Monterey Car Week is hosting a truly insane drift build.

Anticipated across the globe by the world’s community of car enthusiasts and collectors, Monterey Car Week brings some of the world’s rarest, most prestigious, coveted, expensive, and exclusive vehicles to the stunningly idyllic destination of Monterey Bay, California for the event of a lifetime. However, this year’s Monterey Car Week is set to be even more special, as the Monterey Motorsports Festival is going to bring a spectacle to the week’s festivities that is a far cry from the prestigious concours and displays of pristine classics and ultra-rare exotics.

That spectacle will be a display from Mad Mike Whiddett, a professional drifter, car builder, and Red Bull athlete, and specifically the MADMAC, a ludicrous drift car created from a McLaren P1 GTR, one of the world’s most exclusive and legendary racing hypercars. With incredible power and dedicated drifting ability, the supercar is turned into one of the most intriguing veritable drifting machines.

The custom drift car features a 1,000-horsepower turbo rotary engine, which will be fired up as part of a showcase of the car’s incredible theatrics at the upcoming Monterey Motorsports Festival. With much of Monterey Car Week featuring displays of some of the world’s most carefully maintained and restored classics and prestigious exotic cars, the dynamic showcase of a roatary-powered, 1,000-horsepower drift car made from one of McLaren’s most exclusive hypercars brings a new facet to the event that is incredibly exciting.

Image Source: Monterey Motorsports Festival

Cadillac Whelen led the opening Free Practice session for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen with the two Acura Meyer Shank Racing cars in second and third.

Jack Aitken set the fastest time in the red No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R; coming off a disappointing final result at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Aitken set a 1m34.584s to go within four-tenths of the GTP lap record.

Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 set a 1m34.966s to go second fastest, only a few milliseconds quicker than Tom Blomqvist in the blue No. 60 Acura.

GTP championship leader Nick Tandy set the fourth-best time in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, ahead of Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.

The fastest of the two BMW M Hybrid V8s was the No. 25 Team RLL car of Marco Wittmann, who was within a second of the top. Meanwhile, the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie was 10th ahead of the returning No. 63 Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 in 11th.

As LMP2 cars returned to IMSA action, early championship co-leader Felipe Fraga set the quickest time in the No. 74 ORECA 07-Gibson, at 1m35.798s. But with 30 minutes left, the orange and blue No. 74 Riley machine stopped along the back stretch, bringing out a very brief red flag, the first of two stoppage in the 90-minute practice session.

The second was brought out after John Farano spun and stalled coming out of Turn 9 in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA. Otherwise the session was littered with procedural penalties – several drive-throughs were handed out for track limits violations, pit lane infringements, and powertrain parameter compliance.

The No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA went second fastest in LMP2, ahead of the No. 99 AO Racing Spike car with its new gold-plated tail, and the No. 8 Tower Motorsports car.

Andrea Caldarelli and Pfaff Motorsports recorded the fastest time in GTD PRO, as the plaid No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 set a 1m45.912s to top the session.

Ben Barnicoat spent no time getting back up to speed in his first competitive session since returning from a mountain biking accident in March: He was second fastest in GTD PRO, back aboard the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Then it was Laurin Heinrich in third driving the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, and his former teammate Sebastian Priaulx in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3, in fourth.

However, the best time across both GT classes was set in GTD, by Scott Andrews in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. The Australian turned in a 1m45.867s to go quicker than Caldarelli’s best GTD PRO time.

The No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R was second quickest in GTD, then, it was the returning No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, third quickest with its humorous new “Virtual Energy” sponsorship. In fourth was the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus.

One car that didn’t set a representative time was the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car. It only posted three installation laps, then underwent a gearbox change as a precaution after the team diagnosed a faulty sensor and saw unpleasant fluid temperature and pressure readings.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship cars return to the track tomorrow for Practice 2 starting at 9:00am ET, followed by qualifying, which starts at 2:20pm ET.

RESULTS

Brad Pitt may play a Formula 1 driver in his upcoming summer blockbuster, but he’s never gotten behind the wheel of a real F1 car – until now. McLaren held a private test at the Circuit of the Americas earlier this week, allowing the A-lister to take one of its previous cars for a drive, the team confirmed to Motorsport.com.

The reigning constructors’ champions hinted at the test on social media, sharing an image of driver overalls carrying Pitt’s initials, with the caption, “It’s a Sonny day in Austin.”

The Hollywood heavyweight, who stars as fictional ex-racer Sonny Hayes in the F1 movie, travelled to Texas after the film’s glitzy New York City premiere on Monday night.

