NASCAR rolls out 2014 Sprint Cup schedule with few changes in place

NASCAR has announced its schedule for 2014, and it looks remarkably like the schedule for 2013.

The only major change is a swapping of dates between Darlington and the Kansas spring race. Kansas will now run a Saturday evening race on Mother's Day weekend. All other races remain on their designated weekends, with the exception of Texas and Martinsville, which will run a week earlier in the spring. The series will have only two breaks from mid-February to mid-November: after Darlington in April and after New Hampshire in July. Also, the Chase slate remains identical. Road courses and other tracks will have to wait for future Chases.

NASCAR Vice President Steve O'Donnell addressed the questions of sweeping schedule changes, including new Chase races. "It's certainly something we look at, but it's not as easy as just flipping the switch and moving [a race]," he said. "There's a lot of things that come into play with weather, TV calendars, travel. So it's something that we're taking a bigger look at every year. I think that we're more open than we've ever been to looking at those things."

The 2015 schedule, with new broadcast partner NBC Sports entering the mix, is likely to see more significant changes than 2014.

Here's the complete Sprint Cup schedule, including non-points-paying races. Start making those travel plans now:

2/15/2014 ? Sprint Unlimited (Daytona)
2/20/2014 ? Budweiser Duels (Daytona)
2/23/2014 ? Daytona 500
3/2/2014 ? Phoenix International Raceway
3/9/2014 ? Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/16/2014 ? Bristol Motor Speedway
3/23/2014 ? Auto Club Speedway
3/30/2014 ? Martinsville Speedway
4/6/2014 ? Texas Motor Speedway
4/12/2014 ? Darlington Raceway
4/26/2014 ? Richmond International Raceway
5/4/2014 ? Talladega Superspeedway
5/10/2014 ? Kansas Speedway
5/17/2014 ? All-Star Race (Charlotte)
5/25/2014 ? Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/1/2014 ? Dover International Speedway
6/8/2014 ? Pocono Raceway
6/15/2014 ? Michigan International Speedway
6/22/2014 ? Sonoma Raceway
6/28/2014 ? Kentucky Speedway
7/5/2014 ? Daytona International Speedway
7/13/2014 ? New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/27/2014 ? Indianapolis Motor Speedway
8/3/2014 ? Pocono Raceway
8/10/2014 ? Watkins Glen International
8/17/2014 ? Michigan International Speedway
8/23/2014 ? Bristol Motor Speedway
8/31/2014 ? Atlanta Motor Speedway
9/6/2014 ? Richmond International Raceway
9/14/2014 ? Chicagoland Speedway
9/21/2014 ? New Hampshire Motor Speedway
9/28/2014 ? Dover International Speedway
10/5/2014 ? Kansas Speedway
10/11/2014 ? Charlotte Motor Speedway
10/19/2014 ? Talladega Superspeedway
10/26/2014 ? Martinsville Speedway
11/2/2014 ? Texas Motor Speedway
11/9/2014 ? Phoenix International Raceway
11/16/2014 ? Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Jay Busbee is a contributor for From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-rolls-2014-sprint-cup-schedule-few-changes-174748645--nascar.html

Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer

Power Rankings: And then there were two. For now, anyway

It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it now, shall we?

1. Matt Kenseth: (LW: 1): Kenseth described his car as "evilest" at one point during Sunday's race. He openly wondered if it was a word. He wasn't the only person struggling with his car all weekend, though a pit road speeding penalty and a caution flag right after a green flag pit stop will make things a lot tougher than they should be. Considering all of that, 11th place was enough to hold on to the points lead, and thus, Power Rankings.

2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): Twas another Kansas escape for Vader. Last year, he crashed and came back to finish ninth with a crumpled decklid and rear bumper to stay hot on Brad Keselowski's heels. This year, his engine started vibrating badly two laps from the finish and he was able to limp home a sixth place finish. You do need some good breaks to win a title, and both Kenseth and Johnson got those Sunday.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 5): Cupcake didn't need many good breaks on Sunday. While Johnson might have had the fastest car, Harvick had the clean air at the beginning and the end. As Geoffrey Miller noted on Twitter, where can we buy the clean air t-shirts? Or are those just white undershirts? But that's not to undersell Harvick, he drove a good race and got his team the track position in the first place.

4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): Gordon's just hanging around and may make this thing interesting, isn't he? The discussion he had with Kurt Busch after the race was poo-pooed by each driver and they shared a kumbaya moment in the media center after the race. Maybe their discussion was just noticeable because it was about a good race for position in a wild race that didn't have much passing.

[Related: Kyle Busch complicates Chase chances]

5. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Do we need to talk about how it's now a stiff test of the resolve of Kyle Busch now that Kansas Speedway has bitten him in the hind end once again? Or has that been talked about enough? Kyle's frustration Sunday was more evident not when he was facing the media after crashing but when he went to the apron with Juan Pablo Montoya. Dude, just give up the spot and go get it later.

6. Kurt Busch (LW: 8): It's important to note that despite the joy that Kurt Busch showed after Sunday's second place finish, he was cursing like a madman while mired back near 20th and used the "DFL" phrase to describe his car's handling. Now, we're used to Busch being irate on the radio before, but it was quite the swing to see him proud of the 2nd place finish after the words that were used just a couple hours before.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 7): That was a pretty quiet eighth place finish for Junior. And given that it's Dale Earnhardt Jr., there aren't too many things he can do on the track quietly. We're going to go ahead and blame it on the fact that he didn't go and get Oklahoma Joe's barbecue while he was in Kansas City. The Z-Man sandwich equals race wins, people.

8. Greg Biffle (LW: 6): Biffle was the lowest starting Chaser and finished 13th. Not a bad day all things considered, but not a good one when Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are still finishing ahead of you. What else is there to say? Two weeks after his comments about the Chase not being a three man race, well, yeah. It's a two man race at the moment.

9. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): There was a brief moment when Carl Edwards restarted third late in the race that I wondered if he would win the race, which would fulfill one of Edwards' biggest NASCAR objectives outside of winning the Sprint Cup. Instead, he got bottled up behind Jeff Gordon and ended up fifth.

10. Joey Logano (LW: 12): It all goes back to that blown engine. Logano lost 40 points to Matt Kenseth that Chicago night, and if he only lost, say, 10 instead, he'd be 29 points back of the lead and in fourth place. Of course, the what-if game means absolutely nothing. Except to show that Logano has been one of the best performing drivers on the track outside of the kablooie.

11. Clint Bowyer (LW: 11): The Dover yoga has not helped Rawhide. May we suggest running in Kasey Kahne's 5K on Sunday morning? Or maybe arranging a race between Bowyer and Brad Keselowski? Bowyer needs a win for his psyche, and depending on the distance selected, he'd beat Kes. Who is going to make this happen? We could all drink Miller Lite with 5 Hour Energy while we watch.

12. Paul Menard (LW: NR): Oh why not. Menard was our highest finishing non-Chase driver and Kasey Kahne was 15th and Ryan Newman got caught up in Justin Allgaier's crash. Welcome, PFM. Looks like you got some of the speed that Kevin Harvick had all through Sunday.

Lucky Dog: Marcos Ambrose. The spin that Aussie had worked out and put him on a put strategy that had him fourth at the final restart. He faded to ninth, but recorded his fourth top 10 of the year.

The DNF: Newman will get this one, as he started sliding trying to avoid the crashed Allgaier and had absolutely nowhere to go. He's 12th and just 10 points ahead of Kahne in 13th.

Dropped out: Newman.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings-then-were-two-now-anyway-145455479--nascar.html

Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha

Jerez Moto2 & Moto3 Test, Day 1 Times: Luthi And Miller Start 2014 Campaign In Charge

While the MotoGP teams have packed up and finished for the year - with the exception of a couple of Open class teams, who will be testing at Jerez at the end of the month - the Moto2 and Moto3 have headed to Jerez for the first test of their 2014 season. The first test sees a host of new faces making their debuts. A gaggle of champions enter Moto2, with World Supersport champ Sam Lowes, Moto3 champion Maverick Viñales and AMA Superbike champion Josh Herrin entering the fray. In Moto3, Red Bull Rookies Cup winner Karel Hanika makes his first appearance in the world championship.

At the end of the first day, Thomas Luthi led the Moto2 class, though it was tight as ever at the front, with just over a tenth of a second covering the top three of Luthi, Jordi Torres and Mika Kallio. Sam Lowes made a very impressive debut, just four tenths off the time of Luthi. Herrin had a little more trouble adapting, ending the day 2.2 seconds slower than the fastest man of the day. Moto3 champion Viñales ended his first session under two seconds behind Luthi, but well ahead of the man he spent the year fighting the Moto3 championship with, Luis Salom, who was 3.4 seconds off the pace of Luthi.

Race Details

2014

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/j6PB1kUlSxk/jerez_moto2_moto3_test_day_1_times_luthi.html

Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol

Kanaan Winners Photo Shoot

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/05/kanaan-winners-photo-shoot.html

Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber

Phoenix is Bobby Labonte?s final race of 2013

Could Sunday be the final race of Bobby Labonte's Sprint Cup Series career?

The 2000 Cup champion hasn't announced plans for next season, and with almost every full-time team set for next season, unless Labonte can snag a part-time role or hitch on with a new team, Phoenix may be his 718th and last start. (Though don't be surprised if a team puts Labonte in its car for the Daytona 500 for the use of the Past Champion's Provisional.)

It's been a trying season for Labonte and JTG-Daugherty Racing. The team brought AJ Allmendinger on board for what it deemed to be a second opinion earlier this season. Allmendinger's first race was at Michigan in June, while Labonte was able to catch a ride with Phoenix Racing to keep his consecutive starts streak intact.

However, two weeks later at Kentucky, Allmendinger was in the No. 47 again and Labonte didn't have a ride and the streak ended at 704 races. Allmendinger is scheduled to drive the No. 47 at Homestead and signed with the team to drive in 2014.

Over Labor Day weekend, Labonte was scheduled to drive for Phoenix again at Atlanta, but broke his ribs in a cycling accident and missed three weeks.

Labonte hasn't won since 2003, so for many newer NASCAR fans, his past accomplishments may be overlooked. However, whenever he is eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, his career will serve as a fascinating barometer for how voters will consider the standards for drivers.

Through his 717 starts to date, Labonte has 21 wins, 115 top fives and that 2000 championship. Is that enough to be in the Hall of Fame? For reference, Dale Jarrett, a 2013 inductee, finished with 32 wins and a Cup title, but Jarrett also won the Daytona 500 three times.

Is any driver who wins a Cup title a Hall of Famer? Labonte's inclusion or exclusion may answer that question. What do you think?

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/phoenix-bobby-labonte-final-race-2013-180311257--nascar.html

Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi

Hamilton looks for long-term success at Mercedes

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamilton_looks_for_long-term_s.html

Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham Jack Brabham†

End of a season

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/16/3340226/end-of-a-season

Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi

Hamilton saga nearing endgame

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamilton_saga_nearing_endgame.html

Gary Brabham Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla

The Iceman leaveth: Raikkonen?s Lotus career in pictures | F1 pictures

Kimi Raikkonen's Formula One comeback with Lotus has come to a disappointing end two races early. Here's a look back on his time with the team in pictures.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/11/12/the-iceman-leaveth-raikkonens-lotus-career-in-pictures/

Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell

Singapore swing hands Vettel the initiative

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/in_singapore_lewis_hamilton_cu.html

Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff

Raikkonen to miss final two races | 2013 F1 season

Kimi Raikkonen will not participate in the final two rounds of the 2013 season, his management team have confirmed.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/11/10/raikkonen-to-miss-final-two-races/

Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown

Martin Truex Jr. officially introduced as driver of the No. 78 in 2014

Martin Truex's arrival at Furniture Row Racing is now official.

The Colorado-based team announced Friday that Truex would be its driver on a "multi-year deal," putting the official stamp on a move that had been talked about for some time. (Truex opened his remarks by joking by how much of a secret the announcement was.)

Truex is leaving Michael Waltrip Racing after the team scaled back to two cars for 2014 in the wake of NAPA's departure. NAPA left the team after race manipulation penalties were handed down by NASCAR after Richmond. At Richmond, after teammate Clint Bowyer spun, both Bowyer and Vickers slowed down to ensure that Joey Logano would finish ahead of them. That meant that Truex would make the Chase via the final Wild Card spot.

[Watch: Kevin Harvick trivia]

And he did, until NASCAR penalized each team 50 points, which knocked Truex out of the Chase. However, with the departure of Kurt Busch from Furniture Row and the team's undecided status on a driver for 2014, when Truex was allowed to explore other options at MWR, the Furniture Row seat was open.

"As unlucky as I got at Richmond, I got lucky when this deal came up," Truex said.

Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone said that in addition to Truex, the team had hired his current pit crew at the No. 56 to serve as his pit crew for next year.

Busch moved to Furniture Row in 2013 and will drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. The team will continue its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. NAPA has not announced any future plans in NASCAR.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/martin-truex-jr-officially-introduced-driver-no-78-151309875--nascar.html

Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes

Nissan Bladeglider Concept

Posted on 11.8.2013 17:00 by Tushar

The Tokyo Motor Show opens its doors for the public in two weeks time. As we know, Nissan will make an exciting announcement at the show. Yes, it is the Nissan GT-R Nismo that debuts on November 19th, 2013. The company will also disclose the Nurburgring lap time set by the Nismo GT-R. But that’s not all, as Nissan will also showcase the Bladeglider concept.

Along with the concept car, Nissan will also reveal a concept prototype based on the Bladeglider, but toned down for actual production. The production version will have its sights set on attacking rival cars, like the Toyota GT 86 and Subaru BRZ. Andy Palmer- VP at Nissan told Motortrend that the Bladeglider will be the car for the young generation.

The origins of the Bladeglider concept can be traced back to the Nissan ZEOD RC racer, and that’s where the unconventionality begins. The designers of the Bladeglider concept describe it as "an extreme interpretation" of what a car can be. The thought behind the concept is to offer an affordable and appealing sports car to young people, according to Andy Palmer of Nissan.

Click past the jump for more on the Nissan Bladeglider Concept

Nissan Bladeglider Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 8 November 2013 17:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/nissan/2013-nissan-bladeglider-concept-ar161155.html

Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard

HRC Press Release: Casey Stoner Concludes Testing At Sugo, Does Not Test Production Racer

Casey Stoner has concluded three days of testing at the Sugo circuit in Japan. The retired champion managed to put in a lot of laps in dry conditions, after previous tests he has participated in have been rained off. Stoner tested both the 2013 and 2014 Honda RC213V, but the Australian ran out of time to do further testing on Honda's RCV1000R production racer. 

HRC issued a press release after the test was completed, which appears below:

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Casey Stoner completes productive three day test at Sugo Circuit

HRC test rider and two time World Champion Casey Stoner has completed a gruelling three day test at Sportsland Sugo, Miyagi Prefecture. On this occasion the testing was held in good conditions with rain arriving only after lunch on day three, when the test programme was completed.

The 3.737 km facility played host to the HRC test team as Casey worked on the 2013 and 2014 RC213V prototype machine. He tested various items including a new frame and new engine. However, he did not have time to complete more test time on the Production Racer, instead these duties were left to Takumi Takahsahi.

Casey Stoner

Year: 

2013

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/GXALgx9991Y/hrc_press_release_casey_stoner_concludes.html

Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger

INDYCAR: The Friday Setup (Fontana)

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/14/3330856/indycar-the-friday-setup-fontana

Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle

Who Will Be Second Best?

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull have already wrapped up both titles, and with just two races left has left fans wondering what there is left to race for. The truth is that there is plenty to get excited about, with many battles down the order as drivers jostle for higher places. Second place has been [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/0GeSuNlxhvY/who-will-be-second-best

Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes second behind that pesky Jimmie Johnson

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The national crisis that would be a winless 2013 Sprint Cup Series season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. almost came to an end once again Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson just got in the way. Again.

For the third time this season, Junior finished second to Johnson. It happened in the first race of the season at Daytona, at Dover in September and Sunday, as Junior, nor anyone else, could come close to the speed that Johnson and his team had.

Johnson led 255 of the race's 334 laps. But Junior, who started seventh, was also up front for nearly the entire day.

"The Chicago deal is regrettable," Junior said. "We'd love to go back and do that over again, but as soon as that happened, we really changed our aproach and it was more about trying to win a race."

"Winning a race would really lift all the team's spirits. You work all season long not to go winless and not getting to go to victory lane. So I know how much the guys want the win on the team, so that's what we're working for now."

The Chicago deal that he refers to is when he blew an engine in the Chase's opening race, which left him 53 points out of the lead. Now, with two races remaining, Junior's only lost nine additional points to the lead, thanks to six top 10s in the succeeding seven races.

But there's still that win lingering. After winning at Michigan last year to break a four year winless drought, Junior's too close to have another streak like that, right?

"I think it's a matter of being close. You know, it's not -- we're not running second by making mistakes," he said. "We're not giving away wins. So I feel like we're just really getting close to cracking through and just trying to maintain the momentum with two races to go is going to be tough. But that's what we're focusing on."

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/dale-earnhardt-jr-finishes-second-behind-pesky-jimmie-005823455--nascar.html

Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo

Iowa Rain Out Causes Pit Crew Problems

On a normal NASCAR weekend when the Truck Series and/or Nationwide Series run companion to the Cup cars, there are a lot of pit crew members who double or triple dip. Crew members make some extra cash and get more reps, and the teams get top talent pitting their cars. But this last weekend presented [...]

TheNASCARInsiders.com

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/R3FUmt0CNcQ/

Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones

Blown left front tire ends Jeff Gordon?s remote chances at a championship

FORT WORTH, Texas -- We can stop any and all charades that the battle for the Sprint Cup involves anyone else outside of Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

Jeff Gordon made sure of that during Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway after he crashed on lap 75. The left front tire on Gordon's car blew as he was in turn one, and he couldn't do anything to prevent it from hitting the wall.

"It didn't give me enough of a warning, that is for sure," Gordon said while his team made repairs to his car. "I was going down the front straightaway and I felt the car move around a little bit. That was odd. But the wind was buffeting and blowing so strong, the cars are moving around anyway.

"Just before I got to turn one, I felt it go down. I did everything I could to slow it down. I even had time to come on the radio and say 'Uh oh'. Well, I might have not said that, I said something else. I knew I was going to hit the wall."

After winning last Sunday's race at Martinsville, Gordon was 27 points back of Johnson and Kenseth. Now he's 69 points back of the two in sixth place in the points standings.

The duo's nearest pursuer with two races to go is Kevin Harvick, who is 40 points back, a deficit that's eight points fewer than what Johnson earned for winning and leading the most laps in Sunday's race.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/blown-left-front-tire-ends-jeff-gordon-remote-003845822--nascar.html

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

A question of good governance?

David Ward has launched another attack on FIA governance, arguing that the federation is failing to meet good governance standards required by the International Olympic Committee, which recently gave the FIA official recognition. Ward has sent a document to the FIA clubs comparing the IOC and FIA governance practices. He claims that this shows that […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/a-question-of-good-governance/

Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson