Chase contenders Denny Hamlin, Jimmy Johnson and Kevin Harvick during a Champions press conference on Friday. (Photo: Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Let the best man win. Let the fastest car win. Here’s hoping they’re the same.
Grant the serenity not to have to muddy the Sprint Cup waters with leaking oil or litter them with debris. Here’s hoping no one’s title hopes run out of gas … literally.
Even though “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” is but a memory, it would be nostalgic to have the Ford 400 decided amid “the human drama of athletic competition.” What’s more important than who wins is how he wins it.
In an incredible development, given the slings and arrows of the Chase format, the three drivers who are still in contention – at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in the final race, with a 46-point blanket over them – are the three who deserve to be there.
If there were no Chase – and the points awarded in each race the same as now – Kevin Harvick would lead by 295 points. Of course, there is a Chase.
The driver with the most victories is Denny Hamlin.
The driver with four straight championships is Jimmie Johnson.
Chase or no Chase, they would be the top three now, though in different order. If the true goal of the Chase is to tighten, but not otherwise alter, the course of the season, then this Chase is the one that exemplifies the format. Even those who dislike the Chase – they’re out there – should be willing to concede that this is just about as good as the format, however flawed, gets.
If everything works out perfectly today, NASCAR will have a difficult time justifying further changes, even though NASCAR chairman Brian France has been floating trial balloons on the subject since July.
They’ll probably “tweak it” a little – France and his minions love that word – just to save face.
France was still pumping hot air – perhaps not quite as hot as before – into the balloon as recently as Friday.
The results of the current season, he said, demonstrate that “the more we can do, to have incentives ? an incentive basis -- to decide this championship, that puts it all on the line more often. That's what we need to be thinking about.”
Oh, yeah. “Take paradise and … put up a parking lot.”
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
sponsored fashion F1 driver
Since March 2010, the lifestyle brand THOMAS SABO has become a F1 driver Nico – Nico Rosberg (Nico Rosberg)’s official sponsor. In the latest quarter is approaching, THOMAS SABO and Nico – Nico Rosberg (Nico Rosberg) to establish their ambitious ambitious goals, and strive to break through the achievements of the previous quarter, continued to [...]
Kyle Busch wins Kentucky's inaugural Sprint Cup race
Kyle Busch won the inaugural Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night, pulling away from Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps to go to collect his 99th NASCAR series victory.
Off to see Senna movie!
It has been a ?Mega struggle to piece together when & where the Senna Documentary would be playing in the ?Jet City, aka Seattle - as I?ve been waiting for this ever since it won the Sundance Film Festival?s Best Documentary award in 2010.
And I?m so jazzed ?bout it, that I?ve had the forthcoming weekend blocked out for over 1-month now, as I?ve got tickets-for the very first screening - the Friday Matinee at Seattle?s Varsity theatre...
More Details on Senna; Lauda-Hunt movies revealed
Thus, I find it a tad bit karmic that upon Herr Schumacher?s Anniversary Party weekend - I?ll be seeing the late Ayrton Senna on the BIG screen - whale at least listening to him 17yrs after...
SENNA: Director?s Cut
And I?m so jazzed ?bout it, that I?ve had the forthcoming weekend blocked out for over 1-month now, as I?ve got tickets-for the very first screening - the Friday Matinee at Seattle?s Varsity theatre...
More Details on Senna; Lauda-Hunt movies revealed
Thus, I find it a tad bit karmic that upon Herr Schumacher?s Anniversary Party weekend - I?ll be seeing the late Ayrton Senna on the BIG screen - whale at least listening to him 17yrs after...
SENNA: Director?s Cut
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
NASCAR Notebook: Johnson ?qualified? to win
Four-time and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has cameras follow his every move in the garage during practice Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. for Sunday's Ford 400. Johnson qualified sixth, well ahead of Kevin Harvick (28th) and Denny Hamlin (37th). (Photo: Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – For the two contenders seeking to deprive Jimmie Johnson of a fifth straight Sprint Cup championship, qualifying was no cause for celebration.
Johnson qualified sixth at176.482 mph. It was a nice solid run, leaving him well situated for the start of Sunday’s Ford 400.
Kevin Harvick qualified 28th, which wasn’t that unusual. Denny Hamlin qualified 37th, which was. Hamlin’s previous low in qualifying was 34th at Auto Club Speedway on Oct. 8. On the positive side, Hamlin did manage to salvage top-10 finishes in each of his previous qualifying performances that were 30th or worse, and he won after starting 30th just two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway.
A poor qualifying performance is also a poor predictor of race-day success, but starting deep in the field adds a certain amount of pressure to an already overheated championship battle.
Johnson held a press conference before qualifying, but what he said seemed pertinent: “I slept great. I don’t know if Denny (Hamlin) did, but I know I did.”
Hamlin’s response? “I feel the same as I do every week. No, I’m never uptight.”
* * *
SPEECHLESS--If Foster Gillett meant to quiet rumors regarding the future of Richard Petty Motorsports, this wasn’t the way to do it.
Gillett, whose father George is the official owner of the team that carries the seven-time champion’s name, was at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday. His presence spread quickly, but he refused to responded to any questions posed by media members.
Rumors have the team going out of business, going out of business temporarily while other investors are acquired and being sunk by the reputed mountain of indebtedness faced by the Gillett family.
Foster Gillett’s presence reportedly did nothing to allay fears among team members that their jobs are endangered.
* * *
STEWART’S TAKE-- Tony Stewart is the only driver who has won championships under both the “season-long” and current “Chase” format. Long relegated to the nether regions of the Chase field, Stewart offered his analysis of the three-way battle for the title.
“I think they’re all playing mind games with each other,” he said. “You don’t get this far in the season and be in this position by racing guys dirty. I don’t see it coming down to the last race with guys racing each other dirty.”
* * *
TITLE MAY GO THROUGH HIM--As expected, Carl Edwards established himself as a contender to win the race. He ended a 70-race winless streak last week at Phoenix and qualified second. Edwards won this race in 2008 and has finished eighth or better in five straight races at Homestead.
Referring to Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick, Edwards said, “They’re all going to be aggressive. That’s the way it’s going to be, no matter what they say. That’s how they got in the position they’re in, and now it’s going to be a great race for everyone to watch.
“I hope I’m watching the whole thing in my rear-view mirror, though.”
Auto Racing Notes: Edwards staying with Roush Fenway Racing
Carl Edwards spurned an offer from Joe Gibbs Racing and signed a multiyear contract extension with current team Roush Fenway Racing.
Hand to enjoy the crazy fashion fun to drive car
Nowadays, many of my friends will use mobile phones in their free time to play games, it has become fashionable. However, various games, racing games is undoubtedly one of the most popular. With the rapid development of science and technology, and now the phone has a large gravity sensing and touch screen. This allows those [...]
Another No. 3 heads to Goodwood
For the second-consecutive year, a No. 3 driven by the late Dale Earnhardt will be a part of the festivities at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Earnhardt’s daughter Taylor drove the famed No. 3 in the festival last year. This year, the car Earnhardt raced to his 1995 Brickyard 400 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway [...]
Monday, August 29, 2011
A Brawnier Handshake...
Saw this a little while ago... And only have Juan concern with it - the OBNOXIOUS idea of Branding a human?s body parts, albeit it was the recipient?s suggestion and not Mercedes Benz; BUTT! I still DON?T like it, seems kinda creepy... And seems like there?s something WRONG with the fact that it costs $55,000; SHEISA! Yet Kudos to Ross Brawn and Mercedes GP...
Armed and Well Sponsored
Armed and Well Sponsored
Upon further review, Firestone will remain the INDYCAR tire supplier
After much hand-wringing and worry, it turns out that "everything's gonna be alright". Firestone is staying with INDYCAR through 2013.�
Firestone seems to have successful in their negotiating tactic to get more actually dollars for the sale of their race tires to race teams.
From VERSUS.com:
"Bernard said he and ...
Firestone seems to have successful in their negotiating tactic to get more actually dollars for the sale of their race tires to race teams.
From VERSUS.com:
"Bernard said he and ...
Terrible accident destructive fighting force Polish Kubica back on track early next year
NEW YORK, July 14 reported Renault driver Kubica That is the beginning of a serious car accident over the pain and almost brought his career, a devastating blow, he believes he will be able to get fully recovered, drove onto the track season opener 2012 . For many drivers like the big nose of people, [...]
INDYCAR: Power, Penske Perfect In Sonoma
Team Penske turned its 1-2-3 in qualifying into a sweep of the podium during Sunday's 75-lap Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
VIDEO: AMA MX - Southwick 450 Moto 2
A dramatic Southwick round came to a conclusion featuring firsts for Justin Barcia and Brett Metcalfe and a remarkable comeback by Ryan Dungey.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
No Fenders on brief Hiatus...
As it appears to be approaching the DAWG-dazes ?O Summer, as reputedly everyone?s off to their nearby beaches with spade ?N buckets in hand... As several crack members of Ye Bloggaratzi are taking a brief siesta from the never ending iridescent green rays of thee Confuzer monitor... Your Humble Scribe thought he?d join the parade, albeit I?m off to hopefully play in the sand a slightly different way, i.e.; visiting the Sand Dunes of Oregon instead, although it is right alongside the Pacific Ocean via Highway-1. As hopefully I?ll get to take a ride aboard a Sand ?Rail (Dune Buggy) whilst on Holiday.
Therefore; there will be NO blog posts for the next week, as I?ll try to be ?Backhoed, Err Back Home again by next Monday; August 15 ? when hopefully my 36 faithful readers will resume following my Krackerjax scribblinz upon Ye No Fenders blog; Hya!
Therefore; there will be NO blog posts for the next week, as I?ll try to be ?Backhoed, Err Back Home again by next Monday; August 15 ? when hopefully my 36 faithful readers will resume following my Krackerjax scribblinz upon Ye No Fenders blog; Hya!
A Brawnier Handshake...
Saw this a little while ago... And only have Juan concern with it - the OBNOXIOUS idea of Branding a human?s body parts, albeit it was the recipient?s suggestion and not Mercedes Benz; BUTT! I still DON?T like it, seems kinda creepy... And seems like there?s something WRONG with the fact that it costs $55,000; SHEISA! Yet Kudos to Ross Brawn and Mercedes GP...
Armed and Well Sponsored
Armed and Well Sponsored
Quote of the Week
As I said before, I didn?t watch or tape the Loudon RainGate Festiva... But whilst listening to Kurty ?n Kevin Thursday evening I broke out in laughter over Cavin?s comment ?bout TakuSan, aka Takuma Sato?s defense towards his coming together with Dashley LePew. (Dario Franchitti)
Takuma Sato:?I had something in my eye...?
Takuma Sato:?I had something in my eye...?
For Those Who watch IndyCar ? We Salute You Will Power!
Will Power tells the WHOLE world what he thinks ?bout Brian Barnhart?s latest race Officiating GAFF! (Source: oilpressure.com)
So I haven?t had time to digest the litany O ?Oh-Pin-Yuns on Ye Internetz over the Festimus of Triple B?s Piece de la Resistance race Officiatin? YeeHaw! SMOKE ON! BillyBob BrazenHeartz... Except for the thought that Messer Will Power gets my vote for Largest Bollocks of the Year for Oh So RIGHTLY telling BillyBob what he (and the rest of the grid & paddock) really felt ?N thought about that ABOMINATION of a race call!
Thus I thought I?d throw out this Bloggaratzi Triangle Ye ?Vurd Butchery instead ? as PopOff Valve?s Head Scribe introduces us to a brand new and very unflattering nickname of Messer Barnhart...
What We Learned: Baghdad Brian" thinks we're all pretty stupid
Over at the always SmackDaddy HipsterSpeakin? pressdog, Thee ?Dawg tries seein? how many times he can insert Carnival themes, mostly utilizing the insertion of Clown Cars and there accompanying FunnyMen into his race notes in...
Notes Taken During the 2011 IndyCar Race at New Hampshire
Whilst over at MFW ? ?Stef takes a somewhat more sedate approach to the chicanery of this past weekend?s Loudon Green-White Checker?s or WRECKERZ IndyCar attempt of thee BIG ?JUAN...
Reading Between the Lines
So I haven?t had time to digest the litany O ?Oh-Pin-Yuns on Ye Internetz over the Festimus of Triple B?s Piece de la Resistance race Officiatin? YeeHaw! SMOKE ON! BillyBob BrazenHeartz... Except for the thought that Messer Will Power gets my vote for Largest Bollocks of the Year for Oh So RIGHTLY telling BillyBob what he (and the rest of the grid & paddock) really felt ?N thought about that ABOMINATION of a race call!
Thus I thought I?d throw out this Bloggaratzi Triangle Ye ?Vurd Butchery instead ? as PopOff Valve?s Head Scribe introduces us to a brand new and very unflattering nickname of Messer Barnhart...
What We Learned: Baghdad Brian" thinks we're all pretty stupid
Over at the always SmackDaddy HipsterSpeakin? pressdog, Thee ?Dawg tries seein? how many times he can insert Carnival themes, mostly utilizing the insertion of Clown Cars and there accompanying FunnyMen into his race notes in...
Notes Taken During the 2011 IndyCar Race at New Hampshire
Whilst over at MFW ? ?Stef takes a somewhat more sedate approach to the chicanery of this past weekend?s Loudon Green-White Checker?s or WRECKERZ IndyCar attempt of thee BIG ?JUAN...
Reading Between the Lines
Saturday, August 27, 2011
SoBo notebook: Morris, Pulliam heading to Langley; Sellers Racing on verge of 1-2-3 sweep
Philip Morris' sweep of last weekend’s races at South Boston gave him his 11th and 12th full-field victories of the season and put him back on top of the Whelen All-American Series national points standings. Morris leads defending champion Keith Rocco 775-772 with four weeks of racing remaining.
Ted Christopher Not Expecting To Compete In Whelen Modified Tour Event At Bristol Motor Speedway
Ted Christopher said Thursday that he currently has no ride lined up for next Wednesday's Whelen Modified Tour event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and he isn't expecting to find anything before next week.
"I'll be staying home for Bristol Motor Speedway," Christopher said. "I think it's too late to really get anything done for that race."
Christopher had been racing for series owner Ed Whelan through last Saturday's event New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but Whelan suspended operations of his team following the Granite State Classic in Loudon.
"I'll be staying home for Bristol Motor Speedway," Christopher said. "I think it's too late to really get anything done for that race."
Christopher had been racing for series owner Ed Whelan through last Saturday's event New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but Whelan suspended operations of his team following the Granite State Classic in Loudon.
57th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals by Lucas Oil will see masses of NHRA fans and racers heading to the track on Labor Day weekend. This event is known as the most prestigious and richest on the drag racing calendar. Forming the final event for Full Throttle teams and will also see the NHRA Get Screened Aemerica Pro Mod Drag Racing Series taking place. Last year the event was won by Larry Dixon and Ashley Force Hood.
Related posts:2011 NHRA Kicks Off in StyleNHRA Summit Racing Southern NationalsA Force to be Reckoned With
Related posts:2011 NHRA Kicks Off in StyleNHRA Summit Racing Southern NationalsA Force to be Reckoned With
INDYCAR Barber Test Day 1 Combined Times
Will Power at Sonoma 2010 // Photo: Michee Ursino// 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) INDYCAR is in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park this week for an open test in preparation for 2011.�� And while it is early in the week, and only a test, two things are ...
Walk of Stars Fame for Nigel Mansell
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a popular attraction in the United States, and it is an honor for celebrities to have their names placed on this piece of pavement. In Birmingham, the United Kingdom, there is also a pavement that displays a host of names, paying tribute to the achievements of those who have made valuable contributions in sport, literature, music, business, film, radio, television and theater, namely the Broad Street Walk of Stars. Its latest inductee is the very deserving Nigel Mansell, who made his mark on the Formula 1 racing industry and is still respected for his achievements.
Related posts:NASCAR Sprint All Stars Race 2010The Cars are the StarsAll Stars Won By Edwards
Related posts:NASCAR Sprint All Stars Race 2010The Cars are the StarsAll Stars Won By Edwards
Friday, August 26, 2011
Hand to enjoy the crazy fashion fun to drive car
Nowadays, many of my friends will use mobile phones in their free time to play games, it has become fashionable. However, various games, racing games is undoubtedly one of the most popular. With the rapid development of science and technology, and now the phone has a large gravity sensing and touch screen. This allows those [...]
Walk of Stars Fame for Nigel Mansell
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a popular attraction in the United States, and it is an honor for celebrities to have their names placed on this piece of pavement. In Birmingham, the United Kingdom, there is also a pavement that displays a host of names, paying tribute to the achievements of those who have made valuable contributions in sport, literature, music, business, film, radio, television and theater, namely the Broad Street Walk of Stars. Its latest inductee is the very deserving Nigel Mansell, who made his mark on the Formula 1 racing industry and is still respected for his achievements.
Related posts:NASCAR Sprint All Stars Race 2010The Cars are the StarsAll Stars Won By Edwards
Related posts:NASCAR Sprint All Stars Race 2010The Cars are the StarsAll Stars Won By Edwards
MOTOGP: Stoner Over Spies As Pace Quickens
Casey Stoner and Ben Spies got down to business in FP2 as the pace quickened considerably at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Victory for Alonso at British Grand Prix
The Formula1 British Grand Prix 2011 was a very special event for Ferrari. Sixty years ago, a driver by the name of Jose Frolian Gonzalez won the first race ever in the history of the Ferrari team at Silverstone, and seeing Fernando Alonso on the podium in first position for Ferrari on the weekend was almost as if the team had come full circle. Driving the Scuderia has been a difficult task for Alonso, as he has had to watch ten victories pass him by, but he has finally been able to prove that there is great improvement with the Scuderia, and that the Ferrari team is back in action.
Related posts:Hamilton Wins British Grand PrixVettel Magic ContinuesTurkish Grand Prix Review
Related posts:Hamilton Wins British Grand PrixVettel Magic ContinuesTurkish Grand Prix Review
'Bad Brad' Keselowski making his mark in Sprint Series
His left racing shoe untied to ease the pressure on his sore ankle, Brad Keselowski limped ever-so-slightly out of the No. 2 Penske Racing hauler and plopped down in a director's chair.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Gordon snaps winless streak
�After nearly two years, Jeff Gordon made his way back to victory lane by winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceay on Sunday. The win was the first for Gordon in 67 races and his 83rd career win, overall, tying him for fifth on the Sprint Cup all-time win list with Cale [...]
NASCAR This Week ends operations today
It's been a hoot, but we gotta scoot.
NASCAR This Week is ending operations on Monday, December 6, and will go offline on Dec. 17.
While traffic to the site has continued to grow since April 2008 when we came online, NASCAR This Week failed to meet its financial expectations.
We’d like to thank Monte for his generous permission to feed all his stories to this site. We still believe he’s the best NASCAR journalist out there, and wonder if the NASCAR heat we got last summer was due more to Monte’s voice than the few bucks we were making off advertising.
Keep giving ‘em hell, Monte!
Monte will continue to cover NASCAR. You can find his stories on the NASCAR page at the Gaston Gazette where he works, as well as his blog, also located on the Gaston Gazette website. Monte also posts blogs on his personal MySpace page, and he also maintains a music MySpace page where you can hear his songs and find out where he’s performing next. He also has a page on Facebook.
We also want to thank all of you for stopping by over the past few years to catch Monte’s latest, join in the comment conversation or just enjoying some NASCAR octane.
Please leave us a message of farewell if you care to in the comments section below.
For the next couple of weeks we’ll leave up some of Monte’s best stories from the season. We think they offer ample evidence of why you should continue to follow Monte where you can. As we said, we think he’s the best around.
Here’s to great racin’ in the years to come!
-- Ovalscream
This week's Stockcartoon from Mike Smith
Stockcartoons are created by Mike Smith, editorial cartoonist for the Las Vegas Sun, and syndicated through King Features Syndicate. Mike generously shares them with us here.
Mike is also the primary contributor to the Las Vegas Sun's NASCAR blog,"Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity."
Quotations of the Year
“We’ve got a lot of racing left, but when we’re winning at places we’re not supposed to, you better watch out.” – Jimmie Johnson, after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol.
“I like Jimmie as good as anybody, but for the sake of the sport, one of the two of us (Harvick, Hamlin) needs to make something happen.” – Kevin Harvick, during the Chase.
“Two tires won the race, but when you’ve got two tires in dirty air, it’s no good.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr., after finishing eighth in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas.
“The ‘48’ (Johnson) is testing my patience. I’m hard to get mad, and I’m (ticked) off.” – Jeff Gordon, after the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.
“If we’d have kept those guys a lap down, that would’ve been selfish.” – Dave Rogers, winning crew chief, on allowing a mass ‘wave-around” during an early caution period in the Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond.
“When you play at home, that’s when you want to win the most.” – Tony Stewart, from Columbus, Ind., at Indianapolis.
“He's real aggressive. That's cool, but when he starts affecting me with his aggressiveness … I just will not put up with it. I've been around here long enough. I just will not tolerate it.” – Jeff Burton, referring to Kyle Busch, after Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
“There’s just a pit that develops in your stomach and doesn’t go away. It’s the championship pit, and it’s there.” – Jimmie Johnson.
“Points? I chipped away, but I didn’t chip away much.” – Kyle Busch, after a fourth at Martinsville.
“In the World Series, when a pitcher’s not doing his job, they put another one in that can.” – Johnson, referring to pit-crew swap at Texas.
“I wonder if anyone else will ever win five of these things in a row, but next year we’re going for six, so away we go.” – owner Rick Hendrick, after Johnson extended his consecutive championships.
“I won't turn on the television, watch any racing. Remove myself from it. I know what I need to do, what my team has to do. I don't want to hear what anybody else has to say.” – Johnson, before the final race.
“I don’t know if part of that is coincidence, or just that those guys who win championships are really good. I don’t know, but it isa difficult race track. You have to do everything right.” – Matt Kenseth, noting the overlap of Indy winners and Cup champions.
“Bristol is a lot like Watkins Glen. You never know what’s going to happen.” – Harvick, naming one thing the two have in common.
“We have a way of forgetting the way history really was. … I think we tend to forget that even the great race teams go through struggles.” – Jeff Burton.
