5 Hour Energy returning to sponsor Clint Bowyer in 2014

Michael Waltrip Racing can breathe a public sigh of relief after 5 Hour Energy announced via its Facebook page Friday morning that it would return to the team to sponsor Clint Bowyer in 2014.

"This week the 5-hour ENERGY� team met after the New Hampshire race to discuss our future with Michael Waltrip Racing," the post said. "While our original plan was to announce the status of our sponsorship at the end of the year, this timeframe left many concerned about their future. There are scores of passionate fans, numerous charitable organizations, and hundreds of hard-working MWR employees and their families who are directly impacted by 5-hour ENERGY?s NASCAR sponsorship."

"After several internal discussions and meetings with MWR, we are prepared to announce our decision ahead of schedule. 5-hour ENERGY� will be back as a sponsor of MWR and Clint Bowyer for 2014. We look forward to another great year of competitive racing. Go 15!"

The president of 5 Hour, Brian Henderson, was at New Hampshire and according to the AP said "There's a lot of talk about integrity,'' he said. ''When the guy who's in charge can say, 'I can do whatever I want and I'm going to do it and I just did,' I wonder about integrity. I want to make sure we can win in this sport, OK?'' He then walked off.

Those comments looked to be in reference to NASCAR president Brian France, who in the wake of the MWR race manipulation allegations at Richmond, added Jeff Gordon to the Chase as a 13th car.

MWR was accused of having Bowyer and Brian Vickers slow down to ensure Joey Logano finished ahead of them at Richmond after Bowyer spun late in the race. That got Martin Truex Jr. into the Chase before he was penalized by NASCAR the following Monday. Last week, NAPA made the decision to leave Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of the season.

NAPA was a full season sponsor for Truex. With the return of 5 Hour, the team now has two of its three cars funded, but is still looking for sponsorship for Truex.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/5-hour-energy-returning-sponsor-clint-bowyer-2014-133644197--nascar.html

Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno

Pole Day Live Blog!!!

Wow, what a first run through the field! Will Power has the current fast speed of 229.808, nearly an entire mile an hour faster than Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. That elusive 230 mile per hour lap looks like it … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/pole-day-live-blog-2/

Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti

Suzuki Press Release: Randy De Puniet Completes Misano Testing

Suzuki stayed on for two extra days of testing at Misano after the official MotoGP test had finished, and though they lost the second day to rain, the third day of testing proved productive. Randy De Puniet posted a lap of 1'34.882, under a second off the fastest lap set in Sunday's race at the Italian circuit. The Japanese factory now moves on to Mugello for further testing next week. Suzuki issued the following press release after testing at Misano was completed:

---

POSITIVE TEST FOR SUZUKI MOTOGP AT MISANO

Team Suzuki Press Office - September 18.

The Suzuki MotoGP Test Team has completed three-days of extensive testing at the Misano circuit in Italy on a positive note today after evaluating several new factory parts that included a new chassis, new engine-specifications and revised electronics, plus a new-styled cowling.

Test riders Randy De Puniet and Nobuatsu Aoki put in more-than 200 laps of the 4,064km circuit in the Provence of Rimini, trying-out improved settings and finding new direction to move-on to the next test at Mugello next week.

Year: 

2013

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/3mLIFI4aqfk/suzuki_press_release_randy_de_puniet_com.html

Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi

Joey Logano to start the first race of the Chase on the pole

Just minutes after his team was (apparently) part of the reason that Jeff Gordon was added as a 13th driver to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joey Logano was in the headlines again. However this time, it didn't have any NASCAR probation involved.

Logano won the pole for Sunday's Geico 400 at Chicagoland, the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It's Logano's second pole of the season -- the first came at Michigan, where he recorded his first win of 2013.

A win on Sunday would set Logano on the course his teammate Brad Keselowski followed to the championship last season. In 2012, Keselowski won the first race of the Chase en route to the title. This year, Keselowski missed out on the Chase -- no, (we think) he won't be added in before Sunday's race, but on Sunday, he'll start second behind Logano.

Logano and team were embroiled in som mid-week controversy when radio communications from David Gilliland's scanner were revealed to have a discussion that involved Gilliland moving over for Logano in the late laps to ensure that Logano made the Chase. Logano executed that pass with three laps left, and finished a position ahead of Gilliland and one point ahead of Jeff Gordon for the final top 10 Chase spot. Though, as we've noted before and will undoubtedly note again, had Logano not passed Gilliland, he would have gotten 10th over Gordon by virtue of tiebreaker.

Want to read a good takedown of the situation? Check out Jay Busbee's post if you're not sick of what's happened in NASCAR over the past week. It's enough to make your head spin more times than watching a Bristol race in fast-forward.

Anyway, back to qualifying, because that's what this post is supposed to be about. The other Chase drivers qualified as follows: Matt Kenseth 10th, Kyle Busch 12th, Jimmie Johnson 9th, Kevin Harvick 17th, Carl Edwards 8th, Greg Biffle 7th, Clint Bowyer 24th, Ryan Newman 20th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 18th, Kurt Busch 16th, Kasey Kahne 4th and BONUS DRIVER Jeff Gordon was 6th.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/joey-logano-start-first-race-chase-pole-224343614--nascar.html

Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof

Volkswagen Beetle by ABT

With the new generation of the Beetle from Volkswagen have tried to convince the male gender of the legendary Beetle was a car not only women, perhaps because of this and to “lend a hand” to the German company ABT preparation we trying to precisely this, put a little more muscle so delicate a vehicle […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/549-volkswagen-beetle-by-abt.html

Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca

Will anything come out of the investigation into Saturday night?s finish?

NASCAR took the step of issuing a statement that it was investigating the finish of Saturday night's race at Richmond which saw Ryan Newman lose the lead on pit road after a Clint Bowyer spin.

Investigating the finish of a race is a step that's nothing new for NASCAR. Though issuing a statement about it is. That's probably because since the conclusion of Saturday night's race, the NASCAR world has become convinced that there were shenanigans going on during the final few laps.

Newman was leading when Bowyer spun. A win for Newman would have put him in the Chase, knocking out Bowyer's teammate Martin Truex Jr. After the caution, Newman came out of the pits fifth. He finished third and behind Truex for the final Wild Card. Oh, and to make that possible, Joey Logano gained enough spots to end the first 26 races in the top 10.

This isn't your typical Jimmie Johnson conspiracy theory either. While many black helicopter folks feel that Johnson somehow gets special treatment by Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR, those are unfounded accusations. This? Well, there are a lot of things fishy with this.

It starts with the radio communication before the spin, and then the spin itself. It spreads over to communication to Brian Vickers, and his subsequent pit stop. And it doesn't stop as both Vickers and Bowyer drove like cautious 85-year-olds over the final few laps, a final few laps that saw Logano pass both of them on the track.

Logano was in the Chase and so was Truex. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman weren't.

It's not the first time that accusations have been flung about a late race spin at Richmond. In 2011, Paul Menard spun late and his teammate Kevin Harvick won the race. While Harvick got three extra points for the Chase from the win, the spin didn't affect the Chase field. This one is a little different.

But what can NASCAR do? Expecting the sanctioning body to redo the Chase field is unrealistic -- it's not going to happen. But if NASCAR finds that there's wrongdoing, something that while isn't certain, seems likely, there's going to be significant points penalties. While there may be no actual "proof" that Bowyer spun purposely to set off the events of the final laps, the public perception is so strong against what happened that NASCAR may have to take action simply for fan credibility's sake.

And if there are penalties, they should be crippling ones. 50 points for both Bowyer and Truex would be enough to eliminate them from championship contention before the Chase starts, and if NASCAR also wants to bring the boom against MWR, it could really hit where it hurts. Accompany those points penalties with a hefty, hefty fine or prohibition of winnings during the Chase. Or heck, make the financial penalties the only ones. Why? Well, look at what Waltrip said earlier this season.

?Our business model doesn?t work without us making the Chase,? Waltrip told Fox Sports in July. ?We invest in our cars and our team and we tell our sponsors that with the way we built our team, we?re going to make the Chase, we?re going to win races.?

MWR has won two races this season. They have two cars in the Chase. But given what happened Saturday night, we're soon going to find out what the costs of seemingly doing whatever it takes to make the playoffs are.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/anything-come-investigation-saturday-night-finish-165149129--nascar.html

Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti

The better part of valor: Conway recuses himself from INDYCAR finale

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/13/3328582/the-better-part-of-valor-conway-recuses-himself-from-indycar-finale

Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg

Welcome to May!

  Welcome to May Welcome to the official opening day Social Media Garage live blog on a chilly day at the Greatest Race Course in the World. We?re starting a bit late due to the ridiculously chilly weather today but … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/welcome-to-may/

Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk

Jay Leno Tests the Porsche 918 Spyder Production

Undoubtedly Jay Leno is one lucky guy, a man who has managed to provide entertainment and make your show is imitated in many countries. How could it be otherwise, especially in the United States, this translates to multimillion-dollar contracts, and bad checks that have helped him to be what it is today, a billionaire lover […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/543-jay-leno-tests-the-porsche-918-spyder-production.html

Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier

Sebastian Vettel: ?We thought it was good enough??

Sebastian Vettel sat out the final qualifying runs in Singapore and hung on to pole position after rivals failed to beat his time. Nico Rosberg, Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber all came close, but in the end the gamble paid … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/09/21/sebastian-vettel-we-thought-it-was-good-enough/

JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd

Button: Raikkonen May Weaken Ferrari

Jenson Button believes that Ferraro?s decision to replace Felipe Massa with Kimi Raikkonen for the 2014 season may prove to be a bad move. The Finn will partner Fernando Alonso, leaving the Scuderia with two World Champions in the garage. Although this may be appear to be positive, some have speculated that the pair could [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/eaZk-Gr9hME/button-raikkonen-may-weaken-ferrari

Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham

Is Their Dominance About To Come To An End?

Could Red Bull?s dominance of Formula one be under threat now Raikonnen has joined Ferrari for next season? The talented Finn will replace Felipe Massa at the Italian team and his partnership with Alonso will be one of the strongest on the track in 2014. This decision will end the Brazilian?s eight year stint with [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/9kOqVjJKkCE/is-their-dominance-about-to-come-to-an-end

Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut

Inside ROP: A.J. Allmendinger

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/05/inside-rop-aj-allmendinger.html

Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly

Felipe announces Ferrari departure

Felipe Massa has tweeted that he is leaving at Ferrari at the end of the year. ?From 2014 I will no longer be driving for Ferrari. I would like to thank the team for all the victories and incredible moments experienced together,” he said. It brings to an end an eight year relationship, which came […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/felipe-announces-ferrari-departure/

Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves

Massa: Alonso Better Than Schumacher

Felipe Massa believes that Fernando Alonso is a ?more complete? F1 driver than Michael Schumacher. The Brazilian has raced alongside both during his time at Ferrari ? which is set to come to an end this winter. Although he admitted that the seven-time World Champions is an excellent racer, Massa feels that Alonso is the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/BsfWdXNchCk/massa-alonso-better-than-schumacher

Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore

Into the Crystal Ball? 500 Miles To Go Edition

A 500 mile race in indycar racing, and especially the Indy 500, is an endurance test packaged as a sprint race. There is literally no time to think during this race, only time to allow ones instincts to make the … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/1408/

Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner

Alonso, Domenicali pay tribute to Massa

Fernando Alonso and Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali have both paid tribute to Felipe Massa, whose departure from the team was revealed yesterday. ?I want to thank Felipe for all the support he has given me and the team during this … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/09/11/alonso-domenicali-pay-tribute-to-massa/

Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson

Hamilton's tough decision

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

Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross

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.

The four-wheeled scooter is the gleaming red-orange to match Stewart's No. 14 Chevy, and it's festooned with a #14 of its own, as well as sponsor logos. Naturally, Stewart was whipping it around the garage area at Richmond International Raceway Friday as he checked on the progress of his own car (being driven this weekend by Mark Martin) as well as those of his teammates Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick.

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.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-debuts-newest-ride-scooter-richmond-international-210340049--nascar.html

Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly

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 [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/K-kxLSKLj4U/haug-mercedes-can-beat-red-bull-in-2014

Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever