Clarity sought over future promoter
Oct 8, 2008 WRC
Leading figures in the World Rally Championship have expressed confusion at the FIA’s press statement today which offered for tender the commercial rights to the series from 2010, rights which are already claimed by International Sportsworld Communicators
Fightin’ Words: Patrick Carpentier Released From Gillette Evernham
Oct 8, 2008 NASCAR
One way or another, Patrick Carpentier was leaving Gillette Evernham Motorsports.
It was already announced that Reed Sorenson would be driving there next year, and it didn’t seem the team was planning on adding a fourth car.
Then after qualifying for the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega, the process was sped up when Carpentier and his team director engaged in a heated argument.
Carpentier had failed to qualify for the race and said that team director Mike Shiplett blamed the driver, not the team, for not making the show.
Carpentier took offense and said that all the driver can do at Talladega is put his foot to the floor and go.
“I think it’s a complete lack of respect,” Carpentier wrote on his website. “I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it’s like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke.”
“I know [Shiplett's] criticism didn’t make any sense. What is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I’ve qualified a car that he himself didn’t think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR.”
Words continued to be exchanged, and it was reported that apologies had been handed out, but it was too little too late. Carpentier was released today.
GEM has said that Mike Wallace will drive the car this weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and AJ Allmendinger, who was released from Red Bull Racing and still searching for a job, will drive the car the remaining part of the season.
Carpentier had come to the series from the open wheel ranks of Champ and Indy Car; he had one pole in 27 starts this season. Now it’s time to start searching for his next ride.
It now seems that Sam Hornish Jr. will be the last remaining open wheel invader.
Wreck Fest Separated The Contenders From The Pretenders
Oct 8, 2008 NASCAR
What a wild card race. Talladega did what most expected it to do. Separate the leaders (Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle) and put the other 10 out of reach.
For Denny Hamlin I don’t think it matters that he lead part of the race or that he dropped back into 12th in the standings. But in this case he is 335 points behind the leader and with less than six races to go, it will be to difficult to climb. Sunday was really his chance to take advantage of other chasers issues.
But effectively a blown tire ended his hunt for a championship. Now don’t expect him just to ride around a take laps. Hamlin will be a factor for wins especially at the Martinsville and Phoenix. Thank goodness for the safety in these cars, he could have been injured more severely than he was.
Denny Hamlin: Eliminated
Kyle Busch had a great run going and had moved up in the points. He was being smart on Sunday staying out of trouble and avoiding the first big one, only to be involved in the chaser’s big one.I eliminated him last week; and that won’t change this week. He is too far behind to really have an impact.
And unless Jimmie Johnson has a complete breakdown, Kyle doesn’t have much of shot. I expect him to be just as aggressive as he was in the “regular season.” We are coming up to tracks where he has ran well.This driver is looking to improve his postion in the standings.
Kyle Busch: Eliminated
For Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talladega was suppose to be his chance to make a real run at the top three. For most of the day he ran up front, gaining drafting buddies in guys like Juan Pablo Montoya and his teammates Casey Mears and Jimmie Johnson. But with less than 20 to go, it was time to go for broke. And he got swept up in someone else’s mistake. This was huge for Junior.
Last week he already on the edge of elimination and now this week, I have to eliminate him. He has lost four positions in the last two weeks and it will be too difficult to gain any ground on the leaders. You might see Jr. and company start to look toward next year as the weeks wind down. Don’t expect him to just play dead. He will race for wins but it is a little to late.
Jr: Sorry Jr. nation, Eliminated
Matt Kenseth was minding his own business for most of the day drafting with the leaders and being patient. He expected the big one. But what he didn’t expect was he would be taken out by his own teammate.
After consecutive weeks of strong runs and strong finishes Kenseth watched his title hopes fade quickly as the Alabama summer. Sitting ninth in points while is improvement from where he started will mean nothing when one of the top three hoist the trophy.
He can make ground on the guys in front of him but it’s a little to late for this team as they sit 245 points out of the lead. I won’t eliminate them quite yet. I think he has a couple tracks coming up where he can make some ground. But he has no more mulligans left and if after Charlotte he has gained nothing on the leaders his title hopes are over.
Matt Kenseth: Just hanging on…
For Jeff Gordon this year is one to forget. Not only has he yet to win, he has more bad luck than necessary. But the good thing is he is competitive on the track for the first time all year. A little too late yes, but it’s good to see him coming to the track with good cars and translating that on the track.
Sunday for him was one he’d like to forget. He tried going back in the pack after being shuffled out on a restart to his teammates but when that wasn’t working he started toward the front. A cut tire from David Reutimann and Gordon’s day was over.
His finish like the rest of the chasers involved in accidents wasn’t indicative of how strong his car was. But due to the melee late in the race Gordon only lost two positions in the standings. His title hopes are probably over, but like Kenseth his better tracks are still to come.
For the DuPont team they are looking to next year and working on the 1.5 tracks but they still can play spoiler.Like Kenseth looking for there first win, Gordon and company could be eliminated by next week from the list if they have another problem at Charlotte or gain little to no ground on the leaders.
Jeff Gordon: Has a little hope (and I mean little)
Tony Stewart, now I effectively eliminated him last week. And I wasn’t wrong. I miscalculated; Talladega. While Smoke did improve four spots in the standings he still sits 203 points out. And he gained ground on the leaders after the chaser big one.
Possibly if not for Carl Edwards mistake Tony would be sitting in 10th instead of seventh. But I am not going to eliminate him this week. Like Gordon, Kenseth he still has a little hope of making a run.
He has no room for error at this point and he can’t afford to lose any more ground to the leaders. After Charlotte will be key. If he has lost any more points his run might be over for good. Look for Stewart though to carry there momentum from Talladega to Lowe’s.
Tony Stewart: Reborn, for now.
The dark horse of the Chase might just have lost his chance. Kevin Harvick was pretty consistent throughout the day, good pit stops, and a strong car. But towards the end at Talladega anything is possible.
He lost one position in the standings and still sits within one race of the leaders. It’s difficult to gain ground on the top three when you are involved in track incidents. He needs to start gaining points and leading laps and winning, if he wants any chance at a title.
Kevin Harvick: Still alive
For Clint Bowyer (fifth) and Jeff Burton (fourth) they have done something nobody else has been able to do; gain ground on Jimmie Johnson. Taking advantage of other chasers problems these two drivers avoided both big ones and came out with strong finishes.
They did exactly what they hoped to do just survive Talladega. While they did gain ground on the leader they also need to win a races and lead laps something neither have done much of in the chase.
While they are still very much in this title chase, they need to have strong runs here on out and avoid any issues. They can’t afford to have any issues the rest of the way if they want to to make a run at that title.
Clint Bowyer: Staying within touch
Jeff Burton: Consistently consistent
For Greg Biffle he wasn’t worried about winning all to much just finishing. He was well on his way until his teammate who he was drafting with got a little to greedy and turned Biffle in front of the field.
He sits 77 points out of Jimmie Johnson, and with upcoming tracks where he ran well at Biffle will be a factor in deciding this cup. For Biffle Sunday was about surviving and hoping to avoid the big one. And while he didn’t avoid the big one, he didn’t lose touch with the leader.
Greg Bifle: Staying relevant
Carl Edwards quickly became the villain on Sunday. He apologized and apologized to anyone who would listen but the for the guys he knocked out of contention for a win and possibly the title didn’t want to hear. At least not right then.
He was genuinely sorry for his mistake and didn’t blame another driver, he admitted that he pushed to hard. but it all was a little to late. We all know it wasn’t on purpose.That doesn’t sour the blow to those guys who cars were wrecked.
He lost some ground on Jimmie Johnson but he still very much alive.He needs to avoid rookie mistakes and stay focus at this point he needs every point he can get.
Carl Edwards: Contender
Jimmie Johnson. What can you say goes a lap down early struggles to stay in the draft, avoids the two big ones and come out with a top 15 finish, and increases his lead. We all want to say “it’s over” just hand the trophy to him, but there is still more racing to go and anything can happen.
Lowe’s is Jimmie’s house but last time there he struggled with the car. Jimmie can’t make a mistake at all. he can’t afford to fall a lap down or get caught up in someone else’s mess. But after Lowe’s some definite test are ahead in places like Martinsville and Texas. So staying consistent is key.
Jimmie Johnson: Being Jimmie Johnson
Talladega was the real wild card and we have tracks like Martinsville which will play a factor in this chase. The eliminated can change from week to week depending on how much ground lost or gained except for 11th and 12th place(Busch and Hamlin). Guys who are not within a race can play spoiler. While the guys ahead of them can’t afford any mistakes and guys like Tony, Jeff and Jr. can go for broke and see where they end up.
Wait until next year when this race isn’t until November only three weeks before the end of the season. See how the points are affected come next November. On to Lowe’s expect to see the usual suspects Jimmie and Carl and Jr.
But I think guys like Jeff Gordon who has recently been making ground on the 1.5 tracks and running well and Matt Kenseth leave nothing on the track. See you in Charlotte.
Bernie Ecclestone Sells Out North America
Oct 8, 2008 NASCAR
On Tuesday Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, released an amended calendar for the 2009 world championship. The big surprises Bernie sells out Canada by taking away their race and give the last race to Abu Dhabi.
This is a shock to anyone who does not know Bernie Ecclestone. It would appear that once again he has taken the route that best feathers his nest. North America deserves a race; it is ludicrous that his friend gets a race in a worthless market (for global penetration) in Australia, while the worlds largest Auto market is ignored.
One could write an article about the huge impact on the city of Montreal and North American fans, however this is about the person who actually sold them out. For my money, North America has the best fans and produced some fantastic racers and races over the years, while those in Abu Dhabi have spent their time riding camels and drilling for oil.
Interesting that a race that is considered the most boring on the calender is still run, could it be that it is close to where his in-laws live? Abu Dhabi, with a population of around 850,000, it would be a safe bet to say that 849,000 would have no idea what a F1 car is.
To give a new site the last and what has been the best event on many occasions, is just not the actions of a person who has the sports best interest first. The current calender has 5 races that cannot produce a racer in any series of not. How do these places warrant a Grand Prix, if they do not pay a bribe? If paying a bribe, who is it getting paid?
The revised calendar sees the Turkish Grand Prix changing from its original August slot to a June date, while the Canadian race has been dropped. In another revision, the Italian and Belgian races have swapped positions, with the Spa event now taking place on August 30, a fortnight before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 13.
The 2009 calendar in full:
29 March Australia
5 April Malaysia
19 April Bahrain
10 May Spain
24 May Monaco
7 June Turkey
21 June Great Britain
28 June France
12 July Germany
26 July Hungary
23 August Europe (Valencia)
30 August Belgium
13 September Italy
27 September Singapore
11 October Japan
18 October China
1 November Brazil
15 November Abu Dhabi
Matos joins Luczo Dragon for 2009
Oct 8, 2008 IndyCar
Indy Lights champion Raphael Matos is to graduate to the IRL IndyCar Series with Luczo Dragon Racing next season
Kimi Räikkönen Won DHL Award For Fastest Laps
Oct 8, 2008 Formula One
World Champion Kimi Räikkönen has won DHL award for scoring 10 fastest laps this year, including the last race in Singapore.
That is nice news, because all other drivers this season have only 2 fastest laps, and Räikkönen managed to do that 10 times. And he needs only one more fastest lap to break Michael Schumacher record of most fastest laps in one season.
Räikkönen will collect the highly-coveted DHL Fastest Lap Award trophy following next month’s season finale in Brazil.
Maybe he really don’t care about fastest laps, but some of us do, so it is nice to see that no matter that he lost all chances to fight for championship, but this award bring some nice satisfaction. We all know that he is fastest driver when he hit the right spot in the car that doesn’t suit his stile at all.
Mosley hails Hamilton’s contribution to F1
Oct 8, 2008 Formula One
Max Mosley has praised Lewis Hamilton’s impact on the public perception of Formula One, and dismissed any suggestion of FIA bias either towards or against the McLaren driver
Mosley: Costs threaten F1’s future
Oct 8, 2008 Formula One
FIA president Max Mosley has warned that Formula One will be “in serious difficulty” if it does not take drastic cost-cutting measures by 2010
Carpentier loses GEM Cup drive
Oct 8, 2008 NASCAR
Patrick Carpentier has been released from his driving duties with Gillett Evernham Motorsports in the Sprint Cup series and will by replaced by Mike Wallace and AJ Allmendinger for the reminder of the season.
Costa warns Stoner surgery is risky
Oct 8, 2008 MotoGP
MotoGP doctor Claudio Costa has warned that Casey Stoner’s planned surgery could be risky.
(3.5 out of 5)