Stock cars race through a turn at dusk. Photo: Casey Calhoun / Unsplash
Thursday, Oct. 15: No Formula 1, IndyCar, MotoGP, WRC or NASCAR car turns a competitive lap today. The news is off the track, and the next on-track action starts early Friday. Every time below is Eastern (EDT); where a series publishes local time, we converted it.
Confirmed overnight and Wednesday news
Red Bull keeps its team principal through 2031. Oracle Red Bull Racing announced on Wednesday that Laurent Mekies has extended his contract as CEO and Team Principal through 2031. The team framed it as continuity after recent renewals for Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, plus 2027 personnel signings. In a sport where principals get reshuffled every few seasons, five more years is a statement about how Red Bull wants to run its Ford-powered future.
F1 is going back to Africa. Formula 1 and the FIA confirmed a 10-year deal on Tuesday for an African Grand Prix at a new purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, about 40 km south of Kigali. No inaugural date has been set; the target is the early 2030s once the track exists. We broke down why Rwanda still needs a racetrack, and the V8 angle is worth a read.
MotoGP’s title fight is down to two points. After Bezzecchi won in Mandalika, Jorge Martin returned to the top of the standings with Marc Marquez just two points behind, per MotoGP.com. Moto3 is already settled: Quiles clinched the title five rounds early. Aleix Espargaro left the Indonesian weekend while covering for the injured Joan Mir, and Aldeguer had successful right-hand surgery on Wednesday.
Today’s sessions and races
- Formula 1: Nothing on track. The US Grand Prix at COTA starts next Friday.
- IndyCar: The season is over. Álex Palou clinched a fifth title and Honda took the Manufacturers’ Cup before the Laguna Seca finale on Sept. 6. The paddock story is the 2028 engine: Ford is looking at IndyCar.
- NASCAR: No on-track activity today. Phoenix opens Friday (see below).
- MotoGP: Off week. The series heads to Phillip Island on Oct. 25.
- Endurance: WEC cars are not on track until Friday morning in Barcelona.
- Rally: No WRC event. Rally Italia Sardegna (Oct. 1–4) is done and the season ends with Rally Saudi Arabia, Nov. 11–14, per the official WRC calendar.
Next 72 hours: start times in ET
NASCAR at Phoenix (Oct. 16–18, official entry list). The Truck Series Chase race comes first, with 36 trucks entered, Kaden Honeycutt leading Layne Riggs by 17 points.
- Friday: Truck qualifying 4:35 PM; Zero Carbon Bioethanol 150 at 7:30 PM on FS2.
- Saturday: Cup qualifying 5:35 PM (impound); O’Reilly Series Timberland PRO 200 at 7:30 PM on The CW.
- Sunday: Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500 at 3:00 PM on USA Network. Our Phoenix preview covers the Chase math.
WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona (Oct. 16–18, official timetable, converted from CEST). Toyota can clinch the manufacturers’ title with a 22-point swing over BMW, and Sébastien Buemi will start his 100th WEC race. Read what has to go right for Toyota.
- Friday: FP1 5:30 AM, FP2 10:30 AM.
- Saturday: Hypercar qualifying 9:40 AM, Hyperpole 10:00 AM.
- Sunday: six-hour race at 6:00 AM.
Formula 1 US Grand Prix (Oct. 23–25, COTA, official schedule, converted from CDT): FP1 Friday 1:30 PM, qualifying Saturday 5:00 PM, race Sunday 4:00 PM. Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 102 points (340 to 238) in the official standings.
Driver and team developments
- WEC: Alex Quinn replaces Stöffel Vandoorne in Peugeot’s No. 93, and Alex Lynn returns to Cadillac’s No. 12 after neck surgery, per the series’ preview.
- NASCAR: Michael Jordan’s team is a different story ten months after the antitrust settlement; here is where 23XI stands.
- Formula E: Opel will run its own team, which Stellantis has never done this way.
The one storyline that matters
Toyota’s Barcelona title shot. Nobody has race data at this track, so Friday’s practice sessions (5:30 and 10:30 AM ET) decide who understands the tires first. If Toyota beats BMW by 22 points or more, the manufacturers’ championship is over with Monza still to run.
Related reading on Backfire Racing
- NASCAR is trying to put pitch back in the Next Gen
- Leclerc’s black Singapore suit and the SF-26
- Today in Motorsport History: Rossi’s 2003 MotoGP title
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