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March 28, 2026

USAC Sprint Cars Battle in Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville

The USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship will host the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville Speedway on Friday, September 11, at the 0.4-mile dirt oval in Sarver, Pennsylvania. Kirk Spridgeon will serve as race director, and competitors must use radio frequency 464.5500.

The event will be streamed live on FloRacing, with live audio available via the USAC app and Mixlr. Live timing will be provided through MyRacePass and Race Monitor, and live social updates will appear on USAC’s Facebook and X feeds.

On-track competition will use two-lap qualifying (fastest lap counts), followed by 8-lap heat races with a six-car inversion based on qualifying. C-Mains will be 10 laps and semi-features 12 laps, if needed; the feature will be 30 laps and capped at 24 starters. The event winner will receive 70 series points and a $6,000 payout; second place will earn 67 points and $3,000. Entry fees are $30 for USAC members and $40 for non-members, and competitors must hold USAC membership to earn series points and claim contingency awards.
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March 28, 2026

Norris hit by hydraulics, ERS faults; faces 10-place drop

Lando Norris endured a reliability-hit weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix after a sequence of hydraulics and ERS/battery faults severely restricted his practice running and left him at risk of a significant grid penalty. Norris called Friday “a pretty terrible start to the weekend” after a hydraulic leak curtailed his FP1 and forced him to miss the opening portion of FP2, including more than 20 minutes in the garage. McLaren then identified a battery/ERS-pack fault that required Mercedes HPP to replace the unit during FP3, keeping Norris in the pits until roughly the final 22–25 minutes of the session.

The battery issue was described as his third battery of the season; under the current rules drivers face limits on battery usage and McLaren warned that taking another new battery would trigger a 10-place grid drop. The mechanical problems left Norris short of vital long runs and high-fuel laps needed to dial in setup and energy management for Suzuka’s demanding surface. He completed just 17 laps in FP2 and 13 in FP3 and said he had “done no laps of high fuel” or “continuous laps,” leaving him “two or three steps behind” on setup work and “playing catch-up” all weekend.

McLaren carried out frantic repairs overnight and on-site interventions, and team figures including CEO Zak Brown and racing director Randy Singh said the squad would monitor the car closely, investigate whether the Japan battery fault was related to China’s earlier electronics failures, and weigh spare-usage choices to avoid repeat problems or further penalties. Despite the disruption McLaren managed some recovery — Oscar Piastri topped FP2 and Norris improved through qualifying to take fifth on the grid — but Norris acknowledged he had “underdelivered” on parts of his fastest lap and remained behind the leaders. McLaren stressed the Friday issues were a hindrance to setup and long-run evaluation rather than a definitive measure of race competitiveness, but the combination of lost track time, complex 2026 energy-management demands and the prospect of a grid drop left question marks over Norris’s race readiness at Suzuka.
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March 28, 2026

Macedo Holds Off Kofoid at U.S. 36

Carson Macedo held off a late-charging Michael “Buddy” Kofoid to win the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car feature at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo., scoring the 59th victory of his career and his first World of Outlaws win of the 2026 season. Macedo drove the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 and the triumph moved him past Jason Meyers into sole possession of 16th on the World of Outlaws all-time win list; it also marked Jason Johnson Racing’s 83rd World of Outlaws checkered flag.

A late caution set up a wheel-to-wheel duel in heavy lapped traffic in the race’s closing laps. Macedo reported his car was “in big trouble” and “down a cylinder” but managed to get ahead as the white flag waved and paced the final circuit to the checkered flag. Kofoid, driving the Roth Motorsports No. 83, finished second after his second straight runner-up result.

David Gravel finished third — his eighth podium in 10 races — a result that trimmed his championship lead to 52 points. Kofoid’s runner-up effort moved him into fifth in the standings (advancing past Logan Schuchart), while Sheldon Haudenschild finished fourth and Emerson Axsom took fifth.
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March 28, 2026

Álvaro Carpe lowers Moto3 lap record at COTA to 2:13.190

Moto3 practice at the Circuit of the Americas produced a rapid succession of record laps, with Máximo Quiles opening the run on Friday by setting a new all-time Moto3 lap record of 2:13.757 on a Pirelli-shod CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team KTM, breaking Matteo Bertelle’s 2025 benchmark of 2:13.939. Álvaro Carpe then lowered that mark to 2:13.190 in Saturday morning practice aboard his Pirelli-shod Red Bull KTM Ajo machine; Quiles’s 2:13.757 session also featured Guido Pini second fastest on a Leopard Racing Honda with a 2:13.929.

