This Week In Action Motorsports: April 8-10, 2022
Image via Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Gear up for events from the biggest series in action motorsports with our weekend preview of the most exciting races in the world! From the premier open-wheel circuits in the world to both two and four-wheel events in the dirt, check in here each week to find out who’s running up front and how to watch.
IndyCar at Long Beach (Sunday, 3:30PM ET, NBC)
After two rounds of his second full NTT IndyCar Series season, Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin is the most likely candidate to replicate Alex Palou’s sophomore success in 2022. Much like his Chip Ganassi Racing counterpart, McLaughlin kicked off year number two as an IndyCar full-timer with his first career victory in the opener, and he even backed it up last time out with a near-win at Texas Motor Speedway, only to lose to teammate Josef Newgarden in the final seconds.
But Long Beach is Andretti Autosport territory, dating back to Michael Andretti’s first career IndyCar win in 1986 (and his last in 2002). Alexander Rossi went back-to-back here in 2018 and 2019, while Colton Herta was the big winner last September after leading more than half of the race from 14th on the grid. Now back on its traditional race weekend, can Herta give Andretti its first podium of the season, or will the early season Penske/Ganassi domination overcome recent race trends?
Supercross at St. Louis (Saturday, 8PM ET, CNBC)
After its lone off week of the season, Monster Energy Supercross heads to St. Louis for the 13th of 17 rounds on the season and the final Triple Crown event of the year. With the 450SX title hunt firmly in Monster Energy Star Yamaha rider Eli Tomac’s control, the biggest drama will come down to the three-way battle between Jason Anderson, Justin Barcia, and Malcolm Stewart for second in points. Meanwhile, defending champion Cooper Webb will miss the event after a practice crash.
The 250SX East class, meanwhile, remains hotly contested between Jett Lawrence and Cameron McAdoo at the pointy end of the field. Lawrence’s advantage is currently 11 points, but the Triple Crown can put additional stress and pressure on even the fastest riders, meaning that there may be no better opportunity for McAdoo to chisel away at the gap.
Formula 1 at Australia (Sunday, 12:55AM ET, ESPN)
The third round of the 2022 Formula 1 season sees the series make its long-awaited return to the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, where drivers and teams were situated two years ago as COVID-19 protocols were initiated and lockdowns began. The always-popular Australian Grand Prix will see some slight modifications to various corners for the first time this weekend, with wider and more sweeping turns throughout the circuit likely to dramatically lower lap times.
The first two rounds of the season have seen Ferrari lay down the gauntlet with a perfect four podiums in four races, giving them a 40-point constructor’s advantage over a more vulnerable Mercedes and 41 points on the Bahrain-snakebit Red Bull. Expect the latter to be the greater challenger in the early part of this season, as Max Verstappen could very well have won both of the season’s initial races if not for the fuel system issues that affected both him and teammate Sergio Perez in the opener. As it stands, though, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a 45-33 lead over his teammate, Carlos Sainz.
Additional Broadcasts
· Formula E Series Preview Show: Friday, 7PM ET/Saturday, 4:30AM and 7:30AM ET, CBSSN
· Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Practice 3: Friday, 10:55PM ET, ESPN2
· Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying: Saturday, 1:55AM ET, ESPN2
· Formula E Rome ePrix 1: Saturday, 8:30AM ET, CBSSN
· IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach: Saturday, 5PM ET, USA
· Trans-Am Series at Road Atlanta: Sunday, 6AM ET, CBSSN
· MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas: Sunday, 1:30PM ET, NBC
· Formula E Rome ePrix 2: Sunday, 3:30PM ET, CBSSN