Indy Car Info: 1/6/13

Saturday

Should Tony Stewart take Roger Penske?s offer of an Indy 500 ride?

During his speech at Friday night's Sprint Cup Series banquet Roger Penske offered Tony Stewart a ride in a Penske IndyCar for the Indianapolis 500.

It was a joke.

Right?

Wrong, apparently. When asked after the banquet about his line, Penske didn't exactly back away or laugh it off.

From the AP:

''If he wants to do the double, I'd put him in it,'' Penske said. ''We've talked about it before, I guess I made it official tonight.''

Well holy crap.

Stewart moved over from the IndyCar Series to NASCAR full time in 1999 and last ran the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend double in 2001. That year, he finished 6th in the 500 for Chip Ganassi and then third in the 600 for Joe Gibbs Racing, his only Sprint Cup Series team until he got an ownership stake in Stewart-Haas Racing and started driving for his team in 2009.

He has sworn off the double (NASCAR chatters, insert your Whopper jokes here) since then. But will Penske's public proclamation sway him? He's won 15 Indianapolis 500s, you know.

If a driver was going to do the Indy/Charlotte double in the near future, the favorite to do so looked like it would be Danica Patrick, who was entertaining the thought as recently as this summer. But with her move to the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2013, wiser heads prevailed and those plans have been scuttled, for now at least.

However, should her NASCAR owner do it? Stewart has never won the crown jewel of IndyCar racing ? his best finish is a 5th with 64 laps led in 1997. He's also never won the Daytona 500, going 0-14.

So how about this proposal: if Stewart wins the 2013 Daytona 500, he takes Penske's offer. Only Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt (who Stewart chose his car number at SHR after) have won both races. Stewart would have the opportunity to be the first driver to win both in the same season, and if he prevents his 0-fer streak from getting one closer to Dale Earnhardt's in Daytona, why shouldn't he go for it in Indianapolis?

Of course, there are many logistics to sort out if Stewart was to take Penske up on his offer; namely sponsor conflicts (Mobil 1 vs. Shell Pennzoil) and the time juggling that would be required to maintain a regular Sprint Cup Series focus while getting in as much seat time as possible in Indianapolis.

After all, Indianapolis is the race that Stewart grew up attending and dreaming about. And it's a track that, like Daytona, has teased him with strong performances. With Daytona knocked off the bucket list, only Indy would remain unchecked. It'd be too tantalizing to pass up.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-roger-penske-offer-indy-500-ride-003756333--nascar.html

Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch

2012 season in the rear view: Juan Pablo Montoya

Vitals: 22nd in the points standings. 0 wins, 0 top 5s, 2 top 10s. 5 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Oh, gee, what could it be?

Even if Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2012 Sprint Cup Series title, nothing was going to top the jet dryer incident at Daytona in February. Nothing. And Montoya obviously didn't win the championship, so nothing was really a close second either.

So when it comes to performance on the box score (the blaze was performance art at its finest), the highlight of Montoya's season are the back-to-back poles that he scored at Pocono at Watkins Glen in August. But, as Montoya's 2012 tended to go, they lead us directly into the next section.

Moment to forget: Those two poles could have been a great launching point for Montoya to grab a win, jump into the top 20 and suddenly be in the discussion for a Chase wild card berth over the final three races of the regular season. But instead, Montoya finished 20th at Pocono and then 33rd at Watkins Glen after issues with his left front tire. And it wasn't like Montoya was at the front for very long in each of those races. He led a combined eight laps.

The wrap: Chip Ganassi made some personnel switches at Earnhardt Ganassi before the season, including putting Chris Heroy atop Montoya's pit box for the season, and hinted that there could be more on the way if the team's performance didn't pick up. And it didn't. Teammate Jamie McMurray was just one spot ahead of Montoya in the standings.

