NASCAR: Even with Cup off, there is still great racing this weekend
By Dustin Smith
With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series having the weekend off, fans have several other options for racing excitement this weekend.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has the weekend off, so fans will either have to cope with the notion that there isn’t racing or take in some of the Xfinity and Truck Series or even some of the open-wheel action.
Off weeks are never fun, but for Cup Series fans, there is still plenty of racing action this weekend for you to enjoy. So if you have been down in the dumps all week because you don’t have anything to watch, I am here to remind you about all of the events happening this weekend in the racing world.
For starters, the Verizon IndyCar Series will travel to the Gateway Motorsports Park for the ninth time in track history. Josef Newgarden was victorious in 2017, becoming the first winner at Gateway since 2003. Gateway is a 1.25-mile oval that has hosted 18 Truck Series races and 15 Xfinity Series races.
Formula 1 is back after a month off with the Belgian Grand Prix this Sunday. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is located in Stavelot, Belgium and will host its 55th Formula 1 race this weekend. The last two races at Spa have been won by Mercedes drivers. In 2016, Nico Rosberg stood atop the podium for the first time in a Belgian Grand Prix, and in 2017, it was Lewis Hamilton claiming his third Belgian Grand Prix victory.
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It’s playoff time for the Truck Series and stop number one will be at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Eight drivers will be taking on the seven-race playoff format until a champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November. The parity in the Truck Series has caused great racing each and every weekend. This Sunday’s race is the first and only road course race of the year.
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The Xfinity Series will be hitting the twists and turns of a road course this weekend as well when its drivers race at Road America on Saturday. Just four races remain in the Xfinity Series regular season before playoffs begin at Richmond Raceway in September. Could Saturday slip another driver outside of the top 12 in the playoff picture into the playoffs with a win? For playoff eligible drivers, Road America will be the last road course tune-up before the Charlotte roval race in the playoffs.
Last, but certainly not least, is local dirt track racing. Get out and watch it. We’re getting closer and closer to the summer months coming to a close and pretty soon racing will be in the offseason. Some of the battles that have been going on all summer are coming down to the home stretch, for which local drivers will have all of the bragging rights during the winter months.
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What will be your choice of racing action to watch this weekend? Will you be focused more on open-wheel racing with the NASCAR Cup Series being off, or are you just taking the week off to prepare for the race at Darlington Raceway next Sunday?