Christopher Bell holds off Daytona 500 winner William Byron at Circuit of the Americas for second straight win
Christopher Bell took home his second NASCAR victory in as many weeks, winning the checkered flag at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Bell also won the Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta last week before taking home this year’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on the road course. Kyle Busch led for a decent chunk in the second half of the race but fell back in the closing laps after his right rear got messed up.
Alex Palou wins St. Pete but INDYCAR champ favorite status must wait
Yes, he crossed the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead of teammate Scott Dixon and 6.2 seconds ahead of Josef Newgarden. And, yes, he already has three championship trophies, including the 2023 and 2024 rings. "He makes it look easy, doesn’t he?" team owner Chip Ganassi said. "Makes it look easy. Doesn’t sweat." So in a world where overreacting to sports results is a favorite pastime, don’t be ready to anoint the Spaniard as the 2025 champion. His competition certainly (and expectedly) isn’t. "It’s Round 1," said third-place finisher Josef Newgarden. "Let’s see how it goes." Newgarden felt he could have won but they had fueling issues. "We just had fuel miscues two times," said Newgarden, who was running out of fuel on the final lap.
Riley Gaines leads pre-race prayer before NASCAR Cup Series race in Texas
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA All-American swimmer who has championed fairness in women’s sports, delivered the pre-race invocation on Sunday before the NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Gaines said a prayer before "The Boys" actor Jack Quaid gave drivers the go-ahead to start their engines.
No radio, big problem for Scott Dixon in second-place INDYCAR finish at St. Pete
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Scott Dixon couldn't hear his crew during the INDYCAR season opener Sunday at St. Petersburg. In some racing series, that might be considered a safety issue. But for Dixon, he feels it cost him the race.
'Wrestling A Bear': Differences between INDYCAR, NASCAR, and Formula 1 cars
The differences between a NASCAR Cup Series car and an INDYCAR car are pretty obvious. The stock car looks a little bit like the car folks can drive on the street. Its wheels don’t stick out beyond the fenders. The open-wheel car — with wheels that do stick out — looks much different and has a higher-pitched sound, thanks to its turbocharged engine versus a NASCAR engine that is normally aspirated. A stock car, when set up correctly, is one that often feels as if it is supposed to wiggle on a driver and potentially wreck. The best drivers get it to that brink. The open-wheel car is run on the brink but maybe not to the point where the driver is uncomfortable as it would be in the stock car. Because once these cars snap around, there isn’t much saving them. Now the difference between an INDYCAR and a Formula 1 car? That’s a little more nuanced.
2025 NASCAR odds: Shane van Gisbergen favorite to win at COTA in Austin
In 2024, William Byron got into victory lane at Daytona and then, a few weeks later, he did it again at the Circuit of the Americas. Should fans bet on Byron to replicate last year's early-season NASCAR Cup Series success again in 2025? Well, according to the odds, another driver has the best chance at winning this weekend's road course in Austin.
Your next car could quickly become much more expensive if Trump makes good on his tariff threat next week
Tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports are looming again. And that could quickly send car prices soaring, even for those assembled in the United States. That’s because the auto industry has spent decades operating as if all of North America is a single market, moving cars parts and vehicles freely across borders of the three countries. As a result, there isn’t such thing as an all-American car built with parts made solely in the United States. President Donald Trump said this week that tariffs of 25% on the value of all imports from Mexico and imports other than energy products from Canada will take effect Tuesday. The last time Trump announced these tariffs, he quickly reversed course and delayed them from taking effect for a month. But unless there’s another delay or the threat of tariffs is completely dropped, the auto industry — and car prices — are set to experience a seismic shock.
‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters gather outside showrooms to rally against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE
Demonstrators gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms across the United States on Saturday in protest of CEO Elon Musk’s role in slashing government agencies as part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established by President Donald Trump. The protests are part of “Tesla Takedown,” which, according to its website, hopes to encourage stakeholders to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.”
Tesla recalls 376K vehicles for loss of power steering assist
Tesla has recalled certain 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for an overstress condition in the printed circuit board controlling the vehicle’s power steering, which may lead to a sudden loss of electronic assist after coming to a stop, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall potentially includes up to 376,241 Tesla vehicles equipped with older software versions prior to 2023.38.4. Tesla is rolling out an over-the-air software update to correct the issue on vehicles still equipped with an older version. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 25.
Workers lacking motivation? Monitoring and incentives aren’t the answer, researchers say
Leaders want employees to be self-motivated and engaged, but too often manage with monitoring and incentives, according to research published Feb. 18 in the MIT Sloan Management Review. Instead, managers are likely to see better results with clear strategic direction and meaningful feedback. Managers also should aim to provide workers a sense of connection to their work and colleagues and space to work in a way that suits them, researchers said. Such performance management isn’t easy, they said, but when managers provide clarity and autonomy, they’ll see gains in ethical behavior, innovation and long-term commitment.