This weekend will be like a song written by Sam Tinnesz. This is how legends are made.  Fron an up and coming driver possibly coming to a track to avenge defeat, the beginning of the last push to become a champion, sealing a championship possibly early, or breaking a record. This weekend is going to mean a lot to these drivers. Who will be the ones grasping the moment and coming in clutch?

Xfinity pick to win: Sheldon Creed

Creed is in his 2nd full-time Xfinity season for RCR and is still chasing his 1st career win. A year ago, he and Kyle Larson had a fierce and great battle for the win, but both of them came up short. Sheldon has had statistically a better season. He may have similar stats in top 5s and top 10s, but last year, he had 9 DNFs all season, and this year, only 2. It looked like earlier on in the season that Sheldon, who is a former Truck champion, was going to easily make the playoffs. But after being penalized post race in Nashville for premeditatating wrecking Sammy Smith, it was a free fall in the points. Now it looks like Creed got a little cushion again, 60 points to the good. Not only will Kyle Larson be in this race, but Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, who are 3 established drivers in Cup. Imagine scoring your 1st Xfinity win beating 3 of the 75 greatest drivers in NASCAR history. It could happen!

F1 podium predictions:

1st Max Verstappen

Last week, Max Verstappen matched Sebastian Vettel's record for most consecutive wins in F1 history. A track that is typically in the past pre-2020s was one of Red Bull's worst tracks. Now, they are invincible in what will be a historic season for everyone.

2nd Carlos Sainz

Carlos has yet to stand on the F1 podium in 2023, this could be a dream opportunity for any Ferrari driver to stand on the Italian Grand Prix podium in front of their adoring fans.   Carlos has scored more points so far than his teammate Charles Leclerc in 2023, so a podium is definitely on the cards for this weekend.

3rd Sergio Perez

Sergio has had a rollercoaster year, while he has 2 wins and 7 total podiums he has not won since the Azerbaijan grand prix. Plus, he has fallen in the shadow of Verstappen. With an amazing car underneath him, Checo wants to keep up his podium tally to not lose 2nd in the championship standings.

Indycar

A championship could be crowned this weekend. It's come down to 2. Alex Palou has a chance to clinch a championship early for the first time in 18 years. But Scott Dixon is trying to keep the fight alive for the season finale. A lot of things need to go Dixon's way, but the boss, Chip Ganassi will be a championship winning owner.

Podium picks:

1st Pato O'ward

Pato has gotten 7 podiums, the second most out of any drivers in IndyCar. None of them are wins. Early on, he looked like a championship contender, but it wouldn't work out for 2023. He is 11 points behind 3rd place Josef Newgarden, drivers always want the highest points finish they can get. A win on Sunday can go a long way for O'ward.

2nd Scott Dixon

How many times has Scott Dixon show the world it is not over until it's over. It looked like his consecutive win streak was in jeopardy, and the championship was out of reach. Now off 2 straight wins, he still has a shot at the championship. While 74 points behind Palou, Scott needs a lot to go his way. In 2015, Dixon won the championship by leading it in literally only race. The last race when it matters most, if Palou has trouble this will be Scott's chance to keep the pressure on.

3rd Christian Lundgaard

RLL have improved since the first half of the season. From Christian Lundgaard to almost miss the Indy 500 to becoming a race winner and be a consistent driver every race. Eventually it stops becoming overacheving but show how good the team and driver are. Road and street courses have been their strength so the Dane could make another podium appearance this weekend.

NASCAR Cup: Denny Hamlin

The Southern 500 is where the Cup playoffs begin, one of the crown jewels NASCAR drivers want to win at in Darlington. One of the best drivers at Darlington is Denny Hamlin, but just because you're great there doesn't automatically mean a strong result. Denny finished 12th in the spring which is mediocre for his standards. A good thing at least for Denny is that he is making his only Xfinity start this weekend. Seat time will never hurt anyone, perhaps what he lears on Saturday can get a 4th Southern 500 win for Hamlin and an automatic ticket to the round of 12.