F1’s showcase Monaco GP kicks off motorsports’ busiest day
The Latest from the busiest day in motorsports (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
Kyle Busch has won the Coca-Cola 600, becoming the only active driver to win a Cup Series points race at every racetrack on the NASCAR circuit.
Busch won the first three stages and led 377 of 400 laps overall at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch, the pole sitter and Cup Series points leader, ended years of frustration at the track in points-paying events. Busch had won a combined 15 Xfinity and Trucks Series races and the 2017 All-Star race at the track before his breakthrough win in a Cup points race Sunday.
It was Busch's fourth victory of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The 33-year-old Busch has won 188 races across NASCAR's top three series.
Martin Truex Jr. was second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson.
Kevin Harvick, who had won the last three Cup races including last week's All-Star race, crashed on Lap 83 and finished last.
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9:51 p.m.
Kyle Busch continues to dominate the Coca-Cola 600.
Busch has won all three stages and led 279 of 300 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch became only the 10th driver in NASCAR history to lead more than 15,000 career Cup Series laps. He also became the 12th driver to lead more than 1,000 laps during his career at CMS.
Charlotte is looking for his first Cup points race win at Charlotte in his 29th race here.
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9:35 p.m.
Ryan Blaney's car became a fireball on Lap 279 of the Coca-Cola 600, ending his night early.
Blaney's No. 12 Ford burst into flames as he made his way into turn one at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was able to stop the car and quickly get out and track safety personnel scrambled to put out the fire.
Blaney appeared unharmed as he took off his helmet and walked away from the car. The wreck brought out the yellow flag.
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8:30 p.m.
Kyle Busch has won the first two stages of the Coca-Cola 600 and the pole sitter clearly has the car to beat in NASCAR's longest race.
Busch has led 179 of the first 200 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch is looking to win his first career Cup points races at the track.
The hottest racer in the series, Kevin Harvick, is out of the race. He had won five Cup races this season, but he headed for the garage after hitting the wall on Lap 83.
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7:50 p.m.
Denny Hamlin clipped Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevy during the second stage of the Coca-Cola 600, causing the seven-time Cup Series champion to spin out. Joey Logano was caught up in the wreck when he ran into Johnson's car, bringing out the caution.
However, the damage wasn't significant to either car and both have returned to action and remain on the lead lap. Both are now running in the back of the pack, with Johnson 24th and Logano 29th.
Kyle Busch continues to dominate after winning the first stage of NASCAR's longest race.
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7:25 p.m.
Kyle Busch has won the first stage of the Coca-Cola 600 in dominating fashion.
Busch, driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, led 92 of 100 laps.
Ryan Blaney was second after the first stage, followed by Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.
Kevin Harvick, who has won five NASCAR Cup races and the All-Star Race last week, took his No. 4 Ford into the garage after hitting the wall on the 83rd lap.
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7:10 p.m.
Kevin Harvick, who has won five NASCAR Cup races and the All-Star Race last week, has hit the wall on the 83rd lap of the Coca-Cola 600.
Something went wrong up front and Harvick's car hit the outside wall. He has taken the No. 4 Ford behind the wall, ending his shot at a third straight points-race win.
It has been a tough weekend for Harvick, who started the race in 39th after failing to pass inspection before qualifying.
Harvick had worked his way all the way up to fourth place before the wreck.
Defending champion Austin Dillon also had to take his No. 3 Chevrolet behind the wall after it began smoking during a pit stop.
Kyle Busch has led 60 of the first 64 laps.
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6:25 p.m.
The Coca-Cola 600 is under way at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
There is a small chance of rain and it's a warm night, which could be draining on the drivers in NASCAR's longest race.
Team owner Roger Penske is going for a sweep of the American-based races after Will Power won the Indianapolis 500 earlier Sunday. Penske's cars started in great position - Joey Logano was second, Brad Keselowski fifth and Ryan Blaney eighth.
Kyle Busch started from the front of the field, while five-time Cup points winner Kevin Harvick was 39th after failing inspection three times, preventing him from participating in qualifying. Defending champion Austin Dillon was in the 12th spot in the black No. 3 Chevy that Dale Earnhardt made famous.
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3:25 p.m.
Will Power has won the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, giving the 37-year-old Australian his biggest victory on IndyCar's grandest stage.
Power took the lead with four laps to go when Oriol Servia and Jack Harvey had to pit for fuel. Power then held off pole-setter Ed Carpenter over the final few laps for the victory.
It gave team owner Roger Penske a 17th win in the Indy 500 and it was Power's second straight victory this season. He won the road-course event at Indy earlier this month.
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2:35 p.m.
A crash has ended Helio Castroneves' bid for a fourth Indianapolis 500 victory.
Castroneves was running fourth on a restart with just over 50 laps to go. He spun into the outside wall on Turn 4, then hit the inside wall before coming to rest on pit road.
He quickly got out of the car, his anger evident, before marching down pit road.
Castroneves is racing sports cars for team owner Roger Penske, but was given the chance to join the exclusive four-time winners club at the Indy 500. Now, he'll have to lobby Penske for another opportunity.
