Indy Car Info: 8/4/13

Saturday

Shaquille O?Neal: Racing was the toughest three hours of his life

NASCAR devotees spend a fair portion of their lives hearing the same tired complaints from non-race fans: "That's a sport? I drive in traffic can I drive a NASCAR too HA HA HA!" No, you hypothetical clown, you couldn't, and here's no less than Shaquille O'Neal to tell you why.

In an interview with NASCAR.com, O'Neal recalled the time in 2010 when he raced Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the reality show "Shaq Vs." And O'Neal came away impressed:

"Whoever said these guys aren?t athletes are out of their minds," he said. "That was the toughest three hours I?ve ever had in my life. I was fitted for a car, me and Dale raced 50 laps, and I slept for two days after that. I really did."

It wasn't just the heat and the confined space. "I was terrified," O'Neal continued. "I don?t really get scared by a lot of stuff, but I was freaking terrified. You definitely have to be a great shape to do this."

Oh, and one other element: "You?ve got to be small. I don?t think a big guy like me would really survive out on the track. You?ve got to be smaller."

O'Neal added that he has almost no automotive knowledge, despite the fact that he owns both a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. But he has driven 220 mph somewhere down the line. So surely someone can find a place for this guy on a startup NASCAR team?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/shaquille-o-neal-racing-toughest-three-hours-life-132631166.html

Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball

Friday

Audi RS6 Avant

Posted on 08.9.2013 17:00 by Justin Cupler

The all-new Audi RS6 sedan is great and we already know pretty much everything there is to know about it. The new RS6 Avant, on the other hand, remained a relative mystery since details of it first leaked. As time went on, our patience wore thin and we managed to dig up some information on it to wet our hot-hatch whistle a little.

Now that we have pretty much found out all of the important details and even found some rather official-looking leaked images, Audi has lifted the veil and released the RS6 Avant?s details. We didn?t expect to see the RS6 Avant?s information until the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, so we are wondering if Audi released this information willingly or if its hand was pushed by the automotive industry?s prying eyes.

Sure, we?ll go ahead and take some credit for this early information release.

Updated 12/11/2012: Audi has released a trailer video for its new RS6 Avant. The video shows the new sports wagon in action on the road and offers an idea on how the engine under the hood sounds like. Enjoy! Oh, and what a glorious sound it is. Enjoy!

Updated 08/09/2013: Audi unveiled a new commercial video for its RS6 Avant. The idea behind the commercial is that with every RS6 Avant you will also have parts from the R18 Le Mans Prototype racecar.

Click past the jump to read all of the intimate details on the 2013 Audi RS6.

Audi RS6 Avant originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 9 August 2013 17:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2013-audi-rs6-avant-ar123553.html

JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore

Thursday

Morgan Shepherd, age 71, set to be oldest Sprint Cup driver ever

On Sunday, Morgan Shepherd is scheduled to strap into the No. 52 of Brian Keselowski Motorsports to race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Shepherd is 71 years old, and thus will become the oldest driver ever to run in NASCAR's elite-level Sprint Cup series.

"Let me say something," Morgan wrote on his Facebook page, "age has nothing to do with it. I am as fit and healthy as any of them younger guys. 71 is just a number. Thank all of you for your support and prayers for something like this."

Only 43 cars will be seeking to qualify for the race, meaning Shepherd is guaranteed entry. His team owner, Brian Keselowski, is the brother of reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski. The car will be sponsored by SupportMilitary.org, and will feature a tribute to the 19 firefighters recently killed in Arizona on its hood. The team is hoping to run the entire race, depending on the car's condition and how Shepherd feels behind the wheel.

Shepherd has four wins at the Sprint Cup level. His best season came in 1990, when he finished fifth in the standings. (Dale Earnhardt won that year.) He continues to race in the Nationwide series, including this year.

Here's a bit more perspective: Morgan ran his first race in what is now NASCAR's Sprint Cup level back in June 1970. Greg Biffle is the only driver currently in NASCAR's top 20 who was even alive back then, and Biffle was just six months old. (Also, Sprint Cup was the Grand National series, and the race was run at the Hickory Speedway in North Carolina. Those were different days.)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/morgan-shepherd-age-71-set-oldest-sprint-cup-195138071.html

Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

Tuesday

The Tomaso Files: Sand, Spirit, Speed, Summer Silliness, Snot and Sadness...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/3Dxo1p2qUWw/the-tomaso-files-sand-spirit-speed.html

Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen

Monday

Warrior Alonso bides his time

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/post_4.html

Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick

Sunday

The Nationwide Series Is Going To Be Awesome In 2013

Thanks to a strong mix of young drivers and veterans trying to fight their way back to the top, with help from the NASCAR rule limiting drivers to one series for points, we are about to see the re-emergence of the Nationwide Series in 2013. I mean, have you seen the driver lineup? Instead of [...]

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