Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/07/kimball-fractures-hand-in-mid-ohio.html
Thursday
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:
12 Year:
2012
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?
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.
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.
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!
Reports: Joey Logano headed to Penske to drive the No. 22
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.
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.
[Related: Marcos Ambrose victorious in a slip-n-slide Watkins Glen finish]
"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."
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Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
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.
[Related: Tony Stewart flings helmet at Matt Kenseth]
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.
[Related: Denny Hamlin wins at Bristol, his third victory this season]
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.
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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
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.
Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews
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/
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.
[Related: Tony Stewart flings helmet at Matt Kenseth]
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.
[Related: Denny Hamlin wins at Bristol, his third victory this season]
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.
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? Les Carpenter: Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck natural frenemies
? Penn State opponent to wear helmet decals honoring victims of child abuse
? Long Beach State's new beach-themed court design is subtle yet distinctive
? ThePostGame: The pushup that blasts your core
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
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