AUTO RACING roundup

NASCAR

Keselowski sees ties to Mich., Kansas races

BROOKLYN, MICH.

Brad Keselowski hopes this weekend’s NASCAR race in Michigan will look like the one in Kansas last month.

Easy for him to say because he won that one — but Keselowski isn’t the only driver with that view.

“I think Kansas is the perfect place for this package. Here, I really hope that it’ll be like that,” Alex Bowman said Friday. “If this place gets hot and slick, it’s going to be tough.

“But I think being cooler, more mechanical grip in the cars — it’s one of the best shots that this package has at creating what I think is the desired effect.”

This weekend is the first of the year’s two Cup races at Michigan International Speedway, the latest site of the week-to-week uncertainty over how NASCAR’s new rules package will impact an event.

The race in Kansas was an entertaining one that included 41 green flag passes for the lead. That perhaps bodes well for the Michigan race, but the 2-mile MIS track is longer than the 1 1/2-mile Kansas one, and there are other factors to consider.

“The wider the track is in the corners, the better the racing is going to be. We really won’t know that until after all of the practice sessions and really into the race to see how wide it gets,” Keselowski said. “There are a lot of variables that come into play, some that we have control of and some that we don’t. Some that we have knowledge of and some that we don’t. It is very, very difficult at the moment to predict. I think we are all very hopeful that it will look a lot like Kansas.”

The new package this year reduced horsepower and increased downforce in an attempt to offer more passing opportunities, and NASCAR can point to some encouraging stats: There have been 534 green flag passes for the lead through 14 races this season, compared to 341 at this point in 2018.

Of course, that’s not the only way to measure excitement. There were 21 green flag passes for the lead last weekend at Pocono, but Kyle Busch — a critic of the new package — won in rather routine fashion. Denny Hamlin said passing was “impossible,” and Busch said he doesn’t think he can fully showcase his talents.

Former NASCAR CEO pleads guilty to DWI

SAG HARBOR, N.Y.

Former NASCAR CEO Brian France pleaded guilty Friday to driving while intoxicated in New York’s Hamptons last year.

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said the 56-year-old France pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo alcohol counseling.

If he meets the requirements, the charge will be reduced to a traffic violation.

“This case is a reminder for both residents and anyone visiting Suffolk County this summer that it is all of our responsibility to keep our roads safe,” Sini said in a statement. “It is not acceptable for anyone to be driving while drunk or on drugs in our community.”

France, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was arrested in Sag Harbor on Aug. 5, 2018, after running a stop sign. Police said his blood alcohol level was 0.18%, more than double the legal limit.

INDYCAR

Soto earns pole for Texas race

FORT WORTH, Texas

Takuma Sato went over 220 mph in qualifying Friday to earn the pole for the IndyCar Series race at Texas.

Sato got his ninth career pole with a two-lap qualifying average of 220.250 mph on the high-speed 11/2-mile oval. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver, who is fifth in season points, won from the pole at Barber Motorsports Park two months ago.

The only other Texas qualifier over 220 mph was defending race champion Scott Dixon at 220.162 mph. Dixon is coming off a win in the second Detroit race last weekend.

Associated Press