If Tony Stewart won't sit out Watkins Glen, NASCAR needs to park him [UPDATED]

[UPDATE, 10:15 ET: Tony Stewart will not be racing on Sunday at Watkins Glen. Stewart-Haas competition director Greg Zipadelli announced that Regan Smith will step in and race the No. 14.]

It is inconceivable that this is even a matter of discussion. But as of 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, less than nine hours after Kevin Ward Jr. was declared dead following an on-track collision with Tony Stewart's sprint car, Stewart's team indicated he would be racing Sunday at Watkins Glen.

This is flat-out wrong. And if Tony Stewart and his team can't see that, then NASCAR needs to step in and park Stewart.

"We're business as usual today," Stewart-Haas Racing competition director Greg Zipadelli told USA Today Sports. NASCAR types specialize in stringing together cliches, but this is one Zipadelli will want back. "Business as usual?" Hours after a kid died in a wreck involving your driver? Seriously?

Stewart is not a heartless man. Quite the contrary, as a guy who races against young drivers anywhere, anytime, he's surely devastated by this. But given the situation, now is not a time for him to use the race track as personal grief therapy.

This is not about Stewart's guilt or innocence. This is about respecting the loss of life in an accident involving a NASCAR driver, an accident that will have happened barely 15 hours before the green flag flies today at Watkins Glen.

NASCAR has a unilateral power over its teams and competitors that even the NCAA envies. And with that in mind, NASCAR should remember this: There is no good reason, none at all, for Stewart to be racing today. And if his team can't figure that out, NASCAR needs to step in and put a halt to this.

Even if you're so tunnel-blind as to be only worried about Stewart's dwindling chances to make the Chase this season, that's not reason in itself to keep racing. Thanks to NASCAR's new "playoff" system, Stewart still has four races left to win a race and lock in his Chase spot. The system is set up exactly so that a driver doesn't have to get behind the wheel at all costs. NASCAR has the right to use its power to keep Stewart Chase-eligible if he was to miss the race. He attempted to qualify the car, which should satisfy NASCAR's criteria on that score.

In one way, you can't blame Stewart for wanting to race. In the midst of tragedy, we cling to those parts of our life that mean the most to us. And so it's not surprising that drivers return to their cars soon after tragedy, that Kyle Petty drove a month after the on-track death of his son Adam in 2000 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. a week after the death of his father in 2001. But this is so different from those situations, so much closer.

Tony Stewart loves to say that racing is the most important thing in his life. For one day, at least, he needs to broaden his focus. This isn't just about his pain.

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/if-tony-stewart-won-t-sit-out-watkins-glen--nascar-needs-to-park-him-123253719.html

Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni

Six hours and 45 minutes after the race?

The Belgium Grand Prix was full of drama, excitement and controversy, but thing didn’t really kick off until after the chequered flag had fallen when Lewis Hamilton told the F1 media that in the post-race team debrief Nico Rosberg had admitted that he deliberately left his car’s nose where it was in a fight with […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/six-hours-and-45-minutes-after-the-race/

Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis

Audi RS3 will Next Four Doors

The Audi RS3 revolutionized we’ve all known a blunt and brutal way the market of compact high performance . I can not deny that the RS3 Sportback surprised virtually everyone , and this is something that has scored the contemporary history of A3 . Looking to the near future there are even more excited with […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/705-audi-rs3-will-next-four-doors.html

Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell

The Pressure Of Contracts: Bradley Smith Explains How A New Tech 3 Deal Helped Him Ride Better

One belief common among motorcycle racing fans is that racers will ride harder while they are negotiating a new contract, only to slack off once the contract is in the bag. Ask a rider about this, and they deny it fervently, saying they have to ride just as hard after a new contract is signed as they did before. That their contract situation affects their performance is beyond question, though it is not as simple as it appears.

Bradley Smith is a case in point. Since the start of the season, the Englishman has known he has been riding for his place next year, with Yamaha and Tech 3 taking a seriously look at riders in both Moto2 and Moto3 to replace him. The pressure was starting to get to Smith, the Tech 3 man crashing rather too frequently, with the low point being the race at the Sachsenring. Smith crashed four times that weekend, twice on Friday, once on Saturday, and again in the race. It was a very tough weekend indeed.

