PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

October 29, 2026

NASCAR releases Martinsville qualifying orders for Cup, Truck and O’Reilly

NASCAR released the qualifying orders for Martinsville Speedway, which will host the penultimate weekend of the 2026 season at the sport’s shortest track, a 0.526-mile oval in Martinsville, Virginia. The weekend is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1, and it is the fourth of five straight tripleheader weekends to close the season as the Chase presented by Mobil 1 enters its final two races in the Truck, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Cup Series.

The Martinsville schedule will open Friday with Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice and qualifying, followed by the Truck race Friday at 6 p.m. ET on FS1 and the O’Reilly race Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. Cup Series practice and qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, with the Cup race set for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

John Hunter Nemechek will lead the Cup Series qualifying order, with Connor Zilisch and AJ Allmendinger listed next. Kyle Larson, William Byron and Denny Hamlin are among the last entries in the Cup order. Justin Carroll tops the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series order, followed by Dawson Cram and Patrick Emerling, while Tyler Tomassi, Justin Carroll and Conner Jones lead off the Truck Series order. Qualifying orders, starting lineups, pit stalls and stage results will be updated as available.
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October 29, 2026

Denny Hamlin criticizes NASCAR yellow-line explanation after Talladega review

NASCAR’s double-yellow-line rule was back in the spotlight after Kyle Larson’s YellaWood 500 win at Talladega was upheld following a review of whether his final-lap pass crossed below the line. NASCAR said Larson’s tires did not fully go below the double-yellow line, so it did not penalize him. The sanctioning body said it weighs whether a driver is intentionally seeking an advantage or reacting to nearby traffic when making those calls, and Larson beat William Byron by 0.041 seconds.

The same review also drew scrutiny for how NASCAR handled other yellow-line situations. Officials said Austin Hill went below the line but was not penalized because the move did not affect his finishing position. NASCAR also said Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar were forced below the line by Todd Gilliland, but the evidence was inconclusive on whether Gilliland intentionally forced them there. Denny Hamlin criticized NASCAR’s explanation, calling it “horrible officiating or horrible comms,” while Mike Forde said the problem was communication rather than officiating and said the explanation should have been clearer.

The yellow-line rule was created about 25 years ago for safety and has taken away an apparent race win only four times. Regan Smith lost the 2008 Talladega Cup Series win after NASCAR ruled he went below the yellow line on the final lap, and Tony Stewart was awarded the victory. Justin Haley lost what would have been his first Xfinity Series win at Daytona in 2018, with Kyle Larson getting that victory, and Johnny Sauter lost the 2019 Talladega Truck Series win, which was awarded to Spencer Boyd. In the 2011 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, Denny Hamlin went onto the apron on the final run and Kurt Busch was awarded the win.
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October 29, 2026

Marc Marquez cannot clinch MotoGP title in Malaysia

MotoGP heads to Sepang for Round 19 of the 2026 season with the championship fight still open, even though Marc Marquez cannot clinch the title in Malaysia. He leads Jorge Martin by 10 points and could reach his first match point for Qatar if he leaves Sepang 27 points clear of Martin. Marco Bezzecchi is 50 points behind Marquez, while Martin will need a Thursday medical check after a crash in Australia left him with a non-displaced wrist fracture.

The Malaysian Grand Prix will be held at Sepang International Circuit from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, with the race scheduled for Sunday at 15:00 local time. The 5.53-kilometer circuit has 15 turns and is known for long straights, heavy braking zones and punishing heat and humidity, with wet weather forecast to affect the weekend. Marquez said Sepang is a very different track and that the weather makes the weekend more difficult.

Fermin Aldeguer remains sidelined with a hand fracture, and Iker Lecuona will continue as his replacement. Joan Mir is expected to return after missing four Grands Prix and receiving medical clearance, while Luca Marini is targeting his 200th Grand Prix start but must first pass a medical check. Marquez has won at Sepang twice, although his recent results there have been mixed, and Alex Marquez, Pedro Acosta, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio are among the potential front-runners. Bagnaia said Sepang is one of his favorite tracks and that Ducati’s Desmosedici has often been strong there, as Ducati chases its 10th victory at the circuit.
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October 29, 2026

Cadillac has not decided on Bottas for 2027 as Herta runs Mexico practice

Valtteri Bottas’ future beyond 2026 remains unsettled as Cadillac weighs its 2027 Formula 1 (F1) lineup, even though the team still prefers to keep him and values his leadership and feedback. Cadillac has not yet committed to activating the option that would keep him in the seat for 2027, while Sergio Perez is signed through the end of the 2029 season.

Cadillac’s second seat for 2027 is still unresolved, with Colton Herta the leading alternative and General Motors pushing for him. Herta, Cadillac’s test driver, will run first practice in Mexico in Bottas’ car as he tries to complete the 100-kilometer requirement for the 40 FIA Super Licence points he needs. Rumors about Bottas’ future circulated during the United States Grand Prix weekend, when Cadillac’s debut F1 season remained scoreless. Team principal Marcin Budkowski declined to discuss driver contracts, while CEO Dan Towriss said the team is talking about its 2027 plans and noted Bottas has had races “off the race pace.” Bottas said “anything can happen” in F1, said he had been assured of the contract terms he signed last year, and said Cadillac’s debut-season issues have made it difficult to judge the internal battle with Perez.
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October 29, 2026

Gabriele Minì makes Formula 1 debut in Alpine Mexico FP1

Alpine gave 21-year-old academy driver Gabriele Minì his Formula 1 debut in Friday’s first practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, handing him his first Formula 1 practice run and first race-weekend appearance at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Minì drove Alpine’s A526 in the session, which also featured several Formula 2-linked drivers.

