PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

August 19, 2026

WSL Returns to Cloudbreak as Fiji Pro Kicks Off Aug. 25

Forecast confidence was rising that the Fiji Pro at Cloudbreak would open with a solid southwest swell, with day one expected to start slowly before building through the 25th and peaking on Wednesday the 26th. At the forecast peak, Cloudbreak could see overhead to double-overhead waves. Conditions were expected to ease on the 27th, though sets were still forecast to be well overhead in the morning, and a smaller reinforcing pulse was possible on Friday the 28th. The swell was being driven by low pressure in the Indian Ocean moving into the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea, and another mid-period southwest swell was possible in late August or early September.

The World Surf League Championship Tour was set to resume with Stop No. 8, the Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero, scheduled from August 25 to September 4 at Cloudbreak in Fiji. The event was expected to bring the full Tour roster back to Cloudbreak for the first time since 2017. Cloudbreak is a reef break known for powerful swell, long lefts, high-performance surfing and big barrels.

The Fiji stop followed an event in Tahiti that produced major ranking upsets from Seth Moniz, Erin Brooks, Anat Lelior, Ramzi Boukhiam and Yolanda Hopkins. Gabriela Bryan remained No. 1 despite an early exit in Tahiti, while Italo Ferreira took a commanding lead on the men’s side. The field in Fiji included Carissa Moore, Molly Picklum, Griffin Colapinto, Yago Dora and Gabriel Medina, along with wildcards Ulukilupetea “Tea” Kurop, Teo Degei and Jarvis Earle. Matthew McGilivray was listed as a replacement for the injured Jordy Smith.
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August 19, 2026

Acosta Says Ducati Switch Needs Time, Not Hype

Pedro Acosta said he feels no pressure ahead of his expected 2027 move to Ducati’s factory team, where he is set to join Marc Marquez on a multi-year deal. He called it a new chapter and said he will need time to adapt after six years with KTM. If he goes straight into the official Ducati squad, he would be the first rider since Jorge Lorenzo in 2017 to do so without first racing for a satellite team.

The move has already fueled talk of a future rivalry with Marquez, a seven-time MotoGP champion, after the two had several on-track clashes this season. Acosta agreed with Lorenzo that MotoGP is missing intense rivalries, saying many riders are too close to develop real feuds and that it is difficult to build a sincere relationship with someone chasing the same championship goals.

Acosta said the switch should be taken calmly and without short-term expectations, and he thanked Davide Tardozzi and Ducati for believing in him despite his lack of a Grand Prix victory. His KTM career has included two Moto3 titles, one Moto2 championship, one Sprint win and 13 grand prix podiums, and he said he feels no pressure ahead of his first Ducati test on Dec. 1.
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August 19, 2026

Monaco Podium Dispute Heads to FIA Court in Paris

The FIA’s International Court of Appeal is set to hear McLaren and Red Bull’s appeals on Aug. 25 in Paris over the Monaco Grand Prix podium dispute involving Pierre Gasly’s two pit-lane speeding penalties. The hearing, scheduled after the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, will review stewards’ decision to erase the penalties after the FIA said the Monaco pit-lane speed limit had been miscalculated or incorrectly measured, which lifted Gasly from seventh to third in the final classification.

Alpine successfully challenged the penalties after an error in the pit-lane timing loop system, with stewards later rescinding the two five-second penalties on June 12. That change pushed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar out of a podium spot and altered McLaren’s Oscar Piastri’s finishing position, with sources differing on whether he ended up fourth or fifth. McLaren and Red Bull filed their appeals on June 16 and are seeking reinstatement of Gasly’s original penalties.

McLaren has argued the case raises a fairness issue because other in-race penalties, including those involving George Russell, Piastri, Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto, could not be undone or appealed. Mercedes withdrew its own appeal after Russell fell from third to 12th because of a drive-through penalty for not properly serving a penalty during the race.
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August 19, 2026

Christian Horner plans UK memoir tour after Red Bull exit

Christian Horner planned a UK autumn speaking tour to promote his memoir, Drive, and said the events would let him revisit more than two decades in Formula 1 and his abrupt exit from Red Bull on his own terms. In a LinkedIn post, the former Red Bull Racing chief said the tour would cover the highs and lows of leading at the top of the sport, along with his career, rivalries and time in Formula 1.

The tour was set to include evening events in Nottingham, Bath, Glasgow, York and London, each with a live Q&A session. Tickets sold through Ticketmaster were priced at about £60 to £70 and included a copy of the book. Horner said fans would be able to ask questions directly during the shows.

Drive was due for release in October. Horner joined Red Bull in 2005 and became the youngest team principal in Formula 1 history at age 31. Under his leadership, Red Bull won six Constructors’ Championships, eight Drivers’ Championships and 124 Grand Prix victories. His Red Bull tenure ended in the summer of 2025, after the British Grand Prix, and Laurent Mekies replaced him on July 9, 2025.
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August 19, 2026

Hadjar faces assessment after wrist injury before Zandvoort

Isack Hadjar was set to miss the Dutch GP at Zandvoort after injuring his wrist during training in the F1 summer break, though Red Bull had not formally confirmed he was out and his participation remained subject to a final assessment. Reports from the Netherlands and Racing Bulls said a change for the weekend was likely.

If Hadjar is ruled out, Liam Lawson is expected to return to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, with Yuki Tsunoda likely to take Lawson’s seat at Racing Bulls. Earlier reports also named Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad as options. Hadjar would have two weeks to recover before the Italian GP at Monza on Sept. 6.

Hadjar joined Red Bull after a strong 2025 rookie season with Racing Bulls and has scored 68 points in 11 races for the senior team this year, with a best finish of fourth in Monaco. He took his first F1 podium at Zandvoort a year earlier, finishing third. Lawson’s possible return to Zandvoort would echo his own 2023 debut there, when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo after Ricciardo broke his wrist in practice.
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August 18, 2026

NASCAR skips 2027 Chicago Street Race, returns to Joliet

NASCAR will not hold the Chicago Street Race in 2027 and instead will return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for a June 25-27 weekend. The series said negotiations with state and local officials ended before a deal was reached, after NASCAR sought a $15 million state tourism grant to help cover race costs and the Illinois General Assembly approved only $5 million, the same amount it received for the 2025 race. NASCAR said it still hopes to bring the street race back to Chicago in the future.

The Chicagoland Speedway weekend will feature the ARCA Menards Series on Friday, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. NASCAR said the track remains a key market for the sport and noted that Chicagoland drew a sellout crowd when the Cup Series returned there in 2026 after a five-year absence. That event attracted fans from all 50 states and 31 countries, and nearly 60% of ticketholders were attending their first NASCAR event.

The Chicago Street Race was held in Grant Park from 2023 through 2025 and sat out 2026. Chicago officials said the event helped showcase the city. NASCAR said it will keep its downtown Chicago office and continue community programs with the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools and After School Matters.
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August 18, 2026

Gerlach Says Slater’s Footwork Fix Unlocked Tahiti Pro Barrels

Brad Gerlach said Kelly Slater made a key adjustment at last week’s Tahiti Pro that helped him find high-scoring barrels in heavy surf. Gerlach said Slater opened his round-two heat against Gabriel Medina with two wipeouts because his front foot was too far back on the board, which kept the rail from engaging on takeoff.

Gerlach said Slater corrected the problem on his next wave by switching boards, taking off straighter and putting more weight on his front foot before hooking into the tube with the right timing and positioning. Gerlach said the adjustment showed why Slater remained effective in dangerous conditions.

Slater later lost to Jack Robinson in round three. Seth Moniz won the event and earned his first final victory, after previously losing a final to Slater at Pipeline in 2022.
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August 18, 2026

NASCAR marks Kyle Busch Day with all-day tribute

NASCAR marked Aug. 18 as Kyle Busch Day, turning social media, its channel and its platforms into an industry-wide tribute to the late two-time Cup Series champion. The date, 8/18, matched the car numbers Busch raced for Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, and NASCAR used the occasion to share a tribute video, update its graphics and promote the hashtag #ForeverRowdy. An all-day Kyle Busch marathon also aired on NASCAR’s channel.

The tribute centered on Busch’s place in the sport’s record book and the reach of his career. He remained NASCAR’s all-time wins leader across the three national series with 234 victories, including 63 Cup Series wins, 102 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Busch spent 15 years at Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 car from 2008 to 2022, won 56 races and two Cup titles there, and later drove the No. 8 for Richard Childress Racing starting in 2023. NASCAR said the celebration also reflected his charitable work.

Drivers, crew members, team owners and executives shared memories of Busch’s impact on their careers. Kyle Larson recalled Busch passing him in a 2012 Truck Series race at Homestead and then pointing upward to show him how to run the wall, calling it a “Welcome to the league” moment when he was still “a nobody.” Larson said his favorite Cup Series memories against Busch were “all of me losing to him.” Chase Elliott remembered a close Super Late Model race in Berlin, Michigan, from early in his career, saying Busch beat him for the win. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for Oct. 9 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.
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August 18, 2026

Racing Bulls back Tsolov for F1, but no 2027 promise yet

Nikola Tsolov’s Formula 1 promotion talk is intensifying, with the 19-year-old Red Bull junior being linked to a possible Racing Bulls seat for 2027. Tsolov said Red Bull have told him his performances have been great, but he has had no concrete talks or clear promises about a move. He said he is blocking out speculation and staying focused on finishing his Formula 2 campaign, while Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane and Campos Racing boss Adrian Campos have both backed him as ready for Formula 1.

Tsolov has put himself in contention with a strong season in Formula 2, where he leads the championship by 20 points over Gabriele Minì with five rounds remaining. He has won six races in his first full Formula 2 season with Campos Racing, including a Silverstone sweep of the Sprint and Feature races that gave him a third straight victory and set a new Formula 2 record for consecutive wins. Tsolov said Red Bull’s support has helped him develop and become more consistent, and he pointed to his late-2025 Formula 2 run alongside Arvid Lindblad as a lesson in F1-level work ethic.

The Bulgarian still has work to do before any Formula 1 debut can happen. He is scheduled to take his first Formula 1 test later this month at Imola in a 2025 Racing Bulls VCARB02, while Liam Lawson and Lindblad will handle the August 27 filming day in the 2026 Racing Bulls VCARB03. Tsolov still lacks the FIA Super Licence required to race in Formula 1, with 25 points at present, and he needs a top-five Formula 2 finish or additional points from FP1 outings to qualify.
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