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Tag: Kurt Busch

  • Wallace charges after Larson following crash at Las Vegas

    Wallace charges after Larson following crash at Las Vegas

    LAS VEGAS — Bubba Wallace tried to fight reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson after a crash Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that also collected title contender Christopher Bell.

    Wallace had led 29 laps and clearly had a fast car in the opening race of the third round of the playoffs. Wallace did not qualify for the playoffs, and Larson was eliminated last week.

    The incident began when Larson attempted a three-wide pass — Kevin Harvick in the middle dropped out of the bunch — and Larson slid up the track against Wallace. When Wallace didn’t lift to give Larson any room, Larson used his Chevrolet to shove Wallace’s Toyota into the wall.

    Wallace then bounced back down the track, followed Larson’s car down to the apron and appeared to deliberately hook him in retaliation. That sent Larson spinning into the path of Bell, who won last Sunday at Charlotte to earn the automatic berth into the round of eight, and ended Bell’s race.

    Wallace climbed from his car and marched his way toward Larson. Wallace was shouting before he even got to Larson and immediately began to shove the smaller driver. Larson tried to turn away from him and several times lifted his arms to block Wallace’s shoves, but Wallace got in multiple shots before a NASCAR safety worker separated the two.

    Wallace claimed he didn’t deliberately wreck Larson, but both Larson and Bell viewed it as clear retaliation. NASCAR could penalize Wallace if it also believes he deliberately retaliated.

    “I’m smart enough to know how easily these cars break, so when you get shoved into the fence deliberately like he did trying to force me to lift, the steering was gone,” Wallace said. “Larson wanted to make a three-wide divebomb, but he never cleared me and I don’t lift.

    “I know I’m kind of new to running up front, but I don’t lift. I wasn’t even at a spot to lift and he never lifted, either, and now we’re junk. Just (very bad) move of his execution.”

    Asked what message he was trying to send to Larson when he began shoving him, Wallace said, “He knows.”

    “He knows what he did was wrong. He wanted to question what I was doing, and he never cleared me,” Wallace said.

    And as for Bell becoming collateral damage?

    “Sports,” Wallace, who like Bell is a Toyota driver, said with a shrug.

    Larson, who hit the wall last week at Charlotte to contribute to his playoff elimination, said he wasn’t surprised Wallace hooked him.

    “I obviously made an aggressive move into (turn) three, got in low, got loose and chased it up a bit,” Larson said. “He got to my right front, and it got him tight and into the wall. I knew he was going to retaliate. He had a reason to be mad, but his race wasn’t over until he retaliated.

    “It is what it is. Just aggression turned into frustration and he retaliated.”

    He thought Wallace’s crashing of Larson was inappropriate considering how much scrutiny NASCAR has been under concerning its new Next Gen car. Alex Bowman, who is Larson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, is out for a third consecutive race with a concussion and Kurt Busch has been forced to step away following his July concussion.

    “I think with everything that’s been going on here lately, with head injuries… I don’t think it’s probably the right thing to do,” Larson said. “I’m sure with everything going, he’ll know that he made a mistake in the retaliation part and I’m sure he’ll think twice about that next time.”

    He also said he expected Wallace to be ready to fight when Wallace approached his crashed car.

    “I saw him walking over, so I figured he would do something,” Larson said. “He had every right to be upset. I would rather him do that (fight) than tear up our cars in a dangerous manner.”

    Bell, who will be scored 34th on Sunday and likely drop to last in the eight-driver playoff standings, said “we got the short end of the stick” with Larson and Wallace tangling.

    “It’s disappointing because our performance is capable of racing for the championship, and it doesn’t appear that we’re going to get to,” he said.

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    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • As Nascar’s Kurt Busch Writes His Final Chapter, Tyler Reddick Starts His Next One

    As Nascar’s Kurt Busch Writes His Final Chapter, Tyler Reddick Starts His Next One

    As NASCAR champion Kurt Busch prepares for another chapter, perhaps the final one, of his long racing career, driver Tyler Reddick will also be starting a new chapter in his racing career.

    It’s a chapter that will begin being written a little sooner than originally planned.

    Saturday Busch announced that he will be stepping away from fulltime racing in 2023. The 44-year-old has certainly been looking towards the sunset of his career in the last few years. But a concussion he suffered during a crash during qualifying in July put him on the sidelines. With his recovery still ongoing, Busch elected to move up his retirement plans, though he left the door open to racing in NASCAR, and other forms of motorsports on a part time basis.

    The move was the first domino in a row that had teams scrambling behind the scenes. Because Busch stepping away opens a seat on the 23XI Racing team where Busch has raced since 2020. That seat belongs to Tyler Reddick.

    Earlier this season, Reddick announced, much to the surprise of his current team Richard Childress Racing and the rest of NASCAR, that he had signed to race for 23XI Racing starting in 2024. There was speculation that Busch might retire after next season, opening the seat for Reddick. That left Reddick in a sort of limbo for 2023 as he was still under contract at RCR.

    MORE FROM FORBESNascar’s Kurt Busch Begins His Final Chapter Perhaps A Bit Sooner Than He WantedBy Greg Engle

    The waters became even murkier in September when Childress announced that they had signed Kurt’s younger brother Kyle to a contract to race the car Reddick now occupies. Team owner Richard Childress said at the time that they would find a seat for Reddick at the team for 2023, though what that would be remained a mystery.

    With Kurt Busch’s announcement, that mystery is now solved.

    At nearly the same moment as Kurt started his press conference, 23XI and RCR issued statements confirming that the final year of Reddick’s contract had been bought out, and he will now move to 23XI Racing a year earlier than planned.

    “Their discussions, I had no part of, it was directly between 23XI and RCR,’’ Reddick said. “It was between those two and they came to an agreement and worked it out so that I get started a year early.

    “Unfortunately, Kurt’s situation is what brought this opportunity about, which is a tough thing. It’s tough and I really hate to see that for him. But he’s a team player and I’ve seen that in his time outside the car.’’

    Reddick insists he will continue to give his all to the RCR team in the four races they have remaining together. He proved that by winning the pole at Las Vegas a few hours after the Busch press conference.

    “Certainly, it is nice to know – like, ‘hey, this is what the future is going to hold’,” he said. “I’m going to get to go over there earlier than I planned and just start working on those things that myself and a lot of the ownership over there talked about wanting to do and why we wanted to get together. We just get a year earlier start on that and that is very exciting for me.

    “I’m excited in a weird way for all of the things that we’re going to have in front of us. In a weird way, it’s always been really fun for me to put a lot of work into something like I have at RCR and see how much has come out of it. So, I’m really excited to do that again and do that at 23XI.”

    The question of where he will be racing, or if he would be racing, in 2023 has now been answered. That leaves Reddick free of the anxieties that could have slowed him on track, though two of his three wins came after his 23XI Racing announcement in July which could have proven at least one thing:

    “It wasn’t a distraction at all, honestly,” he said.

    Greg Engle, Contributor

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  • NASCAR holds 2nd driver safety meeting, vows more

    NASCAR holds 2nd driver safety meeting, vows more

    LAS VEGAS — NASCAR held a second consecutive meeting with its Cup drivers to discuss their safety concerns with the new Next Gen car and promised to continue the sessions for the remaining month of the season.

    Saturday’s meeting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway lasted 75 minutes, the same length as last week’s contentious session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR had a lengthy slide presentation for the drivers since the one at Charlotte was halted when the meeting deteriorated into an emotional confrontation between drivers and NASCAR leadership.

    Several drivers last week likened the Charlotte meeting to an episode of “Seinfeld” as it became “an airing of grievances.” The Las Vegas meeting was much calmer and NASCAR was able to complete presentation, which was expanded to include information from questions raised by the drivers at Charlotte.

    Although the Las Vegas meeting was optional, NASCAR said it was well-attended despite “some notables” who were not present. The Associated Press confirmed that Kevin Harvick, one of the most outspoken drivers about the Next Gen, was present for the Las Vegas meeting.

    “I’m still standing,” a smiling Brad Keselowski said as he exited the meeting room Saturday.

    Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman both suffered concussions in what should have been routine crashes. Both drivers were injured when the rear of their car hit the wall.

    Because the Next Gen was built to be durable, drivers have complained the rear is way too stiff and the drivers are absorbing far too much energy from impacts. Bowman has missed two races already and said he’ll be out at least the next three, while Busch said Saturday after missing 13 consecutive races he will be stepping away from full time racing.

    NASCAR thinks it has a fix for the rigidness of the rear of the Next Gen, with changes possible by the start of next season.

    Corey LaJoie, who has sided with NASCAR in its development of the Next Gen, said NASCAR told the drivers at Charlotte that design changes it tested “takes about 50% of the G-load away on a rear impact.”

    “You can always say we should have done it faster,” LaJoie said on his podcast “Stacking Pennies.”

    “But this stuff takes time. It’s not like NASCAR is just sitting on its hands, waiting for another guy to get hurt. Nobody is at more of a risk or detriments to seeing their competitors hurt than NASCAR is. When we were designing this car, safety was above and beyond every other checkpoint.”

    There are four races remaining this season with the Next Gen — including Sunday at Las Vegas to open the third round of the playoffs.

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    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Nascar’s Kurt Busch Begins His Final Chapter Perhaps A Bit Sooner Than He Wanted

    Nascar’s Kurt Busch Begins His Final Chapter Perhaps A Bit Sooner Than He Wanted

    When his story is written Kurt Busch’s last NASCAR race will be the one that ushered the end of his over two-decade career, and one he never actually raced in.

    Saturday Busch announced at his hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, that he will retire from racing. The move comes after he suffered a concussion after what looked to be a harmless crash during practice at Pocono Raceway. Busch has not raced since then instead Ty Gibbs raced the No. 45 car for 23XI Racing until the start of NASCAR’s Playoffs when Gibbs was moved to the 23 car and Bubba Wallace to the 45 so that car can compete for this season’s owner’s title.

    Busch was eligible for the Playoffs by virtue of what turned out to be his last win, that coming at Kansas Speedway in July. NASCAR had granted him a wavier to return, but doctors wouldn’t clear him, and he surrendered his eligibility. Saturday, Busch said his doctors won’t clear him for the rest of this season leading to his decision.

    “My long-term health is priority number one,” an emotional Busch said Saturday. “I don’t feel committing at this point to compete for a championship next year is in my best interest or the best interest of the team. You know, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with 23XI, this team of wonderful professionals. I appreciate their support and that what they’ve shown me over the last few months, I will continue to work with this group.”

    The 44-year-old is the elder of the Busch brothers; younger sibling, Kyle, has made his own mark on the sport and continues to do so.

    Busch stepping aside, allows Tyler Reddick to step into the No. 45 car fulltime next season a year earlier than planned and that too was made official by Busch. 23XI Racing had signed Reddick for the 2024 season, but his current team Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday morning that Reddick’s final contract year had been bought out by 23XI Racing, allowing Reddick to leave for 23XI.

    In a bit of irony, Kurt’s younger brother Kyle will take over the RCR seat being vacated by Reddick next season. Kurt will focus on helping 23X1 Racing.

    “I want to share my wisdom and knowledge and everything that I’ve gained with my unofficial PhD in this garage area,” he said. “It deserves to stay with 23XI. We’re building something special here, and I look forward to continuing to work with Bubba Wallace off the track, as well as Tyler Reddick.”

    His concussion, and that of driver Alex Bowman at Texas Motor Speedway, has spurred discussions about the safety of NASCAR’s Next Gen racecar, which made its competitive debut this season. NASCAR met with drivers prior to the Charlotte ROVAL race that they are working on improvements to the car and hope to have changes in place for next season.

    That comes too late for Busch, who won’t be racing in 2023.

    “Having the accident on track and then not having a set timeline or a set path for recovery with a concussion it turns into other things as well with emotions,” Busch said. “The timelines seem to have shrunk as far as what’s gonna happen next year. Well, it’s like, well, I should be better by now and I haven’t been cleared.

    “This is more of being unselfish and respecting what has to happen in this industry. And that’s to, to know how to make a team move forward.”

    Kurt made his NASCAR Cup debut in 2000 with Roush Racing. He would score the first of his 44 wins in the Cup series at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2002 and follow that up with a Cup title in 2004 during NASCAR’s inaugural Chase for the Championship.

    His early years were marked by controversial incidents due mainly to his fiery temper that led to several angry encounters with reporters, but he was also suspended by Roush near the end of the 2005 season for an alleged DUI. He moved to Team Penske in 2006 but was reportedly fired from that team at the end of 2011 after launching a profanity laced tirade against an ESPN reporter after dropping out of the race at Homestead.

    Busch was fined $50,000 by NASCAR, and left Penske at the end of the season. NSACAR suspended Busch from the first three races of 2015 after a Delaware court issued a protective order against him sought by his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll. She accused him of domestic assault after a late-night September 2014 incident at Busch’s motorcoach at Dover Downs. Those charges were later dismissed.

    MORE FROM FORBESKurt Busch Moving To Possibly His Last Nascar Team With A ‘Monster’ Of A SponsorBy Greg Engle

    After brief stints with the now-defunct Phoenix and Furniture Row Racing, Busch signed with Stewart-Haas Racing where he remained until 2018. He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019 and moved to 23XI Racing when the team, co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, and NBA Legend Michael Jordan when that team bought the assets of Ganassi which decided to leave NASCAR.

    As he aged, his temper has mellowed, and now he’s known as a smart, consummate professional who will be an asset to any team, but 23XI Racing for the foreseeable future.

    Busch says he’s now looking forward to putting together a ‘bucket list’ of races he would like to do. He won the 2017 Daytona 500; finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and said he said he would like to win at Darlington, and race ‘around the world’ including the 24 Hours of Le Mans as he writes the final chapter of his racing career. The final chapter started being written perhaps a bit sooner that he wanted, but Busch said he’s ready to move on.

    “I’m at peace where things are,” he said. “I was close to the end of my contract and that full drive for a championship run, I was real close to that anyhow…it just happened a little sooner. But to race part-time and to enjoy things with a little less pressure, I think that will help fulfill things and, and close that door.

    “But to pursue a championship and to run 36 race weekends, week in and week out it was getting tough for my body to go through it no matter what. And so, this just changed the course just a little bit. But I’m happy with where things are and my family with the race team, with Monster, with Toyota, there’s gonna be plenty of things to do to, to keep that passion alive. And to write the final chapter.”

    Greg Engle, Contributor

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  • Concussed NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to step away from sport

    Concussed NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to step away from sport

    LAS VEGAS — NASCAR champion Kurt Busch will miss the rest of this season with a concussion and will not compete full-time in 2023.

    The 44-year-old made his announcement Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track and where he launched his career on the bullring as a child. He choked up when he said doctors told him “it is best for me to ‘shut it down.’”

    “I know I am not 100% in my ability to go out and race at the top level in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Busch said. “These are the best of the best drivers, and lately, I haven’t felt my best.”

    Busch said Tyler Reddick will replace him in the No. 45 Toyota at 23XI Racing next season. Reddick was signed to the team for the 2024 season, but is no longer needed to complete his contract at Richard Childress Racing because RCR signed Kyle Busch, Kurt’s younger brother and a two-time Cup champion, for next season.

    “If I’m cleared, maybe you’ll see me at a few select races” next season, Busch said.

    Busch was injured in a routine crash in July that exposed a design flaw in NASCAR’s new Next Gen car. He’s so far missed 13 consecutive races. Driver Alex Bowman, who was also injured this year, has missed two straight and said this week he’ll be out at least three more.

    Busch is the last active driver who competed in a Cup race against the late Dale Earnhardt, and the last driver who was part of the inaugural 10-driver Chase for the Cup in 2004, the year he upset the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut and won his only title.

    Busch’s retirement leaves Kevin Harvick as the last active driver who raced when NASCAR’s top series was called the Winston Cup Series.

    23XI praised Busch’s contributions to the second-year team.

    “From the day Kurt Busch joined our team, we knew he was going to elevate our organization in many ways,” the team said. “From earning 23XI our first playoff berth with his commanding win at Kansas Speedway to numerous hours spent off the track helping to grow our program, Kurt has made us better.

    “This season took an unexpected turn with his injury. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Kurt has not stopped being a true professional and a trusted teammate. We fully support Kurt’s decision to focus on his health and are grateful for his guidance as our team builds a strong foundation for the future.”

    He’s in his second season with 23XI Racing and team co-owner Denny Hamlin said the organization and Toyota want Busch to remain part of the team. He’s under contract through next season to 23XI.

    “Kurt’s decision to step away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition next year is certainly not something anyone expected when we started the season together and celebrated in victory lane at Kansas Speedway earlier this year,” said David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development

    “Unfortunate circumstances led Kurt to a difficult decision, but we know that he will continue to contribute to the entire program at Toyota, TRD and 23XI Racing. He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and firsthand championship experience to his team and fellow Toyota competitors. We’re here to support Kurt in this next chapter of his career and look forward to continuing to work alongside him.”

    Busch made his Cup debut in 2000 with Roush Racing in a Ford, then ran the full season as a rookie in 2001. He was fired after five tumultuous seasons with Roush — a stint that included his 2004 title — and moved to Team Penske to drive a Dodge in 2006.

    His Penske relationship also ended poorly after the 2011 season and Busch moved to Phoenix Racing to drive a Chevrolet for James Finch for one season, then went to Furniture Row Racing in 2013 where he revitalized his career — and began to show maturity on and off the track with his notorious temper.

    Busch moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and was suspended by NASCAR for the first three races of 2015 for domestic violence allegations made by an ex-girlfriend. He later landed with Chip Ganassi Racing and finally 23XI to drive a Toyota in 2021.

    He is one of the rare drivers to compete in all of NASCAR’s manufacturers. Busch and his brother join Bobby and Terry Labonte as the only siblings to win Cup titles.

    Busch won 34 races in 776 starts over 23 years, including the Daytona 500 in 2017 with SHR and sponsor Monster, which has remained with him to this day.

    “For more than two decades, we have been privileged to watch Kurt Busch compete. He has proven himself a champion on the racetrack, but perhaps just as importantly, he has grown to become a true ambassador for the sport,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Kurt’s drive to improve the future of motorsports has set him apart. We are thrilled that he’ll remain in our sport as a leader and trusted resource. Kurt’s unparalleled passion for racing gives us hope that we will see him in a race car again.”

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    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • NASCAR drivers fuming over concussions suffered in new car

    NASCAR drivers fuming over concussions suffered in new car

    NASCAR drivers are angry and concerned about their safety in the new Next Gen cars as the playoffs roar into one of the most chaotic and dangerous tracks on the circuit.

    Alex Bowman will miss Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway with a concussion diagnosed four days after he crashed. Bowman hit the wall early at Texas Motor Speedway but finished Sunday’s race despite radioing his Hendrick Motorsports crew: “I can’t drive the rest of the day.”

    “I don’t understand how (the car) is still rolling. That’s the hardest I’ve crashed anything in my entire life,” Bowman added.

    Now he is on the sidelines alongside Kurt Busch, who will miss his 11th consecutive race because of his own concussion. He crashed in July during a qualifying run when he spun and backed his car into the wall. Busch said his vision and balance are not at 100% but he hopes to race again this season.

    Complaints about the Next Gen — introduced this season as a cost-saver and a way to bring some parity to the grid — have reached a critical level following four difficult playoff races and three injured drivers. Cody Shane Ware will race Sunday despite a fractured foot suffered in a hard crash.

    Drivers amplified their complaints as soon as they learned of Bowman’s concussion. They have been concerned since an exaggerated tale emerged of an ominous NASCAR crash test of the Next Gen at Talladega in 2021. The rumor was that the crash-test dummy had suffered forces in the collision that would have killed a human.

    “Completely unacceptable that those in charge have let things get to this point,” Kevin Harvick wrote on Twitter. He said he recalled Denny Hamlin insisting “that the car was too stiff. Data didn’t agree. TIME TO LISTEN TO THE DRIVERS CRASHING THEM!”

    Hamlin, who was heard moaning on his radio after a hard crash last month, also directed his anger at NASCAR.

    “Pretty disappointing that our sanctioning body refuses to acknowledge or accept any responsibility for drivers getting hurt,” Hamlin wrote. “It’s the same THEY said. WE knew better. It’s wrong these drivers continue to get taken advantage of by the system.”

    The Next Gen was an industry-wide collaboration to develop a spec car that would both lower costs and equalize the competition. But part of the cost-cutting came in designing a durable car that can withstand crashes without being destroyed, a step to reduce the fleet sizes needed to compete for a full season.

    So the Next Gen is very stiff and the parts and pieces that used to fly off a car during a crash are holding tight, resulting in drivers absorbing more energy from collisions.

    NASCAR has been attempting to address issues with the Next Gen as they arise. There has been a rash of problems with the car through the first four playoff races — in the Bristol elimination race, 12 of the 16 playoff drivers had some sort of issue — ranging from unexplained fires to tire and parts failures and now the unyielding nature of the car actually affecting drivers.

    After fires during the playoff opener ar Darlington, senior vice president of competition Scott Miller said it was “unacceptable” and NASCAR quickly mandated design changes. The series is also considering monitoring pressure levels to determine if drivers are blowing tires because their teams are too aggressive with the settings.

    Andy Petree, vice president of competition at Richard Childress Racing, said NASCAR has been receptive to feedback.

    “I think NASCAR is doing a good job of taking input, listening to what we are saying as an industry. I don’t know about the drivers, they may not be getting the response that they feel like they need on these things,” Petree said. “But NASCAR is working on the car. I’ve seen some future design changes that address some of the things the drivers say about the impacts.”

    Harvick said Petree’s comment was “very telling as to who has all the say in these processes. NASCAR and the teams.” He also urged NASCAR to pick up its pace in investigating the issues.

    Talladega is one of the most chaotic tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of the tight pack racing and high speeds. The pole-winning speed in April was 180.93 mph and speeds top 200 miles per hour (321.9 kilometres per hour) when cars are in the draft.

    The spring race was tame by Talladega standards with only four cautions for accidents and the race ended under green with no overtime needed. But Sunday is the middle race of the second round of the playoffs and the stakes are much higher. Additionally, the first four playoff races have been won by drivers not racing for the championship.

    BLANEY CREW SUSPENSION

    Team Penske dropped its appeal against the four-race suspension for three of Ryan Blaney’s crew members, who were suspended because a left wheel rolled off Blaney’s Ford at Bristol.

    The trio of crew chief Jonathan Hassler, jackman Graham Stoddard and rear tire changer Zachary Price all worked last week at Texas as Penske appealed. Team Penske dropped the appeal this week and Blaney goes to Talladega on Sunday ranked fourth in the standings.

    The field of 12 will be trimmed to eight after next week’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Blaney will be without his regular crew members at Talladega, Charlotte, Las Vegas and Homestead. By dropping the appeal now, Team Penske hopes Blaney advances into the next round and gets Hassler back for the final two races of the season still eligible for the championship.

    Miles Stanley, a longtime Penske engineer, will be interim crew chief for Blaney. He will also get crew members from The Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford to help pit Blaney’s car.

    CHILDERS 600th

    Rodney Childers began racing to become a famous driver. When it didn’t pan out behind the wheel, Childers moved to the technical side of the sport and began a climb into a crew chief role.

    He goes to Talladega on Sunday set to crew chief his 600th race. Childers has been paired with Kevin Harvick since 2014 at Stewart-Haas Racing in the longest active pairing in the Cup Series garage. Childers has run Harvick’s team for 313 races, eighth on the all-time pairings list.

    “I think everybody knows that my career definitely changed when Kevin wanted me to do this, and to be able to do it for a long time and win a lot of races has been pretty special,” Childers said.

    Childers guided Harvick to his only Cup championship in 2014, their first season together at SHR.

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    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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