We're at the halfway point of the regular season of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series. So far, the excitement has been great, a lot of different winners, some first-timers like Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. at Talladega and Austin Dillon winning a fuel-mileage contest at Charlotte. We also saw Jimmie Johnson win 3 times this year, including last weekend's event at Dover. Ryan Newman gambled on fuel as well, ending Richard Childress Racing's winless streak at Phoenix. Kyle Larson is definitely a title contender, dominated Dover, but did win at Auto Club Speedway. Martin Truex, Jr. continues his domination on the 1.5 mile tracks, grabbing wins at Las Vegas & Kansas, while Joey Logano did win at Richmond. However, Logano's win does not count towards a playoff spot due to postrace issues with the car. Drivers like Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have yet to win a race in 2017. However, points in stage wins could help a driver like Kyle Busch make the playoff field if he doesn't win a race by Richmond in September.
So, with that said, we have 13 races to go until it's playoff time. The action starts this Sunday at Pocono Raceway. The tricky triangle makes its first appearance in 2017, with a later start time of 3:20pm, the Pocono 400 should be an intriguing race, could be won on fuel-mileage, but also have dominant cars that we saw in year's past.
With Aric Almirola sidelined due to injuries sustained in a heavy crash at Kansas, Regan Smith filled in the 43 car, but now Diversity Driver and Xfinity Series driver Darrell "Bubba" Wallace, Jr. will pilot the machine in the meantime. Wallace brings his experience in the Truck & Xfinity levels to help Petty Enterprises get back to the top.
Summer is here, so the time is right for more excitement to brew.
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
We are nearing the halfway point of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Season, and right now is the busiest portion of the series. So far, in the first 7 races of the season, there were 7 different winners. The most notable is former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato, winning the 101st Indianapolis 500! Other winners include Simon Pagenaud at Phoenix, Josef Newgarden at Barber, James Hinchcliffe at Long Beach, Sebastien Bourdais at St. Pete, Will Power on the road-course at Indy and Graham Rahal winning not only 1, but both races last weekend on the Streets of Belle Isle in Detroit. Rahal, driving for Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing which is a Honda-powered entry, winning in Detroit, a race promoted by Chevrolet & Roger Penske, definitely defined the odds and was able to have dominating performances all weekend. After last weekend, Rahal sits 6th in points. The point battle is extremely close with Scott Dixon leading Helio Castroneves by 8 points and Sato by 11. The series returns to action Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. This race last year was ran briefly, then postponed due to weather, and that race did set up one of the most exciting & closest finishes in series history. Lots of high-powered racing will provide a great night of action.
FORMULA ONE
For the 2017 F1 season, it's not halfway just yet. The season is only getting intense on a long and exciting battle between Mercedes & Ferrari, something we haven't seen in a few years. Sebastian Vettel won on the Streets of Monaco, giving Ferrari it's first win there since 2001. Lewis Hamilton had a poor performance at Monaco, but is looking to rebound on a familiar track where's had success: Montreal. The Canadian Grand Prix takes place this weekend at Montreal, so it will be a chance for more exciting racing and to see which manufacturer comes out on top.
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