Racing: NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One are showing early signs of a great 2018 season
By Dustin Smith
The three biggest auto racing series have fired up their engines for racing and testing, and from what we have seen so far, 2018 is sure to be a great year!
So far in 2018, there have been five total races between the three top racing series with Formula One being the only series that hasn’t started. However, the four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races and the lone IndyCar race have given auto racing fans their money’s worth already.
The 2018 race season is underway and has not been a disappointment. We have seen the Daytona 500 won by Austin Dillon in the legendary #3 car. A little less than a month later, Kevin Harvick has dominated by winning three in a row.
Not to be outdone was the IndyCar Series, which kicked off their season this past Sunday at St. Petersburg, a race in which overtaking took place quite frequently. Lastly, we have Formula One beginning their practice sessions with some surprising numbers on top of the leaderboard.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
The 2018 season is four races in and has only had two victors. Austin Dillon, of course, won the Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion. Since then, the races in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix have been won by Kevin Harvick. Harvick has been unbeatable. However, nipping at his toes has been Kyle Busch. Busch has run in the top 10 the last three races and has finished runner-up to Harvick two races in a row.
On the other hand, the 2018 season has not been very kind to Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion has been in unfamiliar territory early on this season. The series is four races in and Jimmie has finished 38th, 27th, 12th and 14th, respectively. But I wouldn’t call this panic time for the Lowes team. However, the sense of urgency to crack the top 10 has to be on their minds.
Verizon IndyCar Series
The Verizon IndyCar Series kicked off its 2018 season with more passing taking place than ever before. There were a total of 366 overtakes last Sunday at St. Petersburg in a wild race to start the 17-race season. In the end, it was Sebastien Bourdais taking home the trophy.
The Verizon IndyCar Series will take a few weeks off before heading to ISM Raceway in Phoenix. Phoenix will be the first of six oval races the series will run at in 2018. The series will then run three straight road or street courses before the Indianapolis 500 at the end of May.
Formula One
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
The Australian Grand Prix is just around the corner and should be an interesting race to kick off the season. So far, the Formula One teams have been testing and the teams with the fastest times have been scattered across the board. Although the actual racing wont start for a couple of weeks, the testing period gave us some pretty good insight.
For instance, the fastest practice time belongs to Sebastien Vettel and Ferrari. Surprisingly, Fernando Alonso and McLaren had the second fastest time. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was seventh quickest. However, there is nothing to panic about if you’re in the Mercedes garage. Hamilton ran seventh quickest while only running the ultra-soft tires, while most who were ahead of him who ran the hyper-soft tires. Can it please be March 25th already?
Wrap-Up
The early signs in 2018 point to this year being the best on record for all three series. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seems to have several drivers who are capable of winning each weekend. There is no doubt that the Verizon IndyCar Series turned some heads with their flurry of overtaking this past Sunday. Lastly, Formula One completed its testing sessions with several teams showing signs of significant improvement. Make sure at home you pay the cable bill because you are not going to want to miss out on any of the 2018 action this season.
Next: Racing: Top 10 most unbreakable records across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar
Which series do you follow the most? Do you think the 2018 season will be the best for all three racing series? What is your biggest concern so far this year?