Loeb leads from Sordo in Spain
Oct 3, 2008 WRC
Sebastien Loeb leads a comfortable Citroen one-two after the opening three stages of this year’s Rallye de Espana.
Diesel SEATs not for sale
Oct 3, 2008 BTCC
SEAT has confirmed that they will not make diesel engines available to customer touring car teams next year, contrary to recent reports.
Why Paul Menard Is a Great Addition to Yates Racing
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
It’s very simple. Paul Menard brings to Yates what all NASCAR teams need, in order to survive. $. Yep that’s it.
It doesn’t matter that Menard has not won a race in the Sprint Cup series. He did win one in the Nationwide series, back when it was still called the Busch series. In the Cup series, he has exactly one top 10 finish, which came as a seventh place finish at Atlanta in 2006. That’s out of a total of 68 races thus far in the Cup series.
I’m not saying that Paul Menard is not a good race car driver. I’m just saying that a driver without a built in sponsor, which is what Paul brings to the game, would not even be in the series at all. Paul’s father, John Menard, is the owner of Menards, a major mid western home improvement chain. John Menard is the richest person in the state of Wisconsin, as of 2007, according to an online encyclopedia.
Having a rich father certainly helps a young race car driver succeed. Many people attribute Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s success to the fact that his father was a successful race car driver, and not that Dale Jr. could possibly have any talent of his own. That point of view is foolish at best, and ridiculous at worst, because drivers with no talent who win the Busch series championship two years in a row and 18 Cup races by the time they are 33 years old are rare indeed.
Paul Menard is not among the top tier of drivers in NASCAR, and never has been. However, as long as Menard’s keeps doing business, and as long as his father believes in his son, Paul Menard will have a sponsor. Is this a trend that will become more prevelant in NASCAR in the future? It’s difficult to say.
As long as money is the life blood of all NASCAR teams, any driver with a built in sponsor will be poplular. Race wins or championships will not make any difference, as long as the bucks keep pouring in. Yates Racing, now run by Doug Yates, has done what his organization needed to do to keep the doors open for next year. They hired a guy with a rich dad. Does this cheapen the sport in any way? I say yes, it does.
There are drivers out there that cannot get a job anymore. They have won races in the past. Steve Park comes to mind. Though he’s had some terrible accidents, Steve is a proven Cup winner. He drove for DEI, basically as the company’s first Cup driver. His dad doesn’t own a multimillion dollar business though.
Once again, I have no beef with Paul Menard. If racing is what he wants to do, then so be it. I find it somewhat of a shame when Paul gets a ride with Yates Racing, and Steve Park is still on the outside, looking in.
After A Few Boring Races Talladega Brings A Fresh Start
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
There is something about TALLADEGA that brings a renewal to the season for me , i’m not sure what it is but this year i started thinking about the race as soon as kansas was over, of course it was a race where my favorite driver did very well earlier this year and that may have something to do with it.
It may also be the fact that i have this idea in my head, go figure, that in an automobile race there should be actual racing, folks should be passing other folks, agree? I don’t want to beat this subject to death but in my opinion it has been boring the last four weeks. I took an hour nap during the Kansas race and when I woke up just about all had the same track positions.
What i love about Talladega is RACING, running four wide, two or three deep, bumper to bumper, drafting, finding a buddy who can push you to the front and at the same time got to watch out that he doesn’t hang you out to dry and of course waiting for the “BIG ONE” and hoping your driver is not in the middle of it. All that anticipation will keep me from my nap this week .
I really did not know why I loved Talladega when I wrote the first two paragraphs of this rambling, the third paragraph, honestly, wrote itself, I was probably possessed by a Talladega ghost or spirit.
"If You’re Not First, You’re Last" at Talladega
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
This weekend, NASCAR’s finest will take on one of the most feared race tracks in the circuit, Talladega Super Speedway. This storied track, nestled in the heart of Alabama, has even the heartiest of drivers, including the Chase drivers, shaking in their boots.
What makes this speedway so frightening for the drivers? Is it the length of the track at 2.66 miles, NASCAR’s longest track in the circuit?
Or is it the banking, since it is the second steepest-banked track in the series? Or is it the flat-out speed of the track, contributing to the well-known “big one”?
While all of these elements make the drivers nervous, they make for some of the best racing from a fan perspective.
Over 175,000 people will sit on the edge of their seats along the raceway, and millions more at home, barely breathing as the lead is swapped back and forth, lap by lap.
Talladega Super Speedway is also special as it is the inspiration for one of NASCAR’s most popular movies, Talladega Nights. As I was home sick lying around on the couch today, I decided to get ready for the race weekend by plugging that little DVD in.
It got me to thinking, especially about what advice Ricky Bobby might give to all these drivers, particularly the Chase crowd, on how to survive ’Dega this weekend.
Here are just a few pearls of wisdom that I think the great Ricky Bobby would share:
· If you ain’t first, you’re last. That might be just fine at Talladega. In fact, a good strategy for many drivers might be to either get out in front of the pack or hang in the back, both in order to avoid the “big one”.
· If you do happen to find yourself in the “big one,” do not strip down to your underwear and run around the track unless you really are on fire. Even then, it’s just not a good idea. Wait for the safety crews, really.
· Use the cougar in your car as inspiration only during practice sessions and happy hour. It will only scare the pit crew, reporters and fans if you have it in the car with you on race day.
· Stick with your teammates in the draft. It is the only way to win this race. You may not be able to “shake and bake” it, but that slingshot move might just catapult you to the checkered flag.
· Pray often to the eight pound, six ounce Baby Jesus (or the grown up Jesus, or the bearded Jesus, or whatever version of Jesus you so choose). You will need it to make it through the race.
· Make your reservations early for your post-race celebration at Applebee’s. And then make your reservations for the next place you will go after being thrown out of there.
· And finally, drive it like you stole it!!!
Happy Talladega to you one and all. Enjoy the race.
S.M.’s Craftsman Update, Issue No. 12
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
Rumors
Joey Logano will be driving the No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota Tundra truck for HT Motorsports at Talladega making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Mike Wallace will drive the No. 9 Geico Toyota Tundra truck for Germain Racing at Talladega. He’s also going to try to qualify on speed the No. 33 RCR car for the Sprint Cup race on Sunday at Talladega.
Landon Cassill will drive the No. 81 Randy Moss Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado truck at Talladega and sponsored by the National Guard.
John Andretti will drivie the No. 15 Hypron Ergon Toyota Tundra truck for Billy Ballew Motorsports at Talladega.
Bryan Silas will be driving the No. 48 D.R. Horton American Builder Chevrolet Silverado truck at Talladega for Andy Hillenburg Racing.
John Wesley Townley will be driving the No. 09 Zaxby Ford F-150 truck at Talladega for Roush-Fenway Racing.
Jon Wood will be driving the No. 21 Air Force Ford F-150 truck at Talladega for Wood Brothers Racing. He’s also running the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion car in Cup.
John Ryan Fitzpatrick turned heads with his two day test at Iowa Speedway for TRG Motorsports and it could develop into a possible ride for the team in the near future.
He’s a 20 year old Canadian, very talented has competed in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and was the series 2006 champion. Remember the name, you will be hearing about as he moves up to Sprint Cup.
The split between Ted Musgrave and HT Motorsports, resulted from him being accused of intentionally wrecking the teams truck while qualifying at Las Vegas and he quit the team.
Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is very close to signing with Toyota for 2009. They will be running the No. 18 truck, no official word yet on the No. 4 truck will be back racing next year.
News
Nothing new to report on the title sponsor search, seems both Camping World and NASCAR are working on making it official.
A couple of issues ago, commented on the entries for the truck series races dwindling down to thirty trucks. It’s nice too see that there’s thirty-four trucks entered at Talladega and that the entries did drop below thirty.
Shrub Sighting
The Shrub will be back driving in the truck series at Talladega in the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort Toyota Tundra truck.
He’ll also be in the Cup race for JGR in the No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry car at Talladega. It’s rumored, he’ll be wearing a garlic clove necklace to ward off the bad karma that’s afflicted him in the chase.
Speed Bump
On Sunday, the Speed Demon finished eighth in the Loud Energy Drink 150, the ARCA race was held at the New Jersey MotorsportsPark and still leading the points by 65 with two races left in the season.
The Speed Demons pulling double duty this weekend at Talladega. He’s driving the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota Camry car for Eddie Sharpe Racing in the ARCA Re/Max race Friday night at Talladega.
He will be driving the No. 22 Red Bull Toyota Tundra truck for Bill Davis Racing at Talladega on Saturday afternoon.
It’s official he will be taking over the No. 84 Red Bull Sprint Cup car. The Speed Demon will be driving the No. 84 in the following races: Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.
He also will drive No. 82, a third team car for Red Bull Racing at the October race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Mike Skinner will drive the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry car at Talladega and Lowe’s.
Upcoming Races
Oct. 4th - Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Super Speedway on Speed at 4PM (Saturday)
Oct. 18th - Kroger 200 at Martinsville Motor Speedway on Speed at 3PM (Saturday)
Oct. 25th - Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Speed at 1PM (Saturday)
Top Five Picks At Talladega
1. Ron Hornaday: The third times the charm for him. He has momentum on his side, smart enough to know when to switch to points racing versus putting the No. 33 truck in harms way and that’s important at Talladega.
2. Johnny Benson: He will rebound in the No. 23. He’s been racing like it’s just him and Hornaday on the track and expect him to be upfront battling for the lead with three laps to go.
3. Todd Bodine: He’s the defending race winner. He’s tough on super speedways and expect him to be up front all night via for the win.
4. Mike Skinner: He looks great after getting the monkey off his back at Vegas. He’s also a great super speedway driver, expect him to win the pole and be there on lap 94 battling for the checkers.
5. The Shrub: He’s always exciting to see in trucks, runs a limited schedule and lets it all hangout. He should qualify top five, run upfront most of the night and be there battling for the checkers.
My sleeper pick: Going with the Speed Demon, it’s his second race at the track, first time in a truck and expect him to run top six or maybe use pit strategy for the win. I’m sure Mr. Skinner, has given him some pointers, he will listen and apply it in his driving.
Something that he’s done all year in ARCA and Trucks. Resulting in him having such a great year in both series and rewarded by TRB with a Cup ride. A year ahead of Red Bulls plans for him.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Points Standing
1. Johnny Benson 2858
2. Ron Hornaday -1
3. Matt Crafton -164
4. Erik Darnell -224
5. Mike Skinner -227
6. Rick Crawford -246
7. Todd Bodine -257
8. Jack Sprague -402
9. Dennis Setzer -463
10. Terry Cook -492
Jeff Gordon Reveals 2009 Colors
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
This morning, Jeff Gordon revealed the final incarnation of the DuPont Racing paint scheme on NBC’s “Today Show”.
As shown above, the new scheme features subtle differences from his current scheme: the change of the base from blue to black, a yellow fade in the flames, and the disappearance of Nicorette from the lower quarter panels on the car. The car will make its debut in the 2009 Bud Shootout at Daytona.
DuPont’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon’s team, runs out in 2010. Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendrick, but seems likely to retire after the 2010 season.
He would leave the sport with nearly 600 starts, over 80 wins, and more championships (four) than any driver not named Earnhardt or Petty. After that, current Hendrick development drivers Brad Keselowski and Landon Cassill are rumored to take over the fabled No. 24.
In retirement, Gordon, 37, will likely take over an advisory role with Hendrick, a team he joined in 1992. He will also concentrate on other interests, such as the Jeff Gordon Foundation and Athletes For Hope, two charitable organizations he helped establish.
More importantly, Gordon will take on an active role in raising his daughter, Ella, who was born last summer.
With seven races remaining in the 2008 season, Gordon sits sixth in points with 10 top five finishes, 14 top tens, and three poles. The Sprint Cup Series next heads into Talladega for the AMP Energy 500. Gordon has six career wins at Talladega and is considered a favorite to win the race.
Photo Credit: www.jeffgordon.com
Hermie Sadler to Race in Martinsville
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
Hermie Sadler, Elliot Sadler’s older brother, has posted on his web page that he will in fact be racing in the 2008 truck race in Martinsville, Virginia.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten used to the “TNA announcer” Hermie, and seeing him behind the wheel again will be a delight.
He is a very underrated driver. We know he wrecks and makes mistakes, but everybody does. Just ask Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch.
Hermie has just had some bad luck. I personally would love to see Hermie win the truck race to make the media go into shock. They put all the “go or go homers” on this bubble and make them so they’re not even drivers, but only fillers.
It’s about time one of those “seat fillers” showed the media who a real seat fitter is and Hermie Sadler just might be the person to do that.
Agree or disagree, you have to give them credit for being in a series like this. I would kill to take a Craftsman Truck Series truck for a qualifying lap.
Jeff Gordon Unveils New Paint Scheme on "Today;" Rusty Not So Rusty?
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
NASCAR fans, are you sick and tired of the worst kept secrets in motorsports? Well fear no longer!
Sure, you’ve seen all those fictional “2009″ paint schemes on the net that are being made on the DuPont Chevy on NASCAR Racing 2003 simulator sites.
This morning, the world caught a bit of a surprise when one of the sport’s greatest drivers and ambassadors officially unveiled his new car for the upcoming season.
Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup Champ and victor of 81 (so far) career points races, was on NBC’s Today Show to reveal the third and last rendition of his famed No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.
Most online rumors (did I say rumors?) had said that the car would have a black base with a paint scheme similar to his Hot Hues ride from the Fontana and Indy races of 2006, while others have speculated that the car will be his current fire scheme altered with black as its base.
Well, fans who loved the flames scheme need not fret. Instead, we’ll be talking about the FireStorm scheme. This car takes the current flames scheme to the next level with a black base complimented by sleek and very sharp flames that have some blue/green hues at the end.
The traditional yellow No. 24’s remain the same, but it appears that Gordon will gain a new associate sponsor not pictured in this media handout picture from Goracing.com.
In case any Gordon fan saw his interview with NASCAR.com’s Riki Rachtman, J-Go mentioned about a new associate sponsor that would join the team and that new partner will be none other than the National Guard. Seems like some B/Rers know their stuff (see Kelly Crandall’s article on this in the comment section)!
Never one to stray away from flashy cars, the 37-year-old driver from Vallejo, Calif., started his Cup career with a bang with the famous Rainbow Warrior scheme that ran from his debut at Atlanta in 1992 to the season finale at the same track eight years later.
The public would then see a leaked flames scheme on the pages of Jayski in the fall of 2000, which shocked some Gordon fans, as the rainbow scheme was a fixture on the circuit to what Earnhardt fans were accustomed to with the black Goodwrench colors from 1988 to 2001.
However the flames look to the car was a popular scheme amongst fans and, as ol’ DW put it, flames just make a car look faster and cooler.
This incarnation of his car lasted from the 2001 championship season for Gordon to this season, where Driver 24 sits sixth in points, 143 points away from first in a winless but somewhat decent season.
Where will the FireStorm take the 24 team? All Gordon fans hope to see their driver have a “hot” year with wins and a much better shot at the title than this unusual year.
