This Week in Action Motorsports: June 17-19, 2022
Image via NHRA Media
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.
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (Sunday, 3PM ET, FOX)
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series makes its first network television appearance of the year on Sunday, heading to Bristol Dragway for the Thunder Valley Nationals. The ninth event of the 2022 campaign kicks off the second half of the regular season at a fan-favorite track, which moves up from its spot in the playoffs last year.
As far as this weekend’s favorites go, a few names stand out. New England Nationals Top Fuel winner Mike Salinas is the two-time defending winner at Bristol, while fellow New England winners Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also lead their respective class standings. Alexis DeJoria is the defending Funny Car winner, while Angelle Sampey will look for her first Pro Stock Motorcycle win of the season in hopes of defending last year’s victory.
Pro Motocross High Point National (Saturday, 1PM ET, MAVTV)
Through the first few rounds of the 50th anniversary season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, it’s been all Honda HRC across both classes. Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen have established themselves as the 450 riders to beat, while Jett Lawrence’s 250 winning streak to start the year has withstood both individual moto losses and even riding through illness earlier in the season.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson and multi-time outdoor champion Eli Tomac of Monster Energy Star Yamaha will continue to try and make up ground in the 450 standings at High Point, having qualified first and second for the action. Without Dylan Ferrandis and Adam Cianciarulo, last year’s 1-2 finishers at High Point, on the starting line for this year’s National, anything can happen once the gates are dropped.
Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix (Sunday, 1:55PM ET, ABC)
As Formula 1 makes its long-awaited return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Red Bull—and particularly lead driver Max Verstappen—appear to be firmly in control of the season. He and teammate Sergio Perez are now first and second in points after Ferrari’s double retirement in Azerbaijan last weekend fully erased any remaining advantage that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had built from their first start.
The Canadian Grand Prix has long been Mercedes territory, with Lewis Hamilton taking four of the past five runnings from 2015 to 2019, but the team’s 2022 struggles have been well documented. Hamilton himself has complained of the toll on his body from the car’s “porpoising” issues, and sits a distant sixth in the championship after failing to score a podium since the season opener in Bahrain.
Nitro Rallycross at Lydden Hill (Sunday, 7:30AM ET, Peacock)
For our full Nitro Rallycross season preview, click here.
SRX at Five Flags (Saturday, 8PM ET, CBS)
For our full SRX season preview, click here.