After the restart, Sage Karam hit the wall to knock him from the race. He had been running seventh, and radioed to his crew, ''I really don't know what happened, man.''
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2:25 p.m.
Sebastien Bourdais has crashed out of the Indy 500, a year after a horrific wreck during qualifying left the Dale Coyne Racing driver with a fractured pelvis and other major injuries.
Bourdais said this week that he thought his Honda-powered car was good enough to run with all the Chevrolets up front. He was strong in the early part of the race, too, before what appeared to be a tire puncture sent him sliding across the track and backward into the outside wall.
Will Power and Ed Carpenter have been the class of the field as the race approaches 50 laps to go, while Simon Pagenaud and rookie Zachary Claman De Melo have also been up front.
Danica Patrick, defending race champion Takuma Sato and Ed Jones also crashed out.
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2:20 p.m.
The temperature has hit 93 degrees at the Indianapolis 500, and that is causing serious concern for medical officials at the infield care center.
Dozens if not hundreds of fans have been treated for heat-related illnesses already. About a dozen ambulances have been cycling through, golf carts are depositing fans at the facility, and there are even stretchers being used to carry people seeking help.
There is little shade around the racetrack, especially in the stands. And with no breeze and plenty of sun, the heat index has been hovering around the triple digits.
It was 89 when the green flag was dropped, making it one of the hottest races in history. The official record of 92 was set during the 1937 race.
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1:45 p.m.
Tony Kanaan has set a record by leading his 14th Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with his boss, A.J. Foyt.
Kanaan has been running up front all day after starting inside Row 4. As usual, the crowd roared when the popular Brazilian and 2013 race winner moved to the front of the pack.
Meanwhile, Ed Jones has been transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his hard wreck earlier in the race. Jones was complaining of head and neck pain.
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1:25 p.m.
Danica Patrick's racing career has ended with a crash in Turn 2 of the Indianapolis 500.
Patrick lost control of the car and hit hard in the outside wall, sliding back down across the track and into the inside barrier.
The rest of the field managed to miss Patrick as she came to rest on the grass. Despite the hard hit, Patrick managed to climb out of the car on her own.
Patrick announced months ago that she would retire after the Indy 500, the second half of the ''Danica Double.'' She also raced the Daytona 500.
Patrick says crashing out was hardly the way she wanted to finish her racing career, but she's ''grateful for all of it.''
Asked whether she was emotional because of Indianapolis, where she became a star, or because it was the end of her career, she replied: ''Yeah, it's an entire career, but what really launched it was this. It is both of them. I've had some good fortune here and did still have some this month. It just didn't come on race day.''
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1:20 p.m.
Defending champion Takuma Sato is out of the Indianapolis 500.
Sato ran into the back of James Davison, who was well off the pace, and the two collided in Turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the day.
Davison had been off the pace earlier in the race, and he was clearly slower than the rest of the field as they tried to zip by him. Sato was unable to dodge him on Lap 47, but the rest of the cars were able to avoid their debris.
Sato held off Helio Castroneves to become the first Japanese winner a year ago.
A short time later, Ed Jones brought out the second caution flag of the race after hitting the wall coming out of Turn 2.
Jones finished third as a rookie a year ago, which means two of the podium finishers were out of the race by Lap 58.
Takuma Sato, the defending champ, crashed into James Davison earlier in the race.
Helio Castroneves finished second a year ago.
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12:23 p.m.
The Indianapolis 500 is underway with Ed Carpenter leading the field to the green flag for the 102nd edition of the storied race.
Danica Patrick is back for her final race, while Helio Castroneves is once again trying for his record-tying fourth victory.
Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem and Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo was in the pace car. Actor Chris Hemsworth waved the green flag and Olympic medal-winning skier Nick Goepper of Indiana was the grand marshal.
The temperature was approaching 90 degrees when the green flag dropped. If it climbs three more degrees, it would surpass the record of 92 set during the 1937 race.
It is the final race on ABC before the broadcast moves to NBC next year.
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12:05 p.m.
It is the end of an era at the Indianapolis 500: ABC is bringing its coverage of the race to a close after 54 years.
The Indy 500 will be carried next year by NBC, the first time it will air on any other network, as part of a sweeping new multimedia rights package.
The ABC era began in 1965 with black-and-white, tape-delayed packages on the Wide World of Sports, and ushered in color a couple years later. The broadcasts helped elevate the careers of icons like Jim McKay and Keith Jackson, and produced innovations that are still a staple in motorsports to this day: in-car cameras, high-definition TV and second-screen experiences.
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11:45 a.m.
They still love Danica Patrick at the Indianapolis 500.
Patrick received a massive ovation when she was introduced prior to her first Indy 500 since 2011, and the last race of her career.
Patrick shot to the public's attention her rookie year of 2005, when she started and finished fourth for Rahal Letterman Racing. She finished a career-best third in 2009 for Andretti Green Racing, then left for NASCAR a few years later.
She announced that she would do the ''Danica Double'' before retiring this year, beginning with the Daytona 500 and ending with the Indy 500.
She has a strong car, too. She starts from seventh for Ed Carpenter Racing.
