Motorsports

Michael McDowell took the pole Saturday for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With a time of 28.883 seconds, McDowell beat out Joey Logano to secure the inside spot on Row 1. The full qualifying results, courtesy of NASCAR.com, are as follows:

1. Michael McDowell: 28.883

2. Joey Logano: 28.898

3. Austin Cindric: 28.909

4. Kyle Busch: 28.933

5. Erik Jones: 28.934

6. Alex Bowman: 28.936

7. Josh Berry: 28.939

8. William Byron: 28.944

9. Zane Smith: 28.946

10. Kyle Larson: 28.950

11. Chris Buescher: 28.964

12. Ryan Preece: 28.967

13. Christopher Bell: 28.984

14. Tyler Reddick: 28.991

15. Denny Hamlin: 28.995

16. Chase Elliott: 29.000

17. Ty Dillon: 29.019

18. A.J. Allmendinger: 29.020

19. Ross Chastain: 29.021

20. Bubba Wallace: 29.035

21. Noah Gragson: 29.059

22. Austin Dillon: 29.068

23. Daniel Suárez: 29.082

24. Chase Briscoe: 29.131

25. Carson Hocevar: 29.133

26. Cole Custer: 29.135

27. Brad Keselowski: 29.149

28. Shane van Gisbergen: 29.185

29. Ty Gibbs: 29.191

30. John Hunter Nemechek: 29.243

31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 29.285

32. Todd Gilliland: 29.344

33. Justin Haley: 29.371

34. Riley Herbst: 29.788

35. Cody Ware: 30.093

36. Ryan Blaney: 0

A 40-year-old veteran with two career Cup Series wins to his credit, McDowell is now a seven-time pole-sitter during his 18-year Cup Series career.

With a big smile on his face, McDowell discussed his performance during a post-qualifying interview, giving plenty of credit to his Spire Motorsports team in the process:

1st pole of the season for Michael McDowell. 👏 pic.twitter.com/zMbrL0MWwK

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) March 15, 2025

Ryan Blaney, who won the NASCAR Cup Series points title in 2023 and finished second last year, was the only driver who did not have a qualifying run.

He crashed into the wall during practice, meaning he will start in the 36th and final spot on Sunday:

The No. 12 goes for a spin in practice and heads to the garage early. pic.twitter.com/q042KIabbG

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2025

Christopher Bell, who is second in the Cup Series points standings so far this season, qualified 13th on Saturday.

Bell enters Sunday's race as the driver to beat since he has won three races in a row, making him the first NASCAR Cup Series driver to accomplish that feat since Kyle Larson in 2021.

If Bell wins a fourth straight race on Sunday, he will be the first driver to do so since Jimmie Johnson in 2007.

Several veteran drivers in Sunday's field have multiple career wins at Las Vegas to their credit, and they could be significant factors as well.

Logano is a four-time Vegas winner, while Brad Keselowski (qualified 27th) and Larson (qualified 10th) have won three times each at the track.

Logano and Larson are especially big threats since they have two Las Vegas wins each since 2022. Other recent winners include William Byron (qualified eighth) in 2023 and Alex Bowman (qualified sixth) in 2022.

As he seeks a fourth straight victory, Bell will have to conquer a track at which he has had plenty of ups and downs over the years.

In 10 career Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, Bell has recorded three top-five finishes and five top-10 results, but he has an average finish of just 17.4.

The Pennzoil 400 is set to get started Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, and it will air on FS1.

Look out, Max Verstappen. There's a new driver on the Formula 1 grid.

And that driver is Brad Pitt.

On Thursday, Warner Brothers and Apple released the trailer for the upcoming move, F1, which stars Pitt as veteran driver Sonny Hayes who may have an opportunity at a comeback after missing out on chances earlier in his career.

Marco della Cava of USA Today noted the movie is scheduled to hit theaters and IMAX on June 27 and pairs Pitt with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.

Pitt's character, Hayes, is dubbed "the greatest that never was" in the trailer, and it also provides insight into a potential rivalry with teammate Joshua Pearce, who is played by Damson Idris. Pearce seems to be the young star in the making, while Hayes will have a second chance on the F1 stage.

The movie also features Javier Bardem as the F1 team owner and Kerry Condon as a team engineer.

Expect an element of realism as well, as Cava reported F1 legend Lewis Hamilton appears in the movie and is listed as a producer on the film. Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and surely provided his expertise when it came to the racing scenes and even interactions with teammates and fellow drivers.

F1 has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States especially thanks to the Netflix series Drive to Survive. There are now annual races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.

Fans will surely be interested in a summer blockbuster about the sport, especially with it starring one of the most famous actors in the world.

It was almost too close to call!

Toyota’s Christopher Bell emerged victorious in a photo finish at the Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday in Avondale, Arizona. He defeated teammate Denny Hamlin by just 0.449 seconds in a tight finish, with Kyle Larson taking third place.

THREE WINS IN A ROW FOR CHRISTOPHER BELL! What a finish. pic.twitter.com/4io4UIO91s

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Race all day ... and it comes down to 𝙏𝑯𝙄𝑺 much. #NASCAR https://t.co/hl8hg8sgy5 pic.twitter.com/tUcCMuOwEF

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

With Bell's victory, he made history as the first Cup driver to win three consecutive races in the Next Gen era, previously securing wins at the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.

Here is a look at the race's standings:

1. Christopher Bell

2. Denny Hamlin

3. Kyle Larson

4. Josh Berry

5. Chris Buescher

6. William Byron

7. Alex Bowman

8. Kyle Busch

9. Zane Smith

10. Chase Elliott

Notably, Katherine Legge became the first woman to start a Cup race in over seven years, finishing 30th in her Cup debut with Live Fast Motorsports.

Fans reacted to Bell’s record-making win as he rose to No. 2 in the standings and continues to be the driver to beat.

REPOST to congratulate Christopher Bell for WINNING at Phoenix! 🏁🏁🏁

He becomes the first driver since Kyle Larson in 2021 to win three straight NASCAR Cup Series races. pic.twitter.com/f43SXde42U

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 9, 2025

CHRISTOPHER BELL IS NOT UNDER THE RADAR.

CHRISTOPHER BELL IS THE ONLY THING ON THE RADAR.

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) March 9, 2025

Christopher Bell: 12 Cup wins, 19 Xfinty wins, 7 Truck wins, Trucks title, 3 Chili Bowls, USAC Midget title, 2 Champ 4 appearances (nearly a 3rd). Now he's first to win 3 straight Cup races in a Next Gen car...and he's barely 30. Why is he not a bigger deal?! #NASCAR

— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) March 9, 2025

Christopher Bell 🐐

3 in a row at 3 different track types🐐 pic.twitter.com/56jfEeiwRV

— Chris Pennell (@ChrisPennell16) March 9, 2025

Christopher Bell currently on pace to win 27 races this year

— BrakeHard (@BrakeHardBlog) March 9, 2025

becoming a Christopher Bell Stan in late January was the best life decision I've ever made.

— III (@tweetingclip) March 9, 2025

Now THAT was a hell of a finish.

Incredible racing by Bell, Hamlin, Larson without crossing the line.

THREE-IN-A-ROW for Christopher Bell!#NASCAR

— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) March 9, 2025

William Byron entered Monday’s race in first place after winning Stage 1, where he remains with 165 points despite finishing sixth in Stage 2. Bell jumped two spots to No. 2 with 152 points, while Tyler Reddick remained steady in third with 143 points. Second-place finisher Hamlin climbed 10 positions to No. 7 with 110 points.

On Sunday, Bell clocked his fastest lap time on lap 278 with a blistering pass around the track at 27.492 seconds. After starting slow, Bell took the lead from Hamlin between turns one and two on lap 277.

Things remained tight as Bell and Hamlin traded leads, with Bell fending off late overtaking attempts from both Hamlin and Larson, who were driving nose-to-tail in the closing laps for first place.

Bell led on the inside line, while Hamlin took the outside. No. 20, Bell officially took the lead in turn one of the final lap, but Hamlin fought back in turn two, forcing Bell to charge through the final turn and secure the victory.

Christopher Bell is going for the three-peat. 👀

After winning Stage 2, do you think the Joe Gibbs Racing driver makes it three race wins in a row?

🎥: NASCAR pic.twitter.com/wpq6hGo7EC

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 9, 2025

That was awesome. Breaking down today's final lap with an aerial view in Phoenix! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/Z1Xl73Wljw

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

"HOW 'BOUT THAT ONE, RACE FANS?!?"

🛎️🏁 #NASCARonFS1 https://t.co/KPjMtlxIKs pic.twitter.com/R15lACZG5d

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Drivers will be back in action on March 16 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube race.

Katherine Legge endured some early adversity as she became the first woman since Danica Patrick in February 2018 to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

Legge's No. 78 car spun out just four laps into her Cup Series debut, but she avoided any major damage and was able to continue. She experienced frequent issues with her car, causing multiple pitstops.

Lap 4: Early trouble for Katherine Legge. pic.twitter.com/z29cu6bcWt

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Here's what happened on Katherine Legge's spin today at Phoenix: https://t.co/eKtDfo3ueo pic.twitter.com/42fBSVCe7z

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Katherine Legge spins off Turn 2.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry. I'm so tight" Legge tells the No. 78 team.

The team tells her to take a breathe and that she's learning every lap. #NASCAR

— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) March 9, 2025

"Entry and exit. Mostly exit. Like really, really bad on exit. But also on entry. Like 5/10 on entry and 10/10 on exit." - Katherine Legge regarding her loose No. 78 car.

She added that her car isn't what it felt yesterday.#NASCAR

— Luis Torres (@TheLTFiles) March 9, 2025

Unfortunately, things got worse later on when Legge spun out again and Daniel Suarez ran into her car, ending her day after 216 laps in the 312-lap race:

Katherine Legge goes around and collects Daniel Suárez! 👀 #NASCARonFS1 https://t.co/z25cBIBQvE pic.twitter.com/VAYiUx99OL

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Legge told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass afterward that she and her team "made some changes to the car overnight, and they were awful." Still, she added that she "learned so much" and expressed interest in returning to the Cup Series in the future:

Katherine Legge on her Cup debut: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/XjEEvu4knU

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 9, 2025

Legge ended up finishing 30th. Christopher Bell won the race for his third consecutive victory of the 2025 season.

Fans on social media praised Legge for her resilience while competing in Sunday's race:

Katherine Legge is a very solid race car driver. There’s more to racing than just NASCAR. Some fans need to realize that. Going to go after her accomplishments, meanwhile there are multiple drivers in Cup and Xfinity that shouldn’t be there. #NASCAR

— Chad Frankenfield 🦅🇺🇸🏁 (@Chad__15) March 9, 2025

Fun fact:

Katherine Legge has a faster lap than Chase Briscoe, SVG, Cole Custer, Ty Gibbs, Ty Dillon, and Cody Ware.#NASCAR

— Ben (@bcam_14) March 9, 2025

i will defend katherine legge with my life

— ori ⚢ (@elliottistic) March 9, 2025

It’s badass that Katherine Legge ran the Chili Bowl, ARCA at Daytona and this cup race at PHX.

Any driver who had the chance would do the same if the opportunity presented itself…but none of these endeavors have gone well

Just wonder if it’s been worth it or even fun for Kat.

— Nick Yeoman (@NYeoman) March 9, 2025

That being said, I would love to see Katherine Legge back in the #NASCAR Cup Series this season. https://t.co/9H6YisbPMK

— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) March 9, 2025

Legge is a 20-year racing veteran who has five career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. She's also competed in the IndyCar Series, with four career starts in the Indianapolis 500.

The 2025 Cup Series season will continue with next Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

William Byron earned his first pole of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season on Saturday, securing the inside position in Row 1 for Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

Byron, who won the season-opening Daytona 500 and finished second at the Circuit of the Americas last week, now has 14 career Cup Series poles.

Here is a full rundown of Saturday's qualifying results and the starting order for Sunday's race, courtesy of NASCAR.com (lap time in seconds):

1. William Byron: 26.930

2. Joey Logano: 27.028

3. Carson Hocevar: 27.043

4. Josh Berry: 27.088

5. Erik Jones: 27.091

6. Michael McDowell: 27.099

7. Chase Elliott: 27.099

8. Justin Haley: 27.111

9. Tyler Reddick: 27.113

10. Denny Hamlin: 27.150

11. Christopher Bell: 27.153

12. Ryan Blaney: 27.157

13. Chris Buescher: 27.168

14. Austin Cindric: 27.170

15. Kyle Busch: 27.189

16. A.J. Allmendinger: 27.221

17. Kyle Larson: 27.222

18. Riley Herbst: 27.226

19. Bubba Wallace: 27.258

20. Brad Keselowski: 27.284

21. Austin Dillon: 27.322

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 27.334

23. Cole Custer: 27.340

24. Ross Chastain: 27.350

25. Ty Dillon: 27.364

26. Zane Smith: 27.372

27. Todd Gilliland: 27.458

28. Ryan Preece: 27.464

29. Shane van Gisbergen: 27.480

30. Chase Briscoe: 27.520

31. Daniel Suárez: 27.555

32. Alex Bowman: 27.647

33. Noah Gragson: 27.660

34. Ty Gibbs: 27.681

35. Cody Ware: 27.826

36. John Hunter Nemechek: 27.842

37. Katherine Legge: 28.060

Byron said after his qualifying run that although his car was loose at times, its pure speed made up for it and was enough to get him into the pole position:

The No. 24 team knows a thing or two about bringing fast race cars to @phoenixraceway. pic.twitter.com/Nl7pCySlsh

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 8, 2025

The 27-year-old has finished third in the Cup Series point standings in each of the past two seasons, but he may quickly be establishing himself as the championship favorite, as he will enter Sunday's race in first place in the standings.

Byron was the last driver to attempt to qualify Saturday, making for a dramatic moment when his lap beat out reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano for the pole.

Despite Byron taking the pole, Logano may be the driver to beat Sunday, as he has won four times at Phoenix in his Cup Series career, including the 2024 season finale, which clinched him a championship.

However, Byron won at Phoenix in 2023, and he has been consistent presence inside the top 10 at Phoenix in recent years, per NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola:

Per @NASCARInsights, William Byron has finished top 10 in 17 straight stages at Phoenix which, you know, seems pretty good

— Pat DeCola (@Pat_DeCola) March 4, 2025

Other recent Phoenix winners in the field include Christopher Bell (qualified 11th), Ross Chastain (24th), Chase Briscoe (30th), Kyle Larson (17th) and Chase Elliott (seventh).

Aside from a host of drivers vying for the win, the most intriguing storyline during Sunday's race may be the performance of Katherine Legge.

Legge, who qualified last in the field of 37, will make her Cup Series debut on Sunday. She will also be the first woman to compete in a Cup Series race since Danica Patrick in 2018.

While the 44-year-old from England has never run a Cup Series race, she has qualified for the Indianapolis 500 four times and run 19 IndyCar races overall, as well as five races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The Shriners Children's 500 will begin Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, and it will air on FS1.

Cadillac has been confirmed as the 11th team in Formula 1 racing.

F1 announced on Friday that Cadillac will officially join the grid starting with the 2026 season.

BREAKING: Cadillac confirmed as 11th team on the 2026 F1 grid#F1 pic.twitter.com/V5eoWfQCYX

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2025

Friday's announcement comes after F1 and General Motors reached an agreement in principle in November to bring a Cadillac team to the circuit.

As part of the agreement, GM revealed it would be launching an F1 power unit that is going to put the Cadillac team on track to being a "full works" team by the end of this decade.

A full works team builds its own F1 vehicles and power units.

The agreement in November also included an announcement that Mario Andretti will serve as a director on the Cadillac F1 team's board.

"My first love was Formula 1 and now—70 years later—the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss," Andretti said. "To still be involved at this stage of my life—I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming."

Per Nate Saunders of ESPN, Cadillac will race with Ferrari engines for the time being until its power unit is operational.

No drivers have been announced for the new team at this point. Saunders cited Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo as two marquee free agents after they parted ways with Red Bull at the end of 2024.

Colton Herta was considered a top choice to join Cadillac, but he told reporters on Monday that it's "not a sure thing" he departs the IndyCar Series for F1 after the 2025 season.

Cadillac becomes the first new team to join F1 since Haas in 2016. The 2025 F1 season begins on March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Circuit.

This weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway will feature a new driver who will be making history.

Per ESPN, Live Fast Motorsports announced Monday that Katherine Legge will make her Cup Series debut in Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 driving the No. 78 Chevrolet. She will be the first woman to compete in a Cup Series race since Danica Patrick at the Daytona 500 in 2018.

"Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true," Legge said, per The Athletic's Jeff Gluck. "Racing stock cars has been an incredibly fun and new challenge that’s given me a renewed sense of vigor for this sport. As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do what I love and am inspired by all of the effort, preparation and behind the scenes work it takes to get here."

We are thrilled to announce that @katherinelegge will be driving the No. 78 DROPLiGHT Chevy Camaro this week in Phoenix!

This will be Katherine’s debut in the NASCAR Cup series.#nascar #cupseries pic.twitter.com/w9zdc3clac

— Live Fast Motorsports (@teamlivefast) March 3, 2025

A 20-year racing veteran, Legge has made five career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, most recently competing at Road America in 2023. She's also competed in the IndyCar Series and ran a partial schedule in 2024. She's made four career starts in the Indianapolis 500 and set a record for the fastest qualifying time by a woman in 2023.

Legge was recently in action last month in the ARCA Ride the 'Dente race at Daytona International Speedway and finished 39th after being involved in an early accident. Per NASCAR, she also expanded to dirt-track racing this year and earned an entry to the Chili Bowl Nationals.

"The opportunity to have such a versatile and dynamic championship-winning driver join our program is exciting for everyone on our team," Live Fast co-owner Jessica McLeod, who owns the team with driver husband B.J. McLeod, said, per Gluck. "This partnership reflects our commitment to providing opportunities for drivers making their way into the NASCAR Cup series in the Next Gen Era."

The first NASCAR Cup Series road race of the year belongs to Christopher Bell.

Bell won the Echopark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday and held off second-place finisher William Byron and third-place finisher Tyler Reddick in the process.

He also clinched his second straight race victory after taking home the Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta last week.

Back-to-back Bell!@CBellRacing wins at @NASCARatCOTA! pic.twitter.com/uJCaXVATcH

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2025

.@WilliamByron and @TylerReddick have joined the battle for the lead!

Two to go at @NASCARatCOTA. pic.twitter.com/4LKdUo4zhp

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2025

Here is a look at the race's standings:

1. Christopher Bell

2. William Byron

3. Tyler Reddick

4. Chase Elliott

5. Kyle Busch

6. Shane van Gisbergen

7. Chris Buescher

8. Noah Gragson

9. Alex Bowman

10. Todd Gilliland

While Byron was the defending champion and Reddick started in front of the field after winning pole position, it was Bell who made the necessary maneuvers with the race hanging in the balance.

And those maneuvers were under more of a spotlight than usual Sunday, as the drivers faced a different version of the course than they are accustomed to from previous competitions. The new and shorter track was 2.3 miles instead of the 3.4-mile Grand Prix circuit used for Formula 1 and other road racing series.

That also increased the lap count from 68 to 95.

Bubba Wallace got off to a quick start on that version of the track and won Stage 1, while Ryan Preece won Stage 2.

There was also no shortage of eyes on 18-year-old Connor Zilisch in his highly anticipated Cup debut, although it came to an earlier end than expected when he hit Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez's spinning car and had to retire before the checkered flag.

It was anyone's race heading into the closing stretch, especially after a restart was needed after an incident involving Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon that left the latter stuck in gravel.

The Nos. 3 and 11 make contact and the yellow flag flies. pic.twitter.com/u1h7u5YhoM

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2025

Bell, Byron and Reddick were all in position to make a charge in the final laps, but Bell prevailed.

Tyler Reddick secured the 10th NASCAR Cup Series pole of his career Saturday during qualifying for Sunday's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

With a time of 98.076 seconds, Reddick bested Bubba Wallace by over two tenths of a second for the pole. Here is a full rundown of the qualifying order, courtesy of NASCAR.com (qualifying time in seconds):

1. Tyler Reddick: 98.076

2. Bubba Wallace: 98.300

3. Chase Elliott: 98.358

4. Carson Hocevar: 98.453

5. Daniel Suárez: 98.482

6. Shane van Gisbergen: 98.519

7. Kyle Larson: 98.579

8. Kyle Busch: 98.589

9. Ross Chastain: 98.702

10. Todd Gilliland: 98.718

11. Denny Hamlin: 98.740

12. A.J. Allmendinger: 98.785

13. Ty Gibbs: 98.848

14. Connor Zilisch: 98.928

15. William Byron: 99.098

16. Michael McDowell: 99.184

17. Noah Gragson: 99.205

18. Chase Briscoe: 99.210

19. Christopher Bell: 99.215

20. Zane Smith: 99.237

21. Alex Bowman: 99.239

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 99.369

23. Joey Logano: 99.426

24. Chris Buescher: 99.456

25. Ryan Blaney: 99.490

26. Brad Keselowski: 99.541

27. Austin Dillon: 99.550

28. Ryan Preece: 99.774

29. Justin Haley: 99.850

30. Cole Custer: 99.902

31. Riley Herbst: 99.932

32. Erik Jones: 99.991

33. John Hunter Nemechek: 100.044

34. Ty Dillon: 100.062

35. Josh Berry: 100.291

36. Austin Cindric: 100.702

37. Cody Ware: 102.062

Reddick and Wallace made history Saturday, as the teammates secured a first-row qualifying sweep for the first time in 23XI Racing's existence:

It's the first front-row sweep in @23XIRacing history!

Hear from @TylerReddick and @BubbaWallace after they set the pace for the field in #BuschLightPole qualifying. pic.twitter.com/RlmH9du4I9

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2025

Also, Reddick continued his recent history of success at road courses by earning his third pole at a road course in the NextGen car, tying him for the most in the NASCAR Cup Series during that time frame:

Tyler Reddick has won the pole at Circuit of the Americas, his 3rd pole on road courses with the NextGen car, tying Denny Hamlin for the most.

Reddick's teammate Bubba Wallace qualified 2nd, giving 23XI their first ever front row lockout. pic.twitter.com/TZVz3gxr9o

— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) March 1, 2025

Of Reddick's eight career wins in the Cup Series, three of them have come on road courses, tying him for the 13th-most road course victories in NASCAR Cup Series history.

This marks the fifth year of NASCAR running a Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas, and there have been four different winners thus far.

Reddick was victorious in 2023, while Chase Elliott won in 2021, Ross Chastain won in 2022 and William Byron won last year.

Both Elliott and Chastain were among the top 10 qualifiers Saturday with Elliott in third and Chastain in ninth. Byron is set to start 15th two weeks after his Daytona 500 triumph.

Christopher Bell, who won his 10th career Cup Series race last week at Atlanta, will start Sunday's race 19th.

One intriguing name to watch Sunday could be 22-year-old Carson Hocevar, who is in search of his first Cup Series win.

Hocevar finished second last week in Atlanta, and he qualified fourth for the Circuit of the Americas, making him one of the drivers to beat.

The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will take place Sunday afternoon with a start time of 3:30 p.m. ET.

Ahead of the start of the 2025 Formula One season, Lewis Hamilton is ready to show his doubters he has a lot more left in the tank after turning 40 on Jan. 7.

Speaking to Sean Gregory of Time, Hamilton explained "I'm built different" and invoked the names of legends like LeBron James and Tom Brady as examples of athletes who continued to perform at a high level into their 40s:

"I’m the first and only Black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had my own journey. You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old, past or present, Formula One driver in history. Because they are nothing like me. I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids. I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning. That’s my No. 1 priority."

James is on his way to another All-NBA selection this season at the age of 40. He's averaging 24.7 points, 8.7 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game in 52 starts for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brady played six NFL seasons after turning 40. He won an MVP award at the age of 40 in 2017, won two Super Bowl titles in 2018 and 2020, and finished second in MVP voting as a 44-year-old during the 2021 season.

The 2025 season marks a significant change for Hamilton. He will be racing for Ferrari after spending 11 years in the Mercedes family.

Hamilton signed a two-year extension with Mercedes in the summer of 2023 that was expected to keep him under that banner through 2025, but ESPN's Laurence Edmonson noted it came with an opt out after 2024.

Per Lawrence Barretto of F1.com, Hamilton originally wanted a three-year contract and Mercedes only offered one before the two sides compromised on a one-year agreement with an option for a second.

One of the most dominant F1 drivers of all-time, Hamilton's seven championships are tied with Michael Schumacher for the most in history. He has struggled in recent years with just one top-three overall standings finish the past three seasons.

Hamilton's seventh-place finish in the 2024 season was the worst of his career. He will be tasked with bringing Ferrari, which hasn't had a driver win a championship since Kimi Räikkönen in 2007, back to prominence.

The 2025 F1 season begins on March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix.