat bleak, considering the fact that in his 15 starts, he only has 4 top 10s, it does look brighter when you realize all 4 are in the last 6 races, including a 3rd in the last race run here. Wallace was always noted as a good short track racer coming up through the ranks, so expect the 23 to run well. 7. Chase Elliott drops to 7 after a bad, bad race. Through no fault of his own, Elliott was out only 51 laps in. Elliott has won at Martinsville before, but only once, all the way back in 2020, which led him to his first championship. His last 3 runs at Martinsville have been 4th, 2nd, and 3rd, so to say that he’s going to have a chance to match his 2020 run this week is an understatement. It’s put up or shut up time for Elliott. 6. The bad news? Ryan Blaney had a surprisingly quiet day, only leading 3 laps and finishing 23rd. He fell to 47 behind the cutline. The good news? He has the best average finish of all drivers at Martinsville in the Next Gen era, with a 4.6, the next closest being Kyle Larson with a 5.4. He has 2 wins, both coming in the previous 2 fall races at Martinsville. 3 times Blaney has finished 11th, earlier in the season and both races in 2021. Take those away, and he hasn’t finished outside the top 7 since 2018. If there’s ever a place you want to go needing a win as a Blaney fan, it’s Martinsville. 5. Chase Briscoe jumps up after his win at Talladega locks himself into the Championship Round, along with his teammate Denny Hamlin. His Martinsville stats don’t matter, but I’ll give them to you anyways. 6 of his last 7 starts at Martinsville have been to 10s, the lone outlier being a P15 in this race last year. If you go back to the rule we had earlier in the year, if MTJ was good here, expect the same from Briscoe, I’d say Chase is in for a good run, not that it matters in the slightest.  4. Speaking of good runs that don’t matter in the slightest, Denny Hamlin at Martinsville. His Las Vegas win locked him into the Championship Round with his teammate, and a 24th place run at Talladega was all that he needed. A clean run, no enemies made, no wrecked race car, a solid bring-it-home-in-one-piece type of day. Hamlin won the last race at Martinsville, but that was his first clock since 2015.  3. William Byron…you gotta feel for him. A 2nd place run ruined by pit road miscommunication followed up by a 24th place finish at Talladega, after leading the field to the overtime restart and sitting in 5th on the trioval. What was a great all-around season is now a near must-win at Martinsville, with a 36 point deficit to his teammate, Kyle Larson. Byron has won at Martinsville twice before, in the spring of 2022 and 2024, but had a rare miss earlier this year, only mustering a 22nd place finish. He’s going to need a, bare minimum, really good run if he wants a shot at his first title.  2. Kyle Larson drops to 2nd. Much like his teammate, he was leading with 2 to go, and much like his teammate, Larson ran out of gas and dropped to 26th on the last lap. Unlike his teammate, however, Larson is 36 above instead of below. Larson has won at Martinsville once, back in the spring of 2023, and he’s finished top 6 every race in the Next Gen outside the inaugural one, which saw a 19th place run. The only number that matters to Larson, however, is 22 (and six seven, according to his radio). That’s how many races it’s been since he last went to victory lane. Winning this week would tie a record that Larson would really not want to break, that being the longest streak without a win for him in the 5 car (race 2 to race 25 of the 2022 season, Auto Club to Watkins Glen). 1. Christopher Bell sits atop the standings. Other than Briscoe winning, he’s the only playoff driver with a top 15 finish, coming home 8th. This leaves him in a more than favorable position, sitting 37 above the cutline, a healthy gap unless we get a bottom 4 driver winning, in which then his gap to Kyle Larson would only be a measly 1 point, as of right now. Bell won at Martinsville in 2022 to advance himself to the title round, as well as finishing 2nd here earlier this year. A solid run should be enough to have him fight for a championship, as long as we don’t get a new winner.

Mount Panorama once again served up a weekend of chaos including the ongoing weather conditions. We started the weekend with great weather, sunny skies and high temperatures. By Sunday that was a different story. Initially the weather was the same it had been so far with sun in the sky, by a couple hours in, rain had begun and instantly brought chaos.   Hour 1: Bryce Fullwood had a difficult start with having to pit almost immediately, there was uncertainty if they were going to be able to return to the race. The start for the race was clean; Todd Hazelwood (#38) led from Mark Winterbottom (#6) and Jayden Ojeda (#2). By lap 2, advisors had declared the race as wet and therefore the wet tyres were brought to the garage for when they were needed. Cooper Murray (#99) had an impressive chase up to P3 at one point, proving the strength in himself as a driver as well as the team. The very calm race start to an extremely wild bathurst 1000. We saw scrappy laps between various teams, including Garth Tander (#100), Craig Lowndes (#888) and James Courtney (#7). This moment specifically saw these drivers lose position on track. By halfway through, Jamie Whincup (#88) had managed to pass Fabian Coulthard (#25) and Jayden Ojeda to get to P4. It had been a better start for the Feeney/Whincup pairing. Closing to the end of the first hour, Scott Pye (#1) had gained position on track with 5 positions made up, making it to P7. Our biggest moment for the end of the hour, was Garth Tander losing position on track to Craig Lowndes. The moment Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes almost collided with one another. Both managing to keep it on track. Hour 2: At the beginning of the hour, your top 3 was Broc Feeney, Todd Hazelwood and Jobe Stewart. Most of the initial driver swaps had occurred by now with the main drivers in for their first stint. For Bathurst, the rules had been changed from previous years, with Co-Drivers having to complete a minimum of 60 laps. Thomas Randle (#55) and Jack LeBrocq (#09) had a collision with one another which resulted in a 5 second time penalty for Randle as a driving infringement. We had our first minor collision with Aaron Cameron who was unfortunately having to deal with vibrations and damage due to a collision with the wall. Bryce Fullwood finally made his return to the track, 24 laps down on the remainder of the field, but still could score points vital for himself and the team. 888 duo, Craig Lowndes and Zach Bates had a good stint promoting themselves to P15, still a long way to go, but impressive for the youngster. Eventually by the end of the hour, teams had begun their driver swaps again.   Hour 3: Hour 3 began to bring chaos. Shell V-Power Duo Will Davison and Tony D’Alberto (#17), were out due to a big collision at Forrest’s Elbow, carrying lots of speed, and unfortunately finding the outside wall. The collision was our first safety car of many. By the time the first safety car was over, a second one was forced as Chaz Mostert's Mustang had various issues including problems with the water pump. By this time, rain had started falling on the track, this was the beginning of the on-track drama. Another penalty was handed out, this time it was Cam McLeod who received a 15 second penalty, for a driving infringement. The significant damage to Will Davison's Shell V-Power car after the collision with the wall. Halfway through the hour and Lee Holdsworth (#20) led from Jamie Whincup and James Moffat, before a third safety car was brought out. This safety car was the result of Nash Morris (#62), who managed to beach himself in the last corner. When the restart occurred the top 3 was switched up again, with Mark Winterbottom leading from Garth Tander and James Moffat. Before the end of the hour, with rain falling quite heavily and most cars being on wet tyres, Winterbottom, who was on slicks hit the wall, receiving a puncture and being forced to limp back to the pits, eventually he was going to be only one lap down.   Hour 4: Your early top 3 for this was David Russell, Garth Tander and Zak Best. These were everchanging positions, especially given the conditions and the length of the race. By lap 85, Jayden Ojeda was leading the race, but with the rain, it was going to be difficult, especially to keep it on track. Kostecki and Hazelwood had to change some things, with problems needing to be fixed relating to the battery. Both of the RedBull Ampols cars were getting into a battle at the end of the hour, Pye triumphs ahead of Whincup.   Hour 5: This hour was quiet, with not much happening due to settling in the conditions. Brodie Kostecki hit Kai Allen on the pit straight after trying to overtake multiple cars in one go, both losing positions on track. Kostecki received a pitlane penalty for that incident. This penalty was completed very quickly, they dropped to P20, but also faced other ongoing issues related to the engine. The conditions were causing severe sliding for everyone and Zach Bates suffered from that, going off at the last corner, but saving it and managing to continue. Payne and Randle were putting in the big battles, with a minor bump from Payne. Brodie Kostecki made another return to the pit, possibly as a DNF, but this was not certain. One of the many collisions during the Bathurst 1000. This was between Kai Allen and Brodie Kostecki. Hour 6: This was the hour with a most going on regarding racing. Ryan Wood led from Broc Feeney and Matt Payne. Broc Feeney brought out our 4 th safety car after running into the wall, getting wedged in the barrier and being unable to get back out. Brodie Kostecki was able to get back out, after changing out for a new battery. There were also other issues on track including gearbox problem for Courtney. Kai Allen having a decent weekend was hit again, this time by Jack Le Brocq, after the first one with Kostecki, luckily, he was able to continue and finish the race. Two more 5 second penalties were given out; One was for Will Brown, and the other was for Jack Le Brocq after hitting Kai Allen.   Will Brown was the 5 th safety car, when he hit the wall just up at ‘Griffins Bend’, this was very different damage with Brown almost losing the bonnet of the car and having to drive the remainder of the lap being unable to see. At the restart, Wood was ahead of Golding and Payne, but a mistake from Golding brought Payne up into P2. There was yet another 5 second penalty for Thomas Randle for an unsafe release during a pitstop. Jones was the 6 th safety car, and such a sad end to the weekend for the De Pasquale/ Jones pairing. After such a great weekend, the mountain had to punish another young driver with Ryan Wood suffering from an expired engine. It was a devastating result, especially given how close he was to a win or even a podium. Will Brown's car after his collision with the wall at turn 2. Hour 7: We reached the final hour, after all the chaos and drama including the weather. We had another race restart due to the Jones incident and from that Cooper Murray led from James Golding and Matt Payne. By this point, the visibility was nearly zero, especially at the highest point of the mountain, making the conditions near impossible. Richie Stanaway was our 7 th safety car of the event after he collided with the wall, a very difficult result but so tough given how bad the track conditions were. By the Restart, the result was the same with Murray leading from Payne and Golding. Ryan Wood was finally able to make a return to the track after fixing their problem, but not the result him or the team would’ve liked. One of the battles for the P1 position on track through the significant weather conditions. This was the big deciding moment between Golding and Payne. On the final restart, Murray was knocked by Golding which dropped him to P4, as a result, Reynolds moved up into P3. For that incident, Golding did receive a 5 second penalty but ultimately this would not make much difference. The winner of the Bathurst 1000 was Matt Payne and Garth Tander, with P2 being David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth and in P3 despite the penalty was James Golding and David Russell. The 2025 winners of the Bathurst 1000; Matt Payne and Garth Tander. Gold Coast 500: It was an overall brilliant and unexpected race weekend at Bathurst with a similar podium result. This weekend, we head back to the sunny state. It is the weekend of the Gold Coast 500, it should be an interesting weekend, especially given how the track is setup. We return for the excitement and chaos of the Gold Coast 500.

