Welcome to another edition of Hooniverse’s look ahead to the weekend in racing. There’s some stock cars and some motorcycles and a bit of open-wheel racing, but really this one’s all about Le Mans. Le Mans, Le Mans, Le Mans. Le Mans.
LeMons.
Le Mans.
Want more information on a series mentioned below? Click here for Hooniverse’s Massively Oversized Guide to Motorsports 2015, which will tell you all you need to know (and then some).

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWR0B8LvA3g[/youtube]

World Endurance Championship: 24 Hours of Le Mans

Here is is, the greatest of all endurance races. For people like me and Brad Brownell (See linked preview below), this full-day races marks the beginning and ending of calendar years, the biggest race of them all. And what a race this looks to be: In qualifying yesterday, Neel Jani smashed the current Le Mans circuit lap record in a Porsche 919 LMP1, but I wouldn’t expect the three Porsches to drive away from three very well-equipped Audis. Toyota doesn’t have the pace, but it would be foolish to count them out. As for Nissan’s much-hyped front-wheel-drive GT-R LM Nismo? It’s well off the pace, running with the LMP2 field in part because of trouble with the flywheel hybrid system, which the team have elected not to run.
That’s just the lead class, of course. Expect tooth-and-nail battles in the LMP2, GTE-Pro (with more factory entries from Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, and Aston Martin), and GTE-Am. If you’re rooting for Team America(s), keep tabs on the two Corvette Racing C7.Rs, the two Ligier-Honda LMP2s of Extreme Speed Motorsports, and the Riley Technologies Dodge Viper in GTE-Am class. If you were worried that FOX would somehow make TV coverage simple, you can relax because they’ve very obviously bounced it back and forth between FOX Sports channels and omitted portions from broadcast, although you can it flag to flag on FOX Sports GO if you have a cable subscription that includes FOX Sports.
Links: WEC site. 24H of Le Mans site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list/Spotter guide. Hooniverse preview.
Support races: Aston Martin Racing Le Mans Festival. Le Mans Legends, 1949-1968.
Coverage: Race starts Saturday @ 9 a.m. ET. You can watch it all with the WEC App (Costs is 10 Euro). All practice, qualifying, support races, and race will have free streaming audio online by Radio Le Mans. Befuddling U.S. TV schedule (all times Eastern):
8:30 a.m. to noon – FOX Sports 2
7 p.m. to 8 p.m. – FOX Sports 1
11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (Sunday) – FOX Sports 2
3:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. – FOX Sports 1
7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. – FOX Sports 2
9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – FOX Sports 1
Flag-to-flag coverage is also available on FOX Sports GO.
 
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y7GTjTABJs[/youtube]

IndyCar: Honda Indy Toronto

The IndyCar race at Toronto is, to me, the best street course the series visits. It’s just narrow enough to make passes tough but forgiving enough that there usually aren’t a whole lot of caution flags. I’ve obviously just jinxed it now. Sorry. The weekend sees the full complement of Mazda Road to Indy series and also thrusts the Canadian Touring Car Championship onto the big stage.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon cruised to a win at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend on a track that couldn’t possibly be more different from Toronto. Dixon—whose car will wear a Jurassic World livery this weekend—swept a two-race weekend at Toronto in 2013 so he, along with two-time race winner Will Power, remain the favorites. Both are currently chasing championship leader and Indy 500 winner Juan Montoya, so those are the three to keep your eye on, but I think Toronto could favor a road-course ace from a smaller team, someone like Graham Rahal or Sebastien Bourdais.
Links: IndyCar Site. GP of Toronto site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list with season points.
Support races: Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000, Canadian Touring Car Championship, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, Formula Off-Road.
Coverage: Sunday @ 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Live timing and streaming audio on IndyCar Race Control.
 
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6GbBgHV42U[/youtube]

MotoGP: Grand Prix of Catalunya

At the last round, Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo handily defeated his teammate Valentino Rossi at Rossi’s home round in Italy. That gives three straight wins for the Spanish rider as the series now conveniently heads to his home country (which is one of three MotoGP rounds in Spain this year). So will Rossi return the favor by defeating Lorenzo at his home race? This is made all the more intriguing by the fact that Rossi’s huge lead after three rounds has now been whittled down to just six over the Spaniard, who hasn’t won a world championship since 2007. Intrigue! Drama! And that’s just on two of the riders.
Back a bit in the championship, the Ducati duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone have been strong this year without winning a round yet. They will get one this year, I’d wager. Defending champion Marc Marquez trails Rossi by nearly 50 points in the championship, a circumstance I’m not sure anyone would have predicted for the young phenom. That said, Marquez is capable of getting back in the championship, having won 10 consecutive races last year. More importantly, this is really and truly a home race for the 22-year-old Catalan driver. If you’ve got an hour to spare from watching Le Mans (You probably don’t because the race MotoGP race starts with only 90 minutes left in the 24-hour race) or you can record it, this will be one well worth watching. Yes, I say that every single MotoGP weekend.
Links: MotoGP site. Catalunya site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Moto2. Moto3. 
Coverage: Sunday @ 7:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Moto2 – Sunday @ 1 p.m. ET on FS1. Moto3 – Sunday @ Noon ET on FS1.
 

SVRA: Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

It’s not often that I put amateur races toward the top of these guides, but most of the world is taking the weekend off because of Le Mans and this event, in particular, resonated hugely with racers last year. It was, I believe, the first amateur race ever held at IMS and the entry list is immense once again this year. Check back on the SVRA’s YouTube channel in a few weeks for some great highlight videos.
Links: SVRA site. IMS site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: Live timing on Race Monitor app for smartphones and devices.
 

SCCA Majors: June Sprints (Road America)

Conversely, the June Sprints is one of American club racing’s richest tradition, dating back more than half a century at the four-mile racetrack in Wisconsin, itself scarcely changed in layout since being built in the late 1950s. As usual in the Midwest, look for huge fields in Spec Miata and Spec Racer Ford, which produces some hugely entertaining racing with cars drafting in close quarters down Road America’s lengthy straights.
Links: Majors site. Road America site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: Live timing on SCCA Live and on Race Monitor.
 

MotoAmerica: Barber Motorsports Park

I couldn’t honestly tell you if MotoAmerica has been a huge success this year, as I’ve not really been paying attention too closely. That said, it can’t be much worse than its predecessor, AMA Pro Road Racing, which slipped quietly out the door last year with no TV coverage whatsoever.  I think the jury will remain out on MotoAmerica for a year or two, but if you’ve got the chance to go see it in person, Barber will be one of the best bike tracks the series visits all year.
Links: MotoAmerica site. Barber site. Event page. Schedule. Season points.
Support races: Supersport, Superstock 600, KTM RC Cup
Coverage: Live streaming on Motor Trend On Demand and on FansChoice.tv. Delayed TV on CBS Sports Network on June 21 @ 3 p.m. ET. Full schedule here.

World Rally Championship: Rally Italy Sardegna

The WRC round on the island of Sardinia is a tough gravel rally that will test driver’s ability to adjust to changing road conditions and their endurance over the season’s longest leg on Saturday. After winning the opening three rounds, Volkswagen driver Sebastien Ogier has fallen short in the last two to Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala, respectively. Ogier has won the last two rallies on Sardinia, however, so I’d expect him to be tough to top this time around.
Links: WRC site. Rally Italy site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points. Maps.
Support races: WRC2. WRC3.
Coverage: Live radio and stage timing on WRC Live. Live Sunday @ 6 a.m. ET on MAVTV.
 

NHRA: New England Nationals (New England Dragway | Epping, NH)

At the last round, defending Pro Stock chapmion Erica Enders led by a huge margin, but an utterly dominant weekend from Greg Anderson vaulted him to the class lead this year by 22 points. The Matt Hagan-Ron Capps battle in Funny Car continued with Hagan getting the better at the last round, but don’t expect Capps to go anywhere in the points. This weekend finds them in New Hampshire, which has a drag strip, my sources tell me.
Links: NHRA site. NE Dragway site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Live eliminations Sunday @ 11 a.m. ET on ESPN3.com and on delay @ 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
 

NASCAR: Quicken Loans 400 (Michigan International Speedway)

Just another weekend on the freight train that is the NASCAR “Regular Season” before The Chase. What you need to know:
MIS? A two-mile D-shaped oval.
Is Jeff Gordon qualified for The Chase yet? No.
Who do the numbers favor? Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, maybe Gordon. Or probably none of those.
Links: Sprint Cup site. MIS site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Great Clips 250 Benefitting Paralyzed Veterans of America (XFINITY Series). Corrigan Oil 200 (ARCA Racing).
Coverage: Sunday @ 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Xfinity Series – Saturday @ 1 p.m. ET on FS1. ARCA – Friday @ 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2.
 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: American Ethanol Presents the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (Gateway Motorsports Park | Madison, IL)

The NASCAR trucks get a standalone race at Gateway near St. Louis, as well. The track is undergoing something of a resurgence and the 1.5-mile circuit should produce decent racing under the lights.
Links: CWTS site. Gateway site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Saturday @ 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
 

Trans Am: New Jersey Motorsports Park

Like tubeframe stock cars hurtling around on a road course? Trans Am visits NJMP this weekend on the Lightning Course. Or maybe the Thunderbolt one. Or something. Either way, it’s big V8 pony cars ripping around a club track.
Links: Trans Am site. NJMP site. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Live timing on Trans Am site and on Race Monitor app. Delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
 

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Budweiser 300 (Autodrome Chaudiere | Valle-Jonction, Quebec)

The north-of-the-border Canadian series runs a 300-lap feature around a half-mile oval in Quebec. That’s like Canadian Le Mans if I understand current exchange rates.
Links: CTS site. Chaudiere site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: None in the U.S.
 

World Series By Renault: Hungaroring

With the somewhat fractured nature of Formula One’s “official” ladder (GP2 and GP3), I’d expect more transplants from the WSBR top Formula Renault 3.5 class directly to F1 in the coming years, much as Carlos Sainz, Jr., did this year. The series also runs a number of circuits on the F1 calendar and that’s no coincidence.
Links: WSBR site. Hungaroring site. Event page. Schedule.
Support races: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. Renault Sport Trophy.
Coverage: None in the U.S.
 

Southern California Timing Association: El Mirage

If top speed runs are your thing and you’re in Southern California, then you probably already know about the SCTA and El Mirage, a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert.  This is where a lot of the Bonneville regulars go to tune up for Speed Week.
Links: SCTA site. El Mirage site.
Coverage: No live coverage.
 

British Truck Racing Association: Thruxton Circuit

Big rigs, little circuit. Thruxton certainly has some corners that are tough in touring cars, so having a truck with four more tons than a Honda Civic Wagon behind it should keep things from getting boring on the old former World War II air base.
Links: BTRA site. Thruxton site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: None in the U.S. Highlights package on Digitex TV YouTube channel.
 

24 Hours of LeMons: High Plains Raceway

LeMons at High Plains usually lacks in outright car count, but it seldom lacks anything for quality entries. This year is no different with French cars (plural), AMCs (plural), and only one Chrysler product, which is of course a 1964 Dodge Dart. High Plains is out in the middle of nowhere, hence its event name the “B.F.E. GP,” but it remains a favorite track for those who have raced it.
Links: LeMons site. HPR site. Event page with schedule. Entry list. Hooniverse preview.
Coverage: Live timing on Specialty Timing site and on Race Monitor app.
 

ChumpCar World Series: Oregon Raceway Park

Like High Plains, those who have raced ORP love its elevation changes and challenging nature and also like High Plains, it’s out in the middle of nowhere. That probably makes it ideal for this particular race, a 24-hour race that’s pretty much like Le Mans, except it’s completely dark and the corners aren’t named for towns that are right there with a few thousand people in them.
Links: CCWS site. ORP site. Event supplements with schedule.
Coverage: Live timing on CCWS site and on Race Monitor app.
 

ChumpCar World Series: Summit Point Raceway

Chump’s weekend in West Virginia includes a pair of races: a 10-hour race Saturday for the endurance-inclined and a four-hour race the following day for the less-endurance-inclined.
Links: CCWS site. Summit Point site. Event supplements with schedule.
Coverage: Live timing on CCWS site and on Race Monitor app.
 
Did we miss something? Are you going to watch racing live or perhaps even to participate? Let us know in the comments so we can talk about racing.
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[Lead photo copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Eric Rood | Sources: 24 Hours of Le Mans YouTube, IndyCar, MotoGP]h