“If I sat down and planned it, we would win every Chase race and I would win the championship. But plans don’t quite work like that.” – Kyle Busch, whose Chase struggles continued.
“Mathematically, it’s possible. Realistically, I don’t think so.” – Jeff Gordon, asked about the possibility of a driver winning the Chase without winning any races.
“There’s a lot of psychology that goes into racing, but all of that goes out the window once the race starts.” – Carl Edwards
“If you get in a problem (at Martinsville), it’s normally because you are a root of it.” –Stewart
“It’s amazing what the Chase format does to the nerves and to the teams and the drivers.” – Kurt Busch
“If the roles were reversed, I would be saying the same thing. As a competitor, you’re tired of the same guy winning. I guess I understand where they’re coming from and what they’re saying … I don’t necessarily agree with it. I think it would be great for someone to win five straight.” – Johnson, who did.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Future le Femme in Pipeline for F1?
?Le Reggie, aka Renault F1 ? the other Lotus concern has just tested aspiring female racing driver Maria de Villota aboard a 2 year-old Renault R29 chassis at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
The 31yr old Spaniard is the daughter of ex-F1 driver Emilio and reportedly the first female to sample Formula 1 machinery since Thy Leggy ?Juan, a.k.a. Katherine Legge participated in Minardi F1?s very final test at Vallelunga in 2005.
Thus De Villota joins Legge and Sarah Fisher as Femme Fatales who?ve accomplished something that Danica Patrick hasn?t ? C?mon guys, get your mind outta duh Gutter; Hya! As in driving a Formula One racecar.; although at 31, I?d say Maria?s chances are greatly limited towards gaining an F1 ride anytime soon, while I?m not really sure what being a test driver in Grand Prix gains one anymore - not to mention the other 167 reserve drivers on Renault?s books right now...
De Villota targets F1 test seat
The 31yr old Spaniard is the daughter of ex-F1 driver Emilio and reportedly the first female to sample Formula 1 machinery since Thy Leggy ?Juan, a.k.a. Katherine Legge participated in Minardi F1?s very final test at Vallelunga in 2005.
Thus De Villota joins Legge and Sarah Fisher as Femme Fatales who?ve accomplished something that Danica Patrick hasn?t ? C?mon guys, get your mind outta duh Gutter; Hya! As in driving a Formula One racecar.; although at 31, I?d say Maria?s chances are greatly limited towards gaining an F1 ride anytime soon, while I?m not really sure what being a test driver in Grand Prix gains one anymore - not to mention the other 167 reserve drivers on Renault?s books right now...
De Villota targets F1 test seat
2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame class
Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough talk about being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Related Blogs Related Reading: Mechanix Wear MG-71-010 Original Glove, Camo, Large My Greatest Day in Nascar: The Legends of Auto Racing Recount Their Greatest Moments Michael Waltrip NASCAR Auto Racing POSTER Print Car - 11x17
Wild card spots still up for grabs in final races before Chase
Since the Chase format was instituted in 2004, it has undergone several changes to make it more exciting for fans as the cutoff point reaches Richmond in early September. It was first expanded from 10 to 12 teams.
Morris riding wave of success at South Boston
SOUTH BOSTON — While Philip Morris probably doesn’t spend much time musing around the auto racing message boards, there has been plenty of chatter regarding what he has recently accomplished. There’s the nine-race winning streak the Ruckersville native currently holds at South Boston Speedway heading into tonight’s CenturyLink 150, which ...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
2011 NASCAR Nationwide at Montreal: After a crash, Carpentier retires from racing
After a spin earlier in the race and an engine issues late, Patrick Carpentier stills gets the salute from the fans in his final race. Original video link: www.nascar.com Related Reading: Wincraft NASCAR Hard Hat - Number 99, Carl Edwards Michael Waltrip NASCAR Auto Racing POSTER Print Car - 11x17 NASCAR Sim Racing
Ryan Truex plans first Nationwide start at Gateway
Defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and current points leader in that series, Ryan Truex, will make his Nationwide Series debut this month when he climbs behind the wheel of a Michael Waltrip Racing entry on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway. He will pilot a NAPA-sponored No. 00 entry and will be a [...]
Shanghai F1 Circuit F1 Chinese station introduced
“On”-shaped track of the car starting grid position region is the main grandstand at the Shanghai International Circuit, the diamond areas and between regions fleet maintenance, after participating in the car waiting at the starting line before the top set of lights track lights emitted language five red lights went out in the light language [...]
Wild card spots still up for grabs in final races before Chase
Since the Chase format was instituted in 2004, it has undergone several changes to make it more exciting for fans as the cutoff point reaches Richmond in early September. It was first expanded from 10 to 12 teams.
CUP: Time Running Out For Wild Cards
Clint Bowyer is currently 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings...
Monday, August 22, 2011
NASCAR: Matt Kenseth enjoys the new challenges at BMS
Matt Kenseth is regarded as one of the most calculating and patient drivers in NASCAR. While his competitors make furious dashes to the front, the low-key Wisconsin native is content to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity.
Drew Herring to start from pole in JGR Nationwide debut
Drew Herring will make his JGR debut from the pole for today’s John Deere Dealers 250 at Iowa Speedway after qualifying was rained out Saturday. The lineup was set based on owner’s points and the No. 20 leads the series.
Gordon snaps winless streak
�After nearly two years, Jeff Gordon made his way back to victory lane by winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceay on Sunday. The win was the first for Gordon in 67 races and his 83rd career win, overall, tying him for fifth on the Sprint Cup all-time win list with Cale [...]
NASCAR: Jamie McMurray hoping to chase away dark cloud at BMS
Jamie McMurray has many reasons to wear a frown these days.Last year, the personable Missouri native posted milestone victories at Daytona, Indianapolis and Charlotte and won four poles en route to a 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season standings. For various reasons, McMurray's fortunes have changed dramatically this ...
Sunday, August 21, 2011
NASCAR This Week ends operations today
It's been a hoot, but we gotta scoot.
NASCAR This Week is ending operations on Monday, December 6, and will go offline on Dec. 17.
While traffic to the site has continued to grow since April 2008 when we came online, NASCAR This Week failed to meet its financial expectations.
We’d like to thank Monte for his generous permission to feed all his stories to this site. We still believe he’s the best NASCAR journalist out there, and wonder if the NASCAR heat we got last summer was due more to Monte’s voice than the few bucks we were making off advertising.
Keep giving ‘em hell, Monte!
Monte will continue to cover NASCAR. You can find his stories on the NASCAR page at the Gaston Gazette where he works, as well as his blog, also located on the Gaston Gazette website. Monte also posts blogs on his personal MySpace page, and he also maintains a music MySpace page where you can hear his songs and find out where he’s performing next. He also has a page on Facebook.
We also want to thank all of you for stopping by over the past few years to catch Monte’s latest, join in the comment conversation or just enjoying some NASCAR octane.
Please leave us a message of farewell if you care to in the comments section below.
For the next couple of weeks we’ll leave up some of Monte’s best stories from the season. We think they offer ample evidence of why you should continue to follow Monte where you can. As we said, we think he’s the best around.
Here’s to great racin’ in the years to come!
-- Ovalscream
Nicky Hayden Tests Newly Paved Circuit
As you may know, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP track got a makeover earlier this summer. The circuit has been repaved, and who better to break it in than Nicky Hayden? He took the inaugural lap on the IMS circuit in 2008, so it only made sense that we ask Nicky back to be the [...]
INDYCAR: TURN OUT THE LIGHTS ? THEE PARTY?S OVER MR. BARNHART!
Straight Up, I?ve NEVER truly been a fan ?O Brian Braveheart, Err BillyBob BrazenHearts... NOT that it really matters, eh? But I thought I?d just get that outta duh way ? since I?m assuming right now it?d be extremely easy to PyleOn the beleaguered Indy Car Series Chief Steward, right?
And some where?s I read that OWR Curmudgeon Robin Miller?s favourite ex-parts washer ? YOUCH! Was the last remaining link to the previous tony George Regime; Hmm? Does that mean terry ?Where?s duh Beef?? angstadt has moved onto greener pastures? But I digress...
This year?s IndyCar Officiating has been the WORST I can remember in eons ? with golden Child drivers being given a pass upon being placed upon ?Double Secret probation, (DSP) drivers with extremely large checkbooks; NO! I AIN?T talking ?bout thee Wandering Milka... But a certain countryman who?s got a huge talent of taking other drivers out whilst looking at Babes in the Grandstands; Hya! Never ever having a peep said ?bout being placed on you guessed it ? DSP! Not to be outdone by the high flying circus act HiJinx of a revered Patriarchal American Open Wheel Racing family?s charge who drives for his Pappy?s team... Whilst gee Wally, Err Mr. CandyMann ? aren?t those Doublewide starts super neat?
As the only decent call I can recollect ?Ol Barnhart making was Up North eh! At Edmonton where he penalized H�lio Castroneves, albeit I?d surmise that it wasn?t his initial call, just something he was enforcing once a Mr. Tony cottman brought it to his attention...
Meanwhile I find it most amusing how everybody seems to be overlooking the fact that this isn?t the first time this season that Race Control has SCREWED THE POOCH during a wet race ? as perhaps Y?all recall that waterlogged season opener in Sao Paolo where they threw a green flag just moments after a Monsoon erupted... Where I believe that Race Control checked in with various drivers afterwards to see how the track conditions were... Check-chek-check; Copy-Copy-copy 1-2-3 ? can you hear me now TK? OOPS! Should we go green Kanaan ? uzeda gotz a copy Rubber Ducky 10-4?
And that?s without even getting into the ThorRonTiun Firecracker 400 which ranks as the WORST race of this season in my humble opinion... But Hey, I?m just a 40 Somme-thun with a Confuzer who likes to sit around cut ?N pasting stories ?bout racing ? right Mr. Barnes?
Thus, I think it?s time for Randy Bernard to cut the umbilical chord that has kept Messer Barnhart tethered to IndyCar so long, as Hmm? Perhaps since he?s reputedly so close to the Dallara concern, he could be put in charge of chassis liaison after Cottman & Co. get the initial product Ontrack and in the hands of whichever Teams will be running those DIFFERENT looking Aerokits next year ? you know the multiple Body-by-Mennen AFX Aurora Aerokits that multiple manufacturers will be producing next season; OOPS - SURPRISE! (NOT!!!) That?s right, I forgot ? Randy ?The CandyMann? Bernard caved-in to the owners and GEEZ! We?ll once again be STUCK with another mundane Indy Racing League Spec-series next year.
But I still think its time for Mr. Bernard to announce impending changes in Race Control who appear to be watching Looney Tunes comics instead of the race? Hmm? Perhaps Randy could recall Retired Gen Loony III to form another Android voting committee to hand pick Barnhart?s successor?
Just please Mr. Bernard, whatever you do ? do NOT make the new Chief Steward Al Unser Jr. as ?lil Al may have been a gifted racecar driver in his day, and may be even a decent officiater but for my taste, he?s just way too ?BarnhartLite? and seems to be almost as inconsistent as his superior!
As I think IndyCar really needs to clean up its Officiating act ? including its feeder series, namely Indy Lights, which NOBODY is still whispering a word about what really happened at the David Hobbs 100... With it being previously revealed that there?s been 57 INFRACTIONS as of Milwaukee; Aye Karumba!
As Scott Dixon so rightly pointed out this AIN?T NO GoKart racing is it? Or Thursday Night Thunder? As it seems like everybody?s pretty dismayed by the state of race officiating now ? which makes me forlornly think of another dubious sanctioning body named USAC ? you know the ones who MUFFED the call on the infamous Texas race when ?Ol SuperTex tried giving Arie Luyendyk a ?Shiner! And still reputedly has the trophy that Billy boat STOLE from The Flying Dutchman...
Thus it definitely seems ironic that two thirds of the Appeals board is USAC based whilst the third is the track promoter who already appears to be a Brian Barnhart ?YesMan. And although I didn?t see the race, from what little I heard on Trackside, it sounds like Oriel Servia is the winner, Dixon runner-up and Ryan (Hunter) BULLY-Ray third... As it?d be poetic justice for RHr?s Edmonton antics, eh? Then again the MOST damaging aspect of all of this was Dixon?s Post-race comments ?bout is Indy Car simply making up the rules as they go along?
And some where?s I read that OWR Curmudgeon Robin Miller?s favourite ex-parts washer ? YOUCH! Was the last remaining link to the previous tony George Regime; Hmm? Does that mean terry ?Where?s duh Beef?? angstadt has moved onto greener pastures? But I digress...
This year?s IndyCar Officiating has been the WORST I can remember in eons ? with golden Child drivers being given a pass upon being placed upon ?Double Secret probation, (DSP) drivers with extremely large checkbooks; NO! I AIN?T talking ?bout thee Wandering Milka... But a certain countryman who?s got a huge talent of taking other drivers out whilst looking at Babes in the Grandstands; Hya! Never ever having a peep said ?bout being placed on you guessed it ? DSP! Not to be outdone by the high flying circus act HiJinx of a revered Patriarchal American Open Wheel Racing family?s charge who drives for his Pappy?s team... Whilst gee Wally, Err Mr. CandyMann ? aren?t those Doublewide starts super neat?
As the only decent call I can recollect ?Ol Barnhart making was Up North eh! At Edmonton where he penalized H�lio Castroneves, albeit I?d surmise that it wasn?t his initial call, just something he was enforcing once a Mr. Tony cottman brought it to his attention...
Meanwhile I find it most amusing how everybody seems to be overlooking the fact that this isn?t the first time this season that Race Control has SCREWED THE POOCH during a wet race ? as perhaps Y?all recall that waterlogged season opener in Sao Paolo where they threw a green flag just moments after a Monsoon erupted... Where I believe that Race Control checked in with various drivers afterwards to see how the track conditions were... Check-chek-check; Copy-Copy-copy 1-2-3 ? can you hear me now TK? OOPS! Should we go green Kanaan ? uzeda gotz a copy Rubber Ducky 10-4?
And that?s without even getting into the ThorRonTiun Firecracker 400 which ranks as the WORST race of this season in my humble opinion... But Hey, I?m just a 40 Somme-thun with a Confuzer who likes to sit around cut ?N pasting stories ?bout racing ? right Mr. Barnes?
Thus, I think it?s time for Randy Bernard to cut the umbilical chord that has kept Messer Barnhart tethered to IndyCar so long, as Hmm? Perhaps since he?s reputedly so close to the Dallara concern, he could be put in charge of chassis liaison after Cottman & Co. get the initial product Ontrack and in the hands of whichever Teams will be running those DIFFERENT looking Aerokits next year ? you know the multiple Body-by-Mennen AFX Aurora Aerokits that multiple manufacturers will be producing next season; OOPS - SURPRISE! (NOT!!!) That?s right, I forgot ? Randy ?The CandyMann? Bernard caved-in to the owners and GEEZ! We?ll once again be STUCK with another mundane Indy Racing League Spec-series next year.
But I still think its time for Mr. Bernard to announce impending changes in Race Control who appear to be watching Looney Tunes comics instead of the race? Hmm? Perhaps Randy could recall Retired Gen Loony III to form another Android voting committee to hand pick Barnhart?s successor?
Just please Mr. Bernard, whatever you do ? do NOT make the new Chief Steward Al Unser Jr. as ?lil Al may have been a gifted racecar driver in his day, and may be even a decent officiater but for my taste, he?s just way too ?BarnhartLite? and seems to be almost as inconsistent as his superior!
As I think IndyCar really needs to clean up its Officiating act ? including its feeder series, namely Indy Lights, which NOBODY is still whispering a word about what really happened at the David Hobbs 100... With it being previously revealed that there?s been 57 INFRACTIONS as of Milwaukee; Aye Karumba!
As Scott Dixon so rightly pointed out this AIN?T NO GoKart racing is it? Or Thursday Night Thunder? As it seems like everybody?s pretty dismayed by the state of race officiating now ? which makes me forlornly think of another dubious sanctioning body named USAC ? you know the ones who MUFFED the call on the infamous Texas race when ?Ol SuperTex tried giving Arie Luyendyk a ?Shiner! And still reputedly has the trophy that Billy boat STOLE from The Flying Dutchman...
Thus it definitely seems ironic that two thirds of the Appeals board is USAC based whilst the third is the track promoter who already appears to be a Brian Barnhart ?YesMan. And although I didn?t see the race, from what little I heard on Trackside, it sounds like Oriel Servia is the winner, Dixon runner-up and Ryan (Hunter) BULLY-Ray third... As it?d be poetic justice for RHr?s Edmonton antics, eh? Then again the MOST damaging aspect of all of this was Dixon?s Post-race comments ?bout is Indy Car simply making up the rules as they go along?
No Fenders on brief Hiatus...
As it appears to be approaching the DAWG-dazes ?O Summer, as reputedly everyone?s off to their nearby beaches with spade ?N buckets in hand... As several crack members of Ye Bloggaratzi are taking a brief siesta from the never ending iridescent green rays of thee Confuzer monitor... Your Humble Scribe thought he?d join the parade, albeit I?m off to hopefully play in the sand a slightly different way, i.e.; visiting the Sand Dunes of Oregon instead, although it is right alongside the Pacific Ocean via Highway-1. As hopefully I?ll get to take a ride aboard a Sand ?Rail (Dune Buggy) whilst on Holiday.
Therefore; there will be NO blog posts for the next week, as I?ll try to be ?Backhoed, Err Back Home again by next Monday; August 15 ? when hopefully my 36 faithful readers will resume following my Krackerjax scribblinz upon Ye No Fenders blog; Hya!
Therefore; there will be NO blog posts for the next week, as I?ll try to be ?Backhoed, Err Back Home again by next Monday; August 15 ? when hopefully my 36 faithful readers will resume following my Krackerjax scribblinz upon Ye No Fenders blog; Hya!
A look back at 2010: Hendrick Motorsports
The 2010 Sprint Cup Series season was both good and bad for Hendrick Motorsports, with varying degrees of good and bad depending on the Hendrick Motorsports team in question. Overall, the organization claimed $22,023,180 in winnings with six wins, 38 top-fives and 59 top-10 finishes across its four teams.
It was the best season possible for [...]
It was the best season possible for [...]
Agendas differ as season hits halfway mark
The 2010 Sprint Cup Series season has reached the halfway point, and there are eight races remaining until the cutoff prior to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, including Saturday night’s Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
With the Chase approaching, drivers have differing goals in mind for the eight races remaining in what [...]
With the Chase approaching, drivers have differing goals in mind for the eight races remaining in what [...]
Saturday, August 20, 2011
NASCAR grows presence on iTunes
For awhile now, NASCAR has been offering recaps of Sprint Cup races on iTunes. Now, NASCAR fans can also download, via iTunes, what it is calling “NASCAR Classics, Volume I.” The volume honors the careers of three of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees — Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, and Richard Petty. Full Story
EXCLUSIVE: More Dallara Automobili USA revealed - Picture 3
(Pic-3) Shows where main entrance will be.Photo courtesy of No Fenders Staff Photographer Dave ?CARPETS O?Brien...
Wrecks ? and effects
Accidents to be expected, but keeping cars stuck to track of utmost importance
Leave it to Ryan Newma to cut to the core of the issue.
Always quick to remind everyone that he earned an engineering degree (Vehicle Structure Engineering, to be precise) from Purdue University, Newman sometimes has a way of talking down to questioners. He [...]
Leave it to Ryan Newma to cut to the core of the issue.
Always quick to remind everyone that he earned an engineering degree (Vehicle Structure Engineering, to be precise) from Purdue University, Newman sometimes has a way of talking down to questioners. He [...]
Edmonton Indy Win for Will Power
Sunday, 26 July 2011, the 2011 edition of the Edmonton Indy was held, and Will Power took on this event from second pole position, with Takuma Sato in pole position. It was a wonderful day for Power, who gained his fourth victory of the season and has slowly begun to narrow the gap between himself and Dario Franchitti, who is the points leader. The race consisted of eighty laps and was hosted at the City Center Airport. It was not an easy victory for Will Power, as teammate Helio Castroneves along with Dario Franchitti kept the pressure on.
Related posts:Franchitti Takes Milwaukee 225Dixon Claims 6th Victory at Meijer Indy 300The Multi-Talented Dario Franchitti
Related posts:Franchitti Takes Milwaukee 225Dixon Claims 6th Victory at Meijer Indy 300The Multi-Talented Dario Franchitti
Friday, August 19, 2011
Highcroft Racing?s HPD ARX-01e Revealed
(DANBURY, CT, Thursday, March 10, 2010)HPD ARX-01eHighcroft Racing has unveiled its new Honda Performance Development ARX-01e LMP1 machine - the new car which the back-to-back American Le Mans Series champions will take into battle at next week's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
HPD's latest entry into the overall LMP1 ...
HPD's latest entry into the overall LMP1 ...
Crazy Finish 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series at Iowa
An incredible end to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race last night. Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s engine blows meters before the finish line, all Carl Edwards has to do is pass him… Related Blogs Related Reading: Michael Waltrip NASCAR Auto Racing POSTER Print Car - 11x17 Nascar Auto Racing Dodge Replica baseball hat cap Trading Paint: 101 [...]
INDYCAR: Wilson out ? Pagenaud in for Mid Ohio race
Sufferin? Succotash... Err YIKES! As shockingly the Indycar.com ?live? webcast actually worked after I entered my email address and stumbled upon a Play button whilst the website?s banner proclaimed there?s NO action on track... When wallah ? mystically Mike ?Yippee-Kye-Eh? King?s voice crackled thru the speakers... Although once again the sound quality was MISERABLE! But I digress...
Thus I found it very ?kOOL that the Indy Car Series drivers banded together to help a fellow competitor, especially since ?Symone Pagenoe? (Simon Pagenaud) wasn?t expecting to compete this weekend, albeit having tested for Sam Schmidt Motorsports the week previously during the Big Boyz open IndyCar test...
Unfortunately Dreyer & Reinbold?s lead driver Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson suffered a crash during Saturday morning practice, complaining of lower back pain and was taken on back board to a nearby Hospital for further examination.
And I?m not quite sure why Pagenaud was on hand at Mid Ohio, perhaps trolling the Pitlane for future employment? Although it seems Simon is a likely candidate for a second seat at Schmidt next year ? now that they?ve become a Honda engine team.
The rub to Simon being in street clothes was he had NO seat or driving equipment with him, as obviously Justin?s seat is too BIG for him... So I found it really cool that Vitor Meira of AJ Foyt Enterprises loaned him his spare seat. Fellow countryman le ?Hamburgular, nee ?SeaBass, aka Sebastian Bourdais loaned him a spare driving suit; SeaBass?s Dale Coyne Racing teammate James Jakes loaned him a spare HANS device and Simon used Justin Wilson?s helmet to complete his driving apparel as he was inserted in the No. 22 Dallara Just-in-Time to go out for qualifying session two; CRIKEYS!
Yet Symone did a very respectable job and wound-up P18 on the starting grid for tomorrow?s race with 27 competitors. Heck, he even qualified ahead of Ahem; Danica Patrick...
Good luck tomorrow Symone and get well soon Justin!
UPDATEWatched the tape delayed Versus ?Qualie show at 3PM Pacific today to see if there would be any further news upon Wilson?s condition... Nothing was reported there ? as just minutes prior I learned via duh Internetz Justin had broken his back, as IndyCar medical director Dr. Michael Olinger announced that Wilson has broken his fifth vertebra and will be transferred to Indianapolis Sunday for further evaluation.
Thus, I?d assume that the likeable Brit is done for the season, as its been a rough slog for Wilson ? having started off the season with a broken bone in his wrist, as ironically it was Simon Pagenaud who filled in for Ana Beatriz when she too broke her wrist earlier this year.
But I did gleam from the broadcast via Robin Miller that Simon was using a pair of J.R. Hildebrand?s racing boots ? as apparently Bourdais feet were too small...
Thus I found it very ?kOOL that the Indy Car Series drivers banded together to help a fellow competitor, especially since ?Symone Pagenoe? (Simon Pagenaud) wasn?t expecting to compete this weekend, albeit having tested for Sam Schmidt Motorsports the week previously during the Big Boyz open IndyCar test...
Unfortunately Dreyer & Reinbold?s lead driver Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson suffered a crash during Saturday morning practice, complaining of lower back pain and was taken on back board to a nearby Hospital for further examination.
And I?m not quite sure why Pagenaud was on hand at Mid Ohio, perhaps trolling the Pitlane for future employment? Although it seems Simon is a likely candidate for a second seat at Schmidt next year ? now that they?ve become a Honda engine team.
The rub to Simon being in street clothes was he had NO seat or driving equipment with him, as obviously Justin?s seat is too BIG for him... So I found it really cool that Vitor Meira of AJ Foyt Enterprises loaned him his spare seat. Fellow countryman le ?Hamburgular, nee ?SeaBass, aka Sebastian Bourdais loaned him a spare driving suit; SeaBass?s Dale Coyne Racing teammate James Jakes loaned him a spare HANS device and Simon used Justin Wilson?s helmet to complete his driving apparel as he was inserted in the No. 22 Dallara Just-in-Time to go out for qualifying session two; CRIKEYS!
Yet Symone did a very respectable job and wound-up P18 on the starting grid for tomorrow?s race with 27 competitors. Heck, he even qualified ahead of Ahem; Danica Patrick...
Good luck tomorrow Symone and get well soon Justin!
UPDATEWatched the tape delayed Versus ?Qualie show at 3PM Pacific today to see if there would be any further news upon Wilson?s condition... Nothing was reported there ? as just minutes prior I learned via duh Internetz Justin had broken his back, as IndyCar medical director Dr. Michael Olinger announced that Wilson has broken his fifth vertebra and will be transferred to Indianapolis Sunday for further evaluation.
Thus, I?d assume that the likeable Brit is done for the season, as its been a rough slog for Wilson ? having started off the season with a broken bone in his wrist, as ironically it was Simon Pagenaud who filled in for Ana Beatriz when she too broke her wrist earlier this year.
But I did gleam from the broadcast via Robin Miller that Simon was using a pair of J.R. Hildebrand?s racing boots ? as apparently Bourdais feet were too small...
EXCLUSIVE: More Dallara Automobili USA revealed - Picture 2
(Pic-2) Shows sign ?Future Home of Dallara."Photo courtesy of No Fenders Staff Photographer Dave ?CARPETS O?Brien...
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Back from Oregon...
And hopefully my faithful 36-readers are still with me; Hya!
As isn?t it funny how all HELL breaks loose whiles Yourz awayz playin? in duh Sand...
As cannot actually remember exactly what in Tarnations your Humble Scribe was doin? when ALL of thee fireworks erupted at Loudon ? as I didn?t even bother settin? duh timer to record that Ovaltrack race...
As isn?t it funny how all HELL breaks loose whiles Yourz awayz playin? in duh Sand...
As cannot actually remember exactly what in Tarnations your Humble Scribe was doin? when ALL of thee fireworks erupted at Loudon ? as I didn?t even bother settin? duh timer to record that Ovaltrack race...
Introduction and Audi R15 Racing Pictures
Audi R15 car is diesel-powered Audi to create the second paragraph of Section Le Mans P1 car, the first generation car is the Audi R10, the Audi R15 car is also called second-generation diesel Audi prototype. R10 launch in late 2005, has been taking since his debut, the participation of three Le Mans 24 Hours [...]
Handful of Sprint Cup drivers take part in Martinsville tire test
Chase for the Sprint Cup wild card contenders David Ragan and Brad Keselowski were among the five drivers Tuesday who participated in a two-day Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Iowa 2011 CRAZY FINISH!!!!
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blows the engine at the end and Carl Edwards crashes in behing for a crazy finish!!! Related Blogs Related Reading: Nascar Racing Auto Car Bumper Decal Sticker 10X2.5 NASCAR Challenge Nascar: Southern Exposure [VHS]
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
VMI runner
Donnie Cowart, a 2004 graduate of Rustburg High and 2009 graduate of VMI, placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at this past weekend's USA Track & Field Nationals in Eugene, Ore.
Who knows why the bubble burst?
The morning after the Amp Energy Juice 500 was as muddled as the race. It required a long drive home to get the old thoughts in order.
This race featured 87 lead changes. It ended in a side-by-side finish, though, oddly, not at the finish line. The last-place driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Clint Bowyer, became the only driver so far to win two of its races. Of course, the reason Bowyer is buried so deeply is the absence of 150 points due to a NASCAR penalty.
See what I mean by muddled?
But what fired my ruminations was the question of declining interest in NASCAR. Many opinions have been offered, most by folks who, in some way, have a specific interest in the view they offer. Those who are having trouble economically blame the economy. Those who love Dale Earnhardt Jr. blame his struggles. Those who loathe Jimmie Johnson blame his dominance.
It can’t be contended that the sport hasn’t reacted. Ticket prices have been slashed. Rules have been changed to promote excitement. Nothing seems to work. The NASCAR estimate of the Talladega Superspeedway crowd was 110,000. In 2003, it was 170,000. Those who point out how convenient it is to watch on TV fail to account for why TV ratings are declining as rapidly as attendance.
I’ve pondered and addressed all these issues and offered a few of my own, but the truth is, I don’t know, either. And I don’t think NASCAR does.
One word occurred to me while driving the interstate: “bubble.”
In the stock market, there was a “dotcom bubble.” I’ve heard of mortgage bubbles, real-estate bubbles and Indy 500 qualifier who are “on the bubble.” The world is one big bubble bath.
The idea is that something grows too rapidly. The perception of prosperity creates something of a feeding frenzy. Everyone gets on board, so much so that growth is artificially enhanced in a way that can’t be maintained.
And the bubble bursts.
All that “Fastest Growing Sport” rhetoric, which NASCAR so enthusiastically circulated, may have burst. “Burst” may be too harsh a word. In the stock market, there is often a “fallback position.” Maybe that’s where NASCAR is right now. It’s still big, but not as big.
This race featured 87 lead changes. It ended in a side-by-side finish, though, oddly, not at the finish line. The last-place driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Clint Bowyer, became the only driver so far to win two of its races. Of course, the reason Bowyer is buried so deeply is the absence of 150 points due to a NASCAR penalty.
See what I mean by muddled?
But what fired my ruminations was the question of declining interest in NASCAR. Many opinions have been offered, most by folks who, in some way, have a specific interest in the view they offer. Those who are having trouble economically blame the economy. Those who love Dale Earnhardt Jr. blame his struggles. Those who loathe Jimmie Johnson blame his dominance.
It can’t be contended that the sport hasn’t reacted. Ticket prices have been slashed. Rules have been changed to promote excitement. Nothing seems to work. The NASCAR estimate of the Talladega Superspeedway crowd was 110,000. In 2003, it was 170,000. Those who point out how convenient it is to watch on TV fail to account for why TV ratings are declining as rapidly as attendance.
I’ve pondered and addressed all these issues and offered a few of my own, but the truth is, I don’t know, either. And I don’t think NASCAR does.
One word occurred to me while driving the interstate: “bubble.”
In the stock market, there was a “dotcom bubble.” I’ve heard of mortgage bubbles, real-estate bubbles and Indy 500 qualifier who are “on the bubble.” The world is one big bubble bath.
The idea is that something grows too rapidly. The perception of prosperity creates something of a feeding frenzy. Everyone gets on board, so much so that growth is artificially enhanced in a way that can’t be maintained.
And the bubble bursts.
All that “Fastest Growing Sport” rhetoric, which NASCAR so enthusiastically circulated, may have burst. “Burst” may be too harsh a word. In the stock market, there is often a “fallback position.” Maybe that’s where NASCAR is right now. It’s still big, but not as big.
What if they tried stability?
Jimmie Johnson – Underdog? What might that do for the popularity of NASCAR?
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Just what does Brian France want to change?
The NASCAR monarch – after all, stock car racing has a clearly defined royal family and order of succession: Bill I, Bill II, Brian I – thinks if times are bad, the only possible solution is change.
The Internet hasn’t changed as much in the last decade as NASCAR.
Why not wait on the fans for once, instead of asking them to adapt?
The Chase, which made finishing 12th as important as first (for 26 races), is in its best shape since 2004, when it debuted. Somehow, by the strangest quirk of fate, one race remains and Jimmie Johnson actually doesn’t have it sewn up.
Johnson, unbeatable and unloved, thinks winning it this year might actually decrease the number of fans who dislike him. He’s going into the final race without the lead. Could the specter of Johnson the … underdog … be raised?
“It would probably be received better than the ones in the past, with the runaway show we’ve had in a couple of them,” he said.
It’s worth a shot, yes?
Lead changes and exciting finishes are up. The flip side, of course, is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is down.
NASCAR changed its grading system and put everyone on a curve – or maybe all the courses are strictly pass-or-fail – for 26 races. It made all the cars so close to identical that Johnson himself might not be able to tell a Ford from a Chevy without those handy headlight decals. It revved up the action with rules that make the old “racing back to the caution flag” seem safe. The number of laps aren’t even reliable anymore.
Some fans are ticked off. Some are just tired.
Maybe change has been transacted at so dizzying a pace that people just can’t keep up. And contradictions flourish.
With cars that look just alike, inexplicably, one manufacturer, Chevy, dominates as never before.
Exciting races are perceived widely as just the opposite. “Boring” is just a strange word to be used in relation to what has taken place on the tracks this year, but fans say it every day.
Every change is sold as cost-cutting, but none of the teams ever actually save any money because, before they get a chance to do so, more changes emerge from that godforsaken Research and Development Center.
Even change gets old when it never stops.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Just what does Brian France want to change?
The NASCAR monarch – after all, stock car racing has a clearly defined royal family and order of succession: Bill I, Bill II, Brian I – thinks if times are bad, the only possible solution is change.
The Internet hasn’t changed as much in the last decade as NASCAR.
Why not wait on the fans for once, instead of asking them to adapt?
The Chase, which made finishing 12th as important as first (for 26 races), is in its best shape since 2004, when it debuted. Somehow, by the strangest quirk of fate, one race remains and Jimmie Johnson actually doesn’t have it sewn up.
Johnson, unbeatable and unloved, thinks winning it this year might actually decrease the number of fans who dislike him. He’s going into the final race without the lead. Could the specter of Johnson the … underdog … be raised?
“It would probably be received better than the ones in the past, with the runaway show we’ve had in a couple of them,” he said.
It’s worth a shot, yes?
Lead changes and exciting finishes are up. The flip side, of course, is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is down.
NASCAR changed its grading system and put everyone on a curve – or maybe all the courses are strictly pass-or-fail – for 26 races. It made all the cars so close to identical that Johnson himself might not be able to tell a Ford from a Chevy without those handy headlight decals. It revved up the action with rules that make the old “racing back to the caution flag” seem safe. The number of laps aren’t even reliable anymore.
Some fans are ticked off. Some are just tired.
Maybe change has been transacted at so dizzying a pace that people just can’t keep up. And contradictions flourish.
With cars that look just alike, inexplicably, one manufacturer, Chevy, dominates as never before.
Exciting races are perceived widely as just the opposite. “Boring” is just a strange word to be used in relation to what has taken place on the tracks this year, but fans say it every day.
Every change is sold as cost-cutting, but none of the teams ever actually save any money because, before they get a chance to do so, more changes emerge from that godforsaken Research and Development Center.
Even change gets old when it never stops.
The state of the art is messy
Jeff Burton wrecked at ‘Dega, and he wrecked again at Texas … (photo: Getty Images)
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Have at it, boys. Those words, spoken back in January by NASCAR’s Robin Pemberton, might as well have been the slogan of the season.
Oh, by the way, remember the Maine, the Alamo and Joe Hill, too.
Once, when I was in high school, our team paid a visit to a conference rival we’d beaten 62-0 the year before. That school normally wore orange, but when we trotted out on the field for warm-up, we immediately noticed the other team was wearing red and white T-shirts, matching our school colors. The T-shirts read:
WE REMEMBER! 62-0!
We remembered, too. We won, 34-6, and there weren’t any T-shirts the next year.
While pro football implements rules that limit the capacity of overgrown physical specimens to, uh, play football, NASCAR tumbles into old-fashioned laissez-faire.
If a driver doesn’t like the way another driver is racing him, he can just duke it out, by gosh. Unlike a beanball in baseball, NASCAR doesn’t eject or issue warnings, anything like that.
Have at it, boys. The three R’s are rubbin’, retaliatin’, and wreckin’.
The august ruling body must, of course, prevent an outbreak of anarchy. It can’t have these cocky, rich whippersnappers just rioting in the streets (uh, tracks). They can be scrapping among themselves all they want, but don’t be “sassing” a NASCAR official. Kyle Busch didn’t need words to “sass,” but he would have been no better off had he launched into a profanity-laced diatribe.
One reason modern racers can “have at it” is that they have few limitations.
In the old days, when a driver wrecked a car, he had to fix it, and if he didn’t fix it, he paid to have it fixed. Nowadays that’s the domain of millionaire owners with accompanying millions from sponsors. Now a dozen cars, just like the wrecked one used to be, sit back at the shop. They’ll send a transporter to pick another one up, if need be.
More than 20 years ago, Darrell Waltrip was kidding when he suggested that a car owner’s advice to a driver was, “If you can’t win the race, at least tear up the car.”
That’s no longer a joke. That’s the state of the art now.
Victory takes a gallop on the beach
The winner of the Sprint Cup at the conclusion of Sunday's Ford 400 in Homestead may or may not have the best car. What really counts -- in that race, and for the very survival of Racin' -- is what comes from the other side of the tracks of the mind: A dark woman's lucky smile. It's a Stone Agel truth which science getting to from the futurel side of the brain. Or so 'tis said at Ovalscreams today.
Quote of the Weekend...
So I actually broke down and watched my very first IndyCar Central Pre-race show of the year yesterday ? solely to see the Will Power & Liz Cannon (wife) interview which I think Kevin Lee alluded to during Saturday?s ?Qualie show...
But the funniest part of the whole three hour cruise... Note to Versus ? do we really need a 50-minute Dawg ?N Pony Show? Although I was shocked that there were NO Princess or Twinkle Toes interviews; Hya! And uze means you couldn?t actually haveda the driver?s availability timed for ?R?s mesmerizing Grid Wriggle? But I digress...
Hands down, the FUNNIEST part of the whole broadcast was during ?R?s (Robin Miller) Grid-wriggling segment when he tried to get RP (Roger Penske) to play along with his ACT! Can Yuhs takes us to break Roger? To which the Captain went into his prolific PressSpeak by extolling the virtues of the Versus Broadcast before Roger pulled a Joke outta his Hat! Saying on camera: With people like you Versus cannot get any better; Hya! Or something to that effect since I was Guff-hawing too loudly to remember what Penske said as he threw down on Robin...
But the funniest part of the whole three hour cruise... Note to Versus ? do we really need a 50-minute Dawg ?N Pony Show? Although I was shocked that there were NO Princess or Twinkle Toes interviews; Hya! And uze means you couldn?t actually haveda the driver?s availability timed for ?R?s mesmerizing Grid Wriggle? But I digress...
Hands down, the FUNNIEST part of the whole broadcast was during ?R?s (Robin Miller) Grid-wriggling segment when he tried to get RP (Roger Penske) to play along with his ACT! Can Yuhs takes us to break Roger? To which the Captain went into his prolific PressSpeak by extolling the virtues of the Versus Broadcast before Roger pulled a Joke outta his Hat! Saying on camera: With people like you Versus cannot get any better; Hya! Or something to that effect since I was Guff-hawing too loudly to remember what Penske said as he threw down on Robin...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
EXCLUSIVE: More Dallara Automobili USA revealed - Picture 3
(Pic-3) Shows where main entrance will be.Photo courtesy of No Fenders Staff Photographer Dave ?CARPETS O?Brien...
Small Chinese: confident win all remaining games under McLaren on track
Hamilton, the British genius Xinxinbaopeng in an interview today. He believes that even now their in the drivers’ standings 88 points behind the German driver Vettel, but as long as they win the rest of the season all eight Grand Prix, and then won the championship is not an impossible task. NEW YORK, August 15 [...]
INDYCAR: Wilson out ? Pagenaud in for Mid Ohio race
Sufferin? Succotash... Err YIKES! As shockingly the Indycar.com ?live? webcast actually worked after I entered my email address and stumbled upon a Play button whilst the website?s banner proclaimed there?s NO action on track... When wallah ? mystically Mike ?Yippee-Kye-Eh? King?s voice crackled thru the speakers... Although once again the sound quality was MISERABLE! But I digress...
Thus I found it very ?kOOL that the Indy Car Series drivers banded together to help a fellow competitor, especially since ?Symone Pagenoe? (Simon Pagenaud) wasn?t expecting to compete this weekend, albeit having tested for Sam Schmidt Motorsports the week previously during the Big Boyz open IndyCar test...
Unfortunately Dreyer & Reinbold?s lead driver Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson suffered a crash during Saturday morning practice, complaining of lower back pain and was taken on back board to a nearby Hospital for further examination.
And I?m not quite sure why Pagenaud was on hand at Mid Ohio, perhaps trolling the Pitlane for future employment? Although it seems Simon is a likely candidate for a second seat at Schmidt next year ? now that they?ve become a Honda engine team.
The rub to Simon being in street clothes was he had NO seat or driving equipment with him, as obviously Justin?s seat is too BIG for him... So I found it really cool that Vitor Meira of AJ Foyt Enterprises loaned him his spare seat. Fellow countryman le ?Hamburgular, nee ?SeaBass, aka Sebastian Bourdais loaned him a spare driving suit; SeaBass?s Dale Coyne Racing teammate James Jakes loaned him a spare HANS device and Simon used Justin Wilson?s helmet to complete his driving apparel as he was inserted in the No. 22 Dallara Just-in-Time to go out for qualifying session two; CRIKEYS!
Yet Symone did a very respectable job and wound-up P18 on the starting grid for tomorrow?s race with 27 competitors. Heck, he even qualified ahead of Ahem; Danica Patrick...
Good luck tomorrow Symone and get well soon Justin!
UPDATEWatched the tape delayed Versus ?Qualie show at 3PM Pacific today to see if there would be any further news upon Wilson?s condition... Nothing was reported there ? as just minutes prior I learned via duh Internetz Justin had broken his back, as IndyCar medical director Dr. Michael Olinger announced that Wilson has broken his fifth vertebra and will be transferred to Indianapolis Sunday for further evaluation.
Thus, I?d assume that the likeable Brit is done for the season, as its been a rough slog for Wilson ? having started off the season with a broken bone in his wrist, as ironically it was Simon Pagenaud who filled in for Ana Beatriz when she too broke her wrist earlier this year.
But I did gleam from the broadcast via Robin Miller that Simon was using a pair of J.R. Hildebrand?s racing boots ? as apparently Bourdais feet were too small...
Thus I found it very ?kOOL that the Indy Car Series drivers banded together to help a fellow competitor, especially since ?Symone Pagenoe? (Simon Pagenaud) wasn?t expecting to compete this weekend, albeit having tested for Sam Schmidt Motorsports the week previously during the Big Boyz open IndyCar test...
Unfortunately Dreyer & Reinbold?s lead driver Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson suffered a crash during Saturday morning practice, complaining of lower back pain and was taken on back board to a nearby Hospital for further examination.
And I?m not quite sure why Pagenaud was on hand at Mid Ohio, perhaps trolling the Pitlane for future employment? Although it seems Simon is a likely candidate for a second seat at Schmidt next year ? now that they?ve become a Honda engine team.
The rub to Simon being in street clothes was he had NO seat or driving equipment with him, as obviously Justin?s seat is too BIG for him... So I found it really cool that Vitor Meira of AJ Foyt Enterprises loaned him his spare seat. Fellow countryman le ?Hamburgular, nee ?SeaBass, aka Sebastian Bourdais loaned him a spare driving suit; SeaBass?s Dale Coyne Racing teammate James Jakes loaned him a spare HANS device and Simon used Justin Wilson?s helmet to complete his driving apparel as he was inserted in the No. 22 Dallara Just-in-Time to go out for qualifying session two; CRIKEYS!
Yet Symone did a very respectable job and wound-up P18 on the starting grid for tomorrow?s race with 27 competitors. Heck, he even qualified ahead of Ahem; Danica Patrick...
Good luck tomorrow Symone and get well soon Justin!
UPDATEWatched the tape delayed Versus ?Qualie show at 3PM Pacific today to see if there would be any further news upon Wilson?s condition... Nothing was reported there ? as just minutes prior I learned via duh Internetz Justin had broken his back, as IndyCar medical director Dr. Michael Olinger announced that Wilson has broken his fifth vertebra and will be transferred to Indianapolis Sunday for further evaluation.
Thus, I?d assume that the likeable Brit is done for the season, as its been a rough slog for Wilson ? having started off the season with a broken bone in his wrist, as ironically it was Simon Pagenaud who filled in for Ana Beatriz when she too broke her wrist earlier this year.
But I did gleam from the broadcast via Robin Miller that Simon was using a pair of J.R. Hildebrand?s racing boots ? as apparently Bourdais feet were too small...
Ryan Truex plans first Nationwide start at Gateway
Defending NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and current points leader in that series, Ryan Truex, will make his Nationwide Series debut this month when he climbs behind the wheel of a Michael Waltrip Racing entry on July 17 at Gateway International Raceway. He will pilot a NAPA-sponored No. 00 entry and will be a [...]
Mystery SpyShot...
This photo was originally labeled U7 Mystery Shot, which I retorted in Seattle lingo U7 would denote an Unlimited Hydroplane...
?CARPETS:Here is the mysterious oo7 pic. A vacant lot next to Dallara Automobili where some excavation has begun... Is this the new location for Andretti Autosport?? Hmm, we'll see...
Obviously I have NO idea towards the validity of this, as I can only surmise this is a guess ? so you make the call!
Photo courtesy of No Fenders Staff Photographer Dave ?CARPETS O?Brien...
?CARPETS:Here is the mysterious oo7 pic. A vacant lot next to Dallara Automobili where some excavation has begun... Is this the new location for Andretti Autosport?? Hmm, we'll see...
Obviously I have NO idea towards the validity of this, as I can only surmise this is a guess ? so you make the call!
Photo courtesy of No Fenders Staff Photographer Dave ?CARPETS O?Brien...
Monday, August 15, 2011
La Scuderia celebrates first Formula 1 Victory Anniversary in Fine Style...
Scuderia Ferrari driver Jos� Froilan Gonzalez behind the wheel... (source: Autosport.com)
Although I suppose it?s lurking around somewheres in the dark nether regions of trivial information... I?ll admit I?d forgotten ?bout la Scuderia?s (Scuderia Ferrari) debutant Grand Prix victory having occurred exactly sixty years ago ? no less then at BLOODY Silverstone a Fortnight ago, albeit a very different Silverstone layout indeed - when a very fresh faced ?Hobbo, aka David Hobbs raced ?round Hay bales; Hya! But I digress...
Yet what I do recall is that in what would become his continual temperament throughout his career, "il Commendatore," nee Enzo Ferrari went against the grain at the time ? when everyone was running Supercharged 1.5-liter powerplants, Enzo opted for the 4.5-liter Normally aspirated engine route instead. As I?ve read that Enzo believed that the chassis served as nothing more then a platform to carry his powerful ?lumps! (Engines)
Jos� Froilan Gonzalez ? who was nicknamed ?ElCabezon? (Fat Head) and ?The Pampus Bull?due to his girth ? so stunned Ferrari team leader Alberto Ascari with his speed, who?d fallen out during the British Grand Prix, stood down in order to let Gonzalez continue leading fellow Argentinean countryman Juan Manuel Fangio, instead of requiring Froilan to pit and hand over his car ? which was common practice back in the day...
Gonzalez?s girth aside, as Enzo bemoaned how such a jolly man could drive a racecar so fast, obviously was pleasantly surprised by Froilan?s win, whilst Ascari?s friend and la Scuderia teammate Luigi Villoresi finished third ? with Fangio the meat in a Ferrari F1 sandwich some sixty years ago?
And I?ve read somewhere?s that ?ElCabezon was also reputedly piloting an older Ferrari 375 that day and was unaware that his prized Ferrari is owned by none other than Uncle Bernaughty (Bernard Ecclestone) who prior to having Ferdi-the-Putz (Alonso) chauffer said historic Grand Prix racecar around Silverstone, had allowed Der TERMINATOR, aka M. Schumacher the privledge ten years prior on the 50th Anniversary of said victory...
Alonso?s Silverstone victory loaded with Historical significance
Although I suppose it?s lurking around somewheres in the dark nether regions of trivial information... I?ll admit I?d forgotten ?bout la Scuderia?s (Scuderia Ferrari) debutant Grand Prix victory having occurred exactly sixty years ago ? no less then at BLOODY Silverstone a Fortnight ago, albeit a very different Silverstone layout indeed - when a very fresh faced ?Hobbo, aka David Hobbs raced ?round Hay bales; Hya! But I digress...
Yet what I do recall is that in what would become his continual temperament throughout his career, "il Commendatore," nee Enzo Ferrari went against the grain at the time ? when everyone was running Supercharged 1.5-liter powerplants, Enzo opted for the 4.5-liter Normally aspirated engine route instead. As I?ve read that Enzo believed that the chassis served as nothing more then a platform to carry his powerful ?lumps! (Engines)
Jos� Froilan Gonzalez ? who was nicknamed ?ElCabezon? (Fat Head) and ?The Pampus Bull?due to his girth ? so stunned Ferrari team leader Alberto Ascari with his speed, who?d fallen out during the British Grand Prix, stood down in order to let Gonzalez continue leading fellow Argentinean countryman Juan Manuel Fangio, instead of requiring Froilan to pit and hand over his car ? which was common practice back in the day...
Gonzalez?s girth aside, as Enzo bemoaned how such a jolly man could drive a racecar so fast, obviously was pleasantly surprised by Froilan?s win, whilst Ascari?s friend and la Scuderia teammate Luigi Villoresi finished third ? with Fangio the meat in a Ferrari F1 sandwich some sixty years ago?
And I?ve read somewhere?s that ?ElCabezon was also reputedly piloting an older Ferrari 375 that day and was unaware that his prized Ferrari is owned by none other than Uncle Bernaughty (Bernard Ecclestone) who prior to having Ferdi-the-Putz (Alonso) chauffer said historic Grand Prix racecar around Silverstone, had allowed Der TERMINATOR, aka M. Schumacher the privledge ten years prior on the 50th Anniversary of said victory...
Alonso?s Silverstone victory loaded with Historical significance
Price of success could be costly to Roush
Carl Edwards' victory in the Sprint All-Star Race was a very, very expensive win.
Edwards is key piece in puzzle
Carl Edwards is no longer NASCAR's points leader, his 10-week streak at the top snapped by an early accident at Daytona International Speedway.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Bayne to miss Charlotte races
Roush Fenway Racing will hold Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne out of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the fifth consecutive week he'll miss because of an inflammatory condition.
My First 500
My dad woke mom and I up early in 1956 and said we were ?going for a ride? .� As we neared the area of 16th and Georgetown, I realized we were headed for THEE RACE.� I do remember the traffic and my dad was not really looking forward to getting his year old Ford [...]
A Surprise Well-Earned
JR Hildebrand thought he was walking into the Panther Racing garage for just another morning full of meetings, little did he know a huge surprise was in store for him. The conclusion of the 2011 Indy 500 for JR Hildebrand was a rough one, but he never let it show and Panther Racing wanted to [...]
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Another No. 3 heads to Goodwood
For the second-consecutive year, a No. 3 driven by the late Dale Earnhardt will be a part of the festivities at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Earnhardt’s daughter Taylor drove the famed No. 3 in the festival last year. This year, the car Earnhardt raced to his 1995 Brickyard 400 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway [...]
F1: Can You Hear Me Now?
So I don?t know if this is part of the never ending SMOKE ON! Err, smoke ?N mirrors Formula One-itus self propagating Newspeak that seemingly is de rigour in F1. NO-NO! DON?T look over here at Uncle Bernaughty?s $44-million BRIBERY Payoff... Move along and Follow the Birdie! As it?s just conveniently come to light that the current Formula 1 rules for 2014?s vaunted ?Greening? of F1 could see the introduction of silent starts ? WTF? You?ve gotta be absolutely FUCKING joking, right???
Now don?t get me wrong, as I don?t have a problema with the powers-to-be trying to make Grand Prix racing appear to be environmentally friendly ?Wink-Wink; Nudge-Nudge,? by showcasing the latest CleanTec gadgetry, as hybrids are all fine ?N dandy; BUTT! As a Formula One Aficionado of a quarter century now... One of my most drawing features to attending multiple Grand Prix?s over the decades has simply been the symphonic rhapsody of hearing 24 borciferously MAD buzzing hornets rocket off from their standing start, along with listening to those raging Landsharks SCREAM by at 18,000RPM?s ? Kapishe FIA!
Do we really wanna watch George Jetson AstroCarz SILENTLY whisking by on levitated racetracks? C?mon Jean Todt; DON?T TAKE AWAY MY ENGINE NOISE IN 2014!
F1 Set For Electric Starts Literally!
Hmm? What happens if they?re using Lucas ?Lectrics, eh? Oh Never Mind!
Now don?t get me wrong, as I don?t have a problema with the powers-to-be trying to make Grand Prix racing appear to be environmentally friendly ?Wink-Wink; Nudge-Nudge,? by showcasing the latest CleanTec gadgetry, as hybrids are all fine ?N dandy; BUTT! As a Formula One Aficionado of a quarter century now... One of my most drawing features to attending multiple Grand Prix?s over the decades has simply been the symphonic rhapsody of hearing 24 borciferously MAD buzzing hornets rocket off from their standing start, along with listening to those raging Landsharks SCREAM by at 18,000RPM?s ? Kapishe FIA!
Do we really wanna watch George Jetson AstroCarz SILENTLY whisking by on levitated racetracks? C?mon Jean Todt; DON?T TAKE AWAY MY ENGINE NOISE IN 2014!
F1 Set For Electric Starts Literally!
Hmm? What happens if they?re using Lucas ?Lectrics, eh? Oh Never Mind!
Bayne to miss Charlotte races
Roush Fenway Racing will hold Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne out of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the fifth consecutive week he'll miss because of an inflammatory condition.
Dallara, Honda, Baseball ?N Fries?
And continuing on with la Italianna theme; Thanxs solely to No Fenders Photographer ?CARPETS ? who reportedly braved fearsome 101deg-f temperatures to capture the rapidly rising Dallara Automobili USA facility in sleepy ?lil Speedway, Indiana, here?s some pics of the property ? see story above...
As it seemed only appropriate to post this story as early Friday morning ? last week in ?CARPETS favourite ?Fish Wrap,? aka the Indianapolis Star, veteran Indy Car reporter Kurt Cavin noted that Dallara has just fired up the 2012 chassis replete with Honda 2.2-liter V-6 turbo ?lump (engine) for the very first time in Parma, Italy last week, as Honda is the first of the three engine manufacturer?s to produce its vaunted ?12-spec ?lump to date.
As previously noted, Danny-boy ?SPIKE Wheldon and BHA will handle the Dallara testing duties ? with first testing to occur at Mid Ohio on August 8th...
Hmm? Perhaps it?s just Mwah? But I find it somewhat interesting that I?ve just read ?bout the Level 5 Motorsports Boyz having done a dealio to run as the HPD ?works? squad in LMP2/C Le Mans Prototype category, having just switched over to campaigning a Honda ARX-01G for the remainder of 2011 and beyond... As the latest (Nick Wirth) Wirth Research creation utilizes a 2.8-liter twin-turbocharger Honda V-6 engine. Which makes me wonder if the Indy Car ?lump bears any resemblance/architecture with this engine?
LE MANS: Level 5 switches to new HPD chassis
As it seemed only appropriate to post this story as early Friday morning ? last week in ?CARPETS favourite ?Fish Wrap,? aka the Indianapolis Star, veteran Indy Car reporter Kurt Cavin noted that Dallara has just fired up the 2012 chassis replete with Honda 2.2-liter V-6 turbo ?lump (engine) for the very first time in Parma, Italy last week, as Honda is the first of the three engine manufacturer?s to produce its vaunted ?12-spec ?lump to date.
As previously noted, Danny-boy ?SPIKE Wheldon and BHA will handle the Dallara testing duties ? with first testing to occur at Mid Ohio on August 8th...
Hmm? Perhaps it?s just Mwah? But I find it somewhat interesting that I?ve just read ?bout the Level 5 Motorsports Boyz having done a dealio to run as the HPD ?works? squad in LMP2/C Le Mans Prototype category, having just switched over to campaigning a Honda ARX-01G for the remainder of 2011 and beyond... As the latest (Nick Wirth) Wirth Research creation utilizes a 2.8-liter twin-turbocharger Honda V-6 engine. Which makes me wonder if the Indy Car ?lump bears any resemblance/architecture with this engine?
LE MANS: Level 5 switches to new HPD chassis
Friday, August 12, 2011
F1: Austin gets 2012 Date, Construction work continues and Citizens protest paying Ecclestone a Quarter Billion smackeroos!
While 19 US states continue to record 100+ deg-f temperatures - it seemed only fitting to finally set this languishing No Fenders story free...As Austin?s current 2012 race date is a real DOOZY! As in can Y?all say HU-MID-ITY! As this isn?t exactly the best kept secret, especially since it?s been known for awhile now that COTA?s (Circuit Of The Americas) not to be Cornfuzed with that (somewhat) epic(?) Led Zeppelin album CODA; Hya! Was preparing for a June 2012 date to ?Twin? with Il Notre Dam, aka Montreal?s Kuhnadiun Grand Prix; as Oh, My, GAWD!!! The date?s been set now (awhile) for June 17, 2012, and guess what? This year on June 17th it was a balmy, breezy (NOT!) 114deg-f; SHEISA!!! What?s that old Glenn Fry song title? THE HEAT IS ON! Yeah, that?s the ticket, baby ? as Juan astute Scribe has mused;
Anyone remember Dallas 1984?
As that was the race where it was so HOT that the track?s Ash-fault literally melted and broke into multiple pieces. And its also where we saw the first of many of the Oscar winning performances of Thespian and future World Champion BLOODY NIGE, a.k.a. Nigel Mansell falter from the oppressive heat whilst trying to push his stricken Lotus racecar across the finish line...
Meanwhile, as the city of Austin was in the midst of budget cuts and firing multiple hundreds of Teachers, a spat arose over the alleged funding structure of the Austin F1 race, when State Comptroller Susan Combs agreed to GarUnTee Uncle Bernaughty (Bernie Ecclestone) a cool $25 million-a-year for the duration of the 10yr contract as the events sanctioning fee. As the money will come outta the State?s Special Events Trust fund ? which several people claimed wasn?t conducted properly.
Opponents of Texas F1 race funding sue state
But of course, did they really think the Grand Prix was simply gonna vamoosh? As there?s simply too much Moohlah involved ? as in Greenbacks Y?all Here! As reputedly Red McCombs, the 84yr old Texan Billionaire, thee Major Domo behind the project ? is worth somewheres north of $2.1 BILLION!
And thus it appears that the Austin City Council has gone ahead with the race, albeit somehow coercing F1 to pay the yearly $4.0 million fee to host the Grand Prix; NOT to be Cornfuzed with the RIDICULOUS $25m sanctioning fee which will now only net Ecclestone a paltry $21m per year; WHAH!!! While the track has also promised to make the event more COUGH-COUGH; ?Environmentally friendly? by pushing thru the points outlined in the pre-ratification vote, noted in;
A Green and Carbon Neutral Formula 1?
Meanwhile, during the most recent Grand Prix in Hungary, the Formula 1 Team Bosses were reported to be mulling over a revised 2012 F1 Calendar which would not only move Bahrain to the Back-of-the-Bus to be Twinned with Abu Dhabi, but see Austin?s USGP race date move to November 18th, being Twinned with the Season finale at Interlagos, albeit this is just a rumoured revisal with NO official announcement having been made, especially since the Teams will need to sign off on it first...
Yet work continues at COTA, in which you can look at some slightly dated photos of the recent progress here; COTA Construction pics
And now comes word via Adam Cooper that New Jersey is eying a second US date upon the 2013 F1 Calendar with a proposed Street Race being held round the tiny suburbs of Weehawken and West New York which have a combined population of just 61,000; Aye Karumba! Keep dreaming Dudes...
Second US GP destined for New Jersey?
Anyone remember Dallas 1984?
As that was the race where it was so HOT that the track?s Ash-fault literally melted and broke into multiple pieces. And its also where we saw the first of many of the Oscar winning performances of Thespian and future World Champion BLOODY NIGE, a.k.a. Nigel Mansell falter from the oppressive heat whilst trying to push his stricken Lotus racecar across the finish line...
Meanwhile, as the city of Austin was in the midst of budget cuts and firing multiple hundreds of Teachers, a spat arose over the alleged funding structure of the Austin F1 race, when State Comptroller Susan Combs agreed to GarUnTee Uncle Bernaughty (Bernie Ecclestone) a cool $25 million-a-year for the duration of the 10yr contract as the events sanctioning fee. As the money will come outta the State?s Special Events Trust fund ? which several people claimed wasn?t conducted properly.
Opponents of Texas F1 race funding sue state
But of course, did they really think the Grand Prix was simply gonna vamoosh? As there?s simply too much Moohlah involved ? as in Greenbacks Y?all Here! As reputedly Red McCombs, the 84yr old Texan Billionaire, thee Major Domo behind the project ? is worth somewheres north of $2.1 BILLION!
And thus it appears that the Austin City Council has gone ahead with the race, albeit somehow coercing F1 to pay the yearly $4.0 million fee to host the Grand Prix; NOT to be Cornfuzed with the RIDICULOUS $25m sanctioning fee which will now only net Ecclestone a paltry $21m per year; WHAH!!! While the track has also promised to make the event more COUGH-COUGH; ?Environmentally friendly? by pushing thru the points outlined in the pre-ratification vote, noted in;
A Green and Carbon Neutral Formula 1?
Meanwhile, during the most recent Grand Prix in Hungary, the Formula 1 Team Bosses were reported to be mulling over a revised 2012 F1 Calendar which would not only move Bahrain to the Back-of-the-Bus to be Twinned with Abu Dhabi, but see Austin?s USGP race date move to November 18th, being Twinned with the Season finale at Interlagos, albeit this is just a rumoured revisal with NO official announcement having been made, especially since the Teams will need to sign off on it first...
Yet work continues at COTA, in which you can look at some slightly dated photos of the recent progress here; COTA Construction pics
And now comes word via Adam Cooper that New Jersey is eying a second US date upon the 2013 F1 Calendar with a proposed Street Race being held round the tiny suburbs of Weehawken and West New York which have a combined population of just 61,000; Aye Karumba! Keep dreaming Dudes...
Second US GP destined for New Jersey?
What if they tried stability?
Jimmie Johnson – Underdog? What might that do for the popularity of NASCAR?
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Just what does Brian France want to change?
The NASCAR monarch – after all, stock car racing has a clearly defined royal family and order of succession: Bill I, Bill II, Brian I – thinks if times are bad, the only possible solution is change.
The Internet hasn’t changed as much in the last decade as NASCAR.
Why not wait on the fans for once, instead of asking them to adapt?
The Chase, which made finishing 12th as important as first (for 26 races), is in its best shape since 2004, when it debuted. Somehow, by the strangest quirk of fate, one race remains and Jimmie Johnson actually doesn’t have it sewn up.
Johnson, unbeatable and unloved, thinks winning it this year might actually decrease the number of fans who dislike him. He’s going into the final race without the lead. Could the specter of Johnson the … underdog … be raised?
“It would probably be received better than the ones in the past, with the runaway show we’ve had in a couple of them,” he said.
It’s worth a shot, yes?
Lead changes and exciting finishes are up. The flip side, of course, is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is down.
NASCAR changed its grading system and put everyone on a curve – or maybe all the courses are strictly pass-or-fail – for 26 races. It made all the cars so close to identical that Johnson himself might not be able to tell a Ford from a Chevy without those handy headlight decals. It revved up the action with rules that make the old “racing back to the caution flag” seem safe. The number of laps aren’t even reliable anymore.
Some fans are ticked off. Some are just tired.
Maybe change has been transacted at so dizzying a pace that people just can’t keep up. And contradictions flourish.
With cars that look just alike, inexplicably, one manufacturer, Chevy, dominates as never before.
Exciting races are perceived widely as just the opposite. “Boring” is just a strange word to be used in relation to what has taken place on the tracks this year, but fans say it every day.
Every change is sold as cost-cutting, but none of the teams ever actually save any money because, before they get a chance to do so, more changes emerge from that godforsaken Research and Development Center.
Even change gets old when it never stops.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Just what does Brian France want to change?
The NASCAR monarch – after all, stock car racing has a clearly defined royal family and order of succession: Bill I, Bill II, Brian I – thinks if times are bad, the only possible solution is change.
The Internet hasn’t changed as much in the last decade as NASCAR.
Why not wait on the fans for once, instead of asking them to adapt?
The Chase, which made finishing 12th as important as first (for 26 races), is in its best shape since 2004, when it debuted. Somehow, by the strangest quirk of fate, one race remains and Jimmie Johnson actually doesn’t have it sewn up.
Johnson, unbeatable and unloved, thinks winning it this year might actually decrease the number of fans who dislike him. He’s going into the final race without the lead. Could the specter of Johnson the … underdog … be raised?
“It would probably be received better than the ones in the past, with the runaway show we’ve had in a couple of them,” he said.
It’s worth a shot, yes?
Lead changes and exciting finishes are up. The flip side, of course, is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is down.
NASCAR changed its grading system and put everyone on a curve – or maybe all the courses are strictly pass-or-fail – for 26 races. It made all the cars so close to identical that Johnson himself might not be able to tell a Ford from a Chevy without those handy headlight decals. It revved up the action with rules that make the old “racing back to the caution flag” seem safe. The number of laps aren’t even reliable anymore.
Some fans are ticked off. Some are just tired.
Maybe change has been transacted at so dizzying a pace that people just can’t keep up. And contradictions flourish.
With cars that look just alike, inexplicably, one manufacturer, Chevy, dominates as never before.
Exciting races are perceived widely as just the opposite. “Boring” is just a strange word to be used in relation to what has taken place on the tracks this year, but fans say it every day.
Every change is sold as cost-cutting, but none of the teams ever actually save any money because, before they get a chance to do so, more changes emerge from that godforsaken Research and Development Center.
Even change gets old when it never stops.
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