Thursday, February 2, 2012
4th Annual Fifth Avenue Auto Showcase
The 4th Annual Fifth Avenue Auto Showcase is a free to view event that car enthusiasts will really enjoy, showcasing high-performance vehicles, from classics to modern luxury automobiles. This car show combines history with the latest technology.
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Related posts:8th Annual La Jolla Concours d?EleganceVW Uses L.A. Auto Show To Showcase Diesel TechnologyO’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
ROLEX 24: 2012 Daytona Classic celebrates 50th Anniversary with host of Big Names...
This coming weekend?s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway; January 28-29 will once again feature a bevy ?O B-I-G name drivers, with several Open Wheel Racing Starz in the mix, not to mention luminaries from the Sports Car world along with ex-Formula 1 drivers ...
And this year?s 50th running of the 24 hours of Daytona has a twist to it too with the announcement of new rules for the Daytona Prototype (DP) Big Boyz, as essentially the ?Greenhouse? cockpit area has been redesigned along with subtle Bodywork allowances in order to more closely mimic production vehicles, i.e.; Corvette, and hence there will be five brand new shiny 2012-spec Corvette DP?s taking part...
IndyCar ParticipantsTeam Penske?s Ryan Briscoe will once again compete with Wayne Taylor?s No. 10 SunTrust Corvette-DP alongside Max ?Thee Ax? Angelelli & Ricky Taylor.
Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti will once again be part of the two car Target Armada, paired with Juan Pablo ?MAC Montoya & Jamie McMurry aboard the No. 02 Riley-BMW DP; while Graham Rahal will return with Scott ?Scooter Pruett, Memo Rojas & Factory BMW DTM driver Joey Hand in the No. 01.
Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson will begin his seat time re-acclimatization with ex-Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger - now a Penske ?RASSCAR Boy, plus Ozz Negri and John Pew Chauffeuring the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Riley-Ford DP.
And TK ?Follow-your-Schnoz? Kanaan and EJ ?What Me, Worry?? Viso will be partnered with Bully Boy Ryan Hunter-reay, Maurizio Scala and Miguel Potolicchio driving the No. 2 Starworks Riley-Ford DP...
In the No. 6 Ford-Riley MSR Daytona Prototype will be a pair ?O Indy Lights Boyz, with Jorge Goncalvez and thee ?Yak, a.k.a. Gustavo Yacaman behind the wheel... With NO word on whether or not co-driver Michael McDowell will wish to give some bodies (No. 56 Ferrari the Chrome Horn treatment!
James Hinchcliffe will make his Daytona 24hrs debut behind the wheel of a GT Mazda, co-driving the No. 70 RX-8 with Marino Franchitti and Jonathan Bomarito; whilst ex-IndyCar driver ?Rafa Matos will join ?FishyFella,? aka Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni aboard the brutally quick No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 GT.
And I?ve just discovered Thee Thrill from the West Hill, aka ?PT or better known as Paul Tracy?s name as part of the Doran Racing?s No. 77 Dallara-Ford DP effort, with fellow ex-CART competitors Massimiliano ?MAD MAX? Papis in the Number Nine, number-9, number Nein! (No. 9) Action Express Racing Corvette-DP... While Christian Fittipaldi who just celebrated his 41st birthday will chauffer the No. 5 Action Express Racing ?Seester Corvette-DP, and Memo Gidley will co-drive the No. 99 Bob Stallings Racing Corvette-DP...
Nasr Impresses at the ?Roar Before the Rolex 24?, but Chevrolet Command
Other BIG NamesAnd I?m a HUGE Fan ?O Ryan Dalziel?s - as this ?Scot never got his fair shot in Indy Cars, having been forced out at Pacific Coast Motorsports - remember them? Who?ll be looking for his second winner?s Rolex chronograph watch alongside Alan ?The Terrier? McNish, a ?Mega Sports Car ace! Plus ex-Penske Sports Car and Porsche Factory Gun Lucas Luhr in the Starworks ?Seester car...
Not to mention David Donohue, Terry Borcheller, Joao Barbosa, etc. Who?ve all stood on the podiums top step. While I see GM?s loaned out factory boy ?MAGS, nee Jan Magnessen to the Spirit of Daytona Corvette-DP.
Meanwhile there?s a number of ?Sleepers? in the GT field - like the No. 45 with such notables as Patrick Long, Mike ?Rocky? Rockenfeller and Jorg Bergmeister piloting the venerable Flying Lizards Porsche 911 GT3, not to mention another stout lineup piloting a brace ?O Porsche Panzerwagons for TRG!
And then there?s the interesting entry named Yellow Dragon Motorsports with ?Gentleman? John & son Jarett Andretti spearheading the driving line-up with co-drivers Taylor Hacquard and Anders ?the Viking? Krohn, who?s another Indy Lights driver. As it?ll be the first time the Andretti?s have driven together and I believe it?ll be John?s first time in a Mazda RX8?
While another lost in the wilderness OWR talent by the name of John Edwards, not the politician, but the former Star Mazda and Toyota Atlantics champion who?s been driving for Mazda will once again see duty behind the keyboard, albeit this time in a rival Camaro, the No. 57 - sharing seat time with an ex-Dale Coyne (DCR) Sonny?s Barbeque Boy...
And several of la Scuderia?s latest examples will also be on hand - where I spotted lurking off the radar somewhat, Travis Pastrana?s name alongside his ?RASSCAR-LITE team owner Mikey ?Aw Shucks? Waltrip running the No. 56 AF-Waltrip Ferrari 458 GT. Not to mention some Dude named Scotty Sharp who?ll be running in his No. 03 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari...
Another B-I-G name I recently had the privilege of interviewing here at No Fenders; current SPEED TV ?Funnyman? & Reporter Justin Bell, apparently has gotten the racing bug once again after his return in last year?s Petit LeMans - and will be part of the No. 4?s Porsche GT3 driver lineup...
INTERVIEW: Justin Bell visits No Fenders
LocalsThis is just a small smattering ?O local talent, as I know, what about all of the ?KuhNucks from next door Vancouver, BC, eh? Hey! You try typing down everybody?s name; Otay?
Thus I just kept to my home state, albeit was unawares of some ?Ol Crooner from Oregon; Hya!
No. 22: Bullet Racing - Porsche GT3; Randy Blaylock, Bothell, Washington and Joe White, Spokane, WA. (Actually, this 5-driver team features two ?Hosers, i.e. Vancouver, BC Boys, one Californian and two ?Warshingtonians...)
No. 41: Dempsey Motorsports/Team Seattle - Mazda RX8; Don Kitch Jr., Bellevue, WA.
No. 99: Bob Stalling Racing - Corvette-DP; John ?CCR? Fogarty; Bend, Oregon. (Transplanted Californian - Two-time Toyota Atlantics champion...)
Ex-Champ Car BoyzNo. 57:Stevenson Motorsports - Camaro; Ronnie Bremer,No. 87: Racers Edge Motorsports - Dodge Viper; Jan ?Van Hagar? Heylen
And currently there?s 14 DP?s and 46 GT?s entered for the race, which you can peruse in the entry list below.
As once again I?m torn between Justin & AJ vs. Dalziel? & McNish, although I?d prefer seeing the No. 60 win overall, while I?ll definitely be rootin? for the No. 41 Team Seattle car in the GT category, with my second choice being the No. 22 followed by the No. 62...
2012 Daytona 24hrs Entry list
And this year?s 50th running of the 24 hours of Daytona has a twist to it too with the announcement of new rules for the Daytona Prototype (DP) Big Boyz, as essentially the ?Greenhouse? cockpit area has been redesigned along with subtle Bodywork allowances in order to more closely mimic production vehicles, i.e.; Corvette, and hence there will be five brand new shiny 2012-spec Corvette DP?s taking part...
IndyCar ParticipantsTeam Penske?s Ryan Briscoe will once again compete with Wayne Taylor?s No. 10 SunTrust Corvette-DP alongside Max ?Thee Ax? Angelelli & Ricky Taylor.
Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti will once again be part of the two car Target Armada, paired with Juan Pablo ?MAC Montoya & Jamie McMurry aboard the No. 02 Riley-BMW DP; while Graham Rahal will return with Scott ?Scooter Pruett, Memo Rojas & Factory BMW DTM driver Joey Hand in the No. 01.
Justin ?BIG UNIT Wilson will begin his seat time re-acclimatization with ex-Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger - now a Penske ?RASSCAR Boy, plus Ozz Negri and John Pew Chauffeuring the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Riley-Ford DP.
And TK ?Follow-your-Schnoz? Kanaan and EJ ?What Me, Worry?? Viso will be partnered with Bully Boy Ryan Hunter-reay, Maurizio Scala and Miguel Potolicchio driving the No. 2 Starworks Riley-Ford DP...
In the No. 6 Ford-Riley MSR Daytona Prototype will be a pair ?O Indy Lights Boyz, with Jorge Goncalvez and thee ?Yak, a.k.a. Gustavo Yacaman behind the wheel... With NO word on whether or not co-driver Michael McDowell will wish to give some bodies (No. 56 Ferrari the Chrome Horn treatment!
James Hinchcliffe will make his Daytona 24hrs debut behind the wheel of a GT Mazda, co-driving the No. 70 RX-8 with Marino Franchitti and Jonathan Bomarito; whilst ex-IndyCar driver ?Rafa Matos will join ?FishyFella,? aka Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni aboard the brutally quick No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 GT.
And I?ve just discovered Thee Thrill from the West Hill, aka ?PT or better known as Paul Tracy?s name as part of the Doran Racing?s No. 77 Dallara-Ford DP effort, with fellow ex-CART competitors Massimiliano ?MAD MAX? Papis in the Number Nine, number-9, number Nein! (No. 9) Action Express Racing Corvette-DP... While Christian Fittipaldi who just celebrated his 41st birthday will chauffer the No. 5 Action Express Racing ?Seester Corvette-DP, and Memo Gidley will co-drive the No. 99 Bob Stallings Racing Corvette-DP...
Nasr Impresses at the ?Roar Before the Rolex 24?, but Chevrolet Command
Other BIG NamesAnd I?m a HUGE Fan ?O Ryan Dalziel?s - as this ?Scot never got his fair shot in Indy Cars, having been forced out at Pacific Coast Motorsports - remember them? Who?ll be looking for his second winner?s Rolex chronograph watch alongside Alan ?The Terrier? McNish, a ?Mega Sports Car ace! Plus ex-Penske Sports Car and Porsche Factory Gun Lucas Luhr in the Starworks ?Seester car...
Not to mention David Donohue, Terry Borcheller, Joao Barbosa, etc. Who?ve all stood on the podiums top step. While I see GM?s loaned out factory boy ?MAGS, nee Jan Magnessen to the Spirit of Daytona Corvette-DP.
Meanwhile there?s a number of ?Sleepers? in the GT field - like the No. 45 with such notables as Patrick Long, Mike ?Rocky? Rockenfeller and Jorg Bergmeister piloting the venerable Flying Lizards Porsche 911 GT3, not to mention another stout lineup piloting a brace ?O Porsche Panzerwagons for TRG!
And then there?s the interesting entry named Yellow Dragon Motorsports with ?Gentleman? John & son Jarett Andretti spearheading the driving line-up with co-drivers Taylor Hacquard and Anders ?the Viking? Krohn, who?s another Indy Lights driver. As it?ll be the first time the Andretti?s have driven together and I believe it?ll be John?s first time in a Mazda RX8?
While another lost in the wilderness OWR talent by the name of John Edwards, not the politician, but the former Star Mazda and Toyota Atlantics champion who?s been driving for Mazda will once again see duty behind the keyboard, albeit this time in a rival Camaro, the No. 57 - sharing seat time with an ex-Dale Coyne (DCR) Sonny?s Barbeque Boy...
And several of la Scuderia?s latest examples will also be on hand - where I spotted lurking off the radar somewhat, Travis Pastrana?s name alongside his ?RASSCAR-LITE team owner Mikey ?Aw Shucks? Waltrip running the No. 56 AF-Waltrip Ferrari 458 GT. Not to mention some Dude named Scotty Sharp who?ll be running in his No. 03 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari...
Another B-I-G name I recently had the privilege of interviewing here at No Fenders; current SPEED TV ?Funnyman? & Reporter Justin Bell, apparently has gotten the racing bug once again after his return in last year?s Petit LeMans - and will be part of the No. 4?s Porsche GT3 driver lineup...
INTERVIEW: Justin Bell visits No Fenders
LocalsThis is just a small smattering ?O local talent, as I know, what about all of the ?KuhNucks from next door Vancouver, BC, eh? Hey! You try typing down everybody?s name; Otay?
Thus I just kept to my home state, albeit was unawares of some ?Ol Crooner from Oregon; Hya!
No. 22: Bullet Racing - Porsche GT3; Randy Blaylock, Bothell, Washington and Joe White, Spokane, WA. (Actually, this 5-driver team features two ?Hosers, i.e. Vancouver, BC Boys, one Californian and two ?Warshingtonians...)
No. 41: Dempsey Motorsports/Team Seattle - Mazda RX8; Don Kitch Jr., Bellevue, WA.
No. 99: Bob Stalling Racing - Corvette-DP; John ?CCR? Fogarty; Bend, Oregon. (Transplanted Californian - Two-time Toyota Atlantics champion...)
Ex-Champ Car BoyzNo. 57:Stevenson Motorsports - Camaro; Ronnie Bremer,No. 87: Racers Edge Motorsports - Dodge Viper; Jan ?Van Hagar? Heylen
And currently there?s 14 DP?s and 46 GT?s entered for the race, which you can peruse in the entry list below.
As once again I?m torn between Justin & AJ vs. Dalziel? & McNish, although I?d prefer seeing the No. 60 win overall, while I?ll definitely be rootin? for the No. 41 Team Seattle car in the GT category, with my second choice being the No. 22 followed by the No. 62...
2012 Daytona 24hrs Entry list
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.
Colbie Caillat to perform at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2010) ? NASCAR has announced the addition of multi GRAMMY-Award winning singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat to the performance lineup for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony, set for Friday, Dec. 3 at Wynn Las Vegas. Broadcast live on SPEED at 9 p.m. ET, Caillat will join country music vocal group Rascal Flatts and comedic host Frank Caliendo to create a fully star-studded celebration of the 2010 NASCAR season.
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Maybe it?s a matter of winning, not losing
It’s a simple case of the Cinderella story versus the truth of who has the best damn car on the track.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – This Chase race is a bouncing ball. Each week. Back and forth.
Intangibles run rampant. Let’s see.
On Friday, Denny Hamlin was in breakout mode. His crew chief, Mike Ford, has supposedly gotten under the skin of Jimmie Johnson’s crew, which, by the way, wasn’t the same as it had been a week earlier.
On Monday, Johnson still trailed by 15 points, but it seemed as if it was time to get the cases of champagne ordered. Hamlin had played it a bit too safe by pitting near the end of the Kobalt Tools 500, apparently not realizing that most everyone else was going to try to conserve fuel and make it to the end, and more importantly, that most were going to succeed.
At Phoenix International Raceway, Hamlin snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, leaving him to wander aimlessly out of the track’s media center, muttering that he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Meanwhile, there was Kevin Harvick lurking, eyeing the two in front of him with the stare of a vulture waiting to snatch up the pieces.
But what if we stopped putting so much weight into the tangibles? What if the tangibles are really going to decide who wins this heated contest?
What if what happens just … happens?
If Johnson emerges next week as the champion, the prevailing view is going to be that Hamlin’s crew chief, Ford, spat on Superman’s (Johnson crew chief Chad Knaus) cape and got what was coming to him. If Hamlin wins it all, it’s going be because he kept a level head and didn’t let anyone get to him.
If Harvick wins, well, it’s going to require some alleged choking or bad luck by not one, but two. Thus will emerge the Cinderella story.
But maybe, just maybe, this championship is to be decided simply by which driver has the fastest car. Maybe no one’s going to choke. Maybe the attention should be justly slanted toward a tale of winning, not losing.
If so, few will notice. What’s between the ears trumps what’s under the hood.
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