Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamiltons_tough_decision.html
Saturday
Friday
Tony Stewart debuts his newest ride, a scooter, at Richmond International Raceway
RICHMOND - It's an ironic punishment worthy of an old Greek myth: the toughest, meanest, most competitive driver in the country, maybe the world, reduced to piloting a freaking scooter.
Tony Stewart wrecked his leg in early August during a sprint car crash, and Friday marked his first reappearance at a NASCAR track in nearly a month. He's a month out from the last time he wheeled a car, and another five months before he straps into another. But his new ride is ... well, it's classic Smoke, that's what it is.
Earlier this week, Stewart indicated that he'd only missed one sponsor engagement because of injury. But a controlled sponsor environment is one thing; being at the race track, with the sound of engines and the smell of oil and tires in the air, is a different experience altogether.
Stewart was in his element, smiling and laughing as a steady stream of colleagues and admirers ran past the scooter, stopping for a fist-bump or a handshake or an awkward hug. Stewart's receiving line ranged from Sharpie-wielding fans to crew members of all stripes to NASCAR's most notable. Ray Evernham and Stewart fiddled with a cell phone. Carl Edwards, one of the most talkative men in NASCAR, found himself a bit performer in the Stewart show, watching as Stewart waved his hands in performance and traced the line of his injury down his leg.
A driver remaining still in the garage area is like someone making noise in a zombie movie ? sooner or later, they attract the attention of the relentless hordes, and from there it's all over. Stewart couldn't remain in any one place very long without drawing a crowd. Though he posed for plenty of selfies and signed plenty of autographs, he finally had to draw the line shortly after 4 p.m. As the long day ended, Stewart hoisted himself from the scooter onto a golf cart, grimacing all the way.
It'll be rough, being at the track and unable to race, but for Stewart, anything has to be an improvement over a hospital bed.
Thursday
Haug: Mercedes Can Beat Red Bull In 2014
Former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug believes that the Silver Arrows will be able to compete for the Constructors? and Drivers? championships in 2014. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have looked impressive this term, taking the squad into the upper echelons of the standings. Haug, who was replaced by Toto Wolff, believes that battling Red Bull [...]
Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever
NASCAR penalizes Michael Waltrip Racing for Richmond actions; Ryan Newman now in the Chase, Martin Truex Jr. out
NASCAR moved Ryan Newman into the Chase for the Sprint Cup and Martin Truex Jr. out after investigating the final laps of Saturday night's race at Richmond.
Truex and teammates Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers received 50 point penalties. The penalties are as follows:
MWR was found to have violated Section 12-4 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing). As a result, MWR?s three teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No. 15, 55, 56) have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points, respectively.
These point penalties are assessed following the season?s 26th regular season race and not after the seeding for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Therefore, the point total for the No. 56 car driven by Martin Truex Jr. is reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card berth for the Chase field. Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 car, now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card participant.
[Related: NAPA launching review of Michael Waltrip Racing sponsorship]
During the final laps at Richmond, Bowyer spun and caused a late caution while Ryan Newman was leading. If Newman had won, he would have gotten a Wild Card seed over Bowyer's teammate Martin Truex Jr. After pitting, Newman re-entered the track in fifth during the caution and finished third. Truex got the second Wild Card on a tiebreaker with Newman.
"Based upon our review of Saturday night?s race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said in the release. "As the sport?s sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that."
The Chase is NASCAR's 10 race playoff amongst 12 drivers. Until Monday, NASCAR has never issued penalties that have affected the composition of the Chase field since the Chase's inception in 2004.
It's also important to note that Bowyer's 50 point deduction does not affect his Chase total -- so in essence, it's an empty points penalty. He will still start the Chase in 7th place with 2000 points. Matt Kenseth is the top seed with 2015 points.
[Watch: One-on-one with Dale Earnhardt Jr.]
Jeff Gordon was also affected by the MWR maneuver, as Bowyer and Brian Vickers, who was in the No. 55, slowed down over the last few laps to ensure that Joey Logano got ahead of them. That moved Gordon from 10th place and a guaranteed spot in the Chase to 11th place. Gordon was ineligible for a Wild Card because he didn't have a win while Logano would have gotten a Wild Card over Truex by virtue of his win at Michigan. However, Gordon is still out of the Chase.
Michael Waltrip Racing was also fined $300,000 and director of competition Ty Norris was also suspended indefinitely. Crew chiefs Chad Johnston (Truex), Brian Pattie (Bowyer) and Scott Miller (Vickers) were placed on probation until the end of the year.
Wednesday
Happy Hour: Helmet throws, passion, and going in the other direction. Literally.
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
Recovering from Wednesday night's Truck race? If that's not an endorsement for more weeknight races, then nothing is. I think mid-week races could be used two-fold. First, in the summertime, there's no competition outside of baseball and reruns, so a summer weeknight race would do well I believe. Second, in the fall, it could be positioned as a way to avoid football. Let's try it with the Nationwide Series first.
Let's get to the topics, shall we?
What I find interesting is that in a NASCAR commercial they show a driver throwing his helmet at another car?.BUT, in real life they would be fined for it.
BUT, it?s okay for a commercial to promote NASCAR.
- Wayne
I'm intrigued that Wayne is under the impression that NASCAR fined Tony Stewart for his helmet throw last year. Do some NASCAR fans automatically expect fines for something deemed out of line no matter what now? If so, that's not the fault of the fans.
We continue on with the same theme...
I've watched NASCAR since 1997. I remember the good ole days when drivers actually had a personality about everything, whether it be about the tracks, drivers, or the race itself. With NASCAR fining everybody for their opinions is actually hurting the sport more than helping it, especially when they fined Hamlin this year for his opinion on the Gen 6 car. My wife and I were discussing about retaliations in the sport. Granted we don't condone what Kyle did to Hornaday at Texas two or three years ago, but drivers should be allowed to bump someone out of the way and be the "BULLY" without being penalized anymore. On to the points system, NASCAR needs to scrap this chase. Drivers are coasting every week, especially those that are in danger of missing the chase, i.e. Gordon, Kahne, Newman. Drivers are no longer going for wins and being aggressive anymore and that is hurting the sport cause drivers need to push the issue. Keselowski not racing Kyle harder at Watkins Glen is not how the sport should be. What happened to the time where you had Labonte and Earnhardt racing tough to the line at Atlanta or Gordon and Harvick at Atlanta in 01 or Craven and Kurt grinding on each other at Darlington for the closest finish in NASCAR history? If NASCAR fixes the sport where drivers can be vocal and do what they do without penalization except in real dangerous situations, then the sport would be popular again. Not this 3 man race for the wins this year that Johnson, Kenseth, and Kyle are doing. I wanna see the chase scraped and the old points system back in place where its from Daytona to Homestead with the 43 point system. You would have better racing than you would today.
- Matthew
While Keselowski did what he did for his Chase chances, wouldn't his finish last year with Busch and Ambrose at Watkins Glen go into the category of the three races you mentioned above, Matthew?
I'm not sure how the Chase can be lumped into the same issue as feeling that drivers can't speak their minds. Given the points situation this year and the Jimmie-fatigue that many in the fanbase have, a significant majority of NASCAR fans would want a Chase this season.
And I also don't think for an instant that other drivers are laying back knowing that the Chase is coming. Does it affect decision making when gambling -- see Kes the last two weeks -- yes, it does. But that's a different animal.
_____________________
I grew up riding my go-cart in the back yard dreaming I was racing against Petty and Pearson, yes I am old now. I lost interest in NASCAR for many years, the straw that broke me was when Rusty Wallace and the 2 went from Ford to I believe Pontiac and kept the same cars. How could a Ford morph into a Pontiac? What alchemy! Anyway I enjoy a race now and again, but generally find them a bit boring. I seem to remember the days when the cars more reasonably represented American automobiles, when the 426 Hemi competed against the 427 Side-Oiler and you had to be able to buy that car with that engine. Dealerships with Superbirds and Daytonas and Torino Talladegas were cool places! Alas those days are forever history!
While in the Charlotte infield prior to the fall race recently I was struck by an epiphany as I watched a courtesy car make laps around the track at a decent pace, tires squealing, but going clockwise. Yes, right hand turns.
These days the engines of most of the top tier cars appear to be fairly identical. In fact the differences between the Chevy, Ford, and Toyota engines seems to be a well guarded secret, if these differences exist at all. It occurs to me that chassis setup on these oval cars has become so finely tuned that the real secret to racing today is matching the chassis to the driver and to the specific conditions of that particular day. Clearly some teams are better at that than others, but we now discuss tracks as being 'suited' to certain teams and drivers.
Road course races have become much more entertaining, particularly since the 'regular' drivers now embrace a right hander every now and again as evidence of their skill. Imagine, if you will, a mile-and-a-half oval where the field reversed direction at halftime. The dynamic of the chassis stagger would require that the car no longer go left on its own, but rather that it run straight. Imagine how different the racing would be turning left in a car that would later be required to turn right! What if we varied the number of clockwise verses counter clockwise turns, announcing only at the last minute the actual number of each. Speeds would reduce dramatically I think, but the racing and the passing would be fabulous! I also think the need for restrictor plates vanishes. I think the racing improves, and the abilities of these talented people are better demonstrated.
I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. The more I have the more I like the idea!
- Doug
An out of the box idea! I like it, Doug. It could be a new twist on the old Truck Series halftime format and a track version of inverting the field. There'd be some new strategy too -- do you set your car up to be good both directions or not as good in the first half and really good to turn right in the second half? I like it a lot, though it won't happen.
After watching the Grand-Am race in-person this weekend, I'm even more on board with the idea of adding a roval to a track's second Cup date of the season. It'd be a good compromise between a road course and oval, and wouldn't take a date away from an existing track that has the infrastructure to host a road course race.
_____________________
Could you enlighten me on how race winnings are determined and divided? For instance, how did Jeff Gordon in 36th win the same amount as AJ Allmendinger in 10th at Watkins Glen? There must be a formula ? just curious
- Pete
It's a complicated answer, Pete, but it depends on the number of contingency programs a team is in, sponsor money and where a team finishes. It's a complicated formula that's different for every team, and is definitely not indicative of a team's performance, especially at the Cup level. I'm completely in favor of removing prize money from the box score altogether -- or explaining why it's the number it is -- because of how varied it can be.
_____________________
I really like the Nationwide series without the Cup Drivers. It seems like Cup guys, they just take off and take the lead and keep it. Its exciting when the Nationwide Series Drivers can run against each other. Better racing. I don't think Cup Drivers should be allowed in Nationwide Series at all.
-Deb
Another idea I can get behind, but it's not going to happen. Does something need to be tweaked to make sure Nationwide drivers have more of a chance at making it to victory lane? Absolutely. I stick by what I said last week.
Tuesday
Third place at Michigan puts Kurt Busch in the top 10
At this rate, Kurt Busch isn't going to need a win to get into the Chase.
After falling outside of the top 10 because of a slow pit stop, Busch charged back through the field to finish third during Sunday's race at Michigan and is now 9th in the points standings.
"We stuck with our game plan," Busch said, about the team's pit strategy. "At one point we were buried deep, 14th on one of the restarts. I was a little frustrated at that point, knowing we had a much better car. But our weaknesses were restarts today, trying to maneuver in traffic."
"But lo and behold, got fired up, sometimes I get lucky, and opening opened up on the outside. I think I came on that restart from 14th to sixth. It was a game?changer. That one moment was our race."
Since Busch doesn't have a win this season, being in the top 10 is vital, especially after Joey Logano's win Sunday, which added another driver to the now-cavalcade of drivers with wins below Busch.
8. Brad Keselowski (667 points): Keselowski wanted to try to stretch his fuel to the end, but crew chief Paul Wolfe and owner Roger Penske wanted him to pit. Keselowski pitted under caution and finished 12th. Had he run out of gas, he would have ended up in Mark Martin territory. (27th)
9. Busch (-2 points to Keselowski): One of the favorites at Bristol?
10. Greg Biffle (-4 points): The name of the game for Biffle is to now stay ahead of all of the one-win drivers below him. Barring a second win by any of them, that gets him in. Biffle finished ninth.
11. Kasey Kahne (-8 points): Right now, the four point difference between Kahne and Biffle is a six point difference in the Chase. Kahne was seventh.
12. Martin Truex Jr. (-14 points): That Logano win has him looking over his shoulder at a different driver following his 16th place finish.
13. Joey Logano (-21 points): I apologize for writing you off, Joey.
14. Jeff Gordon (-30 points): After a 17th place finish, things are really, really dicey for Gordon.
15. Ryan Newman (-31 points): It's 17 points to Truex and 10 to Logano. That's simple math an engineer can understand, right? Newman was 13th.
16. Jamie McMurray (-45 points): At almost a race's worth of points outside of the top 10 and without a win, this may be McMurray's last appearance here.
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Joey Logano grabs critical win from Michigan pole
? Watch: Crew member hit by tire on pit road
? Brian Vickers blocking out distractions
? Time is running out for Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati
Monday
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/
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
Sunday
Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe
Featuring a set of small upgrades and continuing to offer the same high class performances as the previous generations , the 2014 Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe has all it needs to remain the segment leader.
In terms of style, the 2014 Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe comes with high impact Paint and graphics, 9 spoke cast wheels, and stretched fenders.
At the heart of the motorcycle stays Harley?s legendary Twin Cam 110 engine which delivers a generous torque rated at 110 ft.lbs. at 3750 rpm. The engine sends its power to the ground through a six speeds cruise drive transmission that offers a combined city consumption of 43 mpg.
You also get Brembo Brakes, Anti Lock Brakes and LED lights.
The 2014 Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe is offered with a base price of $28,999.
Hit the jump for more information on the 2014 Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe.
Harley Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 8 September 2013 13:21 EST.
Saturday
Harry Scott finalizes purchase of Phoenix Racing, Justin Allgaier to drive at Chicago
Harry Scott has officially become the new owner of Phoenix Racing effective September 10 and Justin Allgaier will drive for the team at Chicago, its first race under new ownership.
"This is a very proud day for me as I will have the opportunity to compete against the best teams in motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the owner of Phoenix Racing," Scott said in a release. "I am going to build a championship contender with hard work, the right people and the right partners. This team has a great foundation thanks to the efforts of James Finch. There is a lot to build upon and I am looking forward to getting started."
In addition to Chicago, Allgaier will also drive the No. 51 at Charlotte and Talladega. No driver was announced for the other races. Allgaier will be sponsored by Nationwide Series sponsor Brandt. The first race of the Chase will be Allgaier's Sprint Cup Series debut. The Illinois native is currently fifth in the Nationwide Series standings.
Scott is co-owner of Turner -Scott Motorsports, the team that Allgaier drives for in the Nationwide Series. It also fields full-time entries for Kyle Larson and Nelson Piquet Jr. (If Larson is announced as the next driver of the No. 42 Saturday, could we see him in the No. 51 later this season?)
According to the release, Scott says he'll keep the team intact until the end of the season. This season, Phoenix has used eight drivers and Bobby Labonte is scheduled to be in the car this weekend at Atlanta.
Friday
A Car of Tomorrow Renaissance
I read a post the other day over at Autoextremist�(a fantastic automotive blog)�about the optimism surrounding the introduction of the Gen 6 car even in the face of continuing struggles for NASCAR, and it got me thinking about the recent evolution of our race cars. In the post, Mr. De Lorenzo talks about NASCAR’s unwillingness [...] 
TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/kBBTXioYbPE/
Thursday
Meanwhile in Venezuela
Williams’s funding from Venezuela is signed off each autumn to allow the sponsorship to continue for the season ahead. It is thus interesting to see that Venezuelan is running into financial trouble and that the finance minister Nelson Merentes has acknowledged that the economic policies of the late President Hugo Chavez have not yet proved […]
Source: https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/meanwhile-in-venezuela/
George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard
Wednesday
Ecclestone: We?ve compromised enough on New Jersey
Bernie Ecclestone insists that the Grand Prix of America could still find a place on the 2014 F1 calendar, despite having said last week that the�New Jersey event definitely won?t be happening due to lack of funds. However, he has … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/08/27/ecclestone-weve-compromised-enough-on-new-jersey/
Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla
Tuesday
Greg Zipadelli says timetable for Tony Stewart?s return hasn?t been determined
?We don?t know that yet," Stewart-Haas Competition Director Greg Zipadelli said Friday, when asked if Stewart was out the rest of the season, "I?m working under the assumption that he?s out for the next month or so or longer. He went to the doctor?s this week, he had a decent visit. No setbacks. Basically, very simple instructions, stay in his bed with your leg up over your heart for the next seven days and then come back and see me. We?ll reevaluate you and tell you what you can do. That?s what he?s doing."
On Monday, August 5, Stewart suffered a grade two fracture of his right tibia and fibula in a sprint car accident in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Stewart was leading when he crashed into a lapped car that was spinning in front of him.
Zipadelli said last week at Watkins Glen that the team was looking at Nationwide drivers to fill the races Stewart will miss, and said Friday that it'd likely be two drivers for the rest of the duration of Stewart's absence, whether it's a month, the rest of the season, or anything in between.
Dillon already has a relationship with Bass Pro Shops, one of Stewart's sponsors. While that played a role, being the 2010 Camping World Truck Series champion and leading the Nationwide points this season obviously doesn't hurt either. Plus, Dillon finished 11th at Michigan in June.
"We looked at that, the association with Bass Pro Shop, both sponsors were on board," Zipadelli said. "That is a big priority to us that our partners are on board with everything we do. Obviously, we let them down with Tony not being in the car the rest of the year and we need to do the best we can to represent them and they are a big part of our decisions.?
NASCAR video from Yahoo! Sports:
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Time is running out for Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski
? Bruce Jenner says racing cars brought him the closest to passing out
? Happy Hour: Watkins Glen highlights Brad Keselowski's dilemma
Monday
Weekend Review? The Greatest Street Race EVER Edition
Yet another race in the books, and another finish for indycar lore. Depending on who you ask, the 2013 Indy Brazil 300 was either the race of the year, decade, century? or ever. I?m not sure I have the qualifications … Continue reading 
Analysis: Is Alonso still in the frame at RBR?
The consensus in the paddock at Spa was that Daniel Ricciardo had already got the nod for the second Red Bull seat, and Mark Webber added fuel to the fire by telling Australian TV that it was a done deal. … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/08/26/analysis-is-alonso-still-in-the-frame-at-rbr/
Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
Sunday
2013 Silverstone Moto2 FP3 Result: Zarco Maintains The Rage
Frenchman Johan Zarco has maintained his strong Silverstone form and topped the timesheets after the third Moto2 free practice session. He finished a mere thousandth of a second ahead of home-town hero Scott Redding. Redding lead for the vast majority of proceedings and looked in fine form aboard his Union Jack emblazoned Kalex machine. Takaaki Nakagami took third position ahead of Thomas Luthi and Esteve Rabat.
Another crowd favorite in Danny Kent showed excellent promise and improvement on his early season form to finish in sixth place ahead of Belgian rider Xavier Simeon, Pol Espargaro, previous race winner Mika Kallio and Nico Terol, who completed the top ten.
Results:
Saturday
Happy Hour: Remaking the Chase and who would win a helmet throwing contest?
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
Shoutout to Bobby Labonte for a quick recovery from the bike accident he was in this week. Labonte was cycling and broke three ribs in a crash. He won't race this weekend for Phoenix Racing and will be replaced by Mike Bliss.
It's quite the busy weekend, especially if you're a college football fan as well as a race fan. We've got football for five straight days, the Truck and Nationwide Series on Saturday, IndyCar and Cup on Sunday and then on Monday the finals of the US Nationals, the biggest event in drag racing. Where's Formula 1 to race when you need them to?
Now that the Chase is two races away, we've got some ideas on tweaking it in this week's mailbag. It's perhaps the best mailbag of the season. Let's do this.
I have a great idea on how to make the Chase a little more interesting and make the ?regular? season count more. Instead of having the Chase be the same 10 races year after year, let?s let the drivers determine what tracks are used for the final 10 races. Start by taking the 23 tracks that are on the current schedule and give them a single race for the first 23 races. If NASCAR still wanted 26 races before the chase starts, bring back Rockingham and two other tracks. Now at the end of the ?regular? season, the Top 10 drivers get to pick what tracks that will be used during the Chase. The points leaders at the end of the 23 or 26 races gets to pick first. He gets to pick the track and what order in the Chase that it happens. Then the second place guys gets to pick the track and order, until all the drivers have picked, without repeating a track. NASCAR takes a week off after the last ?regular? race and makes a big production to announce the driver?s selections. Imagine having the final race of the Chase at the Glen or Darlington or even Bristol. It would also add a bit of strategy considerations to the driver?s choice. Do you pick your best track for the first week to get some momentum going or save it for last when you might need a strong finish to wrap up the Cup? Do you pick your best track or do you pick the track that has been a disaster for the guy that has the hot hand coming into the Chase? The possibilities are endless.
- Chris
In a perfect world, I absolutely love this idea. It'd be great drama and think of the strategy involved in a situation like this? You could keep the same bonus points structure to start the Chase and use the order of the standings before the Chase starts to select the 10 races. Right now, it really doesn't matter if you're in 2nd or 5th. With this, it would.
However, we don't obviously live in a perfect world, so this wouldn't work. A week wouldn't be enough for a track to prepare to host the first race of the Chase, and hosting the final race of the Chase north of, say, the Mason/Dixon line is a dicey proposition at best. (Even in the south it can get chilly in November.) Remember that cold November New Hampshire race in 2011?
I've got more, but let's continue it after this letter.
Here is an idea for NASCAR to totally revamp the season, and the chase.
How about we start with NASCAR starting the season like they do now, however at the start the schedule is only up until the chase, and each track has 1 event. Then the night before the Daytona 500, NASCAR holds an event kind of like they do for the Bud shootout each track getting to pick a bottle, then all at once they open the bottles and 10 get the numbers 1-10 and that's your chase tracks and the order. Now as far as the chase goes, here is how we change it up, the top 20 get in, and all are equal, no bonuses for wins, After 2 races the bottom 5 are eliminated, 3 more races 5 more eliminated, then each week 2 get eliminated until for the final race it is basically between the best 2 drivers, oh and each elimination round is a points reset, so no playing it safe. Also I think for the All Star Race, go back to letting the fans vote during the race to invert the field, and let us vote to make the cars turn right instead of left, how crazy would that be for the last segment.
- Jason
This idea could be feasible, and it's similar to the idea that Kurt Busch proposed after qualifying at Bristol on Friday when he said that tracks should bid for the final Chase race of the season. Imagine tracks having a sealed bidding process and then the host of the Chase is unveiled during Speedweeks?
Though that sealed bidding process wouldn't exactly be secret given the status and number of tracks that ISC and SMI own. Would each track be given a line item in the budget to spend? But then each would know what everyone else's max is? Could they add to the pot on top of it, so a track like, say, Texas could spend more of it's own money? I know I'm jumping into the weeds headfirst with this, but I'm crazy.
I love ideas like these. Keep them coming. At the very least we could get a "Make your own Chase" feature installed in the next NASCAR video game.
_____________________
I used to watch Nascar every weekend. I would not miss a race and my Sunday was designed around the cup schedule. As time goes on I find myself with less and less time to watch races and I find the racing itself has gotten more and more boring. So here's a crazy way to fix it, taking away the in-car radios. It can't happen because of all of the safety stuff, but I think it would make everything more interesting. If it's time to pit in, best get out your chalk and write it on the board, and hope your driver sees it. If your driver shows up unexpectedly, you had better ask him why. You'll even have to retrain the flagman to show the black flag to certain drivers instead of telling them who is penalized. I think it would add more guesswork to the whole thing and thus make the racing more unpredictable and exciting.
Imagine Jimmie Johnson's 48 is running loose and he needs to make the adjustment. So he trundles down pit road and pulls into his stall, dropping the window netting and screaming the problem to anyone who'll hear him. Wasting precious seconds his crewman leaps back over the wall to grab the chassis wrench and return to fix the problem. Drivers and crew members would have to come up with hand signals and other means of keeping each other informed, and thus on a track like Daytona, it's one more thing to think about, apart from put it in 4th and stay behind the guy in front of you.
So yank the Radios, why not?
- James
Another great out of the box idea. However I think that this one would make NASCAR even more dependent on simulations and engineering and setups, because in-race adjustments would be much much slower. Granted, it'd still be a level playing field, but when you move into the engineering and simulation categories even further, the rich teams are going to be the ones that are favored the most.
Getting rid of the radios would be a great idea for the All-Star Race to try though.
_____________________
Thanks for posting my comment about being fined for helmet throwing. So, here is my response. Since it is okay with NASCAR ? let?s have a Helmet Throwing Contest.
Who could break the first windshield and be the winner? According to you?.no fine.
- Wayne
Kurt Busch. I think he could get angry enough to get Hulk strength for one throw. Who y'all got? And speaking of Busch...
I'm in total disbelief that Stewart/Haas can not resign Ryan Newman saying they don't have the resources for a fourth team all the while they are trying to court Kurt Busch. Newman is so much of a better person than Kurt and in my opinion a hellava lot better racer...Just saying...
- Stephen
It's even more obvious from their press conference on Tuesday how much of a fan Gene Haas is of Busch. However, this is truly an experiment that has distinct possibilities of going in divergent directions, either one of which that would not be surprising. That's why SHR is the must-watch team in 2014, simply because you just don't know what's going to happen. Plus, will they struggle early like they did in going from two cars to three? That's one variable that could be like a kitchen mixer.
_____________________
You published a letter last week from Doug that addressed a few questions. One being that when racing on non road tracks at some point the officials should stop the race and turn it around. Personally I think that is a great idea.
But he also mentioned that you can't buy the same cars we see every weekend at a dealership. The whole reason NASCAR changed to the Gen-6 cars was to force the manufacturers to put these cars in the showrooms. As for the engines being different between cars and teams, Doug have you not been watching the races? Toyota was blowing engines left and right till they worked out some bugs, and recently Hendrick cars took (I believe) 4 of the top 5 on some new engines.
Now my rant about Nationwide and the trucks. I know there are not enough drivers in either one to make good races but what if the rules said full time Cup drivers had to start at the back of the pack and even if they crossed the finish line first the trophy and money went to the first Nationwide or truck driver to finish. I know most of the Cup guys that do run these races do it for owner's points, and that is fine, it doesn't affect the individual drivers.
OK, last rant for this week at least.
Start and parks: Now I just recently got back into racing and at first I would watch the ticker at the top that gives position and intervals and wondered what I had missed when I would see cars out or off but there didn't seem to have been an issue and the announcers hadn't said anything. It wasn't until Indianapolis was over and I read or heard that there were no teams that pulled a start and park. I did what I always do when I don't understand something and looked it up. Now if NASCAR will fine a driver for expressing their opinion on something where is the fine for taking up space and taking possible sponsors away from real racers?
- Heather
Cup cars were already "in showrooms" before this iteration of the Sprint Cup car. They just didn't have the resemblance that they do now. However, just like the COT, these cars are a far far departure from what you'll get in the dealership.
As far as start-and-parks go, I'm not sure that they're taking away sponsorship from cars that need it. Certainly not from Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs and others. Many teams start and park because they want to accumulate enough money and exposure to sponsors to be able to run a full race. It's not a proud thing for racers to do.
Yes, there are some teams that have learned how to exploit the system and make some cash off of starting and parking, but for drivers like chat favorite Joe Nemechek, the ultimate goal is to run the race.
If you're going to be angry at start and parks, don't get mad at the teams that do it, be mad at the environment that's forced starting and parking to become so prevalent.
Friday
Thursday
Video: Jay Leno Gets a Sweet Look at the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept
You can always count on Jay Leno to have some of the finest guests on his show. That’s par for the course when you’re the guy many consider one of the most hardcore celebrity car nuts in the world.
So when the recently unveiled Cadillac Elmiraj Concept made a stop at Jay Leno’s Garage, nobody was really surprised. After all, it was only a few weeks ago when the car turned a lot of heads at Pebble Beach when it made its debut.
So naturally, with the close proximity and all, the next stop for the Elmiraj figured to be in Leno’s web show.
In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Leno talks about the impressive characteristics of the Elmiraj while highlighting the noticeable styling influence of Cadillac’s new design language. Joining him was GM’s VP of Global Design, Ed Welburn, who proceeded to educate Jay on the design of futures on the Elmiraj while also taking the time to talk about how the Elmiraj will inspire future Cadillac models moving forward.
As is often the case, nobody can bring more life to cars than a guy like Jay Leno even with a concept that’s already as awesome as the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept.
Click past the jump to read more about the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept
Video: Jay Leno Gets a Sweet Look at the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 29 August 2013 09:00 EST.
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati
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