Auto racing’s greatest single day: A preview

Auto racing’s greatest single day: A preview



(NewsNation) — Set the alarm, brew some coffee, fire up the grill, and get ready for one of the best—and certainly longest—days in auto racing.

The formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 And NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 will fill most of the day and part of the night for millions of fans on Sunday.

Here is a brief overview of the three races:

Monaco

One of the smallest countries in the world hosts one of the most famous races in the world, where Formula 1 racing cars race through the narrow, winding streets of the Principality of Monaco. No matter how little you care about car racing, the spectacle of the race and the super-rich racing fans is not to be missed.

The race has been held almost every year since Formula 1 was founded in 1950. The drivers complete 78 laps on the three-kilometer-long track, a total length of 260 kilometers.

Max Verstappen has won two of the last three Monaco races, including last year. He also leads the race for the F1 drivers' championship. On Saturday, Charles LeClerc won pole position.

The green flag will drop at 7:30 a.m. ET. ABC reports.

India

A total of 33 vehicles will start at the 108.th Edition of the “greatest spectacle in racing,” as the Indianapolis 500 has called itself for decades.

Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske has pole position. Last year's winner Josef Newgarden starts from third place.

Weather could play a role on Sunday, as meteorologists are monitoring two possible storm systems moving through the Midwest.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has sold about 345,000 tickets, but that's still about 5,000 shy of selling out. And that means the race in central Indiana won't be televised. The sold-out 2016 race was the only time since 1950 that the race wasn't televised locally without spectators.

The race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET on NBC, but inclement weather could push the race back to Monday for the first time since 1977.

Charlotte

NASCAR hosts a number of 500-mile races, most notably the Daytona 500. But the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the longest race in the sport, and those extra 100 miles have tested many a driver's stamina and many a car's engine.

And no driver has a better excuse to be tired than Kyle Larson. He's doing what no one has done in a decade: driving the Indy 500 and then the Coca-Cola 600, covering a total of 1,770 kilometers.

A handful of drivers have done it, the last being Kurt Busch in 2014. In 2001, Tony Stewart had good days at both venues, finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.

Ryan Blaney led 163 of the race's 400 laps on his way to victory last year. Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner and NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, took the pole in Saturday's qualifying session.

As in Indianapolis, the race in Charlotte will honor American soldiers and servicewomen.

The green flag for the race will be raised at 6:22 p.m. ET and televised on Fox. The weather is promising, with partly cloudy skies and highs of 80 degrees for Charlotte on Sunday.



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