As we approach the Easter off weekend next week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Formula One and the Verizon IndyCar Series all ran over this past weekend.
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
The Cup Series traveled to Martinsville for the first of 2 visits this year. As usual, lot of cars spinning and multiple wrecks which took out drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Sam Hornish, Jr. and Greg Biffle. The 16 cautions that flew totaled out to 112 laps, over 20 percent of the race, which is normal for the racetrack. However, the surprising thing was the number of lead changes throughout the race. There wasn't a driver who stayed out for a long time, but Kevin Harvick did lead for 8 times and for 154 laps. Lot of drivers took turns out front including Joey Logano early, Brad Keselowski in the middle and the eventual winner Denny Hamlin, towards the end. Hamlin's win wasn't easy to come by either as he was being chased down by Keselowski in the closing laps, but in the end, the Virginia native picked up his 1st win of the season, 5th career in Martinsville and a spot in the 2015 Chase. The series is off next weekend for Easter, resumes April 11th at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for Saturday Night Racing.
FORMULA ONE
Questions going into the 2015 season included which team could stop Mercedes' dominance. Well, that question was answered, and it is Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel qualified 2nd for the Malaysian Grand Prix this past weekend in Sepang, and was able to take the lead on lap 4 during a safety car period in which pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton went on pit road to change tires. Vettel's strategy paid off as he had the faster car most of the race and was able to win his first race, as well as Ferrari's, since 2013. Hamilton and Nico Rosberg rounded out the podium. With Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finishing 4th Williams Racing's Valtteri Bottas & Felipe Massa scored 5th & 6th, and Toro Rosso drivers Max Verstappen & Carlos Sainz, Jr. beat out Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat & Daniel Ricciardo to finish off the top-10. The series heads to Shanghai, China for the Chinese Grand Prix on April 12th.
INDYCAR
After a long 7 months of hiatus, the Verizon IndyCar Series took to the Streets of St. Petersburg. The new aero kits proved very fast for Chevrolet, and notably Team Penske, who dominated the event, leading 105 of 110 laps. Will Power started on pole, and dominated majority of the race, but it was Juan Pablo Montoya who beat out Power on the final green-flag pit stop and led the final 28 laps en route to his 1st win of the season, and 1st win at St. Petersburg and also his 1st win on a Street Course since 1999 (not counting his 2003 win at Monaco). Tony Kanaan finished 3rd, while the other Penske drivers Helio Castroneves & Simon Pagenaud rounded out the top-5. The series heads next to the NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans on April 12th.
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