Here’s what’s happening this week Inside The Garage:
- Mick Schumacher’s INDYCAR preparations
- Tony Stewart back racing at Daytona
- Corey LaJoie’s big opportunity
Mick Schumacher will get his first style of solely turning left — and never proper — when he takes some laps this week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The non-public take a look at on the 1.5-mile monitor would be the first for the previous System 1 driver to expertise on an oval. Schumacher will get one other shot on the full-field take a look at Feb. 17-18 on the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway, the place he’ll compete in his first oval occasion on March 7.
“I’m simply trying ahead to getting a primary style of what an oval seems like,” Schumacher informed me Wednesday throughout the INDYCAR manufacturing days. “Phoenix goes to be nice as a result of it may be with all people else.
“So I’ll get a style of additionally the way it feels to drive in visitors. It will likely be a great two-step method to ovals.”
Will Mick Schumacher discover success in 12 months 1 in INDYCAR?
Thus far, Schumacher has spent a couple of day in a simulator engaged on Homestead.
“Clearly, there’s solely a lot you are able to do on a simulator,” Schumacher mentioned throughout his normal media session. “It simply retains going left. There’s not a lot you’ll be able to actually be taught from it, bumps and all that and the way in which the automotive behaves is kind of troublesome to duplicate.
“However I will have time to get by means of it and perceive the way it feels to drive an oval. I believe that, by way of preparation and in addition the way in which we method the take a look at, goes to be fairly good and particular to how we need to run and the way the automotive ought to behave all through Homestead in order that we’re finest ready for Phoenix.”
The son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, Mick Schumacher made the shift to INDYCAR this 12 months after competing in F1 for Haas after which serving as a reserve driver for Mercedes for one 12 months, whereas additionally competing two seasons within the World Endurance Championship for Alpine.
“[It’s] good racing, good folks,” Schumacher mentioned. “The competitors is kind of fierce and robust. So I’m trying ahead to competing with them and excited to go racing.”
Schumacher additionally has one thing new to stay up for and that is a brand new paint scheme for 2026. RLL has not unveiled his livery but.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old driver has seen some proposed liveries.
“I’ve seen potentials of it,” he mentioned. “I do not actually care about how the automotive appears so long as it is quick.”
Schumacher clearly isn’t a type of drivers who believes {that a} cool-looking paint scheme will assist him go quicker. For context, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has typically mentioned he felt he ran higher if he favored what his automotive seemed like.
“If, you realize, the automotive is fast,” Schumacher mentioned, “you may look cool.”
Whereas NASCAR kicks off this season on Wednesday with the rescheduled exhibition Conflict at Bowman Grey Stadium, INDYCAR groups have one other practically 4 weeks till they’re on monitor at St. Petersburg for his or her first occasion of the season.
Some drivers will take a look at Sebring in every week (Feb. 9-10) earlier than going to Phoenix.
Corey LaJoie’s Two Huge Weeks
Corey LaJoie is attending to race for 2 consecutive weeks in a journey he couldn’t predict he would have when the 2025 season ended.
The previous full-time Cup driver was the designated backup driver for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing final 12 months and was on standby in case Brad Keselowski needed to go away for the delivery of his little one.
LaJoie by no means bought into an RFK automotive. However he’ll get to drive RFK automobiles for the primary two occasions this 12 months.
Corey LaJoie will probably be behind the wheel for RFK to kick off the 2026 NASCAR season.
He’ll compete within the Conflict because the substitute for Keselowski, who broke his leg in December.
He’ll then drive a fourth RFK automotive, the No. 99, within the Daytona 500, so long as he qualifies. RFK had explored fielding a fourth automotive for choose races, particularly on the superspeedways, the place it helps to have teammates due to the necessity to work collectively within the draft.
“It may be the final one [for me in the 500] and I’ve raced each one prefer it’s my final one for a pair years now.,” LaJoie mentioned. “This got here out of nowhere. [RFK President] Chip [Bowers] and Brad and their total crew known as me up and supplied me this chance, which I by no means noticed coming.
“So in my view, it is home cash. I will have some enjoyable with it.”
However first is the Conflict. LaJoie received an ARCA East race at Bowman Grey in 2012.
“Simply to get into the system and see these guys function within the sim and in pre-race conferences and throughout the course of a race weekend is a reputable expertise for me to find out how champions function,” LaJoie mentioned.
“I’ve received there up to now, beat some actually good guys. So I believe that we are able to go have a legitimately good run.”
Heim Time?
Corey Heim, the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence champion, nonetheless doesn’t have a 2026 schedule introduced. However 23XI Racing did lastly verify that he’ll compete within the Daytona 500.
Heim is predicted to do a dozen or so Cup races this 12 months and choose occasions in vans. Whether or not he will get any begins in what’s now the O’Reilly Sequence (previously Xfinity) remains to be to be decided.
Heim can be the reserve and simulator driver for 23XI Racing, so that may hold him busy, regardless that he received’t be racing for a title in any sequence this season.
Corey Heim will start the 2026 season with a begin at Daytona.
“It’s extra simply the way in which it’s,” Heim mentioned. “I’ve at all times been an individual that takes every alternative as the way it’s offered, if you’ll. And I really feel like I’ve bought a great alternative to exit and compete and run up entrance and run properly and construct on my profession, no matter it could be.
“And this 12 months isn’t any completely different than that. So on the finish of the day, I really feel like I am fairly privileged to have these alternatives in my profession, and I really feel fairly blessed to be within the place I am at. So I do not really feel like there’s any lack of alternative on my finish.”
IN THE NEWS
— LaJoie and Heim are anticipated to be amongst eight open drivers vying for 4 spots within the Daytona 500. LaJoie, Heim and Entrance Row Motorsports driver Chandler Smith have been current provides to the record of those that have introduced an try to make the race. They be a part of Anthony Alfredo (Beard Motorsports), Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports), B.J. McLeod (Reside Quick Motorsports), Casey Mears (Storage 66) and JJ Yeley (NY Racing). Jimmie Johnson can be entered as an open automotive, however he’ll get the open exemption provisional, so he’s assured a spot within the area, which will probably be expanded to 41 automobiles.
— Tony Stewart is competing within the truck race at Daytona as a part of the Kaulig Racing free-agent truck that Ram has designated to have a number of drivers all year long. Stewart mentioned since there’s a prize for the driving force with probably the most factors scored within the truck, he wouldn’t rule out doing one other truck race within the season.
“I might love to take a seat right here and go, ‘Man, this is only one and completed,’” Stewart mentioned in a teleconference with reporters. “I might say my reply is I haven’t got a solution. … Let’s simply say I will go away it open-ended at this level.
“Thank God my spouse’s not right here. I would have a ebook or shoe or one thing flying at me proper now. However we’ll simply go away it open-ended at this level for some time.”
SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
THEY SAID IT
“What are you going to do? All of us simply should journey it out and see. That’s clearly the method.”
— Reigning NASCAR Cup Sequence champion Kyle Larson on the Conflict being postponed due to snow.
DID YOU KNOW?
No NASCAR nationwide sequence race was postponed due to climate in 2025. So perhaps the Conflict being postponed three days due to snow is simply making up for that.
In Inside The Storage, Bob Pockrass takes us behind the scenes of the motorsports world the way in which solely he can.