Minì replaced Franco Colapinto as part of Formula 1’s mandatory rookie practice requirements. He joined the Alpine Academy at the start of 2023 and was in his second Formula 2 season, sitting fourth in the standings after having previously led the championship. He had won the Miami Formula 2 feature race and the Hungary Formula 2 sprint race.

Minì said he had been preparing for the debut on Alpine’s simulator at the team’s Enstone base. He said he wanted to help Alpine gather useful data while making the most of the opportunity.
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October 29, 2026

Ten drivers to miss Mexico City Grand Prix first practice for rookie runs

Ten Formula 1 drivers will miss first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend as teams use the session to meet the sport’s rookie-running requirements. Among those sitting out FP1 are Max Verstappen for Red Bull, Lando Norris for McLaren and George Russell for Mercedes.

Red Bull will hand Verstappen’s car to Ayumu Iwasa, McLaren will give Lando Norris’ seat to Leonardo Fornaroli and Mercedes will run Frederik Vesti in Russell’s place. Nikola Tsolov will make his Formula 1 practice debut for Racing Bulls in place of Liam Lawson, while Freddie Slater will make his practice debut for Audi in Gabriel Bortoleto’s car. Colton Herta will take part in first practice for Cadillac, Jak Crawford will drive for Aston Martin, Luke Browning will drive for Williams, Gabriele Mini will drive for Haas and Ryo Hirakawa will drive for Haas in place of Esteban Ocon.
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October 29, 2026

Mexico City Grand Prix tests Formula 1 teams at high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

The Mexico City Grand Prix will test Formula 1 teams at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the altitude of more than 2,200 meters above sea level makes it the sport’s highest circuit. The thin air causes about a 20% drop in air density, downforce and cooling, and the reduced cooling pushes brakes, engines and tires to their limits. Williams trackside engineer Paul Williams said the altitude will reduce downforce and drag, complicate cooling, turbo boost and energy deployment, and likely require maximum-downforce setups.

Strategy at the race will center on balancing cooling and drag, predicting traffic and deciding between one-stop options, while Paul Williams said a two-stop race is likely. He said resurfacing between Turns 16 and 1 and from Turns 7 to 16 could change grip and tire behavior, overtaking will be difficult, and safety car interruptions could alter strategy and outcomes. Teams are expected to be cautious with Friday data because the track rubbers in heavily, and qualifying warm-up will be especially important on Pirelli’s C3, C4 and C5 compounds as degradation and graining could quickly change the race picture.

The circuit is 4.304 kilometers long with 17 turns, three Straight Mode zones, and a 71-lap race distance of 305.354 kilometers. The overtaking detection point is at Turn 14 and the activation line is at Turn 17. Built in 1959 and returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 after safety-related changes, the track also includes the Foro Sol stadium section, which is one of the lap’s most important and difficult sequences because of tire management and low-speed grip. Sergio Perez is set to make his 300th Grand Prix start at his home race, and Valtteri Bottas set the circuit lap record in 2021 with a 1:17.774.
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October 29, 2026

Joan Mir, Luca Marini declared fit for Malaysian Grand Prix

Joan Mir and Luca Marini were declared fit in Sepang on Thursday and were set to return for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, giving Honda HRC Castrol its full MotoGP lineup back on track. Mir said his recent illness caused vision problems and fatigue, and that he saw immediate improvement after treatment with Dr. Charte.

Mir missed the Austrian, Japanese, Indonesian and Australian rounds after falling ill during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend. He said the past period “hasn’t been an easy period,” but doctors had cleared him to race after some recent riding, and he said he was happy to be back even though he still had some doubts about how he would feel.

Marini was returning after illness kept him out of last week’s Phillip Island race, where he had taken part only in first practice before missing the rest of the weekend with a virus. Mir has also crashed out of nine of his 14 full-distance races so far this season.
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$Jorge Martin cleared for Friday practice at Malaysian MotoGP after wrist fracture$

October 28, 2026

Jorge Martin cleared for Friday practice at Malaysian MotoGP after wrist fracture

Jorge Martin arrived at Sepang still dealing with a fractured right wrist from a 211 km/h crash in the Phillip Island Sprint, an injury that aggravated an old ulnar problem in the same wrist and caused post-traumatic inflammation. Further CT scans ruled out a second forearm fracture and confirmed the radius injury was non-displaced.

The crash ruled Martin out of the Australian Grand Prix, which was later canceled because low visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating, leaving no points awarded. Martin was 10 points behind Marc Marquez in the title race with four rounds and 148 points remaining.

Martin passed his pre-event medical check at Sepang and was cleared for Friday practice at the Malaysian MotoGP. Aprilia said he would be reviewed again after FP1, and he returned to his Aprilia RS-GP on Friday morning. MotoGP medical chief Dr. Angel Charte and Aprilia left the final decision to Martin’s condition, with Martin required to pass a fitness test on Thursday and another after Friday practice before his final Sepang status was decided.
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