Carpe had earlier topped Friday morning Free Practice One with a 2:14.209 for Red Bull KTM Ajo before finishing third in Friday’s faster session with a 2:14.202.

Friday’s timing sheets showed a cluster of leading Moto3 riders in the 2:14s — Matteo Bertelle (2:14.293), Valentín Perrone (2:14.309) and Joel Esteban among them — while Saturday morning produced a tight top three of Carpe (2:13.190), Perrone (2:13.280) and Esteban (2:13.349). The practice sessions ran around the 3.43-mile (5.51 km) Circuit of the Americas with a 25-rider field, Pirelli control tires prominent among the front-runners and KTM machinery occupying many of the top positions. Final grid places will be decided in subsequent practice and qualifying sessions.
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March 28, 2026

Hamilton says he has ‘no confidence’ in Ferrari SF-26

Lewis Hamilton told his team over the radio that he had “no confidence in the car” after running race simulations in the Ferrari SF‑26 at Suzuka, underlining persistent handling and setup problems that left the seven‑time world champion unsettled heading into the weekend. The 41‑year‑old reported rear “snaps,” persistent oversteer and a lack of confidence on long runs — issues he said were similar to those he experienced at Suzuka last year — and cautioned that Ferrari were “miles and miles away” from the pacesetters under the current regulations.

Practice and qualifying painted a mixed picture that reinforced Hamilton’s concerns. He finished sixth in both FP1 and FP2, with a FP1 lap compromised by two yellow sectors and an FP2 gap of roughly eight tenths to the pace‑setter Oscar Piastri; Ferrari slipped behind McLaren and Mercedes in the timing sheets. In qualifying a glitch‑hit session and a systems issue also compromised Hamilton’s running, as he lost time in the final sector and a snap of oversteer altered the car’s algorithm — costing him about two‑and‑a‑half tenths down the back straight — leaving him 0.789 seconds off pole and starting sixth, his lowest grid spot so far this season (and his best Suzuka qualifying since 2022).

Ferrari have scheduled an overnight deep‑dive using simulator data to search for a better setup and to address the balance, energy deployment and chassis limitations Hamilton highlighted; teams across the paddock planned similar reviews. Hamilton said he had “no clue” how the Japanese Grand Prix would unfold, warned that McLaren’s improving pace is becoming a larger threat, and flagged uncertainty over how much overtaking to expect on Sunday — leaving Ferrari to hope that setup and strategy changes overnight can unlock more performance for the race.
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March 28, 2026

David Alonso breaks COTA Moto2 lap record with 2:05.847

David Alonso set the quickest time in Moto2 practice at the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), posting an all-time COTA lap record of 2:05.847 in Friday afternoon running. Alonso’s lap aboard his CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team Kalex on Pirelli control tires was the only time in the 2:05s and shaved roughly 1.508 seconds off the previous COTA benchmark of 2:07.355 set in 2025.

Manuel Gonzalez was second in that session with a 2:06.341 (he suffered a crash), Barry Baltus third with a 2:06.453, followed by Filip Salac (4th), Senna Agius (5th), Tony Arbolino (6th), Ivan Ortola (7th), Celestino Vietti (8th), Izan Guevara (9th) and Joe Roberts (10th, 2:06.853).

Earlier and later practice sessions showed similarly tight margins. Celestino Vietti topped FP1 with a 2:06.724 on an HDR SpeedRS Team Boscoscuro, with David Alonso second (2:06.779) and Tony Arbolino third (2:06.863); the gap between first and second in FP1 was just 0.055 seconds. Tony Arbolino then led FP2 with a 2:06.159 on his REDS Fantic Racing Kalex, Senna Agius was second in FP2 with a 2:06.369 on a Liqui Moly Dynavolt IntactGP Kalex and Alonso Lopez third with a 2:06.402 on an Italjet Gresini Moto2. Across sessions, multiple front-running teams ran Kalex chassis on Pirelli tires, and the practice times provided a snapshot of early pace for the weekend.
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March 27, 2026

Red Bull KTM withdraws Plessinger from Detroit for recovery

Red Bull KTM announced that Aaron Plessinger will miss the 11th round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Detroit to recover after recent crashes. The team said Plessinger crashed and failed to finish at the last two rounds — Indy and Birmingham — and needs an extra week to reset and give his body time to heal. No injuries were reported, and the team framed the decision as a short recovery hold to ensure he is ready for subsequent rounds rather than an injury-related or season-ending withdrawal.

Plessinger, nicknamed “The Cowboy,” will not compete in Detroit and therefore will not score points at that round, removing him from contention to improve his points position there. Entering the weekend he sat 10th in the 450SX standings, with a 2026 season-best sixth place at Daytona and six top-10 finishes overall.

Red Bull KTM confirmed it will still field Eli Tomac and Jorge Prado in Detroit; Plessinger’s absence shifts the team lineup and race expectations for the weekend.
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March 27, 2026

USAC releases full schedule for 39th Indiana Sprint Week

USAC released the schedule for the 39th Annual NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week presented by K&N Filters, a weeklong slate of national sprint-car events that will run July 23–Aug. 1. The series will stop at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on Thursday, July 23; Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville on Friday, July 24; Kokomo Speedway on Saturday, July 25; Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis on Monday, July 27; Paragon Speedway on Wednesday, July 29; Terre Haute Action Track on Thursday, July 30; Bloomington Speedway on Friday, July 31; and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Pits and spectator gates will vary by venue but will commonly open mid-afternoon—typically about 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET (Paragon and Tri-State list 2:00 p.m. pit openings). Gates will often open about 3:30–5:30 p.m. ET, drivers’ meetings will usually be held roughly 5:00–6:30 p.m., and hot laps/on-track activity will typically begin about 6:00–7:00 p.m. Most listed times are Eastern Time (ET); Tri-State’s posted times are in Central Time (CT).

Advance reserved tickets for the IMS stop are available at IMS.com/sprintweek; general-admission tickets are commonly $30 for adults (kids 12 and under frequently admitted free) and pit passes generally run about $40, though some tracks note child and student discounts. Fans and competitors should check each venue’s posted schedule and ticket page for exact times, ticketing links and any venue-specific rules or changes.
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March 27, 2026

Viñales withdraws at COTA after shoulder screw dislodges

Maverick Viñales withdrew from the US MotoGP at COTA after Free Practice 1 when track medical checks found a surgical screw in his previously operated left shoulder had come loose. Tech3 said the displaced screw and ongoing pain forced his withdrawal; Viñales will return to Europe for a minor procedure, and AS reported the operation was scheduled for the week after the Austin round. He was 13th in FP1, nearly a second down on team‑mate Acosta, and had planned to use Friday practice to judge whether he could continue before deciding to withdraw.

The left‑shoulder problem dates to July 2025 and has been linked in reports to Sachsenring qualifying and to a crash at the Italian Grand Prix; Viñales underwent surgery in Italy after that summer injury. Since then he has reported loss of strength and difficulty changing direction, especially when turning left, and his performance has suffered — he completed only five of the final 13 grands prix in 2025, missed eight rounds between the summer incident and the Portuguese round, and has scored just three world championship points since the injury. He entered the season without points from the first two rounds amid reported KTM specification problems, and has been running a different KTM RC16 configuration while managing the shoulder. Over the winter he worked with coach Jorge Lorenzo and took part in a February Sepang test when he believed the shoulder had healed.

Tech3 says Viñales is targeting a return at Jerez (April 24–26). The postponement of the Qatar race gives him an additional recovery window before that weekend. Viñales said he is “worried about my future,” has not ruled out further surgery, and has previously avoided publicly detailing the injury for fear it could lead to being sidelined by KTM and affect his salary.
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