The Wide World of Dirt

For me, the last Sunday of May is the greatest time of year to be a fan of motorsports.

Two Crown Jewels in racing’s triple crown are on offer with Formula 1 whipping around the streets of Monaco and IndyCars flying across the yard of bricks in Indianapolis.

The closer of the day is one of NASCAR’s oldest crown jewel races: the World 600. The longest scheduled distance in the sport, the 600-mile race is a test of driver stamina and endurance.

With that, I will be doing the Friday 5 for every series for just this weekend, and to make it an easier read for you, the viewers, the blurbs for each driver will be shorter than usual.

Let’s hop right into Formula 1.

Grand Prix of Monaco

1. Fernando Alonso

After repeat wins at the track in 2006 and 2007, Alonso has only visited the Monte Carlo podium twice in the last 16 seasons.

That doesn’t dissuade me from picking the two-time F1 World Champion. His new Aston Martin team shows speed at every event, and he sits third in points after the first few rounds.

If there’s a true dark horse to claim victory at Monaco, it’s Alonso. It’s now been over a decade since his last win, and with the speed AM has shown this year, he’s certainly a contender for Sunday.

2. Lewis Hamilton

Call it fan service or whatever you want because Lewis Hamilton is my favorite driver, but you should also recognize him as the greatest driver in the history of Formula 1 (this is not up for debate.)

The Brit looks to Monte Carlo for a resurgence after his first winless season in 2022, and with the introduction of the new W14 upgrades for this weekend’s event, Hamilton might be in prime position to finally lock up win #104.

Lewis has only finished outside the points in one race at Monaco throughout his whole career, so it would be shocking to see him not at least claim a great result to catch back up to the Red Bulls in season points.

3. Charles LeClerc

A native Monégasque, LeClerc has experienced excruciating disappointments at the hands of his home circuit.

A pit mishap last season (in a long line of Ferrari pit mishaps in 2022) saddled him in fourth after the final pit stop where he would also end the day. This was after another pole went south in 2021 due to a blown transmission before leaving the grid.

Now more determined than ever, LeClerc will likely be in the best position to give the Red Bulls a fight this weekend.

4. Pierre Gasly

Having landed in the points in all but one trip to Monte Carlo, Gasly knows how to put himself in position to get a good finish.

Though things with Alpine could be going better, The Gas Man notched points at Bahrain, Jeddah, and most recently at Miami, and he’s going back to a track where he’s finished no worse than 11th.

Look for Pierre to take his Alpine deep into the corners and deep into the points this weekend.

5. Alex Albon

The least familiar with Monaco of my Friday 5 is none other than Alex Albon. The former No. 2 at Red Bull, he sat out the 2021 race as he returned to Test Driver status before returning to the driver’s seat with Williams last season.

His 2022 season was sterling considering the equipment, but one of his DNFs included a terminal handling issue at Monaco. The hope is that won’t happen again this season!

A number of exceptional performances last season saw Albon continually fight for points, and I think he gets back to doing that at Monaco.

(Editor’s note: No, I didn’t include the Red Bulls because what would be the fun in that?)

The 107th Indianapolis 500

1. Pato O’Ward

This man is an absolute and complete missile on the ovals. Even in his rookie year, he had four finishes of 6th or better in six oval races in 2020.

Pato scored his first win at Texas in 2021, and he added another oval win in the second Iowa race last season. Combine that with his runner-up effort at last year’s trip to the Brickyard, he’s ready to take the next step.

Arrow McLaren gave him a hot rod for this weekend, and he will start the day in the second row, not far from clean air. Pato could attack early and often on Sunday, so look for the #5 to be coated in milk.

2. Josef Newgarden

Joe New paid a visit to Texas’ victory lane at IndyCar’s first oval race this season, and though his record at Indy isn’t what you’d expect, his car looked very competitive on Carb Day.

Newgarden took 12 of his 26 career wins on ovals, but the Brickyard has always eluded him despite planting his Ed Carpenter Chevy on the podium in 2016, falling short to Alexander Rossi.

All of his Penske teammates have grabbed their milk of choice in Indianapolis victory lane, and it’s high time Newgarden got his head on the Borg-Warner Trophy.

3. Takuma Sato

A two-time Indy 500 winner, the 46-year-old veteran slides behind the wheel of a Chip Ganassi Honda for this year’s running.

Sato’s aggressive driving style has pissed off many of his competitors, but many of his detractors haven’t won two Indy 500s. Smells like jealousy to me.

With one of the fastest teams on the grid and rolling off in the third row, Sato looks to add another victory to his already impressive resume before he approaches retirement.

4. Kyle Kirkwood

In his first season with Andretti, Kirkwood already took his maiden triumph at Long Beach, and he sits in the top-10 in points.

Kirkwood pulled his AJ Foyt car out of the mud last year, finishing 17th after starting the day in 28th position. Starting closer to the front this year (row 5), he is in great position to raise his career-best run at Indy.

The fastest of the Andretti fleet in qualifying, Kirkwood has the potential to put his car up front, but the question once he get there is: Can he keep it there? I’m inclined to say yes.

5. Alexander Rossi

Since his first Indy 500 win in 2016, Rossi has almost always had speed when he comes to Indiana’s capital; he just hasn’t been able to recapture victory.

The closest the American came to etching his name into Indianapolis lore a second time was in 2019 when he held the lead with three laps to go. Unfortunately for him, Simon Pagenaud flew back by on the penultimate lap to add his face to the Borg-Warner.

Now in the cockpit of an Arrow McLaren, Rossi’s taste for dairy is at an all-time high. The man is insatiable. He will be a factor in the final stages of this race, I am certain.

The Coca-Cola 600

1. Bubba Wallace

After leading a lap early in last year’s race, Bubba was involved in a caution close to the end of Stage 2, and due to a miscommunication from NASCAR, his night ended early after not satisfying the ludicrous damaged vehicle policy.

A year older and wiser, I don’t foresee Bubba and the #23 team making that same mistake. Considering their most recent run of success (five top-12 finishes in the last six races), he comes into Charlotte with a wealth of momentum.

If you’re looking at the leaderboard in Stage 4, you’ll likely see that pink and maroon Dr. Pepper Camry near the top on Sunday night.

2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

After scoring stage points in the first two stages last year, Stenhouse brought home an impressive 7th-place result.

The JTG-Daugherty driver keeps finding great finishes this season after winning the Daytona 500, only finishing outside of the top-20 three times. This includes three straight top-15s going into this weekend’s race.

Though not known for surviving races of attrition, this year might be the dawn of a new Ricky Stenhouse, and the World 600 will be the ultimate litmus test. I expect him to pass.

3. Denny Hamlin

The defending World 600 winner added the final crown jewel to his belt last year, outlasting the chaos and carnage to streak across the line first.

2023 has been an up and down season for Hamlin, but at the last intermediate track race, he forced Kyle Larson into a mistake on the final lap to score his 49th career victory.

Eager to snag his 50th win, look for Denny to haul the mail and be towards the front as the race approaches the closing laps.

4. Joey Logano

NASCAR’s defending champion is not having the season I predicted him to have. After dominating Atlanta, Logano and the Pennzoil team have struggled to contend in most races this season with four finishes outside the top-25 in the last eight races.

The Fords have been behind the 8-ball in general, with a recent aero test confirming their performance is behind the Toyota and Chevy models. I’m sure this is frustrating for Joey and crew chief Paul Wolfe.

Not to be deterred, Logano claimed victory at Charlotte in 2015, so he knows how to get around the joint. In a race that focuses on hanging around, don’t be surprised if the Yellow Submarine pulls into the winner’s circle at the end of NASCAR’s longest night.

5. Jimmie Johnson

Picking a part-time driver as part of my selections might be an odd choice to some. However, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest stock car driver of all-time. If you’re not at least looking for him, he will probably make you see him rather quickly.

Racing for a lame-duck Chevy team Legacy Motor Club, some would say that the 7-time Cup champion is at a major disadvantage in many ways as this is also his first true oval race in the NextGen car.

Looking at Jimmie’s latest results at the track, the man’s still got it. He hasn’t won at Charlotte since his last championship season in 2016, but something tells me the #84 will find a way to contend for win #84 on Sunday.