2023 Motorsports Recap: The Year in Formula 1, NASCAR, and IndyCar
How Championships Were Won in Motorsports This Year
The world of motorsports enjoyed an interesting year in 2023. Championships in Formula 1, NASCAR, and IndyCar included exciting racing and, for at least two titles, down-to-the-wire competition. It certainly was a noteworthy year for all three racing categories and worth a 2023 motorsports recap.
2023 Motorsports Recap: F1’s Year of Verstappen
The second year of Formula 1’s new regulations offered less competition thanks to one of the most dominant seasons in the sport’s history. Red Bull Racing and world champion driver Max Verstappen were on top from the get-go and showed great speed in testing. That speed translated to race trim immediately as Verstappen won the 2023 F1 schedule opener in Bahrain.
The performance gap from Red Bull to everyone else on the grid made the Formula 1 odds predictable all season. Verstappen was the heavy favorite for victory every week and typically the favorite for pole position in qualifying as well.
He won a record 19 races in 22 events, finishing off the podium just once all year. Verstappen clinched his third world title at the Qatar Grand Prix with five events remaining on the calendar. Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win in 2023 with a victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Red Bull held a massive lead in the F1 standings throughout the year and easily took a second consecutive F1 constructors’ championship. Despite early season struggles, McLaren rebounded to be their toughest competition around the mid-season mark, as were Ferrari at some circuits. Despite this, Mercedes finished second in the team standings thanks to better consistency throughout the year.
A truly record breaking year for Max Verstappen 🔢🔝
Which statistic has you most impressed? pic.twitter.com/VjCYwYQKH4
— Autosport (@autosport) December 19, 2023
2023 Motorsports Recap: First Cup Series Title for Blaney
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship was wide open in 2023. Regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. won just three races before the playoffs and instead relied on consistency to keep to the top of the NASCAR standings. William Byron won the most races of the year (six) and made it to the final four thanks to some timely performances in the playoffs.
But it ended up being Ryan Blaney’s time to shine. After a decade of racing at NASCAR’s top level, the Hendrick Motorsports driver clinched the 2023 championship with an incredible playoff run. He won just one race in the regular season — the Coca-Cola 600 — to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Once he got in, a win at the Yellawood 500 in the Round of 12 started a run to the title.
A win in the Xfinity 500 in the penultimate race of the year sealed his spot in the championship four. He took home his first Cup Series title by one point over 2021 champion Kyle Larson and two points over Byron. Larson was plagued with bad luck all season and recovered well to nearly win but couldn’t get by Blaney in Phoenix. Blaney’s title gave Team Penske its second consecutive Cup Series championship.
YOUNG RYAN @BLANEY IS CHAMP RYAN BLANEY!
HE WINS THE TITLE IN 2023! pic.twitter.com/dSoCobRoFY
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 5, 2023
2023 Motorsports Recap: Palou makes it two titles in three years
It wasn’t quite as dominant as Verstappen’s 2023 but Álex Palou enjoyed a strong run to the IndyCar title. The Chip Ganassi driver notched top-eight finishes in each of the first four IndyCar races. That preceded one of the most dominant stretches in recent IndyCar history.
Palou won four out of five races from the GMR Grand Prix to the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The only race he didn’t win in that stretch — the Indy 500 — still saw him take pole, lead at least a lap, and finish fourth. Winner Josef Newgarden proved his only challenger for much of the season.
By the penultimate round in Portland, Palou’s lead grew as Newgarden faded. Palou’s teammate and seven-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon mounted a late-season charge to second in the standings. But Palou’s win at the Grand Prix of Portland secured his second title in three years.
It marked the first time an IndyCar championship was decided before the final race since 2007. Palou’s consistency was incredibly key; the Spaniard never finished outside of the top eight and won five races. Only Newgarden came close with four victories and Dixon was next-best with three.
“We like to enjoy. We like to race. We like to win. It was a very good year.”
Can @AlexPalou bring this same confidence to 2024? 👀👇https://t.co/WzTAkPzAdv
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) December 14, 2023
For motorsports betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
Can’t get enough? Here’s more!
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Betting Pick: Unexpected Finish to Uneven Season
- 2023 Xfinity Championship Odds: Nemechek favored to secure title
- Palou, Herta could battle in 2023 Firestone GP of Monterey finale
- 2023 Cup Series Championship Bets: Best choices for the season finale
- 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Odds: Verstappen favored in season finale