McLaren racer Lando Norris also flew to the United States Grand Prix venue after the star-studded event in the Big Apple, while Oscar Piastri skipped the movie premiere altogether and headed straight to the Lone Star State for the TPC test. Pitt is believed to have taken to the track in the McLaren MCL60, the team’s 2023 car, after Norris showed him the ropes.

It’s curious that his first F1 outing took place with McLaren rather than Mercedes, as the Silver Arrows was the F1 team most heavily involved in the film’s production. In the film, Pitt and his co-star, Damson Idris, drive F2 cars that were modified by the German team.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Mercedes was heavily involved in all aspects of the movie – by way of co-producer Lewis Hamilton – with multiple staff members earning off-screen credits, and Toto Wolff making an on-screen appearance. 
The fictional APX GP car even carries a swath of Mercedes’ real-life sponsors, including IWC and Tommy Hilfiger (though the clothing brand has since been replaced by Adidas as a Mercedes sponsor).

Of course, Hamilton headed to Ferrari in the midst of the movie’s production, but it’s clear Pitt has still maintained a strong relationship with the likes of Wolff and George Russell.

Back in 2023, before cameras had even started rolling at the British Grand Prix, the Mercedes team principal revealed he had been involved “early on” and even sent Pitt to driving school in France to work his way up from Formula 4 machinery.

“We also tried to be helpful with the garages and the pit wall, all of it, and give them the designs so they could be as realistic as possible,” he said of the team’s involvement in helping get APX GP get race-ready.

“I spoke to the director [Joe Kosinski] a few weeks ago and said, ‘Where are you?’ expecting him to tell me he’s in Hollywood – but he said ‘I’m in my apartment in Brackley,’ so it’s not all great being a movie director,” Wolff joked.  

‘F1’ will arrive in cinemas in the United States on June 27. 

What’s Happening?

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ legal team has requested that a federal appeals panel revisit a Jun. 5 ruling that will strip the two teams’ six NASCAR Cup Series cars of charter status.

• On Jun. 5, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on a May 9 appeal hearing to overturn a Dec. 18 judgment that awarded 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the two teams suing NASCAR, charter status for the duration of their ongoing lawsuit.
• This ruling meant that the teams would lose the three charters (six between the two teams) that they each own; as a result, the two would lose out on automatic qualification for NASCAR Cup Series points races and valuable revenue sharing for each chartered entry, among other grim implications. Following this ruling, the teams had 14 days to petition for a rehearing, something that they have now done.
• In a statement, the two teams’ lawyer, Jeffery Kessler, said, “If upheld, the ruling would set a dangerous precedent, allowing monopolists to shield themselves from legal challenges simply by requiring release language as a condition of doing business with the monopoly.”
• There is now a stay of mandate on the Jun. 5 ruling, meaning that the teams will maintain charter status for now and should the court decide not to rehear the appeal, seven days after that decision. If the court goes forward with the rehearing, the hearing will be in front of a full panel rather than the three-judge panel from May 9.
• We have covered all angles of this lawsuit extensively via the timeline linked below.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Hyak Motorsports has parted ways with spotter Tab Boyd, who worked with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Chevrolet. Weekend rosters show that Clayton Hughes will be atop the spotter’s stand for Pocono, replacing Boyd.

Stenhouse confirmed the news on Friday morning in a SiriusXM NASCAR interview, saying: “That’s an unfortunate deal. The team let Tab Boyd go this week, and we got Clayton Hughes to come fill in. I’ve never worked with Clayton.”

No reason was given for the firing of Boyd and while Motorsport.com reached out to the team for clarification, we have not yet heard back from team representatives. 

Mexico controversy

However, Boyd has been in the news this week for sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter) where he expressed his displeasure with Mexico during NASCAR’s recent visit – the first points-paying Cup race outside of the United States since 1958.

Boyd has since deleted his account after pushback online, but the original post read as follows: “I’m ready to go home, screw this place, people can talk it up all they want. Can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched in less than five minutes. Good area my ass.”

Boyd was apparently the victim of scammers and while he will not be working the Cup race this weekend, he is still listed as the spotter for Ryan Ellis and the No. 71 DGM Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, as well as for Luke Baldwin and the No. 66 ThorSport Ford in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Boyd is a veteran spotter with years of experience, previously working with Hendrick Motorsports and William Byron on the No. 24 Chevrolet. He joined Stenhouse and the No. 47 team three years ago in 2022 and together, the duo won the 2023 Daytona 500.

This situation follows Spire Motorsports’ decision to fine their own driver, Carson Hocevar. On Tuesday, the team announced that Hocevar was fined $50,000 following an internal investigation into comments he made on a Twitch live-stream, calling Mexico a “s***hole.” The money will go to various Mexican charities and Hocevar will have to undergo mandatory cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.

DOWNTOWN — As NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race approaches, a new hospitality group has taken over food operations and rolling street closures have begun Downtown.

Levy, a Chicago-based hospitality company, has been named the official food and beverage partner for July’s NASCAR Street Race, the racing organization announced this week. The race is July 5-6 in Grant Park.

Levy, which operates at venues such as Soldier Field and Wrigley Field, replaces Lettuce Entertain You, which handled operations the past two years.

Levy will bring two of its restaurants — Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap and River Roast — to race weekend concessions, along with locally owned restaurants including Mr. Beef, Bronzeville Winery, Lexington Betty Smokehouse, Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs and Josephine’s Southern Cooking. More restaurants will be announced closer to the race, according to a news release.

“As a Chicago-lifer, I’m definitely biased, but I truly believe there is no city with more energy than Chicago during the summer,” Levy CEO Andy Lansing said in a statement. “The NASCAR Chicago Street Race highlights our city and the sport in a totally unique way, and it’s been incredible to see fans rally behind it. We’re so excited to help elevate an already wonderful event with a new level of food, beverage and hometown hospitality.”

Some street closures around Grant Park started earlier this week, including Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. “No parking” restrictions are now in place along northbound and southbound Columbus Drive between Jackson and Balbo drives.

NASCAR has a three-year contract with the city that is set to expire after this year. The agreement allows for a two-year extension, though NASCAR and city officials have not said whether it will be renewed.

The race slashed ticket prices for its third year, with single-day general admission passes starting at $99 — down from $150 last year — and free general admission tickets for kids 12 and younger Saturday and Sunday with a ticket-holding adult.

The cost for a two-day general admission ticket is $150. Reserved seating starts at $200, with Frontstretch Premium Reserved seats priced at $350.

Last year, NASCAR generated $128 million in total economic impact for the city, a 17 percent increase from 2023, according to a Temple University study commissioned by the city’s tourism bureau, Choose Chicago.

But total attendance at the 2024 race was down from the inaugural year, when heavy rain forced delays and the cancellation of some races.

Here’s the schedule of rolling street closures through race weekend:

Pre-Race Activity In Grant Park

• Friday: Beginning 12:01 a.m.: Curb lane closure on northbound and southbound Columbus Drive between Jackson Drive and Balbo Drive.
• Monday: Beginning 12:01 a.m.: Full closure on Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive. Westbound lanes between Congress Plaza Drive and Michigan Avenue will remain open; eastbound lanes will be closed.
• Monday: 10 p.m. Monday-6 a.m. Tuesday: Temporary closure of northbound Michigan Avenue between Congress Plaza Drive and Jackson Drive.
• Wednesday: 10 p.m. Wednesday-5 a.m. Thursday: Temporary closure of northbound Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Jackson Drive.

Street Closures

• Thursday: Beginning 10 p.m.: Closure of Jackson Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.
• June 27: Beginning 12:01 a.m.: Closure of Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to Michigan Avenue.
• June 28: Beginning 10 p.m.: Closure of Congress Plaza Drive.
• June 30: Beginning 12:01 a.m.: Closure of Columbus Drive from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road.
• July 2: Beginning 10 p.m.: Closure of westbound and eastbound Roosevelt Road from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• July 3: Beginning 12:01 a.m.: Closure of southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Randolph Street and McFetridge Road.
• July 3: Beginning 10 p.m.: Closure of northbound and southbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Jackson Drive, and northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Randolph Street and McFetridge Road.

Race Weekend Street Closures – July 5-6

• Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Randolph Street to McFetridge Drive
• Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from McFetridge Drive to Randolph Street
• Northbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Monroe Street
• Southbound Michigan Avenue from south of Monroe Street to Eighth Street
• Monroe Street from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive
• Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Road to Monroe Street
• Roosevelt Road from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Avenue
• Jackson Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive
• Balbo Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive
• Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive
• Congress Plaza Drive from Harrison Street to Van Buren Street
• Northbound Indiana Avenue from Roosevelt Road to 13th Street
• Post Place: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive
• Garvey Court: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive

Reopening — July 6-14 

Select streets will begin reopening following the conclusion of the event July 6. Priority streets to reopen are DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue.

• Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will begin reopening 6 a.m. July 7.
• All NASCAR-related demobilization is expected to conclude by the end of the day July 14.

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