Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/stats_speed_and_success_spur_o.html
Wednesday
Car Leasing Offers
The�deals on car�leasing�can�be decisive�for the impact�they have on the�monthly fee�in our fleet.�Briefly�explain�what they are. Leasing�companies�that lease�vehicles�acquire�customers through�previously established economic agreements�with each brand, including discounts�for�volume purchases�planned for�the year.�Based on the�achieved�savings, you get�a fee for�renting�the car�to be�more or less competitive. But�brands can�get�additional discounts�offered�to those already established�with the leasing company.�These special offers�are based�on vehicles that�the manufacturer�is interested in�selling�at [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/101-car-leasing-offers.html
Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais
We?re also on way out of FOTA, says Sauber
Sauber has followed Ferrari and Red Bull as the latest team to signal its intention to leave the Formula One Teams Association ? leaving the organisation further weakened. With HRT having left long ago FOTA now has eight members among … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/12/07/were-also-on-way-out-of-fota-says-sauber/
Matt Kenseth will wreck you in absolutely anything, anywhere
Check out Matt Kenseth racing Green Machines at Travis Air Force Base as part of a Gatorade promotion. The lucky fellow who won the chance to race Kenseth could have taken a lesson from Brian Vickers: you never, ever wreck Flatline with time still left in the race.
Yep, it's the offseason. How long till Daytona, again?
Tuesday
What Was Your NASCAR Best and Worst from 2011?
It was a wild season that began with 20-year-old Trevor Bayne winning the Daytona 500 and ended with a wild race that made series veteran Tony Stewart the first Cup Series Champion not named Jimmie Johnson since 2005. In the mean time: we saw 19 different winners, including five different first time winners; Kyle Busch [...]
TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/jfWowQPeArw/
Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler
Bernie ? laughing all the way to the bank?
Red Bull Racing and Ferrari have said that they are withdrawing from the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA). This will become a reality in February. If this is indeed the case, rather than a bit of brinksmanship, then the organisation will collapse as there is no longer any need for any collective bargaining and deals [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/bernie-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank/
Happy Hour: Is there a double standard for Vickers, Busch?
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 (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.
We're down to the final race of the season, but we're not closing up shop here next week. Plans are to do all the usual business: Power Rankings, Happy Hour, live chat, et cetera; we'll just have to work a little harder to create some topics, won't we? Maybe we'll do Power Rankings of the best tracks or tailgate food, things like that. We're always open to suggestions.
For now, though, your letters, and no doubt whatsoever about the subject du jour:
I don't like what Kyle Busch did, but other drivers have been wrecking guys for no reason and nothing ever happens to them. How about Harvick wrecking Logano twice, for no reason. And then Biffle wrecks and taunts Logano for no reason. No punishments. Vickers can be dirty, as well as others. Most seriously though, is that no one mentions that David Reutimann wrecked Kyle last year during the chase, under yellow, and took Kyle out of the championship. There were no penalties assessed to Reutimann that I recall.
? Stan
Yep, the whole Vickers-vs.-Kyle Busch conundrum filled our mailbags this week. You can check out our response to the whole issue of a double standard in the video above, but it basically shakes out like this, in my mind: NASCAR had a great opportunity to prove that intentional wrecking won't be tolerated, and it failed to do so. And that's going to make it that much tougher to park a "problem" driver in the future; we've already seen that different drivers often warrant very different penalties. So, what of Mr. Vickers?
____________________
Brian Vickers is an idiot and keeps on his one-man wrecking crew and NASCAR plays "Three Blind Mice"? I agree with Kyle Petty, Vickers will be able to watch the races on TV next year because he doesn't have a ride, and there is no fool going to hire him!
? Becky Flynn
Fort Worth, TX
Well, he's a decent enough driver so he'll always have the possibility of a ride somewhere, but he keeps taking himself out of chances with top-flight teams. Retaliation is one thing, but own it and run with it and then when it's done, it's done. That garage boxing ring is looking better and better.