The team announced that it would field Hendrick engines next year, switching from Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines. Will the powerplant swap be a catalyst for an uptick in performance in 2013? Or is there more to Earnhardt-Ganassi's struggles?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-rear-view-juan-pablo-montoya-204409078--nascar.html

Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison

Grosjean hangs on to Lotus seat for 2013

One of the last remaining pieces of the 2013 F1 puzzle fell into place when Lotus confirmed that Romain Grosjean will stay on alongside Kimi Raikkonen next season. The Frenchman, who won the Race of Champions in Bangkok on Sunday, … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/12/17/grosjean-hangs-on-to-lotus-seat-for-2013/

Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal

FIVE Young Racers Set To Shine In 2013

Champions elect, Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team have thoroughly dominated recent F1 history. After rampaging their way to three successive Constructors? and Drivers? Championships the Milton Keynes based outfit are the team to beat heading into the new season. But where does that leave Formula One in the long term? With revolutionary engine [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/EHhd8VSqcDI/five-young-racers-set-to-shine-in-2013

Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr

The better part of valor: Conway recuses himself from INDYCAR finale

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/13/3328582/the-better-part-of-valor-conway-recuses-himself-from-indycar-finale

Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer

Friday

Man shoots collection of Dale Earnhardt memorabilia after death of pet snake

A man in Denver, NC said he was so distraught over the death of his 17 year old pet snake that he shot the cabinet that contained his Dale Earnhardt collection.

How the snake died, however, is up for debate. Gary Wayne Ericcson says he shot the snake after it was dead, however, he was arrested Sunday and charged with killing it himself.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Gary Wayne Ericcson, 46, was arrested Sunday on multiple charges, including cruelty to animals, after the shooting at his home. He was released from custody after posting a $20,000 bond.

But Ericcson says the snake, which he said was named Anonymous, had died before the shooting.

He told NBC Charlotte that he couldn't bury the snake because "the other animals would get him." Ericcson said that he and his wife can't have children, so their pets, which include two cats and a dog, are their children.

There has been no word on the status of his Earnhardt collection.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/man-shoots-collection-dale-earnhardt-memorabilia-death-pet-152708074--nascar.html

Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer

Thursday

RETRO: Celebrating ?Il Lione?s triumph - Twenty years later

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/FY2vR8cM_qI/retro-celebrating-il-liones-triumph.html

Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz

Andy Ahern is an entrepreneur par excellence

Andy Ahern has been at the helm in the transportations and trucking logistics sector since the day he went public with Ahern and Associates in 1987. Before Andy established his own truck transportation and logistics consultancy, he had garnered sufficient experience about trucking transportation. He had worked in senior positions in many companies. Even the [...]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/373-andy-ahern-is-an-entrepreneur-par-excellence.html

Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch

Man shoots collection of Dale Earnhardt memorabilia after death of pet snake

A man in Denver, NC said he was so distraught over the death of his 17 year old pet snake that he shot the cabinet that contained his Dale Earnhardt collection.

How the snake died, however, is up for debate. Gary Wayne Ericcson says he shot the snake after it was dead, however, he was arrested Sunday and charged with killing it himself.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Gary Wayne Ericcson, 46, was arrested Sunday on multiple charges, including cruelty to animals, after the shooting at his home. He was released from custody after posting a $20,000 bond.

But Ericcson says the snake, which he said was named Anonymous, had died before the shooting.

There has been no word on the status of his Earnhardt collection.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/man-shoots-collection-dale-earnhardt-memorabilia-death-pet-152708074--nascar.html

Andrea Chiesa Ettore Chimeri Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood

Another Smooth Move by Belskus...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/1Cy68a5P0bA/another-smooth-move-by-belskus.html

Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth

Wednesday

Video: 2013 Camaro SS 1LE is Best Handling Camaro Ever

Posted on 01.9.2013 14:00 by Simona

In the latest episode of its "Ignition,? Motor Trend reviewed Chevrolet?s response to Ford Mustang Boss 302 ? the Camaro SS 1LE. The car was tested by pro driver Randy Pobst at Willow Springs International Raceway to see how it tackles the track.

The result was pretty impressive as he names the car "the best handling Camaro ever." Not a surprising result, considering that over the SS version, the 1LE package adds an updated suspension, a set of 20-inch alloy wheels with stickier tires and performance brakes.

The Camaro 1LE is powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 engine that delivers a total of 426 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to an exclusive Tremec TR6060-MM6 six-speed manual transmission.

The model is on sale at a starting price of $37,035.

Watch the video and let us know what you think. Do you agree that the new 1LE indeed the best handling Camaro ever?

gallery: 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE

Video: 2013 Camaro SS 1LE is Best Handling Camaro Ever originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 9 January 2013 14:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/video-2013-camaro-ss-1le-is-best-handling-camaro-ever-ar143181.html

Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross Geoff Crossley

Victory Hard-Ball

Posted on 01.9.2013 08:08 by Serafim , Sulthoni

The Victory Hard Ball is equipped with a 106 cubic-inch Freedom V-twin engine which delivers enough power to reward you with a rush of adrenaline every time you jump on the saddle. The counter-balanced, fuel-injected, air- and oil-cooled engine delivers a maximum torque of 106 ft-lb and is mated on a 6-speed overdrive transmission. The transmission comes with helical-cut gears, which means that every shift is smooth and precise.

As far as styling goes, the Victory Hard Balll comes with a set of adjustable, blacked-out ape hanger handlebars which enhance its outlaw look. The custom look of the motorcycle is completed by the black 40-spoke laced wheels housed in the imposing sharp-cut fenders. The motorcycle received a black paint scheme which is complemented with red accents.

On the safety side of things the Victory Hard-Ball comes with ABS brakes which provide precise and reliable stopping power. Hit the jump for more information on the 2013 Victory Hard-Ball.

Victory Hard-Ball originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 9 January 2013 08:08 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/victory/2013-victory-hard-ball-ar142452.html

Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi

2012 season in the rear view: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Vitals: 12th in the points standings. 1 win, 10 top 5s, 20 top 10s. 0 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Where were you on Sunday, June 17, 2012, the day that Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his winless streak?

If you're a tried and true NASCAR fan, you likely remember every moment of that historic and incredible day in NASCAR history. One that saw Earnhardt Jr. lead 95 laps and pull away from Tony Stewart to record his first win in four years and cause many men, women and children to cry tears of joy.

Moment to forget: Entering Talladega, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in seventh place, 39 points behind the Chase lead. After Talladega, he was 11th, and 51 points back.

But the standings weren't the issue. During that wild crash on the final lap (one that has seemed to be a staple of these year-end reviews because of the individual circumstances it created for many drivers) Junior suffered his second concussion in weeks. The first was a previously undiagnosed one he suffered while tire testing for Goodyear at Kansas Speedway at the end of August. Junior was ruled out of the next two races, Charlotte and Kansas, and Regan Smith took his place.

The wrap: The decision for Junior to sit out two races was, rightfully so, uncontroversial, given the place that concussions have taken at the forefront of sports injury discussion. And it wasn't one that likely cost him a shot at the championship given the deficit and number of drivers between himself and the points lead after Talladega.

But while Junior's final place in the standings looks like a step backward from 2011 by simply looking at the year-end standings, it was a serious step forward for Junior and the No. 88 bunch.

After finishing seventh last year, Junior more than doubled his top fives (from 4 to 10) and nearly did so with his top 10s. (12 to 20). And he gave us that memorable day.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-season-rear-view-dale-earnhardt-jr-152936582--nascar.html

Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews

Aspar Press Release Interview: Aleix Espargaro on Ending As Top CRT

The Power Electronics Aspar team issued a press release last week containing an interview with top CRT rider of 2012, Aleix Esparagaro. In the interview, Esparagaro talks about his experience with the Aspar team, the joy of beating teammate Randy de Puniet to the top CRT spot, his close relationship with his brother Pol, and his obsession with the color pink. The press release follows below:

'JORGE MARTINEZ HAS HELPED TO ME MATURE AND MADE ME MORE CALM AND CONFIDENT'

At just 23 years of age Aleix Espargaró is already a veteran of World Championship competition, having made his debut back in 2004. The Spaniard has competed at every level of Grand Prix racing and his happy go lucky nature and constant smile have made him one of the most well loved and charismatic riders in the paddock. This season has seen the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team rider curb his natural enthusiasm and find the inner calm and confidence needed to make progress as a rider and as a person. In this interview he reveals some of his most carefully guarded secrets and reflects back on his best ever season, which saw him crowned as the first ever CRT 'champion' in MotoGP.

