Malaysia win Zandvoort sprint race
Oct 5, 2008 A1GP
Team Malaysia claimed the first A1GP victory of the Powered by Ferrari era in utterly appalling conditions at Zandvoort this morning
Audi take incredible Petit Le Mans win
Oct 5, 2008 ALMS
The No.1 Audi took an astonishing victory in the Petit Le Mans despite Allan McNish having crashed the car on the way to the grid
Loeb on brink of Catalunya victory
Oct 5, 2008 WRC
Sebastien Loeb is cruising towards a fourth straight Rallye Espana victory, with just three stages remaining in the Catalunya event
Joey Logano: First Trucks Attempt Filled With Disappointment at ‘Dega
Oct 5, 2008 NASCAR
The 18-year-old phenom, Joey “Sliced Bread” Logano, made his NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in the No. 59 Toyota Tundra for HT Motorsports on Saturday.
Although Logano began the race from the sixth spot, his mediocre start quickly turned into a minor disaster.
On Lap 20, the second caution of the day was thrown when debris from Logano’s truck landed on the track. The fallen debris caused his passenger-side window to become unsecure and fly off of the Toyota, also landing on the track.
Logano lost three laps as his crew replaced the window with their only backup and promptly secured it with tape, a requirement by NASCAR that the trucks at restrictor-plate tracks must have a passenger-side window in place. With his window fixed, Logano made his way back onto the track, just in front of the field, causing him to lose yet another lap.
But the young driver’s troubles didn’t stop there.
On the final lap, coming down the backstretch, Logano was caught up in a multi-car wreck at the back of the pack.
The No. 40 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Green collided with another truck at the bottom and then swiftly shot up the racetrack, crushing Logano’s Tundra and Jon Wood’s Ford against the wall. But a caution was not thrown for the incident and the race continued under green.
What started out as a hopeful good learning experience, and an highly anticipated race for both Joey Logano and his fans, became nothing but a slight catastrophe for the popular teenage rookie.
But then again, there’s always next time for the young phenom, as it will most likely not be his only attempt in the series in his career.
Logano finished in 26th, five laps down.
The Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Winn-Dixie was won by Todd Bodine in the No. 30 Toyota with a last-lap pass on leader Kyle “Rowdy” Busch in the No. 51 Tundra. Busch crossed the finish line in third.
This was not, however, Joey Logano’s first ever start at Talladega. Logano participated in the ARCA RE/MAX 250 the previous night, driving the No. 15 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet for Venturini Motorsports.
He gained the first position from Patrick Sheltra with one to go and then lost the lead on the last lap to Justin Allgaier, who went on to win the race.
Logano finished second, leading 15 of the 94 laps.
Handicapping The Chase Drivers: Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 5, 2008 NASCAR
So last week wasn’t quite a bust for me, with my best bets (sure thing Greg Biffle, dark horse Jeff Gordon, and sleeper Clint Bowyer) finishing third, fourth, and 12th, respectively.
My lead picks (Tony Stewart at New Hampshire, and Biffle at both Dover and Kansas) have finished eighth and first, respectively, scoring 502 points between them. In other words, if I was in the Chase, I’d be fourth right now, 73 points behind Jimmie Johnson in first.
Talladega, however, offers the biggest challenge for any race forecaster in the entire Chase. A driver can go from third to 30th in half a lap, or the exact opposite.
Everyone knows about the Big One, a 20-plus car wreck that more often than not eliminates one of the sport’s top drivers from contention, especially late in the race. In other words, this weekend is a crapshoot.
Before picking anybody to win, have a look at the speed charts from every practice, go with a gut feeling, and wear your lucky underwear. You’ll need it. Just don’t drop a deuce and have to wash all the luck out of it.
Here’s what to expect from each of the 12 Chase drivers this week at Talladega:
1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s got momentum on his side, the top cars in the garage, an average start of 8.2 (so you know he’s fast here), and only one start in which he hasn’t led a lap, when his engine blew up in fall 2002. He’s almost a lock, as much as any driver can be at Talladega. Any questions?
<a href=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/onpitrow.fsv/ros;sect=ros;fantasy=no;game=no;tile=3;sz=300×250;ord=’+random_number+’?”><img src=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/onpitrow.fsv/ros;sect=ros;fantasy=no;game=no;tile=3;sz=300×250;ord=’+random_number+’?” border=”0″ height=”250″ width=”300″ alt=”Nascar On Pit Row” /></a>
2. Carl Edwards: Come Chase time, Edwards does well at Talladega: the past three years, he’s finished fifth, ninth, and 14th in this race (although that 9th came in 2006, when he missed the 10-man cutoff). Despite two engine failures, Edwards has never retired from a race due to an accident. Given his recent momentum, with seven finishes of third or better from Indianapolis to now, don’t expect Cousin Carl to slow down any on Sunday.
3. Greg Biffle: Biff’s never finished better than 13th at Talladega in 2005, even when he hasn‘t gotten caught up in wrecks. He’s led 19 laps at the track in his Cup career. And somehow he’s excited for this race. Biffle’s stated that he’s going to hang around Johnson and Edwards all race to minimize any potential losses in the standings, but expect him to try to break away and lead a few laps if it’ll help him in the points.
4. Jeff Burton: In 29 career starts at Talladega, Burton’s only crashed out twice, and one of those times was his track debut in 1994. His 10 top 10s at the track for his career rank tied for third of all Chase drivers, but he only has two top fives at the track, in 2001 and 2006. Burton’s almost certain not to wreck, however, so he’s a reliable if not spectacular choice.
5. Kevin Harvick: Happy’s one of the few top-caliber drivers who can say he’s never had a day completely ruined by getting caught up in the Big One. As such, he has an average finish of 14.3 at Talladega in 15 starts. The only Chaser with more than five seasons’ experience to finish every race he’s started at the track, Harvick should bring the car home in one piece on Sunday, with a top 10 finish very plausible (seven in his career).
6. Jeff Gordon: Jeff won both races here last season. He’s in dire need of a win this year, but after only finishing 19th at ‘Dega in the series’ spring visit, he‘s not a shoo-in. In 31 starts, however, Gordon’s finished in the top 10 16 times (with six wins) and crashed out only three times. He’s due, and this is a track that Gordon’s found more success on than a lot of drivers, so it’s possible that Gordon can find victory lane this weekend.
7. Clint Bowyer: When Clint completes every lap at Talladega (his last two starts at the track, in last year’s Chase and earlier this year), his average finish is 10.0. When he doesn’t (his first 3 starts at the track), his average finish is 36.7. If he finishes the race, he’ll do just fine, but not much more than that.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: From 2001 to 2004, Junebug’s worst finish at Talladega was eighth. Twice he finished second. The other five times, he won. In the spring, he led 46 laps and finished 10th. Junior’s not a sure thing to win this weekend, though, as he hasn’t won here since 2004 and the team is using a backup car due to a nightmare practice. On the other hand, it should be noted that, as DEI were the kings of the restrictor plate in the early 2000s, so too Hendrick has been in the latter half of this decade.
9. Matt Kenseth: When Matt’s on at Talladega, he’s on (67 laps led with an average finish of 6.0 from 2005 to 2006). When he catches a bad break, however, he’s gone (five finishes outside of the top 20, including his last two starts). An interesting note, however: Each time Matt’s finished inside the top 10 at Kansas, he’s also led laps and finished decently at Talladega. Matt finished fifth last weekend.
10. Denny Hamlin: Denny’s finished in the top 5 twice at Talladega, a fourth in fall 2007 and a third earlier this year. In the three races before that, though, he finished 22nd, 21st, and 21st. Hamlin’s capable of running up front at Talladega, though, after leading at least one lap in all five of his starts. If Denny’s timing is on, we could see the No. 11 surprise a lot of folks by winding up in Victory Lane.
11. Tony Stewart: Smoke’s 13.9 average finish here is tops of all Chase contenders. He also led 61 laps here in the spring before an accident relegated him to 38th place. Tony lost a lot of momentum after finishing 40th at Kansas, but last year he rebounded from another poor Kansas run to finish eighth at ‘Dega. Keep in mind, Stewart’s only led 36 laps in the past 12 races, and didn’t have too much momentum to begin with. Don’t expect a surprise victory, but Stewart should be there in the end.
12. Kyle Busch: With career finishes of 41st, 33rd, 32nd, 11th, 37th, 36th, and 1st, it’s not hard to pick out the outlier in Busch’s ‘Dega stats. Forget the massive streak of bad luck the past few weeks; Busch is too accident-prone here in the first place. Of course, I could be wrong, and he could break out this weekend and win (his only win here was this year), but all the signs point otherwise. Sorry, Kyle.
So who would I pick to win this weekend? Johnson, plain and simple. You can’t argue with momentum, horsepower, and flat-out talent. In the midst of a nine-race top 10 streak, Harvick also has the potential to put Richard Childress Racing in victory lane.
As for a dark horse, look no further than the momentum-charged Biffle, who sounds legitimately excited for this race, despite his track record. Remember, he didn’t have too much going for him at Loudon, either.
Muller extends lead with Monza victory
Oct 5, 2008 WTCC
SEAT played the teamwork card to help WTCC points leader Yvan Muller on his way to victory in the opening race of this weekend’s round at Monza
Wickens wins shortened Le Mans race
Oct 5, 2008 F3
Robert Wickens took his maiden Formula 3 victory in a rain-interrupted second F3 Euro Series race at Le Mans this morning
Mateschitz: Half the grid ‘chasing’ Vettel
Oct 5, 2008 Formula One
Half the teams on the Formula One grid are ‘chasing’ Sebastian Vettel’s services following his Italian Grand Prix victory last month
Mateschitz reconsiders selling Toro Rosso
Oct 5, 2008 Formula One
Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz says he is reconsidering selling his stake in Scuderia Toro Rosso, following Sebastian Vettel’s victory at Monza and the team’s recent strong form
You Want a Say? Then Go and Say It!
Oct 5, 2008 Formula One
ING, sponsor of the Renault Formula 1 Team, are conducting a Global Survey. And no its not just a boring “Who will win the Championship” poll where people try to predict what will happen at the end of the season.
This particular survey is similar to the one carried out a few years back (2006, if my memory hasn’t failed me), where us fans can actually express our opinions to people who can make the changes happen.
The questions include the usual “Who is your favourite team/driver” but don’t worry, it gets more interesting from thereon in. There are several which ask about Media coverage in the country you selected, what you would like to see more of, if you want to hear the drivers talking to their pit crew, or want more on-board head shots.
So, do you want to say something?
ING and F1 Global Racing Fan Survey
Or in case my hyperlink skills have failed me: http://www.ingf1racingmagazinefansurvey.com
Alonso and Ferrari: The Silly Season Gets Interesting
Oct 5, 2008 Formula One
There have been several interesting developments over the past few days concerning Alonso, Ferrari, Santander, and Flavio.
Flavio announced that he will be step back at Renault so that he can direct his attention to focus on technical needs at Renault.
GP Update quoted Flavio Briatore:
“I will take one step back next year,” Briatore told Italian news paper Gazzetta dello Sport. “We will hire a new director who will be in charge of the day to day management. Instead I will start busying myself with only the highly important matters within our team.”
Flavio is also Alonso’s agent and could be giving himself some room to manuever.
Santander wants Alonso in a Ferrari, according to unnamed source in the Daily Star.
But according to sources in Spain, Spanish bankers Santander, who jumped on the McLaren bandwagon with Alonso in 2007, are set to sponsor Ferrari.
And they are anxious to resume their links with Alonso (right)—provided he joins the team. But they have little or no interest in Raikkonen. And their promise of massive cash backing could force the Finnish driver out.
Typically Spanish also had a similar story:
Reports in the Spanish sports paper Marca indicate that the bank is prepared to pay the costs of a contract clause so that Kimi Raikkonen can leave Ferrari before the end of his contract. The paper says that under the plan Alonso will drive for Ferrari in 2011, or even a year earlier if a deal can be done with Raikkonen.
If Alonso does end up at Scuderia Ferrari, I could honestly see Massa having to moving on. Especially if Ferrari fail to give him this year’s WDC. What would be more perfect for Ferrari than a clear No. 1 driver and fresh sponsorship funds from Santander.
I am sure Santander could care less whether or not Massa is there or not, and Ferrari only seems to be interested in winning the championship for Massa to save face, given their glaring lack of leadership.
The question is: Where would Massa and Kimi end up?
I can see neither at Renault. Kimi, if bought out, could easily retire and pick up a lucrative rally drive in the WRC. So that leaves Massa and his tenuous position at Scuderia Ferrari.
Ferrari, at this point, are not able to carry a two-horse stable. Mistakes at every level have cost them dearly. If Massa does stay and Alonso comes in, it would be McLaren part deux. No one wants that, especially Alonso. If Massa does get pushed out the door, the only possibility for him would be Renault.
Bruno Senna, I have a feeling, has got the Toro Rosso ride, but Massa might be a fantastic fit there. He would definitely have the sympathy of Berger. I think that possibility comes down to sponsorship funds and who would bring the most in the door.
Senna has his uncle’s name, which is a franchise in itself. Also keep in mind the Gerhard has a close personal relationship with the Senna family.
Everyone is pretty much on board that Alonso is the man to have at the wheel, so perhaps his indecisiveness is because the real decision rest with Raikkonen. Regardless, I cannot see Ferrari going through another year of turmoil.
If all of this played out, it would be an absolute win-win scenario for Ferrari. The only person I can see hurt is Felipe, and we all know how cruel F1 can be.
Tarquini completes Seat clean sweep
Oct 5, 2008 WTCC
Gabriele Tarquini completed a Seat clean sweep of the WTCC round at Monza with a comfortable win in an eventful race two
Rydell stripped of race one podium
Oct 5, 2008 WTCC
Seat driver Rickard Rydell was stripped of his podium finish from the opening World Touring Car Championship race at Monza after the Swede was judged to have cut the first chicane on the final lap
France weather Dutch storm to win
Oct 5, 2008 A1GP
Loic Duval gave Team France victory in the A1GP feature race held in terrible conditions at Zandvoort
Negrao and Ramos win at Nogaro
Oct 5, 2008 FIA GT
Xandi Negrao and Miguel Ramos claimed their first FIA GT Championship victory as a driver pairing after a quite brilliant performance from the Vitafone Maserati duo at Nogaro in France
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon: Shake and Bake?!
Oct 5, 2008 NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon announced yesterday that they would “set aside their competitive differences, for a portion of the race at least, and work on their team building skills.”
Dear Tiny Jesus, in your golden fleece diapers with your tiny, little fat balled up fists say it isn’t so!
I know that they are teammates now and that they are supposed to play nice with each other, but I’m just not ready for this brotherly love!
“Me and Jeff are thinking about going up front, running hard … go up there and try to learn how to work together,” Earnhardt said. “I think it will work good, we got to make it work.”
They are both incredible restrictor plate racers, having a combined total of 11 wins between them. The aligning of the stars makes for the perfect storm, but it leaves me feeling a bit unsettled. I am not sure how I feel about these warm, fuzzy feelings. I want to see some ol’ school beatin’ and bangin’ from these two. Is that so wrong? I’m just not ready for a kinder, gentler Dale Jr.
There is no ’I” in team, perhaps which is why Dale Jr. so slyly referred to himself as “me.” Maybe he is just sweet talking Jeff, whispering those sweet nothings in his ear, telling him exactly what he wants to hear before pulling a whammy of a win out from under him!
OK, I know that it’s a stretch, but I am trying hard to read between the lines. When it comes down to five laps to go, I fully expect the “bro-mance” to end and see their true competitive colors emerge.
I want to see them shake it then bake it!
NASCAR.com referenced for this article
Ekstrom wins chaotic wet Le Mans race
Oct 5, 2008 DTM
Mattias Ekstrom won a chaotic rain-affected DTM race at Le Mans, while Paul di Resta kept the title battle alive with second place
Are NASCAR Drivers True Athletes?
Oct 5, 2008 NASCAR
As a NASCAR fan, how many times have you heard, “racing isn’t a real sport, those drivers aren’t athletes, anyone can drive fast and turn left!” Why do we as fans constantly have to defend our favorite pastime?
Look up the definition of the word sport on dictionary.com and this is what you will find:
Sport, an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
Bowling….really? I find it hard to call something a sport that I get better at after a couple of pitchers of beer.
Seriously, who are we to judge what is and isn’t considered sport or what makes a true athlete?
We all love to coach from the sideline or in NASCAR’s case, backseat drive. We love to think that we could do better than “so and so,” but the hard truth is, few of us in this world are truly gifted enough to prove it. Even 43rd place is better than most of us could ever hope to do.
The NFL season is 17 weeks long, basketball and baseball each 6 months in length. The NASCAR season is a grueling 10 months out of the year with very little downtime. Drivers and their crews are constantly on the go. Cup drivers often moonlight in the Nationwide, Truck and/or Dirt Track series, allowing little else but to eat, sleep and drive.
Sports physchologist Dr. Jack Stark, wrote: “Football, you go hard for 15 seconds, rest 30 or 40.” “Basketball, you have timeouts. You can’t stop a race and get out of your car. You’ve been going hard for four hours and you have to have a tremendous amount of mental toughness and a tremendous amount of drive and desire to win.”
While the income gives me the desire to win, I simply couldn’t cut it as a NASCAR driver. Heck, my mind wanders during my 15 minute commute to work. The skill needed to rank in the top 43 is as awe inspiring as it is profitable. Aric Almirola, who as of this print was in 43rd place has earned a total of $1,033,560. In my opinion he is worth every penny!
Nice work if you can get it, but you’ve got to have forte to do so.
I fancy myself to be a bit of a daredevil, I’ve been to the Richard Petty Driving Experience. In no means does that make me an expert, but what I do know is that it took my brain a full 3 laps to catch up to my body that was traveling at 160 MPH. It was the same feeling that I experienced skydiving for the first time.
NASCAR is the free-fall.
Forget that a driver must maneuver a 3,600 pound car, straining to steer the wheel around curves, debris and other drivers.
Never mind the G-forces that result from the banking turns at 180-200mph causing intense pressure on the driver’s torsos.
Disregard the lack of oxygen in the cockpit mixed with carbon monoxide fumes which can cause confusion and disorientation for the driver during the race.
NASCAR is the free-fall. One that lasts for 500 miles instead of a mere 9500 feet with no safety chute to soften the blow. Even the slightest mistake could prove fatal in this sport. A driver must always be aware of his car and it’s surroundings. The sheer discipline and mental strength are untouchable.
To get a driver to the finish line in one piece requires absolute perfection on the crew’s part. A stock car is a monster of metal and fuel, we’ve all seen what can happen when things go wrong.
Think of it in terms of kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy (Ek), is a measure of how much work—or damage—an object can do in motion. The more massive an object and the faster it’s moving, the more kinetic energy it has. (Ek equals one-half mass times velocity squared, to be precise.) For example, a 3600-pound stock car running at 180 mph has a kinetic energy of 3.9 million ft.-lb. If you were to catapult a 150-pound man into the air with the same energy, he would travel 5 miles.
Pretty heavy stuff!
Tell me again why NASCAR drivers aren’t considered true athletes?!
Loeb secures fourth Catalunya win
Oct 5, 2008 WRC
Sebastien Loeb moved closer to another World Rally Championship title by clinching a dominant victory in Spain
Stoner secures home victory
Oct 5, 2008 MotoGP
Casey Stoner took an ultimately comfortable home victory at Phillip Island, as Valentino Rossi charged from 12th on the grid to second
(3.5 out of 5)