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11:10 a.m.
James Hinchcliffe says it's ''weird'' being at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and not sitting in a car, but he plans to help his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates as much as possible during the Indianapolis 500.
Hinchcliffe sat on the pole two years ago and was in the thick of the IndyCar title hunt. He was bumped from the field during qualifying last weekend along with Pippa Mann.
So, the popular Canadian driver was wearing a short-sleeve shirt rather than a firesuit Sunday.
Said Hinchcliffe: ''Today is going to be tough, no doubt about it, but I'm really proud of this team, really proud of my teammates. I'm going to cheer them on the best I can, but I know it's going to be tough.''
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5 p.m.
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia has won the Monaco Grand Prix, the crown jewel race on the Formula One schedule.
It's the second win of the season for the Red Bull driver, who also won the Chinese Grand Prix. It's his seventh career victory.
Ricciardo led throughout from the pole position.
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished second and Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton was third.
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10:40 a.m.
There's no shortage of star power on the red carpet at the Indianapolis 500, where Kelly Clarkson is poised to sing the national anthem and Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo will drive the pace car.
Actor Chris Hemsworth will wave the green flag for the 102nd running, shortly after two-time Olympic medal-winning skier and Indiana native Nick Goepper concludes his duties as grand marshal.
Also spotted at the track have been comedian Adam Carolla, Miss America Cara Mund, and Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Ben Higgins from various seasons of ''The Bachelor'' and ''The Bachelorette.''
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10:30 a.m.
Racing innovator and world-class driver Dan Gurney has been honored with a tribute lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Gurney, the first driver with victories in Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR Cup series, died in January from complications of pneumonia. He was 86.
Gurney earned fame for winning the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix in the Eagle-Weslake, a car he created. He was a master engineer who found new ways to make cars faster and safer. He developed the Gurney flap, the Gurney bubble and was one of the first to wear a full-face helmet with a protective visor.
Gurney's also widely credited with starting the tradition of spraying champagne from the podium at that race.
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4:25 p.m.
Fernando Alonso's Monaco Grand Prix is over.
The two-time Formula One champion pulled his McLaren onto the side of the track after 53 of 78 laps when he was pushing hard for a top-eight finish.
He immediately informed his team over radio it was a gearbox problem.
The Spanish driver skipped the race last year to take part in the Indianapolis 500.
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4: 05 p.m.
Daniel Ricciardo is struggling to hold onto the lead halfway through the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver has the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel right behind him after 39 of the 78 laps.
Ricciardo's Red Bull team urged him to ''stay focused'' but Vettel is waiting for the right moment to pounce. His team kept him informed of Ricciardo's worsening situation.
Two years ago, Ricciardo also took pole position here and missed out on victory after his team botched a pit stop.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton remains in third place but has complained of his tires degrading.
Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari is fourth but losing ground on Hamilton.
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3:40 p.m.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton made an audacious move, pitting for softer and faster tires after just 12 laps at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver came out in sixth place, behind Force India driver Esteban Ocon. But Hamilton quickly passed the Frenchman to move into fifth behind teammate Valtteri Bottas.
The move prompted a flurry of tire changes as the top five drivers came in. By the 20th lap Ricciardo was back in front of Vettel, Hamilton and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
Those were the top four positions in qualifying.
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3:20 p.m.
The Monaco Grand Prix is underway, kicking off the biggest day in motorsports.
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo has made a clean start from the pole position. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was in second place after holding off Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes heading into the first turn.
Starting from last place after a crash ruled him out of qualifying, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen quickly jumped up six places to 14th after just eight laps.
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1:40 p.m.
After days of unbroken sunshine, the weather is cloudy and somewhat windy before the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Still, it takes more to deter the Champagne-swilling fans waiting for F1's most glamorous race to start. They are perched on apartment balconies overlooking the track or watching from yachts as the loud music reverberates around the famed harbor.
Sebastian Vettel won last year and the Ferrari driver needs another good performance to claw back his 17-point deficit to championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver has won the past two races of the season, but has his work cut out seeing as Monaco's tight 3.4-kilometer (2.1-mile) course is the hardest to overtake on in F1.
Hamilton starts from third on the grid, while Vettel goes from second place and Daniel Ricciardo is on pole position, just like in 2016.
Max Verstappen - Ricciardo's Red Bull teammate - is last on the grid after crashing before Saturday's qualifying. He will look to carve his way through the field with his trademark aggressive driving.
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One of the busiest days in motorsports has arrived.
The Formula One series kicks things off with the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, the jewel in the F1 calendar. After a difficult start to his title defense, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the past two races and leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 17 points.
Hamilton starts from third place on the grid behind Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel. Ricciardo took the pole position.
The 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 sees the career finale of Danica Patrick at the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar. She has stolen the spotlight for ''The Great American Race'' - but Helio Castroneves is chasing a record-tying fourth victory in the twilight of his IndyCar career.
NASCAR wraps things up Sunday night with one of its biggest races of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Kyle Busch is on the pole. He has won a Cup points race at every track on the NASCAR circuit except Charlotte. Kevin Harvick has won the last three Cup races.
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