Weekend Motorsport Wrap-Up

Dixon’s championship hopes would be dashed on the opening lap of the race, when contact with Pietro Fittipaldi sent the #9 car into the barriers. The six-time champion now sits fifth in the standings, 101 points behind leader Alex Palou with just three races to go.

Scott McLaughlin also lacked pace in qualifying but was able to work his way through the field during the race from his P14 starting position to finish in seventh. McLaughlin has jumped ahead of Dixon in the standings, claiming fourth.

NASCAR

The announcement of Shane van Gisbergen’s full-time NASCAR Cup Series seat for 2025 with Trackhouse Racing came at a great time, overshadowing a tricky weekend for the Kaulig Racing driver.

In his Xfinity Series outing, SVG spent the race gradually working his way through the pack and was P16 when he was caught as part of a major pile-up in the closing stages of the race. He managed to return to the pit-lane for repairs, but emerged a lap down and would eventually finish in P25.

Pulling double duties this weekend, van Gisbergen’s Cup Series outing went even worse. The Supercars champion was running in the top 10 after avoiding several early incidents when a bolt pierced his radiator, resulting in a dramatic engine failure.

Indy NXT

Callum Hedge had a tough weekend out in Portland, struggling to find pace on the tricky circuit.

Hedge qualified in P13 and would eventually finish the race in the same position.

The 20-year-old still holds on to fourth in the championship as one of the top-placed rookies with two rounds to go.

USF Pro 2000

The final weekend of Liam Sceats debut year in the USF Pro 2000 Championship would be one to forget.

Changeable conditions throughout practice made qualifying prep difficult. When the timed laps came around, Sceats managed to put his car just inside the top 10.

The first race of the weekend would be the third time in the last four races that Sceats was crashed in to, bringing an early end to his day.

The final race of the season wouldn’t offer the 18-year-old much reprieve, with a lack of pace leading to a P12 finish.

GT World Challenge Australia

Brendon Leitch’s weekend was a story of what could have been.

The Super Trofeo Europe champion’s Audi R8 had plenty of pace and looked on-track for a podium in Race 1. Leitch’s rear right tyre had other ideas however, puncturing while the car was running in P3 with just five minutes to go. The #7 car made it back to the pits and eventually crossed the line in P14.

Race 2 would prove to be an even tougher result to swallow. Capitalizing on the car’s pace, Leitch would cross the finish line in P3, but a post-race penalty for a pit-stop infringement would bump the result to P12.

The weekend’s results turned a 3-point deficit to the championship leaders in to a 45 point deficit with just two rounds remaining.