motorsports

  • NASCAR driver fired after using a racial slur while streaming

    A NASCAR driver lost his real-life racing job after using a racial slur during a live-streamed iRacing event on Sunday.

  • ESPN will give its racing fans an esports fix

    With all motorsports on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic — including Formula 1, Formula E and IndyCar — the only experiences available are virtual. Disney’s ESPN is set to elevate that a notch by launching a virtual racing series from Torque Esports.

  • Porsche's virtual race series starts tomorrow with pro drivers at the wheel

    It's not just multi-manufacturer racing leagues like NASCAR going digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Porsche is livestreaming its Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition starting on April 4th at 10AM Eastern, when drivers take to a digital version of the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two races in 911 GT3 Cup cars. The iRacing-based series will have 31 drivers, 22 of which are full-time Supercup racers -- the nine others are factory and young professional drivers fielded by big-name sponsors like TAG Heuer and Vodafone.

  • NASCAR's virtual race was the most-watched esports TV show to date

    NASCAR and Fox Sports might have started airing virtual races out of pandemic-induced necessity, but it appears their efforts paid off. Fox has revealed that the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on March 22nd drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, making it the highest-rated esports TV program to date. It was also the most-watched broadcast on FS1 since mass sports event cancellations on March 12th and the most-watched sports broadcast on cable that Sunday, although those last two feats weren't too difficult given the dearth of live sports.

  • NASCAR is replacing canceled races with esports featuring pro drivers

    Sports leagues and broadcasters are scrambling to fill the void now that many live competitions are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for NASCAR and Fox Sports that means venturing into relatively uncharted territory. They've announced an inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series that will replace canceled NASCAR races with "simulation-style" esports competitions. These will involve top-tier competitors, too -- you can expect Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among other racers and luminaries from various NASCAR series.

  • Watch as F1 driver Sergio Pérez nearly hits two marshals on the track

    Exactly that happened this past weekend, when Sergio Pérez split two marshals who were running off the track. At the Monaco Grand Prix, which took place May 26, Racing Point driver Pérez came out of a pit stop, entered a corner, and was shocked to see two track marshals erratically running off the track. For the safety of the marshals I hope it never happens again! 🙏 #MonacoGP #Checo11 pic.twitter.com/PP8Me3Frlz— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) May 26, 2019 During the race, Pérez got on his radio and asked, "What was wrong with those marshals?

  • Ford GT to race Le Mans with classic liveries

    Ford is readying to run its current factory GT Le Mans program for the final time, and nothing is sent off these days without some sort of special goodbye. For the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours, all four Ford GTs will wear "Celebration Liveries" that mark and honor parts of the GT's history. Ford got back into Le Mans racing in 2016, which was exactly 50 years since the company's historic 1966 victory.

  • A look at IndyCar driver Robert Wickens' recovery from spinal injury

    On the July 2019 cover of Road & Track, there are only two wheels, and they're not attached to a car or a motorcycle. Against a stark white backdrop, Wickens holds his arms at right angles, hands on the wheels, body leaning ahead. Wickens has resolved to walk again, and Sam Smith's cover story tells how he's working toward that goal.

  • Pirelli app gives track day drivers a digital pit crew

    Gone are the days when racing sports simply involved cars hurtling around a track as fast as possible. Now, there are eye-watering volumes of data being processed every second, providing deep metrics and guidance on everything from tire pressure to traction control. This kind of intel was once the sole domain of racing drivers and pit stop crews, but now tire brand Pirelli has unveiled a system that'll give civilian track day goers the same kind of insight.

  • German Grand Prix: A last blast for F1 at Hockenheim?

    Germany welcomes back F1 this weekend – perhaps for the last time in the foreseeable future – as the 2018 season continues to be a cliff-hanger. But already a lot of talk is around the 2019 season, with driver contracts being signed nice and early. F1 writer Kenny Campbell looks at what Hockenheim has in store...

  • French Grand Prix: A Gallic blast from F1's past

    It’s ten years since France last hosted an F1 race, subsequently falling victim to Bernie Ecclestone’s autosport avarice despite having hosted the first ever Grand Prix back in 1906. This year’s race is being held at the Paul Ricard circuit – and it hasn’t seen F1 action since 1990. To put that in some context, that was the year Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Britain was gripped by Poll Tax riots and the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of diseases.

  • Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Red Bulls go bonkers as F1 chaos helps Hamilton to an unlikely win

    There were high hopes for an entertaining Azerbaijan Grand Prix – and, boy, did it deliver. Kenny Campbell picks through some of the highlights of a chaos-strewn F1 race in Baku

  • Formula 1: Expect the unexpected in Azerbaijan as championship's strangest circuit takes centre stage

    Baku is the venue for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, on F1's quirkiest track. Kenny Campbell looks forward to what could be another cracking F1 race – notwithstanding the appearance of mimes, dodgy art and an extra paddle on the Ferraris...

  • Rallycross at Silverstone: Scared witless in a race car that leaves F1 in the shade ... and flies

    Rallycross has a new UK home at Silverstone, where Kenny Campbell gets a terrifying trip round the circuit, and looks forward to the upcoming race festival weekend

  • Chinese Grand Prix: Ricciardo pulls off a Shanghai surprise

    The Chinese Grand Prix was another cracking F1 race – at least, the second half was – and it saw one of F1's most popular characters, Daniel Ricciardo, rewarded for an eye-popping drive. Kenny Campbell takes a fan's look at the highlights...

  • Anti-drone tech protected a weekend of NASCAR racing

    Anti-drone technology isn't just being used at airports or sensitive political and military locations. Law enforcement just relied on DroneShield's systems, including its anti-drone gun, to protect against UAVs during a NASCAR race series at the Texas Motor Speedway between April 5th and April 8th. The tech helped police watch out for drones, disable them and (if all else failed) knock them out of the air. There weren't any known incidents, but it's notable that the technology was involved in the first place -- it was the first time American law enforcers used all three of DroneShield's products.

  • Formula One: Red Bull need to reboot their season in Shanghai as Ferrari and Mercedes go head to head again

    After a cracking Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, F1 moves quickly on to Shanghai, where the Chinese Grand Prix may give us a better picture of F1's 2018 pecking order. Kenny Campbell takes a closer look

  • F1 2018 season preview: Why it's about Hamilton, Vettel and the ghost of Fangio

    It’s why we all have opinions about how the 2018 F1 season is going to play out, but none of us is betting the mortgage on Max or the savings on Seb. If you are planning to put the house on Hamilton, it’s a big risk for a modest reward – he starts the season as 4-6 favourite, so you won’t even double your money (Seb is 7-2 but, really, betting the house on Ferrari?). As the teams gather in Melbourne for this weekend’s opening race, what can we expect 2018’s Formula 1’s talking points to be?

  • Belgian Grand Prix Review: Lewis Hamilton's record weekend eclipsed by Force India meltdown

    F1 writer Kenny Campbell rakes over the coals of a Belgian Grand Prix that was significant for Lewis Hamilton and for the Force India team... for very different reasons

  • Jack Quaid and LeAnn Rimes share their 'Logan Lucky' experiences with Steven Soderbergh

    Actor Jack Quaid and singer-songwriter LeAnn Rimes share what it was like filming the comedy movie 'Logan Lucky' with director Steven Soderbergh.