Then there’s the story about 1989 Cup Champ Rusty Wallace, who’s made his living these days owning his Nationwide team and commentating for the ESPN/ABC coverage of NASCAR.
Younger brother Kenny Wallace, from his SpeedTV.com blog, wrote that his older sibling is considering a return to the Sprint Cup Series driving for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
While a seemingly crazy and wild rumor that sounds more like kicks than absolute seriousness, as a fan, it does seem intriguing.
Though Rusty has stated his peace on retirement and work with ESPN and ABC, there surely is some competitive fire left with the sport’s King of Short Tracks.
The sport is said to be lacking a personality, although Tony Stewart and Gibbs Racing fans may beg to differ.
And while the sport has tightly limited and then redacted its stance on drivers wearing their emotions on their sleeves, there has not been a true rivalry on the track that has left us thinking of days when we’d go, “Yep, it’s Wallace and Earnhardt!” or “Oh DW and Davey Allison, they just can’t stop crashing each other.”
Rusty Wallace may be just the temporary kick the sport needs. He is definitely not afraid to speak his mind with his mouth and car, and if he adjusts quickly to the Car of Tomorrow brand of racing, we just might see a page of Classic NASCAR coming to life in the New Wave of stock cars.
Pre-Talladega Linkage
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Gratuitous links, courtesy of someone too busy to write a real post today:
A must-read on the legend of Talladega, it’s old but for the old school fans of the sport it’s always good to see someone that remembers the curse.
Paul Menard takes his sideburns and dad’s $$$ to Yates Racing for next season. The slide of DEI continues and Yates needs the cash. A win-win, in my eyes.
Story about the struggles of open-wheel drivers in NASCAR this season. You mean those same ones ESPN called “The best rookie class in NASCAR history” back in February? Yeah, about that…
Updating yesterday’s story about Rusty’s possible comeback, he shoots it down. I’m not convinced, not yet anyway.
Nice little story about the process of UPS moving their dollars to David Ragan and Roush Fenway for 2009.
Joey Logano will pull double duty in the ARCA Series as well as the Truck Series, where he’ll drive the No. 59 that Ted Musgrave threw a hissy over and quit back at Vegas. Thankfully, he has been pulled out of the shitbox that is the DLP car.
JTG Daugherty racing has formed an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing for next season. This sounds more like the pretty new girlfriend moving into the guy’s house after a tough divorce. Will they get married? We’ll see, we’ll see.
The entry lists for the weekend. Bram delivers the pure stats.
Who’s getting up at 7 AM to see the unveiling of Jeffy’s new car?
Not me.
Chaser Compete, Others Unnoticed Until the "Big One"
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
Now that the Chase is on, it seems like there is even less racing going on. Not much astion is occuring, just lots of folks driving around and around without passing each other.
Maybe it just comes from the broadcasting crew not focusing on showing us the small battles in the race outside the chasers. But even if it is a battle for the fortieth position, a good overtake is fun to see no matter where it is on the track.
With all the COT hype, I thought the racing would be more competitive. But, all we seem to see on Sunday are three levels of competition.
The first level is the 10 or 12 cars that run up front week in and week out. Then, there is the middle of the pack, just waiting for a good wreck or two so they can gain track position.
Then, there are the rest of the cars running in the back, sucking dirty air all race and all season long.
This seems to be the script on stock car racing every week, with the non-elite, non-chaser teams just waiting for divine intervention—or the big one—to get them to the front.
Michael Waltrip and "Bootie" Barker Will Make Sweet Music Together at MWR
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
If you have ever listened to NASCAR personality, owner and driver Michael Waltrip’s radio show “Out Loud,” you know that Michael loves his music. In fact, he often spends half the show either talking about a song or singing it.
Waltrip will most certainly be making sweet music with the announcement that Robert “Bootie” Barker will be joining him as crew chief for the No. 55 Napa Auto Parts Toyota in 2009.
Michael and Bootie should be singing from the same song sheet, having much in common. Both are good ol’ Southern boys. Michael hails from Owensboro, Ky., and Bootie from Halifax, Va.
They are both “veterans” of the sport. Michael has been racing in the Cup series since 1985. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Daytona 500 race and is the younger brother of race car legend Darrell Waltrip.
Michael currently races under his own banner at Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR), founding his own team in 2007.
Bootie has been involved with racing since his college days at Old Dominion University, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.
In college, he worked for Ashton Lewis, who was then driving for a Late Model Series team. Bootie then went to work at Bill Davis racing as a shock absorber specialist, and his racing career was launched.
Michael and Bootie have another common melody, that of being involved with their share of struggling teams. Although Barker worked on the No. 24 team of Jeff Gordon from 1999 to 2000, he has jumped from challenging times and teams at Bill Davis Racing, Jasper Motorsports, and most recently Haas CNC Racing.
Although Michael was fortunate to be involved with DEI, driving their No. 15 Napa Chevy, he too then bounced from team to team after leaving that organization. Michael also did a stint at Bill Davis Racing as well as Jasper Racing, before forming his own team at Michael Waltrip Racing.
Both Michael and Bootie have had their times of singing the blues as well. At the Daytona 500 in 2007, Waltrip was severely fined for using an illegal fuel additive. Just this year, Barker was suspended for six races and put on probation for the rest of the season for illegal wing mount locations.
The final common note between Michael Waltrip and Bootie Barker is their love of sharing their opinions about racing. They are both broadcasters in their own rights.
Waltrip does commentary for the Craftsman Truck Series and participates in a weekly show that airs on the Speed Channel. Barker is a host of NASCAR Performance and is a frequent guest on NASCAR Race Day, both on the Speed Channel.
Bringing Michael Waltrip and Bootie Barker together should be sweet music to the ears of MWR’s sponsors and fans. Let’s hope they can make beautiful music together on the race track as well.
Kyle Busch Losing Is More of a Story Than Who Is Winning
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
I sit here and try to see where is the story of this chase. There have been three winners so far, but none have gotten the press or even the attention from fans in the cyberworld. Instead, Kyle Busch is taking headlines all the way to the bank.
I read lots of articles and watch all the related racing shows. There is “the Kyle story” and then, as almost a side show, the story of who won the race. On local sports shows, the opener is “Busch struggles again and, oh and by the way, Jimmie Johnson won the race.”
The attention this kid gets is amazing.
Busch’s impact on this sport has been like a hurricane: fast and furious. But, rather than leaving devastation behind, it has given this sport a good shot in the arm.
In all I’ve been reading about the old days of NASCAR (and this is my naive opinion as a new fan), I’ve come see that this kind of racing is as much about the personalities of drivers as it is about the car.
There are a lot of corporate-type public relations folks driving stock cars in the Cup Race. (You know who they are.) NASCAR needs a better balance in personalities.
I thinks folks like Kyle, Juan Montoya, R. Gordon, Boris Said, Tony Stewart, and even M. Waltrip should be marketed for their personalities. The incoming of S. Speed will add one more to the bunch.
I don’t know what’s going to make this chase exciting, but so far the story has been Kyle Busch’s misfortunes.
Quick Hits: Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 3, 2008 NASCAR
As the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega for the fourth race of this year’s Chase for the Cup, many teams have already shifted their focus from running well this year to preparing for 2009.
Most teams have already set their driver lineups for the future and are already trying to add their new drivers to the mix this year. It seems that to everybody outside of the Chase, the 2008 season no longer really matters.
Already, Team Red Bull has pulled A.J. Allmendinger from the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota for this weekend. Allmendinger had the best finish of his career (ninth) at Kansas last week, but was removed from the car for Talladega and Charlotte in favor of Mike Skinner.
Red Bull’s driver of the future, former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed, will take over the car at Martinsville and beyond, in preparation for a Raybestos Rookie of the Year run in 2009.
This leaves Allmendinger unemployed for the last month and a half of the season, meaning that his future employer has a shot at acquainting him with his 2009 team right now. Rumors point to Allmendinger moving to a Dodge team, either the No. 41 at Chip Ganassi Racing or the No. 45 at Petty Enterprises next year.
As Reed Sorenson is leaving the No. 41, there’s the slight possibility that Allmendinger could replace Sorenson there by Charlotte, or even the week after at Martinsville. Sorenson would then be free to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports, where he will replace Patrick Carpentier in the No. 10 Dodge next year.
In the past, drivers have finished out the season with their lame-duck teams before moving on. However, more and more owners have moved towards ousting lame-duck drivers towards the end of the schedule in recent years, and more and more departing drivers are asking for an early release.
Kurt Busch was forced out of the No. 97 Ford for the last two races of 2005 by owner Jack Roush after being detained for reckless driving before a race at Phoenix. As 2006 replacement Jamie McMurray was unavailable, as he was still under contract to Ganassi, Kenny Wallace drove the car that weekend, finishing 16th and 21st.
Wallace’s solid performance, despite his lack of practice time in the car, contributed to Furniture Row Racing’s decision to enter him in a full Cup schedule in 2006.
Elliott Sadler was granted an early release by Robert Yates Racing in August 2006. Sadler moved to Evernham Motorsports, which had just booted Jeremy Mayfield from its No. 19 Dodge. Granted, Mayfield had made some acrimonious statements about owner Ray Evernham, but the team wasn’t planning on retaining him anyway after a major dropoff in performance.
While it’s not completely accurate to think that drivers and owners are now more inclined to abandon contracts towards the end of the season, it’s starting to become a trend in Sprint Cup. When next season becomes the focus, teams will do whatever they can to build momentum that they can carry into Daytona.
If cutting a lame-duck driver is the solution, owners won’t hesitate. If asking for an early release is the solution, the driver will go ahead and do it.
The driver doesn’t have as much to lose because he’s, usually, already guaranteed employment for the future. But, with a recent emphasis on driver development (and a lot of other talented drivers, such as Mayfield, currently unemployed), owners don’t need to scramble for solutions as much anymore.
Prepare for more driver musical chairs—here are this week’s five Quick Hits, all dealing with other rumors around the garage area:
5. Despite a 12 race sponsorship commitment from Wells Fargo, Kyle Petty is no longer wanted at Petty Enterprises in the No. 45 car, according to wife Pattie. She says that the team’s new management told Petty before the race at Watkins Glen that they didn’t want him in the car anymore.
She hopes that Chip Ganassi will consider taking Petty on for a part-time schedule next season, perhaps in the No. 40 Dodge that currently sits dormant. Petty drove for the the team, then knwon as Sabco, from 1989 to 1996, posting six wins and a pair of 5th place finishes in points.
4. Michael Waltrip Racing is entering a partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing for 2009, which will switch to Toyota power from Ford. Marcos Ambrose will drive the No. 47 Little Debbie/Clorox Toyota for JTG, which will be run out of Waltrip’s sprawling RaceWorld garage.
Waltrip is also looking to sign Dow Chemicals to co-sponsor David Reutimann’s No. 00 Toyota with Aaron’s Rent for next season. Assuming that both deals go through, and that Waltrip puts together a sponsorship program for Michael McDowell, four cars in-house at MWR for 2009 is a realistic possibility.
3. If A.J. Allmendinger doesn’t join Ganassi, Mayfield is a candidate for the No. 41 ride. Mayfield tested the No. 41 at Lowe’s last week and ran one race for Ganassi this year as a substitute for the injured Dario Franchitti. The car’s Target sponsorship is secure, as the company has been a Ganassi partner for over a decade.
2. Paul Menard will abandon the sinking ship that is Dale Earnhardt Inc. after this season, bringing his Menards family sponsorship over to Yates Racing. Menard will likely drive a third car as a teammate to Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland. Currently, Menard ranks 28th in points, with Kvapil 24th and Gilliland 26th.
The car will likely carry No. 32, No. 90, or No. 98: the first relates to Yates’ current numbers, 28 and 38, and the second and third are other numbers Yates has used in Cup before.
1. Here’s a wild one: 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace is reportedly considering joining DEI to replace Menard, according to his brother Kenny.
After watching Mark Martin announce a comeback to full-time Sprint Cup racing with Hendrick Motorsports next season, Kenny Wallace said to the Speed Channel that it’s “really tugged on Rusty’s heartstrings.”
Rusty has denied the rumor, citing a long-term contract with ABC and ESPN, but the possibility is still there.
Finally, congratulations to last week’s winners at Kansas: Denny Hamlin in Nationwide, and Jimmie Johnson in Sprint Cup.
Van der Garde joins iSport
Oct 3, 2008 GP2 Series
Newly-crowned Formula Renault 3.5 champion Giedo van der Garde will race for iSport in the upcoming GP2 Asia series.
The Real Story Behind Numbers!
Oct 3, 2008 Formula One
THIS ARTICLE IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS BEST. THE LIST THAT FOLLOWS IS SIMPLY
A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF TITLE WINNERS
There is truth in numbers, one just needs to look at all of them. The following is a list of all the World Champions and their hard numbers. Sure one can take any one group of numbers, to make an argument. These numbers are placed only in the order of titles won, sure you can take win %, however that is seriously flawed. The truth is if one wants a real top 30, they must take every statistic into consideration. If not a diver like Billy Voukovich, who won the US GP 2 times from 5 starts, would be one of F1’s elite as he would end up #2 or 3. Remember numbers don’t lie, only the people who use them.
THE STATS BELOW ARE LIVE JUST PRESS ANYTHING THAT IS RED
| # | drivers | points | c | races won | poles | fl | pod | entr | qual | % | class | % | CP (-) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | Schumacher | 1301.0 | (1369.0) | 7 | 91 | 67 | 76 | 154 | 250 | 250 | (100.0%) | 197 | (78.8%) | +499 |
| 2 | Juan Manuel | Fangio | 244.5 | (277.1) | 5 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 35 | 51 | 51 | (100.0%) | 41 | (80.4%) | +118 |
| 3 | Alain | Prost | 768.5 | (798.5) | 4 | 51 | 32 | 40 | 106 | 202 | 201 | (99.5%) | 143 | (70.8%) | +223 |
| 4 | Jack | Brabham | 253.0 | (261.0) | 3 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 128 | 122 | (95.3%) | 73 | (57.0%) | +15 |
| Jackie | Stewart | 359.0 | (360.0) | 3 | 27 | 15 | 15 | 43 | 100 | 89 | (89.0%) | 63 | (63.0%) | +111 | |
| Niki | Lauda | 420.5 | 3 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 54 | 177 | 170 | (96.0%) | 90 | (50.8%) | +9 | ||
| Nélson | Piquet | 481.5 | (485.5) | 3 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 60 | 207 | 203 | (98.1%) | 124 | (59.9%) | +275 | |
| Ayrton | Senna | 610.0 | (614.0) | 3 | 41 | 65 | 20 | 80 | 162 | 160 | (98.8%) | 108 | (66.7%) | +263 | |
| 9 | Alberto | Ascari | 107.7 | (140.7) | 2 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 34 | 32 | (94.1%) | 23 | (67.6%) | +55 |
| Jim | Clark | 255.0 | (274.0) | 2 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 73 | 67 | (91.8%) | 49 | (67.1%) | +125 | |
| Graham | Hill | 270.0 | (289.0) | 2 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 36 | 179 | 171 | (95.5%) | 102 | (57.0%) | +98 | |
| Emerson | Fittipaldi | 281.0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 149 | 141 | (94.6%) | 96 | (64.4%) | +110 | ||
| Mika | Häkkinen | 424.0 | 2 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 51 | 165 | 160 | (97.0%) | 102 | (61.8%) | +154 | ||
| Fernando | Alonso | 528.0 | (310.0) | 2 | 20 | 18 | 11 | 50 | 120 | 120 | (100.0%) | 94 | (78.3%) | +183 | |
| 15 | Nino | Farina | 115.3 | (127.3) | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 35 | 32 | (91.4%) | 26 | (74.3%) | +13 |
| Mike | Hawthorn | 112.7 | (127.7) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 47 | 44 | (93.6%) | 33 | (70.2%) | +33 | |
| Phil | Hill | 94.0 | (98.0) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 52 | 47 | (90.4%) | 33 | (63.5%) | +19 | |
| Jochen | Rindt | 107.0 | (109.0) | 1 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 62 | 55 | (88.7%) | 25 | (40.3%) | +34 | |
| John | Surtees | 180.0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 113 | 108 | (95.6%) | 55 | (48.7%) | +79 | ||
| Denny | Hulme | 248.0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 33 | 112 | 110 | (98.2%) | 78 | (69.6%) | +26 | ||
| James | Hunt | 179.0 | 1 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 23 | 93 | 89 | (95.7%) | 46 | (49.5%) | +74 | ||
| Jody | Scheckter | 246.0 | (255.0) | 1 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 113 | 106 | (93.8%) | 77 | (68.1%) | -11 | |
| Mario | Andretti | 180.0 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 131 | 127 | (96.9%) | 62 | (47.3%) | +41 | ||
| Alan | Jones | 199.0 | (206.0) | 1 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 117 | 116 | (99.1%) | 68 | (58.1%) | +67 | |
| Keke | Rosberg | 159.5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 128 | 110 | (85.9%) | 59 | (46.1%) | +72 | ||
| Nigel | Mansell | 480.0 | (482.0) | 1 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 59 | 191 | 186 | (97.4%) | 98 | (51.3%) | -11 | |
| Damon | Hill | 360.0 | 1 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 42 | 122 | 116 | (95.1%) | 77 | (63.1%) | +38 | ||
| Jacques | Villeneuve | 234.0 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 23 | 165 | 165 | (100.0%) | 108 | (65.5%) | +19 | ||
| Kimi | Räikkonen | 513.0 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 54 | 137 | 136 | (99.3%) | 96 | (70.1%) | +81 | ||
Nico Rosberg, Kaz Nakajima Stay with Williams: Loyalty Making Them Miss Out?
Oct 3, 2008 Formula One
Loyalty is a fabulous thing. In all walks of life.
For a Formula One team trying to regain its status within the F1 pecking order, having two loyal drivers is a major boost. One of them is a rising star of a famous father and the other is one of the best to have come out of his country for many years, Sato aside.
Having your star driver showing loyalty and having a decent Japanese driver when you run Toyota engines doing the same thing can only help the team develop and hopefully move further up the grid. Continuity is a major stabilising factor.
However, when you are in this cut-throat world that we call Formula One, does showing this loyalty mean that Nico may well miss his big break?
Perhaps he should have been more aggressive when sorting out his next contract. I think that he would have been a better choice for the second McLaren or even BMW Sauber. However, I can’t help but get the feeling that he’s missing his chance. And that would be a crying shame.
Jim Clark OBE: A Tribute to the First Flying Scot
Oct 3, 2008 Formula One
I recently wrote an article on financing and its effects drivers in Formula One. In that piece, I wrote very briefly about the great Jim Clark; I don’t think I did him any justice, so I thought I should elaborate on one of my favourite drivers.
Jim Clark OBE was born on the fourth March 1936 and died on seventh April 1968. At the time of his death, he had won more Grands Prix (25) and achieved more Pole Positions (33) than any other driver.
He was born into a Scottish farmer’s family in Fife; he was the youngest of five children and the only boy.
Much to his parent’s dismay, Clark started racing his OWN Sunbeam-Talbot in the local Road Rally and Hill Climb events and proved himself a worthy competitor.
By 1958 he was driving for the local Border Reivers team, racing in D-Type Jaguars and Porsche’s, and won 18 races for them. In late 1958 he met Colin Chapman, who would move him firmly in the limelight of the motor racing world; he drove in Chapman’s Formula Junior cars.
He made the move to Formula One driving Chapman’s Lotus. Early in his career, he was involved in one of the worst accidents in Formula One history on 10th September, 1961 in Monza, Italy.
Wolfgang Von Trips, in a Ferrari, collided with Clark. Von Trips’ car went airborne and crashed into the barrier, throwing Von Trips out of his car. The accident killed Von Trips and 15 spectators.
In 1963, he won his first Formula One championship, winning seven races in the process. That same year, he entered the Indy 500 and came second, winning Rookie of the Year.
In 1964, he came within laps of retaining his Formula One crown, but an oil leak robbed him of his second title.
In 1965, he once again won a Formula One world championship; he also won the Indy 500, making history by being the first to win the great race driving a mid-engine car.
In 1966 and 1967, which brought new FiA regulations, the Lotus was less competitive. However, in Italy in 1967, Clark drove what is regarded by some people as the greatest drive ever.
Starting from Pole, Clark was leading the race until he got a puncture. He lost a lap while limping back to the pits. He then drove qualifying lap after qualifying lap to regain the lost lap AND the lead. Unfortunately, he ran out of fuel and coasted across the line to finish third.
On the seventh April 1968 Jim Clark was tragically killed while driving a Lotus in a Formula Two race at the Hockenheimring in Germany. The cause of the crash was never identified; however, investigators thought it was most likely due to a deflating rear tyre.
The team replaced the green and yellow badge with a black one for a month after his death. The 1968 World Drivers Championship was won by team mate Graham Hill; he dedicated his title to Clark.
Jim Clark was then and is still regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time by many. Of the 72 starts Clark made, he won 25 of them, a remarkable 35 percent.
The 30 Top Formula One Drivers of All Time
Oct 3, 2008 Formula One
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Is there an objective way to measure F1 greatness? Or even F1 goodness? How about F1 he-was-ok-ness? Drivers do not all have the same F1 career lengths, so comparing wins will not be satisfactory; precisely the same objection holds good for championships. And yet, winning is the primary purpose of racing, so race victories must play a key part in any objective assessment. From my F1 data, I have compiled a list based on drivers’ win ratios. Win ratios are a simple notion; if X competes in 10 races and wins 5 of them he has a win ratio of 50 percent. There, you have the idea already. It might be objected that a driver can spend season after season tooling around in uncompetitive machinery, thus winning no races, and that is certainly true. My counter-argument is that the brightest lights will always be noticed, and obviously quick drivers will always find their way into the hot seats. Still, it is possible to say that win ratios are not a totally fair measure, and I will concede the point. But life isn’t fair; get over it.
|
| # | Driver |
Starts
|
Wins
|
Ratio
|
Championships
|
| 1 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 51 | 24 | 47.06% |
* * * * *
|
| 2 | Alberto Ascari | 32 | 13 | 40.63% |
* *
|
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | 248 | 91 | 36.69% |
* * * * * * *
|
| 4 | Jim Clark | 72 | 25 | 34.72% |
* *
|
| 5 | Jackie Stewart | 99 | 27 | 27.27% |
* * *
|
| 6 | Alain Prost | 199 | 51 | 25.63% |
* * * *
|
| 7 | Ayrton Senna | 161 | 41 | 25.47% |
* * *
|
| 8 | Stirling Moss | 66 | 16 | 24.24% | |
| 9 | Damon Hill | 115 | 22 | 19.13% |
*
|
| 10 | Nigel Mansell | 187 | 31 | 16.58% |
*
|
| 11 | Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina | 33 | 5 | 15.15% |
*
|
| 12 | Niki Lauda | 171 | 25 | 14.62% |
* * *
|
| 13 | Mika Häkkinen | 161 | 20 | 12.42% |
* *
|
| 14 | Nelson Piquet | 204 | 23 | 11.27% |
* * *
|
| 15 | Jack Brabham | 126 | 14 | 11.11% |
* * *
|
| 16 | James Hunt | 92 | 10 | 10.87% |
*
|
| 17 | Alan Jones | 116 | 12 | 10.34% |
*
|
| 18 | Jochen Rindt | 60 | 6 | 10.00% |
*
|
| 19 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 144 | 14 | 9.72% |
* *
|
| 20 | Mario Andretti | 128 | 12 | 9.38% |
*
|
| 21 | Jody Scheckter | 111 | 10 | 9.01% |
*
|
| 22 | Gilles Villeneuve | 67 | 6 | 8.96% | |
| 23 | Carlos Reutemann | 146 | 12 | 8.22% | |
| 24 | Ronnie Peterson | 123 | 10 | 8.13% | |
| 25 | Graham Hill | 176 | 14 | 7.95% |
* *
|
| 26 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 94 | 7 | 7.45% | |
| 27 | Wolfgang von Trips | 27 | 2 | 7.41% | |
| 28 | Denny Hulme | 112 | 8 | 7.14% |
*
|
| 29 | Jacky Ickx | 114 | 8 | 7.02% | |
| 30 | Jacques Villeneuve | 164 | 11 | 6.71% |
*
|
Surprised by any of the above?
The list places Ascari, who drove relatively few races before he was killed, above Schumacher, who drove an enormous number. I did consider a qualifying number of drives, but any number I chose would have been arbitrary and unfair.
Six of Singapore Grand Prix Top 10 to Be Disqualified Due to Plank Wear
Oct 3, 2008 Formula One
Jo Bauer, the FIA F1 technical delegate, is rumored to be set to announce official disqualifications on six of the top 10 at the Singapore Grand Prix due to excessive plank wear.
On Oct. 2, the following drivers/teams are rumored to be disqualified:
Nico Rosberg: AT&T Williams
Lewis Hamilton: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Timo Glock: Panasonic Toyota Racing
Sebastian Vettel: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Nick Heidfeld: BMW Sauber F1 Team
Jenson Button: Honda Racing F1 Team
(3.5 out of 5)