Danica Patrick Takes Her Last Laps at the Indy 500
The roar of the engines. The exhaust fumes. So many left turns.
You’ve got to love the sights, sounds and smells of Memorial Day weekend when you’re a race fan. The biggest day in motorsports is Sunday, May 27, with prestigious races in Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR making for a monster marathon of racing on TV. Here’s a preview of the day’s action:
F1 Monaco Grand Prix
TV: Live on ESPN at 9:05a/8:05c, same-day encore on ABC at 3:30/2:30c
Track: Circuit de Monaco, 19-turn, 2.074-mile street course
Number of Laps: 78
2017 Winner: Sebastian Vettel
Formula One’s most prestigious and picturesque race returns to the streets of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix as stars Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton continue their rivalry.
102nd Indianapolis 500
TV: ABC at noon/11c
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile rectangular oval
Number of Laps: 200
2017 Winner: Takuma Sato
The Verizon IndyCar Series’ 102nd Indianapolis 500 takes place at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Top drivers Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Sebastien Bourdais and 2017 Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato take on the Brickyard’s 2.5-mile rectangular oval. Ed Carpenter starts the race at the pole position. Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick calls it a career after racing the No. 13 GoDaddy Chevy for Ed Carpenter Racing at the Indy 500. It’s also the last Indy 500 broadcast for ABC, which will air the race for the 54th straight year and then hand off IndyCar broadcast rights to NBC beginning in 2019.
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600
TV: FOX at 6/5c
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile quad oval
Number of Laps: 400
2017 Winner: Austin Dillon
The big day of auto racing wraps up with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. At 600 miles, it’s the longest race of the season, and the change from daytime to nighttime during the race can present unique challenges to drivers and crews as air temperatures cool down.
