It’s Monday, October 2, 2023 and this is Racing Recap, your summary of last weekend’s motorsports action. NASCAR’s YellaWood 500 ended with another signature finish at Talladega. Penske’s Ryan Blaney found himself in victory lane while Kevin Harvick crossed the line second but was disqualified. MotoGP never reached the finish line as a wild Japanese Grand Prix was called off at the midpoint due to heavy rain.
Blaney Takes 3rd Career Talladega Victory By A Nose
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs headed to Talladega Superspeedway for its most unpredictable round. The 500-mile race ended in a side-by-side drag race to the finish line. The third stage was shaping up for a Hendrick Chevy versus Ford showdown. However, two Ford drivers were at the front when the final lap started: Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Stewart-Haas’ Kevin Harvick.
Blaney was first across the line by 0.012 seconds, the largest margin of victory of his three Talladega wins. Harvick fell short of winning a race in his farewell season, but he didn’t even finish second. The Stewart-Haas Mustang was disqualified after failing post-race inspection for a windshield violation. The windshield’s fasteners weren’t secured. Harvick was credited with a last-place finish, putting him in 38th.
Race Results
1. – Ryan Blaney (Penske)
2. – Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas) – +0.012 seconds
3. – William Byron (Hendrick) – +0.061 seconds
4. – Denny Hamlin (Gibbs) – +0.177 seconds
5. – Corey Lajoie (Spire) – +0.234 seconds
Rain Stops Japanese Grand Prix At Halfway
The skies were already overcast when the MotoGP field began its formation lap at Motegi. The teams believed it would rain during the Japanese Grand Prix, but not precisely when. Title contender Jorge Martin put his Pramac Ducati on pole in qualifying and won the sprint race, but rain started to fall after a single lap. Most of the field would pit to swap onto wet-weather bikes, leaving Ducati’s wildcard rider Michele Pirro in the lead on slick tires.
A mistake of Martin on the third lap would put the Pramac rider in fifth and force him to race through the field. It would take the Spaniard only three more laps to retake the lead. The race would be stopped on lap 12 of 24 after the rain picked up and visibility was too low to continue safely. Martin was given the victory, and full points were awarded because the race completed half-distance. Only three points separate Martin from points leader and reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia.
Race Results
1. – Jorge Martin (Pramac)
2. – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) – +1.413 seconds
3. – Marc Marquez (Honda) – +2.013 seconds
4. – Marco Bezzecchi (VR46) – +2.943 seconds
5. – Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) – +3.181 seconds