Honorable Mention: Chris Buescher’s consistency continues, with another solid top 10 run resulting in a P12. There’s not much more I can say, he’s just always really solid come Sunday. Rarely the best, but even more rarely out to lunch. Talladega could be a solid result, as an RFK car has finished a photo finish P2 in the last 3 Talladega races (barring a DQ from Ryan Preece in the spring). Buescher also has a win at Daytona in 2023 and led some laps before being wrecked early stage 2 in the spring. 10: Joey Logano locked up a 6th place finish on Sunday after a 2-tire gamble set him up for the win. Logano still has a nasty deficit to the cutline, but can easily make that up with a win at either of the next two tracks, something he’s done at both of them a combined 4 times, although his last win at both came all the way back in 2018. 9: Bubba Wallace had a really good run going Sunday, consistently inside the top 8, before a speeding penalty stage 2 doomed his day. Wallace never really recovered and ended up 22nd. Wallace is headed to Talladega, the track he captured his maiden Cup Series win at back in 2021. With that being said, this is Wallace’s only top 5 at the track, with his only other top 10s being a 9th and an 8th in the last two races respectively.  8: Tyler Reddick had much of the same as his teammate, minus the speeding penalty. He came home with a 5th place finish (in an extremely ugly paint scheme, so close yet so far on the paint scheme scale). Reddick won at Talladega last spring, but only mustered a 20th and a 14th in the races since. This might be Reddick’s last shot at a win this year, which might come as a surprise considering he’s the reigning regular season champion, but then again, Chase Elliott went winless in 2023 and MTJ went winless in 2024, both following a regular season championship. Look out, Byron fans. 7: Ryan Blaney and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad racetrack. In 3 of the 4 fall races at Las Vegas, Blaney has finished 28th or worse, with only a 6th in 2023 to save him. Adjacent with this, however, is his success at Martinsville, where his last 3 fall races hasn’t had a finish worse than 3rd, including back to back wins. I know I’m skipping over Talladega, (which is a solid track for Blaney, with 3 wins) but if you’re a YRB fan, all eyes are on Martinsville.  6: Chase Briscoe finished 4th at Las Vegas and led 57 laps. He dropped a spot in the rankings. That should tell you how close this top 7 is. Briscoe has only 2 top 10s at Talladega, most recently coming in the spring of 2023. With that being said, in his 9 starts at Talladega, he’s only finished worse than 15th twice here, a 30th last fall and a 37th in 2022. Briscoe also finished 4th in the Great American Race to kick the season off, leading 4 laps.  5: The other Chase, being Elliott, is back to 5th on the list. Again, after an 18th place run, it’s not necessarily that I think Elliott had that bad of a performance to warrant dropping him 3 spots, it’s just the fact that there were 3 others with better standout performances. Chase Elliott most recently has a win at Talladega in 2022, along with a win in 2019. He also won at Atlanta earlier in the summer, so look for Elliott to gain on that cutline, if not advance himself into the next round. 4: This might just be Denny Hamlin’s year. Now locked into the championship race, Denny Hamlin does not care in the slightest about the next 2 races, with all eyes on Phoenix. Hamlin has several wins at drafting tracks, but the last one came at Talladega in 2020 in 100% fair conditions and absolutely in no way was there any controversy at all.  3: We should be talking about what a solid day William Byron had, if not talking about his advancement into the Championship Round. Instead, we’re talking about the fact that the most consistent driver all year long is now 15 points out thanks to his late race run in with Ty Dillon. It’s a shame the 24 team couldn’t perform when the lights were the brightest, I suppose. While Byron does not have a win at Talladega, he does have 5 straight top 7 finishes, and 10 of his last 11 starts are top 15 finishes. Byron is also the reigning Daytona 500 champion 2 years running.  2: Christopher Bell had a really solid run Sunday, which sits him nicely at 2 in the rankings and 3 in the playoffs. He’s going to need every one of those points, because Bell is just as likely to finish outside the top 30 as he is to finish top 10 at Talladega. He did finish 6th here last year, but also finished 35th in the spring. Bell did nab a win at Atlanta early in the year, so maybe the tides are turning for Bell at superspeedways.  1: Sunday finally looked to be Kyle Larson’s day. He led 129 laps, finished 2nd in stage 1, and won stage 2. Larson fans see Talladega coming up and probably sigh, but it might not be as bleak as it seems. Larson’s last 2 finishes in Alabama are 2nd in the spring and 4th last fall. At 35 above the cutline, all Larson needs is a solid top 15 at Talladega, regroup, and to perform at Martinsville, something he is absolutely capable of. That 21 race winless streak might be coming to an end here soo

We returned to the fabulous lights in Singapore for one of the best night races in Formula One. It was to be a good race with previous years proving exactly that.   Mercedes driver George Russell was an odd pole position but given the pace of that car it was partially to be expected. Alongside Russell was Max Verstappen in P2 and Oscar Piastri starting in P3. Qualifying proved there was plenty up for grabs, with Ferrari struggling and McLaren’s Lando Norris starting from P6. Mercedes Driver George Russell takes pole position ahead of RedBull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. It was a very unfortunate qualifying session for the Williams duo, with a decent result of P12 and P13, until a post qualifying disqualification caused them to drop to the back end of the grid. Alex Albon would start from the pit lane with Pierre Gasly, whilst Carlos Sainz was to start P18.   The race was varying emotions depending on who you support. For the George Russell fans, it was another win under his belt in the 2025 season, with teammate Kimi Antonelli who started in P4, and finished in P5. This was a very good result for the duo, given their cars ability to work well on most high-speed street circuits as well as their ability to defend track position well during pitstops. The top 3 drivers at the Singapore Grand Prix; Max Verstappen, George Russell and Lando Norris. For RedBull Racing, it was another podium opportunity for their champion Max Verstappen, finishing P2 and having the time of his life defending against the driver in P3, Lando Norris. For close to 30 laps, Verstappen was forced to defend that P2 stop from Norris, whilst he was desperate for a charge and those extra points which were to be vital to his championship. Yuki Tsunoda was a quiet runner, unfortunately finishing outside the top 19, in P12. It was a tough race, with minimal overtaking spots, you must be very committed.   Whilst Lando Norris was battling Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri was in his own battle. This however was with frustrations towards his teammate during a lap one incident, in which Piastri was not too happy about the result. Various comments were brought up on the radio, regarding the “fairness of such a move”, with fans even questioning the ‘Papaya Rules’ concept. Piastri would finish just out of podium position in P4. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting into a scrap at the Singapore Grand Prix. Whilst tensions were heard and seen, by the end of the race McLaren would be declared the constructors’ champions for the 2025 season as well. The celebrations would begin following the podium result. McLaren team celebrating their 2025 Constructors championship win on the podium in Singapore. Ferrari were a team in a battle with themselves. It was a tough weekend, with double points scored, but brakes not working and frustrations occurring. Charles Leclerc was forced to stick behind Kimi Antonelli, struggling to find any way around the young driver, whilst Lewis Hamilton was stuck behind his teammate. Lewis Hamilton eventually switched to new soft tyres to try and catch Antonelli, whilst this may have worked, the brakes would not allow it. Hamilton would have no brakes for the remaining two laps, receive a 5 second time penalty and drop to P8, Leclerc finished in P6. The Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a tough race result from the Singapore Grand Prix. The driver who did manage to catch up to the stricken Ferrari was the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. This was going to be a feat, with a large 40 second gap, but due to the car’s issues, it was easy. He would finish ahead of Hamilton due to the penalty in P7. His teammate Lance Stroll was another driver who could’ve had a good weekend, if they had managed to get past all the traffic and battle against those ahead of him, but in Singapore that is not easy. Stroll finished in P13.   Some drivers that managed to sneak into the top 10, very stealthily was the Williams of Carlos Sainz. He had a difficult task starting from P18, but given the experience he has as a driver, if anyone could do it, Carlos could. He managed to beat some great drivers for that singular point finishing in P10. A driver that stayed quite under the radar but still finished in the top 10 was Ollie Bearman. He had a great weekend, it was going to be a difficult task for the young driver, but he excelled, having started from P9, and finishing in P9, a very good weekend for himself and the team.   Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon would have a tough result, only managing a P14 finish. This however was still very good, considering the conditions they were put in and having to start from the pitlane. Esteban Ocon was a driver that had a weekend to forget, having ended up P18. It was not the result him or the team would have wanted, especially given that his teammate maintained his position from qualifying. Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz with a tough situation following their disqualification from Qualifying, but better results in the race. Racing Bulls were a team we were watching to see what they could do in Singapore. With their previous results at the last few races, it was going to be intriguing to see what they could do. Liam Lawson was one that was quite involved with battles on the track, between himself, Colapinto and even Albon. He managed to maintain composure and work through it and finish P15. His teammate Isack Hadjar, having started P8, would’ve wanted a better result, but given the problems with his car that he was fighting with, it was not easy. He still managed to maintain track position and fight for that and would ultimately finish just outside the points in P11.   The Alpine pairing of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto had a semi quiet weekend. In their own on track, there was not much going on around them with very little they could do. It was going to be a big ask of this duo, and given their cars ability, was not going to happen. Colapinto would finish in P16, ahead of Gasly in P19.   Nico Hulkenberg unfortunately had a bad result, with a spin halfway through the race, that would cause him to be quite far behind. He only managed a P20 finish, whilst his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto also had a tough result finishing in P17. Both drivers did fly a little under the radar, given the lack of stream time for them. Nico Hulkenberg with an unfortunate spin, that would drop him to the back of the field. We are coming up to the last few races for this season. Before we start celebrating and getting to the intense side of the championship we must return to Austin, Texas for the US Grand Prix. The excitement of COTA is back, and it will be interesting with another sprint race weekend taking place between October 17-19. The Race Start at the US Grand Prix in 2024.

With a qualifying session that had resulted in about 6 red flag situations, and a race that had an unexpected driver out early, we knew Baku might have something up its sleeve. Top 10 Qualifying: This session was not the result that many of these drivers wanted including the world championship leader Oscar Piastri with a DNF from the Q3 session. Starting from P9, he was going to have to put in lots of work if he stood a chance. His teammate Lando Norris had a bad qualifying as well only managing P7, whilst the Ferrari pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc only managed P12 and P10 with Leclerc also crashing in qualifying. Charles Leclerc with another tough qualifying session in Azerbaijan finding the same wall as in previous years.   Max Verstappen was the big winner in qualifying starting on pole and alongside him, Carlos Sainz in the Williams after putting an important banker lap, to ensure a spot in case of a situation in the session. Liam Lawson also put an important lap on the board in Q3 securing P3 for the race start. Another difficult pill to swallow for Haas as Esteban Ocon was disqualified post qualifying after failing a rear wing check. The very unexpected top 3 result in Azerbaijan- Liam Lawson P3, Carlos Sainz P2 and Max Verstappen P1. Race: The race itself was interesting with very little overtaking points; you needed to be faster and closer to your opponents to gain on them. During the race start, championship contender, Oscar Piastri jumped the race start due to anti stall multiple times. He dropped to last very quick, before unfortunately finding the wall at turn 5. It was a result that nobody thought would have happened and was shocking to see. He was okay and spent the remainder of the race watching from turn 5. Oscar Piastri with an early out at turn 5 due to a crash in Baku.   Your race winner on the day was Max Verstappen with a near perfect drive from him. He managed to lead easily from lap 1 and had no competition as he extended the gap to p2 and closed the gap in the driver’s championship. In P2, was George Russell and after an unfortunate week of being sick, it was an impressive driver and even more impressive result to be that high up, knowing that sickness can often be difficult to work around. In P3, for the first time since moving and the first Williams podium since Lance Stroll in 2017, was Carlos Sainz and It was an unexpected result, but given the fight he brought to qualifying and the race itself, a very deserved result. Your top 3 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz P3, George Russell P2 and Max Verstappen P1.   Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris had a difficult time being stuck being the Racing Bulls and RedBull Racing drivers and having to settle for P7. Liam Lawson was the king of defence in Baku, which secured him a P5 result for himself and points for the team, whilst Yuki Tsunoda also banked some decent points with a P6 finish. Isack Hadjar was the final driver finishing P10 and resulting in a double points scoring weekend for Racing Bulls.   Another mid weekend for the Ferrari pairing, whilst both drivers scored point’s they were looking for more. Lewis Hamilton was able to catch up to Norris eventually but with not enough time to overtake. He settled for P8, whilst his teammate Charles Leclerc made it to P9. The Ferrari Duo, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton with a tough weekend in Azerbaijan.   Just missing out on a top 10 finish were two young rookie drivers. In P11, was Gabriel Bortoleto and he drove a great race but just did not have enough to get closer to that top 10. Similarly, Oliver Bearman had a good race for Haas, with this looking more positive for the team, they also just missed out with not enough pace compared to the top 10. Overall, though for both these drivers, a good race and plenty of defensive moments for them. Oliver Bearman driving a brilliant race in Baku with battles for positions very early on, including with Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg.   The Aston Martin duo went under the radar over the weekend, with a bad qualifying and not so great race. It was quiet from them as they finished P17 and P15. That car can typically do rather good in a qualifying situation, but often, under race pace they do struggle slightly. This sometimes is track dependent too.   As for a quiet weekend these drivers were not spoken about much. In P16 was Nico Hulkenberg and he seems to have weekends where he does well and some where he does struggle slightly, this was not as strong as some other weekends from him, and he had to settle for a P16 result. Esteban Ocon surprisingly had an impressive run. After being disqualified and forced to start P20, he charged all the way to P14. This is a great result, even without scoring points, it is promising for Haas. Esteban Ocon battling Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon for track positions. A successful weekend for the Haas pairing. Lastly in P13 (P11 before penalty) was Alex Albon. He would have wanted a much better result but after crashing in qualifying, it was a big feat to ask of him. He brought it back to P11, before being demoted to P13 after a 10 second penalty for a collision with Franco Colapinto.   Starting from the back of the field, an unfortunate result for Alpine being at the back of the grid, Franco Colapinto finished in P19, after an incident with Alex Albon that may have hampered his race. His teammate Pierre Gasly finished P18. Overall, a very quiet day and not the result they would have been hoping for. A tough race weekend for both alpine drivers with collisions and raw pace failing them in Baku. Now we begin to look forward to the next Grand Prix Weekend which is in Singapore. This will be an interesting weekend, with the heat and the fast-paced circuit, will McLaren see a rise back to the top? Will Ferrari or Mercedes come through for a stronger weekend, or will Max Verstappen take out yet another win?   The Singapore Grand Prix begins on October 3 rd through to October 6 th . Under the lights and racing in hot weather conditions for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Honorable Mention: 18th is Chris Buescher’s worst finish since Richmond. The 17 lacked speed all day long, which is going to knock him out of the top 10. He heads to Kansas, a place where he has 3 straight top 11 finishes, including a race that me, a Chris Buescher fan, will not mention. 10. Carson Hocevar has had 4 straight top 15s to start his playoffs. He nearly won last week at Bristol, and today, he was consistently in the top 5-10 before winding up 11th. Some of the summer speed seems to be on its way back for the 77. Hocevar had a great run going at Kansas in the spring before he cut a tire late, relegating him to 26th. 9. Joey Logano was quietly consistent in round 1 of the playoffs, but on Sunday, he was loud and proud. Logano led nearly half the race, 149 of 301, before finishing 4th. Logano has won at Kansas 3 times, but hasn’t done so since the fall of 2020.  8. Bubba Wallace looked bad on Sunday. No ifs ands or buts (same with his teammate, hence his lack of appearance on this list). This was the first time in a while where Wallace was a complete and utter afterthought. Even when he’s not competing, Wallace has been 10th to 15th in the running order, but not on Sunday. Good news, however, is that Wallace has won at Kansas in the past, in the fall of 2022. The bad news, other than a 4th in the next race, he hasn’t finished better than 17th since, including 2 sub-30th place finishes. 7. Kyle Larson looked the best he’s looked since his spin from the lead in the Coke 600. He led a few laps, but ran top 5 almost all day, finishing 7th. This is good mojo heading to Larson’s best track. In the last 8 races, other than a 26th in the fall race last year, he’s had an 8th, a 4th, and five podiums, three of which are wins. He’s also led laps in 6 of those races, 627 total. This is also the site of Larson’s last win. What I’m getting at is Kyle Larson should easily be the favorite this weekend. 6. Chase Elliott had a top 10 to 15 run going, with a great call by Alan Gustafson late, nabbing Elliott a top 5. From a 27th starting spot, this was exactly what Elliott needed. In the last 5 races at Kansas, he’s only finished worse than 10th once, and it was the most recent race. Pit issues set them back, and ruined an easy top 5 for him. 5. Christopher Bell had a solid run, with a 6th place finish at New Hampshire. Bell sits a reasonable +29 on the cutline, heading to Kansas. Bell has 4 straight top 10s here, including a 2nd in the spring. Not much to say about Bell, we’ll save the talking for his teammate.  4. Denny Hamlin…wow. A quiet 12th place with some stage points would be the case, if he didn’t get into his teammate midway through stage 2. Looking past the predicament the 11 team is now in for the rest of the year, Hamlin heads to a track he’s won 4 times at, most recently May of 2023. Going back to October of 2019, the last 12 races at Kansas, Hamlin has 3 wins, 8 top 5s, and 11 top 15s. His only bad finish was earlier this spring, a drivetrain failure resulted in Hamlin’s 36th. Hamlin needs a solid points day (and to stay away from the 54) if he wants to continue his playoff hunt. 3. William Byron had 3s across the board, in both stages and finishing position, so we’ll give him #3 on the list. It’s been the story all year. Quiet, consistent, fast. Kansas has not been one of Byron’s particularly best tracks, with only a 53% top 10 rate, which drops to 20% for top 5. Since the Next Gen, he has 2 top 5s and 2 sub 20ths, with a 6th, 15th, and 16th sandwiched between them.  2. Chase Briscoe drops to 2nd after a quiet top 10 at New Hampshire. On a day where JGR cars seemed to miss the setup, he looked to be the class of them, leading 19 laps on a strategy call. While Briscoe’s Kansas stats look, quite frankly, terrible, with 5 finishes being 20th or worse, he finished 4th in his only start there with JGR in the spring, and this team looks way more competitive now than they did earlier this year. I think another solid run is due for Briscoe this weekend. 1. Who else would it be? In the last 10 races, Blaney had 9 top 8s, 6 of which are 4th or better, 295 laps led, and is tied with Hamlin for the most amount of wins in that time period, 2. Blaney has back to back top 5s at Kansas, and fortunately for him, even if he sucked at Kansas, he doesn’t have to worry how he runs with the automatic bid. With his win at New Hampshire, Ryan Blaney looks poised to win NASCAR championship #2 in just 3 years.

The road to Formula 1 has never been more competitive, and spotting the stars of tomorrow has become just as compelling as watching the world champions of today. After highlighting NASCAR’s up-and-coming talents earlier this summer, it’s time to turn our attention to the next wave of F1 hopefuls. Using an MLB-style “ETA” prediction system, here are five young drivers to keep on your radar, and please note these drivers are not ranked by skill. Freddie Slater – Age 17 Few F1 hopefuls have put together the résumé Freddie Slater has in such a short time. In 2024, Slater claimed two F4 titles before stepping up in 2025 to win the Formula Regional European Championship and finish runner-up in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, where he also captured the rookie cup. Slater made his Formula 3 debut this season, scoring a sprint race podium and immediately proving he belongs in the fight against highly touted rivals. He has not yet signed with an F1 driver academy, but McLaren and Audi are reportedly vying for his signature. His management group is the same that represents Lando Norris, which could further strengthen his connections. 2026 will be his first full season of F3 so it will be interesting to see what he has. F1 ETA: 2029 Fionn McLaughlin – Age 17 Ireland’s Fionn McLaughlin made the leap from a decorated karting career to cars in 2025, and he wasted no time making an impression. Competing in the Formula Winter Series, he finished third overall with three wins, while also leading the British F4 championship heading into its finale. McLaughlin joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2024, and so far he’s showing exactly what the program values most: consistent winning. If he continues this form, the path up Red Bull’s ladder could accelerate quickly, though no 2026 plans have been confirmed yet. F1 ETA: 2030 Kenzo Craigie – Age 14 Mercedes junior Kenzo Craigie is just 14 years old but already one of the brightest prospects in karting. He captured a karting world championship and has been nearly unstoppable over the past two years at the top level of the discipline. Craigie hasn’t yet made the switch to cars, though many expect that move soon. His name is already being whispered in comparison to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the last Mercedes junior to rise quickly through the ranks. With Lewis Hamilton and George Russell secure but Mercedes’ long-term future still in flux, Craigie is a prospect the team will watch closely. F1 ETA: 2030 Luna Fluxá – Age 15 Another Mercedes-backed talent, Luna Fluxá, is already making headlines as one of the sport’s most promising young women. At just 15,she has claimed an FIA Karting title and was recognized with the Rising Star award in early 2025. Fluxá continues to hone her craft in karting, and while no plans for 2026 have been announced, the expectation is another year at the highest level of karts with possible single-seater outings. Her trajectory could place her in a prime position to bypass F1 Academy and rise through the traditional ladder if Mercedes commits to her long-term. F1 ETA: 2032 Sebastian Wheldon – Age 16 Carrying one of the most recognizable last names in racing, Sebastian Wheldon is on his way to stardom. The eldest son of IndyCar legend "Lionheart" Dan Wheldon, Sebastian has already picked up a championship in the Skip Barber Series and wins in YACademy Winter Series, while finishing runner-up. He has also collected podiums in USF Juniors. 2025 has been a good year: Wheldon sits third in Italian F4, placed inside the top 10 in the Formula 4 Middle East series, and currently ranks fifth in Euro 4. Though backed by Andretti Global on the IndyCar side, there’s growing speculation that Cadillac’s F1 program could be his eventual landing spot. Curently Dan Towriss looks to be keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to the F1 team and its plans. If no F1 chance comes to fruition, he’ll have the safety net of IndyCar waiting at Andretti, but his current path seems to be on the F1 route in my opinion . F1 ETA: 2031 Conclusion on these F1 hopefuls Projecting drivers’ arrival to Formula 1 is practially impossible given all the different outcomes ( I think only Doctor Strange knows), but the names above are already generating buzz in paddocks worldwide. Freddie Slater looks closest to a breakthrough out of everyone on the list right now, while McLaughlin has the backing of Red Bull’s formidable program. Younger talents like Craigie and Fluxá still have years to grow, but with the right timing, they could emerge just as F1 teams refresh their lineups. Wheldon, meanwhile, carries the legacy and with Cadillac wanting an American star in F1 that makes him a major prospect with the support he has. The future of F1 is full of question marks but right not it looks like the pipeline of talent is stronger than ever.

It was an intense week with our first enduro for the season. The Bend in Adelaide was ready to get put to work and the drivers had a weekend and a half. Our first endurance race before Bathurst and we did not expect the results. The first endurance race out of the two for the season with a stellar lineup of drivers. (Source: Supercars)   From early on track action from Triple Eight’s Red Bull Ampol’s co-drivers, Jamie Whincup and Scott Pye to mistakes in qualifying from Ryan Wood, it was going to be interesting. For those who typically do not watch Supercars, we have our top 10 shootout which declares our starting grid for the race itself. This race was a longer track and more laps as it was one of two endurance races this season. 500 kilometres total for the Bend in Adelaide, which is 102 laps. Chaos between the two Triple Eight Co-Drivers in practice 4 as the two collide under safety car test conditions. (Source: V8 Sleuth)   Feeney and Whincup were on pole position with a brilliant lap, of a 1:48.6. Cameron Hill was P2 after a real fast lap with almost no errors for a 1:48.7 and starting in P3 was the Shell V-Power car of Brodie Kostecki. The Monster Castrol duo took out P4&P5, with only small margins separating the two. Matthew Payne was P6, after a slower lap than we would have thought with a 1:49.2. Anton De Pasquale was P7 just behind Matt Payne’s Penrite. Chaz Mostert received a penalty in the top 10 shootout which resulted in a drop to P10, however made a lap that put him in P8. Your final two were Cooper Murray in the Erebus car and Ryan Wood was P10 after his error in qualifying resulted in a very slow time of a 1:54.5.   The dramatic race tart at The Bend 500 in Adelaide. (Source: Supercars) The race started off as a very interesting result, Jamie Whincup led the race just ahead of Mcleod and Moffat. Craig Lowndes made a return to supercars pairing up with the young driver Zach Bates in the 888 car. He made up positions early on with 4 positions in the first few laps. Overall, this duos race weekend was great with experience, good defensive skill and young talent they were a good pairing finishing P16.   Andre Heimgartners co-driver Declan Fraser suffered a collision early in the race, which resulted in them being 3 laps down on the rest of the field. Not what you want in a race like this. Whilst this top 3 battle was going on we were seeing battles all over the track including a battle between Thomas Randle and Kai Allen.   Jamie Whincup faced with a shocking 40 second stop, due to issues with the fuel pump. This pushed them quite far down the grid with plenty to work back if they stood any shot of a top 3 position. By the time Broc Feeney was in the car, it was a tough ask for him. There were still 45 laps remaining but being towards the back of the pack, was going to be difficult. In the end, they finished P19. A shockingly slow pitstop for the Triple Eight Team with issues around the fuel pump connection. (Source: Supercars)   By lap 26 your top three was Hazelwood, Murray and Pye. The Shell V-Power pairing was a strong contender for a top 3 finish. Cooper Murray was yet to pit, and Scott Pye had already done one pitstop but hadn’t yet done the driver changes. Will brown and co-driver Scott Pye would just miss out on a podium opportunity finishing P4.   