Motorsport Monday: Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing Begins as Chinese Grand Prix Postponed, 2020 Daytona 500, and 49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals Winners

Today, we’re checking in on Formula 1 pre-season testing and car debuts, as well as how the Grand Prix schedule is adjusting to coronavirus concerns. We also round-up the weekend’s winners from the final races of the 49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals and give you all the details on the 2020 Daytona 500, including presidential visits, torrential rain storms, and fiery crashes.

Formula 1 Pre-Season Testing

Formula 1 pre-season testing begins Wednesday at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Already, several teams have hit the track as part of filming day, revealing new livery for the 2020 season.

In addition to Alfa Romeo’s sexy one-off snakeskin scheme for Valentine’s Day, last week also revealed Mercedes’ new challenger, the W11, which saw a dash of red added to its traditional silver and green, per a deal with new sponsor INEOS. Rival Ferrari unveiled its new car at a swanky event in northern Italy earlier this month. Named the SF1000, it honors the fact that Ferrari will hit the 1000-race mark this season.

Last week, we also met McLaren’s new MCL35, which the team hopes will build upon last year’s success and “close the gap to the top” this season. Similarly, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen got behind the wheel of the new RB16 on Wednesday, the car he undoubtedly hopes will push his team beyond its perennial third-place standing. Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, has been rebranded to AlphaTauri and sports both a new car (the AT01) and fresh black-and-white livery.

Williams paired the unveiling of its new car (the FW43) with its track debut, hitting the Circuit de Catalunya Monday morning with George Russell behind the wheel. The team is looking for a “fresh start” this season, after a largely unproductive 2019 campaign. It shares the track today with Haas and Renault, who revealed their VF-20 and RS20 cars, respectively. And, just a few hours ago, Racing Point debuted its new challenger, the RP20, sporting the fun pink livery we’ve come to love since the team adopted it in 2017.

https://twitter.com/RenaultF1Team/status/1229338773059710976

Formula 1 pre-season testing consists of two, 3-day sessions: February 19-21 and 26-28. The 2020 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix March 12-15.

Coronavirus Upsets F1 Race Calendar

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news on the F1-front. Due to mounting concerns amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed. Originally scheduled for April 17-19, race promoter, Juss Sports Group, asked for the delay, citing safety concerns of staff, participants, and fans.

While F1 organizers announced they are exploring “potential alternative dates later in the year should the situation improve,” it’s unlikely another track would be able to accommodate such a major event on such short notice. Likewise, as ESPN points out, the 2020 calendar is pretty “congested,” boasting a record-breaking 22 races this year.

It is more likely that there will now be a four-week hiatus between the Vietnam Grand Prix on April 5 (which organizers are also watching closely amid virus concerns) and the Dutch Grand Prix on May 3. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus—now officially named COVID-19—global cases have topped 71,000 infections and 1,775 deaths.

The last F1 race to be postponed and eventually cancelled was the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, although that was due to civil unrest, not public health anxieties.

2020 Daytona 500 Suffers Nasty Rain and Nastier Crashes

Speaking of postponements… For just the second time in 62 years, the Daytona 500 was delayed.

The inaugural race, which opens the 2020 NASCAR season, suffered two lengthy rain delays on Sunday, lasting more than 3 hours. While inclement weather is always a bummer on race day, Mother Nature threw a particularly big wrench in organizers’ plans this year, as the 2020 Daytona 500 began with a dramatic Air Force One entrance by President Trump, who served as grand marshal for the event.

It was an unfortunate turn for such a highly-anticipated event, particularly for the sell-out crowd who endured long lines and tighter security amid the President’s visit. Drivers did take to the track for a short while, but only ran 20 of the 200 scheduled laps.

However, the 2020 Daytona 500 did resume, Monday February 17 at 4 pm. Sadly, as if the universe was making up for Sunday’s underwhelming action, it overcompensated with a violent wreck involving Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Newman.