So when Smith signed a new deal with the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team ahead of the race at Brno, there was a palpable sense of relief. With this future secure for another year, he could get concentrate on racing again with a clear mind, and without the pressure of his results being judged every race. Over the course of the weekend at Brno, we asked Smith how he felt after his contract extension, and what effect he felt it had had on his results. His answers were revealing, and provide an insight into the pressure which all MotoGP riders must function under.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/jRc5pX54K4c/the_pressure_of_contracts_bradley_smith_.html

David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft Jim Crawford

The Home Racers Assessed

The German Grand�Prix provided an opportunity to add the garnish to an already euphoric population, who are still celebrating their World Cup win. With four countrymen on the grid, and one driving a silver arrow, there was a high chance of German success once the lights went out. The Hockenheimring gave Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/b0XFeG5hVG0/the-home-racers-assessed

Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen

Indianapolis 500 Practice Day 4

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/indianapolis-500-practice-day-4.html

Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo

Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html

Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood

Indianapolis was a tale of differing pit strategies on Sunday

INDIANAPOLIS�? Let's get this out of the way immediately. Races dictated by pit strategy aren't inherently bad.

Hell, racing would be much more boring and predictable if there was no variability when it came to pit stops. The element of surprise�? something that's severely lacking in today's NASCAR ? would be all but gone if everyone was tethered to the same outlook on race management.

But the differing pit strategies employed by teams from the beginning of Sunday's Brickyard 400 were a glaring indictment on the lack of quality racing the track currently provides.

Because of rain overnight, NASCAR mandated a competition caution on lap 20. As a lot of teams headed to the pits, Joey Logano kicked off the strategy games by staying out, opting for the uber-important clean air of Indianapolis Motor Speedway instead of fresh tires.

Mind you, Indianapolis is conducive for games like this. With laps of approximately 50 seconds, a team within reasonable distance of the lead can elect to pit under green flag conditions and change four tires without losing a lap. That means the team under green is in an advantageous position if a caution is to come out after the pit stop and the rest of the field pits under caution, as the green-flag pitted team can move up ahead of all the cars that pitted during the yellow.

That was on the mind of Logano's crew chief Todd Gordon, who brought him in to the pits on lap 32.

"Being the first one to pit and then when it cycles out hope that your tires are good enough and your car is fast enough you can hold (the cars who pitted under yellow) off," Logano, who finished fifth, said. "We didn't have anything compared to (race-winner Jeff Gordon), so our strategy was to stay out there and just cycle forward every time you can."

But Gordon wasn't the impetus for the strategy games. The impossibility of passing was. Because of the way the cars are currently designed and configured, racing in traffic at such high-speeds around Indianapolis is a tall task. Outside of restarts, there are few, if any, opportunities to make up significant ground on the race track. Hence the differing strategies that especially dominated the first half of Sunday's race, resulting in a constant stream of cars to pit road under green.

The strategy game got Denny Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb a third-place finish after starting 27th. And heck, if Hamlin hadn't left the pits with the fuel tank not completely full during one pit stop, he might have been fighting with Gordon and Kasey Kahne for the lead of the race at the end.

?I knew early in the race we had a car that was really fast," Hamlin said. Then Darian pulled that strategy and then we were going to have a 15 second lead with enough fuel to make it. Dang it. Just didn?t get it full that one stop. We had to get it full. We just didn?t get it full. Had to make that extra stop."

"Obviously, the passing is extremely difficult here. Whoever gets out front can really, really go. We passed all the cars that we needed to pass today.?

(After the race, NASCAR officials found issues with the rear firewall block-off plates on Hamlin's car. Any potential penalties will be announced later in the week.)

While Gordon, driver of the best car, won the race, the passing Hamlin refers to in his final sentence above is in reference to pit road. Outside of Gordon's pass of Kevin Harvick on lap two, there were no passes for the lead during the race that didn't immediately come by via a green flag pit stop cycle or immediately following a restart.

Heck, if it wasn't for the final caution of the race, Gordon may never have passed Kasey Kahne for the lead had Kahne been able to make it to the finish of the race on fuel. And it's why Gordon's pass for win on the restart was so important. Whoever got out front was going to nearly unbeatable.

It's a common theme in NASCAR but it's one amplified with a megaphone at Indianapolis. The myriad of pit strategies added a much-needed layer of intrigue. But the layer isn't thick. It's actually quite revealing.

However, there's no magic wand to wave over Indianapolis when it comes to stock cars and the quality of racing. Would an increased apron for more passing space into the turns help? Perhaps. Could slower speeds from the proposed smaller engines in the Cup Series in the future make a difference? Possibly. Are there changes to be made to a car that was designed to help make passing more freuqent? Hopefully.

The racing at Indianapolis doesn't have to be thrill-a-minute and the field doesn't have to be bunched up 1-43 like a restrictor plate race either. The cachet of IMS helps make the Brickyard 400 a crown jewel race on the Cup Series schedule, but that reputation alone can't make it a must-see event. And neither do pit strategies.

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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!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/indianapolis-was-a-tale-of-differing-pit-strategies-on-sunday-225350736.html

Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza

Caterham challenges legal action by former staff

Caterham has reacted to a statement from the legal representatives of a group of employees who have parted company with the team since the new owners took over. The statement outlined their grievances and their intention to pursue legal action. … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/07/29/caterham-challenges-legal-action-by-former-staff/

Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla

There?s Nothing Wrong With Restarts

I’ve got to be honest, I don’t understand why there has been so much discussion this week about restarts. The rules are really pretty clear. The green flag waves, the leader can go between the two lines, you can’t beat the leader to the line, and don’t change lanes before the start/finish line. Seems pretty […]

TheNASCARInsiders.com

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Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal

With one Saturday night, the way we view on-track confrontations changed

If you're a racing fan, there's a bunch of them etched into your memory. Maybe you remember the first time you saw one live. Maybe it's because you've seen one over and over again on highlights throughout the years. Maybe because it involved your favorite driver.

What are "they," exactly? They're this:

And this:

And this:

Or, in printed form, it's when a driver on foot goes near another driver driving his car to express his displeasure.

Those moments of confrontation have elicited excitement, conjured up drama and added intrigue to NASCAR. And now we know how tragic they can be after Tony Stewart struck and killed Kevin Ward Saturday night in a dirt track race after Ward exited his car to confront Stewart.

After a crash at a short track like Bristol, when there's a history of dislike between two drivers or if it's something that looked a bit out of the ordinary, the intrigue between the moment the wrecked driver exits his race car and he goes to take the mandatory trip in the ambulance has always built suspense. Would the wrecked driver gesture at the driver he felt wronged him? Throw a helmet? Could whatever happens even go so far as to spawn a new feud? Or would the suspense be for naught, and would the driver do nothing?

After all, most crashes are attributed to "one of them racin' deals." That's what made the confrontations so extraordinary.

Now we unfortunately know the answer to a question none of us wanted to ask after a driver exits his car to go after another: What's the worst-case scenario in a literal conflict of man vs. machine?

There's a reason feuds and conflicts have become one of the sport's calling cards; in some way, we're all attracted to the sport because of them. However, emotions can be dangerous, and when combined with motor vehicles, the danger is only amplified. Road rage exists on both the highway and the race track.

No matter the circumstances that surround Saturday night's incident, it's a horrible, horrible tragedy. And it now serves as a perpetual reminder of the amplification. Will it serve as a trigger for drivers to bottle up the displeasure and save it for later? With the absence of clear rational thought in situations like these, it's impossible to guess.

For all of us that watch, however, it's going to be hard to see new and old incidents without thinking about Ward and Stewart. A symbol of what can make racing great now has a high-profile and tangible outcome that's impossible to ignore.

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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/with-one-saturday-night--the-way-we-view-on-track-confrontations-changed-084240651.html

Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum

Up close : Porsche Cayman GT4

During these last few weeks is making a lot of noise GT4 Porsche Cayman . With the official confirmation and implementation of the 4-cylinder Porsche will present almost certainly in less than a year, all eyes are on this version of the Cayman , which could debut worldwide this new engine . The Cayman GT4 […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/708-up-close-porsche-cayman-gt4.html

Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia

Lewis Hamilton: ?I was very, very shocked that the team would ask me to do that??

Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he was surprised that Mercedes asked him to move over for Nico Rosberg in Hungary. The pair came together on track while running different strategies, with the German on soft tyres and planning … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/07/27/lewis-hamilton-i-was-very-very-shocked-that-the-team-would-ask-me-to-do-that/

David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft Jim Crawford

2014 mid-season F1 driver rankings part one: 22-13 | Driver rankings

The F1 Fanatic Driver Rankings are being produced for the tenth time this year, and as usual they began with a review of how the field has fared at the mid-season point.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/08/12/2014-mid-season-f1-driver-rankings-part-one-22-13/

Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis

Ryan Blaney reportedly to drive for Wood Brothers in 2015

Have the Wood Brothers found their replacement for Trevor Bayne in 2015?

Motorsport.com reports that Ryan Blaney will run for the team next season on a limited basis and it will have a technical alliance with Team Penske. Blaney is a developmental driver for Penske. Currently, Wood Brothers Racing has an alliance with Roush Fenway Racing.

Bayne has driven for the team since 2010. He won the 2011 Daytona 500 and has run parts of five seasons with the team. The Wood Brothers currently do not run a full season. Bayne has run eight of the 20 Sprint Cup races this season. In 2015, he's moving up to the Sprint Cup Series with Roush, where he'll drive the No. 6 full-time. Bayne currently drives for Roush in the Nationwide Series.

Blaney is the points leader in the Camping World Truck Series and has driven part time for Penske in the Nationwide Series, winning last year at Kentucky. He made his Sprint Cup Series debut earlier this season for Penske at Kansas Speedway.

However, with Penske at two cars and Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski established in the team's two cars, there's no room for him at the moment in the Cup Series. Keselowski is Blaney's team owner in the Cup Series.

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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/ryan-blaney-reportedly-to-drive-for-wood-brothers-in-2015-163356218.html

Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle

Greg Biffle says no deal is done for an extension at Roush Fenway Racing

Greg Biffle said a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing is not finalized.

Earlier in June, the Charlotte Observer reported that Biffle would sign a contract extension with the team and an official announcement could come as early as the week after the June 8 report. That hasn't obviously happened.

Biffle spoke about his contract with the AP on Friday at Sonoma.

Biffle tells me: "My deal is definitely not done. I'm trying to negotiate an extension. Nothing has changed." #NASCAR

? Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) June 20, 2014

Roush President Steve Newmark alo said that the two parties hadn't agreed to anything officially yet.

Working hard to put together a package for the 16 program in the future but nothing to report yet. Hope to have some news soon.

? Steve Newmark (@NewmarkRFR) June 20, 2014

If Biffle stays at Roush Fenway, sponsor 3M is expected to stay with the team too.The team has Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. signed for next season in the Cup Series, but the contracts of Biffle and Carl Edwards are up after the season. Edwards has given no indication of his future plans.

After winning titles in the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series, Biffle moved up to the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2003 and Roush is the only team he's driven for. He has 19 Cup Series wins, though he hasn't been very close this season. While Biffle has been consistent in 2014, Roush has lacked speed. Through 15 races, he has just four top-10 finishes.

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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/greg-biffle-says-no-deal-is-done-for-an-extension-at-roush-fenway-racing-202523551.html

Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey

How Red Bull made the calls that propelled Ricciardo to victory

Daniel Ricciardo’s superb win in Hungary was a result of both the irrepressible Aussie’s driving, and a unique strategy that proved to be just the ticket. For the second time this year Ricciardo and his team were able to take … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/07/28/how-red-bull-made-the-calls-that-propelled-ricciardo-to-victory/

Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem

2014 Indianapolis MotoGP Post-Race Press Releases

Press releases from the MotoGP teams, Bridgestone and Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix:

Round Number: 

10

Year: 

2014

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/R1hqlSnCbyE/2014_indianapolis_motogp_post_race_press.html

George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage

The TEN Best & Worst Driver Moves Ever

Shockwaves reverberated around the world of Formula One when Lewis Hamilton confirmed his controversial switch to Mercedes away from F1 giants McLaren for the 2013 season. The 28-year-old?s move included some strategy. Huge engine regulation adaptations will throw F1 into turmoil in 2014, so, on the back of an improved pay check, Hamilton?s garage transfer�looks [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/fI2cxxY5bwE/the-ten-best-worst-driver-moves-ever-4

John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft

The latest from Germany

The reports that Bernie Ecclestone is offering $33 million to settle the criminal trial in Germany are just plain weird. There have long been rumours that Ecclestone was looking for a financial settlement, but it has always looked to be rather unlikely. A fine is OK for a parking offence, but only a politician could […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/07/30/the-latest-from-germany/

Jim Clark† Kevin Cogan Peter Collins Bernard Collomb