By Lap 44, we had seen small changes with Hazelwood still leading, but Winterbottom in P2 and Tander in P3. With Mark Winterbottom and Todd Hazelwood coming in to make the driver switches though, Mostert was able to get ahead and the top 3 suddenly appeared different, but Mostert still had to pit for new tyres and more fuel, so the likelihood of him getting top 3 was small. By lap 52 the top 3 was Mostert, Kostecki and Waters.   Kai Allen received a 5 second penalty, while James Golding got a pit penalty for a speed limiter breach.   Ultimately your winner with some brilliant defensive driving over the race was Brodie Kostecki and co-driver Todd Hazelwood, followed by Cam Waters and co-driver Mark Winterbottom and in P3 was Matt Payne and co-driver Garth Tander. Some high intensity battles between Brodie Kostecki and Cam Waters for the win. (Source Supercars)   With this result the championship battle closes significantly with only 71 points between Broc Feeney and Matt Payne. We now take a break before making our return to the Mountain. The Bathurst 1000 is our second endurance race and will determine the enduro cup winner. This takes place from Thursday October 9 th through to Sunday October 12 th . We're back and just in time for the most iconic race up the mountain at the Bathurst 1000. (Source: Supercars)

Honorable Mention: John Hunter Nemechek brought the Legacy 42 to a 14th place finish, which isn’t an amazing run, but he was on pace for another top 10, possibly top 5, before a tire issue set them back. Nemechek these past few weeks has shown speed that we haven’t seen out of him since his Xfinity days. Could Legacy be finally turning the corner? 10. Tyler Reddick had a solid day at Bristol, consistently around the 15th place area, which is exactly where he finished. New Hampshire is another solid track for Reddick. Of his 5 starts, he’s only finished worse than 13th once, a 21st in 2022. He’s got back to back 6th place finishes, including 53 laps led last year.  9. Chris Buescher had a solid top 5 run going, which seemed to go belly up late, with Buescher taking home an 11th. One spot better and he’d be tied with both Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell with 16 top 10s on the year, the most in the series. Instead, he’s still tied with Hamlin for 3rd. Buescher’s average finish the last 4 races is 9.25, so it seems pretty fair to put him at spot 9. From his time in Front Row equipment to 2023, he had never finished better than 15th at New Hampshire, but last year, he finally managed a top 5.  8. Kyle Larson has now gone 17 races since his last win, one race away from half the season. Larson looked to be making a strategy move early, but it failed, and from then on, a bad day got worse. He cut a tire and broke a toe link, and then wrecked from said toe link, subjecting him to 32nd place. New Hampshire is a decent track for Larson. His last 4 races have been top 15s, with 3 of them being 7th or better. However, since his first race there, in which he led 14 laps, Larson has only led 8 laps since.  7. Chase Elliott is on a sinking ship right now. In the first 23 races, Chase Elliott finished worse than 15th 4 times, with 0 finishes worse than 20th. In the last 6 races, he’s matched his sub 15ths with another 4, and has 2 additional finishes of 38th or worse. Since Watkins Glen, Elliott has an average finish of 22, salvaged by his 3rd at Gateway a couple weeks back. If the 9 wants to fight for a championship, much less make the Round of 8, he’d better figure it out, and quick. He only has 3 top 10s at New Hampshire in his career, and 3 of his last 6 finishes have been 18th or worse. He does have a silver medal snuck in that group; however, with a silver medal in 2023. 6. Christopher Bell finally won again, something he hadn’t done since May, and that race only paid money, not points. You’d have to go back to March 9th as the last time Bell won a points race. However, there’s a solid chance he repeats what he did in the spring and go back to back, considering we’re headed to New Hampshire. Bell’s never lost an Xfinity Series race here, and in the Cup Series, he has 3 podiums in 5 races and 2 wins in the last 5 years. 5. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Bubba Wallace is hot. Although he was caught up in a wreck and finished 34th, Wallace had a strong run going. He led 12 laps and was top 10 all day, and put on tires late to try and make a charge, but was wrecked with 13 to go. Had he not been wrecked, it’s possible this would’ve been Wallace’s 7th top 10 in 9 races. Wallace has finished top 10 twice in the last 3 races at New Hampshire, but was wrecked last year for a 34th. 4. William Byron maintains his 4th in the power rankings with a 12th at Bristol. A solid run punched him into the Round of 12 early, and the 24 was on autopilot the rest of the day. In his 7 races at New Hampshire, Byron has never finished top 10, but he does have 3 finishes of 12th or better. However, 3 of his last 4 have been 20th or worse. Don’t expect big things this weekend out of William. 3. Denny Hamlin was never a factor Saturday. He started 6th and immediately started dropping positions. He did try and make a comeback late in stage 2, but would have a tire fall off, solidifying his sub 30th place run. Hamlin heads to New Hampshire without 2 crew members. Hamlin has a handful of wins, but his last one came in 2017. Hamlin has since had a few runner ups, but his last finish there was a 24th. He did lead 43 laps in that one, however. 2. Ryan Blaney is back to #2. He and Ty Gibbs alternated stage wins and 2nds, and finishing 4th overall. That’s Blaney’s 8th top 10 in 9 races and his 5th top 5 in 7. However, since the Next Gen started racing, Blaney has never been able to muster better than 18th, including back to back sub 20ths. Short, flat tracks are Penske’s bread and butter, however, and it might just be a good run for Blaney. 1. Chase Briscoe retains the #1 spot. After a surprisingly poor qualifying run, Briscoe rallied to 9th. He led the 2nd most amount of laps on the day with 127. New Hampshire is Briscoe’s 3rd best track by average finish in the Next Gen era, with 9.0. He finished 2nd in this race last year, along with a 10th in 2023 and a 15th in 2022. Also, keep in mind of the “where MTJ was good at” rule. Truex’s last win came here, and after the first race in 2016, he finished top 10 the remaining 10 races in his career here, apart from a 12th in 2021. I’d say your winner is gonna come from a JGR car this weekend and it’s a good chance it’s this one.