Hamlin Wins Third Daytona 500, Newman Hospitalized After Crash

The crash occurred during the final stretch of the race, during which Newman was leading. Bumped from behind by Ryan Blaney, who himself was recovering from a shove by eventual race-winner Denny Hamlin, Newman’s car turned right and slammed into a barrier, flipping onto its roof and then side. Unfortunately, this then threw him into the path of Corey LaJoie who hit the driver’s side of Newman’s car at full speed, sending it airborne again. Newman’s car then landed on its roof, skidding past the finish line in a terrifying jumble of crumpled metal, dangerously spewing sparks and fuel onto the track.

Safety crews were on site almost immediately, extricating the 42-year old driver and sending him to Halifax Medical Center. Two hours later, NASCAR announced that Newman was in serious condition, but had non-life-threatening injuries.

“Safety’s come a long way in this sport, but sometimes we are reminded that it is a very dangerous sport,” Jeff Gordon said quietly on Monday night’s broadcast while spectators awaited news of Newman’s condition.

Internet Backlash Regarding Win

Victory of the 2020 Daytona 500 went to Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who received harsh criticism online for celebrating his win. However, Hamlin and his team later clarified that they were unaware of the severity of the crash until later.

“Some people may have saw us and said, ‘Those guys are celebrating when there’s a serious issue going on,’” Joe Gibbs said. “I apologize to everybody. We really didn’t know. We got in the winner’s circle and then that’s when people told us. I wanted to explain that to everyone. That’s what makes it so hard. Such a close-knit community, you know everybody.”

https://twitter.com/dennyhamlin/status/1229613440433639424

As of writing this, Newman is still in the hospital but Roush Fenway Racing indicates he is awake and speaking with family and doctors.

Gander Trucks & Xfinity Series Winners

Other winners from the weekend in Daytona include Grant Enfinger, who won a nail-biting race to the finish during the Gander Trucks opener, nosing out Jordan Anderson by .010 seconds and avoiding a massive wreck on Lap 98 that took his teammate and about 13 other drivers out of the running.

Noah Gragson took home his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win on Saturday, during a race that also saw a nasty crash during the final lap. Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was in the lead when Brandon Brown knocked Michael Annett’s car sideways, causing the multi-car wreck that ended the race under caution and named him the winner.

49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals Winners

It’s been a big weekend for Florida race fans. Not too far from Daytona, the 49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals wrapped up at Volusia Speedway Park on Sunday, with gator trophies awarded for Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Late Models winners.

The biggest event in DIRTcar racing, the annual Nationals sees World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, Late Model Series, All Star Circuit of Champions, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds all take on the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.

Click here for results of the other series, which awarded their champions last weekend and earlier this week.

On the Late Model front, Tennessee-veteran Jimmy Owens nabbed his first-ever win at Volusia—and then proceeded to do it two more times. He left the park on Saturday night as the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series winner with three gator trophies in hand and a serious boost of confidence, being praised as “Volusia Speedway Park’s newest success story.”

The DIRTcar Nationals Late Model Week Big Gator Championship went to Brandon Sheppard who successfully defended his 2019 Big Gator title with consistent top finishes over six nights of racing. He also retains his top position in the WoO points standings.

In Super DIRTcar Series competition, Gypsum Racing’s Larry Wight took home his third Big Gator championship. Winning three consecutive Features during the week, Wight finished sixth on Saturday which was enough to claim the title. First place in the final race went to Mat Williamson, marking his second victory of the week and nicely book-ending the win he took on Tuesday night.

Here at the Engine Block, our passion is the automotive aftermarket and anything that drives it. We’re excited to welcome “Motorsport Monday” as the latest competition corner of the blog, a place where we highlight, celebrate, and unpack what’s going on around the circuit—from dirt to street and everything in between. Check back in with us next week, as we’ll have exciting news on the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Best in the Desert’s Laughlin Desert Classic, and more!