There's an old science fiction trope about time travel: if you had the ability to go back in time and take out Hitler while he was a kid, would you do it?
Behold the NASCAR version of that very conundrum: drivers meeting their future rivals when they were but young lads. On our Facebook page (you are a Facebook buddy of ours, right? Right?), we posted the photo above of Jeff Gordon with a young Trevor Bayne. Who knew that just five months after this picture was taken, Gordon would help push Bayne to a Daytona 500 win?
Of course, that was just the appetizer to the main course of driver/future driver photos. Behold the best ever:
Tony Stewart. A young, goofy Kyle Busch. That's the best ever. Anybody got any more of these? Send 'em along to jay.busbee@yahoo.com. We love this stuff.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Carl Edwards kicks up ?no Sprint drivers in Nationwide? again
If you're one of those folks who believes Sprint Cup drivers have the right, nay, the duty to drive in Nationwide, Carl Edwards didn't exactly help your case on Saturday night.
In a thoroughly dominating performance at the Federated Auto Parts 300, Edwards throttled the field despite a late speeding penalty. When he was dinged for speeding through the pits on lap 83, even though he was leading the race at the time, it only took him 37 laps to work his way back around to the front.
"I felt like he was kind of playing with us a little there at the end," said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Edwards' teammate, who finished second.
The only other current Sprint Cup regular was Brad Keselowski, who also led much of the race before surrendering the lead because of engine problems. Naturally, this leads us to the eternal question of Sprint Cup regulars in Nationwide races.
In 20 races this year, Nationwide regulars have won exactly two in which Sprint Cuppers participated. (Coincidentally, Edwards finished second in both.) This isn't a new story, certainly, but Edwards' performance Saturday night only underlines the disparity in talent and equipment between the big dogs and the Nationwide regulars. Think that performances like Saturday night's are going to change anything anytime soon?
In a thoroughly dominating performance at the Federated Auto Parts 300, Edwards throttled the field despite a late speeding penalty. When he was dinged for speeding through the pits on lap 83, even though he was leading the race at the time, it only took him 37 laps to work his way back around to the front.
"I felt like he was kind of playing with us a little there at the end," said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Edwards' teammate, who finished second.
The only other current Sprint Cup regular was Brad Keselowski, who also led much of the race before surrendering the lead because of engine problems. Naturally, this leads us to the eternal question of Sprint Cup regulars in Nationwide races.
In 20 races this year, Nationwide regulars have won exactly two in which Sprint Cuppers participated. (Coincidentally, Edwards finished second in both.) This isn't a new story, certainly, but Edwards' performance Saturday night only underlines the disparity in talent and equipment between the big dogs and the Nationwide regulars. Think that performances like Saturday night's are going to change anything anytime soon?
Indianapolis short track now enters uncertain NASCAR future
CLERMONT, Ind. ? Pat Rebb isn't sure what the Kiwanis Club of Avon will do next season. Rebb, a member, stood underneath the sweltering main grandstand ahead of Saturday night's Nationwide Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway waiting for the 50/50 raffle winner to claim their prize.
"The track rotates us groups around, and we end making lots of money for the Kiwanis," Rebb said.
Next year, Rebb and the nearby Kiwanis chapter won't ? unless something changes ? have the same opportunity to raise funds in the sea of race fans. NASCAR has moved the July Nationwide Series date at LOR a few miles east to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, meaning Saturday night's race won by Brad Keselowski could be the last NASCAR event ever at LOR.
"I have no idea what we'll do," Rebb said, adding that the $2,000-$3,000 they'll raise Saturday will fund a majority of the Kiwanis' annual budget. "We heard about it on TV and just thought, 'Oh my gosh!'"
The race is moving, in part, to be a band-aid for the struggling Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at the "big track" and officials hope it'll improve attendance at the venerable venue.
It's a move that race fan Van Reed, 39, doesn't plan to make with NASCAR. Reed, who lives about a two hours from LOR in Columbia City, Ind., sat at the top of the turn one general admission hill in lawn chair before Saturday night's race with his father Lawrence, his 12-year-old son and his son's friend. They had staked their claim on the hill full of lawn chairs and blankets at 10 a.m. Saturday for the 7:30 p.m. race.
Reed said he had been coming to .686-mile bullring for about ten years, catching each event of the Kroger Speedfest that, this year, included Thursday's ARCA Racing Series and USAC sprint car action and Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. The short track racing is the appeal and that's something IMS can't offer, Reed said.
"I like being here, seeing the young guys come up," Reed said. "(IMS) has the nostalgia, but that's it."
His father was more to the point.
"You have to watch the screens over (at IMS)," Lawrence Reed said, noting the size of the Brickyard. "Here I can see the whole track. I can go home and watch the screen."
The resentment of the move can be found most anywhere around LOR ? the track formerly known as O'Reilly Raceway Park and Indianapolis Raceway Park ? but there's also those in the NASCAR industry who see the positives of NASCAR racing alongside the Sprint Cup Series next season at IMS.
"It's interesting to me as an owner because this is the first time I've really encountered this," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said of the move. "I'm excited because I can probably sell that race. I can't sell the (LOR) race to a sponsor."
NASCAR's most popular driver owns two cars in the Nationwide Series this season, the JR Motorsports No. 7 & No. 88 entries. LOR, a small venue on the NASCAR scale, seats about 30,000 and has a capacity for about 40,000.
36,000 people showed up Saturday night according to NASCAR.
"I can only sell races that are with the Cup guys in conjunction," Earnhardt said. "I'm excited about that, that I'll be able to come (to IMS) and probably get a good deal for this race that will help me financially for the team."
But don't get Earnhardt Jr. wrong. He's not sold that the trade-off is worth it for the sport in general.
"I'm not sure whether taking away another short track is the way to go because I think short-track racing is some of the more exciting racing that we have in any series, really," said Earnhardt Jr.
The product of the exciting racing doesn't come without negatives, however. Short track racing in the NASCAR world is by-and-far a tougher sell because of grandstand capacities that are smaller and tracks that can often feature aging facilities. LOR isn't immune to those criticisms, seeing as it doesn't even have a garage area and grandstand sight lines require the team haulers to move outside the track during the race.
But those knocks on LOR are countered by several points that are both advanced and quirky in a good way. Within about the last decade, LOR completely overhauled its main grandstand and suite capabilities with a modern structure. Additionally, the track's variable banking from the apron to the wall could be considered ahead of its time in this era of larger tracks using the same principle.
And certainly, there's no faulting the racing at LOR that features passing available both in the low and high grooves.
Still, the fact remains that NASCAR won't be competing at LOR in 2012 and has no announced plans to do in the foreseeable future.
"There's a lot of honor and tradition that goes with (this race) that'd we'd love to keep," said Saturday night's race winner Keselowski. "Hopefully we work out something where we can do that.
"(Short track racing) is a big part of our sport and hopefully we can find another way for this race track to get another race."
"The track rotates us groups around, and we end making lots of money for the Kiwanis," Rebb said.
Next year, Rebb and the nearby Kiwanis chapter won't ? unless something changes ? have the same opportunity to raise funds in the sea of race fans. NASCAR has moved the July Nationwide Series date at LOR a few miles east to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, meaning Saturday night's race won by Brad Keselowski could be the last NASCAR event ever at LOR.
"I have no idea what we'll do," Rebb said, adding that the $2,000-$3,000 they'll raise Saturday will fund a majority of the Kiwanis' annual budget. "We heard about it on TV and just thought, 'Oh my gosh!'"
The race is moving, in part, to be a band-aid for the struggling Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at the "big track" and officials hope it'll improve attendance at the venerable venue.
It's a move that race fan Van Reed, 39, doesn't plan to make with NASCAR. Reed, who lives about a two hours from LOR in Columbia City, Ind., sat at the top of the turn one general admission hill in lawn chair before Saturday night's race with his father Lawrence, his 12-year-old son and his son's friend. They had staked their claim on the hill full of lawn chairs and blankets at 10 a.m. Saturday for the 7:30 p.m. race.
Reed said he had been coming to .686-mile bullring for about ten years, catching each event of the Kroger Speedfest that, this year, included Thursday's ARCA Racing Series and USAC sprint car action and Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. The short track racing is the appeal and that's something IMS can't offer, Reed said.
"I like being here, seeing the young guys come up," Reed said. "(IMS) has the nostalgia, but that's it."
His father was more to the point.
"You have to watch the screens over (at IMS)," Lawrence Reed said, noting the size of the Brickyard. "Here I can see the whole track. I can go home and watch the screen."
The resentment of the move can be found most anywhere around LOR ? the track formerly known as O'Reilly Raceway Park and Indianapolis Raceway Park ? but there's also those in the NASCAR industry who see the positives of NASCAR racing alongside the Sprint Cup Series next season at IMS.
"It's interesting to me as an owner because this is the first time I've really encountered this," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said of the move. "I'm excited because I can probably sell that race. I can't sell the (LOR) race to a sponsor."
NASCAR's most popular driver owns two cars in the Nationwide Series this season, the JR Motorsports No. 7 & No. 88 entries. LOR, a small venue on the NASCAR scale, seats about 30,000 and has a capacity for about 40,000.
36,000 people showed up Saturday night according to NASCAR.
"I can only sell races that are with the Cup guys in conjunction," Earnhardt said. "I'm excited about that, that I'll be able to come (to IMS) and probably get a good deal for this race that will help me financially for the team."
But don't get Earnhardt Jr. wrong. He's not sold that the trade-off is worth it for the sport in general.
"I'm not sure whether taking away another short track is the way to go because I think short-track racing is some of the more exciting racing that we have in any series, really," said Earnhardt Jr.
The product of the exciting racing doesn't come without negatives, however. Short track racing in the NASCAR world is by-and-far a tougher sell because of grandstand capacities that are smaller and tracks that can often feature aging facilities. LOR isn't immune to those criticisms, seeing as it doesn't even have a garage area and grandstand sight lines require the team haulers to move outside the track during the race.
But those knocks on LOR are countered by several points that are both advanced and quirky in a good way. Within about the last decade, LOR completely overhauled its main grandstand and suite capabilities with a modern structure. Additionally, the track's variable banking from the apron to the wall could be considered ahead of its time in this era of larger tracks using the same principle.
And certainly, there's no faulting the racing at LOR that features passing available both in the low and high grooves.
Still, the fact remains that NASCAR won't be competing at LOR in 2012 and has no announced plans to do in the foreseeable future.
"There's a lot of honor and tradition that goes with (this race) that'd we'd love to keep," said Saturday night's race winner Keselowski. "Hopefully we work out something where we can do that.
"(Short track racing) is a big part of our sport and hopefully we can find another way for this race track to get another race."
Kyle Busch dominates in Maine races, still gets grief for it
If Sprint Cup drivers running in the Nationwide series angries up your blood, the prospect of those same drivers dominating local events probably makes your head explode.
This past weekend, Kyle Busch jetted up to Maine to run in a couple events, including the well-known TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. And, Busch being Busch, he didn't just run in them, he dominated, winning both. Naturally, that didn't sit well with a few locals, who griped that Busch, a ringer, was swooping in for the glory and pushing aside more deserving local drivers.
Not so, writes Kalle Oakes, a local sports columnist, who points out that Busch was paid a tidy sum by the event's promoter to draw attention to the event. There's a bigger picture, he argues:
"Racing fans," he notes, "rarely are completely satisfied with a result. If a driver wins too frequently, he must be cheating ... If the national hero the promoter flies in for a race wins, he's swiping food from the table of the drivers who provide the track's heartbeat. If the ringer runs in the middle of the pack, he didn't take the race seriously and the promoter didn't secure a big enough star."
He points out the uncomfortable truth: without an (undisclosed) appearance fee, drivers the caliber of Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, all of whom have appeared at the track on their off weekend in recent years, wouldn't come near Maine.
"Major league drivers aren't killing the 250," he writes. "They saved it from certain extinction. Your heart wants to jeer Kyle Busch. Your head might consider sending him a thank-you card."
For his part, Busch said all the right things afterward. "I love coming back to local short tracks and running big races like the Winchester 400 (in Indiana) and the Snowball Derby (in Florida) and here at Oxford," he said. "You're running against the best of the best on that day. These guys are no slouches ... Certainly that's why I always kind of like to stack up against guys in familiar territory and put myself into their arena and run against them to size up. It keeps you sharp."
You can understand where Busch and the promoter are coming from; racing is racing, and big names are always better. But do the detractors, and the small-track racers for whom this is the biggest event of the year, have a point? Are Busch, Harvick and the rest stepping on too many toes just for the sake of a promoter's appearance fee? Have your say.
This past weekend, Kyle Busch jetted up to Maine to run in a couple events, including the well-known TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. And, Busch being Busch, he didn't just run in them, he dominated, winning both. Naturally, that didn't sit well with a few locals, who griped that Busch, a ringer, was swooping in for the glory and pushing aside more deserving local drivers.
Not so, writes Kalle Oakes, a local sports columnist, who points out that Busch was paid a tidy sum by the event's promoter to draw attention to the event. There's a bigger picture, he argues:
"Racing fans," he notes, "rarely are completely satisfied with a result. If a driver wins too frequently, he must be cheating ... If the national hero the promoter flies in for a race wins, he's swiping food from the table of the drivers who provide the track's heartbeat. If the ringer runs in the middle of the pack, he didn't take the race seriously and the promoter didn't secure a big enough star."
He points out the uncomfortable truth: without an (undisclosed) appearance fee, drivers the caliber of Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, all of whom have appeared at the track on their off weekend in recent years, wouldn't come near Maine.
"Major league drivers aren't killing the 250," he writes. "They saved it from certain extinction. Your heart wants to jeer Kyle Busch. Your head might consider sending him a thank-you card."
For his part, Busch said all the right things afterward. "I love coming back to local short tracks and running big races like the Winchester 400 (in Indiana) and the Snowball Derby (in Florida) and here at Oxford," he said. "You're running against the best of the best on that day. These guys are no slouches ... Certainly that's why I always kind of like to stack up against guys in familiar territory and put myself into their arena and run against them to size up. It keeps you sharp."
You can understand where Busch and the promoter are coming from; racing is racing, and big names are always better. But do the detractors, and the small-track racers for whom this is the biggest event of the year, have a point? Are Busch, Harvick and the rest stepping on too many toes just for the sake of a promoter's appearance fee? Have your say.
2011 Porsche Cayman
If you’ve always wanted a ballistic Porsche sports car, but thought the 911 was too expensive and the Boxster compromised by its roadster design, then the 2011 Porsche Cayman is definitely the car for you. It is essentially a hard-top Boxster and thanks to its mid-engine configuration it remains one of the best handling models in...
Berrier out, Lambert in as Burton's crew chief
Jeff Burton will have a new crew chief for this weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Superleague loses New Zealand race
Superleague Formula's proposed season finale at Taupo has been canceled because potential event sponsors have withdrawn their backing.
Statement from Kentucky Speedway on traffic problems on Saturday night
July 9, 2011 Statement from Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger regarding traffic for the ?Quaker State 400? We?ve had an overwhelming response to our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ?Quaker State 400.? We know we had challenges related to traffic. We?re already planning improvements and looking forward to a much better situation for next year?s event.
Power holds off Castroneves, Franchitti for Edmonton win
Will Power from Team Penske bounced back in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship battle in a big way by winning Sunday's Edmonton Indy.
Drew Herring making most of opportunity with JGR
Drew Herring decided to take some time off from pursuing his engineering degree from N.C. State University a couple of years ago to go racing. Herring knew he would always have a chance to go back to school, but he also knew "these racing deals don't always come around," he said.
Especially not ones with powerhouse organizations like Joe Gibbs Racing.
Especially not ones with powerhouse organizations like Joe Gibbs Racing.
F1 boss not worried about German bribery case
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says he's not worried about the possibility of being charged in a German corruption scandal.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Kyle Busch dominates in Maine races, still gets grief for it
If Sprint Cup drivers running in the Nationwide series angries up your blood, the prospect of those same drivers dominating local events probably makes your head explode.
This past weekend, Kyle Busch jetted up to Maine to run in a couple events, including the well-known TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. And, Busch being Busch, he didn't just run in them, he dominated, winning both. Naturally, that didn't sit well with a few locals, who griped that Busch, a ringer, was swooping in for the glory and pushing aside more deserving local drivers.
Not so, writes Kalle Oakes, a local sports columnist, who points out that Busch was paid a tidy sum by the event's promoter to draw attention to the event. There's a bigger picture, he argues:
"Racing fans," he notes, "rarely are completely satisfied with a result. If a driver wins too frequently, he must be cheating ... If the national hero the promoter flies in for a race wins, he's swiping food from the table of the drivers who provide the track's heartbeat. If the ringer runs in the middle of the pack, he didn't take the race seriously and the promoter didn't secure a big enough star."
He points out the uncomfortable truth: without an (undisclosed) appearance fee, drivers the caliber of Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, all of whom have appeared at the track on their off weekend in recent years, wouldn't come near Maine.
"Major league drivers aren't killing the 250," he writes. "They saved it from certain extinction. Your heart wants to jeer Kyle Busch. Your head might consider sending him a thank-you card."
For his part, Busch said all the right things afterward. "I love coming back to local short tracks and running big races like the Winchester 400 (in Indiana) and the Snowball Derby (in Florida) and here at Oxford," he said. "You're running against the best of the best on that day. These guys are no slouches ... Certainly that's why I always kind of like to stack up against guys in familiar territory and put myself into their arena and run against them to size up. It keeps you sharp."
You can understand where Busch and the promoter are coming from; racing is racing, and big names are always better. But do the detractors, and the small-track racers for whom this is the biggest event of the year, have a point? Are Busch, Harvick and the rest stepping on too many toes just for the sake of a promoter's appearance fee? Have your say.
This past weekend, Kyle Busch jetted up to Maine to run in a couple events, including the well-known TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. And, Busch being Busch, he didn't just run in them, he dominated, winning both. Naturally, that didn't sit well with a few locals, who griped that Busch, a ringer, was swooping in for the glory and pushing aside more deserving local drivers.
Not so, writes Kalle Oakes, a local sports columnist, who points out that Busch was paid a tidy sum by the event's promoter to draw attention to the event. There's a bigger picture, he argues:
"Racing fans," he notes, "rarely are completely satisfied with a result. If a driver wins too frequently, he must be cheating ... If the national hero the promoter flies in for a race wins, he's swiping food from the table of the drivers who provide the track's heartbeat. If the ringer runs in the middle of the pack, he didn't take the race seriously and the promoter didn't secure a big enough star."
He points out the uncomfortable truth: without an (undisclosed) appearance fee, drivers the caliber of Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, all of whom have appeared at the track on their off weekend in recent years, wouldn't come near Maine.
"Major league drivers aren't killing the 250," he writes. "They saved it from certain extinction. Your heart wants to jeer Kyle Busch. Your head might consider sending him a thank-you card."
For his part, Busch said all the right things afterward. "I love coming back to local short tracks and running big races like the Winchester 400 (in Indiana) and the Snowball Derby (in Florida) and here at Oxford," he said. "You're running against the best of the best on that day. These guys are no slouches ... Certainly that's why I always kind of like to stack up against guys in familiar territory and put myself into their arena and run against them to size up. It keeps you sharp."
You can understand where Busch and the promoter are coming from; racing is racing, and big names are always better. But do the detractors, and the small-track racers for whom this is the biggest event of the year, have a point? Are Busch, Harvick and the rest stepping on too many toes just for the sake of a promoter's appearance fee? Have your say.
Behold the most expensive dents in human history
Ever been driving next to a luxury automobile and thought, "Hey, if I turn the wheel just slightly, I can wreck my whole financial future!"? No? Well, imagine it, and now imagine the same thing with five luxury automobiles.
Dig this: In Monaco, a driver, whom the Daily Mail helpfully identifies as "a woman driver" and a "hapless blonde," recently caused what must be the most expensive fender-bender in the history of mankind. Here's how it happened:
At the Place du Casino roundabout, the driver of the Bentley Azure scraped the side of the Mercedes and then ran head-on into the Ferrari F430. The Aston Martin and the Porsche 911 also got involved, presumably trying to avoid the wreck.
Naturally, tourists swarmed the wreck, and with both doors pinned shut, the driver who started it all could do nothing but pose.
The Daily Mail estimated that the damage will run more than $65,000, since all of the cars will require some repair and replacement. Total value of all the cars together? More than $1.1 million. Somebody's deductible's going to go up pretty soon.
Dig this: In Monaco, a driver, whom the Daily Mail helpfully identifies as "a woman driver" and a "hapless blonde," recently caused what must be the most expensive fender-bender in the history of mankind. Here's how it happened:
At the Place du Casino roundabout, the driver of the Bentley Azure scraped the side of the Mercedes and then ran head-on into the Ferrari F430. The Aston Martin and the Porsche 911 also got involved, presumably trying to avoid the wreck.
Naturally, tourists swarmed the wreck, and with both doors pinned shut, the driver who started it all could do nothing but pose.
The Daily Mail estimated that the damage will run more than $65,000, since all of the cars will require some repair and replacement. Total value of all the cars together? More than $1.1 million. Somebody's deductible's going to go up pretty soon.
NASCAR Race Review: Coke Zero 400
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. Today’s NASCAR race review is the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the Coke Zero 400, from the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Qualifying was on Friday after a rain shortened practice session. Mark Martin captured the pole position with a speed of 182.065 mph and 49.433 [...]
There's peace between Franchitti and Power at least for now
Following their incident two weeks ago in Toronto, cooler heads prevailed between IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Dario Franchitti and Will Power during Sunday's Edmonton race.
Several NASCAR drivers, teams closing in on career milestones
When Kyle Busch won his 100th NASCAR national series race at New Hampshire last week, he reached a significant milestone.
Busch is the only driver who has competed regularly in all three of NASCAR?s national series and won 100 races. With 49 Nationwide Series wins, he also is one win away from being the all-time winningest driver in that series.
But there are several other significant milestones that NASCAR drivers and teams are closing in on and could reach this year. Here?s a look:
Busch is the only driver who has competed regularly in all three of NASCAR?s national series and won 100 races. With 49 Nationwide Series wins, he also is one win away from being the all-time winningest driver in that series.
But there are several other significant milestones that NASCAR drivers and teams are closing in on and could reach this year. Here?s a look:
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Save This Car: 1962 Chrysler 300 Convertible
From time to time our resident revisitor of Guilty Pleasures, Murilee Martin, presents a car that's ugly, weird, or otherwise socially handicapped, but is still lovable anyway. This 1962 Chrysler 300 might fall into that category right now, but with a few years of elbow grease and investment, it could be a show-stopper. Why? Well, for starters...
Helton promises investigation into Kentucky traffic, mum on ?12
On Friday morning, NASCAR president Mike Helton took the stage in New Hampshire for a press conference that touched on a few topics, primarily the traffic debacle in Kentucky.
"We're sorry for the fans touched by this," Helton said. "We will not let this fall to the wayside." He noted that NASCAR and Kentucky have been in constant contact since the events took place, and NASCAR is seeking explanations for how a track that has operated just fine for 10 years had so many problems on the weekend it moved to the big leagues.
"We have had inaugural occurrences [at other tracks] that I wouldn't define as acceptable, but we have had them," he said. "This was not our first race at Kentucky. We've had several years of Nationwide and Trucks races there." Helton indicated that NASCAR is questioning whether "overconfidence" on the part of the track could have contributed to the problem.
He noted that Kentucky presented very detailed entry and exit traffic plans, with indications that the entry plans were mailed to ticket holders and the exit plans were also available leaving the track. The question now, Helton indicated, is how well those plans were followed.
While NASCAR considers events like this to be primarily the responsibility of the track, obviously NASCAR itself suffers from the negative publicity. For that reason, Helton said, the investigation into what exactly happened, and how it could be prevented, will continue for some time.
One element of the press conference that could raise an eyebrow or two: when asked directly if the traffic issues put Kentucky at risk of losing its 2012 date, Helton didn't exactly offer a ringing endorsement of the Bluegrass State: "I don't want to speculate, but you look at the history of our sport, we've had issues that happen and we generally figure out how to work through them," he said. "Where we are now is to figure out what happened in Sparta."
Certainly, in all likelihood the race will return to Kentucky without incident, but that non-answer answer has to leave Kentucky Speedway advocates' stomachs in knots.
Overall, however, Helton indicated that he believes the incident at Kentucky will be a minor blip on an otherwise strong NASCAR season. And without a doubt, this issue isn't over from NASCAR's perspective.
"We're sorry for the fans touched by this," Helton said. "We will not let this fall to the wayside." He noted that NASCAR and Kentucky have been in constant contact since the events took place, and NASCAR is seeking explanations for how a track that has operated just fine for 10 years had so many problems on the weekend it moved to the big leagues.
"We have had inaugural occurrences [at other tracks] that I wouldn't define as acceptable, but we have had them," he said. "This was not our first race at Kentucky. We've had several years of Nationwide and Trucks races there." Helton indicated that NASCAR is questioning whether "overconfidence" on the part of the track could have contributed to the problem.
He noted that Kentucky presented very detailed entry and exit traffic plans, with indications that the entry plans were mailed to ticket holders and the exit plans were also available leaving the track. The question now, Helton indicated, is how well those plans were followed.
While NASCAR considers events like this to be primarily the responsibility of the track, obviously NASCAR itself suffers from the negative publicity. For that reason, Helton said, the investigation into what exactly happened, and how it could be prevented, will continue for some time.
One element of the press conference that could raise an eyebrow or two: when asked directly if the traffic issues put Kentucky at risk of losing its 2012 date, Helton didn't exactly offer a ringing endorsement of the Bluegrass State: "I don't want to speculate, but you look at the history of our sport, we've had issues that happen and we generally figure out how to work through them," he said. "Where we are now is to figure out what happened in Sparta."
Certainly, in all likelihood the race will return to Kentucky without incident, but that non-answer answer has to leave Kentucky Speedway advocates' stomachs in knots.
Overall, however, Helton indicated that he believes the incident at Kentucky will be a minor blip on an otherwise strong NASCAR season. And without a doubt, this issue isn't over from NASCAR's perspective.
Massey beats teammate to win Top Fuel dragster
Spencer Massey's return from a year-long driving hiatus keeps getting better.
Is five-time champ Jimmie Johnson hitting his stride as Chase nears ? again?
Jimmie Johnson has just one win in 19 races this season and has moved up and down throughout the points standings. For most of the first half of the season, he?s has not been the dominant force that has won five straight Sprint Cup championships.
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Notebook
With the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series at the halfway points of the season, with eight races done and seven to go over the course of four more weekends, championship leaders are beginning to emerge.
Michael Waltrip plans to run with DW on his hood soon
NASCAR rides have had some bizarre paint schemes, but here's one that might just give the kiddies nightmares: Darrell Waltrip his own boogity self, plastered all over the front hood of bro Michael Waltrip's car.
The No. 15 was supposed to run at Kentucky, but rain interrupted the qualifying. Therefore, Waltrip will run the car at either Bristol or Talladega, whichever event he ends up doing. The scheme, of course, commemorates DW's well-deserved induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
"We've talked about maybe Bristol because Darrell had so much success there as a driver," Waltrip said. "But I think Darrell likes Talladega better because he knows I can run up front there and maybe we can win in his car."
Were it any other race in any other year, we'd say he's insane. But this is Talladega we're talking, where anything can happen, so it's quite likely he might end up out front somewhere. Or causing a 20-car pileup, whichever.
(Side note: Waltrip wasn't pleased that he missed out on qualifying despite having one of the fastest cars at Kentucky, as rain washed out the qualifying effort. But of the cars which got grandfathered in, six parked within the first 40 laps. Ah, start-and-parking.)
The No. 15 was supposed to run at Kentucky, but rain interrupted the qualifying. Therefore, Waltrip will run the car at either Bristol or Talladega, whichever event he ends up doing. The scheme, of course, commemorates DW's well-deserved induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
"We've talked about maybe Bristol because Darrell had so much success there as a driver," Waltrip said. "But I think Darrell likes Talladega better because he knows I can run up front there and maybe we can win in his car."
Were it any other race in any other year, we'd say he's insane. But this is Talladega we're talking, where anything can happen, so it's quite likely he might end up out front somewhere. Or causing a 20-car pileup, whichever.
(Side note: Waltrip wasn't pleased that he missed out on qualifying despite having one of the fastest cars at Kentucky, as rain washed out the qualifying effort. But of the cars which got grandfathered in, six parked within the first 40 laps. Ah, start-and-parking.)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Kenny Bruce?s Top 10: Kyle Busch?s ?to-do? list after winning 100 NASCAR races
(Editor?s note: Each week, SceneDaily?s Kenny Bruce takes a look at the lighter side of racing with his popular Top 10 list.)
Top 10 things on Kyle Busch?s ?to-do? list after winning 100 NASCAR races:
Top 10 things on Kyle Busch?s ?to-do? list after winning 100 NASCAR races:
Johnson No. 1 Pro Stock qualifier at Mile High
Defying broiling temperatures that kept most competitors' times down, Allen Johnson hit 197.65 mph in his Dodge Avenger on Saturday to become the top qualifier in the Pro Stock category at the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals.
Judge dismisses fuel additive company lawsuit against NASCAR
A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a fuel and oil performance additive company against NASCAR concerning a $6.295 million deal. Advanced Fluids Solutions, which wanted to market its new EXP4 fuel and oil performance additive through the ?NASCAR Performance? program, had agreed to pay the amount during a period of seven years, beginning in 2010.
NASCAR Race Review: UNOH 225
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. Thursday night the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY., the tenth race of the season. Practice and qualifying was earlier in the day, with 13 Johnny Sauter capturing the Pole position with a speed of 174.109 mph and [...]
Join us for the latest Marbles chat, Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET
Just because there's no race this weekend, does that mean there's nothing to talk about? Heck no! Come join us for some of the strangest NASCAR chat in the known universe, Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern. Be here!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Allmendinger gets new crew chief
Richard Petty Motorsports officials announced on Monday that Greg Erwin is the new crew chief for its No. 43 Sprint Cup Series team and driver AJ Allmendinger. Erwin replaces Mike Shiplett. ?Mike and I have been together for a long time, so from a personal standpoint this is difficult for me,? said Allmendinger. "We?ve worked really well together and I think our personalities really complemented each other. "Mike and I both came into this year really committed to working on our weaker areas. I know we both tried our best to be better and communicate better - I couldn?t have asked for either of us to try any harder. Sometimes though, you need to take a step back and have a new perspective or new set of eyes look at things to move to the next level." Prior to joining Richard Petty Motorsports, Erwin served as crew chief position with the No. 16 team at Roush Fenway Racing and driver Greg Biffle. Erwin joined that team in May 2007 and during his tenure at RFR, led Biffle to five victories, 36 top-five and 66 top-10 finishes. Erwin?s team made the Chase for the Cup three times. ?When one door closes, another one opens and this is great example of that,? said Erwin. ?I couldn?t be happier to have found a new home at Richard Petty Motorsports. To work with Richard Petty and lead the iconic No. 43 team is a great opportunity for me. AJ Allmendinger has shown that he has a great deal of talent and I?m excited to have the chance to get the No. 43 team back to Victory Lane.?
Dillon holds off Sauter for Nashville truck win
Austin Dillon claimed his first Camping World Truck Series win of the season and trimmed Johnny Sauter's lead in the points standings after taking the Lucas Deep Clean 200 on Friday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
Jamie McMurray?s 2011 has been nothing like his 2010
Entering 2011, Jamie McMurray was seemingly on the cusp of moving up a tier.
In his first�season with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, McMurray won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 and finished second in the Coca-Cola 600. However, he missed the Chase. Despite two wins prior to the Chase, McMurray was 14th in the standings.
His season was so successful that when NASCAR added the two wild cards to the Chase for the two drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, some took to calling it the McMurray Rule. Because, after all, if the wild card was around in 2010, McMurray would have made the Chase.
Going into 2011, McMurray was NASCAR's embodiment of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."
Now, well, McMurray and 2011 are simply caught up in a bad romance and the EGR driver has come down to earth. After blowing an engine in Saturday's Quaker State 400, McMurray is a disappointing 28th in the standings. Three DNFs haven't helped�? Saturday's engine failure was McMurray's second of the season ? but when he's had a car that's made it to the finish line, McMurray hasn't had the speed that he had last year. He's finished on the lead lap just eight times.
McMurray did still have his share of bad luck last year, finishing 30th or worse six times. But he won three times. At the halfway point of the 2011 campaign, he's finished in the top 10 only twice and�he's yet to crack the top five.
At this point, the 2011 Chase is an afterthought. He's 141 points outside of the top 10 and 83 outside the top 20. Even taking advantage of the so-called McMurray rule seems farfetched at this point.
Did anyone see that coming?
In his first�season with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, McMurray won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 and finished second in the Coca-Cola 600. However, he missed the Chase. Despite two wins prior to the Chase, McMurray was 14th in the standings.
His season was so successful that when NASCAR added the two wild cards to the Chase for the two drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, some took to calling it the McMurray Rule. Because, after all, if the wild card was around in 2010, McMurray would have made the Chase.
Going into 2011, McMurray was NASCAR's embodiment of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."
Now, well, McMurray and 2011 are simply caught up in a bad romance and the EGR driver has come down to earth. After blowing an engine in Saturday's Quaker State 400, McMurray is a disappointing 28th in the standings. Three DNFs haven't helped�? Saturday's engine failure was McMurray's second of the season ? but when he's had a car that's made it to the finish line, McMurray hasn't had the speed that he had last year. He's finished on the lead lap just eight times.
McMurray did still have his share of bad luck last year, finishing 30th or worse six times. But he won three times. At the halfway point of the 2011 campaign, he's finished in the top 10 only twice and�he's yet to crack the top five.
At this point, the 2011 Chase is an afterthought. He's 141 points outside of the top 10 and 83 outside the top 20. Even taking advantage of the so-called McMurray rule seems farfetched at this point.
Did anyone see that coming?
J.J. Yeley moves to Front Row Motorsports
J.J. Yeley has parted ways with Whitney Motorsports and will drive for Front Row Motorsports the rest of the 2011 season.
Monday, July 25, 2011
GRI hits the dirt, and I win my first feature!
Here is one for all you short track racers out there. A bunch of friends and I were at North Vernon Speedway in Indiana for the kart races this past weekend. Check out these videos of some kart action that went down, and my first feature win. This was Andrew Mccloud’s first race (#44) coming [...]
Chase wild card working, creating drama, desperation as playoff race nears
NASCAR appears to be getting what it hoped for when it implemented two wild-card spots for this year?s Chase For The Sprint Cup.
The idea was to put more emphasis on winning races and create more drama in the races leading into the Chase.
The idea was to put more emphasis on winning races and create more drama in the races leading into the Chase.
Study backs FIM over Motegi race
MotoGP's governing body the FIM says an independent study of radiation levels at the Motegi track shows that the risk to health is "negligible" and that the Japanese Grand Prix should therefore go ahead.
Marcos Ambrose: Not all Aussies ?chase crocodiles for a living?
Marcos Ambrose has been racing in NASCAR for six seasons but sometimes it seems the affable Aussie only just arrived.
A two-time champ in V8 Supercars, the nearest equivalent to stock-car racing in Australia, Ambrose made the leap to the Truck Series in 2006. He made his Cup debut two years later.
A two-time champ in V8 Supercars, the nearest equivalent to stock-car racing in Australia, Ambrose made the leap to the Truck Series in 2006. He made his Cup debut two years later.
2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
While it may closely resemble the regular C-Class sedan on which it’s based, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (virtually identical 2008 model pictured) is a whole different beast. Built by the legendary hands at AMG, the official in-house tuner of Mercedes-Benz, the C63 packs a unique version of the venerable 6.2-liter V-8 found in other AMG...
Jeff Gordon overcomes electrical problems, ?crazy day? to finish 11th at N.H
LOUDON, N.H. ? Jeff Gordon thought he had overcome an alternator problem that knocked him out of contention and appeared to be on his way to a top-five finish in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
But then a right-front tire went down on the final lap ? likely the result of a bead that melted because Gordon had to turn off his brake blowers ? and Gordon had to settle for 11th Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
But then a right-front tire went down on the final lap ? likely the result of a bead that melted because Gordon had to turn off his brake blowers ? and Gordon had to settle for 11th Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Replay Trevor Bayne's surprising Daytona 500 win
Race fans can re-live Trevor Bayne's upset win in the 2011 Daytona 500 and get a glimpse of never-before-aired footage by watching a NASCAR Media Group-produced special on Thursday night. The one-hour documentary, titled "Daytona 500: The Inside Story," will air on Discovery's HD Theater at 9 p.m. Eastern. The show includes highlights from the week of tributes to the late Dale Earnhardt, who died in a last-lap wreck in the race 10 years earlier, as well as Bayne's improbable victory which made him the youngest winner in the history of the event.
Dixon gets SBR Surfers V8 seat
IndyCar star Scott Dixon is the latest big name to confirm that he will contest V8 Supercars' international guest event in Surfers Paradise in October.
Skip Barber: Anderson doubles up at Road Atlanta
Starting from second in the final race of the weekend, championship points leader Scott Anderson won his second race of the weekend in Round 10 of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda at Road Atlanta.
Kyle Busch fought a grandpa: this was June @ The Marbles
Did you miss a day or two in June here at The Marbles? No sweat, we've got you covered. These were the big stories that dominated June 2011 around these parts:
? Kyle Busch, involved in altercation. Not exactly news. Kyle Busch, involved in altercation with Grandpa Richard Childress? Hell yes, that's news!
? In one of the best stunts ever, Brian Vickers skydove into Daytona Speedway. Unfortunately, his sponsor's future in NASCAR apparently followed the same arc.
? You won't believe all the bizarre things that have found their way onto Pocono's track. Scott Speed doesn't even make the top 10.
? At Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream dirt race, Clint Bowyer reigned supreme.
? Jamie McMurray took a sobering trip back to his tornado-wracked hometown of Joplin, Missouri.
? Best headline of the month: "Trying to prove race car drivers are athletes, driver tears ACL."
? We kicked around whether fuel-mileage wins are any good despite their thrilling finishes.
? Check these Le Mans wrecks!
? Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough headlined this year's Hall of Fame class. In related news, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. a future Hall of Famer?
? Secret fines. Why NASCAR thinks this is a good idea is beyond us.
? And in other grand ideas: Fox may move some Cup races to SPEED.
? This stunt at Atlanta Motor Speedway hurt. A lot.
Don't miss anything more! Become our pal on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all the latest goings-on.
? Kyle Busch, involved in altercation. Not exactly news. Kyle Busch, involved in altercation with Grandpa Richard Childress? Hell yes, that's news!
? In one of the best stunts ever, Brian Vickers skydove into Daytona Speedway. Unfortunately, his sponsor's future in NASCAR apparently followed the same arc.
? You won't believe all the bizarre things that have found their way onto Pocono's track. Scott Speed doesn't even make the top 10.
? At Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream dirt race, Clint Bowyer reigned supreme.
? Jamie McMurray took a sobering trip back to his tornado-wracked hometown of Joplin, Missouri.
? Best headline of the month: "Trying to prove race car drivers are athletes, driver tears ACL."
? We kicked around whether fuel-mileage wins are any good despite their thrilling finishes.
? Check these Le Mans wrecks!
? Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough headlined this year's Hall of Fame class. In related news, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. a future Hall of Famer?
? Secret fines. Why NASCAR thinks this is a good idea is beyond us.
? And in other grand ideas: Fox may move some Cup races to SPEED.
? This stunt at Atlanta Motor Speedway hurt. A lot.
Don't miss anything more! Become our pal on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all the latest goings-on.
500 winner Trevor Bayne crashes on lap five in Daytona return
Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne found out very early Saturday night that he wasn't going to sweep the Sprint Cup Series' two races at Daytona International Speedway.
Bayne, who surprised the NASCAR world when he won the 500 a day after turning 20 in February for the Wood Brothers, crashed on lap 5 of the Coke Zero 400 after getting nudged by Brad Keselowski in turn one.
"He got to us and was pushing us down the frontstretch.� I was still kind of lifting a little bit, letting him get to my bumper, and then I got back to the gas wide-open.� I don't know if I turned down more getting in or if he kind of came up across our bumper, but, either way, our bumpers caught wrong and it sent us spinning."
Bayne, 20, started on the front row and as soon as the race started, drivers began to pair up and look for partners to tandem-draft with. Since Jeff Gordon, the driver Bayne drafted with for the majority of the 500, paired up with polesitter Mark Martin, Bayne was searching for a partner. He found one in Keselowski, but not long after Keselowski started pushing him, Bayne was bouncing off Clint Bowyer and into the wall.
"This time was different because (at the Daytona 500) we didn't know how extreme (the tandem drafting) would be, so they didn't work it out before they got here.� They didn't have their teams all set up.� This time, they already had that planned before they got here, so you don't even have a chance if you have a single-car team.� You just have to wait on another guy to crash out and pick him up, but I was just planning on riding at the beginning."
Saturday was Bayne's second race after returning to the Sprint Cup Series after being sidelined with a mysterious illness that caused blurred vision, nausea and fatigue. In 10 races at NASCAR's top level in 2011, Bayne's 500 win is his only top 10.
Bayne, who surprised the NASCAR world when he won the 500 a day after turning 20 in February for the Wood Brothers, crashed on lap 5 of the Coke Zero 400 after getting nudged by Brad Keselowski in turn one.
"He got to us and was pushing us down the frontstretch.� I was still kind of lifting a little bit, letting him get to my bumper, and then I got back to the gas wide-open.� I don't know if I turned down more getting in or if he kind of came up across our bumper, but, either way, our bumpers caught wrong and it sent us spinning."
Bayne, 20, started on the front row and as soon as the race started, drivers began to pair up and look for partners to tandem-draft with. Since Jeff Gordon, the driver Bayne drafted with for the majority of the 500, paired up with polesitter Mark Martin, Bayne was searching for a partner. He found one in Keselowski, but not long after Keselowski started pushing him, Bayne was bouncing off Clint Bowyer and into the wall.
"This time was different because (at the Daytona 500) we didn't know how extreme (the tandem drafting) would be, so they didn't work it out before they got here.� They didn't have their teams all set up.� This time, they already had that planned before they got here, so you don't even have a chance if you have a single-car team.� You just have to wait on another guy to crash out and pick him up, but I was just planning on riding at the beginning."
Saturday was Bayne's second race after returning to the Sprint Cup Series after being sidelined with a mysterious illness that caused blurred vision, nausea and fatigue. In 10 races at NASCAR's top level in 2011, Bayne's 500 win is his only top 10.
2011 Chevrolet Corvette
The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette may rest at the affordable end of the supercar spectrum but the homegrown hero is nothing short of amazing when it comes to tearing up the tarmac. The Corvette is the perennial bang-for-your-buck winner, providing you with a healthy 430 horsepower for less than 50 grand. And in its latest iteration, the car now offers...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Lorenzo bounces back with Laguna Seca MotoGP pole
Jorge Lorenzo shrugged off his violent morning practice crash to blast to only his second pole position of the year at Laguna Seca.
Newman, Stewart get a much-needed boost at New Hampshire
Stewart-Haas Racing waved a magic wand over the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with teammates Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart qualifying and finishing 1-2 in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
NASCAR Race Review: Lucas Deep Clean 200
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has the weekend off. However, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is racing at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebenon, TN. in the Lucas Deep Clean 200 race. Nashville is a 1.333 mile D-shaped concrete oval track. The trophy at this [...]
Kyle Busch fought a grandpa: this was June @ The Marbles
Did you miss a day or two in June here at The Marbles? No sweat, we've got you covered. These were the big stories that dominated June 2011 around these parts:
? Kyle Busch, involved in altercation. Not exactly news. Kyle Busch, involved in altercation with Grandpa Richard Childress? Hell yes, that's news!
? In one of the best stunts ever, Brian Vickers skydove into Daytona Speedway. Unfortunately, his sponsor's future in NASCAR apparently followed the same arc.
? You won't believe all the bizarre things that have found their way onto Pocono's track. Scott Speed doesn't even make the top 10.
? At Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream dirt race, Clint Bowyer reigned supreme.
? Jamie McMurray took a sobering trip back to his tornado-wracked hometown of Joplin, Missouri.
? Best headline of the month: "Trying to prove race car drivers are athletes, driver tears ACL."
? We kicked around whether fuel-mileage wins are any good despite their thrilling finishes.
? Check these Le Mans wrecks!
? Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough headlined this year's Hall of Fame class. In related news, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. a future Hall of Famer?
? Secret fines. Why NASCAR thinks this is a good idea is beyond us.
? And in other grand ideas: Fox may move some Cup races to SPEED.
? This stunt at Atlanta Motor Speedway hurt. A lot.
Don't miss anything more! Become our pal on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all the latest goings-on.
? Kyle Busch, involved in altercation. Not exactly news. Kyle Busch, involved in altercation with Grandpa Richard Childress? Hell yes, that's news!
? In one of the best stunts ever, Brian Vickers skydove into Daytona Speedway. Unfortunately, his sponsor's future in NASCAR apparently followed the same arc.
? You won't believe all the bizarre things that have found their way onto Pocono's track. Scott Speed doesn't even make the top 10.
? At Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream dirt race, Clint Bowyer reigned supreme.
? Jamie McMurray took a sobering trip back to his tornado-wracked hometown of Joplin, Missouri.
? Best headline of the month: "Trying to prove race car drivers are athletes, driver tears ACL."
? We kicked around whether fuel-mileage wins are any good despite their thrilling finishes.
? Check these Le Mans wrecks!
? Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough headlined this year's Hall of Fame class. In related news, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. a future Hall of Famer?
? Secret fines. Why NASCAR thinks this is a good idea is beyond us.
? And in other grand ideas: Fox may move some Cup races to SPEED.
? This stunt at Atlanta Motor Speedway hurt. A lot.
Don't miss anything more! Become our pal on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all the latest goings-on.
Replay Trevor Bayne's surprising Daytona 500 win
Race fans can re-live Trevor Bayne's upset win in the 2011 Daytona 500 and get a glimpse of never-before-aired footage by watching a NASCAR Media Group-produced special on Thursday night. The one-hour documentary, titled "Daytona 500: The Inside Story," will air on Discovery's HD Theater at 9 p.m. Eastern. The show includes highlights from the week of tributes to the late Dale Earnhardt, who died in a last-lap wreck in the race 10 years earlier, as well as Bayne's improbable victory which made him the youngest winner in the history of the event.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Travis Pastrana to chase IndyCar's Vegas gold?
X Games/motocross/stuntman/rally/NASCAR racer Travis Pastrana told the Indianapolis Star that he has "agreed to pursue" IndyCar's $5 million bonus available to a non-IndyCar regular who can win the season-ending race IZOD World Championship on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Yarborough, DW highlight '12 HOF class
Cup Drivers Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, modified driver Richie Evans, owner Glen Wood and crew chief Dale Inman will make up the NASCAR Hall of Fame's classic '12.Yarborough was the first driver to win three straight Cup titles and finished his career with 83 victories.Waltrip won 84 races and three titles.Inman was Richard Petty's long-time crew chief and had 193 victories and eight titles, both records for a crew chief.Evans won nine NASCAR modified titles in 13 years and eight consecutively from 1978-85.Wood, part of the Wood Brothers Racing team, which has 98 victories.
Texas Motor Speedway flag flies on shuttle, returns to earth
When the Atlantis space shuttle landed on Thursday marking the end of America's current spaceflight era, it carried with it a flag from, of all places, Texas Motor Speedway.
Turns out Atlantis STS-135 pilot Doug Hurley is a Texas season ticketholder, and track president Eddie Gossage, never one to miss a promotional opportunity, helped orchestrate the flag flight. In all, the 4x6-foot flag traveled 5.3 million miles over the course of 200 complete orbits of the planet. Hurley also invited Gossage and TMS VP Mike Zizzo to the July 8 launch of the 135th and final flight of the space shuttles.
The flag will be formally presented to the track at a later date; we're guessing the Chase race. Just make sure that it doesn't have any space viruses on it. Zombie Texas race fans would be one hell of a PR problem for NASCAR.
Turns out Atlantis STS-135 pilot Doug Hurley is a Texas season ticketholder, and track president Eddie Gossage, never one to miss a promotional opportunity, helped orchestrate the flag flight. In all, the 4x6-foot flag traveled 5.3 million miles over the course of 200 complete orbits of the planet. Hurley also invited Gossage and TMS VP Mike Zizzo to the July 8 launch of the 135th and final flight of the space shuttles.
The flag will be formally presented to the track at a later date; we're guessing the Chase race. Just make sure that it doesn't have any space viruses on it. Zombie Texas race fans would be one hell of a PR problem for NASCAR.
New points leader: Kyle Busch crashes, loses points lead
Kyle Busch entered Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 with a lot of things in his favor. He had taken over the Sprint Cup points lead the week before by winning at Kentucky and won his 100th NASCAR race a day earlier when he won Saturday's Nationwide race at New Hampshire.
But oh how things change quickly in motorsports.
Busch lost a tire and slammed into the wall in turn four on lap 76. He was trailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the car suddenly veered to the wall in the middle of the corner.
While Busch had made contact with Junior (and others) before his crash, Busch and Goodyear both said a melted bead on the right front caused the tire failure. Busch finished 36th.
The crash dropped Busch to fifth in the points standings, 20 points behind Carl Edwards and marked the third consecutive week that the points lead has changed hands.
At Daytona, Kevin Harvick took over the points lead from Edwards after Edwards crashed. Last week at Kentucky, Harvick finished 16th, allowing Busch to jump to the point by four over Edwards and again proving that leading the 2011 points is a fragile position.
Over the first 19 races, five different drivers (Busch, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Harvick and Tony Stewart) have led the points standings and the lead has changed hands 10 times.
Does that bode well for the Chase? We'll see.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Missed chances plague U.S. in Cup final loss to Japan
? British Open's winners and losers
? Korean athletes' outlandish excuse for failed drug tests
But oh how things change quickly in motorsports.
Busch lost a tire and slammed into the wall in turn four on lap 76. He was trailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the car suddenly veered to the wall in the middle of the corner.
While Busch had made contact with Junior (and others) before his crash, Busch and Goodyear both said a melted bead on the right front caused the tire failure. Busch finished 36th.
The crash dropped Busch to fifth in the points standings, 20 points behind Carl Edwards and marked the third consecutive week that the points lead has changed hands.
At Daytona, Kevin Harvick took over the points lead from Edwards after Edwards crashed. Last week at Kentucky, Harvick finished 16th, allowing Busch to jump to the point by four over Edwards and again proving that leading the 2011 points is a fragile position.
Over the first 19 races, five different drivers (Busch, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Harvick and Tony Stewart) have led the points standings and the lead has changed hands 10 times.
Does that bode well for the Chase? We'll see.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Missed chances plague U.S. in Cup final loss to Japan
? British Open's winners and losers
? Korean athletes' outlandish excuse for failed drug tests
Thursday, July 21, 2011
History Of The BMW 3.0 CSi: Video
The BMW CS coupe range, known internally as the E9, was a luxurious two-door built for BMW by Karmann during the late 1960s and early ‘70s. It was developed from the BMW 2000 CS coupe of the time, which was enlarged to hold the automaker’s classic M30 straight-six engine, and in its original 2800 CS trim developed 170 horsepower from a...
Join us for the latest Marbles live chat, Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET
Time again for another Marbles chat! Come hang with us and talk NASCAR for a bit on Wednesday afternoon. Whatever's on your mind, fire away here!
Statement from Kentucky Speedway on traffic problems on Saturday night
July 9, 2011 Statement from Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger regarding traffic for the ?Quaker State 400? We?ve had an overwhelming response to our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ?Quaker State 400.? We know we had challenges related to traffic. We?re already planning improvements and looking forward to a much better situation for next year?s event.
Jack Ingram?s grandson arrested for allegedly stealing championship rings
Former two-time Busch Series champion Jack Ingram had racing memorabilia stolen from his home, and his 25-year-old grandson was arrested in the case, according to The Asheville Citizen-Times. Among the items stolen were his 1982 Busch Series championship ring, a 1985 championship ring presented to him by his racing sponsor, a Skoal Bandit medallion and Elgin watch.
Hard liquor about to hit the NASCAR sponsorship road
What was once a sponsorship boon in NASCAR appears set to disappear. When NASCAR lifted its long-standing ban on hard liquor sponsors beginning with the 2005 season, it produced an influx of several lucrative deals from Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Crown Royal, among others. On Tuesday, Diageo, the parent company of Crown Royal, announced it was ending its sponsorship relationships with NASCAR and Roush Fenway Racing's No. 17 team driven by Matt Kenseth following the 2011 season. Crown Royal is the last remaining hard liquor sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series following the infusion of new sponsors six years ago. "We have developed strong relationships with the people at both organizations - they have not only been fantastic business partners, but have also become our friends. We thank them for working with us throughout the years to showcase the importance of our social responsibility initiatives," said Yvonne Briese, vice president of marketing for Diageo. "We look forward to a strong finish to the 2011 season and like the many fans we?ve gained along the way, we?ll never stop rooting for the No. 17 car on its way to Victory Lane." Prior to the 2005 season, NASCAR teams were allowed to advertise beer and malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice but not hard liquor. The ban was in place in part because of an agreement then among major television networks to turn down hard-liquor commercials.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
AJ Allmendinger gets new crew chief in Greg Erwin
Greg Erwin wasn?t out of a job for long as he will replace Mike Shiplett as crew chief for Richard Petty Motorsports driver AJ Allmendinger.
Pattie out as Montoya's crew chief
Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced on Tuesday that Jim Pohlman has replaced Brian Pattie as crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya's No.42 team in the Sprint Cup Series.
Chad Ochocinco gets a taste of the NASCAR life
HAMPTON, Ga. - Football players gotta do what they can to stay busy these days, even if that means changing a few tires.
Chad Ochocinco joined Jeff Burton at Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday morning for a look inside the life of a NASCAR driver and pit crew. Ochocinco, who's already tried his hand at bull riding and pro soccer and wants to have a go at alligator wrestling, took a ride with Burton and then, while Burton darted off to Daytona Beach, tried some pit maneuvers with the 31's crew. Video of that is below.
"It's so cool that someone who has dedicated his life to one sport is able to show people what it's like in another sport," Burton said afterward. "It was a great experience for him, and it gave us some great exposure for our sport."
Ochocinco didn't take the wheel; as he noted, "I probably would have put the car into the wall in Turn 1." But he went out of his way to praise both Burton and his colleagues: "People don't understand how much skill and danger is involved," he said. "It's a game of inches, and we were out there by ourselves. I can't imagine what it's like with 30, 40 other guys out there."
After the drive, Ochocinco participated in an impromptu pit stop, where he learned the art of the tire changer:
And next, he tried to jack up a car, and found it's not quite as easy as it looks:
If Burton manages to break his season-long winless streak at Daytona, Ochocinco may get a few more invitations to ride shotgun next week.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Illicit deer antler extract is an NFL player favorite
? HS love letter from Michael Jordan revealed
? Prediction: NFL lockout is about to end
Chad Ochocinco joined Jeff Burton at Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday morning for a look inside the life of a NASCAR driver and pit crew. Ochocinco, who's already tried his hand at bull riding and pro soccer and wants to have a go at alligator wrestling, took a ride with Burton and then, while Burton darted off to Daytona Beach, tried some pit maneuvers with the 31's crew. Video of that is below.
"It's so cool that someone who has dedicated his life to one sport is able to show people what it's like in another sport," Burton said afterward. "It was a great experience for him, and it gave us some great exposure for our sport."
Ochocinco didn't take the wheel; as he noted, "I probably would have put the car into the wall in Turn 1." But he went out of his way to praise both Burton and his colleagues: "People don't understand how much skill and danger is involved," he said. "It's a game of inches, and we were out there by ourselves. I can't imagine what it's like with 30, 40 other guys out there."
After the drive, Ochocinco participated in an impromptu pit stop, where he learned the art of the tire changer:
And next, he tried to jack up a car, and found it's not quite as easy as it looks:
If Burton manages to break his season-long winless streak at Daytona, Ochocinco may get a few more invitations to ride shotgun next week.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Illicit deer antler extract is an NFL player favorite
? HS love letter from Michael Jordan revealed
? Prediction: NFL lockout is about to end
Green Flag with Ben Ashline
Ben Ashline, of Pittston, ME likes to go fast, especially driving the #15 DS Norton Construction late model. Which has been tearing up the track at Oxford Plains Speedway and in the American Canadian Tour. Ben had an up and down 2010 season with some big wins and some big wrecks.
RPM. What are you plans for the 2011 Race Season?
Ben. Right now, our plans are to run oxford plains speedway for points. Our goal is the championship. We are going to try to make an attempt to qualify for four American Canadian tour races if our budget permits it at that time, We are going to attempt to qualify for the td bank 250, and we are hoping to get an invite to the invitational race at Loudon.
RPM. What are you plans for the 2011 Race Season?
Ben. Right now, our plans are to run oxford plains speedway for points. Our goal is the championship. We are going to try to make an attempt to qualify for four American Canadian tour races if our budget permits it at that time, We are going to attempt to qualify for the td bank 250, and we are hoping to get an invite to the invitational race at Loudon.
Twitter roundup: What did drivers have to say about Sonoma?
Twitter is breaking down the barriers between drivers and fans, and after every race, many drivers weigh in on the most critical moments of the day. Here, we'll round up the week's best and give you some inside perspective on what's happening in your favorite drivers' heads.
So let's begin. Winner Kurt Busch hasn't weighed in yet, so how about the No. 2 man, Jeff Gordon?
Kevin Harvick rallies the troops:
Denny Hamlin isn't nearly as satisfied:
(AJ Allmendinger had no comment.) And then we get to the score-settling. First, Juan Pablo Montoya says ... something about Brad Keselowski:
Not quite sure what he was getting at there. But Kasey Kahne has some fire for Montoya:
Jimmie Johnson offers up a routine thanks for a routine top-10:
And finally, tweet of the week goes to Keselowski with this philosophical nugget:
Let's see how things look next week after Daytona.
So let's begin. Winner Kurt Busch hasn't weighed in yet, so how about the No. 2 man, Jeff Gordon?
Kevin Harvick rallies the troops:
Denny Hamlin isn't nearly as satisfied:
(AJ Allmendinger had no comment.) And then we get to the score-settling. First, Juan Pablo Montoya says ... something about Brad Keselowski:
Not quite sure what he was getting at there. But Kasey Kahne has some fire for Montoya:
Jimmie Johnson offers up a routine thanks for a routine top-10:
And finally, tweet of the week goes to Keselowski with this philosophical nugget:
Let's see how things look next week after Daytona.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dakoda Armstrong, fresh off the farm, making truck debut at Iowa
Dakoda Armstrong works on his family?s farm, but he hopes he works less and less as his NASCAR career blossoms. Armstrong will make his Camping World Truck Series debut this weekend at Iowa Speedway as he steps in a truck for ThorSport Racing.
Johnson tees off ? for him ? on pit crew, Montoya
Generally when you get a pit-road penalty and end up finishing fifth, you're feeling pretty good about your race, right? And that's why you're not Jimmie Johnson, my friend.
After Sunday's Loudon race, in which the 48 team overcame wounds both external and self-inflicted to notch yet another strong finish at a Chase track, Johnson was uncharacteristically blunt. He's not happy with either his own pit crew or Juan Pablo Montoya, and he let fly with his feelings afterward.
"When it's key times for stops, we have mistakes," he said. "I've been real patient all year trying to build. I'm running out of patience. I care for these guys deeply for going over the wall and I know they're very talented guys, but we're getting into my livelihood in a little bit when we get into this Chase and we've got to be right."
He kept on: "We've been working and we've been patient as a group trying to mature some guys and get some stuff ready, but we can't have these mistakes any more," he said. "We're getting way too close to the Chase. We need to be right."
We've talked before in this space about how Johnson and Knaus may be playing with fire in their every-job-on-the-line-every-week approach, and it seems to be hitting home now. One lug nut penalty, as was assessed Sunday, isn't a big deal in and of itself. But when it's happening every week, when every pit stop becomes a what-happens-now? adventure, clearly it's time to rethink strategies.
Of course, the 48 team's problems aren't entirely of its own making. Johnson had a few words for Juan Pablo Montoya: "The 42, I don't think the three times he's wrecked me it's been intentional, but he's all out of mulligans," he said. "I've had enough of "Oh, I'm sorry' and you're spun� out. It's happened way too often for the 48."
Frustration? Sure. But this is an uncharacteristically rattled Johnson, one we haven't seen before. As last year showed, when he's singularly focused he's able to run down anyone. But with his attention diverted, well ... it's possible that the only team capable of beating the 48 is the 48, and right now, that's exactly what's happening.
Johnson "running out of patience" with his team & Montoya [Landmark Newspapers]
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? After World Cup heartbreak, what's next for the U.S. women's soccer team?
? Pitching will fetch a premium at baseball's trade deadline
? Video: NBA star D-Wade's desperate move to avoid losing
After Sunday's Loudon race, in which the 48 team overcame wounds both external and self-inflicted to notch yet another strong finish at a Chase track, Johnson was uncharacteristically blunt. He's not happy with either his own pit crew or Juan Pablo Montoya, and he let fly with his feelings afterward.
"When it's key times for stops, we have mistakes," he said. "I've been real patient all year trying to build. I'm running out of patience. I care for these guys deeply for going over the wall and I know they're very talented guys, but we're getting into my livelihood in a little bit when we get into this Chase and we've got to be right."
He kept on: "We've been working and we've been patient as a group trying to mature some guys and get some stuff ready, but we can't have these mistakes any more," he said. "We're getting way too close to the Chase. We need to be right."
We've talked before in this space about how Johnson and Knaus may be playing with fire in their every-job-on-the-line-every-week approach, and it seems to be hitting home now. One lug nut penalty, as was assessed Sunday, isn't a big deal in and of itself. But when it's happening every week, when every pit stop becomes a what-happens-now? adventure, clearly it's time to rethink strategies.
Of course, the 48 team's problems aren't entirely of its own making. Johnson had a few words for Juan Pablo Montoya: "The 42, I don't think the three times he's wrecked me it's been intentional, but he's all out of mulligans," he said. "I've had enough of "Oh, I'm sorry' and you're spun� out. It's happened way too often for the 48."
Frustration? Sure. But this is an uncharacteristically rattled Johnson, one we haven't seen before. As last year showed, when he's singularly focused he's able to run down anyone. But with his attention diverted, well ... it's possible that the only team capable of beating the 48 is the 48, and right now, that's exactly what's happening.
Johnson "running out of patience" with his team & Montoya [Landmark Newspapers]
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? After World Cup heartbreak, what's next for the U.S. women's soccer team?
? Pitching will fetch a premium at baseball's trade deadline
? Video: NBA star D-Wade's desperate move to avoid losing
Happy Hour: Should all of Kyle Busch?s wins get respect?
Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: you write us with your best rant/joke/one-liner at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face. Today, we're talking Kyle Busch, Kentucky, Hillbilly Days and spam! Let's begin!
I was watching Speed Center and saw where Kyle Petty was bent out of shape about the talk of Kyle Busch was closing in on 100 wins. KP seems upset that someone may come close to The King's record of 200 wins. KP insists that only Cup wins should count. I disagree.
To win 100 races is a major accomplishment. KB is running in three different types of vehicles, sometimes on consecutive days and usually against the same drivers ... 100 wins is 100 wins. Against the same drivers, all driving legal equipment, they all should count as 100 NASCAR wins. I personally don't wish to see KB win another race, however he is a great driver and I would hate to see his accomplishments shortchanged.
? John Edwards
North Carolina
I'm with you. As easy as Busch makes the truck races look ? and let's be honest, he often looks like the dad who doesn't ever let his four-year-old win at anything out there ? I'd still venture that, top to bottom, the level of competition in truck races now is better than the level of competition in Petty's day. Now, before you start your angry comments, read what I said: top-to-bottom. Sure, Pearson and Yarborough were as good as anyone ever, but Petty did a lot of racing against guys with names like Skeeter. Not a whole lot of guys in NASCAR's top series are splitting their time between the track and working at a garage store these days.
I will say that Kyle needs to win multiple championships to get taken seriously as an all-time driver. Racking up, oh, 120 truck wins is nice and all, but it does carry that whiff of beating up on lesser competition.
Next up: yep, it's time to talk Kentucky.
____________________
I don't want to enrage the masses, but I have been to 3 different tracks with infamous traffic nightmares: Sonoma, Fontana, and (sold-out) Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A lot of fans were wrong in the belief that they would get to [Kentucky] in a just a few hours. Glad to see that there are posts from alot of fans who already know that arriving ridiculously early for parking and walking is a part of it. I have several examples of my race travels, but I want to offer this one: I already knew LVMS was sold out. Drive the rental to a track that is far out in the desert with essentially one way in and one way out? NO. I sucked it up and paid $50 for a shuttle bus that went completely around the track the other way. It was air conditioned and with a bathroom. Worth every penny.
?RJ Johnson
Yeah, I've made the mistake of leaving too late for races, and I have no one to blame but myself. Still, this was a debacle ? perhaps not the apocalypse that some in the media made it out to be, but ugly nonetheless. And this will hopefully spur NASCAR to step up its oversight of the off-track operations. NASCAR is an experience, not just an event, and it reflects badly on the sport if you've got greedy hotel owners, incompetent traffic-management plans and squabbling local politicians screwing up that experience.
Still, an air-conditioned bathroom at a NASCAR race? That's worth triple what you paid for it, easy.
____________________
Here is a little research about this "offer" that SMI made for those 20k people that didn't get into the race. Miles and travel time from the Kentucky track:
New Hampshire (July 17, Sept. 25)......900 miles...16 hours 41 minutes
Bristol (Aug. 27) 296 miles...5 hours 29 minutes
Atlanta (Sept. 4) 446 miles....7 hours 27 minutes
Charlotte (Oct. 15) 465 miles...7 hours 56 minutes
Texas (Nov. 6) 894 miles....14 hours 26 minutes.
Wow! What a fabulous deal for those guys! (sarcasm) Not only are they out all those travel/hotel cost for the Kentucky race, they get to pay them all again if they want to for tracks that are farther away! Sign me up!
?Chris in Crestview
Which is a good point, but where's the break point in this? Should people start sending in gas and hotel receipts? You've got to draw the line somewhere. I do think that tickets to the Kentucky race in 2012 is a good, if dangerous offer. (No, really! We'll be better next year! Just in case, though, could you plan to leave for the race in January...?)
Here's the thing, and if you know someone at the Kentucky Speedway, pass this on to 'em: twist this to your advantage. NASCAR has a number of track promotion teams, led by Texas's Eddie Gossage and including Michigan, Atlanta and Martinsville, who know an opportunity when they see it. Turn this into a positive: make up a commemorative t-shirt that says, "I went to the inaugural Kentucky Sprint race and all I got was this stinkin' t-shirt! REALLY!" Create a "no-start, no-park" club and have "reunions" every year from here on out. Yeah, it was an embarrassment, but once the track has done all it reasonably can to address its fans' needs, it's time to move on and have fun.
Hey, speaking of start-and-park ...
____________________
I know what the "start & park" cars ARE, and I think I understand why they do it (lack of sponsorship). My question is, if they can't afford to run a race, even just more than a few laps, why do they even bother to come to the track and start? They'll never get a sponsor unless they prove they're worth it.
?Jim Atteberry
It's not quite that simple; most do have sponsors, even if they tend to be of the "you have to call an 800 number to order our product" variety. They can run a whole season based on just the winnings from finishing in the bottom five, which can be substantial, and with any luck, they might just vulture a good finish in a road course race or avoid a Talladega Big One and finish in the top 20.
It's not an ideal situation, but it's the rules as they now stand, and fans who love the idea of scrappy underdogs and one-man shows ought to at least appreciate what start-and-parks are doing.
____________________
I watched the Kentucky Race last Saturday night and fell asleep. While FOX's coverage has too much hot air; last night's coverage didn't have enough. I woke up a couple time to a camera shot outside a driver's front window and no talking. BO-ring. ESPN (?) talked about how they had 40 extra mics throughout the track, which was great, but did they use them? Let's not even get into the amount of commercials I had to fast-forward through. I did like Larry Mac's insight onto the hand signals Brad Keselowski had to use since he was having communication issues. On another positive note, I did enjoy hearing the chatter between driver, crew chief and spotter, but it would have been helpful to know who was talking to whom. Your thoughts on the ESPN coverage?
?Red_23
I thought ESPN did a hell of a job covering the ACC women's softball quarterfinals, or whatever the hell they had on while TNT was covering the race. But hey, at least you found the race, even if you couldn't remember the channel.
I've said this before, but I'm not nearly the critic of TV presentation that some are. Don't get me wrong, the commercials are excruciating; I took last race off and watched as a fan, which is a fascinating and maddening experience. (A commercial with ten laps left? GREAT IDEA!) Generally I'm too busy trying to come up with one-liners and listening to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s radio to worry about the broadcast presentation, but I can understand that commercials are infuriating. I like the TNT folks, but I think they took a big step back this year by overloading on the commercials ... or at least giving the appearance of doing so, which is just as bad.
____________________
I'm not sure who the announcer was [Saturday night] but he said the race was the biggest crowd ever gathered for an event in the history of Kentucky.� He was wrong.� Anyone who's heard about Hillbilly Days in Pikeville Kentucky knows that is the biggest event.� Back in the day it would draw crowds pushing over 250,000.� I think one year we may have made it to 300,000.� Just a little useless knowledge for ya.
?Wes R
A quarter of a million people come to something called "Hillbilly Days"? Let's take a look at what goes on at said Hillbilly Days, shall we?
Wow. That's, like, 150-proof redneckery. You people in Kentucky are weird.
____________________
Busbee, do you think Logano needs to worry? While he is having the "junior jitters", Ol' Sliced Bread hasn't gone all that stale. While he started out rocky this year, he's been building momentum, confidence, and some might say respect (via the Robby Gordon spin cycle at Sonoma). He isn't the show-stopping winner Kyle Busch was at age 20-21, but Logano definitely has potential. He just needs time. What's up?
?Luke
Laramie, WY
Logano still has upside, but I'm not quite as convinced that he'll be a legend as I was previously. I see him topping out at the Greg Biffle level: capable of winning a race or two each year and making the Chase most years, but never really one of the superstars. Which is still a really good place to be, and reason enough for Gibbs to hang onto him.
Next, today in spam.
Hello am Lionel.
I am actually interested in Marbles for my newly established building Company. please i will like to hear a Fast reply from you if you have it in stock. Also let me know if you do accept Credit Card as form of payment.
Regards
Lionel.
Marbles? Why, of course we do! We're From The Marbles! You don't get more marbly than us! We'll even throw in a few commenters who'll deliver them to you personally. They'll tell you about how horrible someone named "Junior" is, but don't pay them any mind. We take credit cards, but we prefer straight cash, homey.
With sponsors leaving NASCAR, I thought it was appropriate to show how influential sponsors are to children.� I was driving through my neighborhood when my 5-year-old nephew shouted out "Jeff Gordon!" I was a little confused, and I said where?� He was pointing to a house that was adding an addition that had the Dupont Tyvek wrap on it.� I was amazed as he only watches races every once in awhile and has a very short attention span.� He's also very aware that M&M's and Kyle Busch go together.� I'm waiting for him to find Tornadoes at the grocery store because Ryan Newman is his favorite driver.
?Nathan Sulmar
Arnold, MO
Aw, that's a sweet story. I would've been a lot more concerned had he shouted out "Jeremy Mayfield!" because, well, you never know. Could've been the real guy, walking down the street.
Do you find NASCAR seeping into your day-to-day life? Like, I killed time at the grocery store last week counting the number of NASCAR-branded products. (Many still advertising the 2011 Daytona 500; my grocery store is about six months out of date, apparently.) And I was golfing with my brothers last weekend, and actually felt a twinge of disappointment when I got the No. 31 golf cart. (Aw, man, Burton? He's terrible this year!) My brothers got the #20, which at least gave me a fighting chance. FYI: course marshals are no more in love with 2x2-style racing than you are.
And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com, find us on Facebook right here, or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? A-Rod flunks Yankees fashion test
? Rory McIlroy could make history at the British Open
? Top athletes over the age of 40
I was watching Speed Center and saw where Kyle Petty was bent out of shape about the talk of Kyle Busch was closing in on 100 wins. KP seems upset that someone may come close to The King's record of 200 wins. KP insists that only Cup wins should count. I disagree.
To win 100 races is a major accomplishment. KB is running in three different types of vehicles, sometimes on consecutive days and usually against the same drivers ... 100 wins is 100 wins. Against the same drivers, all driving legal equipment, they all should count as 100 NASCAR wins. I personally don't wish to see KB win another race, however he is a great driver and I would hate to see his accomplishments shortchanged.
? John Edwards
North Carolina
I'm with you. As easy as Busch makes the truck races look ? and let's be honest, he often looks like the dad who doesn't ever let his four-year-old win at anything out there ? I'd still venture that, top to bottom, the level of competition in truck races now is better than the level of competition in Petty's day. Now, before you start your angry comments, read what I said: top-to-bottom. Sure, Pearson and Yarborough were as good as anyone ever, but Petty did a lot of racing against guys with names like Skeeter. Not a whole lot of guys in NASCAR's top series are splitting their time between the track and working at a garage store these days.
I will say that Kyle needs to win multiple championships to get taken seriously as an all-time driver. Racking up, oh, 120 truck wins is nice and all, but it does carry that whiff of beating up on lesser competition.
Next up: yep, it's time to talk Kentucky.
____________________
I don't want to enrage the masses, but I have been to 3 different tracks with infamous traffic nightmares: Sonoma, Fontana, and (sold-out) Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A lot of fans were wrong in the belief that they would get to [Kentucky] in a just a few hours. Glad to see that there are posts from alot of fans who already know that arriving ridiculously early for parking and walking is a part of it. I have several examples of my race travels, but I want to offer this one: I already knew LVMS was sold out. Drive the rental to a track that is far out in the desert with essentially one way in and one way out? NO. I sucked it up and paid $50 for a shuttle bus that went completely around the track the other way. It was air conditioned and with a bathroom. Worth every penny.
?RJ Johnson
Yeah, I've made the mistake of leaving too late for races, and I have no one to blame but myself. Still, this was a debacle ? perhaps not the apocalypse that some in the media made it out to be, but ugly nonetheless. And this will hopefully spur NASCAR to step up its oversight of the off-track operations. NASCAR is an experience, not just an event, and it reflects badly on the sport if you've got greedy hotel owners, incompetent traffic-management plans and squabbling local politicians screwing up that experience.
Still, an air-conditioned bathroom at a NASCAR race? That's worth triple what you paid for it, easy.
____________________
Here is a little research about this "offer" that SMI made for those 20k people that didn't get into the race. Miles and travel time from the Kentucky track:
New Hampshire (July 17, Sept. 25)......900 miles...16 hours 41 minutes
Bristol (Aug. 27) 296 miles...5 hours 29 minutes
Atlanta (Sept. 4) 446 miles....7 hours 27 minutes
Charlotte (Oct. 15) 465 miles...7 hours 56 minutes
Texas (Nov. 6) 894 miles....14 hours 26 minutes.
Wow! What a fabulous deal for those guys! (sarcasm) Not only are they out all those travel/hotel cost for the Kentucky race, they get to pay them all again if they want to for tracks that are farther away! Sign me up!
?Chris in Crestview
Which is a good point, but where's the break point in this? Should people start sending in gas and hotel receipts? You've got to draw the line somewhere. I do think that tickets to the Kentucky race in 2012 is a good, if dangerous offer. (No, really! We'll be better next year! Just in case, though, could you plan to leave for the race in January...?)
Here's the thing, and if you know someone at the Kentucky Speedway, pass this on to 'em: twist this to your advantage. NASCAR has a number of track promotion teams, led by Texas's Eddie Gossage and including Michigan, Atlanta and Martinsville, who know an opportunity when they see it. Turn this into a positive: make up a commemorative t-shirt that says, "I went to the inaugural Kentucky Sprint race and all I got was this stinkin' t-shirt! REALLY!" Create a "no-start, no-park" club and have "reunions" every year from here on out. Yeah, it was an embarrassment, but once the track has done all it reasonably can to address its fans' needs, it's time to move on and have fun.
Hey, speaking of start-and-park ...
____________________
I know what the "start & park" cars ARE, and I think I understand why they do it (lack of sponsorship). My question is, if they can't afford to run a race, even just more than a few laps, why do they even bother to come to the track and start? They'll never get a sponsor unless they prove they're worth it.
?Jim Atteberry
It's not quite that simple; most do have sponsors, even if they tend to be of the "you have to call an 800 number to order our product" variety. They can run a whole season based on just the winnings from finishing in the bottom five, which can be substantial, and with any luck, they might just vulture a good finish in a road course race or avoid a Talladega Big One and finish in the top 20.
It's not an ideal situation, but it's the rules as they now stand, and fans who love the idea of scrappy underdogs and one-man shows ought to at least appreciate what start-and-parks are doing.
____________________
I watched the Kentucky Race last Saturday night and fell asleep. While FOX's coverage has too much hot air; last night's coverage didn't have enough. I woke up a couple time to a camera shot outside a driver's front window and no talking. BO-ring. ESPN (?) talked about how they had 40 extra mics throughout the track, which was great, but did they use them? Let's not even get into the amount of commercials I had to fast-forward through. I did like Larry Mac's insight onto the hand signals Brad Keselowski had to use since he was having communication issues. On another positive note, I did enjoy hearing the chatter between driver, crew chief and spotter, but it would have been helpful to know who was talking to whom. Your thoughts on the ESPN coverage?
?Red_23
I thought ESPN did a hell of a job covering the ACC women's softball quarterfinals, or whatever the hell they had on while TNT was covering the race. But hey, at least you found the race, even if you couldn't remember the channel.
I've said this before, but I'm not nearly the critic of TV presentation that some are. Don't get me wrong, the commercials are excruciating; I took last race off and watched as a fan, which is a fascinating and maddening experience. (A commercial with ten laps left? GREAT IDEA!) Generally I'm too busy trying to come up with one-liners and listening to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s radio to worry about the broadcast presentation, but I can understand that commercials are infuriating. I like the TNT folks, but I think they took a big step back this year by overloading on the commercials ... or at least giving the appearance of doing so, which is just as bad.
____________________
I'm not sure who the announcer was [Saturday night] but he said the race was the biggest crowd ever gathered for an event in the history of Kentucky.� He was wrong.� Anyone who's heard about Hillbilly Days in Pikeville Kentucky knows that is the biggest event.� Back in the day it would draw crowds pushing over 250,000.� I think one year we may have made it to 300,000.� Just a little useless knowledge for ya.
?Wes R
A quarter of a million people come to something called "Hillbilly Days"? Let's take a look at what goes on at said Hillbilly Days, shall we?
Wow. That's, like, 150-proof redneckery. You people in Kentucky are weird.
____________________
Busbee, do you think Logano needs to worry? While he is having the "junior jitters", Ol' Sliced Bread hasn't gone all that stale. While he started out rocky this year, he's been building momentum, confidence, and some might say respect (via the Robby Gordon spin cycle at Sonoma). He isn't the show-stopping winner Kyle Busch was at age 20-21, but Logano definitely has potential. He just needs time. What's up?
?Luke
Laramie, WY
Logano still has upside, but I'm not quite as convinced that he'll be a legend as I was previously. I see him topping out at the Greg Biffle level: capable of winning a race or two each year and making the Chase most years, but never really one of the superstars. Which is still a really good place to be, and reason enough for Gibbs to hang onto him.
Next, today in spam.
Hello am Lionel.
I am actually interested in Marbles for my newly established building Company. please i will like to hear a Fast reply from you if you have it in stock. Also let me know if you do accept Credit Card as form of payment.
Regards
Lionel.
Marbles? Why, of course we do! We're From The Marbles! You don't get more marbly than us! We'll even throw in a few commenters who'll deliver them to you personally. They'll tell you about how horrible someone named "Junior" is, but don't pay them any mind. We take credit cards, but we prefer straight cash, homey.
With sponsors leaving NASCAR, I thought it was appropriate to show how influential sponsors are to children.� I was driving through my neighborhood when my 5-year-old nephew shouted out "Jeff Gordon!" I was a little confused, and I said where?� He was pointing to a house that was adding an addition that had the Dupont Tyvek wrap on it.� I was amazed as he only watches races every once in awhile and has a very short attention span.� He's also very aware that M&M's and Kyle Busch go together.� I'm waiting for him to find Tornadoes at the grocery store because Ryan Newman is his favorite driver.
?Nathan Sulmar
Arnold, MO
Aw, that's a sweet story. I would've been a lot more concerned had he shouted out "Jeremy Mayfield!" because, well, you never know. Could've been the real guy, walking down the street.
Do you find NASCAR seeping into your day-to-day life? Like, I killed time at the grocery store last week counting the number of NASCAR-branded products. (Many still advertising the 2011 Daytona 500; my grocery store is about six months out of date, apparently.) And I was golfing with my brothers last weekend, and actually felt a twinge of disappointment when I got the No. 31 golf cart. (Aw, man, Burton? He's terrible this year!) My brothers got the #20, which at least gave me a fighting chance. FYI: course marshals are no more in love with 2x2-style racing than you are.
And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com, find us on Facebook right here, or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? A-Rod flunks Yankees fashion test
? Rory McIlroy could make history at the British Open
? Top athletes over the age of 40
Talladega Superspeedway Fan Appreciation Day
Talladega Superspeedway Fan Appreciation Day Is Sept. 26th: Talladega Superspeedway will welcome race fans to the track on Sept. 26 for the second annual Fan Appreciation Day. This event is open to the public and free of charge. Best of all, ticket buyers to either of the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Talladega, [...]
128 in a 45 mph Zone: Way to go Kyle Busch!
One would think that when your day job consists of driving around banked ovals doing 200 mph that maybe, just maybe, you’d see fit to back it down a little on the street. Apparently NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch doesn’t think so however as he was recently clocked doing 128 mph in a 45 mph zone [...]
Pick a partner: The list of drivers who will pair up at Daytona
Like it or not, the two-car draft is a must at Daytona International Speedway and will be a huge storyline in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400. According to Jeff Gordon, he picked his partner�long before he arrived in�Daytona and suspected most other drivers did, too.
Here is the list of drivers who will pair up. Some are obvious; some not so much.
Teammates:
? Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin
? Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson
? Kyle Busch and Joey Logano
? Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne
? Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger
? Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski
? Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya
? Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard
? David Ragan and Matt Kenseth
? Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer
? Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards
? Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann
Non-teammates:
? Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman
(Explanation: These two worked well together at Talladega; also, Joe Gibbs Racing is a three-car team, and Hamlin is the odd-man out, though that doesn't explain why Newman isn't pairing up with his only teammate, Tony Stewart.)
? Tony Stewart and David Gilliland
(Explanation: It may seem odd ? a two-time series champion pairing with a journeyman who's never won a Cup race ? but like Hamlin and Newman, Stewart and Gilliland worked together at Talladega.)
? Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte
(Explanation: They come from the same womb, though this pairing may�not materialize as Bobby Labonte will likely work with Casey Mears, too.)
Here is the list of drivers who will pair up. Some are obvious; some not so much.
Teammates:
? Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin
? Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson
? Kyle Busch and Joey Logano
? Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne
? Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger
? Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski
? Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya
? Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard
? David Ragan and Matt Kenseth
? Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer
? Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards
? Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann
Non-teammates:
? Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman
(Explanation: These two worked well together at Talladega; also, Joe Gibbs Racing is a three-car team, and Hamlin is the odd-man out, though that doesn't explain why Newman isn't pairing up with his only teammate, Tony Stewart.)
? Tony Stewart and David Gilliland
(Explanation: It may seem odd ? a two-time series champion pairing with a journeyman who's never won a Cup race ? but like Hamlin and Newman, Stewart and Gilliland worked together at Talladega.)
? Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte
(Explanation: They come from the same womb, though this pairing may�not materialize as Bobby Labonte will likely work with Casey Mears, too.)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Jeff Gordon overcomes electrical problems, ?crazy day? to finish 11th at N.H
LOUDON, N.H. ? Jeff Gordon thought he had overcome an alternator problem that knocked him out of contention and appeared to be on his way to a top-five finish in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
But then a right-front tire went down on the final lap ? likely the result of a bead that melted because Gordon had to turn off his brake blowers ? and Gordon had to settle for 11th Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
But then a right-front tire went down on the final lap ? likely the result of a bead that melted because Gordon had to turn off his brake blowers ? and Gordon had to settle for 11th Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson paces final Sprint Cup practice at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. ? Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson led the final one-hour Sprint Cup practice Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a lap of 129.591 mph.
Former Sprint Cup team owner charged with fraud
Jeffrey Stec, owner of a Sprint Cup team that competed in 2005 and 2006, was charged Monday with commercial loan fraud and a money laundering conspiracy.
Stec was owner of Peak Performance Motorsports, which competed in 37 Cup events, mostly with Hermie Sadler and Kevin Lepage as the drivers.
Stec was owner of Peak Performance Motorsports, which competed in 37 Cup events, mostly with Hermie Sadler and Kevin Lepage as the drivers.
Vettel's mishap helps Alonso win British GP
Fernando Alonso benefited from Sebastian Vettel's mistake on pit road to win Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Bizarre hauler accident damages Mike Bliss car in Nationwide garage at N.H.
LOUDON, N.H. ? A bizarre accident occurred in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway garage Thursday when the lift gate of the TriStar Motorsports hauler collapsed, damaging the car driven by Mike Bliss.
No one was injured.
No one was injured.
Ryan Newman holds off teammate Tony Stewart to win at N.H.
LOUDON, N.H. ? NASCAR?s summer of fuel-mileage finishes continued at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Ryan Newman was just fine with that.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver conserved enough gas down the stretch to outlast teammate and team owner Tony Stewart by 0.773 second to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver conserved enough gas down the stretch to outlast teammate and team owner Tony Stewart by 0.773 second to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Kevin Harvick Foundation taking kids to Eastern League all-star game, Nationwide race
Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, are putting on a charity event scheduled in conjunction with the Eastern League All-Star Game today in Manchester, N.H. In addition to bringing 50 Boys and Girls Club members to the game, the Harvicks will compete in a home run derby.
Mayhew takes pole for Iowa truck race
David Mayhew claimed his first pole in the Camping World Truck Series after posting the quickest lap in qualifying for Saturday's Coca-Cola 200 at Iowa Speedway.
NASCAR Racing At New Hampshire
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. This week in NASCAR starts the second half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. They will be racing the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Louden, NH. This is a 1.058 mile nearly flat track. The qualifying record is held by [...]
One-on-one with Joey Logano
Joey Logano talked candidly this weekend about the two years since his career-first Sprint Cup Series race win at New Hampshire in his rookie season. You can read the full story here. In addition to the story, Logano and I covered a vast array of topics in our discussion, including his take on how difficult the transition has been to Cup, why he decided on racing as a career, where he would most like to win and who he thinks is NASCAR?s best driver. Q: What was it like when you first arrived in the Cup series? Logano: I had a rude awakening as soon as I jumped into one of these things for the first time. I was like, ?Oh wow, this is a little harder than I thought it was going to be.? I think that was a big deal then. It goes to show how good these guys are. They have the natural talent out there ? the guys that work real hard with that natural talent are the guys that run really well. Had to figure out what you need to work on ? that?s one big thing and a struggle. There?s always something different you can?t work on every week that?s different. It?s what we do every week and it?s part of it. It?s part of the normal deal now. Before we would go to the race track and work 18 hours and there is a lot more to it, you focus a lot more during the week and you don?t really get a break from it anymore. You race these guys that are that good. Q: Why did you decide racing was what you wanted to do in your life? Logano: Because I sucked at everything else. That was one of the main reasons. I enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun for me. I tried baseball when I was little. I didn?t give it a great effort, but I didn?t enjoy it because I wasn?t good at it. Racing for me was something that came to me naturally, pretty quick when I was little. You go to the quarter midget track or whatever and I won all the races and I loved it. You find something that you win at, you?re going to love it. That?s the way I look at it. I?m so competitive that if it?s something I?m not good at then I?m not going to like it. When I start to get better at things, I enjoy it a lot more. That?s kind of where I stand with this sport. Q: If you were promised a fast car and the best circumstances to win, where would you like to win? Logano: I think Indy or Daytona for sure. I think those are pretty equal. I think those in my eyes are the two biggest that we run. I think either of them are equally as cool to win. I know after winning in Daytona in the Nationwide car, how cool that was and I thought that was the coolest thing that?s ever happened to me. I was pretty pumped up so I can imagine what it would be like in the 500. Q: Who do you think the best driver in NASCAR is or was? Logano: That's hard to say, there?s a lot of good ones. Especially since these guys are the best. You think about back in the day and there are a lot of guys that were just amazing. David Pearson and stuff like that and they were just great or Richard Petty winning 200 races. That is unbelievable. It?s hard to pick one. These guys are great and I wasn?t alive back then so I didn?t get to watch them race. All I watch is the highlight videos of them making these bad ass moves. It?s hard to pick one guy, but I would say it?s between those guys. You just look at stats and numbers and you can figure out who was good, but those guys stick out the most. Q: If you could run every Cup race on one track, which would it be? Logano: Charlotte. I love it, I think it?s cool and I think it has a lot of speed. It puts on good races. I think that would be fun. Q: What will you be doing five years from now? Logano: Five years from now I will be 26. Still won?t be that old. Hopefully, I?m still sitting here talking to Jim Utter. I?ve never looked down the road further than a week. I get home every Sunday and then Monday morning I look at my schedule and see what I?m doing this week. That?s how my life goes. I?ve never looked that far out and set huge goals for myself. Five years down the road ? it?s more like what is my goal for this weekend. What am I going to do this weekend. It?s hard for me to set a goal for a year. Forget five years ahead. It?s something personally that I don?t know how to do. I think it would be big because I don?t know how to set a goal that far away. I can tell you one thing, five years ago I didn?t think I would be sitting here. You never know what life is going to bring you. Q: Who is the ?next Joey Logano?? Logano: I think Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) is doing a good job and I think he has big things coming up and he already has. I would say he is the next big one. I don?t follow Late Model racing as much as I used to. A lot of my friends are good. I think Coleman Pressley, Corey Lajoie and those guys are really good. It?s just hard for them to get a break. It?s hard to break in right now. I watched them run those East cars. Corey to me is really, really good. He shows it every time he gets in that car. He works on his own stuff. He?s an old school racer. It?s so hard to get a sponsor these days and when Kyle Busch can?t get a sponsor for a Nationwide race or I can?t in a Nationwide race, how is someone going to come in here that hasn?t raced one of these cars before and expect to get a sponsor? How is that even possible? I explained that to them that it is hard. Keep trying, but what are you supposed to do?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Matt Crafton triumphs at Iowa for second career truck win
NEWTON, Iowa ? Matt Crafton won Saturday night's Coca-Cola 200 at the Iowa Speedway, holding off a determined Austin Dillon in the closing laps for his second career win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Crafton snapped a 79-race winless streak with his victory. His previous win came in May 2008 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Pippa Mann's IndyCar diary: Motorbike in a Laundry Room
"There is a famous quote from Formula 1 racing about how driving an F1 car around the streets of Monaco is like trying to ride your bicycle around your living room."
Reed Sorenson wins bizarre Nationwide race at Road America
Yup, bizarre is about the only way to put it.
Reed Sorenson won after a caution flag flew on the third attempt at a green-white-checker restart in the Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 at Road America on Saturday.
Michael McDowell, driving the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18, dominated the majority of the race and was leading when the caution flag flew with four laps to go.
From there we'll go sequentially, because there's no other way to attempt to explain the craziness that ensued at the four-mile road course:
1. On the first attempt at the green-white-checker, Jacques Villeneuve got into Brian Scott and collected Max Papis, sending Scott spinning and Papis into the wall. That brought out another caution. McDowell, who led the field to the green, was still the leader.
2. As the field took the green flag for the second attempt, McDowell led going into Turn 1 again. Justin Allgaier, who had snuck into second place, got alongside of McDowell as the two entered Turn 6 and McDowell overdrove the corner, allowing Allgaier to sneak by.
After being passed, McDowell then overdrove the car again to try to get around Allgaier and spun himself in the grass. Simultaneously, Steve Wallace was doing some overdriving himself, and took out a bunch of cars. The caution flag waved.
Because teams tend to work fuel mileage backwards at road courses, the third green-white checker attempt meant that many teams were very close on fuel. This is important as we move on to the final restart.
3. Allgaier led the field to green on the final restart and pulled away from his teammate Reed Sorenson. Back in the pack, more contact ensued and Aric Almirola got stuck in a gravel trap. After it was apparent that Almirola wasn't going to get out of the gravel trap, NASCAR waited to throw the caution until Allgaier took the white flag, making the race official.
But Allgaier was one of the many that was close on fuel. For the race to be official, he needed to make it back to the start/finish line.
4. After the final caution flag flew, Allgaier ran out of gas. Sorenson, who stayed in second, slowed down after officials on the side of the track waved the yellow flag. Ron Fellows, who was in third, didn't slow and passed Sorenson. When the pace car emerged, it picked up Fellows, who appeared to be the race leader and potential winner.
Allgaier, because he didn't maintain a "reasonable speed", saw his win slip away. After the pace car came out on the track, Sorenson caught up to Fellows and the two stayed side-by-side as they took the checkered flag. After a short period, NASCAR declared Sorenson the winner of the race.
Got all that?
Kudos to NASCAR for taking the time to make the right call in giving Sorenson the win in an incident that seemed reminiscent of Robby Gordon at Montreal. Video replays clearly showed that�Sorenson slowed down after the caution came out, and that by not slowing down Fellows passed�Sorenson after the yellow was displayed. While it initially appeared that Fellows was going to be the winner, it was clear that Sorenson, who hadn't won a NASCAR race at any level since 2007,�was the rightful winner.
Carl Edwards, who won the inaugural race at Road America last year, made a last-minute decision not to make the trek from Sonoma for Saturday's Nationwide race. Billy Johnson, who practiced the car on Friday, raced in Edwards' place, but was forced to retire with engine trouble.
Reed Sorenson won after a caution flag flew on the third attempt at a green-white-checker restart in the Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 at Road America on Saturday.
Michael McDowell, driving the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18, dominated the majority of the race and was leading when the caution flag flew with four laps to go.
From there we'll go sequentially, because there's no other way to attempt to explain the craziness that ensued at the four-mile road course:
1. On the first attempt at the green-white-checker, Jacques Villeneuve got into Brian Scott and collected Max Papis, sending Scott spinning and Papis into the wall. That brought out another caution. McDowell, who led the field to the green, was still the leader.
2. As the field took the green flag for the second attempt, McDowell led going into Turn 1 again. Justin Allgaier, who had snuck into second place, got alongside of McDowell as the two entered Turn 6 and McDowell overdrove the corner, allowing Allgaier to sneak by.
After being passed, McDowell then overdrove the car again to try to get around Allgaier and spun himself in the grass. Simultaneously, Steve Wallace was doing some overdriving himself, and took out a bunch of cars. The caution flag waved.
Because teams tend to work fuel mileage backwards at road courses, the third green-white checker attempt meant that many teams were very close on fuel. This is important as we move on to the final restart.
3. Allgaier led the field to green on the final restart and pulled away from his teammate Reed Sorenson. Back in the pack, more contact ensued and Aric Almirola got stuck in a gravel trap. After it was apparent that Almirola wasn't going to get out of the gravel trap, NASCAR waited to throw the caution until Allgaier took the white flag, making the race official.
But Allgaier was one of the many that was close on fuel. For the race to be official, he needed to make it back to the start/finish line.
4. After the final caution flag flew, Allgaier ran out of gas. Sorenson, who stayed in second, slowed down after officials on the side of the track waved the yellow flag. Ron Fellows, who was in third, didn't slow and passed Sorenson. When the pace car emerged, it picked up Fellows, who appeared to be the race leader and potential winner.
Allgaier, because he didn't maintain a "reasonable speed", saw his win slip away. After the pace car came out on the track, Sorenson caught up to Fellows and the two stayed side-by-side as they took the checkered flag. After a short period, NASCAR declared Sorenson the winner of the race.
Got all that?
Kudos to NASCAR for taking the time to make the right call in giving Sorenson the win in an incident that seemed reminiscent of Robby Gordon at Montreal. Video replays clearly showed that�Sorenson slowed down after the caution came out, and that by not slowing down Fellows passed�Sorenson after the yellow was displayed. While it initially appeared that Fellows was going to be the winner, it was clear that Sorenson, who hadn't won a NASCAR race at any level since 2007,�was the rightful winner.
Carl Edwards, who won the inaugural race at Road America last year, made a last-minute decision not to make the trek from Sonoma for Saturday's Nationwide race. Billy Johnson, who practiced the car on Friday, raced in Edwards' place, but was forced to retire with engine trouble.
Dodge Awards New Challenger to NASCAR?s Brad Keselowski.
Being a race car driver definitely comes with some stellar perks. For one, it’s a dream job as you make your living ripping around the best race tracks in the country. Then there’s the fame, the money and the girls, which also help lend to the jobs appeal. It’s a pretty good gig if you [...]
Kentucky Speedway offers ticket exchange to fans
Kentucky Speedway on Monday offered a ticket exchange to fans who were stuck in traffic and missed the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Johnson faces off with Junior Nation
In the hours following last Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson got deluged with comments on his Twitter account from Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans angry Johnson left Earnhardt alone on the track on the final laps while he pit for fuel. Earnhardt and Johnson had worked together in a two-car drafting tandem virtually the entire race but Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, elected to have Johnson pit for fuel on a late caution for fear Johnson wouldn't last if the race went to multiple green-white-checkered restarts. Earnhardt fans perceived a slight and several criticized Johnson after the race. He seemed to get irritated with a few while attempting to respond to some of the comments. On Friday, Johnson was asked if he was surprised by the reaction of fans. ?In some respects, but as time went on and the more I checked in on Twitter, I saw a lot of support from his fans. In the beginning there was plenty of creative messages on there for me. As time went on and I was really impressed and appreciate the support from Junior Nation and then also my fan base defending me and it still at the end of the day, every fan is entitled to their own opinion," Johnson said. "There are different things that exist inside the garage area and a different reality than people see. It?s been fun. It was my first real experience to how active social media can be following a race.?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)