Martin Truex Jr. officially introduced as driver of the No. 78 in 2014

Martin Truex's arrival at Furniture Row Racing is now official.

The Colorado-based team announced Friday that Truex would be its driver on a "multi-year deal," putting the official stamp on a move that had been talked about for some time. (Truex opened his remarks by joking by how much of a secret the announcement was.)

Truex is leaving Michael Waltrip Racing after the team scaled back to two cars for 2014 in the wake of NAPA's departure. NAPA left the team after race manipulation penalties were handed down by NASCAR after Richmond. At Richmond, after teammate Clint Bowyer spun, both Bowyer and Vickers slowed down to ensure that Joey Logano would finish ahead of them. That meant that Truex would make the Chase via the final Wild Card spot.

[Watch: Kevin Harvick trivia]

And he did, until NASCAR penalized each team 50 points, which knocked Truex out of the Chase. However, with the departure of Kurt Busch from Furniture Row and the team's undecided status on a driver for 2014, when Truex was allowed to explore other options at MWR, the Furniture Row seat was open.

"As unlucky as I got at Richmond, I got lucky when this deal came up," Truex said.

Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone said that in addition to Truex, the team had hired his current pit crew at the No. 56 to serve as his pit crew for next year.

Busch moved to Furniture Row in 2013 and will drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. The team will continue its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. NAPA has not announced any future plans in NASCAR.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/martin-truex-jr-officially-introduced-driver-no-78-151309875--nascar.html

Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes

Nissan Bladeglider Concept

Posted on 11.8.2013 17:00 by Tushar

The Tokyo Motor Show opens its doors for the public in two weeks time. As we know, Nissan will make an exciting announcement at the show. Yes, it is the Nissan GT-R Nismo that debuts on November 19th, 2013. The company will also disclose the Nurburgring lap time set by the Nismo GT-R. But that’s not all, as Nissan will also showcase the Bladeglider concept.

Along with the concept car, Nissan will also reveal a concept prototype based on the Bladeglider, but toned down for actual production. The production version will have its sights set on attacking rival cars, like the Toyota GT 86 and Subaru BRZ. Andy Palmer- VP at Nissan told Motortrend that the Bladeglider will be the car for the young generation.

The origins of the Bladeglider concept can be traced back to the Nissan ZEOD RC racer, and that’s where the unconventionality begins. The designers of the Bladeglider concept describe it as "an extreme interpretation" of what a car can be. The thought behind the concept is to offer an affordable and appealing sports car to young people, according to Andy Palmer of Nissan.

Click past the jump for more on the Nissan Bladeglider Concept

Nissan Bladeglider Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 8 November 2013 17:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/nissan/2013-nissan-bladeglider-concept-ar161155.html

Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard

HRC Press Release: Casey Stoner Concludes Testing At Sugo, Does Not Test Production Racer

Casey Stoner has concluded three days of testing at the Sugo circuit in Japan. The retired champion managed to put in a lot of laps in dry conditions, after previous tests he has participated in have been rained off. Stoner tested both the 2013 and 2014 Honda RC213V, but the Australian ran out of time to do further testing on Honda's RCV1000R production racer. 

HRC issued a press release after the test was completed, which appears below:

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Casey Stoner completes productive three day test at Sugo Circuit

HRC test rider and two time World Champion Casey Stoner has completed a gruelling three day test at Sportsland Sugo, Miyagi Prefecture. On this occasion the testing was held in good conditions with rain arriving only after lunch on day three, when the test programme was completed.

The 3.737 km facility played host to the HRC test team as Casey worked on the 2013 and 2014 RC213V prototype machine. He tested various items including a new frame and new engine. However, he did not have time to complete more test time on the Production Racer, instead these duties were left to Takumi Takahsahi.

Casey Stoner

Year: 

2013

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/GXALgx9991Y/hrc_press_release_casey_stoner_concludes.html

Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger

INDYCAR: The Friday Setup (Fontana)

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/14/3330856/indycar-the-friday-setup-fontana

Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle

Who Will Be Second Best?

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull have already wrapped up both titles, and with just two races left has left fans wondering what there is left to race for. The truth is that there is plenty to get excited about, with many battles down the order as drivers jostle for higher places. Second place has been [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/0GeSuNlxhvY/who-will-be-second-best

Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes second behind that pesky Jimmie Johnson

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The national crisis that would be a winless 2013 Sprint Cup Series season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. almost came to an end once again Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson just got in the way. Again.

For the third time this season, Junior finished second to Johnson. It happened in the first race of the season at Daytona, at Dover in September and Sunday, as Junior, nor anyone else, could come close to the speed that Johnson and his team had.

Johnson led 255 of the race's 334 laps. But Junior, who started seventh, was also up front for nearly the entire day.

"The Chicago deal is regrettable," Junior said. "We'd love to go back and do that over again, but as soon as that happened, we really changed our aproach and it was more about trying to win a race."

"Winning a race would really lift all the team's spirits. You work all season long not to go winless and not getting to go to victory lane. So I know how much the guys want the win on the team, so that's what we're working for now."

The Chicago deal that he refers to is when he blew an engine in the Chase's opening race, which left him 53 points out of the lead. Now, with two races remaining, Junior's only lost nine additional points to the lead, thanks to six top 10s in the succeeding seven races.

But there's still that win lingering. After winning at Michigan last year to break a four year winless drought, Junior's too close to have another streak like that, right?

"I think it's a matter of being close. You know, it's not -- we're not running second by making mistakes," he said. "We're not giving away wins. So I feel like we're just really getting close to cracking through and just trying to maintain the momentum with two races to go is going to be tough. But that's what we're focusing on."

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/dale-earnhardt-jr-finishes-second-behind-pesky-jimmie-005823455--nascar.html

Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo

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/

Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones

Blown left front tire ends Jeff Gordon?s remote chances at a championship

FORT WORTH, Texas -- We can stop any and all charades that the battle for the Sprint Cup involves anyone else outside of Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

Jeff Gordon made sure of that during Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway after he crashed on lap 75. The left front tire on Gordon's car blew as he was in turn one, and he couldn't do anything to prevent it from hitting the wall.

"It didn't give me enough of a warning, that is for sure," Gordon said while his team made repairs to his car. "I was going down the front straightaway and I felt the car move around a little bit. That was odd. But the wind was buffeting and blowing so strong, the cars are moving around anyway.

"Just before I got to turn one, I felt it go down. I did everything I could to slow it down. I even had time to come on the radio and say 'Uh oh'. Well, I might have not said that, I said something else. I knew I was going to hit the wall."

After winning last Sunday's race at Martinsville, Gordon was 27 points back of Johnson and Kenseth. Now he's 69 points back of the two in sixth place in the points standings.

The duo's nearest pursuer with two races to go is Kevin Harvick, who is 40 points back, a deficit that's eight points fewer than what Johnson earned for winning and leading the most laps in Sunday's race.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/blown-left-front-tire-ends-jeff-gordon-remote-003845822--nascar.html

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

A question of good governance?

David Ward has launched another attack on FIA governance, arguing that the federation is failing to meet good governance standards required by the International Olympic Committee, which recently gave the FIA official recognition. Ward has sent a document to the FIA clubs comparing the IOC and FIA governance practices. He claims that this shows that […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/a-question-of-good-governance/

Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson

2013 Motegi Moto2 Race Result: No End To High Drama

Full report and results below:

Race Details

Round Number: 

17

2013

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/jvgo1Pu2Bqc/2013_motegi_moto2_race_result_no_end_to_.html

Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla

Yamaha Video: Kazutoshi Seki, The Man Behind Valentino Rossi's Electronics

The role that electronics plays in MotoGP cannot be underestimated. Every aspect of bike performance depends on how well the the systems monitoring the bikes read the data, interpret it and then modulate the power as it is applied to the road through the rear tire. Despite their performance, the systems which provide that control are kept carefully hidden from the public, and the people behind those systems remain anonymous.

Yamaha has sought to change this, producing a video spotlighting the work of Kazutoshi Seki, the engine control engineer for Valentino Rossi. The two have worked together at Yamaha since 2004, when Rossi first joined the factory, and again since Rossi's return after his two-year hiatus at Ducati. The video provides an insight into the role which Seki plays in helping to set up the bike for Rossi, and puts the passion and commitment the Japanese engineer pours into the sport. Despite being produced by Yamaha's global marketing department, it is a beautifully produced 14-minute portrait of one of the men so crucial to racing at this level. For more background on Seki and Yamaha, see the story behind the video on the Yamaha corporate website.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/XDBW9Jrv78A/yamaha_video_kazutoshi_seki_the_man_behi.html

Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook

Enter smog

The third practice session for the Indian GP has been delayed because of visibility problems that mean that the medical helicopter cannot operate. The primary discussion here in the Media Centre is whether one terms the problem: fog, smog or mist. It is not really fog and mists generally burn off during the day and […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/enter-smog/

Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno

Weekend Review? Double the Excitement Edition

Welcome Back! Glad you found your way back here after human error delayed and ultimately cancelled the posting of Detroit pre-race article. Nevertheless, the twin billing was a success on most all fronts. A part time driver claimed victory in … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/weekend-review-double-the-excitement-edition/

Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick

2013 Motegi Moto3 FP Result: Vinales Leads Usual Suspects

Maverick Vinales has topped the first fully dry session during Sunday morning's Moto3 free practice at Motegi, the Spaniards benchmark time was very close to last years race lap record. He lead from the familiar faces of Alex Marquez, Luis Salom and Alex Rins as the typical top four were covered by a little over two tenths of a second. The session was initially delayed by five minutes due to a light fog hovering over the circuit and reduced to thirty five minutes in length as a consequence. The track was still quite damp in patches as riders went out on wet tyres early, but with a clear dry line visible they promptly switched to slicks with around twenty five minutes to go.

Jonas Folger was the 'best of the rest' and finished in fifth place a further couple of tenths behind. He was followed by the FTR Honda trio of Niccolo Antonelli, Isaac Vinales and Romano Fenati while Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Miguel Oliveira aboard his Mahindra completed the top ten. The session was halted temporarily with twelve minutes remaining as red flags were shown due to poor visibility once again, as a thick mist cloud decided to park itself at turn one and sprawl around the circuit. The cloud eventually dispersed and the session continued, however due to the pause in proceedings, the Moto2 FP session to follow will be reduced by five minutes also.

Race Details

Round Number: 

17

2013

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/iape77lHftM/2013_motegi_moto3_fp_result_vinales_lead.html

Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto

Rahal To Test IMS Road Course

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/08/rahal-to-test-ims-road-course.html

Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo

Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson escape Kansas atop the points standings

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Jimmie Johnson was tearing through the field at the end of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Kansas, picking off positions in the top 10 like he was dicing through backmarkers in a Nationwide race. With Matt Kenseth outside the top 10, Johnson had a great opportunity to snare the points lead.

Instead, Johnson went from sailing to struggling almost instantly.

"I really feel like we had the fastest car today, but just couldn't get there with issues and track position and cautions at weird times and restarts were kind of an issue," Johnson said. "And there was a lot of craziness there. And then coming with two to go, we had something go wrong with either the ignition or the engine there and I had to give up a spot and limped it home. I feel kind of bummed out that we left some points on the table, but at the same time, I'm happy I made it to the finish line under power and I got a nice finish."

Johnson finished sixth. Kenseth was outside the top 10 because he had pitted under green just before the race's final caution flag flew. That threw him back in the pack a second time after first having to go all the way back to 30th earlier in the race after a pit road speeding penalty.

But while Johnson was making his move, so was Kenseth. He got to 11th before the checkered flag and now holds a three point lead over Johnson through four Chase races.

"I feel lucky for not being wrecked. And, I feel really fortunate to still be leading the points. It was not the day we wanted -- both the last two weeks," Kenseth said. We struggled a little bit and still salvaged -- it could have been worse, we could have been backed into the fence."

The race featured several wrecked race cars, including that of Kenseth's teammate Kyle Busch, and a race record 15 cautions. Johnson called the race "treacherous" while Kenseth said that it was the worst conditions he'd raced in since the 2005 fall Charlotte race after that track was recently repaved.

"This right side tire was obviously not the answer," Kenseth said. "I'm sure (race winner) Kevin's (Harvick) happy, but other than that I think everybody kind of struggled with it."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/matt-kenseth-jimmie-johnson-escape-kansas-atop-points-232126494--nascar.html

Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza

NASCAR fines Nelson Piquet $10,000 and orders sensitivity training after Instagram comment

Nelson Piquet Jr. was fined $10,000 and required to complete sensitivity training after posting a homophobic remark to while commenting on a picture that fellow Nationwide Series driver Parker Kligerman posted.

?Nelson Piquet Jr. recently communicated an offensive and derogatory term that cannot be tolerated in our sport,? Steve O?Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations said in a NASCAR statement. ?NASCAR?s Code of Conduct explicitly spells out in the 2013 rule book our position regarding the use of disparaging terms. We expect our entire industry to abide by this Code.?

Kligerman had posted a self-taken picture and Piquet responded with the derogatory remark. According to USA Today, Piquet tweeted that the comment was just teasing between friends before deleting the tweet.

Piquet was also put on NASCAR probation. He was previously on probation for an incident that involved a failed kick towards the groin of Brian Scott.

Earlier in the season, Jeremy Clements, another Nationwide Series driver, was suspended for two weeks because of a racial slur in a conversation with a reporter at Daytona International Speedway. In the NASCAR statement about Clements' suspension, O'Donnell also referenced the NASCAR Code of Conduct.

If you're wondering why there's a difference in punishment for using a homophobic slur versus a racial slur, you're not alone. But again, this is NASCAR. Inconsistency is the sanctioning body's version of consistency. This is, after all, the sport that just added an extra driver to its playoffs because it could.

If both remarks are violations of the NASCAR codes of conduct, they deserve equal punishment. Plain and simple. There's no difference between using the word that Piquet did and the word that Clements did, except for the difference in groups that the words reference. It ends there. By issuing the punishment that was given for Piquet, the impression is given -- intended or not -- that NASCAR feels that a homophobic slur is not as offensive as a racial slur.

That's a horrible dichotomy to create.

The sanctioning body might have realized it overreacted in the punishment that was handed out to Clements. And that's a fine feeling to have. However, the precedent for punishment for an derogatory epithet was set in February. Without acknowledgement that the punishment was wrong or why this is different, it looks that NASCAR views the words used as ones of differing severities. Again, that's wrong.

While the steps that NASCAR took Tuesday against Piquet can be seen as ones of progress after inaction in 2011, we shouldn't simply be satisfied about progress. Perhaps that's a utopian point of view, but there should be no reason to think that the punishment standards for slurs is based on the audience degraded.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-fines-nelson-piquet-10-000-orders-sensitivity-013853198--nascar.html

Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen

FIA Ethics Committee dismisses Ward?s complaint

The FIA Ethics Committee, which met on Friday in Paris, has dismissed David Ward’s complaint. The committee said that “nothing in what the Committee saw or heard gives any hint that any ethical regulation of the FIA has been breached by Mr Todt or any of the parties implicated”. It also rejected the claim that […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/fia-ethics-committee-dismisses-wards-complaint/

Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button

Chevrolet Performance Sonic RS Concept

Posted on 10.25.2013 17:00 by Simona

Chevrolet Sonic may be a small car, but with the right updates, it can become quite mean and aggressive. A good example is this Sonic RS Concept car that will be unveiled at the 2013 SEMA Show on November 5th. The concept was designed by Chevrolet Performance, and it previews elements that will be available at all Chevrolet dealers.

The concept was updated from top to bottom, and it includes engine performance, suspension, brake and appearance upgrades. This Sonic RS is painted in a unique Lemon Peel Yellow hue combined with blue graphics, and tinted headlamps and fog lamps. The interior gets seats in black leather with Lark Yellow contrast stitching.

Under the hood, the 1.4-liter, turbocharged engine receives a Stage Kit, cold-air induction and a high-flow exhaust system that will allow it to deliver more power than its stock 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Chevy is keeping the output level is being kept a secret for now, but we are thinking it’ll land in the 160-horsepower range.

Along with the engine upgrades, Chevy also equipped this sonic with a track-tuned suspension system that lowers the car’s ride and offers a sportier appearance. The concept sits on18-inch, split-five-spoke wheels combined with a higher-performance brake upgrade kit with Wilwood front calipers.

Click past the jump to read more about the standard Chevrolet Sonic.

gallery: 2014 Chevrolet Sonic

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Chevrolet Performance Sonic RS Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 25 October 2013 17:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/chevrolet/2013-chevrolet-performance-sonic-rs-concept-ar160938.html

Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier

Kevin Harvick wins first pole in seven years at Kansas

Kevin Harvick's "closer" nickname may have become overused over the past few years for his ability to gain positions late in races. However, he hasn't had a qualifying nickname, at least one that's caught on, and if he did, it certainly wouldn't be about his proclivity to accumulate pole positions.

Harvick qualified first for Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, for just the sixth time in his career. His last pole came over seven years ago at New Hampshire in 2006. That's just 254 races.

He was one of the fastest cars during Friday morning's practice session and backed it up, knocking Ricky Stenhouse Jr. off the top spot. Jimmie Johnson, second in the points standings, qualified third, while Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sixth and points leader Matt Kenseth qualified seventh. The rest of the Chasers went like this: Carl Edwards was ninth, Jeff Gordon was 14th, Kasey Kahne was 15th, Ryan Newman was 17th, Kyle Busch was 18th, Kurt Busch was 19th, Clint Bowyer was 22nd and Greg Biffle was 26th.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kevin-harvick-wins-first-pole-seven-years-kansas-222329810--nascar.html

Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy