Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
2014?s Drivers Assessed (Part Two)
New regulations and surprising testing results have thrown the regular form book into the fire ahead of the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. The big names will be expected to fight it out for the honour of being crowned World Champion at the end of the year ? but pre-season struggles indicate that if Sebastian [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/wi__TjdtdVM/2014s-drivers-assessed-part-two
Tuesday
2014 Season Preview: No. 6 Matt Kenseth
Welcome to From the Marbles' 2014 season previews. Here's how we think the Chase will shake out in this first year of 16 drivers and eliminations. Will we be right? Unlikely, but it's fun to think about our soothsaying possibilities until the green flag waves for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 23.
Driver: Matt Kenseth
2013 Finish: 2nd
2013 Highlight: Pick a win, any of the seven wins. Looking back, the "career year" questions about Kenseth's 2013 are fascinating. Here's a guy with a Cup title to his name and we're wondering if a second-place finish in the points standings was a career year. (Side note: the presence of this discussion is another reason why NASCAR needs to reward winning more.)
Entering 2013, the most laps Kenseth had led in a season was 1,132, which happened in 2006. He obliterated that last year, leading 1,783 laps. A possible reason? Kenseth had far fewer cars to pass to get to the front. In 2012, his average starting position was 13.3, the best of his career. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, it jumped all the way to 8.7.
2013 Lowlight: Phoenix, but it's only a lowlight because of the man he was racing for the championship. Most other years, Kenseth has a chance to recover from the mistake and we've got ourselves a fight to the finish. But it was Jimmie Johnson. That wasn't happening.
Why is Kenseth here? Can the Joe Gibbs honeymoon continue? We feel that reality may set in, but it's a reality that's better than 30+ teams in the garage. Kenseth won't win seven races again, but he'll win multiple ones. Making the Chase won't be an issue at all.
How could Kenseth not be here? The year-after-second-place slump escalates to epic proportions and Kenseth assumes the role of Denny Hamlin 2013 at Joe Gibbs Racing and struggles mightily. If it seems quite farfetched to you, don't feel bad, we think so too.
However, if Hamlin and the No. 11 are back to full-strength, it will be fascinating to see if JGR can sustain three top-level teams. The last time that all three JGR teams made the Chase was in 2008, and they finished eighth, ninth and tenth.
Best Winter Olympic event: Matty Ice is from Wisconsin, so he can handle the cold weather. However, ice fishing and watching Packers games outside are not Olympic events. We'll go with the slalom. Kenseth seems shifty enough.
Worst Winter Olympic event: Does Kenseth look like a ski jumper to you?
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Monday
Sunday
Landon Cassill was hit by a car while riding his bike in Daytona
After racing his way into the Daytona 500 in the second Budweiser Duel on Thursday night, Landon Cassill revealed that he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Daytona on Saturday night.
"Unfortunately, it was the motorist's fault. I mean, I blame myself a lot for the position I put myself in. I was in the bike lane and had the right-of-way," Cassill said." It's really not funny, I could have gotten really hurt." (He said that with a smile)
"But yeah, I was in a bike lane. The woman was trying to cross the road from a side street and cleared herself to the right, kind rolled the stop sign I believe. T-boned me really. Destroyed my bike. Face plant, blood. But I made the Daytona 500 and she doesn't know that."
The bike accident came up when Cassill was asked about bruises on his face. He said that he was checked out and released from a hospital following the accident and was approved to qualify his car on Sunday by NASCAR's medical team.
Driving for Hillman Racing, Cassill didn't have the benefit of many owner's points or a good Sunday qualifying speed to fall back on if he didn't finish in the top 15 of his Duel race. It was no worry. He finished ninth and will start 18th in the Daytona 500.
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Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Saturday
FIA decision on new F1 team due on Friday
The FIA is due to make a decision on Friday over whether it will grant a 2015 F1 entry to Gene Haas or the Romanian project fronted by Colin Kolles. The FIA announced a ?call for expression of interest? on … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/02/27/fia-decision-on-new-f1-team-due-on-friday/
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Bahrain names first corner after Schumacher
Bahrain International Circuit has renamed its first corner after Michael Schumacher as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations. The circuit notes that he ?was directly involved in the early stages of the BIC’s development, offering his own input into the … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/03/02/bahrain-names-first-corner-after-schumacher/
Tuesday
Monday
Your handy cheat sheet for the 2014 Budweiser Duel qualifying races for the Daytona 500
The Budweiser Duel qualifying races at Daytona are unique, as it is the only occasion that NASCAR runs races to decide the starting grid for a race. But the ways drivers can make Sunday's Daytona 500 in the Duel can get a tad complicated.
So we're here to help. Or at least make it so that you may want to leave this post open for reference when the two Duel races are being run Thursday evening.
After Dave Blaney withdrew Wednesday evening following the vicious practice crash on the frontstretch, 48 cars are vying for 43 spots, so five cars will go home.
13 of those 48 cars are guaranteed not to miss the race. They are:
Austin Dillon (starting first in Daytona 500)
Martin Truex Jr. (starting second)
Greg Biffle (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Carl Edwards (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Ryan Newman (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Brad Keselowski (via Sunday's qualifying speed)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Jeff Gordon (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Jimmie Johnson (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Matt Kenseth (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Clint Bowyer (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Kyle Busch (guaranteed provisional via 2013 owner's points)
Tony Stewart (guaranteed provisional via winning 2011 championship)
The top 15 cars in each Duel are guaranteed to start the Daytona 500. (the first Duel fills out odd-numbered positions 3-31, while the second fills out even-numbered positions 4-32.) With the final seven positions (37-43) reserved for provisionals, spots 33, 34, 35 and 36 go to the fastest cars. Hence why Biffle, Edwards, Newman and Brad Keselowski are already guaranteed spots.
Got all that? Because provisionals are based off of the 2013 owner's points standings, Kasey Kahne isn't in the same position as, say, Michael McDowell. To miss the race, Kahne would need to finish outside the top 15 in his duel, have four drivers ahead of him during Sunday's front row qualifying session also miss out on the top 15 in their respective duels and have six -- or seven, if the Past Champion's Provisional isn't used -- drivers in the 2013 owner's standings also not finish in the top 15 and require a provisional.
We told you it was complicated. Here are who we think are the drivers in the most danger of missing the 500 and that five of the names below will fail to qualify for the race.
Duel 1:
Reed Sorenson
Parker Kligerman
Cole Whitt
Michael McDowell
Josh Wise
Joe Nemechek
Alex Bowman
Duel 2:
Landon Cassill
Eric McClure
Terry Labonte (could get Past Champion's Provisional)
Bobby Labonte (could get Past Champion's Provisional)
Ryan Truex
Morgan Shepherd
Or will it be someone who isn't on the list? You can find the starting lineup for the first Duel HERE and the second Duel HERE.
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Sunday
Gresini Press Release: Simeon And Baldassari's Crew Chiefs Analyze Moto2 Preseason Testing
The Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 team issued a press release reviewing progress in testing so far. The crew chiefs of Xavier Simeon and Lorenzo Baldassari talk about the steps made at the two tests in Spain, and look ahead to the season to come. The press release appears below:
MOTO2 PRE-SEASON TEST DEBRIEF WITH TOMMASO RAPONI AND DAVID JABAL
Throughout February, the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 carried out the first major phase of winter testing in preparation of the 2014 World Championship campaign: despite being forced to miss both Almeria and Valencia test, due to the injury suffered last February 6, Xavier Siméon was able to make the most of the recent Jerez test. The Belgian rider, alongside his crew chief Tommaso Raponi, went down to business working on the 2014 Suter chassis set-up reaching soon a good feeling, confirmed by the ninth overall fastest time in the combined standings, but especially by a very steady pace over the long distance.
Year:
2014 
Saturday
Friday
Williams finally confirms Smedley appointment
Williams has finally confirmed the arrival of Felipe Massa’s long time Ferrari race engineer, Rob Smedley. He will take up the newly created role of Head of Vehicle Performance. Williams says that he will ?strengthen the trackside team whilst also … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/02/25/williams-finally-confirms-smedley-appointment/
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