Dover working to increase fans – The News Journal
Dover working to increase fansThe News JournalDOVER — Phil Winston leaned against his motorhome, parked in the shadows of the Earnhardt Grandstand behind the frontstretch of Dover International Speedway, and smiled at his first NASCAR memory. "I used to see my buddies in front of the TV on …NASCAR At Dover International Speedway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV …SB Nation
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Saturday, March 31, 2012
Castroneves captures IndyCar pole in Alabama
Tony Kanaan felt snubbed after the IndyCar drivers barely got on-track cameos during warmups. Will Power was steamed because IndyCar red-flagged his fast qualifying time, leaving the defending champion back in the pack to start the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
Ferrari's Alonso wins F1 Malaysian GP
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won a dramatic Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the Italian team one of its more unlikely victories in its long history.
NASCAR Racing At Bristol
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. NASCAR is at the Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for the fourth race of the season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be racing the Food City 500 race on Sunday, while the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be on track for the Ford EcoBoost 300 race on [...]
Friday, March 30, 2012
Matt Hagan's Championship Year In NHRA Funny Car
Matt Hagan, the 28-year-old cattle farmer from Christiansburg, VA is the second youngest NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion in the series' 60-year history. After losing a heartbreaking title fight to 15-time champion John Force in his second, 2010 season, Hagan returned to shine in the Countdown to the Championship six-race...
NASCAR trucks driver nabbed in sex sting
Mario Gosselin, who most recently drove for NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series, has been arrested in a Polk County, Fla. sex sting.
Conducted by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the sting offered up online advertisements for sex, and Gosselin was among more than 40 individuals who responded to the ads. Those netted in the sting were arrested when they met with undercover detectives.
Gosselin last raced in the Truck Series in 2010, when he competed in 25 races. He gained a bit of notoriety in the Nashville race; wrecked by the lapped truck of Joe Aramendia, Gosselin went to pit road and tried to hit Aramendia's car with a brake hose. Alas, he missed.
Gosselin ran in the Sprint Cup series in 2004, racing at Martinsville and Darlington. At Martinsville, suspension problems ended his day early, while at Darlington, he was flagged for being too slow after just 14 laps.
He is free on $250 bond.
Related Mario Gosselin highlights from Yahoo! Sports:
Conducted by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the sting offered up online advertisements for sex, and Gosselin was among more than 40 individuals who responded to the ads. Those netted in the sting were arrested when they met with undercover detectives.
Gosselin last raced in the Truck Series in 2010, when he competed in 25 races. He gained a bit of notoriety in the Nashville race; wrecked by the lapped truck of Joe Aramendia, Gosselin went to pit road and tried to hit Aramendia's car with a brake hose. Alas, he missed.
Gosselin ran in the Sprint Cup series in 2004, racing at Martinsville and Darlington. At Martinsville, suspension problems ended his day early, while at Darlington, he was flagged for being too slow after just 14 laps.
He is free on $250 bond.
Related Mario Gosselin highlights from Yahoo! Sports:
Thursday, March 29, 2012
NASCAR drivers get a handful of Tony Stewart during prerace interviews
Live TV in front of an audience is hazardous enough. But when you're a known prankster�and you're the vulnerable one on live TV? Yep, you're dead. Check out what happens to Tony Stewart as he tries desperately to keep his cool during an interview before Sunday's Bristol race. Hope those drivers washed their hands, that's all I've got to say.
Kasey Kahne confident he'll turn around his season
Kasey Kahne waited nearly two years between signing with NASCAR's winningest team and finally climbing into his new ride.
INSIGHT: Carl Renezeder's season of change
Carl Renezeder's ambitious program for the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series season could have easily backfired. Instead he came away with another championship...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
NASCAR Race Review: Sam?s Town 300
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Nationwide Series ran the Sam’s Town 300 race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Qualifying took place a few hours earlier, with Elliott Sadler capturing the pole with a speed of 181.366 mph and 29.774 seconds around this 1.5 mile track with [...]
Wreck of the week, with the new ?Crazed Montoya? rating system!
It's time to bring back Wreck of the Week, and this year, we've got a whole new twist. In honor of the man who brought us NASCAR's greatest wreck in a generation, we're proud to begin ranking each week's wrecks in the currency of Crazed Montoyas.
Suggested by reader Patrick Jacques, we're shamelessly ripping it off from Puck Daddy's "Stunned Milbury" ranking system (get the home office to cut you a compensation check, Wyshynski). We'll go from one Crazed Montoya (routine spin/fender bender) to five Crazed Montoyas (jet dryer exploding into a fireball). So let's begin, shall we?
It wasn't a banner week for wrecks, but this spin-and-park-it by Kurt Busch gave us something to talk about, if only to see if Busch was going to go batcrap crazy in the infield care center. He's now up to four wrecked Phoenix Motorsports cars. James Finch is going to have Kurt bring his own cars to the track before long.
Verdict: Two Crazed Montoyas. Just barely, and only because the car got towed off the track.
Suggested by reader Patrick Jacques, we're shamelessly ripping it off from Puck Daddy's "Stunned Milbury" ranking system (get the home office to cut you a compensation check, Wyshynski). We'll go from one Crazed Montoya (routine spin/fender bender) to five Crazed Montoyas (jet dryer exploding into a fireball). So let's begin, shall we?
It wasn't a banner week for wrecks, but this spin-and-park-it by Kurt Busch gave us something to talk about, if only to see if Busch was going to go batcrap crazy in the infield care center. He's now up to four wrecked Phoenix Motorsports cars. James Finch is going to have Kurt bring his own cars to the track before long.
Verdict: Two Crazed Montoyas. Just barely, and only because the car got towed off the track.
Can You Name The Racer By His Helmet?
OK, sports fans, here?s a challenge for you. Without going to the internet, how many of the helmets below can you associate with the racers who wore them? I?m going to make it particularly hard by mixing up the racing series; some are from F1, some are from IndyCar (and its predecessor, Champ Car), and [...]
Harvick: Appeal ruling "like watching O.J. go free."
You can always count on Kevin Harvick to offer up a fresh perspective on issues in NASCAR. On Friday at Auto Club Speedway, Harvick was asked about the NASCAR appeals process in light of this week's decision by NASCAR's chief appellate officer to rescind the points penalties and crew suspensions issued to Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 team. "It?s a platform for everybody to state your case, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose just like in the court of law. It?s really no different than that. It?s no different than watching a case like OJ (Simpson), and watching OJ go free. Watching that case, there?s no way you thought that was going to happen. Then you see the verdict, and then it happens. It?s very similar to that," Harvick said. "Sometimes you think something is cut and dry, and you think this is going to be the verdict, and the next thing you know it?s not. You move on and you go to the next one. But there is a platform for the teams to present their cases to a board, and obviously to the last step they took this time to present it again. I?ve been involved in it before from the team ownership side, and you prepare no different than you would going to a court case. It?s literally the exact same process.?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Castroneves wins IndyCar season opener at St. Pete
Helio Castroneves used a bold pass of Scott Dixon to win the IndyCar season opener through the streets of St. Petersburg, where he celebrated with a tribute to the late Dan Wheldon.
Danica Patrick learned much from spotter switch, but comfortable with Majors
FONTANA, Calif. ? With only 30 career NASCAR starts to her credit, Danica Patrick still has a lot to learn when it comes to racing a stock car. Part of that learning process includes her eyes in the sky. Patrick had a new spotter last week at Bristol in former driver Rick Carelli. Majors was back on the spotters? stand for Patrick on Friday at Auto Club Speedway.
Chad Knaus: 'We didn't expect this'
AVONDALE, Az. -- Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet, said today that he's focused on the Sprint Cup race this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway while he awaits an appeal of the punishment handed down by NASCAR this week related to unapproved modifications of C-posts prior to the Daytona 500. Knaus was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for the violation. A date for the appeal to be heard as not been set and Knaus is allowed to work until the appeal hearing. "Obviously, I'm deeply saddened of course. We didn't expect this," Knaus said at the track this morning. "It's not the way we wanted to start off the season but it's good to have the support of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and we'll go after this thing and hopefully get it resolved and get back to business. Right now we're focused on Phoenix and trying to win this championship." Asked if he anticipated a problem, Knaus said it took him by surprise. "I didn't expect any of it to be honest with you. We do everything we can to build the best race cars we possibly can to bring to the race track and that's what we do. Unfortunately, they didn't like something so we've got to address that," Knaus said. Knaus reiterated team owner Rick Hendrick's earlier statement that the car was no different than the cars the No. 48 team ran in all four restrictor plate races last year, each of which passed inspection. "It did run all four (plate) races last year and went through inspection," Knaus said. Knaus said the violation was determined through a visual inspection. "The templates were never actually put on the car," Knaus said. -- Ron Green Jr
Danica Patrick?s day ends abruptly as engine blows early in California
FONTANA, Calif. ? In what has become an all-too-familiar refrain, Danica Patrick lost a lap early Saturday in a Nationwide Series race.
Patrick had hoped that, as was the case in some of her past races, she would learn throughout the event and possibly begin to run comparable times to the lead pack.
But she never got that chance in the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway in California as a piece of debris punched a hole in her radiator, cooking her engine and ending her day after 63 laps of the 200-lap race.
?It?s not a Chevy issue, it?s not a team issue ? it?s just a bad luck issue,? Patrick said after getting out of her car. ?Unfortunately, I feel like we?ve been catching a fair amount of [that] here at the beginning of the season.
?What are you going to do? You just go on to the next one. The good news about NASCAR is there are a lot of races.?
Patrick thought crew chief Tony Eury Jr. had made some changes on a pit stop four laps before the engine issue that could have helped her.
?Tony Jr. does a great job in the pits and changes the car really well and brings the car back to me and it would have been nice to know if that change was what we needed,? she said.
Patrick left with a 35th-place finish and dropped from 12th to 17th in the standings. She has finished on the lead lap in only one of the first five races of the 33-race season.
?We all want to see great results happen,? Patrick said. ?I?m reminding myself I just have to be patient.?
Making the transition from full-time IndyCar driver to NASCAR driver, Patrick will run the full Nationwide season and 10 Cup races.
The track schedule in California didn?t exactly benefit her as teams had only one lengthy practice session Friday instead of two shorter ones where the team has more time to analyze the performance of the car and consider changes.
?The more track time I get, the better,? Patrick said. ?It?s such a fine line ? because you have to manage your [limited] tires [in practice]. It probably would have been better to have a separation between practices maybe but there?s no way to really know that.
?We really did feel like at the end of practice, we had finally gotten the car from pushing to loose, which we were happy with. I was a little nervous we would be loose today and we did start out that way.?
Patrick had hoped that, as was the case in some of her past races, she would learn throughout the event and possibly begin to run comparable times to the lead pack.
But she never got that chance in the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway in California as a piece of debris punched a hole in her radiator, cooking her engine and ending her day after 63 laps of the 200-lap race.
?It?s not a Chevy issue, it?s not a team issue ? it?s just a bad luck issue,? Patrick said after getting out of her car. ?Unfortunately, I feel like we?ve been catching a fair amount of [that] here at the beginning of the season.
?What are you going to do? You just go on to the next one. The good news about NASCAR is there are a lot of races.?
Patrick thought crew chief Tony Eury Jr. had made some changes on a pit stop four laps before the engine issue that could have helped her.
?Tony Jr. does a great job in the pits and changes the car really well and brings the car back to me and it would have been nice to know if that change was what we needed,? she said.
Patrick left with a 35th-place finish and dropped from 12th to 17th in the standings. She has finished on the lead lap in only one of the first five races of the 33-race season.
?We all want to see great results happen,? Patrick said. ?I?m reminding myself I just have to be patient.?
Making the transition from full-time IndyCar driver to NASCAR driver, Patrick will run the full Nationwide season and 10 Cup races.
The track schedule in California didn?t exactly benefit her as teams had only one lengthy practice session Friday instead of two shorter ones where the team has more time to analyze the performance of the car and consider changes.
?The more track time I get, the better,? Patrick said. ?It?s such a fine line ? because you have to manage your [limited] tires [in practice]. It probably would have been better to have a separation between practices maybe but there?s no way to really know that.
?We really did feel like at the end of practice, we had finally gotten the car from pushing to loose, which we were happy with. I was a little nervous we would be loose today and we did start out that way.?
Winners & Losers: Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski foiled by pit mistakes
When rain shortens a race, it often leads to an upset victory by someone who used the last caution flag and pit strategy to get to the front (see Joey Logano and David Reutimann in 2009). Not Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. Tony Stewart had the fastest car and was out front when the rain ended the Auto Club 400 after 129 of a scheduled 200 laps.
Monday, March 26, 2012
NHRA US MAC Tools Nationals ? O?Reilly Raceway Park
Wanted to throw these videos up real quick of John Force, and Ashley Force running qualifying night at ORP.
Q&A with Rick Hendrick
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick took several questions following his appearance Tuesday before the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Board. The three-member board upheld all penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 48 team following rules violations found in opening day inspection for the Daytona 500. Hendrick: I appreciate the process. It was a lot of conversation today, and of course we?re disappointed that the outcome was the way it was. But we?re going to go ahead to the next level and present our case one more time. So I stand firmly behind our guys. But I do applaud NASCAR in giving us a process that we can present our side of things, and then try to come to a conclusion. So for that I?m very appreciative of the system that NASCAR has in place. So we?re just onward and upward. We?ll go to Bristol (Tenn.), and we?ll try to get No. 200, and we?ll deal with this one when the time comes. Q: Because of the appeal, will Chad Knaus be in Bristol? Hendrick: Chad (Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet) will be in Bristol. Q: When do you expect the next appeal to be heard? Hendrick: They?ll just have to tell me when to show up. Q: How comfortable do you feel about the appeals process? Hendrick: All I can tell you is I believe in my guys, and I believe in the system, but we?ll just have to take it. You know, you won?t know till it?s over, and I know how we feel, and so we?ll just have to go on. I appreciate you letting our guys do their jobs until it?s over. Hendrick: I think it?s best that I just wait till we go through the processes. There?s really nothing for me to talk about that you don?t already know, and when we have an opportunity to go through the process, then we can talk about how we disagree. Q: Would you like to see the process changed? Hendrick: You know, it?s hard to say. I think it?s a good process, and I say these guys are very capable people. I think it?s just hard to have someone to try to digest everything that you have to digest in this situation. But again, from the days I started in this sport, and what you had to deal with to today, NASCAR has made tremendous strides and none of us want to have to go through this. But sometimes you just disagree, and this is one of those cases. Q: Do you have a legitimate hope of having it overturned? Why don't you just accept it and move on? Hendrick: I don?t accept it. Period.
NASCAR Race Review: Kobalt Tools 400
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The third race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the first of the 1.5 mile tracks on the circuit. Each of the 1.5 mile tracks are unique. This one has progressive banking and bumps [...]
Ferrari V-8 Powered Quad Is The Ultimate Holiday Gift: Video
Lazareth is a French builder of wheeled exotica that seems to specialize in the bizarre. Take its Lazareth Wazuma, for example; while the world may not need a 500 horsepower quad, powered by a supercharged BMW V-12, we’re fairly certain it’s a better place because of it. Lazareth has built other quads, too, all of which have the...
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Power Rankings: Flatline takes the high line
It's a new season, and that means a new year of Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. We continue with a guy who's familiar with the front of the pack...
1. Matt Kenseth: This NASCAR season is doing everything it can to turn conventional wisdom on its head. Think the sport's in a rally? Psyche! Here's one-third-full Bristol stands! Think that it's only Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart that deserve the spotlight? Psyche! Here's a guy who has trouble getting a full-year of sponsorship nearly winning his second race of the year! Up is down! Black is white! Last week: 6.
2. Greg Biffle: The Biffster's streak of third-place finishes stopped at three, but no harm done. He held down the pole at Bristol, and while he wasn't able to sustain for the whole race, he certainly seems a lot more legit this year than he has in recent seasons. Of course, "start fast, fade to midpack" can be applied to a whole season, too. Uh-oh. Last week: 1.
3. Kevin Harvick. Harvick got caught up in the monster HurriKahne wreck early in the race, yet his crew worked him up so fast that he was able not only to stay in the race, but stay on the lead freaking lap. That's impressive. I'm going to take my car over to the 29 shop, see if they can give me a little automotive makeover before Richard Childress sees me and takes off his watch. Last week: 5.
4. Tony Stewart: A few years back, I postulated the idea of Good Tony and Evil Tony, Good Tony being the go-along, get-along good sport and Evil Tony being, well, evil. Not sure which one it is that's the race winner, but both of them seem to show up with regularity, sometimes even in the course of a single race. Wouldn't you love to have a scanner to hear what goes on in that guy's head? Last week: 3.
5. Martin Truex Jr.: Other Junior is putting together his best season yet. We know that. What we want to know is, how large is Michael Waltrip Racing's ad budget? Seriously, between the horror that is the "Napa Know How" commercials, the awkward Mark Martin-Mikey "Odd Couple" ones, and the new Clint Bowyer Five-Hour Energy ones where he apparently darts from activity to activity like a caffeinated ferret, Waltrip is definitely winning the public-exposure war. In an ad sense, I mean. Last week: 10.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior: great race ruined by a last-second pit-road penalty. Isn't that the story of his career? Not sure what else to say about Junior right now, and since we'll be talking about the Junior/Gordon incident later, let's do this: What can Junior do to liven up his press conferences? Seriously, the guy seems bored out of his skull, and I can't say I blame him. So what should he do? I think he ought to conduct each conference in a different accent. And you? Last week: 4.
7. Denny Hamlin: Did you catch Denny Hamlin's "Teach Me How To Dougie" moment at Bristol on Sunday? No? Check it out here. (We'd embed it, but that'd be kind of illegal, rights issues and all. And I don't feel like getting fined.) Anyway, we can goof on Denny all we like, but he had the guts to do that in front of grandstands filled with at least 200 people. So, you know, good on ya, Denny. Last week: 2.
8. Brad Keselowski: Old-school race fans love to gripe about how awful it is that these kids are tweeting their Facebooks and whatnot, but I guaran-damn-tee you that if Facebook and Twitter were around when Dale Senior was running, he'd be all over it. That guy was a master marketer. And I'm frankly a little surprised we haven't seen an Intimidator Twitter feed pop up yet. (That would be what's known as a "hint.") Last week: NR.
9. Jimmie Johnson: It was like Bizarro World at Bristol on Sunday. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards? Out of the race! Jimmie Johnson? An utter nonfactor! What's going on this season? Making things a heck of a lot more exciting around the NASCAR circuit, am I right? Me, I�am excited for California! Last week: 7.
10. Kyle Busch: You ever wait tables? I used to hate going into work, being there for a dead hour or two, and THEN having people show up. It was like, crap, I was all wound down and I have to work now? I wonder if that's how the guys who get wrecked early feel. Screw it, I'll get home and watch the end of the race on TV. What? You've got it running? And I'll only be 103 laps down. Oh, great. Fire it up. Last week: 9.
11. Carl Edwards: The next time I interview Edwards, I'm going to see if he can get a relevant sponsor mention in with every question. Seriously. I'm going to ask him about ancient Roman history, Kony 2012, "The Walking Dead," the new Van Halen album, Rick Santorum and whatever else I can think of. And I bet he'll work in a Subway or Frosted Flakes reference to every answer. Last week: 8.
12. Jeff Burton. The Senator, everybody! The one senator that any of us could stand to be around for any length of time! It's always good to see Burton run well; we're not supposed to root for anybody, but we do root for good stories ... and Burton makes for a good story every time he's up front, if only because he'll give you a good quote about any subject under the sun. Last week: NR.
Dropping out: Mark Martin, Joey Logano.
Lucky Dog: Brian Vickers. No doubt. You come off a three-week layoff (NOT as a result of being kicked out of NASCAR, no matter what Michael Waltrip might tell you) and you lead laps and bring the car home in fifth? That's not bad, VapoRub. Not bad at all.
DNF: Kasey Kahne, who's damn close to getting this award named after him. Kahne is now only a handful of points ahead of Vickers ... who's run three fewer races than him. That's not so good.
Next up: Fontana! Five-wide racing! What could possibly go wrong? Anyway, send your comments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee, via email by clicking here, and via Facebook. Go!
1. Matt Kenseth: This NASCAR season is doing everything it can to turn conventional wisdom on its head. Think the sport's in a rally? Psyche! Here's one-third-full Bristol stands! Think that it's only Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart that deserve the spotlight? Psyche! Here's a guy who has trouble getting a full-year of sponsorship nearly winning his second race of the year! Up is down! Black is white! Last week: 6.
2. Greg Biffle: The Biffster's streak of third-place finishes stopped at three, but no harm done. He held down the pole at Bristol, and while he wasn't able to sustain for the whole race, he certainly seems a lot more legit this year than he has in recent seasons. Of course, "start fast, fade to midpack" can be applied to a whole season, too. Uh-oh. Last week: 1.
3. Kevin Harvick. Harvick got caught up in the monster HurriKahne wreck early in the race, yet his crew worked him up so fast that he was able not only to stay in the race, but stay on the lead freaking lap. That's impressive. I'm going to take my car over to the 29 shop, see if they can give me a little automotive makeover before Richard Childress sees me and takes off his watch. Last week: 5.
4. Tony Stewart: A few years back, I postulated the idea of Good Tony and Evil Tony, Good Tony being the go-along, get-along good sport and Evil Tony being, well, evil. Not sure which one it is that's the race winner, but both of them seem to show up with regularity, sometimes even in the course of a single race. Wouldn't you love to have a scanner to hear what goes on in that guy's head? Last week: 3.
5. Martin Truex Jr.: Other Junior is putting together his best season yet. We know that. What we want to know is, how large is Michael Waltrip Racing's ad budget? Seriously, between the horror that is the "Napa Know How" commercials, the awkward Mark Martin-Mikey "Odd Couple" ones, and the new Clint Bowyer Five-Hour Energy ones where he apparently darts from activity to activity like a caffeinated ferret, Waltrip is definitely winning the public-exposure war. In an ad sense, I mean. Last week: 10.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior: great race ruined by a last-second pit-road penalty. Isn't that the story of his career? Not sure what else to say about Junior right now, and since we'll be talking about the Junior/Gordon incident later, let's do this: What can Junior do to liven up his press conferences? Seriously, the guy seems bored out of his skull, and I can't say I blame him. So what should he do? I think he ought to conduct each conference in a different accent. And you? Last week: 4.
7. Denny Hamlin: Did you catch Denny Hamlin's "Teach Me How To Dougie" moment at Bristol on Sunday? No? Check it out here. (We'd embed it, but that'd be kind of illegal, rights issues and all. And I don't feel like getting fined.) Anyway, we can goof on Denny all we like, but he had the guts to do that in front of grandstands filled with at least 200 people. So, you know, good on ya, Denny. Last week: 2.
8. Brad Keselowski: Old-school race fans love to gripe about how awful it is that these kids are tweeting their Facebooks and whatnot, but I guaran-damn-tee you that if Facebook and Twitter were around when Dale Senior was running, he'd be all over it. That guy was a master marketer. And I'm frankly a little surprised we haven't seen an Intimidator Twitter feed pop up yet. (That would be what's known as a "hint.") Last week: NR.
9. Jimmie Johnson: It was like Bizarro World at Bristol on Sunday. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards? Out of the race! Jimmie Johnson? An utter nonfactor! What's going on this season? Making things a heck of a lot more exciting around the NASCAR circuit, am I right? Me, I�am excited for California! Last week: 7.
10. Kyle Busch: You ever wait tables? I used to hate going into work, being there for a dead hour or two, and THEN having people show up. It was like, crap, I was all wound down and I have to work now? I wonder if that's how the guys who get wrecked early feel. Screw it, I'll get home and watch the end of the race on TV. What? You've got it running? And I'll only be 103 laps down. Oh, great. Fire it up. Last week: 9.
11. Carl Edwards: The next time I interview Edwards, I'm going to see if he can get a relevant sponsor mention in with every question. Seriously. I'm going to ask him about ancient Roman history, Kony 2012, "The Walking Dead," the new Van Halen album, Rick Santorum and whatever else I can think of. And I bet he'll work in a Subway or Frosted Flakes reference to every answer. Last week: 8.
12. Jeff Burton. The Senator, everybody! The one senator that any of us could stand to be around for any length of time! It's always good to see Burton run well; we're not supposed to root for anybody, but we do root for good stories ... and Burton makes for a good story every time he's up front, if only because he'll give you a good quote about any subject under the sun. Last week: NR.
Dropping out: Mark Martin, Joey Logano.
Lucky Dog: Brian Vickers. No doubt. You come off a three-week layoff (NOT as a result of being kicked out of NASCAR, no matter what Michael Waltrip might tell you) and you lead laps and bring the car home in fifth? That's not bad, VapoRub. Not bad at all.
DNF: Kasey Kahne, who's damn close to getting this award named after him. Kahne is now only a handful of points ahead of Vickers ... who's run three fewer races than him. That's not so good.
Next up: Fontana! Five-wide racing! What could possibly go wrong? Anyway, send your comments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee, via email by clicking here, and via Facebook. Go!
Denny Hamlin teaches us all to Dougie
Some fun awkwardness from the Bristol driver intros: Denny Hamlin, showing us all how to Dougie. Work it, white boy, work it!
I'm thinking the dance portion of the intros should become a mandatory component of every race's pre-race extravaganza. Who'd be the best with the moves, you think?
I'm thinking the dance portion of the intros should become a mandatory component of every race's pre-race extravaganza. Who'd be the best with the moves, you think?
Richard Petty Motorsports Callin it Quits?
RPM may not run past Martinsville. The house of cards is finally falling for George Gillett’s Richard Petty Motorsports. The assembly line from Roush Fenway Racing and Roush Yates engines has stopped running to RPM. Engines have been picked up, cars have been repossessed, and sources on both sides — RPM and RFR — say [...]
Hamilton takes pole position for F1 Malaysian GP
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton won the pole position Saturday for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
New NASCAR Rules Intended To Inhibit Tandem Drafts
NASCAR doesn't want to see repeats of 2011's tandem running on the two restrictor plate racetracks it uses--Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, both long tracks built for high speeds. Those generated high speeds have forced NASCAR to impose restrictor plates on the engines to slow them down below the 200-mph mark and have...
Friday, March 23, 2012
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 [...]
Johnson, NASCAR take opposing lessons from appeal
Jimmie Johnson insists his car was perfectly legal at the Daytona 500, and he believes NASCAR's chief appellate officer proved it this week by rescinding most of the penalties levied against crew chief Chad Knaus.
PREVIEW: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Storylines are many going into the much-anticipated first round of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
Martin Truex Jr., dragster Antron Brown switch rides
This is fairly cool: Martin Truex Jr. and NHRA Top Fuel driver Antron Brown swapped rides in Charlotte on Wednesday. Truex fired off the line in a dragster at the zMAX Dragway, while Brown took hot laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Check out the ways that each driver perceives the other's ride, from the sense of time to the feeling of G-forces. Good stuff.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East Tennessee ? Knoxville News Sentinel
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East Tennessee – Knoxville News Sentinel
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East TennesseeKnoxville News SentinelBy News Sentinel staff NASCAR fans will get a chance to meet drivers Kasey Kahne or Kevin Harvick on Thursday. Appearances by Kahne and Harvick are tied into Ollie's Bargain Outlet openings in Maryville and Knoxville. Kahne will be at the Maryville …and more »
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East TennesseeKnoxville News SentinelBy News Sentinel staff NASCAR fans will get a chance to meet drivers Kasey Kahne or Kevin Harvick on Thursday. Appearances by Kahne and Harvick are tied into Ollie's Bargain Outlet openings in Maryville and Knoxville. Kahne will be at the Maryville …and more »
Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger have trouble at Vegas; find themselves in early hole
Before 2012 began, Kurt Busch talked about "old-school racing" as he moved to Phoenix Racing after parting ways with Penske Racing.� AJ Allmendinger, the man who replaced Busch at Penske, talked about hitting singles before going for the long-ball -- a metaphor for building off of solid finishes before the team competed for wins.
Right now, Allmendinger is taking called strikes while no amount of old school fabrication could fix the mangled up racecars that are piling up in the Phoenix Racing shop. After Sunday's race at Vegas, the two are tied for 29th in the points standings.
The story of Busch's first three races has been crashes. At Daytona, he was collateral damage in Elliott Sadler's bump of Jimmie Johnson. At Vegas, Busch's day started getting caught a lap down when the caution flew during his green-flag pit stop, and it ended with his car torn all to shreds after he hit the inside backstretch wall.
Allmendinger's 500 effectively ended when he ran into Ryan Newman on pit road and had to go behind the wall for repairs. And then the next week at Phoenix, he salvaged an 18th place finish after the spoiler was ripped off his car in a crash involving Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray. On Sunday, he had a fuel pressure issue and finished 37th.
Being 81 points behind leader Greg Biffle doesn't bode well for either Allmendinger or Busch's Chase chances. Last year, the lowest Chase driver leaving Las Vegas was Brad Keselowski. He was 23rd, 50 points behind Tony Stewart. Under the old points system in the previous four years, the lowest a Chase driver has ever been after three races is Martin Truex, Jr., who was 245 points behind in 27th.
Of course, the institution of the Wild Card changes things, so Allmendinger and Busch aren't kaputs just yet. But at this rate, victory lane for either driver seems far, far away.
Right now, Allmendinger is taking called strikes while no amount of old school fabrication could fix the mangled up racecars that are piling up in the Phoenix Racing shop. After Sunday's race at Vegas, the two are tied for 29th in the points standings.
The story of Busch's first three races has been crashes. At Daytona, he was collateral damage in Elliott Sadler's bump of Jimmie Johnson. At Vegas, Busch's day started getting caught a lap down when the caution flew during his green-flag pit stop, and it ended with his car torn all to shreds after he hit the inside backstretch wall.
Allmendinger's 500 effectively ended when he ran into Ryan Newman on pit road and had to go behind the wall for repairs. And then the next week at Phoenix, he salvaged an 18th place finish after the spoiler was ripped off his car in a crash involving Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray. On Sunday, he had a fuel pressure issue and finished 37th.
Being 81 points behind leader Greg Biffle doesn't bode well for either Allmendinger or Busch's Chase chances. Last year, the lowest Chase driver leaving Las Vegas was Brad Keselowski. He was 23rd, 50 points behind Tony Stewart. Under the old points system in the previous four years, the lowest a Chase driver has ever been after three races is Martin Truex, Jr., who was 245 points behind in 27th.
Of course, the institution of the Wild Card changes things, so Allmendinger and Busch aren't kaputs just yet. But at this rate, victory lane for either driver seems far, far away.
It's raining at Daytona
It's approximately 90 minutes before the green flag is scheduled to drop on the Daytona 500 and right now the only thing dropping is rain. That's no surprise. It's been predicted for a while and, say what you will about weather forecasters, but they got it right this time. The question is when will it stop raining. It will eventually stop. It always has. NASCAR will do its best to get its biggest race in today, studying radar images in NASA-like detail, looking for a window to get in at least 100 laps (250 miles). With lights at Daytona, no one's going anywhere for a while. At the moment, ponchos are obscuring the multi-colored t-shirts so popular among race fans and there are tarps over the set that rocker Lenny Kravitz is scheduled to use for his pre-race concerts. Kravitz did stop into the infield media center earlier for a quick question-and-answer session and said he's pulling for Danica Patrick today. Wearing a heavy jacket, a brown scarf around his neck and Tom Cruise/Top Gun-style shades, Kravitz looked like he was ready for a winter walk in Paris rather than the infield at a stock car race. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney stopped by to campaign today and, at the drivers meeting, said the Daytona 500 combines "two of the things I like best -- cars and sports." While Romney showed up in person, Rick Santorum's name showed up on the side of Tony Raines' race car. The Florida primary has come and gone but the campaign continues. So, for the moment, does the rain.-- Ron Green Jr.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sadler wins Nationwide Series race at Bristol
Elliott Sadler went 14 years without a victory in the Nationwide Series. Now, he has two in the last three weeks.
Denny Hamlin teaches us all to Dougie
Some fun awkwardness from the Bristol driver intros: Denny Hamlin, showing us all how to Dougie. Work it, white boy, work it!
I'm thinking the dance portion of the intros should become a mandatory component of every race's pre-race extravaganza. Who'd be the best with the moves, you think?
I'm thinking the dance portion of the intros should become a mandatory component of every race's pre-race extravaganza. Who'd be the best with the moves, you think?
Winners & Losers: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards among drivers derailed by early wreck at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. ? Brad Keselowski made it two consecutive wins at Bristol Motor Speedway while Michael Waltrip Racing produced a career-best day by putting all three of its cars in the top five in the Food City 500.
Others, however, found plenty of trouble in the year?s first short-track race.
Others, however, found plenty of trouble in the year?s first short-track race.
A Visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
As painful as it may be to admit, the biggest spectator sport in the United States is in fact, NASCAR. With crowds averaging around 99,000 per event, the NASCAR faithful have cemented themselves in automotive history as the uber fans of American motor sports. As most of you know NASCAR got its roots from the [...]
Subaru Repeats Its 'Subaru Challenge Award' For 2012
The FIA’s Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC) can often be a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the world of motorsports. Run under FIA Group N rules, the series pits production cars with few allowed modifications against one another, emphasizing the capabilities of both car and driver. In 2012, Subaru will again offer...
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Logano earns pole for Bristol Nationwide race
Greg Biffle earned the pole for the Food City 500 after edging A.J. Allmendinger by the slimmest of margins in Friday's qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway.
PREVIEW: 2012 Mazda Road to Indy ladder
Season previews of Firestone Indy Lights, Star Mazda and USF2000 championships in advance of all three running alongside IndyCar at this weekend's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Wreck of the week, with the new ?Crazed Montoya? rating system!
It's time to bring back Wreck of the Week, and this year, we've got a whole new twist. In honor of the man who brought us NASCAR's greatest wreck in a generation, we're proud to begin ranking each week's wrecks in the currency of Crazed Montoyas.
Suggested by reader Patrick Jacques, we're shamelessly ripping it off from Puck Daddy's "Stunned Milbury" ranking system (get the home office to cut you a compensation check, Wyshynski). We'll go from one Crazed Montoya (routine spin/fender bender) to five Crazed Montoyas (jet dryer exploding into a fireball). So let's begin, shall we?
It wasn't a banner week for wrecks, but this spin-and-park-it by Kurt Busch gave us something to talk about, if only to see if Busch was going to go batcrap crazy in the infield care center. He's now up to four wrecked Phoenix Motorsports cars. James Finch is going to have Kurt bring his own cars to the track before long.
Verdict: Two Crazed Montoyas. Just barely, and only because the car got towed off the track.
Suggested by reader Patrick Jacques, we're shamelessly ripping it off from Puck Daddy's "Stunned Milbury" ranking system (get the home office to cut you a compensation check, Wyshynski). We'll go from one Crazed Montoya (routine spin/fender bender) to five Crazed Montoyas (jet dryer exploding into a fireball). So let's begin, shall we?
It wasn't a banner week for wrecks, but this spin-and-park-it by Kurt Busch gave us something to talk about, if only to see if Busch was going to go batcrap crazy in the infield care center. He's now up to four wrecked Phoenix Motorsports cars. James Finch is going to have Kurt bring his own cars to the track before long.
Verdict: Two Crazed Montoyas. Just barely, and only because the car got towed off the track.
Chad Knaus: 'We didn't expect this'
AVONDALE, Az. -- Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet, said today that he's focused on the Sprint Cup race this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway while he awaits an appeal of the punishment handed down by NASCAR this week related to unapproved modifications of C-posts prior to the Daytona 500. Knaus was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for the violation. A date for the appeal to be heard as not been set and Knaus is allowed to work until the appeal hearing. "Obviously, I'm deeply saddened of course. We didn't expect this," Knaus said at the track this morning. "It's not the way we wanted to start off the season but it's good to have the support of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and we'll go after this thing and hopefully get it resolved and get back to business. Right now we're focused on Phoenix and trying to win this championship." Asked if he anticipated a problem, Knaus said it took him by surprise. "I didn't expect any of it to be honest with you. We do everything we can to build the best race cars we possibly can to bring to the race track and that's what we do. Unfortunately, they didn't like something so we've got to address that," Knaus said. Knaus reiterated team owner Rick Hendrick's earlier statement that the car was no different than the cars the No. 48 team ran in all four restrictor plate races last year, each of which passed inspection. "It did run all four (plate) races last year and went through inspection," Knaus said. Knaus said the violation was determined through a visual inspection. "The templates were never actually put on the car," Knaus said. -- Ron Green Jr
Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin, the 11 at 1
It's a new season, and that means a new year of Power Rankings. Each week throughout the season, we'll size up who's rising and who's falling, based on current standings, behind-the-scenes changes, expected staying power, recent history and general gut feelings. It is not scientific, nor is it meant to be. And remember, whoever your favorite driver is, we're biased against him and like someone else better. So let's begin with a guy we haven't seen around here lately ...
1. Denny Hamlin: There's plenty of poetic justice to be had in Hamlin's win at Phoenix; not only is it the place where he effectively saw his championship dreams vanish in 2010, it marks the first win with new crew chief Darian Grubb. Starting fast in NASCAR: always recommended.
2. Matt Kenseth: He didn't have a particularly interesting day at Phoenix, but so what; dude is the reigning Daytona 500 champ, and his Roush Fenway Ford ran the best of anyone at the beach. Plus, he outjoked Jay Leno (granted, a low bar to clear). Kenseth is carrying through on the momentum of last season, and this year there's no Brian Vickers to derail the ride. Yet.�
3. Greg Biffle. If Biffle has a bounceback season after riding on the Rose Bowl parade float with all those surfing dogs and whatnot, expect there to be some calls to agents at the end of this season. The idea of Kurt Busch riding on a float with a bunch of unruly dogs brings a smile to my face.�
4. Kevin Harvick: He hasn't yet won, but let's be honest: If Harvick hadn't run out of gas on the final laps at Phoenix, he'd have passed Hamlin like he was standing still. And Harvick was in the hunt right into the final laps at Daytona, too. Just keep that in mind as we move forward through the season; it's looking like he's entering the prime of his career.�
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Phoenix didn't turn out so well, but Junior raced at Daytona exactly like his most ardent supporters thought he would. No, he didn't get the win, and he's now up to something like five thousand races without a victory, but so what. He's competitive, and yes, that's like giving a trophy to everyone in Little League who plays, but we're taking incremental steps here.
6. Kyle Busch: We expected more out of him at Phoenix, and at Daytona for that matter, but nonetheless he's doing everything he needs to right now. Busch will always have the Chase failures and the looming threat of a tantrum over his head, but for now, all is right with him.�
7. Tony Stewart: Can we blame Stewart's engine failure at Phoenix on him? No, but we will anyway, because we're like that. Last year's champion started out Speedweeks well enough, but hasn't quite put it together in the regular season. Of course, that's not exactly a surprise; Stewart generally doesn't even get out of bed before, oh, June or so. No worries, Smoke fans. He's fine.
8. Martin Truex Jr.: When you're in a contract year, it pays to start fast and run strong. And it's pretty much impossible to start any stronger than winning the halfway bonus of the first race of the season. Truex followed that up with a solid run at Phoenix. Michael Waltrip is happy to take all the credit, and is contractually required to appear in every single photo of Truex ever. Don't tell him about this one.
9. Carl Edwards: He snagged the pole at Daytona, but a red-flag penalty killed his chances of winning. This week at Phoenix, he didn't qualify quite as well, and never could get rolling. If you're the nervous-99-fan type, you could worry about that a bit; last year he never had much trouble carving his way through the field. If you're of a more sane mindset, however, you'll realize it's a long season.
10. Jimmie Johnson: Yes, Johnson only has 18 points at the moment. Yes, he's ranked 37th. But if you think for even a second that he's not, at this moment, one of the top drivers in NASCAR, you're just a hater. And the kids say that haters are just awful. Well, the kids probably have some other term for it now, but if I use it, I run the risk of getting fired by my superiors who haven't caught up with the latest slang. And I ain't getting fired for Jimmie Johnson. My name isn't Chad Knaus.
11. Mark Martin: All along, Martin has insisted he'll take the David Pearson approach to driving, showing up when he feels like it to the races he wants to run. (Also known as my technique during my senior year of college.) But look at this: He's running exceptionally well. Think he'll change his mind if he gets a win or two?
12. Brad Keselowski. So far @Kes has drawn more attention for his tweeting than his wheeling, but hey, you do what you can to get noticed. And if you're good enough to have Jimmie Johnson trading paint with you, you've pretty much arrived. �Last season's ending ranking: NR.
Lucky Dog: Regan Smith. Sure, he faded to 20th, but Regan ran almost all of the Phoenix race within sight of the leaders. That's quite an achievement for him and his team, and that's the kind of run that gets you a promotion. Just remember your friends, Regan. Like us.
DNF: Kasey Kahne. Sure, he had the best car of the field coming into the race, but not even the best car can stand a full-speed side-slap of the wall. Kahne's charge to the front of the Hendrick stable will have to wait another week.
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More coverage from Phoenix:
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Next up: Vegas! The bright-light city's gonna set your soul on fire! Send your comments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee, via email by clicking here, and via Facebook. Go!
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Sources: Syracuse basketball program repeatedly violated internal drug policy
? With QB Matt Barkley back in the fold, the USC Trojans have title aspirations
? Passan: Bryce Harper is an in-your-face star who likes to do things his way
1. Denny Hamlin: There's plenty of poetic justice to be had in Hamlin's win at Phoenix; not only is it the place where he effectively saw his championship dreams vanish in 2010, it marks the first win with new crew chief Darian Grubb. Starting fast in NASCAR: always recommended.
2. Matt Kenseth: He didn't have a particularly interesting day at Phoenix, but so what; dude is the reigning Daytona 500 champ, and his Roush Fenway Ford ran the best of anyone at the beach. Plus, he outjoked Jay Leno (granted, a low bar to clear). Kenseth is carrying through on the momentum of last season, and this year there's no Brian Vickers to derail the ride. Yet.�
3. Greg Biffle. If Biffle has a bounceback season after riding on the Rose Bowl parade float with all those surfing dogs and whatnot, expect there to be some calls to agents at the end of this season. The idea of Kurt Busch riding on a float with a bunch of unruly dogs brings a smile to my face.�
4. Kevin Harvick: He hasn't yet won, but let's be honest: If Harvick hadn't run out of gas on the final laps at Phoenix, he'd have passed Hamlin like he was standing still. And Harvick was in the hunt right into the final laps at Daytona, too. Just keep that in mind as we move forward through the season; it's looking like he's entering the prime of his career.�
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Phoenix didn't turn out so well, but Junior raced at Daytona exactly like his most ardent supporters thought he would. No, he didn't get the win, and he's now up to something like five thousand races without a victory, but so what. He's competitive, and yes, that's like giving a trophy to everyone in Little League who plays, but we're taking incremental steps here.
6. Kyle Busch: We expected more out of him at Phoenix, and at Daytona for that matter, but nonetheless he's doing everything he needs to right now. Busch will always have the Chase failures and the looming threat of a tantrum over his head, but for now, all is right with him.�
7. Tony Stewart: Can we blame Stewart's engine failure at Phoenix on him? No, but we will anyway, because we're like that. Last year's champion started out Speedweeks well enough, but hasn't quite put it together in the regular season. Of course, that's not exactly a surprise; Stewart generally doesn't even get out of bed before, oh, June or so. No worries, Smoke fans. He's fine.
8. Martin Truex Jr.: When you're in a contract year, it pays to start fast and run strong. And it's pretty much impossible to start any stronger than winning the halfway bonus of the first race of the season. Truex followed that up with a solid run at Phoenix. Michael Waltrip is happy to take all the credit, and is contractually required to appear in every single photo of Truex ever. Don't tell him about this one.
9. Carl Edwards: He snagged the pole at Daytona, but a red-flag penalty killed his chances of winning. This week at Phoenix, he didn't qualify quite as well, and never could get rolling. If you're the nervous-99-fan type, you could worry about that a bit; last year he never had much trouble carving his way through the field. If you're of a more sane mindset, however, you'll realize it's a long season.
10. Jimmie Johnson: Yes, Johnson only has 18 points at the moment. Yes, he's ranked 37th. But if you think for even a second that he's not, at this moment, one of the top drivers in NASCAR, you're just a hater. And the kids say that haters are just awful. Well, the kids probably have some other term for it now, but if I use it, I run the risk of getting fired by my superiors who haven't caught up with the latest slang. And I ain't getting fired for Jimmie Johnson. My name isn't Chad Knaus.
11. Mark Martin: All along, Martin has insisted he'll take the David Pearson approach to driving, showing up when he feels like it to the races he wants to run. (Also known as my technique during my senior year of college.) But look at this: He's running exceptionally well. Think he'll change his mind if he gets a win or two?
12. Brad Keselowski. So far @Kes has drawn more attention for his tweeting than his wheeling, but hey, you do what you can to get noticed. And if you're good enough to have Jimmie Johnson trading paint with you, you've pretty much arrived. �Last season's ending ranking: NR.
Lucky Dog: Regan Smith. Sure, he faded to 20th, but Regan ran almost all of the Phoenix race within sight of the leaders. That's quite an achievement for him and his team, and that's the kind of run that gets you a promotion. Just remember your friends, Regan. Like us.
DNF: Kasey Kahne. Sure, he had the best car of the field coming into the race, but not even the best car can stand a full-speed side-slap of the wall. Kahne's charge to the front of the Hendrick stable will have to wait another week.
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More coverage from Phoenix:
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Next up: Vegas! The bright-light city's gonna set your soul on fire! Send your comments to us via Twitter at @jaybusbee, via email by clicking here, and via Facebook. Go!
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Sources: Syracuse basketball program repeatedly violated internal drug policy
? With QB Matt Barkley back in the fold, the USC Trojans have title aspirations
? Passan: Bryce Harper is an in-your-face star who likes to do things his way
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Daytona 500 postponed until 7 p.m. tonight
The Daytona 500 - which had never been postponed in its history - has been delayed again. NASCAR was going to try a noon Eastern start today for 2012's biggest Sprint Cup Series race but has now rescheduled the season opener for 7 tonight. It will be broadcast live on Fox. Rain continues to fall in the area. NASCAR President Mike Helton said there was a "reasonable expectation" the race can begin by 7 p.m.
F1?s Lewis Hamilton To NASCAR?
In a bizarre twist of fate, Lewis Hamilton, the F1 wunderkind and star driver for McLaren Mercedes, will jump ship and head to NASCAR. Conveniently, Tony Stewart will give up his NASCAR ride and take Hamilton?s seat in last year?s McLaren MP4-25. The catch? Both are exhibition drives, courtesy of NASCAR and F1 sponsor Mobil [...]
Alonso: Small steps to make difference
Fernando Alonso says small improvements to his Ferrari may make a big difference given how tight the field is following the Australian Grand Prix.
Carl Edwards?Matt Kenseth incident raises questions about racing teammates
BRISTOL, Tenn. ? With three of the top stars in the sport, Roush Fenway Racing encourages its Sprint Cup drivers to work together as much as possible.
But when it comes down to the end of a race, with a victory on the line, it?s every man for himself.
?When it comes down to it, you race each other differently on lap 100 at Las Vegas than you do with eight or seven to go and I think we all kind of understand that,? points leader Greg Biffle said of teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.
But when it comes down to the end of a race, with a victory on the line, it?s every man for himself.
?When it comes down to it, you race each other differently on lap 100 at Las Vegas than you do with eight or seven to go and I think we all kind of understand that,? points leader Greg Biffle said of teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
NHRA US MAC Tools Nationals ? O?Reilly Raceway Park
Wanted to throw these videos up real quick of John Force, and Ashley Force running qualifying night at ORP.
The 24 Best Car Pictures Of 2011
We've always disliked the word "snapshot." A picture isn't an instant in time. It's the tail end of a lot of talent and preparation, a good measure of luck, and a little bit of magic. It can raise pulses and change minds. It even can turn some awkward-looking rides from the real world into mythic, gorgeous machines. Pictures aren't always worth a...
NASCAR changes pit-road speeding lines at Bristol after Brad Keselowski?s advantage last year
BRISTOL, Tenn. ? Jeff Gordon didn?t have to lobby NASCAR to change the timing lines on pit road at Bristol Motor Speedway after Brad Keselowski sped legally through several pit stalls on his way to the victory last August.
NASCAR officials heard everyone talking about it after the race and had already decided that changes would come in March.
NASCAR officials heard everyone talking about it after the race and had already decided that changes would come in March.
SMI looking to attract new fans with four-race Rally program
Hoping to add a little extra spice to its support races, Speedway Motorsports will play host to four Global Rallycross events in 2012. The series will run following the Nationwide Series event May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, June 9 during the IndyCar race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, following the Nationwide race July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Sept. 29 during the Camping World Truck Series weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Friday, March 16, 2012
What's up with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin?
It was a little surprising when late in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like he purposely ran into the back of Mark Martin in order to clear him while making a pass. For one, it's typically not a move made by Earnhardt. And second, it's even rarer to see Martin do something that upsets another driver so much. Earnhardt was asked about the incident after Sunday's race. "Personally, yeah, I don?t have a problem with Mark and have so much respect for him. But to me, personally, there is an unwritten etiquette that when the guy is running the top even if you are clearing him or passing him - if you barely clear him off the corner. I?m coming 10 miles an hour faster off the top of the race track, you stay low. Don?t knock a half second off my lap time being a jerk about it. Stay low. You are going to get it in the next corner and the position is going to be yours. Don?t pull up in front of somebody when they are going to come off the corner 10 miles an hour faster," Earnhardt said. ?I didn?t really mean to put him in the wall but from the cosmetic standpoint it didn?t look like it hurt his car. Probably looked like it knocked some of the right front suspension off of it, and I am sorry about that. But, you know I felt like I was pretty frustrated at the moment before that happened, and that just kind of really sent me over the edge there. "We just want to win really bad and felt like we should have finished better than we did today and I was just frustrated at that point and that is just not the way that I understand it to be done and I am sure he feels a different way about it but I think we definitely disagreed right there at that moment.?
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 [...]
Bobby Rahal's blog: Back in full swing
Bobby Rahal files his first RACER.com blog, as one of IndyCar's legendary drivers and team owners prepares for a relaunch of a full season IndyCar campaign, and defending ALMS titles with BMW.
Q&A with Rick Hendrick
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick took several questions following his appearance Tuesday before the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Board. The three-member board upheld all penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 48 team following rules violations found in opening day inspection for the Daytona 500. Hendrick: I appreciate the process. It was a lot of conversation today, and of course we?re disappointed that the outcome was the way it was. But we?re going to go ahead to the next level and present our case one more time. So I stand firmly behind our guys. But I do applaud NASCAR in giving us a process that we can present our side of things, and then try to come to a conclusion. So for that I?m very appreciative of the system that NASCAR has in place. So we?re just onward and upward. We?ll go to Bristol (Tenn.), and we?ll try to get No. 200, and we?ll deal with this one when the time comes. Q: Because of the appeal, will Chad Knaus be in Bristol? Hendrick: Chad (Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet) will be in Bristol. Q: When do you expect the next appeal to be heard? Hendrick: They?ll just have to tell me when to show up. Q: How comfortable do you feel about the appeals process? Hendrick: All I can tell you is I believe in my guys, and I believe in the system, but we?ll just have to take it. You know, you won?t know till it?s over, and I know how we feel, and so we?ll just have to go on. I appreciate you letting our guys do their jobs until it?s over. Hendrick: I think it?s best that I just wait till we go through the processes. There?s really nothing for me to talk about that you don?t already know, and when we have an opportunity to go through the process, then we can talk about how we disagree. Q: Would you like to see the process changed? Hendrick: You know, it?s hard to say. I think it?s a good process, and I say these guys are very capable people. I think it?s just hard to have someone to try to digest everything that you have to digest in this situation. But again, from the days I started in this sport, and what you had to deal with to today, NASCAR has made tremendous strides and none of us want to have to go through this. But sometimes you just disagree, and this is one of those cases. Q: Do you have a legitimate hope of having it overturned? Why don't you just accept it and move on? Hendrick: I don?t accept it. Period.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Daytona 500 postponed until 7 p.m. tonight
The Daytona 500 - which had never been postponed in its history - has been delayed again. NASCAR was going to try a noon Eastern start today for 2012's biggest Sprint Cup Series race but has now rescheduled the season opener for 7 tonight. It will be broadcast live on Fox. Rain continues to fall in the area. NASCAR President Mike Helton said there was a "reasonable expectation" the race can begin by 7 p.m.
Sadler to drive five Sprint Cup races for MWR
Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in five Sprint Cup events this season starting at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 18. Sadler will drive both Bristol races, both Martinsville (Va.) races and the July 15 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mark Martin is the primary driver of the No. 55 Toyota. "This is an awesome opportunity," said Sadler. "We?ve been talking about this for a while, but wanted to get through Daytona before we announced it to everyone. If I had to pick a place on the circuit to start then Bristol would be my first choice. I can?t thank Michael and everyone at MWR enough for giving me this opportunity."-- Ron Green Jr.
The 24 Best Car Pictures Of 2011
We've always disliked the word "snapshot." A picture isn't an instant in time. It's the tail end of a lot of talent and preparation, a good measure of luck, and a little bit of magic. It can raise pulses and change minds. It even can turn some awkward-looking rides from the real world into mythic, gorgeous machines. Pictures aren't always worth a...
NHRA US MAC Tools Nationals ? O?Reilly Raceway Park
Wanted to throw these videos up real quick of John Force, and Ashley Force running qualifying night at ORP.
Next step in appeals could help Johnson crew chief
Five-time championship winning crew chief Chad Knaus has a decent shot of having his penalties reduced when he appears before NASCAR's chief appellate officer.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
NHRA US MAC Tools Nationals Photos Best of the Best
What an awesome weekend for the NHRA US MAC Tools Nationals here in Indy at O’Reilly Raceway Park. You couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better race. The event was absolutely amazing and one of the best I’ve attended in a long time. If you’ve never been to an NHRA event then these [...]
Keselowski talks late-race cautions
NASCAR had a quick trigger finger when it came to throwing a caution for a last-lap wreck in Thursday's first Gatorade 150-mile qualifying race. In Saturday's Nationwide race, a 14-car wreck off Turn 4 of the last lap saw no caution flag until the race winner reached the finish line. Brad Keselowski, who could have won the race depending on the timing of the flag, was asked about last-lap caution decisions and how drivers respond to them. "You know, I think that I walk a fine line with the comment there, obviously. I think there is no doubt to me the most dangerous aspect of our sport that?s left is the yellow flag situation in the closing laps of a race. And I make those comments not in regard to the fact that if the yellow came out a little earlier I would have won the race, in no way do I make those comments in that regard. I make those comments in regards to the fact that if you?re running 25th, five or six seconds behind the pack when the wreck happened, the yellow didn?t come out for about six seconds from what I can estimate. And obviously there was a lot of attention on that area so I?m pretty sure it was seen," he said. "So the question is what is the appropriate amount of time? I think it?s very much a judgment call. With the wreck, I think it was in the Shootout, I think I would rather lean to the cautious side. It?s tough for NASCAR, obviously, to wave the yellow early and then take all the criticism from fans that didn?t see their driver win if the yellow wouldn?t have come out that early. So I can see that side of it, but I think that when I look at the sport and I look at the most dangerous frontier, it?s not the head and neck system or anything like that. It?s getting hit from a car that is six or seven second behind a wreck, but has to keep going because the yellow is not out. "Eventually it will happen where they?ll hit a very, very slow car at a very high rate of speed and it will not be good. So I think that that?s an area that is still loosely defined and I?m not sure how to define it because I understand the difficulties that remain in that area to make those decisions. When I think of what I?m most nervous about, I?m most nervous about the last lap, being in the front pack, being wrecked and stopped in the middle of the field and some guy from 35th, knowing that the yellow is not going to come out for another six seconds, whales me going 180 when I?m going five or 10 or maybe stopped. That?s certainly an area that I think about for sure.?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Greg Biffle attributes fast start to personnel changes
Greg Biffle was pleased when Matt Puccia took over as crew chief of his team in July of last year.
And then Biffle had to wait for five long months until Puccia could start making major personnel changes to their No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing team.
Biffle and Puccia had to wait until after the 2011 season to remake their team because Roush Fenway Racing had to determine the fate of the organization?s No. 6 team, which wound up being disbanded after sponsorship could not be found.
And then Biffle had to wait for five long months until Puccia could start making major personnel changes to their No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing team.
Biffle and Puccia had to wait until after the 2011 season to remake their team because Roush Fenway Racing had to determine the fate of the organization?s No. 6 team, which wound up being disbanded after sponsorship could not be found.
Rivals not discounting Ferrari
Ferrari's rivals aren't writing off the team's chances of being a strong force in Formula 1 this year, despite its troubles in testing.
Patrick returns to site of NASCAR-record finish
Currently 21st in points, Patrick is betting on another strong performance at Las Vegas.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Three days' worth of the Daytona 500
ObservationsNASCAR and its tracks have all kinds of contingency plans for various emergencies. But sometimes you just have to learn from experience. It seems save to say that all the work that went into dealing with the crumbling of asphalt and the pothole that emerged during the 2010 Daytona 500 played a role in NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway's ability to deal with the jet dryer explosion and resulting fuel spill on the track this year. So in a sense, while the 2010 race may have been a black-eye, what was learned from it helped allow the 2012 version of the race from becoming a bigger one. It was somewhat surprising to see how little a factor Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards were in this year's 500. The two drivers who battled down to the wire for the 2011 Sprint Cup title had shown to have fast cars at Speedweeks. Edwards won the pole for the 500 while Stewart won his Gatorade 150-mile qualifying race. Both eventually got involved in late-race accidents in the 500 but were rarely up front. I don't know if Danica Patrick is going to be a great NASCAR driver. At this point, neither does anyone else. What she deserves is the opportunity to find out ? and without unrealistic expectations lofted on her from the get-go. What she also doesn't need are TV announcers who constantly try to bolster her "case" by making outrageous claims. Examples: Claiming Patrick, who had yet turned a lap in the a Cup race, is now the "face" of NASCAR. Another: Suggesting that same driver was one that could teach others like five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has done quite well on his own before Patrick's arrival. That kind of talk enrages far more NASCAR fans than it engages.
Tony Stewart holds off Jimmie Johnson to win at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS ? The seemingly unending questions about why he changed crew chiefs after winning the 2011 Sprint Cup championship can now be put away.
Tony Stewart and new crew chief Steve Addington have made it to the winner?s circle.
After all of three races together.
Tony Stewart and new crew chief Steve Addington have made it to the winner?s circle.
After all of three races together.
Chad Knaus ?didn?t expect? suspension for violations
For the moment, Chad Knaus is still permitted at NASCAR tracks pending the appeal of his six-race suspension for illegal modifications to the 48 car. And on Friday, he took the opportunity to address the media about the suspension and the way it took him by surprise.
"I'm deeply saddened, of course," Knaus said. "We didn't expect this. Definitely not the way we wanted to start the season ... I really didn't expect any of it. We do everything we can to build the best race cars we possibly can to bring to the race track. And that's what we do. Unfortunately, they didn't like something."
He noted that the template to measure the cars was never even placed on the 48 car found to be in violation, and that lack of hard data concerns him and warrants the appeal: "It was just a visual inspection," he said. "We never even got the opportunity to present that under templates. It's unfortunate. There's a bit of subjectiveness to it, and that's why we're going through an appeal."
Knaus has been penalized nine times in his career and served three suspensions. That, in itself, could warrant the closer scrutiny of the 48 team ... as well as some previous events where the team may or may not have skated.
"NASCAR does not like the wool to be pulled over its eyes," Denny Hamlin said. "That possibly could have happened at Talladega last year" with the infamous "crack the back" comment. "So NASCAR may have heavy eyes for those guys now."
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"I'm deeply saddened, of course," Knaus said. "We didn't expect this. Definitely not the way we wanted to start the season ... I really didn't expect any of it. We do everything we can to build the best race cars we possibly can to bring to the race track. And that's what we do. Unfortunately, they didn't like something."
He noted that the template to measure the cars was never even placed on the 48 car found to be in violation, and that lack of hard data concerns him and warrants the appeal: "It was just a visual inspection," he said. "We never even got the opportunity to present that under templates. It's unfortunate. There's a bit of subjectiveness to it, and that's why we're going through an appeal."
Knaus has been penalized nine times in his career and served three suspensions. That, in itself, could warrant the closer scrutiny of the 48 team ... as well as some previous events where the team may or may not have skated.
"NASCAR does not like the wool to be pulled over its eyes," Denny Hamlin said. "That possibly could have happened at Talladega last year" with the infamous "crack the back" comment. "So NASCAR may have heavy eyes for those guys now."
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. acquires car that Montoya crashed into jet dryer
LAS VEGAS ? As a famous NASCAR driver, one would expect Dale Earnhardt Jr. to have a valuable car collection.
But it?s a collection of crashed cars ? and its newest addition ? that has people talking.
Among the cars in the collection? The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car that Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer during the Daytona 500 Feb. 27 at Daytona International Speedway.
But it?s a collection of crashed cars ? and its newest addition ? that has people talking.
Among the cars in the collection? The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car that Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer during the Daytona 500 Feb. 27 at Daytona International Speedway.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
MWR tabs Brian Vickers for six races in No. 55 Cup entry
Brian Vickers, sidelined since the departure of Red Bull Racing from NASCAR?s Sprint Cup Series following the completion of the 2011 season, will compete in six races for Michael Waltrip Racing, according to a team news release. Vickers, 28, will compete in the organization?s No. 55 Toyota, which is currently shared by Mark Martin and co-owner/driver Michael Waltrip.
NASCAR: Kurt Busch makes headway at Dover ? Detroit Free Press
NASCAR: Kurt Busch makes headway at Dover – Detroit Free Press
The Virginian-Pilot
NASCAR: Kurt Busch makes headway at DoverDetroit Free PressKurt Busch is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings after driving to victory at the AAA 400. / GEOFF BURKE/Getty Images DOVER, Del. — Kurt Busch stormed into contention for a second Cup championship, holding off fellow Chase drivers Jimmie Johnson …Kurt Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in Delaware | Auto racingThe Seattle Times
NASCAR: Kurt Busch trumps the fieldThe Virginian-PilotNASCAR: Tony Stewart Dover 300 race reportMotorsport.comUSA Today -The News Journal -SB Nationall 653 news articles »
The Virginian-Pilot
NASCAR: Kurt Busch makes headway at DoverDetroit Free PressKurt Busch is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings after driving to victory at the AAA 400. / GEOFF BURKE/Getty Images DOVER, Del. — Kurt Busch stormed into contention for a second Cup championship, holding off fellow Chase drivers Jimmie Johnson …Kurt Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in Delaware | Auto racingThe Seattle Times
NASCAR: Kurt Busch trumps the fieldThe Virginian-PilotNASCAR: Tony Stewart Dover 300 race reportMotorsport.comUSA Today -The News Journal -SB Nationall 653 news articles »
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East Tennessee ? Knoxville News Sentinel
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East Tennessee – Knoxville News Sentinel
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East TennesseeKnoxville News SentinelBy News Sentinel staff NASCAR fans will get a chance to meet drivers Kasey Kahne or Kevin Harvick on Thursday. Appearances by Kahne and Harvick are tied into Ollie's Bargain Outlet openings in Maryville and Knoxville. Kahne will be at the Maryville …and more »
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne to make stops in East TennesseeKnoxville News SentinelBy News Sentinel staff NASCAR fans will get a chance to meet drivers Kasey Kahne or Kevin Harvick on Thursday. Appearances by Kahne and Harvick are tied into Ollie's Bargain Outlet openings in Maryville and Knoxville. Kahne will be at the Maryville …and more »
Confessions Of A NASCAR Writer: Three Opinions That May Surprise You ? SB Nation
Confessions Of A NASCAR Writer: Three Opinions That May Surprise You – SB Nation
SB Nation
Confessions Of A NASCAR Writer: Three Opinions That May Surprise YouSB NationOct 4, 2011 – Before I got on the NASCAR beat full-time, I covered only about seven or 10 races per season and watched the rest faithfully from home. Thanks to that experience, I often viewed the sport and the races …NASCAR: Chief's calls on the moneyColumbus Dispatch
all 11 news articles »
SB Nation
Confessions Of A NASCAR Writer: Three Opinions That May Surprise YouSB NationOct 4, 2011 – Before I got on the NASCAR beat full-time, I covered only about seven or 10 races per season and watched the rest faithfully from home. Thanks to that experience, I often viewed the sport and the races …NASCAR: Chief's calls on the moneyColumbus Dispatch
all 11 news articles »
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Horner: 2011 made Red Bull stronger
Red Bull Racing comes into 2012 even stronger than it began 2011 in many respects, according to team boss Christian Horner.
The Daytona 500?s top five surprises and shortfalls
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? Anyone who wins the Great American Race becomes a NASCAR immortal, but not every NASCAR immortal has won the Daytona 500. Here, we present the most successful drivers in NASCAR who haven't won racing's biggest prize, as well as drivers who had the greatest race of their lives at exactly the right time.
The best never to have won:
1. Tony Stewart (13 races): The three-time champion has won 17 times in stock cars at Daytona, but the biggest victory continues to elude him. He's got his best shot in years in 2012 ... but thanks to tandem racing and pack racing, so, too, does everyone else.
2. Rusty Wallace (23 races): His best finish was a third in 2001; Rusty never could quite get it done at Daytona.
3. Ned Jarrett (7 races): His son won this race three times, so at least the Jarrett name is etched into the marble of Daytona.
4. Terry and Bobby Labonte (43 races combined): The brothers have been all over this track but never quite able to bring home the big dog.
5. Mark Martin (27 races): He came within a hairsbreadth of winning in 2007 but saw Kevin Harvick snatch it right from his grasp on the final straightaway.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have:
1. Trevor Bayne: Put on a masterful two-lap performance of tandem drafting en route to NASCAR's unlikeliest Daytona 500 victory ever.
2. Derrike Cope: Snatched a win at the 1990 Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt hit debris and cut a tire on the final lap of the race.
3. Michael Waltrip: Won the 2001 Daytona 500, breaking NASCAR's longest losing streak even as Earnhardt fatally crashed behind him. But he picked his spots; of his four career wins in 766 races, two were Daytona 500s.
4. Mario Andretti: In 1967, not even his own team wanted him to win, preferring for No. 1 driver Fred Lorenzen to take the checkered flag. But despite being held in his pits for a few extra seconds by his own team, Andretti caught and passed Lorenzen to win under caution.
5. Ward Burton: Snatched the 2002 Daytona 500 but later plummeted to 25th in the standings that season.
Whoever takes the Daytona 500 will live forever in NASCAR history ... but it's up to them to determine if their story ends there.
The best never to have won:
1. Tony Stewart (13 races): The three-time champion has won 17 times in stock cars at Daytona, but the biggest victory continues to elude him. He's got his best shot in years in 2012 ... but thanks to tandem racing and pack racing, so, too, does everyone else.
2. Rusty Wallace (23 races): His best finish was a third in 2001; Rusty never could quite get it done at Daytona.
3. Ned Jarrett (7 races): His son won this race three times, so at least the Jarrett name is etched into the marble of Daytona.
4. Terry and Bobby Labonte (43 races combined): The brothers have been all over this track but never quite able to bring home the big dog.
5. Mark Martin (27 races): He came within a hairsbreadth of winning in 2007 but saw Kevin Harvick snatch it right from his grasp on the final straightaway.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have:
1. Trevor Bayne: Put on a masterful two-lap performance of tandem drafting en route to NASCAR's unlikeliest Daytona 500 victory ever.
2. Derrike Cope: Snatched a win at the 1990 Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt hit debris and cut a tire on the final lap of the race.
3. Michael Waltrip: Won the 2001 Daytona 500, breaking NASCAR's longest losing streak even as Earnhardt fatally crashed behind him. But he picked his spots; of his four career wins in 766 races, two were Daytona 500s.
4. Mario Andretti: In 1967, not even his own team wanted him to win, preferring for No. 1 driver Fred Lorenzen to take the checkered flag. But despite being held in his pits for a few extra seconds by his own team, Andretti caught and passed Lorenzen to win under caution.
5. Ward Burton: Snatched the 2002 Daytona 500 but later plummeted to 25th in the standings that season.
Whoever takes the Daytona 500 will live forever in NASCAR history ... but it's up to them to determine if their story ends there.
NASCAR Race Review: Bashas? Supermarkets 200
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Nationwide Series raced the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 race on Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix International Raceway, the second race of the season. Qualifying was earlier on Saturday, with 18 Denny Hamlin capturing the Pole position with a speed of 132.979 mph and 27.072 seconds around [...]
Subaru Repeats Its 'Subaru Challenge Award' For 2012
The FIA’s Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC) can often be a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the world of motorsports. Run under FIA Group N rules, the series pits production cars with few allowed modifications against one another, emphasizing the capabilities of both car and driver. In 2012, Subaru will again offer...
Friday, March 9, 2012
Budweiser's role at Daytona grows
Budweiser and Daytona International Speedway announced on Friday the beer brand will take on an enhanced role in NASCAR?s season opening festivities. Beginning with the 2013 season, Budweiser will become the official title sponsor of Speedweeks ? the 10-day stretch of stock-car races from the Shootout to the Daytona 500. Budweiser also will secure entitlement of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, the two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. These enhancements to Budweiser?s partnership with DIS will replace the brand?s existing entitlement of the season-opening, non-points Shootout, which concluded this season. ?Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway marks the official start of the NASCAR season, and the opportunity to expand our presence throughout the ten-day event puts Budweiser even more in the thick of it all,? said Brad Brown, vice president of sports & entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch. ?The Shootout has been an important element of our NASCAR program for 34 years, but this opportunity to enhance our partnership makes Budweiser even more relevant to our consumers as well as the fans of the Daytona 500.? As part of the sponsorship, Budweiser will also receive the presenting sponsorship of the Daytona 500 pre-race broadcast show. The brand will also receive increased access for consumer hospitality events, including naming rights to the 5th Turn hospitality area throughout Speedweeks.
Travis Pastrana Breaks Ankle, Foot In X-Games Crash
This just in: freestyle motocross is a dangerous sport, and it?s best not to participate when you?ve got your NASCAR Nationwide debut coming up in a few days. That?s advice that adrenaline junkie Travis Pastrana didn?t heed, and the result is a broken right ankle and foot, and torn ligaments in his hand. The damage [...]
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Fan yells at Brian McKnight?s son to take off hat before performing national anthem
R&B singer Brian McKnight and his sons sang the national anthem before Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, and his son Niko was, uh, not-so-kindly told to take his hat off before the anthem started.
The request to "take that [stuff] off your head" was audible on the race broadcast, but it's really only understood if you are paying close attention for the request. We certainly didn't notice it as it happened live.�(Note: the video above is uncensored and contains adult language.)
And yes, Niko McKnight did oblige, and removed his hat and acknowledged the area the request came from.
(H/T to The Sports Grid)
The request to "take that [stuff] off your head" was audible on the race broadcast, but it's really only understood if you are paying close attention for the request. We certainly didn't notice it as it happened live.�(Note: the video above is uncensored and contains adult language.)
And yes, Niko McKnight did oblige, and removed his hat and acknowledged the area the request came from.
(H/T to The Sports Grid)
Keselowski in favor of Penske's switch to Ford in 2013
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said on Friday he is "encouraged" with Penske Racing's decision to switch from Dodge to Ford for the 2013 Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series seasons.
Talladega Superspeedway Trip Report: Update 3
UPDATE 3 Now that our trip is complete and were safely back in Indiana I can look back on this trip and all the memories I made at Talladega. I?ve been to seven major speedways on the NASCAR circuit now and looking back on this trip I have to say Talladega is safely at the [...]
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Elliott Sadler?s five-race Cup deal with MWR a no-go
Elliott Sadler, who drove a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory lane in the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway, had agreed to drive the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota in five Sprint Cup events in 2012, but the deal has fallen through, Sadler confirmed Monday.
NASCAR Announces 2011 Schedules
NASCAR announced the 2011 schedule for its three national series, highlighted by several key changes for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. One of those changes comes early, as the second race of the season will be held at Phoenix International Raceway on Feb. 27, a week after the season-opening Daytona 500. PIR replaces Auto Club [...]
Are You Ready For DEGA, got your clear bag? FAQ?s
One of many tips you may need to know before you head to the gates at Talladega! 16. What can be brought into the grandstands? - Soft-sided coolers or insulated bags are allowed into the grandstands provided they fit the required size requirement: 6″X6″X12″ or smaller. ONLY ONE SOFT-SIDED COOLER OR INSULATED BAG ALLOWED PER [...]
Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson wreck on Lap 2 of Daytona 500
Well, that didn't take long. After 30 hours of rain-enforced delay, the Daytona 500 lasted exactly two laps before erupting in a wreck that took out several of the sport's biggest names.
The wreck began when Elliott Sadler tapped the rear bumper of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, sending Johnson spiraling into the wall in a scary, four-wheels-off-the-ground wreck. Spinning back down the track, Johnson took out several other drivers, including Daytona darling Danica Patrick and defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne. Others collected in the wreck included David Ragan, winner at Daytona in July, and Kurt Busch, a former champion making his first start with his new team.
[Related: Follow Daytona 500 chat and leaderboard]
Sadler may want to get out of Daytona as fast as possible; by causing a wreck so early in the race, he's not likely to be a favorite of some of the other drivers.
"Just waiting to see the replay to see what bonehead would make a move like that this early in the Daytona 500," Ragan said immediately after the wreck. And on his radio, Dale Earnhardt Jr. demanded Sadler get away from him.
"I have no idea what happened," Bayne said, "but it's devastating for this team ... I hate this for our team, but we'll be back."
But Johnson had a slightly different take. "It was all just getting up to speed, really," he said. "Got a little help from behind and couldn't control it through the tri-oval. Nothing intentional I don't believe, just a little help from behind ... I just got some help at the wrong point in time.� It was a hard hit. I'm sure I'll� feel it tomorrow. Right now my adrenaline is carrying me through any sore spots."
Johnson, however, will not. His team will finish almost last, and while that won't cripple his chances at trying to capture another championship, he'll be starting in a hole from which it'll take months to recover.
-For more, follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here.-
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The wreck began when Elliott Sadler tapped the rear bumper of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, sending Johnson spiraling into the wall in a scary, four-wheels-off-the-ground wreck. Spinning back down the track, Johnson took out several other drivers, including Daytona darling Danica Patrick and defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne. Others collected in the wreck included David Ragan, winner at Daytona in July, and Kurt Busch, a former champion making his first start with his new team.
[Related: Follow Daytona 500 chat and leaderboard]
Sadler may want to get out of Daytona as fast as possible; by causing a wreck so early in the race, he's not likely to be a favorite of some of the other drivers.
"Just waiting to see the replay to see what bonehead would make a move like that this early in the Daytona 500," Ragan said immediately after the wreck. And on his radio, Dale Earnhardt Jr. demanded Sadler get away from him.
"I have no idea what happened," Bayne said, "but it's devastating for this team ... I hate this for our team, but we'll be back."
But Johnson had a slightly different take. "It was all just getting up to speed, really," he said. "Got a little help from behind and couldn't control it through the tri-oval. Nothing intentional I don't believe, just a little help from behind ... I just got some help at the wrong point in time.� It was a hard hit. I'm sure I'll� feel it tomorrow. Right now my adrenaline is carrying me through any sore spots."
Johnson, however, will not. His team will finish almost last, and while that won't cripple his chances at trying to capture another championship, he'll be starting in a hole from which it'll take months to recover.
-For more, follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here.-
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The 24 Best Car Pictures Of 2011
We've always disliked the word "snapshot." A picture isn't an instant in time. It's the tail end of a lot of talent and preparation, a good measure of luck, and a little bit of magic. It can raise pulses and change minds. It even can turn some awkward-looking rides from the real world into mythic, gorgeous machines. Pictures aren't always worth a...
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Denny Hamlin cruises to victory at Phoenix as Kevin Harvick runs out of gas
AVONDALE, Ariz. ? After establishing part-time residency in Arizona during the offseason, Denny Hamlin found a home again in victory lane for the first time in 23 Sprint Cup races by outlasting Kevin Harvick in a fuel-mileage finish at Phoenix International Raceway.
Hamlin?s victory in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 was secured when Harvick?s No. 29 Chevrolet ran dry on fuel with under two laps remaining in the 312-lap event. Harvick, who led a race-high 88 laps, coasted across the finish line seven seconds behind Hamlin.
Hamlin?s victory in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 was secured when Harvick?s No. 29 Chevrolet ran dry on fuel with under two laps remaining in the 312-lap event. Harvick, who led a race-high 88 laps, coasted across the finish line seven seconds behind Hamlin.
Coors Light Pole Qualifying
Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. NASCAR is racing at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ. this weekend. There were two practice sessions on Friday for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Qualifying for both Series’ is based on practice speeds, with the slowest cars coming onto [...]
It's raining at Daytona
It's approximately 90 minutes before the green flag is scheduled to drop on the Daytona 500 and right now the only thing dropping is rain. That's no surprise. It's been predicted for a while and, say what you will about weather forecasters, but they got it right this time. The question is when will it stop raining. It will eventually stop. It always has. NASCAR will do its best to get its biggest race in today, studying radar images in NASA-like detail, looking for a window to get in at least 100 laps (250 miles). With lights at Daytona, no one's going anywhere for a while. At the moment, ponchos are obscuring the multi-colored t-shirts so popular among race fans and there are tarps over the set that rocker Lenny Kravitz is scheduled to use for his pre-race concerts. Kravitz did stop into the infield media center earlier for a quick question-and-answer session and said he's pulling for Danica Patrick today. Wearing a heavy jacket, a brown scarf around his neck and Tom Cruise/Top Gun-style shades, Kravitz looked like he was ready for a winter walk in Paris rather than the infield at a stock car race. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney stopped by to campaign today and, at the drivers meeting, said the Daytona 500 combines "two of the things I like best -- cars and sports." While Romney showed up in person, Rick Santorum's name showed up on the side of Tony Raines' race car. The Florida primary has come and gone but the campaign continues. So, for the moment, does the rain.-- Ron Green Jr.
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