Credit: Audacy
Motorsport Monthly: Shifting Tides in the NASCAR Title Picture, Analyzing Formula 1’s 2027 Calendar
Published: Saturday, October 10, 2026
by Thomas Mazurowski
With championships on the line and next year already taking shape, September put the pedal to the floor. Here are the top stories in motorsport from the past month.
Larson, Logano shake up NASCAR standings
The NASCAR title picture has flipped on its head with just five races to go.
Kyle Larson sits at the top of the point standings following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway and a second-place finish in Las Vegas. The driver of the No. 5 machine has won two of the last five races, paired with three more top-fives.
Joey Logano found similar success for Team Penske throughout September. The No. 22 took the checkered flag in Bristol, launching himself up to third in the standings. The race marked Ford’s sixth win in the last 12 races following an abysmal start to the season for the manufacturer.
Larson now leads Denny Hamlin by 40 points, dethroning Toyota for the first time this year just weeks ago. Christopher Bell lurks in third 55 points back, while Logano sits fourth following a modest finish in Kansas and Las Vegas.
Despite being a championship favorite in the first half of the season, Tyler Reddick finds himself nearly out of contention halfway through the Chase. The No. 45 team resigned to third place at the points reset following Daytona, despite leading by as much as 129 points earlier this year. Reddick has since fallen to seventh, over 100 points off the lead.
The ups and downs of F1’s 2027 calendar
Ten sprint races, two returning COVID-era tracks, and 24 action-packed rounds are on deck for Formula 1 next year.
The 2027 schedule was released on Sept. 16. Twenty-two of this year’s tracks will return to the schedule with a handful of date changes and new locations.
Algarve International Circuit and Istanbul Park return to the calendar following their stand-in races in 2020 and 2021, replacing Circuit Zandvoort and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Sepang International Circuit is not expected to return after acting as a stand-in for cancellations this season.
A record number of sprint weekends are scheduled for next year, with one new standout venue: Monaco.
The decision is questionable from a sporting perspective. Monte Carlo’s tight streets offer little in the way of overtakes, making an additional race confusing and redundant from the perspective of drivers and fans alike. However, the lack of on-track action routinely makes Saturday qualifying the most high-stakes session on the calendar.
Another race means another qualifying session, with just as much action and excitement as setting the order for the main race.
The Brazilian, Canadian, British, Italian, and Qatar grands prix will continue to host sprint races as in years past. Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Abu Dhabi, and the weekend in Monaco will all see the format for the first time.
Speaking of four Middle Eastern grands prix are preliminarily included in the schedule despite looming postponements and safety concerns over the Iran war. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix were called off earlier this season, with the replacement race in Malaysia opening up October. Questions remain over whether the upcoming rounds in Lusail and Abu Dhabi will take place.
August ICYMI: Alex Palou wins fifth IndyCar championship
Alex Palou clinched his fourth-straight and fifth-overall IndyCar title in Milwaukee. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver finished the season with six wins and 12 top-fives, a step back from his dominant 2025 season. Nevertheless, Palou led the championship for the majority of the season, beginning in Long Beach and lasting for the remainder of the year.
Kyle Kirkwood took second in the standings while Christian Lundgaard edged out McLaren teammate Pato O’Ward for third.
Thomas Mazurowski can be reached at thomas.mazurowski@student.shu.edu
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