Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600, Formula One Grand Prix highlight jam-packed Memorial Day weekend
The field for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race gather for a photo at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. The drivers are, front row from left, Katherine Legge, of England, Scott McLaughlin, of New Zealand, Josef Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist, of Sweden, Pato O'Ward, of Mexico, Tony Kanaan, of Brazil, Will Power, of Australia, Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, Takuma Sato, of Japan, Alex Palou, of Spain, Colton Herta, Colton Herta, Devlin DeFrancesco, of Canada, Santino Ferrucci, Benjamin Pedersen, of Denmark, and RC Enerson. Second row from left, Callum Ilott, of England, Agustin Canapino, of Argentina, Jack Harvey, of England, Christian Lundgaard, of Denmark, Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, Simon Pagenaud, of France, Marcus Ericsson, of Sweden, Romain Grosjean, of Switzerland, Marco Andretti, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Sting Ray Robb and Stefan Wilson, of England. Credit: AP/Darron Cummings
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Coca-Cola 600
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Saturday, Practice, 7:05 p.m.; Qualifying, 7:50 p.m. Sunday: Coca-Cola 600, 6 p.m. (FOX).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 600 miles, 400 laps.
Alex Palou, of Spain, talks with a crew member before practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Darron Cummings
Last year: Denny Hamlin needed overtime to earn his first win in 31 starts at the track. He led three times for 15 laps after starting on the pole, including the final lap.
Last race: Kyle Larson rallied from the rear to win the non-points All-Star Race in the series’ return to historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996.
Fast facts: The second half of the regular season begins with Ross Chastain atop the standings but still seeking his first victory. ... Christopher Bell is second, 27 points back, followed by Kevin Harvick (-29) and Denny Hamlin (-36). ... 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick were second and third in the All-Star Race, respectively.
Next race: June 4, Madison, Illinois.
Alex Palou, of Spain, leaves the pits during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Darron Cummings
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Alsco Uniforms 300
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 3:35 p.m.; qualifying, 4:05 p.m. Saturday: Alsco Uniforms 300, 1 p.m. (FS1).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Josh Berry earned his fourth career victory, leading the final 23 laps and five times for 89 laps overall.
Last race: Kyle Larson outmuscled John Hunter Nemechek in the final lap to win at Darlington. He earned his first series win this season and 14th career.
Next race: June 3, Portland, Oregon.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 1:35 p.m.; qualifying, 2:05 p.m.; race, 8:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 200 miles, 134 laps.
Last year: Ross Chastain passed Christian Eckes late and held off Grant Enfinger for the victory.
Last race: Kyle Larson substituted for an injured Alex Bowman and won the Tyson 250 in overtime at North Wilkesboro. He led 138 of 252 laps.
Fast facts: Larson’s Trucks win kicked off a successful weekend highlighted by his All-Star Race victory. ... Ty Majeski was second, Matt DiBenedetto third and Carson Hocevar fourth. ... Points leader Corey Heim finished sixth after starting on the pole to hold a seven-point edge over Majeski in the standings with Zane Smith 16 back.
Next race: June 3, Madison, Illinois.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Monaco Grand Prix
Site: Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6:30 a.m., and qualifying, 10 a.m.; Sunday, race, 9 a.m. (ESPN).
Track: Circuit de Monte Carlo.
Race distance: 162 miles, 78 laps.
Last year: Sergio Perez won to end Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen’s three-race winning streak.
Last race: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in a Imola, Italy, was cancelled because of deadly floods in the region.
Fast facts: Verstappen, the two-time defending series champion, has three wins and has finished on the podium in all five races and 22 of the last 27. Perez, a two-time winner, and third-place Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin have four podiums each and seven-time series champion Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have the others. ... Verstappen leads Perez by 14 points in the standings.
Next race: June 4, Barcelona, Spain.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
107th Indianapolis 500
Site: Indianapolis, Indiana.
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 11 a.m.; Sunday: race, 11 a.m. (NBC)
Last year: Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward after a late restart and won under caution to give Chip Ganassi Racing its fifth Indy 500 victory.
Last race: Alex Palou inherited the lead on Lap 65, then drove away from the pack to win the Indianapolis Grand Prix by 16.8006 seconds over Pato O’Ward.
Fast facts: Alex Palou blazed a record four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph in the No. 10 Honda to win his first career 500 pole and third in a row for CGR. ... Rinus VeeKay (234.211) and Felix Rosenqvist (234.114) round out the front row in Chevrolets. ... The 33-car field is the fastest in Indy 500 history with an average speed of 232.184 mph. ... Ericsson will start 10th in a CGR Chevy. ... Graham Rahal will replace Stefan Wilson in the No. 25 Chevy after the British driver injured his back in a crash during practice on Monday.
Next race: June 4, Detroit.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won in Elwood, Illinois.
Next event: June 2-4, Epping, New Hampshire.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: May 25, Hartford, Ohio, and May 26, Waverly, Ohio.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