First of all what is your reaction to the Espargaró brothers being handed the Shoya Tomizawa Fair Play Award for your sportsmanship and support of each other?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/OZTmkucXeCQ/aspar_press_release_interview_aleix_espa.html

Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones

Tuesday

Monster Join Yamaha As Sponsorship Partner In MotoGP

Monster Energy has agreed to a two-year partnership deal with Yamaha Factory Racing, which will see the Monster brand act as sponsor to Yamaha's MotoGP team. The announcement had been widely anticipated, and reported on here prior to Christmas, and extends Monster's participation in MotoGP, where they go head-to-head with the other energy drink giant, Red Bull.

Though the deal between Yamaha and Monster will provide a useful influx of cash for the Japanese factory team (Spanish website Motocuatro.com put the total sponsorship deal at 4 million euros) Monster will not become title sponsor. Instead, the Monster logos will receive the same kind of prominence as Japanese oil sponsor ENEOS, appearing on the fairings of both bikes, as well as on the leathers of both Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/CBusJZqMxFk/monster_join_yamaha_as_sponsorship_partn.html

Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker

Kasey Kahne to drive for JR Motorsports in Nationwide Series; Danica Patrick to Turner?

The first business day of 2013 brought some driver and sponsorship news on the Nationwide Series front.

JR Motorsports announced that Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet would split time driving the No. 5 car for the team in 2013 with sponsorship from Great Clips. If the combination of drivers and sponsor sounds familiar, it's because it is. The two drove the Great Clips car for Turner Motorsports last season.

The sponsorship will be for 28 races, with 27 of them for the No. 5 car and Kahne or Sweet.� (Kahne now gets to be one of the few drivers identifiable by a sole number in multiple series.) The other race will be for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88. Regan Smith, who won the final race of the season at Homestead for JRM, will run the No. 7 car full-time. The team is still looking for funding for Cole Whitt, who drove the No. 88 car last year.

You may remember that Danica Patrick drove the No. 7 for JR Motorsports last year. While Patrick is moving to the Sprint Cup Series full-time for Stewart-Haas Racing, she's planning to run 10 Nationwide Series races next year and according to ESPN, those races will come with Turner Motorsports. Similar to JR Motorsports, Turner gets engines and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, where Stewart-Haas receives its Sprint Cup Series engines and chassis.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kasey-kahne-drive-jr-motorsports-nationwide-series-danica-010344732--nascar.html

Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore

Stewart: Hamilton Has Taken A Risk

Sir Jackie Stewart believes that Lewis Hamilton has taken a big risk by leaving McLaren to join Mercedes. The Brit announced towards the end of last year that he would be racing for the German team following an unsuccessful 2012 campaign. Stewart believes that Hamilton has gambled, but that it could prove to be a [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/fo9oKcJ39d8/stewart-hamilton-has-taken-a-risk

Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli

Lewis Hamilton takes first Formula 1 race in United States since 2007

If the cowboy hats donned on the heads of the drivers atop the podium after Sunday's United States Grand Prix were any indication, Formula 1 enjoyed its stay in the Lone Star state this weekend.

The world's most prominent racing series was back in the states for the first time since the 2007 USGP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And from the early returns; the enthusiasm, the crowd (an announced 80,000+ attended qualifying on Saturday), and the lack of traffic problems, this inaugural race at the Circuit of the Americas just outside Austin was a success. And it'll be the most-watched race of the entire weekend.

Yeah, that's including the Sprint Cup season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

On the American scene, the date choice for the first Circuit of the Americas United States Grand Prix seemed a curious one. It was up against the NFL's early games and scheduled to end during the opening segment of the Ford 400. (The University of Texas football team was off on Saturday.) Did Bernie Ecclestone and F1 want to steal some of NASCAR's thunder? Did they want to directly compete with the Cowboys and Texans? Heck, does the sanctioning body even care enough about those U.S. factors to even consider them?

After all, this is Formula 1, the land of seemingly budgetless racing.

Mario Andretti was at the U.S. Grand Prix and said to the Austin American-Statesman, said that the two races shouldn't have been run on the same day. The man would seem to be a pretty good resource on the subject; after all, he's run in both series.

"You do have a crossover of fans," Andretti said Friday. "I know, personally, some people who are down there and would've been here. And maybe even vise versa."

The Circuit of the Americas is a 3.427 mile track just southeast of Austin-Bergstrom Airport and many drivers were worried about the track's tricky approach to turn one, especially on the first lap. The run up to the almost 180 degree turn featured a steep hill into the braking zone and into the apex, which, because of the incline, seemed like it almost came out of nowhere to the drivers.

But the first lap of the race was clean, and polesitter and points leader Sebastian Vettel sprinted out to a substantial lead over teammate Mark Webber, who took second from Lewis Hamilton on the start.

However, Hamilton dispatched Webber (who ended up retiring from an engine failure) and eventually reeled in Vettel, taking the lead after the polesitter led the first 41 laps. Hamilton held on to win by six tenths of a second. (Side note: During a mid-race pit stop, Hamilton's pit crew changed all four tires on his car in an astonishing 2.4 seconds.)

That, along with Fernando Alonso's fourth place finish, meant that Vettel wasn't able to clinch the points championship at Austin and will carry a 13 point lead over Alonso into the season's final race in Sao Paulo, Brazil next weekend.

Fantasy football advice on Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/lewis-hamilton-takes-first-formula-1-race-united-221333925--nascar.html

Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker

Monday

2012 season in the rear view: Clint Bowyer

Vitals: 2nd in the points standings. 3 wins, 10 top 5s, 13 top 10s. 4 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Clint Bowyer's first season at Michael Waltrip Racing netted him his first road course victory and (surprisingly) his first victory at a 1.5 mile track in the Sprint Cup Series.

In June at Sonoma, Bowyer started sixth and was damn good, leading 71 of the race's 110 laps. He had Kurt Busch alongside him and Tony Stewart behind him when a caution to bring out a green, white, checkered restart flew, but easily pulled away from Stewart and Busch over the final two laps for the win.

In the fall race at Charlotte, Bowyer took the lead on lap 310 from Greg Biffle and made it to the end on fuel for the win. The victory moved Bowyer to within 28 points of leader Brad Keselowski with five races to go.

Moment to forget: This is only here because of the impact it had on Bowyer's Chase chances, because this sure as hell isn't a forgettable moment.

After Bowyer and Jeff Gordon made contact racing for position, Gordon took matters into his own hands (car? fender?) and took out Bowyer. And then that led to one of the greatest garage sprints in NASCAR history.

Bowyer left Phoenix 52 points behind Brad Keselowski, mathematically out of championship contention.

The impact of Gordon's retaliation to Bowyer's championship hopes was an afterthought to the chaos that had occurred. But when Jimmie Johnson had his issue at Homestead, that allowed Bowyer to slip into second place behind Keselowski.

Bowyer was running in the top 10 at the time of his contact with Gordon, and by virtue of his 28th place finish, likely lost about 20 points. His chances going into Homestead would have been slim, and he wouldn't have caught Keselowski regardless, but Bowyer would have been at the championship press conference and in the discussion. Instead, while he was storyline 1A at Homestead thanks to the conflict, his championship hopes were an afterthought.

The wrap: Speaking of afterthoughts, when we look back on the 2012 season in five or 10 years, will people instinctively think that Johnson finished second to Keselowski? That's not discounting anything that Bowyer did -- what he accomplished with a new team and the improvement that Michael Waltrip Racing made is one of the best stories of the year.

It's just that the championship battle moments, the duel at Texas, the comeback at Kansas, the turning point at Phoenix, all involved Keselowski and Johnson. Yeah, even the most casual fans of NASCAR will remember Bowyer for what happened at Phoenix, but hopefully they'll remember that he finished second too.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-season-rear-view-clint-bowyer-145909662--nascar.html

Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle

2012 season in the rear view: Denny Hamlin

Vitals: Sixth in the points standings; five wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s, four DNFs.

Moment to remember: Denny Hamlin entered the Chase as the top seed thanks to his four pre-Chase wins and got his fifth win in the second race of the Chase in dominating fashion.

At New Hampshire, Hamlin struggled in qualifying, starting 32nd, but quickly, and we mean quickly, drove his way to the front. And when he lost the lead on pit strategy? Well, he just quickly got back up to the front again.

He led a total of 193 of the race's 300 laps, including the race's final 52.

Moment to forget: Hamlin's best track in the Sprint Cup Series has been Martinsville, so it was expected by many that he'd make a move at the paperclip to keep himself in Chase contention. That move in the standings happened. However, it was one that knocked Hamlin out of the title hunt.

Hamlin had already had two speeding penalties, but because he's so good at Martinsville, he looked like he was going to be able to overcome them and still get a good finish. However, the master switch on his car -- a part that costs a pittance compared to others -- failed, and Hamlin's car slowed on track.

He finished 33rd, and left the track with a 49 point deficit to Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin's Chase was over.

The wrap: While Martinsville was the death knell to Hamlin's championship hopes, they took a significant body blow at Chicago that the New Hampshire win couldn't overcome. At Chicago, Hamlin ran out of gas near the checkered flag and coasted to a 16th place finish, ending up 10th of 12 Chasers.

While starting the Chase in first and finishing sixth isn't necessarily a success, there's a lot of reasons to expect that a serious championship bid is in the works for Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb. They both know what it's like to be in the thick of a championship hunt and they proved that they can get to that championship hunt together. Now it's just time to do it in the Chase.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-season-rear-view-denny-hamlin-150558515--nascar.html

Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham

2012 season in the rear view: Kyle Busch

Vitals: 13th in the points standings. 1 win, 13 top 5s, 20 top 10s. 4 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Busch's first and only win of the season came at Richmond in the spring, when he took the lead on pit road during the race's final caution and held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win.

Moment to forget: The back-to-back engine failures that Busch suffered at Dover and Pocono on the first two weekends of June. Before Dover, Busch was eighth in the points standings. After Pocono, he was 12th. After those two races, Busch was never able to crack the top 10 in points again.

The wrap: It seems pretty hard to believe that a driver with 13 top fives and 20 top 10s didn't make the Chase, but that was Busch's season in 2012. Had Brad Keselowski not deftly pulled off a move to separate he and Busch on the final lap at Talladega, Busch might have made the Chase. Had Busch not crashed at the second Pocono race, he might have been in the Chase. It was just one of those years.

And, fittingly, in a semi-ironic sense, Busch had the best Chase of his career in 2012. Yes, he had issues at Loudon and crashed at Kansas, but in the other eight races, his lowest finish was seventh. Busch scored 359 points in the Chase. Yeah, Brad Keselowski scored 391, so Busch wouldn't have been in the championship discussion, but had he snuck in at Richmond, it would have been his best performance to date.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-season-rear-view-kyle-busch-184627315--nascar.html

Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari

Bulling Over the Competition...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/TPINKDlHnw0/bulling-over-competition.html

Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari

Camping World Truck Series to race at Eldora in 2013

NASCAR is heading to Eldora.

The dirt track that Tony Stewart owns will play host to the Camping World Truck Series on Wednesday, July 24, the week before the Brickyard 400. It will be the first Camping World Truck Series race on dirt and the first time that NASCAR has raced on dirt since 1970.

In October, Stewart said that he would be "ecstatic" if the series visited his track. On Wednesday, Stewart said that he hadn't decided if he would be entering his track's inaugural NASCAR race.

The Truck Series will also be visiting Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the first time on September 1. The series visited Atlanta on that weekend last year.

The schedule remains at 22 races, the same as 2012. It also doesn't feature a race in March. The first race of the season is February 22 at Daytona International Speedway and the second race is April 6 at Martinsville.

The full schedule is below:

Feb. 22 Daytona International Speedway
April 6 Martinsville Speedway
April 14 Rockingham Speedway
April 20 Kansas Speedway
May 17 Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 31 Dover International Speedway
June 7 Texas Motor Speedway
June 27 Kentucky Speedway
July 13 Iowa Speedway
July 24 Eldora Speedway
August 3 Pocono Raceway
August 17 Michigan International Speedway
August 21 Bristol Motor Speedway
September 1 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
September 8 Iowa Speedway
September 13 Chicagoland Speedway
September 28 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
October 19 Talladega Superspeedway
October 26 Martinsville Speedway
November 1 Texas Motor Speedway
November 8 Phoenix International Raceway
November 15 Homestead-Miami Speedway

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/camping-world-truck-series-race-eldora-2013-202910886--nascar.html

Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown

Sunday

Analyzing Jorge Lorenzo's 2012 MotoGP Championship: A Triumph Of Consistency

What does it take to be a world champion? A little bit of luck, certainly. A whole heap of talent, for sure. But above all, it takes preparation: physical, mental and mechanical. That, most of all, is the lesson of Jorge Lorenzo's 2012 MotoGP championship. The 2010 champion came better prepared to the title chase, and ground down his opponents with his sheer consistency.

Lorenzo's assault on the 2012 championship started in Yamaha's racing department in 2011. The new 1000cc M1 may have been visually almost identical to the 800cc 2011 machine, but beneath the similarities was a very different machine. Yamaha's engineers had made the bike longer to cope with the extra torque and horsepower, and completely redesigned the engine to cope with the new rules. Modified electronics improved traction, while better wheelie control meant the bike lost less time in acceleration. The improved wheelie control alone cut a tenth of a second from the lap time.

It was obvious to Lorenzo that the 2012 bike would be competitive as soon as he rode it for the first time during the post-race test at Brno in August 2011. Where on the 800cc bike, he had been nearly half a second slower than Casey Stoner during Sunday's race, the day after, on the 1000cc M1, he was immediately within a tenth of the Australian on the Repsol Honda. Yamaha had done their homework, and Lorenzo knew that the rest was down to him.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/eVzUaHcJIKE/analyzing_jorge_lorenzo_s_2012_motogp_ch.html

Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer

Winter Siesta...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/MivM9A-ivj4/winter-siesta.html

Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham Jack Brabham†

2012 season in the rear view: Kasey Kahne

Vitals: 4th in the points standings. 2 wins, 12 top 5s, 19 top 10s. 4 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Kasey Kahne's first win with Hendrick Motorsports came at Charlotte in May in the Coca-Cola 600, but his win at New Hampshire in June was more significant. Kahne has always been very, very good at Charlotte, but not so much at Loudon, where he hadn't won and even after the victory, sports an average finish of 16.2.

In the Lenox Tools 301, Kahne took the lead for the first time on lap 236 under caution and held on the rest of the way.

Moment to forget: Man, Kahne's Hendrick tenure got off to an inauspicious start in the results column.

He came to Hendrick with long-time crew chief Kenny Francis, and they had speed to start the season -- not counting Daytona, the first time that Kahne started outside the top 10 was Dover in the 13th race of the season. But the results didn't show it, like when he started on the pole at Martinsville and lost an engine and finished 38th. At that point, he was 31st in the points standings.

The wrap: Just like teammate Jeff Gordon, Kahne did an admirable job digging himself out of an early points hole. After making a strong comeback from being 31st after Martinsville, consecutive crashes at Pocono and Michigan knocked him back to 16th in the points standings.

But also like Gordon, the problems that Kahne suffered from weren't from a lack of speed and Kahne safely made it in the Chase via the first Wild Card spot. He was a contender for the Chase title too, that is until a 25th place finish at Texas in the third-to-last race of the season doomed his chances.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2012-season-rear-view-kasey-kahne-151005767--nascar.html

Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi

Montezemolo: No doubts over keeping Massa

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo insists that the Italian team made the right decision in retaining Felipe Massa for another season, despite his poor first half of the 2012 season. Montezemolo insisted that there was no one available for 2013 … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/12/20/montezomolo-no-doubts-over-keeping-massa/

Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi

Video: This Is How You Wrap A NASCAR Race Car With Sponsorship Logos

Posted on 01.5.2013 12:00 by Kirby Garlitos

One of the really cool things about watching NASCAR races, at least for those who are more into the aesthetic side of the proceedings, is checking out the sponsors for each team.

So, if anybody has ever wondered how these teams dress up their cars, Joe Gibbs Racing is here to provide you with the answer.

The solution is a vinyl wrap, which has been used by a growing number of racing teams to emblazon their respective sponsors? logos. In the case of Kyle Busch and his No. 18 Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup race car, the sponsor is M&Ms, and if you didn?t know, the chocolate maker employs colorful branding.

So, the Joe Gibbs Racing Team decided to show us how they were able to turn the Camry from a bland matte black stock car to a certifiably colorful, ready-to-race machine. Check out the time-lapse video and watch how the magic unfolds. A normal procedure takes a little less than two hours. This video lasts for just over three minutes.

Well worth the watch.

gallery: 2013 Toyota Camry NASCAR

Video: This Is How You Wrap A NASCAR Race Car With Sponsorship Logos originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 5 January 2013 12:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/video-this-is-how-you-wrap-a-nascar-race-car-with-sponsorship-logos-ar142169.html

Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr