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Motorsports Weekend Preview: NASCAR Chase Begins, F1 Invades Monza and IndyCar Reaches Its Finale

Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship, NHRA and World Superbike headline a crowded racing weekend across the United States and Europe.

By Michael Patrick Day | September 4, 2026

The first weekend of September brings one of the most consequential motorsports slates of the year, with championships beginning, ending and potentially being clinched across several major racing series.

NASCAR will launch its revamped 10-race Chase with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. IndyCar will close its season at Laguna Seca, where the series championship has already been decided but four drivers remain locked in a tight fight for second. Formula 1 arrives at Monza with an Italian leading the world championship—but starting at the rear of the field.

The FIA World Endurance Championship will bring its increasingly close Hypercar title race to Texas, the NHRA will crown winners at its prestigious U.S. Nationals and World Superbike could celebrate its first major champion of the season.

Here is a look at the biggest motorsports news of the week and the races to watch from September 4 through Labor Day.

NASCAR’s New Chase Opens at Darlington

The NASCAR Cup Series postseason begins Sunday with one of the sport’s most demanding races: the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Denny Hamlin will enter the 10-race Chase as the No. 1 seed after clinching the regular-season points championship. Hamlin begins the postseason with 2,100 points, giving him a 25-point advantage over the second seed under NASCAR’s new championship structure. 

The revised format eliminates the rounds and eliminations used in recent seasons. All 16 Chase drivers will remain in the title race throughout the 10-event postseason, with the driver holding the most points after the finale winning the championship. Race victories are now worth 55 points—20 more than a second-place finish—placing a larger premium on winning. 

Ryan Preece claimed the final Chase berth in dramatic fashion last Saturday, winning his first career Cup points race at Daytona after entering the regular-season finale 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen. Preece survived early damage and used a late fuel strategy to finish 17 points ahead of van Gisbergen for the final postseason position. 

Sunday’s race also brings several compelling Darlington storylines. Chase Briscoe is attempting to become the first driver since Jeff Gordon in the 1990s to win three consecutive Southern 500s. Kyle Larson, the 2023 winner, arrives with a surprising 50-race winless streak, while Tyler Reddick returns to the track where he won the spring Cup race. 

Thirty-eight cars are entered for the postseason opener. The Southern 500 begins Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, with coverage on USA Network, HBO Max, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

John Hunter Nemechek Facing Uncertain NASCAR Future

Away from the track, Legacy Motor Club announced that John Hunter Nemechek will not return to the No. 42 Toyota in 2027.

Nemechek has recorded one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes through the first 26 races of the 2026 season. Legacy has not named his replacement, leaving another significant seat open as NASCAR’s annual driver market begins to accelerate. 

Formula 1 Arrives at Monza With Antonelli Facing a Comeback Drive

Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix presents a story that almost sounds scripted: Italian driver Kimi Antonelli will race at Monza as the world championship leader—but will start from the back because of a planned power-unit change.

Antonelli entered the weekend with six victories and a 59-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell after 12 rounds. The 20-year-old is the first Italian driver in 73 years to arrive at his home Grand Prix leading the Formula 1 championship. 

His penalty could transform Sunday’s race into a strategic recovery drive through the field. It may also allow Mercedes to use Antonelli to provide Russell with an aerodynamic tow during qualifying on Monza’s long straights.

Mercedes and Ferrari emerged as the early favorites during Friday practice. Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two with Lewis Hamilton in the first session before Russell recorded the fastest lap of the day in the second. Russell’s time of 1:22.559 placed him 0.120 seconds ahead of Leclerc, with Antonelli third. 

McLaren was less satisfied. Lando Norris finished Friday fourth-fastest and said the team was struggling in corners where it had expected to perform well. Norris enters qualifying looking for a third consecutive victory after wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. 

Ferrari is commemorating the 30th anniversary of Michael Schumacher’s first Monza victory and has brought an updated power unit for its home race. Lewis Hamilton has five Italian Grand Prix victories and a record seven poles at Monza, giving Ferrari another credible opportunity to challenge Mercedes. 

Red Bull will again be without the injured Isack Hadjar, who is recovering from a wrist injury. Liam Lawson will continue alongside Max Verstappen, while Yuki Tsunoda substitutes at Racing Bulls. 

The 53-lap Italian Grand Prix begins Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

Questions Grow Around Fernando Alonso’s Formula 1 Future

Fernando Alonso also generated headlines at Monza by raising new questions about his future in Formula 1.

The 45-year-old Aston Martin driver does not have a confirmed contract for 2027 and said his decision will depend heavily on his feelings about the sport’s regulations and overall direction. Alonso scored his first points of the season with a ninth-place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix following an improvement from Aston Martin and Honda. 

Alonso’s comments make the coming months significant for both driver and team. Aston Martin must decide whether to retain one of the most accomplished drivers in Formula 1 history or begin building around a new lineup.

IndyCar Ends Its Season at Laguna Seca

Alex Palou has already secured his fifth IndyCar championship, but the final race of the season still carries major implications for the rest of the field.

Palou enters Sunday’s Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey with 607 points, exactly 100 ahead of Christian Lundgaard. Kyle Kirkwood sits two points behind Lundgaard, Pato O’Ward is another two points back and David Malukas remains within reach at 484. 

That leaves Lundgaard, Kirkwood and O’Ward separated by only four points in the battle for runner-up honors.

Palou will nevertheless remain the driver to beat. The Chip Ganassi Racing star has won the past two IndyCar races held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, a technical 11-turn road course famous for its dramatic elevation changes and the Corkscrew.

O’Ward enters the finale with momentum after sweeping last weekend’s Milwaukee doubleheader. Palou clinched his championship during that weekend, earning his fourth consecutive title and fifth in six seasons. 

The Indy NXT championship will also be decided through a two-race finale. Nikita Johnson leads Enzo Fittipaldi by three points, while Tymek Kucharczyk remains 29 points behind with 108 points available. 

The IndyCar finale begins Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox and Fox One. 

Toyota and BMW Bring Tight WEC Championship Fight to Texas

The FIA World Endurance Championship returns to the United States for Sunday’s six-hour Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas.

Toyota leads BMW by only five points in the Hypercar manufacturers’ championship, 132-127. Ferrari sits third with 88 points, followed by Cadillac with 60. In the drivers’ standings, BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns are level with Toyota drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries. 

Toyota built its advantage by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the sixth time in June, but BMW responded with a victory in São Paulo. Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor drove the No. 15 BMW to that win, cutting Toyota’s lead from 36 points to five.

Cadillac will attempt to earn its first COTA victory in front of an American crowd. The manufacturer took pole and finished third in Brazil and has added Ricky Taylor to its lineup for a one-off appearance in Austin. Ferrari won the Texas race in 2024, while Porsche took the victory in 2025. 

The six-hour race begins Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, with live coverage available through FIA WEC+.

NHRA U.S. Nationals Brings Drag Racing’s Biggest Names to Indianapolis

The NHRA is celebrating its 75th anniversary at the 72nd U.S. Nationals, traditionally known as “The Big Go,” at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The event will conclude the NHRA regular season, crown regular-season champions and establish the fields for the Countdown to the Championship. Doug Kalitta leads Top Fuel, Matt Hagan leads Funny Car, Greg Anderson tops Pro Stock and Richard Gadson heads the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings entering Indianapolis. 

This year’s field includes 45 Top Fuel and Funny Car entries, the largest collection of nitro cars at the U.S. Nationals in nearly 15 years. The Top Fuel lineup includes Kalitta, defending Indianapolis winner Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon, rookie Maddi Gordon, Leah Pruett and 10-time U.S. Nationals winner Tony Schumacher. 

Qualifying continues throughout the weekend before professional eliminations begin Monday at 10 a.m. local time. 

World Superbike Championship Could Be Decided in France

Nicolo Bulega has an opportunity to clinch the World Superbike championship at Magny-Cours, although he will need an almost perfect weekend.

Bulega holds a 133-point lead over Aruba.it Racing Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona. To secure the title in France, Bulega must leave Sunday’s second race with an advantage of at least 186 points, meaning he needs to outscore Lecuona by 53 points during the weekend. Lecuona can guarantee that the championship continues to Cremona by scoring at least 10 points. 

The French round includes Race 1 on Saturday followed by the Superpole Race and Race 2 on Sunday.

MotoGP and WRC Prepare for Next Week

Both are idle this weekend, but each series returns from September 11–13.

MotoGP will travel to Misano for the San Marino Grand Prix after completing its Aragón round last weekend. 

The WRC will contest Rally Chile Bio Bío from September 10–13. The rally’s fast but frequently foggy forest roads place an enormous premium on accurate pace notes and driver confidence. It will be the fifth WRC edition of the Chilean event. 

A Championship Weekend From Monza to Monterey

Few racing weekends offer this much variety or this many genuine championship consequences.

Formula 1 has a home-country championship leader trying to charge from the rear at Monza. NASCAR is launching a completely revised Chase at one of its most unforgiving tracks. IndyCar is closing another dominant Alex Palou season while three drivers battle for second. WEC’s Toyota-BMW contest is separated by five points, NHRA is staging its most prestigious race and World Superbike could crown a champion.

From the opening laps in Italy to Monday’s final eliminations in Indianapolis, the motorsports world will spend the weekend shifting between championship celebration and championship pressure.

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