MotoGP Silly Season 2013 Starts Early - Yamaha Keen To Hang On To Lorenzo

With all the debate and discussion over the changes coming to MotoGP for 2012 - 1000cc machines, the appearance of the Claiming Rule Team machines, arguments over exactly what the Aprilia bike is, and the ongoing talks over the imposition of a rev limit and spec ECU for 2013, it is easy to overlook the fact that it is not just the bikes which are changing. All four of MotoGP's so-called Aliens are out of contract at the end of next season, as well as just about every other rider on the MotoGP grid. With the last five years utterly dominated by the Fantastic Four - Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner winning all but four races in 5 season - the key for any factory to securing a MotoGP title has been having at least one Alien on its books.

Source: 

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2011/Decembe...

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/mdXtlKhaNEE/motogp_silly_season_2013_starts_early_ya.html

Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman

Kimi R�ikk�nen injured in a race. A snowmobile race.

Kimi R�ikk�nen is no longer an official member of NASCAR, but that doesn't mean we can't still have a little fun at his expense now and then.

The newly-minted Formula One star-to-be was in an accident in a snowmobile race in Austria, but apparently walked away with only a sore wrist. Lotus Renault, his F1 team, informed fans via Twitter that "he's absolutely fine." Good news: "We just spoke to Kimi. There's nothing to worry about, he only has a sore wrist. He might have it checked again on Monday, but that's all."

Well, that's a bit disappointing. Racing has a proud tradition of drivers injuring themselves doing insanely stupid off-track things (Jimmie Johnson surfing atop a golf cart, for one). Shame this one won't add much to that legend.

R�ikk�nen was the 2007 world champion but left the sport temporarily in 2009. He dabbled a bit in NASCAR but recently signed a two-year deal to drive for Lotus Renault.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kimi-R-ikk-nen-injured-in-a-race-A-snowmobile-r?urn=nascar-wp5703

Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton

Webber delighted to end year on a high

Mark Webber has spoken of his delight that he has finished 2011 on a high after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. Webber finished ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Jenson Button in Brazil to pick up his first win of the 2011 season. Speaking afterwards, the Australian said: “I felt good all weekend, Sebastian [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/dNIBo5z_9Sw/webber-delighted-to-end-year-on-a-high

Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen

Sid Watkins goes fishing...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/dllJlAFVstY/sid-watkins-goes-fishing.html

Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels

KVRT Joins Chevy Lineup

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2011/11/kvrt-joins-chevy-lineup.html

Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown

Join us for the latest Yahoo! Sports NASCAR Chat, Wed. at 1 ET

Time again for another Yahoo! Sports NASCAR live chat. Join us Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern to talk NASCAR, Christmas shopping, whatever. It's the offseason. We go where the conversational winds take us. See you here!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Join-us-for-the-latest-Yahoo-Sports-NASCAR-Chat?urn=nascar-wp5644

John CampbellJones Adriбn Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni

MotoGP Rules Tweaked: Testing Restrictions Ended, 9 CRT Entries Accepted, Minimum Weights Increased

MotoGP's rule-making body, the Grand Prix Commission, adopted a number of changes to the MotoGP rules in a meeting on Wednesday. As expected, the testing restrictions were dropped, now to be limited by tire allocation. Other changes adopted include an increase in the minimum weight, the introduction of rear-facing red lights to be carried in wet conditions, a slight tweak to the 107% qualifying minimum time, and explicitly granting authority to impose penalties on event organizers. The GPC also considered the entry list for the 2012 MotoGP season, and accepted 9 CRT entries, along with 1 reserve CRT entry.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/0OP7ViPf4-g/motogp_rules_tweaked_testing_restriction.html

Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham

Kimi R�ikk�nen injured in a race. A snowmobile race.

Kimi R�ikk�nen is no longer an official member of NASCAR, but that doesn't mean we can't still have a little fun at his expense now and then.

The newly-minted Formula One star-to-be was in an accident in a snowmobile race in Austria, but apparently walked away with only a sore wrist. Lotus Renault, his F1 team, informed fans via Twitter that "he's absolutely fine." Good news: "We just spoke to Kimi. There's nothing to worry about, he only has a sore wrist. He might have it checked again on Monday, but that's all."

Well, that's a bit disappointing. Racing has a proud tradition of drivers injuring themselves doing insanely stupid off-track things (Jimmie Johnson surfing atop a golf cart, for one). Shame this one won't add much to that legend.

R�ikk�nen was the 2007 world champion but left the sport temporarily in 2009. He dabbled a bit in NASCAR but recently signed a two-year deal to drive for Lotus Renault.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kimi-R-ikk-nen-injured-in-a-race-A-snowmobile-r?urn=nascar-wp5703

Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger

Tony Stewart officially accepts championship at Sprint Cup banquet

The Sprint Cup Series' Champion's week came to an end on Friday night with the annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas. Well, officially, anyway. There's probably a handful of NASCAR-types still partying as you read this.

Didn't stay up for the banquet Friday night? No problem, we've got you covered.

? Speed led off its coverage with a red carpet special similar to a Hollywood awards show preview. The key takeaway? Yes, Amy, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s girlfriend, is real.

?�When Tony Stewart was introduced at the head table, Jimmie Johnson walked out ? much to everyone's surprise�? and feigned surprise that his name wasn't on the dinner card. That Jimmie, he sure is vanilla, eh?

?�Host Reba McEntire was solid and got in a couple of zingers including this one:

"Earlier I was out front and saw Kyle Busch drive right past the valet," McEntire said. "Well, I guess NASCAR officials are only allowed to park his car."

(Busch wasn't an official honoree at the banquet as he finished outside the top 10 in points.)

?�When Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski were introduced, they were emphasized as the winners of the wild card that went to the two drivers with the most wins in 11th-2oth place in the points standings before the Chase. However, Hamlin and Keselowski were 11th and 12th in the points and would have gotten into the Chase anyway under the previous top 12 format.

?�Yes, the video of Jeff Gordon breakdancing got played.

?�For you east coast NASCAR fans, it must have been really weird to see Johnson speaking before midnight.

?�Robert Weaver, the Ice Cream Man, won the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Weaver, an 83-year-old Talladega native, won for his over 50 years of volunteerism for the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.

?�One of the reasons that the NASCAR banquet can be a snoozer��? yes, even more so than your typical race at Pocono��? is the scripted speeches for all of the drivers honored. Mad props to Keselowski, who clearly went on stage and winged it. It was compelling and well done, simply because it was clear that it wasn't off a teleprompter or a page of notes. Plus, he was even able to joke about his past history with Carl Edwards.

?�Matt Kenseth said that if he would have known that there wasn't going to be a comedian, he would have told some jokes. We all missed out. And he thanked Ollie's Bargain Outlet in his speech and snuck in a toilet-related Fluidmaster joke. You don't hear that every day.

?�During his speech, Edwards compared being honored (again) for finishing second as akin to sitting in the dentist's chair. Edwards handled the remarks about the championship battle with class all throughout the evening and he'll be at the head table very shortly.

?�Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced that the company has extended its sponsorship of the Cup Series through 2016.

?�Stewart, who shared the head table with his former crew chief Darian Grubb, thanked Grubb for his commitment and dedication to Stewart-Haas since the organization's inception. Stewart's car was on display off to the side of the head table, but unfortunately didn't change to a Mobil 1 paint scheme two-thirds of the way through the evening.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Tony-Stewart-officially-accepts-championship-at-?urn=nascar-wp5560

Piers Courage Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford

Brian Pattie named Clint Bowyer?s new crew chief

Hey, news that doesn't involve ugly separations! In a confirmation of long-running rumors, Brian Pattie, former crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya, will take over top-of-the-box duties for Clint Bowyer as both join Michael Waltrip Racing.

Bowyer will be driving the No. 15 Five-Hour Energy Toyota Camry. Pattie has won 18 times on the Nationwide circuit, and he guided Montoya to a Chase berth in 2009 and a Watkins Glen win in 2010. Plus, he was able to handle the radio presence of Montoya, hands-down one of the most critical drivers in Sprint Cup.

Bowyer, Pattie and Waltrip all had glowing words for each other in the press release announcing the hiring.

? Waltrip: "Brian is someone whose [sic] been on our radar for a very long time."

? Bowyer: "We both grew up working on dirt cars and have pretty similar backgrounds ... I think we speak the same language."

? Pattie: "I know how close [MWR] is to joining the upper echelon of the Sprint Cup series."

So nice to see team, driver and crew chief so happy together, isn't it?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Brian-Pattie-named-Clint-Bowyer-s-new-crew-chief?urn=nascar-wp5628

Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber

Kurt Busch out at Penske Racing

UPDATE: Kurt Busch will not return to Penske Racing in 2012.

Monday morning, Busch released the following statement:

"Coming to a mutual agreement to go our separate ways is a positive step for me. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I took time to reflect on what is most important to me and realized I need to find a way to put the fun back into racing. It's time for a fresh start. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it allows me to take a deep breath and work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person.�

"I recognize the passion and emotion that have helped me succeed on the track need to be better channeled off the track.�The past few months I began working with a sports psychologist to help me better deal with my emotions, especially following moments of frustration during competition."�

On Sunday, the Charlotte Observer and That's Racin reported Busch had been fired.

From ThatsRacin.com:

Busch will not return next season to drive Penske Racing's No. 22 Dodge, multiple sources confirmed to the Observer and ThatsRacin.com on Sunday night.

An official announcement of Busch's departure from the organization is expected from Penske on Monday.

The final straw came�at the season's final race at Homestead where he was videotaped swearing at a reporter, an incident that�resulted in a�$50,000 fine from NASCAR. At Richmond, he had to be restrained from going after a reporter in the garage and ripped another reporter's transcript in half.

Earlier this week, Busch admitted that he was seeing a sports psychologist for his temper and anger issues, which have been on display during multiple radio tirades aimed at his crew chief and crew. The man on the�receiving end�of those rants for the past two years, crew chief Steve Addington, parted ways with Penske at the end of the year and will be the crew chief for Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart in 2012.

With�Busch out of his�ride at Penske, the move�poses two huge questions:�Who will fill his emptied seat in the No. 22 and where does Busch go next?

Remember, this�isn't�the first time Busch has been fired. In 2005, just a year after winning the�inaugural Chase for the Sprint Cup, Busch was suspended by Roush Racing with two races to go in the season after being cited for driving recklessly near Phoenix International Raceway. After the suspension, Roush president Geoff Smith said that the team was retiring from being Busch's apologist.

When he departed from Roush, Busch had already been slated at Penske to fill the seat of the retiring Rusty Wallace. Now, with sponsorship concerns forcing teams like Roush and Richard Childress Racing to downsize to three cars and the closure of Red Bull Racing, Busch's career�could be�at a definite crossroads. He's one of the best drivers in NASCAR. But losing a job at Penske could mean he may never be at one of the best teams again, though former teammate Jeff Burton tweeted this:

Big news. Kurt will find a ride in the future. He has enough talent,someone will give him a shot. He will have to show he's learned.

As of now, there's no top-notch ride available. Busch could drive for a team with lesser equipment, or take a year off and prove to teams and sponsors that he's a changed driver in the hopes of landing a fully funded ride in 2013. However, those options�will be�limited a year from now, too. He's burned bridges at Roush (and by relation, Richard Petty Motorsports),�and the stables at Hendrick, Childress�and Gibbs are full.

The emerence of Brad Keselowski in 2011 would make�parting ways with Busch easier.�In the second�half of the season, Keselowski developed into the caliber of driver�a team can call its No. 1.�

So who will Penske hire to drive the No. 22? David Ragan, David Reutimann and Brian Vickers would instantly become the top candidates for the open seat.�Ragan is 26, just won his first career Sprint Cup race at Daytona and is clean-cut and polite ? a major reason why UPS became his sponsor. Both Reutimann and Vickers have two career Sprint Cup wins, but Reutimann's age, 40, may be working against him, while Vickers, who had his own run-ins this season,�struggled in 2011.

As�far as sponsorship,�Shell, which expressed disappointment with Busch's actions at Homestead,�likely will stay on board.�Part of the move from�RCR to Penske in 2011 was as a partnership�across all of Penske's businesses.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kurt-Busch-out-at-Penske-Racing?urn=nascar-wp5594

Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert

RETRO: Phoenix?s last Grand Prix - Two-decades ago almost slipped past (Con?t)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/SetQesyraDQ/retro-phoenixs-last-grand-prix-two_21.html

Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra

A sad story from Finland

Finnish former F1 driver and double Le Mans winner JJ Lehto has been sentenced to two years and four months in jail for his involvement in a boating accident which killed a friend. The prosecution argued that Lehto was drunk at the time of the accident, which occurred in June 2010, when Lehto’s boat hit [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/a-sad-story-from-finland/

Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto

Motivated Raikkonen set for January test with old car

Kimi Raikkonen says he?s fully motivated and doesn?t expect to have any problems in getting up to speed in 2012. He?s also confirmed that in January he will have a run in a two-year-old car, which is allowed under the … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/12/21/motivated-raikkonen-set-for-january-test-with-old-car/

Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk

Kimi Raikkonen?s First Interview About Formula 1 Return! (Video)

As you all probably know by now,�Kimi Raikkonen is set to return to Formula 1 with Renault (to become Lotus) �in 2012. Here he is discussing the return… [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] What are your thoughts on Raikkonen?s return? Get [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/B9luMMLqzmw/kimi-raikkonens-first-interview-about-formula-1-return-video

Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti

Reflections on Japan and Korea

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/10/greetings_from_seoul_its_0800.html

Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich

Out goes Sutil

The Sahara Force India Formula One Team has confirmed that Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form its line-up for the 2012 season. This means that the star of the team’s 2011 World Championship challenge, Adrian Sutil,has been left in the lurch. The team did not name a reserve driver. “Our new line-up means [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/out-goes-sutil/

Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise

SSM finally announces ?Symone

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/tKwy5s3W_lg/ssm-finally-announces-symone.html

Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni

Tony Stewart totes his trophy all over Las Vegas

It's Champions Week in Vegas, and Tony Stewart is toting his Sprint Cup championship trophy anywhere and everywhere he can. Behold a photo gallery of Smoke in Vegas...

Carl Edwards, meanwhile, was spotted plugging nickels into a greasy slot machine in Stinky's Casino downtown, muttering, "gotta get lucky someday ... gotta get lucky someday ... "

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Tony-Stewart-totes-his-trophy-all-over-Las-Vegas?urn=nascar-wp5511

Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes

2012 MotoGP Calendar Changes: Qatar A Week Earlier, Jerez Confirmed, Calendar Still Provisional

The MotoGP schedule for the 2012 season has been tweaked a little, and there is some good news for fans: the season starts seven days earlier, with the Qatar MotoGP round having been moved up a week to April 8th. The move is in response to the Formula One calendar, which sees the Chinese Grand Prix scheduled for April 15th, the date originally planned for Qatar, and so the decision was taken to start the MotoGP season a week earlier.

The other changes to the calendar are merely confirmations of what had been widely expected. The German GP is now officially set to take place at the Sachsenring, although as the contracts are yet to be completed, the date is still listed as being subject to contract. Those contracts are a mere formality, however, as the ADAC and the regional government came to an agreement earlier this month to keep the German round of MotoGP at the circuit in Hohenstein-Ernstthal. The Jerez round has also been confirmed, with the mayor of the circuit stepping in to ensure the 2012 date. Beyond 2012 is another matter, however, as the circuit is still in financial turmoil, stemming from alterations made back in 2001, and with new rounds in Argentina and Texas scheduled for 2013, Jerez could well be dropped after that date.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/BIGKyRVsguo/2012_motogp_calendar_changes_qatar_a_wee.html

Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais

Join us for the latest Yahoo! NASCAR chat, Wednesday at 1 ET

Time again for another NASCAR live chat! Join us as we talk, well, whatever. Kurt Busch's new ride? What your favorite drivers want for Christmas? It's all a possibility. Hang, won't you?

[UPDATE at 1:30: CoverItLive has gone down. Shoot. Sorry, folks.]

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Join-us-for-the-latest-Yahoo-NASCAR-chat-Wedne?urn=nascar-wp5732

Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes David Clapham

Darian Grubb takes over as Denny Hamlin?s crew chief

Sometimes the puzzle pieces fit exactly like you'd expect they would. Just weeks after guiding Tony Stewart to a Cup championship�and then getting the boot, and just days after a position opened up atop Denny Hamlin's pit box, Darian Grubb is once again a crew chief.

Grubb now has one of the more enviable resum�s in racing, having worked for, in succession, Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing and now Joe Gibbs Racing. And he's used to performing under pressure, not just of the championship variety but of the driver-induced (and soon-to-be-unemployed) variety as well.

That trait should come in handy as he works with Hamlin, who's long been one of NASCAR's most mercurial personalities. He doesn't generally have the rage of, say, a Busch brother, but Hamlin needs constant support, particularly when not running well, and Grubb will need to add part-time psychologist to his list of crew chief duties.

Former 11 team crew chief Mike Ford often clashed with both Hamlin and JGR brass. There's also a pervasive sense that the team never really recovered from its disastrous performance in the penultimate 2010 race. There, poor strategy turned what would have been a huge lead heading into the season finale into a minuscule one, and Hamlin would go on to lose the championship to Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin drove poorly all season in 2011, and although he made the Chase, he was the barest shadow of the dominant driver he'd been in 2010.

Regardless, the hiring of Grubb is an unquestionable win for Hamlin and JGR, and it should return the 11 team to competitiveness in 2012.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Darian-Grubb-takes-over-as-Denny-Hamlin-s-crew-c?urn=nascar-wp5689

Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti

Electric DeLorean go on sale in 2013

More than�a�quarter century after�the series�Back to the Future�continues to�talk about, this year�we saw�the revival�in theaters�last month�and�knew we�were auctioned�1500 pairs�of Nike�MAG,�that while they were�a little out of�our budget�(U.S.�$ 5000�per pair�approx.)Knew that this�money would go to�a good�cause and the�Foundation�Michael�J.�Fox�fight Parkinson?s.�Today we learned�that another�iconic object�of the trilogy�will be realized�in a short time: the famous�time machine�created by�Doc�Brown, the�Delran.�For years,�the [...]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/83-electric-delorean-go-on-sale-in-2013.html

Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers

Remembering the Other Open Wheel Drivers...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/-H2p6dzosR4/remembering-other-open-wheel-drivers.html

Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard

German MotoGP Round To Remain At Sachsenring For 2012

One more question mark can be removed from the provisional MotoGP calendar for 2012. The ADAC - the German automobile association which organizes the German round of MotoGP and owns the Sachsenring - have invited the press to a press event to be held in pit lane at the Sachsenring on Friday, December 2nd, to be attended by the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony and the President of the ADAC's sport section. The subject of the event is the future of the German round of MotoGP, and though the invitation says nothing about what is to be announced at the event, the guests and the location point to just one conclusion: The Sachsenring is to continue to host the German MotoGP race for 2012, and, according to leading German-language magazine Speedweek, well beyond.

Source: 

http://www.speedweek.de/art_23140.html

http://www.sachsenring-circuit.com/images/events/gp/info_GP2012.png

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/KHQ4TRiGC3A/german_motogp_round_to_remain_at_sachsen.html

Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca

Offseason Hot/Not: Tony Stewart, who? NASCAR?s real closer was AJ Allmendinger

We know that Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards produced the closest point standings finish NASCAR will ever see (because, well, it was a tie) and we know that Kurt (hey, he's looking for a job!) and Kyle Busch produced the two worst efforts of the Chase.

But guess who was more effective late in the race than any of those Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders? AJ-freaking-Allmendinger, that's who.�What surreal NASCAR world is? Oh, just the world of NASCAR's intuitive loop data ? where crazy stats can tell you a whole lot or very little about many a driver's season.

HOT: Yeah, you read that right: A J Allmendginer ? the former open-wheeler turned NASCAR driver currently piloting Richard Petty Motorsports' iconic No. 43 ? was the Sprint Cup Series' tour de force while the final laps came into view this season.

The Dinger picked up a masterful 134 positions in the last�10 percent of the season's 36 races, for an average of 3.7 spots per race. With NASCAR's point system basically equaling a point per position, Allmendinger gained 134 points thanks to his late-race heroics ? or the difference between 15th and 24th in the final standings. Strangely (or not) Allmendinger's teammate Marcos Ambrose was second-best with 85 late-race passes.

The rest of the Closer Top-10 goes like this: Kevin Harvick (+78), Edwards (+76), Brian Vickers (+63), David Gilliland (+53), Kasey Kahne (+48), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+32), Travis Kvapil (+26) and Matt Kenseth (+23).

Being a great finisher, however, wasn't a barometer of success ? even if it was maddening to watch for fans of drivers who were beaten to the line more often than not. Jeff Gordon ranked 70th of all 2011 Cup drivers with 26 lost spots, and still beat out fellow Chasers Tony Stewart (-27), Brad Keselowski (-34), Ryan Newman (-38), Denny Hamlin (-70), Kyle Busch (-74) and Kurt Busch (-84).

Perhaps, just perhaps, such luck inspired Kurt's Homestead meltdown?

NOT: Kyle Busch's consistency continues to be his biggest downfall in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. I say that because he was nothing short of damn fast all season.

Busch was the fastest car early in a run (first 25 percent of a run after pit stops) and the fastest car late in a run. He also averaged the fastest green-flag speed (over Johnson and Edwards), the most laps in the top 15 (79.6 percent of all laps, 5 percent more than Edwards) and had the most laps led (1,455 total, topping Johnson's 1,115).

Yet Busch, even before his Texas suspension, had dropped to 7th in the Chase and 57 points out of the lead.

NEUTRAL: Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the Chase for the first time since forever (also known as 2008) but didn't�win a race and proved to be more of an also-ran for much of the year. However disappointing that was, the season had all of the hallmarks of him driving in a Steve Letarte-led operation.

Earnhardt completed 90.31 percent of his season on the lead lap, third only to Gordon and Harvick. But Earnhardt�led only�52 laps this season, good for 12th-best among Chase drivers. The 11th-most laps led among Chase drivers? Brad Keselowski's 298. He won three times.

Remember it was Letarte who led Jeff Gordon to a NASCAR-record 30 top-10 finishes in 2007 ? and not a championship.

HOT: Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. didn't score Chase berths this season, but it wasn't for a lack of trying when the green flag waved. Seventh and eighth fastest respectively on restarts, Kahne and Truex were the only non-Chasers above 13th.

HOT: It's probably of no surprise that Jimmie Johnson actually had a pretty good year trying to defend his five consecutive championships streak. Heck, aside from his wreck of�over-aggression�at Charlotte and tough Talladega finish, his Chase was shaping up in very good fashion.

Johnson had the fourth-best average running position in the Chase (11.4) and had the highest percentage of fastest laps run. He even led the second-most amount of laps among Chasers, behind only Tony Stewart.

Yet Johnson finished sixth, 99 points back. Another cat doomed by a lack of consistency.

How about some quick "makes you hmmm"stats? Let's go:

HOT: Juan Pablo Montoya completed the most total laps this year (10602) and the most total miles (14,165.25). Interestingly, Tony Stewart completed just 1.89 miles less than Montoya in 2011 while completing 23 fewer laps. Chalk that up, I'm told, to varying track sizes. It's a scientific fact.

NOT: Looking for some hard statistics about why Michael Waltrip Racing replaced David Reutimann next year? Reutimann's average finish dropped year-to-year over four spots to 22.3 in 2011, and he had seven fewer lead-lap finishes than in�2010.

HOT: Three drivers finished every race this season, including Montoya, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman.�Thirty drivers finished at least 30 races this year on track. Attrition? You have no place in today's NASCAR.

NEUTRAL: Trevor Bayne made 51 percent of his Sprint Cup earnings in 2011 by winning the Daytona 500. He raced 16 more times. If anyone is offering, I'll gladly pitch your product and push Jeff Gordon all day in the 2012 Daytona 500 ? just like Mr. Bayne.

HOT: 31 lead-lap finishes was the most by any driver this season, a mark held by ? who else ? Stewart and Edwards. Meanwhile, Brian Vickers and Jamie McMurray each had 17 to easily illustrate the gulf between contenders and those who are not.

HOT: Perennial terrible�qualifier�Matt Kenseth tied for the most poles this season with three. Five drivers scored that number, meaning 2011 was the first season since 1997 that a single driver didn't have at least four poles in a season. Ryan Newman, what happened?

NEUTRAL: Likewise, Tony Stewart's five (all in the Chase!) wins led all Sprint Cup drivers this year. Not since 2002 (when Matt Kenseth had a season-high five wins) had NASCAR had a season without a six-or-more race winner.

With those stats, and the tied finish for the sport's top�achievement, you could say parity and consistency held some pretty big esteem in 2011. That's good, because they helped produce�noticeably-increased TV ratings over the 2010 numbers. Who knew fans hated someone stinking up the show with dominance?

Oh, everyone? You don't say...

Back to your regularly-scheduled NASCAR Silly Season.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Offseason-Hot-Not-Tony-Stewart-who-NASCAR-s-r?urn=nascar-wp5634

Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor