Joey Logano thrusts himself into Chase contention with win at Michigan

With three races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, you can add another driver to the list of those with championship hopes that are more than a dream.

Joey Logano started first at Michigan on Sunday, and while he ventured from that spot for the majority of the race, he was back in it at the end and got his first Cup Series win of the season.

Over the races final laps, Logano stalked leader Mark Martin, but was never able to get to Martin's bumper. However, that ended up a non-issue. Martin was attempting to stretch his fuel and was between two and three laps short of making it to the end of the race. He needed a caution flag that never flew.

"I knew he was two laps short, but I really wanted to get by him in case they were fooling with me," Logano said. "They were getting great mileage and I knew (Kevin Harvick) behind me, he was about the same speed as me. Just getting that clean air would have been so much."

Martin had to hit the pit lane with three laps to go. Logano was then in the lead, and Harvick was never able to get close enough to challenge for the win.

Logano got in that position by making a three-wide move on Harvick for second place on the race's final restart with 23 laps to go. Once he got the position on Harvick, he worked his way around Kurt Busch and kept Martin within his sights before Martin was forced to pit.

"I just mistimed that last restart there," Harvick said. "I was rolling pretty good on (Martin), and going to beat him to the start/finish line and I had to check up and that allowed the 22 to kind of make it three-wide and get under me and we had to fight back from there."

After back-to-back 40th place finishes at Daytona and New Hampshire, Logano tumbled from 10th to 18th in the standings and was 36 points outside of the top 10.

That 18th position was one spot below where he was at the same time in 2012, when he was with Joe Gibbs Racing. After Matt Kenseth's arrival to take the reins of the No. 20 car that Logano was driving last season, Logano signed with Penske Racing to team with Brad Keselowski.

In the run-up to last year's Chase, Logano stagnated and was 18th and without a sniff of the Wild Card come Richmond. This year at Penske, the stagnation has turned into spring water. In the races since that rough two weeks, he has finishes of eighth, seventh and seventh. And, of course, Sunday's win.

That means he's now back to 13th in the standings, 17 points out of the top 10 and seven points behind Martin Truex Jr. for the final Wild Card spot. What looked to be an afterthought a month ago is now a legitimate possibility.

"We bet on Joey when we hired him and he's certainly been showing the speed and the skill and today, winning at our home track for Ford and the Shell-Pennzoil car, it's an outstanding weekend for Penske Racing," car owner Roger Penske said.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/joey-logano-thrusts-himself-chase-contention-win-michigan-204724919.html

Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews

Silly Season Update: Forward's Privateer Yamaha M1s, Hayden's Future, And Honda's Production Racers

With all of the prototype seats occupied for 2014 - barring a contractual bust up between Ducati and Ben Spies, which is only an expensive theoretical possibility at the moment - battle has commenced for the rest of the MotoGP seats regarded as being most competitive. While the factory bikes - the bikes in the factory and satellite teams being raced as MSMA entries - are all taken, the privateer machines - using Dorna spec ECU software and extra fuel - are still mostly up for grabs.

The three most highly sought after machines are the 2013 Yamaha M1s to be leased by the NGM Forward squad, Honda's production racer (a modified RC213V with a standard gearbox and metal spring instead of pneumatic valves) and the Aprilia ART bikes, which are an increasingly heavily modified version of Aprilia's RSV4 superbike. Of the three, only the ART machine is a known quantity, with Aleix Espargaro and Randy de Puniet having raced the bikes with some success in 2012 and 2013, joined by Yonny Hernandez and Karel Abraham this year. Teams and riders will have to guess about the performance of the Yamahas and Hondas, though given the basis of the two machines, it is a safe bet they will be relatively competitive.

The most popular machine among riders is the Yamaha M1, naturally enough. The bike is a near complete 2013 machine, with a few parts excluded, such as the fuel tank, and will utilize the spec ECU software from Dorna, being developed by the current CRT teams. Given just how good the 2013 M1 is - Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi have won races on it, Cal Crutchlow has scored regular podiums - it is expected to be the best privateer machine on the grid next season, and anyone hoping to advance in the series is angling for a ride on it.

And so Giovanni Cuzari, the team boss of Forward, is a very popular man with the riders. He has had talks with almost everyone who is anyone, including current Pata Honda World Superbike rider Johnny Rea, Aspar's Aleix Espargaro, now rideless Nicky Hayden, current BMW World Superbike man Marco Melandri, IODA Came's Danilo Petrucci, as well as current Forward riders Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti, and Forward's Moto2 rider Alex De Angelis.

Source: 

http://www.speedweek.com/motogp/news/43282/Forward-2014-mit-Yamaha-Kommt...

http://www.gpone.com/2013082011163/Hayden-si-candida-al-posto-di-Esparga...

http://www.gpone.com/2013082011160/Yamaha-va-forward-con-Espargaro.html

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2013/August/...

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2013/August/...

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/-OUa7xVzx8s/silly_season_update_forward_s_privateer_.html

Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston

Jimmie Johnson takes second Pocono pole of 2013, looks to repeat victory

You don't get any more efficient than this: Jimmie Johnson has won the pole again in 2013 at Pocono, and he'll once again seek to win the race from the first position.

Qualifying for Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 took place under lovely Pennsylvania skies, and perhaps as a result, the top six drivers all set new track records at the track, led by Johnson's 49.819 seconds/180.654 mph. Kyle Busch will start alongside Johnson, followed by Carl Edwards, last week's winner Ryan Newman, and Kurt Busch. Other notables: Brad Keselowski (11th), Clint Bowyer (16th), Tony Stewart (20th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (25th), Danica Patrick (34th).

"I?d like to have another shot at it," Johnson said afterward. "I think I could do a better job. But all of my senses said that was awesome and my fun meter was certainly pegged. It was a lot of fun to drive a car that good on a track with so much grip."

After qualifying, Kyle Busch tossed a few more logs on the Jimmie Johnson conspiracy fire by noting that the 48 car seems to go through tech inspections multiple times, and said, "A lot of these other teams figure out how to play by the rules. It seems like there's one that's sometimes late."

He continued onward. "Every time they're late, they're always fast. Maybe we need to be late."

"A good starting spot here can mean the difference between winning and losing here,? Edwards said after qualifying. If that's the case, the rest of the field is in a lot of trouble indeed. Johnson, with four wins on the season, is already 75 points ahead of second-place Bowyer. Another exceptional week at Pocono, and Johnson could afford to take a couple races off.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Tony Stewart not about to back down from his hectic schedule
? Jeff Gordon needs a win at Pocono
? Fox extends NASCAR TV contract, adds races

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/jimmie-johnson-takes-second-pocono-pole-2013-looks-212704639.html

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

Since I have been gone?

The world never really stops moving for a modern F1 journalist, but I kept the work to a minimum and managed to have a very pleasant summer pause on Cape Cod. I’ve been to a lot of places in my life, but Cape Cod is certainly up there with the best of them. One can […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/since-i-have-been-gone/

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

Raikkonen ?pursuing Ferrari? after Red Bull rejection | F1 Fanatic Round-up

In the round-up: Raikkonen won't drive for Red Bull in 2014... ? ...but now wants Ferrari seat ? Sirotkin move "risky" - Hulkenberg

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/08/20/f1-fanatic-round-up-2008/

Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli

AUTOS: Touring the North End Car Show circuit - Round 1

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/SUeweOFY3KE/autos-touring-north-end-car-show.html

Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso

Vettel takes over at the top

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

Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari

Cup Start-And-Parks Dwindling

The practice of starting-and-parking has been a much discussed topic over the last couple of years. If you aren’t aware, starting-and-parking refers to a system in which teams enter a race and pull into the garage after only a few laps with a perfectly good race car in order to collect prize money. Teams can [...]

TheNASCARInsiders.com

Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/7quHncspnAg/

Kevin Cogan Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo

2013 Indianpolis MotoGP FP1 Result: Marquez At The Top of The Class After Summer Recess

MotoGP rookie Marc Marquez, picking up where he left off before the summer break, led the first free practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a time of 1’40.781.  Cal Crutchlow put his satellite Yamaha into second, three-tenths adrift of Marquez.

Current world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who led much of FP1, finished third.  Stefan Bradl continued his good form with a fourth-fastest time and Valentino Rossi put in a fast final lap to grab fifth place. Rossi had dropped as low as eighth in the late stages of practice before putting in his best lap as time expired.

But as has become standard, all eyes were on Marquez. The current championship points leader in July at Laguna Seca became the first rookie to win back-to-back races since American Kenny Roberts in 1978.  At Indy, Marquez jumped to the top of the timesheet with 12 minutes remaining and he didn’t let go. 

American Ben Spies  -- a former MotoGP rookie of the year himself -- ended his injury hiatus with an 11th place time, 1.7 seconds off the pace.

Results:

Race Details

Round Number: 

9

2013

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/61KaTghUQKs/2013_indianpolis_motogp_fp1_result.html

JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd

IndyCar Withdraws Rahal Fine

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/06/indycar-withdraws-rahal-fine.html

Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati

Driver tries to fight other driver, gets dragged along racetrack

Drivers, word to the wise: we get it that when you're ticked off at someone else, you want immediate and total retribution. However, you have to remember: your targets are often driving freaking cars. So if you go crazy trying to exact revenge, it may not work out exactly how you'd like.

Our scene: Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., scene of weekly racing. And in one race this past weekend, a fella named Derek Stoltz somehow decided to get an entire family mad at him. On the race's final lap, he spun race leader Bryant Robertson, then turned Bryant's brother Mike.

During Stoltz's victory lap, Mike Robertson then decided to do what Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Danica Patrick and so many others have done before him: rage at Stoltz while the race is still going on. Unfortunately, Robertson got hung up on Stoltz's car and got flung into the wall. Bryant Robertson, meanwhile, was held up by security and unable to catch up to Stoltz.

Moral of the story, then: careful about when you fight somebody. Maybe wait until they're in the Port-A-Potty or something.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

More NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Brian Vickers gets first Sprint Cup win in four years
? Tony Stewart runs out of gas, falls out of top 10
? Danica Patrick crashes into boyfriend during Sprint Cup race

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/driver-tries-fight-other-driver-gets-dragged-along-161617427.html

Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham

Day 2 Photos

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/05/day-2-photos.html

Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello

Driver tries to fight other driver, gets dragged along racetrack

Drivers, word to the wise: we get it that when you're ticked off at someone else, you want immediate and total retribution. However, you have to remember: your targets are often driving freaking cars. So if you go crazy trying to exact revenge, it may not work out exactly how you'd like.

Our scene: Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., scene of weekly racing. And in one race this past weekend, a fella named Derek Stoltz somehow decided to get an entire family mad at him. On the race's final lap, he spun race leader Bryant Robertson, then turned Bryant's brother Mike.

During Stoltz's victory lap, Mike Robertson then decided to do what Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Danica Patrick and so many others have done before him: rage at Stoltz while the race is still going on. Unfortunately, Robertson got hung up on Stoltz's car and got flung into the wall. Bryant Robertson, meanwhile, was held up by security and unable to catch up to Stoltz.

Moral of the story, then: careful about when you fight somebody. Maybe wait until they're in the Port-A-Potty or something.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

More NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports:

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Brian Vickers gets first Sprint Cup win in four years
? Tony Stewart runs out of gas, falls out of top 10
? Danica Patrick crashes into boyfriend during Sprint Cup race

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/driver-tries-fight-other-driver-gets-dragged-along-161617427.html

Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno

Hungarian GP rated among top three races so far | 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix

This year's Hungarian Grand Prix was rated as one of the better races at the Hungaroring by F1 Fanatic readers.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/08/10/hungarian-grand-prix-rated-among-top-three-races-so-far/

Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza

Austin Dillon subbing for Tony Stewart at Michigan

Austin Dillon was tabbed by Stewart-Haas Racing on Monday to be the replacement driver for Tony Stewart at Michigan on Sunday.

Dillon currently leads the Nationwide Series points standings by three points over Sam Hornish.

?I?ve watched Austin for many years and at each stage of his racing career he?s been successful,? Stewart said in a team release. ?He?s proven to be a very fast learner, and he?s able to adapt quickly. Being the youngest champion in the history of the Truck Series is proof of that. His background in dirt racing is an asset, and off the track we share many of the same interests, specifically, hunting and fishing. I know he?ll perform well at Michigan and I?m just as confident in his ability to properly represent Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops throughout the race weekend.?

See, just like in all relationships, common interests are foundational for a replacement driver. Bass Pro Shops sponsored Dillon when he won the 2010 Camping World Truck Series title.

The team has not named a replacement for the races starting after Michigan, though Dillon is likely still a candidate to replace Stewart for more races until he returns from the broken leg he suffered in a sprint car race in Iowa a week ago. Stewart was released from the hospital in North Carolina following a second surgery on Sunday evening.

"Well, it's going to be a weekly occurrence here for a little while," Stewart-Haas Racing Competition Director Greg Zipadelli said Monday afternoon about the replacement process for Stewart. "We'll evaluate each race as it comes and do the best job we can with putting someone in it we feel will do a good job for Stewart?Haas and all of our partners."

"We will probably know more next week. Tony has a doctor's appointment Wednesday here to just kind of go over things, and at that point we'll have a lot better idea of what we're doing. But for right now it will probably be a week?by?week decision as far as who is in the car."

Zipadelli seemed to rule out a Nationwide Series driver for Stewart's seat at Michigan on Friday at Watkins Glen, as the Nationwide Series is running that weekend at Mid-Ohio. Ultimately, Dillon's schedule was able to be adapted for both races. He tested earlier this season at Mid-Ohio, and practice for the series' first race at the road course begins Thursday, allowing him to spend Friday at Michigan. Dillon ran the first Michigan Sprint Cup race in the No. 33 and finished 11th.

That's his highest finish in seven Sprint Cup Series starts this season. In July, he won the first Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora, the dirt track that Stewart owns.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/austin-dillon-subbing-tony-stewart-michigan-193535806.html

Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot

Montezemolo ?tweaks Alonso?s ear? for negative comments

Ferrari has given Fernando Alonso an extraordinary public rebuke in the light of negative comments the Spaniard made after Sunday?s Hungarian GP. The fact that Alonso?s management has had contact with Red Bull Racing has clearly created extra tension in … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/07/29/montezemolo-tweaks-alonsos-ear-for-negative-comments/

George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage

Hamilton's tough decision

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

JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd

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

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.

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

JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore

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