Also, did somebody say "Three Blind Mice"? A nice shiny article all your own to anyone who can mix this with some NASCAR highlights:
____________________
In the wake of M&M's pulling its sponsorship of Kyle Busch for the rest of 2011, this old Dale Earnhardt quote popped into my head: "Need to tie some kerosene rags around those ankles so the ants don't eat your candy ass." Obviously M&M / Mars is not a good marketing match for a true racer. This is racing, not tennis. They should go back to sponsoring David Giililand if they are so "uncompromising in values" that they would sacrifice victory.
? George Zhen
Ah, but M&M's got the dual bump of lots of publicity and a chance to trumpet values in public. Plus, with Kyle out of the Cup hunt, there wasn't much chance that he'd get a whole lot of play regardless of which sponsor was on his car. That's win-win in sponsorspeak right there. And hey, speaking of wins ...
____________________
Seems the biggest issue with the Chase scoring is drivers getting 3 bonus points per regular season win as part of their playoff total but not having that extend into the Chase, whereas if it was in place then Smoke would be 9 ahead of Cousin Carl, which sounds about right. NASCAR needs to address that for next season, wouldn't you think?
? JJ
JJ? You wouldn't be a certain soon-to-be-former champion, would you? Regardless, I agree completely. If there's going to be a premium placed on wins in the season, do it in the Chase too. Another three points would be adequate. I have no problem with either driver winning the Cup, since I think that consistency counts every bit as much as a hot streak, but Smoke has gone off the charts here with wins, and I do think that kind of astonishing performance does warrant more points love.
But the math does make it a simple equation for Homestead: win and the Cup is yours. Unless, of course, they tie ...
____________________
From what I can see it is possible for Edwards and Stewart to end up tied at the end of the final race next week. What will NASCAR do if that happens?
-Daniel Pursifull
Oklahoma City, OK
Cage fight with pool cues and garbage can lids. Or, barring that, they'd go with a tiebreaker, which is most wins. Stewart wins that battle 4-1. So, in effect, Edwards' lead is two points, not three.
____________________
Answer a question for me please? I thought that one of the requirements to hold a NASCAR license was to have a valid drivers license in your state of residence. How is it that Kyle was allowed to race after his North Carolina license was suspended?
? John
Mooresville, NC
Nope, not so. All you have to do is be licensed by NASCAR; there's no corresponding state driver's license requirement. Though how awesome would it have been to have a trooper pull up behind him and pull him over at Charlotte Motor Speedway? You would've heard the cheers all the way to Vegas.
____________________
Where are all the "I bet Hendrick regrets replacing Kyle Busch with Dale Earnhardt Jr." whiners now? Hahahaha.
? Brad Scott
Michigan
Oh, Brad. Not a good idea to go with a pro-Junior, anti-Kyle taunt until your guy gets that little 0-for-120something mark off his record. (Still, you gotta wonder...what would Rick Hendrick have done in such a situation? Had Kyle cleaning the toilets at Rick Hendrick Chevy dealerships across the South, I'm guessing.)
And finally, we bring you this, the last word on Kyle Busch:
____________________
He's still a [censored] [censored]!!! [Censored] Toyota driving [censored]!!! Toyota has no business in NASCAR!!!!!
-Ken M. Sannes
[Censored] yeah! NASCAR: where we never let a grudge die!
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, find us on Facebook right here, or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Where do we go from here?
This is a question I have been asking myself for about a week now. In the wake of Wheldon?s passing; the indycar world was, for good reason, in a holding pattern. The new car testing that was supposed to take … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/where-do-we-go-from-here/
Monday
A small legal milestone
Munir Patel, a 22-year-old administrative clerk at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court, has become the first person in Britain to be prosecuted under the new Bribery Act which was passed in 2010. The Act, which replaces all previous statutory and common law provisions in relation to bribery, covers bribery, being bribed, the bribery of foreign public officials, [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/a-small-legal-milestone/
Sunday
Sprint extends title sponsorship of Sprint Cup Series to 2016
Hesse made the announcement while presenting a $5.8 million winner's check to 2011 champion Tony Stewart.
"So, I could not be more pleased than to announce and celebrate tonight, that Sprint and NASCAR have agreed to an extension of our relationship, ensuring that through at least the 2016 season, every champion crowned will be a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion," Hesse said.
Sprint became the official title sponsor of the Cup Series in 2008 after the Sprint-Nextel merger was complete. Nextel became the title sponsor of the Cup Series in 2004 after Winston left the sport. The Nextel contract was set to expire at the end of the 2013 season.
Stewart is the only driver to have won championships with Winston, Nextel and Sprint as the title sponsors.
While the Sprint announcement is good news for the series, especially in light of the sponsorship struggles throughout the industry, it's probably bad news for NASCAR fans who want official NASCAR content on their phones but are not Sprint customers. Currently, the only official NASCAR mobile application with audio and other features is exclusive to Sprint and will likely remain that way for obvious reasons.
What Bernie, Sarkozy and Clarkson have in common
Bernie Ecclestone, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jeremy Clarkson are not necessarily a natural fit. Bernie likes cars, Sarkozy is a cyclist, who avoids any pro-automobile activity, for fear that it will upset voters, while Clarkson thinks that green cars should be destroyed. He described the Honda Insight as “the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/what-bernie-sarkozy-and-clarkson-have-in-common/
2011 Portimao WSBK Test Day 2 Results: Haslam Fastest Again, Ahead Of Laverty
Leon Haslam continues to top the unofficial timesheets on the second day of the World Superbike test at Portimao. The factory BMW rider took four tenths off his time from yesterday, setting his fastest time on race tires, while focussing mainly on chassis set up. Factory Aprilia man Eugene Laverty was 2nd quickest, and just a tenth off Haslam's time, despite a big highside in the early afternoon, which knocked the wind out of the Irishman but did not prevent him from going straight back out again.
Satellite BMW Italia rider Ayrton Badovini continues to impress, setting the 3rd fastest time once again, the 1'43.4 coming as part of a long series of laps in the low 1'43s, and putting him two tenths ahead of the 2010 World Champion Max Biaggi. Biaggi had a few small parts to test, but his main focus is on recovering his form after spending the last three months on and off the bike since breaking his foot at the Nurburgring. Reigning World Supersport Chaz Davies was 5th fastest, a second off Haslam's time, and spent his time trying to get his head round the many complexities of a Superbike machine, after having far fewer options for adjustment on his Supersport machine in 2011.
Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Video: Alfa Romeo MiTo sets balloon-popping world record
 |
A balloon-popping world record isn’t exactly the type that draws amazed reactions from people, but that doesn’t mean it’s not any less impressive.
Italian automaker Alfa Romeo thought it would be a cool idea to take 2,500 balloons, a Red Epic camera with IMAX quality resolution, and an Alfa Romeo MiTo to make a pretty cool record-setting video wherein the MiTo was to pop as many balloons as it could.
Driven by professional stunt driver and 19-time world-record holder Terry Grant, the whole stunt was christened as the "Aquabatics Challenge" and it featured Grant completely laying waste to the balloons as if they had just stolen his lunch money. At the end of the stunt, Grant managed to pop an astounding 2,496 balloons, leaving only four surviving balloons. After the run, Alfa Romeo immediately sent the video over to the Guinness Book of World Records to be verified.
As far as the four surviving balloons are concerned, the Italian automaker is running a competition asking people to guess which of the balloons - based on the correct grid location - managed to escape the MiTo’s wrath. You can check that out at Alfa’s Facebook page, and if you manage to be one of the four to win, you get a chance to participate in an exclusive Alfa Romeo track day at the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit.
Check out the slow-mo video of the attempt after the jump!
Video: Alfa Romeo MiTo sets balloon-popping world record originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 December 2011 23:00 EST.
Photos From the Dan Wheldon Memorial at IMS
Initially I thought there would be no posts from me this week, but I cannot hold on to these pictures without sharing. Many of your twitter streams were flooded on Monday afternoon with these pictures; there are no new shots, … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/photos-from-the-dan-wheldon-memorial-at-ims/
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