Indy Car Info: 9/2/12

Saturday

Lamborghini Gallardo SOHO by DMC

Let’s say you picked up a 2004 to 2008 Gallardo only to fall in love with the Gallardo LP-570-4 when it hit showrooms in 2012. Instead of taking a huge hit trading up to the LP-570-4, DMC ? no, not THAT DMC, the German car tuner ? has a solution for you in the form of its Gallardo SOHO upgrade.

DMC starts off by eliminating the Gallardo’s front fascia and adding in a replacement piece that has more of the pointed nose, like the LP-570. On the bottom of the fascia are the signature air intakes and lower lip spoilers. On each end of the front fascia is the same diffuser you’ll find on an LP-570, showing DMC’s attention to detail.

The rear end is another part of the Lamborghini Gallardo that has obvious differences between the LP570 and the base model, so DMC completely revised it. DMC began by ripping off the entire rear fascia and replacing it with one that boasts the same lengthwise grated opening that the LP-570 boasts. Under the fascia, DMC added in a rear diffuser that very closely mimics that on the LP-570, including the lower brake light assembly and the cutout near the center.

Also on the backside DMC also includes a pair of dual-exit exhaust tip, just like the LP-570, and even a twin-pedestal wing with center high-mounted stoplight. Every body piece added to the Gallardo is made from lightweight carbon fiber, to avoid adding too much weight to the base car.

The interior boasts an overhaul as well. DMC will fit your Gallardo with carbon fiber and Italian leather to complete the aesthetic overhaul.

In the engine compartment, the 2004 through 2008 Gallardo gives up 58 to 73 horsepower, depending on the year. DMC’s engineers helped compensate for that with some engine management mods that bump the Gallardo’s up about 40 horsepower making its new top speed 322 km/h (200 mph). For a little extra scratch, you can add in the DMC sport catalytic converter and get an extra 28 ponies.

Overall, this is a pretty sweet build, but we can’t find pricing anywhere on it. We have reached out to DMC for pricing information.

gallery: 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

Lamborghini Gallardo SOHO by DMC originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 7 September 2012 13:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/lamborghini/2004-2008-lamborghini-gallardo-soho-by-dmc-ar134650.html

Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison

Will Mercedes offer Schumacher a new contract?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/06/schumacher_finally_makes_his_r.html

Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto

Hamilton and Mercedes

Eddie Jordan is close to Bernie Ecclestone and it is not unusual for EJ to be used to put out stories. So if EJ is saying that Lewis Hamilton is close to signing for Mercedes, one needs to listen. But is it true? McLaren says that Lewis’s management is saying it is not true. I [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/hamilton-and-mercedes/

Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg

Mitt Romney will be at the Richmond race on Saturday night

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

Presidential politics comes to NASCAR again as Mitt Romney's campaign has announced he'll make an appearance at the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond. Romney's exact role in the race is yet to be determined (though it's unlikely he'll be racing for a Chase berth).

[What to watch for: Federated Auto Parts 400]

It's the latest in a long line of NASCAR-presidency connections; NASCAR is, of course, historically a home game for most Republican candidates. Romney also visited the Daytona 500 earlier this season; read on for a few photos from that day.

First, Romney met with Jimmie Johnson to discuss policy:

Next, Romney and John Cena traded takedown tips:

And finally, this awesome shot of Romney and Lenny Kravitz trying to decide whether to go handshake, fist-bump or bro-hug:

College football video from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/mitt-romney-richmond-race-saturday-night-182514441--nascar.html

Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon

Happy Hour: Should Jimmie Johnson have spoken after his Michigan engine problems?

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

On Thursday, I am slated to watch Jeff Gordon officiate a dolphin race at the Georgia Aquarium. Thatne more reason why NASCAR is awesome. I'm hoping that one of the dolphins puts the other into the plexiglass wall. The most aggressive dolphin might just win a seat driving the 22 next year, you never know.

All right, your letters. And we begin with ... hypocrisy!

All of the whiners out there had a field day when Kyle Busch denied reporters a post-race interview after the Watkins Glen fiasco. Are they all going to come out this week since Golden Boy (aka Jimmie Johnson) refused to be interviewed after the Michigan race? I am thinking not, but anything Golden Boy does, or in this case, doesn't do is OK with NASCAR fans.

Dayna B.
California

Well, I'm not sure every NASCAR fan is OK with Golden Boy (more on that later), but the whole "oh my God Jimmie didn't speak to the media!" story was way overblown ... much of it, surprise surprise, coming from the media itself. Should Johnson have spoken to the media? Absolutely. Do I understand why he didn't? Yep. Probably a wise move, all things considered.

And for those screaming that the media goes after some drivers for doing this, and not Jimmie Johnson, here's the thing: certain drivers go out of their way to meet their media obligations, and others treat those obligations (which, remember, are really the fans, not the media) like a trip to the dentist. You play ball 99 times out of 100, you get that pass on the hundredth. You play ball nine times out of 100, well ...

Which brings up another point: there's also a significant contingent of NASCAR fans who have that "it's not fair!" little-kid complaint going. They scream whenever they perceive that their driver is getting treated unfairly, or that another driver is getting treated with too much love ... which means they're pretty much always screaming about unthrown penalties, unleveled criticism, unfair advantages.

Bottom line: NASCAR will never be fair, and the other guy will always be getting more love than your driver. No matter what.

____________________

[Regarding the Montreal shoe-throwing incident; letter edited WAY down]
How is it that not only NASCAR but the entire racing community, can so easily accept the victimization of a woman but not of a man? Where is the outcry from the racing community about the treachery of this act? As it currently appears, no one has championed this outcry. Fortunately, no one was injured and we didn't witness a huge pileup. Perhaps next time the object will be something more substantial than a shoe.

Dennis Johnson

Dennis had a lot going on in his letter, from alleged different treatment of women to shoe-throwers roaming free to NASCAR's indifference. Let me see if I can boil it down:

First off, I think we're past the "Danica is a gurl and gurls don't belong in no NASCAR" stage, except for the people who will never get it. She can race? Fine. She can't? Adios, ma'am. Nothing to do with gender.

As for the shoe ... well, it wasn't exactly the terroristic act that Dennis paints it, but it did cause some problems in the race. Perhaps by calling attention to it, NASCAR is afraid that we'll see copycat shoe-throwers, and maybe next time it'll be a steel-toed boot.

Besides, who's to say NASCAR didn't actually find the shoe-thrower? Not like he'd (and you know it was a he) be that hard to identify leaving Montreal. Good thing this wasn't Talladega. You know what they call a guy with one shoe there, right? Rich.

____________________

When I came across the truck race in Michigan on Speed, I was dumbfounded and laughing hysterically when I saw Michael Waltrip's hair. I was trying to figure out if it was a toupee, a bad Just for Men commercial, or a late-night infomercial for Ronco's "Great Looking Hair." Just glad to see his older brother Darrell doesn't color his hair with same product.

Steve in Orlando

Dude. The Waltrip Hair is the follicular equivalent of Chuck Norris. It can be woven into silk. It has the tensile strength of steel. Its clippings form shelters for families in disaster-ravaged regions. Do not disrespect the Waltrip Hair. Matter of fact, if you have other uses for Waltrip Hair, feel free to enlighten us in the comments below.

____________________

I hate how all networks (FOX, TNT, ESPN/ABC) allow us to listen in as the spotter for #48 says that incredibly annoying "New leader, the 48"� every time Jimmie Johnson takes the lead. Was I the only one that joyfully screamed out "Blown Motor the 48" near the end of the Michigan race? I doubt it.

Eric Tackett
Pikeville, Ky.

Look, we're all jealous of the 48's success. We need to just admit it. It'll be easier in the long run.

Speaking of success, let's have this week's edition of How I'd Fix The Points ...

____________________

I'd tweak the awarding of points to give the winner of each race 100 bonus points. Then I'd move the top 12 in points into the chase, thereby doing away with the wild-cards. You can then adjust the points before the Chase starts, just like today.

BigFaninMO

Let's play this one out. Using the 100-point system (which means adding 57 points to the existing 43 you already get), your standings would look like this:

1. Jimmie Johnson, 966 points
2. Brad Keselowski, 947
3. Greg Biffle, 937
4. Tony Stewart, 899
5. Matt Kenseth, 860
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 858
7. Denny Hamlin, 841
8. Clint Bowyer, 814
9. Kasey Kahne, 808
10. Martin Truex Jr., 763
11. Kevin Harvick, 738
12. Ryan Newman, 737

Huh. I like that. I like that a lot. I've said that NASCAR needs to give a greater bonus for winning, and seeing it played out like that ... that's pretty much the best drivers at the top, isn't it? And Harvick and Truex, the only ones without wins on that list, are deservedly down at the bottom fighting for their playoff lives.

____________________

My wife and I saw the Mark Martin wreck Sunday. [What about using] a SAFER Barrier gate? Watkins Glen has a barrel full of water on the entrance of pit road. Could that also work as well?

-No Name Given-

I'd be surprised if tracks don't implement something to help blunt the impact of car on concrete. Maybe a SAFER Barrier would work, and maybe something as simple as angled concrete walls. But clearly, there are still holes where danger lurks. And yes, I'd be all over putting water barrels at various spots along every track. A car hits one of those, it's the only bath some fans are going to get all year! (Ha ha ha oh please don't kill me fans please)

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-jimmie-johnson-spoken-michigan-wreck-192515808--nascar.html

Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell

Friday

Video: Corvette C1 Tribute

We are still waiting to see the seventh generation Corvette, but it looks like Chevrolet has decided to make us wait a little bit longer by beginning a very cool series of tribute videos for the past Corvette models. The first episode covers the one and only Corvette C1.

Harlan Charles, Corvette Product Manager, discusses everything important about the first generation of Corvette - from the 1953 Corvette show car at the GM Motorama to winning its class against foreign brands racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also goes into detail about the father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the initial Blue Flame engine, and the first of Chevrolet’s small block V8 engines.

All you have to do is sit back and enjoy a very cool lesson about the Chevrolet Corvette C1!

Video: Corvette C1 Tribute originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 7 September 2012 02:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/video-corvette-c1-tribute-ar134618.html

Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson

Refine JAC Motors 2012

There are some vehicles that have been created for certain types of tasks in particular, as is the case as the JAC Refine Motors 2012 a proposal that certainly can be useful when wanting to carry a lot of people certain destination or otherwise charge or material in a car, for that reason, the 2012 [...]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/312-refine-jac-motors-2012.html

George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

The Wild Card race: An unexpected driver could take a spot

With two races to go before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, the most important figure in the fight for the Chase's two Wild Card spots could be Tony Stewart, the defending series champion. Yes, that's the same Tony Stewart who has been a virtual lock for the Chase since he left Daytona with his third win of the season and in sixth place in the points standings.

While Stewart is still in the top 10, he's 10th, 16 points ahead of Kasey Kahne in 11th thanks to finishes of 18th, 32nd and 27th over his last three races. Late in the running of Saturday night's race at Bristol ? after Stewart had been taken out of contention thanks to his run-in with Matt Kenseth ? the driver that stood the most to gain was winless Carl Edwards, who could have closed to within 15 points of Stewart for the final automatic Chase berth.

However, Edwards, who was trying to stretch his fuel to the end, ran out of gas with five laps to go and finished 22nd.

10. Tony Stewart, +16 from 11th (3 wins): Stewart is still in the Chase, either via the top 10 or thanks to those three wins even if he hasn't officially clinched yet. However, if Stewart gets in via the Wild Card, he starts the Chase tied for last without the virtue of his bonus points for those three wins. If he stays in the top 10, he could start first.

11. Kasey Kahne, -16 from 10th (2 wins): All Kahne has to do right now is hold serve. If he can get around Stewart and into the top 10, he could start the Chase three points off the lead. The disastrous scenario for him is if Edwards sneaks into the top 10 while Stewart falls out and a driver with one win wins the next two races. Not likely.

12. Carl Edwards, -34 (0 wins): You have to admire the gumption of Edwards in going for the win while trying to stretch it on fuel mileage as it looked like Edwards' best shot to get into Chase contention. His bed already made, pitting from the race lead with less than 60 laps to go to ensure that the car would make it to the end wasn't the right move at the time, but it may have saved 10 points ? hindsight being 20/20 and all that. Wins at Atlanta and Richmond likely get Edwards in. Can he do it?

13. Kyle Busch, -39 (1 win): Busch is still in the Chase right now, but he's living on a dangerous edge. Simply outpointing Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano seems simple enough, but if one of those four drivers wins and Busch doesn't, he's toast. Busch's stats at Richmond are insane, however. In 15 career races he's got four wins and 12 top fives. He still may be the best bet of the one win drivers to make it in.

14. Jeff Gordon, -55 (1 win): Gordon's third place finish Saturday night pushed him ahead of Ryan Newman and within striking distance of Busch. Plus, Gordon won last year's race at Atlanta. Repeating Sunday night puts the pressure squarely on Busch at Richmond.

15. Ryan Newman, -58 (1 win): Newman's chances took a huge hit when he made contact with nemesis Juan Pablo Montoya and slammed into the inside wall. His record at Atlanta and and Richmond is lesser than that of Busch and Gordon, and instead of being ahead of both of them with two races to go, he's now behind them.

16. Marcos Ambrose, -67 (1 win): If there were a few more races before the Chase, Ambrose could surpass all three of the one-win drivers ahead of him as he's recorded back-to-back fifth place finishes since winning at Watkins Glen. He showed some speed earlier in the season at Texas, the most similar track to Atlanta. If you believe in momentum, Ambrose is your guy. But it may be too little, too late.

18. Joey Logano, -108 (1 win): It's strictly win or go home time for Logano who bounced back with an eighth-place finish at Bristol after three finishes outside the top 30 in the past four races. In 12 combined Richmond and Atlanta starts, he's got just one top 10. But hey, his only top 10 at Pocono was his win there earlier this season. Never say never, but Logano's on a one-way street right now.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/wild-card-race-unexpected-driver-could-spot-044815698--nascar.html

Bob Christie Johnny Claes David Clapham Jim Clark†

Denny Hamlin?s Bristol win was the 200th for No. 11

When he took the checkered flag Saturday night at Bristol, Denny Hamlin scored the 200th win for the No. 11 car in the Sprint Cup Series, the most wins for any car number.

Say what, you say? Doesn't Richard Petty have 200 wins? And didn't he drive the No. 43 car? Yes and yes. But Petty won 192 races in the 43; with six wins coming in the No. 41 and two in the No. 42 for Petty Enterprises. The No. 43 has 198 wins, and its last win was John Andretti at Martinsville in 1999.

That meant that Hamlin's win at Kansas earlier in the season pushed the No. 11 to the top of the list. The winningest driver in the No. 11 is Cale Yarborough, who scored 55 wins with the number and Ned Jarrett is second with 49. Heck, the entire roster of winners in the 11 is practically a who's who of racing history and includes five NASCAR Hall of Famers. Check it out:

Cale Yarborough, 55 wins
Ned Jarrett, 49 wins
Darrell Waltrip, 43 wins
Denny Hamlin, 20 wins
Junior Johnson, 11 wins
Bill Elliott 6 wins
Geoff Bodine, 4 wins
Terry Labonte, 4 wins
Bobby Allison, 3 wins
Buddy Baker, 2 wins
A.J. Foyt, 1 win
Mario Andretti, 1 win
Parnelli Jones, 1 win

At one point, it wasn't unfathomable to think that the No. 43 would never have been caught as the most victorious car number. But coupled with Hamlin's 20 wins in 6+ seasons and an over 12 year winless drought for the 43, it's reasonable to think that the No. 11 could extend it's lead and stay at the top of the list for a while. (The No. 3 is a distant third place with 97 wins.) What do you think? Will Hamlin keep racking up the wins or will the No. 43 get its mojo back in the near future and reclaim the top spot?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/denny-hamlin-bristol-win-200th-no-11-021804527--nascar.html

Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi

Thursday

Video: Previewing the new-old-new Bristol

Bristol's back, baby! How will the new surface, which is a version of the old surface that they replaced with a new-but-not-as-new surface, handle the races this weekend? Join Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR Jays, Busbee and Hart, as we kick around this and other preview stories from this weekend. Who are we picking? Hint: there's a "K" involved. Enjoy!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/video-previewing-old-bristol-123622124--nascar.html

Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto

Meanwhile in India?

The Force India F1 team had a good weekend at Spa with Nico Hulkenberg fourth and Paul di Resta 10th. Their combined points mean that the Silverstone team has now overtaken Williams F1 for seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship. This is great news for the team, but away in India there has been some [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/meanwhile-in-india-3/

Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi

Jimmie Johnson?s engine deprives him of a victory at Michigan

"This one is over."

That was the phrase that undoubtedly crossed the lips of many on Sunday when Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Brad Keselowski with 10 laps to go at Michigan. After completing the pass, Johnson set sail, opening up a gap over Keselowski and Greg Biffle that looked almost insurmountable as the laps started to tick down.

Yes, Johnson's Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon had retired earlier in the race because of a valve spring issue, and a valve spring issue had also sidelined Tony Stewart, whose Stewart-Haas race team uses Hendrick horsepower. But Johnson was just more than six laps from the finish and he had a fresh engine that was installed on Saturday ? a fresh engine that had helped him drive from a 41st starting position to the front of the field with relative ease. Gordon and Stewart's problems came a whole lot earlier in the race, Johnson's engine was going to make it to the end. Right?

Wrong. Johnson started radioing to his crew that the motor was laying down ? the same verbiage that Stewart used when describing his engine woes. Was Johnson serious? Or was he playing around given the gap he had drawn on the field? Then the lead dwindled, more than half a second in one lap. Oh no, Johnson wasn't kidding.

He slowed on the backstretch. Biffle screamed by for the lead. Then Keselowski and others zoomed past. Johnson's frustration on the radio apexed. And soon, his engine was billowing smoke and causing a caution flag.

After inheriting the points lead thanks to a third-place finish last week at Watkins Glen, Johnson talked openly about how he looked forward to having the pressure of being the points leader on his team; pressure that the No. 48 crew had responded positively to. And claiming Michigan's checkered flag would not only have kept Johnson in the points lead, but also meant that he'd likely start the Chase at the top spot as well.

That frustration was still at a crescendo as Johnson pulled his car behind his team's hauler in the garage. He exited his car quickly and walked past his hauler with his helmet still on his head. He kept walking and turned towards the motorcoach lot, pausing for no one. It was evident how much this win meant for one of the most media-affable drivers in the garage.

While, as of now, Johnson would be tied for the lead when the Chase begins, he's now fourth in the points standings, 28 points behind Biffle with three races to go before the 10-race playoffs. Barring any major misfortune, Johnson and company won't get to feel the pressure of being the points leader any more before the Chase. But for the 193 laps that they did on Sunday, it was obvious what the response was.

Related NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/jimmie-johnson-engine-deprives-him-victory-michigan-213219738--nascar.html

Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso

Scary wreck at Missouri State Fair during ?Battle of the Badges? race

At the Missouri State Fair, cops take to the track for a little amateur racing in an annual "Battle of the Badges" charity campaign. This, folks, ought to be proof positive that just because you can drive a car, you can't necessarily drive in a race. These guys are paid to drive cars, and drive them well after law-breakin' miscreants, and even they can't always keep the car on the track.

Here's the deal: Officer Tyson Russell's car got spun off the track, not unlike Mark Martin's on Sunday at Michigan, but unlike Martin's wreck there weren't barriers strong enough to catch the car. Five spectators were injured, with two hospitalized with more serious injuries.

The cars used in the race are mostly out-of-service Crown Vics, and the police officers are all off duty during the races.

This was the second wreck of the night; a 15-year-old boy flipped a sprint car and was airlifted to the hospital in serious but stable condition.

So, yeah: just because you can drive a car doesn't mean you can race one.

[Hat tip: Jalopnik]

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/scary-wreck-missouri-state-fair-during-battle-badges-134305784--nascar.html

Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem

Kimball Fractures Hand In Mid-Ohio

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/07/kimball-fractures-hand-in-mid-ohio.html

David Clapham Jim Clark† Kevin Cogan Peter Collins

Wednesday

Bridgestone Press Release: Shinji Aoki Explains Tire Choice At Brno

Bridgestone issued their usual press release after the Brno round of MotoGP, explaining why the entire field went for the softer rear tire for the race in the Czech Republic:

Round Number:

Year:

2012

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/3iYtnXTtRCw/bridgestone_press_release_shinji_aoki_ex.html

Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen

Grosjean receives one-race ban after Spa shunt

Romain Grosjean won’t be taking part in the Italian GP for Lotus after receiving a one-race suspension for his role in the first corner crash in Spa. He has also been fined 50,000 euros. The FIA Stewards decided that he … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/09/02/grosjean-receives-one-race-ban-after-spa-shunt/

Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman

Happy Hour: Why don?t drivers take a race off before the Chase begins?

So I was covering the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, S.C. this past weekend, and there were these huge traffic jams coming out of the tournament, mainly because there was only one two-lane road to get tens of thousands of people off the island. Seriously, this made the Kentucky debacle of last year look like a 3am highway. We were in a freaking bus. We should've just pulled a Keselowski and plowed right on through the rest of the cars.

Anyway, your letters, starting with a question of sit-or-start...

Will we ever see a driver take the last race before the Chase off? Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski all have 3 wins, and if they keep running like they are then even if they skip the last race before the Chase they're not going to drop out of the Top 10 and still start near the top with the bonus points. So why not take a page from football and give your guy and/or crew the week off? Put a development driver in the car for the week and still get ad time for your sponsor.

? Ben

First thing I thought was, "damn! Why hasn't anybody done that?" Then, in a rare move, I kept on thinking and discovered a few flaws. You're right, the 11 spot is so far back that right now, anyone in the top nine could take the last week off. But you've got to consider whether rest is really what's needed; crews and drivers would probably prefer to keep the momentum going and the timing down pat. There's the classic question in stick-and-ball sports of whether it's better to make the playoffs early and rest, or make the playoffs last-minute and carry in momentum. As Tony Stewart proved last year, you can squeak in and still do OK.

Plus, let's consider the sponsors. I don't think Lowe's or Office Depot would be thrilled about spending one race's sponsor coin on Joe Schmoe rolling their car around in the 30s. And wrecked equipment in NASCAR costs considerably more than wrecked pads and helmets in football. My take: there are just too many possible negatives for the relatively minor benefit of getting everybody a week off. Any crew members out there want to offer a different opinion?

____________________

I've noticed recently that in the past few seasons there have not been any "standout" rookies. Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Stewart, McMurray, Johnson, Newman ... these drivers challenged and even got wins in their rookie seasons. It seems like all the new rookies run towards the back of the pack and they hardly challenge for wins. I want to know why this is. Are the veterans just that good? Do the upcomers just not have all that much talent? Am I crazy for thinking this way?

? Nick
Huntingburg, Ind.

Nobody's ever crazy for thinking ANY way in this space, Nick. But I would think that your first question hits on it: the veterans are that good. Plus, we've seen a consolidation of teams in the last few years; there's the superteams and the indies, with very few in the middle. (I'd put Waltrip, Petty and Penske in that "middle," and two of those three are very close to breaking through to the top echelon.)

Careers in NASCAR last for-freakin'-ever, and that's the main impediment to rookies getting work. Consider this: In fantasy football, there was a time not so long ago when you'd push your mother aside to draft running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Now? The guy's out of the league. But the most recent year he was at his best was in 2007. If you look at that year in NASCAR, every single driver in the top 20 is still running full seasons to this day. Every driver in the Chase from that year with the exception of Jeff Burton is either in or close to the Chase this year. There's just no turnover, and the shrinking team sizes mean fewer seats available in the best equipment.

Is, say, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a better driver than [insert non-Chase-making driver here]? Yes, almost certainly. But Unnamed Non-Chase Driver has a contract and a reputation with both teams and sponsors, and that's tough for a rookie to get past. It'll happen; there are five or six drivers who are nearing their sunsets as fulltime drivers, but it won't happen as soon as the youngsters would surely like.

____________________

I cannot believe that they are touting this "great finish" at Watkins Glen. Yes, it was an exciting finish, but that is never, let me reiterate, NEVER worth the dangerous situation NASCAR allowed to persist on the track. I would bet money that the families of the countless drivers killed in motorsports over the years didn't think that was a great finish. If they were cutting a driver from his car would ESPN still have avoided the elephant in the room during the post race coverage?

? Darrell "Furiousd" Watts
Yeah I know how ironic my handle is right now

I absolutely get what you're saying, and NASCAR has set itself up for this kind of criticism by throwing caution flags for gnat crap in Turn 3. Thing is, where do we draw the line? If NASCAR throws the flag, it ticks off the "NASCAR is fixing races/safety is boring" crowd, and if it doesn't, you've got a whole different group who are, so to speak, furious. There will never, ever be a solution that pleases everyone in a close race like this. NASCAR should hew to the side of safety, of course...so we should all be glad this didn't play out as badly as it could have.

_________________

Dang it, Brad, stop making me like you! If you aren't careful, you might become one of my favorite drivers. Seriously though, Brad K. actually gave me goosebumps after the Watkins Glen race. First, he went over and shook hands with members of Marcos' crew. How often do you see that kind of sportsmanship in NASCAR? Then during his post-race interview he was gracious and praised Ambrose's performance and racing style at a time when adrenaline is still running high and far too many (admittedly, not all) drivers come across as whiny and negative. Thanks Brad, for such a classy performance.

? Julie M
Las Vegas Baby!

Keselowski's been doing all the right things PR-wise for awhile now. And, just like everything else in NASCAR, how you feel about what he does depends on how you feel about him in the first place. Is he sincere or putting on a show? Good sportsman or cheap-shot artist? We go with the former in both cases. Regardless, to paraphrase Will Ferrell in "Blades of Glory" and a certain Jay-Z/Kanye song, he's provocative. Gets the people goin'.

____________________

If I was to pick a bottom 5 drivers whom I dislike, Kyle Busch would head the list. For all his skill in an individual race, he has never shown he can focus on winning the cup. He is arrogant, hypocritical - hey you get the idea, I don't like the guy. But he got a raw deal this week. After too many races with a phantom yellow, we get a phantom green. Are the guys who make these calls for NASCAR moonlighting as judges for Olympic gymnastics? Kyle should have this win.

? Dean
Centerton, Ark.

Kyle Busch would like to punch you. And then thank you. And then he'd either punch you or thank you. No telling how that would go.

___________________

Jay, Jay, Jay. The fact you were listening to a radio station that would play "Call Me Maybe" is grounds for dismissal. You maroon, you even put it in writing.

? Matt Rardon
Kalispell, Mont.

Look, I was kind of tired, and I wasn't really thinking all that straight, and so I asked this friend of mine to work the radio station, and, well, next thing I knew it was all "Hey, I just met you," and ? wow, that's a crappy excuse. Sorry.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-why-don-t-drivers-race-off-172215623--nascar.html

Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly

Reports: Joey Logano headed to Penske to drive the No. 22

Multiple outlets are reporting that Joey Logano is headed to Penske to take the seat vacated by AJ Allmendinger earlier this season. It's part of an ongoing merry-go-round of seats that will apparently see Matt Kenseth take over Logano's old ride at Gibbs and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. assume Kenseth's former seat. The odd man out is Sam Hornish Jr., who has been driving the No. 22 since Allmendinger's suspension for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy.

Logano earned the nickname "Sliced Bread" (as in "Greatest thing since ... ") from Mark Martin early in his racing career, but has struggled to live up to such high praise. He has two wins in 136 career Sprint Cup starts, and has never finished a season ranked higher than 16th. Given that Home Depot is one of NASCAR's highest-profile sponsors and had grown accustomed to victory lane with Tony Stewart, Logano's inability to hit similar heights contributed to the end of his time at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Still, Logano is starting to assert himself as a driver. He's had high-profile garage dustups with both Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman, and could perhaps benefit from a change in scenery. At Penske, he'll be teamed with Brad Keselowski, another young driver albeit one who's found more success early in his career, and the two could be a fearsome tandem for years to come. Could be.

This year, he currently sits at 18th but has a chance to reach the Chase if he can win Saturday night's Richmond race. A win there would give him two on the season and vault him over Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards, among others.

None of the sides has made a public comment on the story, but the news is expected to be announced this week.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/reports-joey-logano-headed-penske-drive-no-22-162318731--nascar.html

Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas

INDYCAR: The Long and Twisty Sonoma edition

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/wk991ta1Qgc/indycar-long-and-twisty-sonoma-edition.html

Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas

Tuesday

Trouble ends promising days for Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A potential win spun out of Tony Stewart's grasp on Sunday and so did the points lead out of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s as the two ended up outside the top 20 thanks to late race spins.

Stewart spun in turn 7 after getting his right side tires on the inside curb in turn 7 on lap 71. The contact with the curb, wet from rain during the previous caution flag just a few laps prior, sent Stewart's car around and into the inside retaining wall. He finished 19th.

At the time Stewart, a five-time Watkins Glen winner, was running second to Brad Keselowski after overcoming a pit road equipment violation that put him back in 25th place. Immediately after the violation, Stewart made up 12 spots in seven laps. e's now 8th in the points standings, and as of now, would still start the Chase tied with Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson atop the standings with three wins.

Junior, winless on road courses in NASCAR, ran in the top 10 for most of the day and was in position to maintain his position atop the Sprint Cup points standings, until he spun with eight laps to go.

"I just got in the corner and made a mistake and that was pretty much all there was to it. I was just overdriving the car," Junior said.

The mistake and ensuing pit stop for flat spotted tires dropped Junior all the way to 28th place and put teammate Johnson into the points lead, by one point over Greg Biffle and two points over Matt Kenseth, who finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Junior is now fourth, 17 points back.

"I know most people look at it and they just think we're a shoe-in because we're so far ahead of 11th, but after wrecking out the last two weeks in a row, we needed to get a solid finish and this is definitely not a good track for me, so it's good to get a solid finish," Kenseth said.

That last pit stop that Junior made because of the spin put him privy to the chaos that ensued over the last 1.5 laps around Watkins Glen, a situation that he didn't want to be in.

"(Oil) was everywhere. You couldn't see it, but it was everywhere," Junior said. "So you didn't know where to run and I saw the leaders were coming and I was just trying to get out of the way and they were in oil and I was in oil and then I watched everything that happened in front of me. It was a bad deal, I think. The track shouldn't have oil on it. It's a tough deal I guess. But it finished out with all that oil on the track. I don't really like that. It was a bad ugly finish at the end."

More NASCAR video content from Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/trouble-ends-promising-days-tony-stewart-dale-earnhardt-215848521--nascar.html

Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell

The Wild Card race: An unexpected driver could take a spot

However, Edwards, who was trying to stretch his fuel to the end, ran out of gas with five laps to go and finished 22nd.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/wild-card-race-unexpected-driver-could-spot-044815698--nascar.html

Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg

Lotus postpones DDRS ?Device? debut until Suzuka

Lotus technical director James Allison has confirmed that the Double DRS ?Device? now won?t be raced until Suzuka at the earliest. The team had planned to race it at Spa, but the wet Friday meant that it took the conservative … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/09/04/lotus-postpones-ddrs-device-debut-until-suzuka/

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

Mt Tahoma calls...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/Wo2PeQs6uZ4/mt-tahoma-calls.html

Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball

All good for revitalised Webber

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/05/andrew_benson.html

Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown

Monday

NHRA approves enclosed cockpit for Top Fuel dragster use

The NHRA approved the use of the cockpit canopy to enclose the driver's area in top fuel dragsters, and teams can start using the design this weekend at Brainerd.

The concept, originally developed by Don Schumacher Racing, pops open like a hatch when the driver needs to get out, and when in use, is designed to protect drivers from fire and any flying debris. Currently, Top Fuel dragster cockpits have an opening between the windshield and roll bar that leaves the driver's head partially exposed. Tony Schumacher will be the only driver using it at Brainerd.

"We were able to see the finished product yesterday and give our final approval to the Aerodine representatives," said Glen Gray, NHRA vice president of technical operations said in a release. "The product includes a fresh air system, fire bottle, and kick-out panels. The cockpit canopy will be available to any team that wants to use it starting this weekend in Brainerd."

"It's the safest thing anyone can do right now," Schumacher told the Indianapolis Star. "The only disadvantage is there's not much time to run it before (the Countdown to One)."

Conceptual approval for the canopy was given in late July. A competitive concern regarding the canopy was the aerodynamic factor -- instead of hitting the gaps in the current cockpit, it would glance up and over the enclosure. A wicker bill was designed for the top of the canopy -- similar to the wickers that were on Sprint Cup cars 15 or so years ago.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nhra-approves-enclosed-cockpit-top-fuel-dragster-020508556--nascar.html

Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews

Foyt To Field Austin In '500'

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/08/foyt-to-field-austin-in-500.html

Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones

Sunday

Fernando Alonso: ?It seems Jenson is doing great in this race??

Fernando Alonso says he?s happy to be sixth on the grid in Belgium, given that most of his key title rivals are behind, apart from Kimi Raikkonen. The Spaniard pointed out that sixth has been his usual place over the … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/09/01/fernando-alonso-it-seems-jenson-is-doing-great-in-this-race/

Adriбn Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell

The Wild Card race: An unexpected driver could take a spot

However, Edwards, who was trying to stretch his fuel to the end, ran out of gas with five laps to go and finished 22nd.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/wild-card-race-unexpected-driver-could-spot-044815698--nascar.html

Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis

How I Saw it? The Yellow Free Doube-Shot Edition

Another one in the books at Mid-Ohio, and still not a single yellow to be seen in two races. I?m really liking this kinder and gentler, but way more hardcore style of racing we have seen the last few weeks. … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/how-i-saw-it-the-yellow-free-doube-shot-edition/

Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever Andrea Chiesa