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Wallace fastest on Monday at Brickyard
Kenny Wallace was fastest in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing July
19 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with an unofficial lap of 50.2502 seconds,
179.104 mph in the No. 00 Aaron’s Chevrolet, a car owned by fellow NEXTEL
Cup competitor Michael Waltrip. Wallace’s speed was nearly 2.5 mph
faster than the 12 other drivers taking part in testing, and he attributed
it to a solid program in place at Michael Waltrip Racing. “This is
Michael Waltrip’s new Cup team in collaboration with DEI (Dale Earnhardt
Inc.), so we have good equipment,” Wallace said. “Our concern is to make the
race for Aaron’s, the sponsor. We’ve got a real competitive car, and we just
keep tuning on it. Right now, we’re where we want to be.” More...
7/19/04
Why CBS for Champ Car?
A comparison of last year's Champ Car races on CBS versus the first five
races of 2004 on Spike TV shows that each race on CBS drew about 1.0 million
more viewers than Spike TV. The average number of viewers per race on
CBS were about 4.3 times higher than Spike TV. It would seem to us
that Champ Car should have as many races as possible on CBS in 2005.
In fact if that deal isn't done yet, someone is asleep at the wheel. It
should be noted that Spike's ratings are comparable to the Champ Car races
that were broadcast on SPEED Channel in 2003. The analysis that must
be done must take into consideration many factors. For example,
although it costs more money to time buy on CBS, each 30 second commercial
slot is worth much more in revenue. So although CBS costs more,
revenue is higher and value to team sponsors is higher. With races on
CBS, teams should be able to sell sponsorship easier, making them more
self-sufficient. As we understand it, 2-hour time buys on CBS run
around $350K (plus productions costs) per race vs. $125K per race for Spike.
However, a 30-second commercial on CBS brings in $15K to $30K in revenue
versus just $4.5K for Spike TV (unconfirmed). We take you back to this press release put out by
CART last year that said ten 2004 races would be on CBS. When CART went
bankrupt that never happened....and the results are as we see below.
The decision to forego CBS was a grave one. (Note: 1 household =
approx 1.3 viewers. Also, Dangerous Curves is averaging 228,000
viewers per airing and was watched by 3.43 million viewers so far in 2004,
which is added exposure for Champ Car, but not much for the sponsors because
most of the programming is non-racing action. The highest Dangerous
Curves rating was 489,000 viewers, surpassing the highest race broadcast
rating by a fairly wide margin.)
2004
Event
Channel
Rating
Viewers
Long Beach, CA
SPIKE
0.2
266,000 viewers
Monterrey, Mexico
SPIKE
0.3
380,000 viewers
Milwaukee, WI (Tape-delayed)
SPIKE
0.2
262,000 viewers
Portland, OR
SPIKE
0.2
198,000 viewers
Cleveland, OH (Tape-delayed)
SPIKE
0.3
385,000 viewers
Average Number Viewers per
Race
298,000 Viewers
2003
Event
Channel
Rating
Viewers
Brands Hatch (1-week delay) to Sat
CBS
0.8
1.0 million viewers
EuroSpeedway (Taped Same Day)
CBS
1.0
1.3 million viewers
Laguna Seca
CBS
0.6
0.8 million viewers
Portland
CBS
0.9
1.1 million viewers
Cleveland (Tape Delayed)
CBS
1.2
1.5 million viewers
Toronto
CBS
1.24
1.6 million viewers
Miami
CBS
1.3
1.8 million Viewers
Average
Number Viewers per Race
1,300,000 Viewers
7/19/04
Earnhardt released from hospital
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was released today from the
University of California-Davis Medical Center after suffering
moderate burns Sunday morning when the car he was driving was
involved in an accident and caught fire while practicing for the
American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon
Raceway. Earnhardt suffered what track medical officials described
as “moderate-sized burns of moderate intensity” in the facial area
and lower extremities. For precautionary reasons, he was transported
by air to the University of California-Davis Medical Center in
Sacramento, Calif. He is scheduled to return home today and is
expected to make a full recovery. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will
be in Loudon, NH this weekend at New Hampshire International
Speedway. Currently, Dale Jr. is second in the Series point
standings and is scheduled to be at NHIS for this weekend’s events.
7/19/04
Skip Barber and Stars of Tomorrow
extend agreement
The Snap-On Stars of Karting and Skip Barber Racing have agreed to
expand their existing relationship as part of an ongoing effort that
will continue to build their respective racing series, significantly
reward top competitors, and provide leadership and growth for the
sport of karting as a whole. The new agreements are through 2006,
with options for further extensions Of particular note in the new
agreement is a guarantee that for each year's Skip Barber Karting
Scholarship Run-off (first conducted in 1997), at least half the
field of nominated karters will be Stars of Karting drivers. At the
annual Run-off, more than $100,000 in cash racing-scholarships are
awarded to karters to compete in various Formula Dodge racing
series, including the professional Skip Barber National Championship
Presented by RACER.
For the January 2005 Karting Run-off, 16 karters will be nominated
candidates, which means at least eight will be coming from the Stars
of Karting series. Four awards are up for grabs: A full-paid season
in the 2005 Skip Barber National; a half-paid season in the
National; a full-paid season in any of the four Skip Barber Regional
Series (West/East/South/Midwest); and a half-paid season in one of
the Regionals.
In addition to the karting scholarship awards, Stars of Karting and
Skip Barber Racing have agreed to continue the award of a fully paid
season in the professional Skip Barber National Championship
Presented by RACER to one top Stars karter, chosen by a
distinguished motorsports panel at the conclusion of each year's
Stars of Karting season. The first Stars of Karting driver to
receive this award (in November 2003) was Robbie Pecorari, who is
currently seventh in the 2004 Skip Barber National, with four top-5
finishes in eight races, including a second-place at Sebring
Stars of Karting and Skip Barber Racing have also agreed to a
cooperative marketing and promotional relationship that will provide
exclusive benefits. With this, the Skip Barber Racing School becomes
the Official Racing School of the Snap-On Stars of Karting, and
includes Skip Barber trackside signage, event promotions, officials’
uniforms and vehicles, and ID on competitor uniforms, karts, etc
''This is a special day for everyone at the Snap-On Stars of
Karting,'' said Bryan Herta, Stars principle and current IRL driver
for Andretti-Green Racing. ''In our quest to further not only our
series but the entire sport of karting, it is important to align
ourselves with key, integral partners. We have done that with our
title sponsor Snap-On, and now with Skip Barber Racing. They are
recognized worldwide as the industry leader in driver development
and the promotion of aspiring pro drivers. ''We want our competitors
to be exposed to Skip Barber's years of expertise,'' Herta added.
''In fact, after my own karting career, I joined the Skip Barber
ladder system (School, then Western Race Series, then Barber Pro
Series) for the first four years of my auto racing career. Since
Stars of Karting's infancy, Skip Barber Racing has supported us, and
now we look forward to a long and even more fruitful relationship
over the many years to come.'' Stu Upson, senior vice president of
sales and marketing for Skip Barber Racing, said, ''This expansion
and formalization between us is going to be a great asset to North
American motorsport. Yes, Skip Barber Racing and Snap-On Stars of
Karting will each benefit directly -- we both have a great
opportunity to draw more competitors -- yet more importantly to the
bigger picture of grassroots and beginning professional open-wheel
competitors, this adds a particularly appealing rationalization to
climbing the ladder from karts to racing's top ranks.'' The specific
details, outlines and rewards of the new agreements and the Skip
Barber Karting Scholarship Run-off will be announced shortly.
7/19/04
F1 gaining viewers on SPEED
Formula One races on SPEED Channel are scoring an average Nielsen
rating of 0.52, up 33 percent from last year's 0.39. The largest
area of growth comes in the coveted 18-34 demographic, where Nielsen
ratings are up 183 percent from a .06 to a .17. Below is a
comparison of F1 numbers over the last two seasons: TC Dur. Mins Households M18-34 M18-49 M25-54 M35-64
2003 (12/30/02-7/13/03) 10 1542 0.39 / 221 0.06 / 11 0.39 / 139 0.46
/ 155 0.54 / 166
2004 (12/29/03-7/11/03) 11 1698 0.52 / 320 0.17 / 33 0.46 / 173 0.56
/ 197 0.66 / 217 % Increase 33% / 45% 183% / 200% 18% / 24% 22% / 27%
22% / 31%
7/19/04
New Hampshire CEO talks about NHIS
options According to this New Hampshire newspaper
article, New Hampshire International Speedway founder and
CEO Bob Bahre has this to say about options for his track:
More seating at NHIS? “Right now
we’re happy with what we got. We sell out . . . We sell out here
easy.” Lights? “When I came here in 1989 some of the neighbors were
going to sue and all this stuff. I made an agreement that we
wouldn’t race after 7:30 or 8 o’clock at night. What the deal is,
I’m not supposed to schedule a race that doesn’t get over by then.
But just say it rained for three hours and you’re held up, you could
still go beyond the time for that reason.” No smoking, no alcohol family seating section at NHIS? “Not
really. It would be very hard . . . you can’t do that today with
100,000 people. All you’d do is end up in a mess. . . . it’s out in
the open air.” NHIS financially? “The only people involved here are (son and
speedway president) Gary and myself. There’s no stock holders.
Nobody’s got any part of it. Him and I own it together, there’s
nobody else. And as I say, we’ve got no debt on it so we’re in good
shape.” Any chance NHIS will lose one of the two Cup races? “No,
we’re not going to lose any dates. Doesn’t even enter my mind. Bill
France (NASCAR vice chairman), I’ve known him since 1964. Doesn’t
even get talked about. . . . The year before they were talking about
changing dates or taking dates. He says, ‘Don’t pay any attention to
that you’re not going to lose anything.’ So, I didn’t have any
concern about it. I never asked him and I just don’t even . . . They
aren’t going to take any dates from me, I know.” Ticket prices? “Every three years we go up. A lot of the
tracks go up every single year. I don’t believe in that. We’re not
going to gouge people.” This year’s speedway changes? Addition to the infield
hospital and a paved area for the Busch Grand National drivers’
motor homes.
7/19/04
Quote of the week New
Hampshire International Speedway founder and CEO Bob Bahre: “I don’t
even know what the reason was (for the split). Tony at Indy had all
the cars he needed. He was getting 60, 70 cars [in the CART days].
This year they just made the field. They had 33 cars. They’re
business people, they know what they’re doing.” [Editor's
Note: They think they know what they are doing.
Whether they realize it or not, the split has destroyed Indy Car
Racing.]
7/19/04
New Hampshire might consider Indy
Cars again According to this New Hampshire newspaper
article, New Hampshire International Speedway founder and
CEO Bob Bahre pondered the bumpy Indy car road that no longer leads
to Loudon. Bahre will not rule out the return of Indy
car racing to his mile oval. He’s just not ready to commit.
The Northeast’s love affair with the powerful open-wheeled,
open-cockpit hybrids driven by courageous men (and today women)
extends back to the ’20s when the stars of the Indianapolis 500
battled on high-banked board tracks and dirt ovals from Providence,
R.I., to New Hampshire’s Rockingham Park. Indy car
racing was the first major event held at NHIS, arriving in 1992. But
in 1996 the sport suffered a split as the oval-based Indy Racing
League broke away from CART and the two ran head-to-head. Bahre was
the first track owner outside of Indy to sign on with the upstart
IRL. In 1999, faced with sagging attendance, Bahre also became the
first major track owner to drop the IRL. Bahre said this
week that his relationship remains solid with IRL founder and
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George. If that
relationship was not good, Bahre would not even consider a return of
the Indy cars.
“I haven’t thought about it,” said Bahre. “I see Tony George once in
a great while, but we never talked about it. We talk about
everything else. I like Tony and I know him well. . . . We were the
first track to go with him. We could get one. I didn’t ask him, but
I’m quite sure he’d give us a date.” Whether by design
or coincidence the NHIS schedule is wide open in August, the month
it hosted five of its seven Indy car races. “Indy car
racing to me is great. . . . When we had CART here we did very
well,” said Bahre. “I say, ‘No,’ but it could happen someday because
now you could make some money with it since they got straightened
out.”
So why not bring the Indy cars back immediately? “Right
now, in my opinion, Indy car racing is not back yet where it was,
but it’ll get there because CART is practically out of business.
They aren’t completely. To be honest with you, I kind of wish they’d
never split up anyway,” Bahre said. “I don’t even know what the
reason was. Tony at Indy had all the cars he needed. He was getting
60, 70 cars. This year they just made the field. They had 33 cars.
They’re business people, they know what they’re doing.”
And so is the ever-watchful Bahre.
7/19/04
Engine update for Renault
Renault will take a revised version of its RS24B engine to the German Grand
Prix at Hockenheim this weekend. Engine technical director Rob White has
outlined the changes:
"In Hockenheim, we plan to race a further evolution of the RS24B," said White.
"This concludes a cycle of development based on knowledge and experience
accrued since the introduction of the RS24B at Imola earlier in the season.
Specifically for the German Grand Prix, there are new pieces in the bottom
end, and engine operating conditions are customised for the Hockenheim
circuit. Further small steps will follow, based on a revised cylinder head
from Hungary onwards.
"The failure of the engine in Fernando's car at the end of practice on
Saturday came without warning," he added. "There was a problem concerning the
timing gears that drive the camshafts that had not previously emerged in dyno
and track testing.
"Rapid analysis at Viry [its engine base] allowed a countermeasure to be
implemented and dyno tested on the engines for Hockenheim. The engine build
group responded fantastically to the inevitable disruption and we are
optimistic we have fixed the problem, despite the accelerated approval
process." Renault F1
7/19/04
New rules could mix things up
Formula One's new rules could shake up the grid order next season, Toyota
technical director Mike Gascoyne says. The sport's governing body the
FIA is to introduce a series of measures aimed at slowing the cars and
reducing costs. And Gascoyne told BBC Radio Five Live: "There may well be a
mix-up because it brings everyone back to the same level. "Some teams are
doing a better job than others. A big aerodynamic change is a challenge and if
you get it right you may well get an advantage." Among the changes proposed
for 2005 are restrictions on aerodynamics, making engines last for two Grands
Prix, and a limit to two sets of tires per race weekend - and one for
qualifying and the race. Gascoyne believes the tire restrictions - which are
designed to slow speeds in the corners by forcing teams to use harder rubber -
could also spice up the racing.
BBC Sport
7/19/04
Collapse of Champ Car/IRL talks a big plus for
F1 in USA
The author of this article
on Grandprix.com thinks that the collapse of talks between Champ Car and the
IRL over unification will mean that Indy Car racing in the USA, which already
has one foot in the grave, is ready to have the dirt in the hole backfilled,
and this will help Formula 1 gain in popularity.
7/19/04 MotoGP
Biaggi wins in Germany Italian
Max Biaggi, perennial bridesmaid, first to Mick Doohan and then to Valentino
Rossi, has blown the MotoGP title chase wide open with a brilliant victory
from pole position in the German GP. Biaggi is now second in the
championship, just one point adrift of Rossi at the half-way point of the
season. It was the second victory in a row for Sito Pons’ Honda outfit after
Makoto Tamada’s win in Rio two weeks ago. More....
NASCAR gets it wrong again A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, If you go to the NASCAR.com
links below you see just how lame the Oval Track cartel is. Look for the
headline where Dale Jr. got burnt in a Grand-Am practice crash. It's amazing
he got burnt driving in Grand-Am (another France family series) the same
weekend he was driving in ALMS at Infineon (Check other headline of his
participation with Corvette Racing in Trans-Am?!?). It's not just the IRL
doing everything it can to snub the road racing cartel, NASCAR is doing the
same.
http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/cup/07/18/dearnhardtjr_burned/index.html
http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/official/07/17/dearnhardtjr_sonoma/index.html
Regards, Chris Nelson
7/18/04
Miller hands our failing grades In
this SPEED TV
article Robin Miller hands out grades for the IRL at mid-season.
He gives a A-grade to Honda for making Toyota and Chevy look like wankers,
and to Andretti Green and Rahal Letterman for dominating the season. He lays
it on heavy for the failing graded - ABC: Between Paul Page's shameless
cheerleading and pandering, Jack The Root's inane observations and lack of
anything approaching entertainment, it remains Always Bad Coverage.
TARGET/GANASSI: Incredibly, defending IRL champ Scott Dixon is nowhere in
2004, leading only three laps in the season opener, and is usually
out-performed by teammate Darren Manning. If the rookie isn't hitting
somebody, he's been pretty fast. But Chip Ganassi's experienced team lacks
more than horsepower at the moment. The only good news? Very few interviews
with the Chipster from his pit box. TRD: Toyota Racing Development
cleaned house in 2003 but is being swept under the door like so much dirt
this year by archrival Honda. Word is there's a fix on its way but it better
come with a turbocharger. TRD swears NASCAR isn't taking away its focus,
maybe just its development budget. IRL: Failed to secure a full-time
ride for Sarah Fisher, robbed the Leaders Circle Club to pay for the final
few spots at the Indy 500 and allowed Honda to gain an unfair advantage,
which may cost the League a few teams before it's all said and done.
7/18/04
Earnhardt to be held overnightUPDATE From the stunning
in-car camera video of the accident it appeared Earnhardt Jr. was
momentarily knocked unconscious from the crash. Then the flames completely
engulfed his body (and the car, which burnt to the ground) and that appeared
to wake him up. Imagine how badly his face would have been burned had
he still been wearing an open face helmet. 7/18/04 - Dale
Earnhardt, Jr., will be held overnight for observation after suffering minor
second degree burns on the inner sides of both legs and on his chin in a
racing accident Sunday morning at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. A
hospital spokesman said that Earnhardt was "resting comfortably" at
University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., and
would be examined again Monday morning. Earnhardt was injured Sunday morning
when the car he was driving was involved in an accident and caught fire
while practicing for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of
Sonoma. Earnhardt was driving a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R in a 30-minute
practice session when the accident occurred. The car spun and impacted a
barrier in the Turn 8 section of the road racing track and then caught fire.
Earnhardt quickly exited the car on his own and was then assisted by safety
crews. Earnhardt, who regularly competes in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series,
was scheduled to co-drive in today's American Le Mans Series sports car race
with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team withdrew the car from
the race. "I'm bummed out and disappointed I couldn't run the race," said
Earnhardt through a team spokesman. "I hope Corvette gets the victory."
7/18/04 Formula Ford
American wins twice in UK Charlie
Kimball won both races, rounds 11 and 12 of the UK Formula Ford
Championship, at Oulton Park in spectacular fashion from fifth and sixth on
the grid. These results move the young American driver from third place in
the Championship into a secure second place. Kimball is the first American
to win a UK Formula Ford race since Pat Long won in 2001. Over the course of
the weekend, Kimball dealt with all kinds of weather conditions. In
qualifying, he took to the track in very steady drizzle which quickly turned
into full fledged rain. The horrendous conditions, coupled with two red
flags, limited Kimball's track time to just two fast laps. These two laps
were good enough to place him fifth and sixth on the grid - not optimum
starting positions, but still within striking distance. Kimball commented on
the results, "I didn't make a call on the rain set-up soon enough. We were
too late putting on the new rains and making the car drivable in these of
conditions. After we made the change, I only had time for two fast laps, and
unfortunately they weren't good enough for anything better than the third
row." Kimball now heads to California for his first visit home since
January. He will take a short break, train and relax before returning for
rounds 13 and 14 of the Championship held August 14-15 at the famous
Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
7/18/04 Vintage Racing
Bobby Rahal wins Vintage race Road
America wrapped up three days of vintage racing in perfect conditions with
sold-out touring, a sold-out concours d'elegance on Friday and Saturday
evening and more than 460 vintage race cars on track competing in nine
classes. CART Champion Bobby Rahal won the Group 5 race for FIA, World
Manufacturers Championship Cars and Formula 70 in a 1970 Lola T-290, ahead
of fourth-place finisher Brian Redman, who served as grand marshal. The
Historic Grand Prix group fielded 24 Formula One cars in the feature race
Sunday.
7/18/04
Why unify? Maybe I am being
a little naive or gullible, but I really don't see why Champ Car would want
to concern themselves with merging with the IRL. I know that the split is
hurting both series. Champ Car has proven that they can continue a strong
series without major backers such as Honda and Toyota. Would the same be
said about the IRL if they pulled their support? Champ Car has been able to
bring new teams (RuSport, PKV, American Spirit in '03 and others) into their
series. When is the last time a new team has shown their support of the IRL
by joining their series? (Not counting the CART teams who left for the IRL).
Talking about those teams who have left, could the IRL survive if the
reverse were to happen? If Roger Penske truly believes that there should be
one open-wheel series - How long would the IRL last without him and the aid
that Toyota has brought to the series? Champ Car has their problems. If they
continue the path they have laid out (doing away with money losing races -
developing money making races) I can see them having a very strong global
series in time for the new engines and chassis for '06. Tim Clingenpeel
7/18/04
F1
cars light up streets of Shanghai
SAUBER PETRONAS driver Felipe Massa and test driver Neel Jani raised
adrenaline at the PETRONAS Shanghai International Race Festival 2004 today, as
they further revved up the excitement for Chinese fans prior to the inaugural
Formula One Chinese Grand Prix on 26 September 2004 in Shanghai. The 23
year-old Brazilian and the 20 year-old Swiss reached speeds of 270 kph in the
SAUBER PETRONAS C22 on a specially created 2.8 kilometer road course in the
district of Pudong. The SAUBER PETRONAS Formula One demonstration was part of
an action-packed weekend in the heart of Shanghai which also included special
presentations and appearances by fellow PETRONAS motorsport teams, Foggy
PETRONAS Racing (World Superbike Championship) and PETRONAS EON Racing
(Malaysian Rally Championship). The runs added thrills and spills to the main
highlight of the festival, the German Touring Car race (DTM).
"I´m
very proud to show to the enthusiastic citizens of Shanghai and China what
Formula One is all about," said Massa after his demonstration runs. "Honestly,
I really enjoyed the opportunity to give the people a feeling of the passion,
speed and sound that are such key elements of our sport. Formula One has a
massive following and this year China will become a member of the family as it
hosts the 16th round of the 18-race FIA Formula One World Championship."
Neel
Jani added: "I really enjoyed my chance to visit the Shanghai International
Circuit and I´m very impressed by this huge and ultra-modern facility. The
race will certainly be a big challenge. Those attending the event in September
will experience the thrilling atmosphere of the FIA Formula One World
Championship at close quarters."
PETRONAS
also used the festival to announce the launch of its range of premium grade
automotive and motorcycle engine oils in China on 14 July 2004, officially
entering the country's lubricants market. PETRONAS´ Vice-President of Oil
Business, Datuk Anuar Ahmad said: "We are following up this launch with title
sponsorship of the Shanghai International Race Festival 2004. This sponsorship
gives us an excellent communications tool for building awareness of our brand
and it opens up some good business opportunities for the PETRONAS group. To be
able to demonstrate Formula One on the streets of Shanghai to the local
population is an excellent way to prepare them for their first ever Formula
One Grand Prix in September."
7/18/04
Earnhardt crashes and burns Race driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., suffered moderate burns Sunday
morning when the car he was driving was involved in an accident and caught
fire while practicing for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of
Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. Earnhardt suffered what track medical
officials described as "moderate-sized burns of moderate intensity" in the
facial area and lower extremities. For precautionary reasons, he was
transported by air to the University of California-Davis Medical Center in
Sacramento, Calif. Earnhardt was driving a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R in a
30-minute practice session when the accident occurred. The car spun and
impacted a barrier back-end first in the Turn 8 section of the road racing
track and then caught fire because the impact broke the filler neck off the
fuel cell. Earnhardt quickly exited the car on his own and was then
assisted by safety crews. Earnhardt, who regularly competes in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series, was scheduled to co-drive in today's American Le Mans
Series sports car race with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team
has withdrawn the car from the race.
7/18/04 DTM
Paffett flag-to-flag in Shanghai Gary
Paffett was the beaming winner of the DTM’s exhibition race in China. The
Briton pulled off a magnificent start-finish triumph in his AMG-Mercedes
C-Class on the 2.84 kilometer-long street circuit in Shanghai for an
advantage of 0.887 seconds over his team mate Bernd Schneider. Mattias
Ekström came third in an Audi A4 DTM with a masterful display of his driving
skill. Gary Paffett dominated action at the front of the pack from the
onset of the race. Although Schneider was able to make up lost ground, he
never really seriously challenged his young team mate. The three Audi
drivers Tom Kristensen, Emanuele Pirro and Martin Tomczyk -- the best-placed
Audi drivers in qualifying -- were eliminated in the melee at the start
after bumping into rivals. Mattias Ekström battled his way forward over the
22 laps past Jean Alesi and Rinaldo Capello into third place.
A manhole cover came unstuck in the start phase of the first of the
originally planned two races of 30 minutes each. Bernd Mayländer in an AMG-Mercedes
CLK was unable to steer clear of a collision and rammed into the obstacle.
As a result, the race was interrupted and the manhole covers were welded
firm for safety reasons. The first race was therefore cancelled due to time
constraints. The race was run in a grueling heat of almost 40 degrees
Celsius. [Editor's Note: That will teach them to hold a race in China
in July]
7/18/04
Townsend Bell finishes 5th, but almost
crashed Townsend Bell finished a very busy race in the top
5 under the lights in Music Town USA , to give the Panther Chevy racing team
one of its best finishes of the year…Tony Kanaan in an Andretti Green team
Honda won the race as the usual IRL wild finish once more dominated the last
few laps. Kanaan was followed over the line by former IRL champion Sam
Hornish and Team Penske’s other driver Helio Castroneves driving Toyota
powered cars.. Darren Manning in another Toyota (Chip Ganassi's Target team)
was 4th after 200 incident filled laps was run. Bell’s most dramatic moment
occurred on a yellow flag slowdown lap as he almost collided with a safety
truck that was stopped in the middle of the truck cleaning debris from an
incident. Bell said, “That was the closest I have come to a major accident
in a long time. That was a factor by 10 more dangerous than anything else
that occurred in the race for me. I was up in the marbles and couldn’t steer
the car – that could have been nasty”. Tomas Scheckter, driving a Panther
Chevy, was also caught out by the marbles that formed on the high side of
the track, and hit the wall on lap 108 ending his day. Asked about the race
he was complimentary about the team and the professional way they do
things….”We had very good pit stops, we were able to improve the car as the
race developed . The understeer problem which occurred was managed properly
by the crew so all in all we had a good day....I am also getting back into
it now and it feels good”. [Editor's Note: Nashville is a
silly track to be racing on. It attracts a small attendance and the concrete
surface is so slippery yet tears up tires, which results in marbles making
it a one-groove track.]
7/18/04
ISC faces major obstacles in Staten Island
This NY Times
article (read both pages) outlines all the obstacles ISC faces in
building a race track in Staten Island. The site is an environmentally
sensitive area and also a toxic waste site, having been an oil tank storage
farm. The land also sits below sea level and is prone to flooding.
They are trying to get approvals to use dredge material to raise the land 3
to 6 feet. Reports previously that the track would be a 2.5 mile
superspeedway were incorrect. We questioned where that reporter got
his information. This NY Times
article confirms what we thought - it will only be a 3/4-mile
oval much like Richmond and seat 80,000. State and city officials have
been studiously neutral, although at least one official, who requested
anonymity, said he expected the project to die of its own weight.
7/18/04
Dodge Charger submitted to NASCAR
A reborn version of Chrysler’s legendary Dodge Charger muscle car could be
screaming around the high-walled turns of the Daytona 500 in February — at
least one month before a street-ready Charger sedan lands in dealer
showrooms. DaimlerChrysler AG’s Dodge division has submitted a new car
design to NASCAR for the 2005 Nextel Cup racing season, and is expected to
name it Charger. The racing debut could also create buzz for the mass-market
Charger sedan that will be launched in the spring of 2005 and is another key
vehicle for the Chrysler Group, which is struggling to return to
profitability. That’s part of the reason why Dodge has taken its time in
developing a new race car for NASCAR. Mike Zizzo, a NASCAR spokesman, said
the racing association and Dodge have been in talks about a new design since
the spring of 2003. He said NASCAR will give Dodge final approval on the
design by Sept. 1, assuming it passes a variety of safety and performance
tests. That would make it ready to race in February’s Daytona 500, the
official kickoff of NASCAR’s racing season. “The (review) process is in the
final stages, and it’s moving along quite well,” Zizzo said. Dodge has raced
the Intrepid sedan in NASCAR’s flagship circuit since 2001, but according to
NASCAR rules, could not run the car in 2005 because the car is no longer in
production. The Intrepid was replaced in May by the new Dodge Magnum station
wagon. The full-size Charger, which will be sold as a four-door sedan, is a
closer match to the Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Monte Carlo — the only three
other vehicles competing in NASCAR’s top-tier Nextel Cup next year. Though
the Ford Taurus is expected to be phased out in the next four years, Kevin
Kennedy, a Ford racing spokesman said “as long as Taurus is around, it will
be our car.” Pat Suhy, GM’s engineering group manager, said the Monte Carlo
would not change for the 2005 racing season. The 2005 Dodge Charger will be
built at Chrysler’s Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant. The rear-wheel-drive
sedan will share the same underpinnings as the new Chrysler 300 sedan and
Dodge Magnum wagon.
Detroit News
7/18/04 DTM
Frentzen extends Opel contract
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, former runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship,
will also be racing for Opel in the DTM in 2005. At the occasion of the DTM
invitation race in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, Opel's motorsport
director Volker Strycek announced the extension of the contract with the
driver from Mönchengladbach, Germany. "The current contract
included an option for an extra season with Opel in the DTM. Heinz-Harald
Frentzen has taken up that option in time. We are happy that our
co-operation with him will continue next year", Strycek said.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen is also delighted about his extended involvement in
the series. "I have really found a new home with Opel in the DTM. Indeed, my
debut in the DTM hasn't been easy, but anyone who knows me and has been
following my career will also know that I don't give up that easily
when things are not running that well."
"I knew from the very beginning that my debut in the DTM wouldn't be an easy
affair. Most of my colleagues who have switched into the DTM had their
learning phase as well. In the DTM, you don't just get in and win races
right away. It has taken time for other drivers and so it does for me.
Another thing is that I have been pushed off the track several times during
the first few races. But all in all, driving in the DTM is a real pleasure
for me, and so is the contact with the fans." Opel
7/18/04
IRL to stage first road course test This
Indy Star
article says, The IRL is working toward holding its first road
course test Labor Day weekend at either Sebring or Homestead in Florida,
said Brian Barnhart, the senior vice president of operations. The test will
be closed to the public, and it won't be a complete preview of the 2005
season. There figures to be at least two road course events on next year's
schedule, but they won't be held at those two tracks, Barnhart said. Formal
announcements are expected later this month, but the tracks likely will be
Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
7/18/04
Penske disappointed no merger This
Indy Star
article says, Roger Penske said Saturday that he is "disappointed"
that IRL and Champ Car officials couldn't continue with a unification plan
during last weekend's meeting in Toronto. Penske had tried to be the
moderator in the tricky negotiations. But he said there were too many
obstacles to overcome. Now that the two Indianapolis-based sanctioning
bodies have committed to continuing on their respective paths, Penske said
his advice to IRL president Tony George is to move on, release the 2005
schedule and keep building momentum for the future. "As I look down the
road, we're on the right side (by being members of the IRL)," Penske said.
7/18/04
Please send The shill Page packing UPDATE This Tennessean
article also estimated attendance as 25,000. 7/17/04
- I think Paul The Shill Page is combing his hair a little too far forward,
it's giving him a warped "view" of the I-crapwagon Racing League... They had
a camera in the "crowd" and he said (very excitably I may add) "it's
standing room only here in Nashville". Come on Paul, I know that ABC is
signing your check, but really, tell the (however small) viewing public that
the tickets were free, on top of the fact that the track only holds 15k
tops!!! D. Christiansen, Walnut Creek, CA Dear David, One of
the TV announces said late in the broadcast that the grandstand held 50,000,
which is utter nonsense. We guess they feel IRL fans will believe any
lie they throw at then. The track opened with 50,000 seats, half of
which were permanent, but dismantled many of them after the season-opening
NASCAR Busch Series race failed to sell out. The track currently has
about 32,000 seats. The track has 32,000 seats, but the first 10 rows of 69
were covered with tarp and not available. We estimate attendance at
perhaps 25,000, including free ticket giveaways.
7/18/04
Grim reality hits IRL drivers Some
of the IRL drivers who were interviewed for this SPEED TV
article do not sound too pleased that a Champ Car/IRL merger is not
going to happen. They are quickly coming to the realization that Champ
Car isn't going away and, except for Indy, Champ Car has all the best
venues. Due to floundering TV ratings and attendance, IRL teams are also
deathly afraid that Toyota and Honda are eventually going to drop their
support of the IRL and just lease engines and do the minimal advertising
required per their IRL contract. Most IRL teams are dependent on Honda and
Toyota money for their existence. Even Roger Penske sees the writing
on the wall, hence why he started the recent unification talks.
7/17/04
What's all the fuss about Earnhardt?
UPDATE A reader responds, To
your reader asked what the fuss is all about regarding Dale Jr. at ALMS I
have a few words. Who cares if he IS the slowest driver out there, he is
drawing attention to sportscar racing that it might not otherwise get. And
to top it off he is NOT doing so in the GrandAm series (you know, that
divide and conquer series the France family dreamed up to... Oh don't get me
started we all know that story.) My point is Dale could have spent the
weekend kicking back like most of his NASCAR brethren, but instead he choose
to do something that obviously he AND his dad loved. (Did you read the
article in Racer back after Dale Sr. died about his dream of driving in the
24hours of LeMans?) So what if he is slow? As long as he is not a danger to
anyone else he's filling another car and have you seen the field size lately
in ALMS? I was at Mid-Ohio in June and was shocked at how few cars there
were. I say thanks Dale. Thanks, for bringing some press and new fans to MY
favorite form of racing. I say, thanks for keeping the memory of your dad's
aspirations alive. I say thanks for lending "support" to the ALMS when I'm
damn sure the France Family would have rather seen you in a GrandAm car (yuchhhh!).
And I say thanks for adding another much needed car to the field. I could
care less if he's the slowest Vette in the field. Gary Shell7/17/04 -
A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1, What is all the fuss over Dale Earnhardt
Jr. driving a Corvette in ALMS this weekend? There are six Corvette
drivers and he's the slowest. Send the wanker back to NASCAR.
David Phipps, Portland. OR. Dear David, Like it or not, Dale
Earnhardt Jr. is a superstar in the USA. It doesn't matter that he's not a
"great" driver, NASCAR has made him a superstar through their marketing
genius. It does speak volumes about the state of USA motorsports. With
the oval track cartel in firm control of USA motorsports, the USA may never
again produce another world driving champion. As we have maintained
for almost a decade now, oval track racing is all about the car, the driver
is a very small part of the equation. Put the oval trackers on a road
course and they are usually out to lunch. The talent level required to
be a fast road course driver far exceeds the talent required to be fast on
an oval. America's only hope to produce talented enough drivers to win
the F1 World Championship is Champ Car. Mark C.
7/17/04 Star Mazda
McDowell wins third straight
Michael McDowell has launched himself back into the championship
hunt in the Star Mazda Series North American Championship presented
by Goodyear, as he captured his third consecutive victory today at
Infineon Raceway as part of the American Le Mans Series supporting
races.
McDowell, who finished third at Infineon in his Star Mazda Series
debut in 2002, and repeated the feat again in 2003, was pleased to
finally make his way to the top of the podium at this event. "Even
though I'm from Arizona this is a sort of a home track for me,"
McDowell said afterwards. "I've always managed to run well here only
to fall inches short of the victory so it's nice to bring the win
home for everybody at Star Race Cars that who put in long hours to
give me a great car."
Joining McDowell on the podium in a repeat performance of the
Mid-Ohio event were Scot Jenkins in the Environmental Fibers/Team
Bucknum Mazda and series points leader Daniel DiLeo in the Select
Auto/Star Race Cars Mazda. Jenkins, who started second, and DiLeo
who started seventh found themselves locked in a fierce battle in
the closing minutes of the 25-lap event, with Jenkins holding off
DiLeo by less than half a second.
7/17/04
Medeiros wins IPS snooze fest
There were no lead changes as Thiago Medeiros made a snooze fest out of the
IPS race in Nashville. Results with order of finish, starting
position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed, reason out
(if any):
1. (1) Thiago Medeiros, Dallara-Infiniti, 77, running
2. (2) Paul Dana, Dallara-Infiniti, 77, running
3. (5) Jesse Mason, Dallara-Infiniti, 77, running
4. (11) Billy Roe, Dallara-Infiniti, 77, running
5. (8) Al Unser, Dallara-Infiniti, 77, running
6. (10) P.J. Chesson, Dallara-Infiniti, 74, running
7. (7) Ross Fonferko, Dallara-Infiniti, 66, accident
8. (9) Brad Pollard, Dallara-Infiniti, 61, oil pump
9. (4) Rolando Quintanilla, Dallara-Infiniti, 52, accident
10. (3) Leonardo Maia, Dallara-Infiniti, 40, electrical
11. (6) Arie Luyendyk Jr., Dallara-Infiniti, 31, handling
Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 125.168 mph
Time of race: 47:58.9998
Margin of victory: 0.4645 of a second.
Cautions: 6 for 27 laps.
Lead changes: 0
Lap leaders: Medeiros 1-77.
Point standings: Medeiros 250, Dana 154, Mason 145, Luyendyk Jr. 142,
Quintanilla 126, Pollard 122, Giebler 106, Maia 103, Roe 98, Beardsley 68.
7/17/04
Ganassi: I could care less about a merger
Chip Ganassi, whose driver Scott Dixon is the defending IRL champ, and who
is a hard-core oval track carteler, said he could care less about bringing
Champ Car and the IRL together. ''It's not even on my radar,'' he said. ''I'm
tired of hearing about it.''
7/17/04
Plenty of tickets available for tonight's
race
Tickets are available for tonight's race at the gate. ''Anyone who shows up
and wants to get in will get in,'' said Nashville Superspeedway vice
president and General Manager Cliff Hawks. The tracks seats just
32,000 - very high but not very long grandstand. Hopefully they will
fill it up. They usually do.
7/17/04
Lehto fastest in morning practice
JJ Lehto, driving a quickly-repaired car, set the fastest time Saturday
morning as American Le Mans Series teams had their first official practice
for Sunday's Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. Lehto,
driver of the ADT Champion Racing Audi R8, turned a lap of 1:22.540 on the
2.53-mile circuit to lead both the LMP1 class and the field overall. The
car, which Lehto will co-drive with Marco Werner, suffered a broken wing
support early in the session due to contact on the course with another car.
However, the team was able to quickly repair the damage, allowing Lehto to
move to the front of the session. The Dyson Racing Lola EX257-AER/MG of
James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger was second-fastest in the session with a
time of 1:22.916, followed by the other Dyson entry of Chris Dyson and Andy
Wallace at 1:24.097. Fourth-fastest overall and leading the GTS class was
the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta at 1:29.355,
while fifth-fastest overall and topping the LMP2 class was the Intersport
Racing Lola B2K/40-Judd of Jon Field, Clint Field and Robin Liddell at
1:29.759. Fastest in the GT class was the Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3
RSR of Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister at 1:34.574. The Chevrolet
Corvette C5-R that NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is sharing with Boris
Said was third-fastest in the GTS class with a lap of 1:30.463. Earnhardt is
making his ALMS debut in the race with the factory Corvette squad. ALMS
teams will have another hour of practice at 1:05 p.m. (PDT), followed by
official qualifying for the event.
7/17/04 Industry News
How a Fuel Cell works
The auto industry appears to have come to the realization that fuel cells
are a viable alternative to fossil fuel combustion engines as the world
looks to reduce its dependence on Middle East oil. The most successful
hybrid cars are ones that use electric motors powered by fuel cells to
supplement a small internal combustion engine. Fuel
cells were first invented by NASA for space travel. The fuel cell
(pictured right courtesy of DaimlerChrysler) is divided into two parts by a
thin plastic foil – the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM). The foil is coated
on both sides with a catalyst layer and a gas-permeable electrode. Through
thin gas channels hydrogen and oxygen flow from one side to the other. The
catalysator decomposes the hydrogen into an electron and a proton. The
positively charged protons permeate through the PEM foil whereas the
negative electrons do not. This generates voltage. If one connects the
electrodes, direct-current is conducted. As a result of this electrochemical
reaction, pure water (H2O) is formed.
7/17/04 DTM
Haug: Shanghai the most important race in
DTM history
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said in Shanghai
today after his cars took both front-row spots in qualifying" “A very
special qualifying on a new track. Congratulations to Gary and Jean. They
performed excellently and they are very close together, separated by
0.024sec. The margin to the Audi of Tom Kristensen is also very small with
four thousandths of a second behind which shows how competitive the DTM is.
The task today was not to hit the wall which Christijan Albers unfortunately
did in the first practice so he had a handicap by losing valuable track time
which would have helped him with a better set-up. A compliment to the
organizers of this event. They have created an interesting and challenging
circuit. All Mercedes-Benz teams are thrilled to have been invited to this
prestigious event in the centre of the city of Shanghai. The Petronas
Shanghai DTM Festival is probably the most important race in DTM history – a
unique event that certainly all of the 20 participants would love to win.”
7/17/04 DTM
Mercedes on front row in Shanghai
Gary Paffett (C-Class AMG-Mercedes) and Jean Alesi (AMG-Mercedes) will start
Sunday’s DTM invitational race at Shanghai, China from the first row on the
grid. In Saturday’s single-lap qualifying, Paffett took his first DTM pole
position with a 1:14.529. Jean Alesi was second fastest with 24 thousandths
of a second behind pole while Tom Kristensen’s Audi A4 DTM followed in third
place with another four thousandths behind Alesi.
Bernd Schneider (Vodafone AMG-Mercedes) qualified sixth fastest with a
1:15.211 whilst Christijan Albers (DaimlerChrysler Bank AMG-Mercedes) made a
mistake under braking at the last corner, lost valuable lap time and ended
up tenth with a 1:16.595.
Prior to the single-lap qualifying, all drivers participated in the
qualifying to determine the ten fastest who later fought for Super Pole with
one fast lap for each. The single-lap qualifying starts with the tenth
fastest driver of qualifying, the quickest is the last on the track. Gary
Paffett was fastest in qualifying with a 1:14.137 ahead of Bernd Schneider
who set a time of 1:14.433. Jean Alesi ended up fourth fastest with
1:14.692. In the morning’s first Free Practice Christijan Albers spun and
hit the wall. In qualifying he finished sixth with a 1:14.731. Jarek Janis (Sonax
Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes) was the fastest driver with a 2003 AMG-Mercedes CLK
with a time of 1:15.465 and finished twelfth.
The DTM is the first international motor sport series to hold a race at
Shanghai, China. The city is said to be the shop window for China's economic
power, and for the Western industries, it's the gateway to Asia's increasing
market. On 3 May, DaimlerChrysler AG signed a contract with China to start
the production of Mercedes-Benz E- and C-Class cars in 2005.
7/17/04
Tropicana 400 TV RatingUPDATE Final Nielsen Media Research
numbers show NBC's broadcast of last Sunday's Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland
Speedway drew a 5.5 rating and 13 share, up 1.9 percent from last year's
5.4/14, today's Sports Business Daily reports. The rating is the highest the
Chicago race has drawn since its NBC premiere in 2001.
NASCAR Scene Daily
Newsletter7/15/04 - NBC's coverage of NASCAR Nextel Cup Tropicana 400 was up 6% from a
4.9/11 overnight rating last year. Saturday's Busch Series
Chicagoland 300 posted a 17% against a 1.8/5 in '03.
7/17/04
Is Champ Car represented?
All the big European (non-F1) series’ bosses are using the DTM race in
Shanghai this weekend to meet with key Chinese officials. If Champ Car has
something going on there they are sure doing it quietly. It is now
well documented that China, which we have claimed for years now, is a must
for Champ Car. The fact that ALL the car manufacturers are clambering
to increase passenger car production in China (said to eventually overtake
the USA as the world's biggest economic power house) can't be overlooked.
7/17/04
Champ Car/IRL unification a dead
issue UPDATE According to this
Indy Star
article, there was a 2nd secret meeting between Roger
Penske, Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi in Toronto last
weekend where the Champ Car series was racing. In Toronto, Penske met
with Champ Car owners Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven and Paul Gentilozzi
along with Curt Brighton, an executive vice president and general counsel of
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is part of the IRL's ownership group.
IRL founder and chief executive officer Tony George did not attend the
meeting. He was in Joliet, Ill., at a NASCAR race........The meeting was the
second for Penske and the Champ Car owners since Penske's first-person story
in the May 30 edition of the New York Times. George, who didn't attend
that meeting either, said he didn't think unification was possible until
Gentilozzi called Penske. "(But) I was never quite sure what to make
of it," George said Friday from Nashville Superspeedway, where the IRL races
tonight.......Whereas the Pontiac meeting centered on philosophical
differences between the two organizations, the Toronto meeting addressed
specifics. Apparently, they couldn't be resolved. Penske could not be
reached for comment Friday, but after reading the joint release, he told a
team spokesman: "I have nothing further to add." 7/16/04 - Following on the initiative of Roger Penske to
explore a unification of open wheel racing, ownership
representatives of Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League
have met with Mr. Penske to consider the issues. While ownership
representatives from both series agree that one open wheel series is
the optimal situation, it is the belief of all involved that the
time is not right for further discussion of unification. Both
parties appreciate the efforts of Mr. Penske, and both parties
believe that each has a better understanding of where common ground
exists. No more meetings are planned and both series are moving
forward with their future plans. IRL & Champ Car [Editor's Note:
As Mark Cipolloni wrote in his recent article,
unification is impossible. The only hope is some sort of
open-wheel IROC series as proposed. From that might spawn an
eventual unification, but if it doesn't, at least it will thaw the
hostile feelings between both sides.]
7/17/04
Kahne's lawyer disputes Ford's contentions in
lawsuit
Kasey Kahne's lawyer fired back Thursday at Ford Motor Co., saying the
NASCAR driver's former sponsor breached the personal services agreement it
made with Kahne, which gave the top-ranked rookie in the Nextel Cup circuit
every right to drive for someone else. Ford filed a lawsuit in Wayne
County Circuit Court last Friday that said Kahne broke a contract with the
company and Robert Yates Racing by agreeing to drive Dodges for Ray Evernham
Motorsports. In documents filed in federal court Thursday, Kahne's
lawyers argued that the personal services agreement was not an enforceable
contract and that Ford didn't offer Kahne a chance to race in the Nextel
series, which released Kahne of his obligations to the company.
"What's happened here is Kasey has had an extraordinary rookie season at
Nextel,"' said Kahne's lawyer, Paul LiCalsi, who spoke to reporters in a
conference call. "Ford is embarrassed. When Ford could not agree with Kasey
because they were either unable to or didn't have the vision to agree to put
him in a Nextel car, he had no obligation to them."
Detroit Free Press
7/17/04
Earnhardt movie update
Barry Pepper's days seem to be numbered. He's been in 61 and 25th Hour.
Next, he stars in 3— ESPN's biopic of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt. The movie
— titled after the number on Earnhardt's car — is set for broadcast in
December. A photo of Pepper in character was released exclusively to The
Associated Press. But what was it like transforming into the craggy,
mustached face of the iconic driver? "I play him from 17 to 49, and there's
all kinds of prosthetics all over my face," Pepper said. "It was a real
challenge — especially in that heat, that North Carolina heat. You're always
having things melting off of you. But it was just the coolest experience."
Some of Earnhardt's family have expressed reservations about the movie, but
Pepper said he had a positive meeting with Earnhardt's son, racer Dale
Earnhardt Jr. "We had an opportunity to hang out and have a few beers. That
was really important for me to make a connection with him and express to him
how much effort and care went into the making of 3, to bring dignity and
respect to his father's life and legend." See image at
USA Today
7/17/04
Mosley explains his change of heart
Max Mosley may have reversed his decision to step down as FIA President but
that doesn't mean he's going to stand for re-election next year. The only
reason he's staying on is because he feels he has to give the FIA time to find
a suitable replacement. Mosley has been head of the FIA for the past 13 years,
however, at the start of July he shocked the motorsport world when he
announced that he'd decided to resign his presidency. And that he intended to
quit in October this year, a full twelve months before his mandate runs out.
Three weeks later, though, Mosley has made a U-turn and now says he won't be
quitting, although whether he'll stand for re-election next year remains to be
seen. "We will worry about that later," he said.
The Brit also explained that his change of heart regarding his decision had
come about mainly through other people urging him to stay. "Everybody said you
have got to stay," the 64-year-old said. "It's got to the stage where it would
have been wrong for the FIA. What they say is that you can't do something like
that with so little notice. They need more time."
Time, though, wasn't something Mosley was willing to give the FIA when he
first announced his decision to quit as he was adamant that it was what he was
going to do and that he wasn't going to change his mind. "I am not an F1 team
principal so I don't change my mind every few minutes," he said at the time.
Asked by Reuters on Friday about that particular comment Mosley responded: "I
suppose it is my old Formula One instincts coming out."
Planet-F1
7/17/04
Williams ride last chance for Pizzonia?
The announcement that Antonio Pizzonia will get the Ralf Schumacher Williams
drive in place of Marc Gene gives the Brazilian the chance to prove once and
for all whether he has what it takes for F1. Jaguar dropped him because they
felt he did not race well. In testing he has proved to be fast, but in race
conditions he has wilted. This chance at Williams is likely to be make
or break for his F1 career. If he does well it could open doors for next year, if not his career may be over. Nothing like a little F1 pressure.
7/16/04
Earnhardt & Said press conference
The following is a transcript of a press conference held on Friday, July 16,
with Corvette drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Boris Said, as well as Doug
Fehan, program manager for Corvette Racing. The conference was held in
conjunction with the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma American Le Mans Series
weekend at Infineon Raceway. The main event will be held on Sunday, July 18,
at 11 a.m. (PDT). Transcript
7/16/04
IPS Nashville qualifying results Qualifying
Friday for the Cleanevent 100 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series event
on the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway, with starting position,
car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and speed:
1. (11) Thiago Medeiros, Dallara-Infiniti, 182.386 mph
2. (91) Paul Dana, Dallara-Infiniti, 181.179 mph
3. (33) Leonardo Maia, Dallara-Infiniti, 178.801 mph
4. (10) Rolando Quintanilla, Dallara-Infiniti, 177.625 mph
5. (3) Jesse Mason, Dallara-Infiniti, 176.652 mph
6. (5) Arie Luyendyk Jr., Dallara-Infiniti, 176.451 mph
7. (22) Ross Fonferko, Dallara-Infiniti, 175.998 mph
8. (2) Al Unser, Dallara-Infiniti, 175.662 mph
9. (64) Brad Pollard, Dallara-Infiniti, 174.982 mph
10. (76) P.J. Chesson, Dallara-Infiniti, 174.617
11. (24) Billy Roe, Dallara-Infiniti, no speed
7/16/04
Earnhardt arrives at Infineon Raceway
Pictured with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. this morning at
Infineon Raceway are Boris Said, Ron Fellows and Max Papis.
Please credit ALMS/Rick Dole.
7/16/04
Vickers statement on Papa Joe
Hendrick
"I cannot personally thank Papa Joe enough for the lasting
opportunity he helped create for everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,
including myself. He was someone who truly cared, always stopping to
speak with anyone and everyone, and was always excited to be in the
shop around his guys on the No. 25 team. I'll remember Pop as a true
leader and an inspiration to everyone he touched. He was a genuinely
nice person that cared for each of us and he will be missed." [EDITOR'S
NOTE: Joseph R. "Papa Joe" Hendrick Jr. passed away Wednesday
evening at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. He was 84.
For years, Hendrick owned the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team and
most recently shared that role with his grandson, Ricky Hendrick.]
7/16/04
Mosley to stay on
The FIA Senate have met and unanimously called on Max Mosley to
continue in his post at the FIA until the end of his mandate in
October 2005. Mosley has agreed to the Senates request and has
expressed his gratitude with the confidence that has been shown in
him.
7/16/04
Buddy Rice to visit White House Indianapolis
500 champion Buddy Rice and team members from Rahal Letterman
Racing, along with Indy Racing League President Tony George, will
visit the White House on Monday, July 19, to meet with United States
President George W. Bush. Along with the team, the Borg Warner
Trophy and the winning car from this year's 500-Mile Race will be on
display on the South Lawn of the White House. Rice, winner of the
88th Indianapolis 500, continues his post-win media tour, which has
kept him busy since the checkered flag fell on May 30. Rice also was
the winner of the last IRL IndyCar Series event at Kansas Speedway
on July 4. "It will be a great honor to be at the White House and
meet President Bush," Rice said. "I think it is a huge statement for
IndyCar (Series) racing that we'll have our Indy 500-winning car and
the Borg Warner Trophy at the White House. I'm honored that I was
American and won the biggest auto race in the world. I'm very
excited for this opportunity." Rice is the first winner to
visit the White House following his 500 victory since Rick Mears
visited the current President's father, George H.W. Bush, in 1991.
Team co-owner Rahal has been to the White House in the past, but
never as an owner of a winning car. "I was fortunate to go to the
White House previously, but this event is such a monumental moment
for our Rahal Letterman Racing team," Rahal said. "I couldn't be
happier for Buddy and the entire Argent Mortgage/Pioneer Honda
squad. They enjoyed one of the best months ever at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway, and to take that car and the team to the White House
and meet the President is a great honor."
7/16/04
Champ Car/IRL unification a dead
issue Following on the initiative of Roger Penske to
explore a unification of open wheel racing, ownership
representatives of Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League
have met with Mr. Penske to consider the issues. While ownership
representatives from both series agree that one open wheel series is
the optimal situation, it is the belief of all involved that the
time is not right for further discussion of unification. Both
parties appreciate the efforts of Mr. Penske, and both parties
believe that each has a better understanding of where common ground
exists. No more meetings are planned and both series are moving
forward with their future plans. IRL & Champ Car [Editor's Note:
As Mark Cipolloni wrote in his recent article,
unification is impossible. The only hope is some sort of
open-wheel IROC series as proposed. From that might spawn an
eventual unification, but if it doesn't, at least it will thaw the
hostile feelings between both sides.]
7/16/04
DaimlerChrysler launches HEMI.com Web
site
Since it was first introduced into the world of motorsports more
than 50 years ago, the HEMI® engine has stood for unparalleled
automotive power and performance. In response to the overwhelming
interest and popularity of the HEMI engine, DaimlerChrysler has
launched the official HEMI.com Web site dedicated to HEMI owners and
enthusiasts worldwide (www.HEMI.com).
HEMI.com is an interactive Web site that presents a historical
timeline of the evolution of the HEMI engine, beginning with HEMI’s
inception back in the early 1950s. The development of the legendary
426 HEMI, which revolutionized NASCAR and NHRA racing (and was
ultimately banned by NASCAR), is featured, along with the new
generation 5.7L HEMI. In addition, Web surfers will find vintage
photographs and biographical information featuring the people who
were behind the most famous automotive powerplant in the world.
"HEMI.com was created because of the HEMI loyalists around the
globe," said Ron McDaniel, Director of Advanced Service and
Technical Information - Chrysler Group. "Interest in collectible
muscle cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s is at an all-time high. We wanted
to have a place where HEMI enthusiasts could get the official story
of the HEMI, and a new generation of HEMI enthusiasts can find
everything they want to know about the HEMI and have fun doing it."
The racing destination within the site includes photos and
biographical information featuring the drivers from the world of
racing who made the HEMI synonymous with winning. The list includes
racing legends Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Don Garlits, Dick Landy
and Sox & Martin and reads like the roster from racing's hall of
fame.
For the history buff, the site contains vintage ads from the 1950s
and ‘60s, when Detroit muscle was king. For the more technically
minded, HEMI.com contains specifications for the historic HEMI
engines and provides graphic details of how these engines managed to
produce such incredible power. Visitors to the site can also visit
our multimedia section where they can download their favorite HEMI
ads and wallpaper images.
"DaimlerChrysler is fortunate to have such passionate and loyal
followers who know and love our HEMI engines," said McDaniel. "We
expect the Web site to be a popular gathering place among HEMI
enthusiasts, old and new." - DaimlerChrysler
7/16/04
Dale Jr. wins ESPY award
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Budweiser team and winner of
the 2004 Daytona 500, scored a victory of a different sort Wednesday
night, winning the ESPY Award for “Best Drive.” The
announcement came at the annual ESPY Awards banquet Wednesday at the
Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. Fan voting determined the winners
of 38 different categories. ESPN, the sports cable network that
created the ESPYs in 1993 to recognize sports excellence, will
televise the show Sunday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET. Dale Jr. was unable
to attend because of scheduling conflicts. Other nominees in
the “Best Driver” category included six-time Formula One champion
Michael Schumacher, 2003 NHRA Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon, Indy
Racing League champion Scott Dixon and 2003 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champ
Matt Kenseth. This marks the second straight year a NASCAR driver
has won the ESPY for “Best Driver”. Tony Stewart earned the honor in
2003. NASCAR drivers have won the award seven times in 12 years, led
by Jeff Gordon with three (1996, 1998, 1999). -- Budweiser Racing
7/16/04
FIA releases proposed changes to slow
cars
The FIA has provided the details of a package of measures to reduce
the performance of Formula One cars. These measures are likely to be
imposed if satisfactory proposals have not been agreed by at least 8
teams and presented to the FIA before the sixth of September 2004.
1. Aerodynamics (2005)
Diffuser height limited, front wing raised, rear wing element moved
forward and changes to the bodywork immediately in front of the rear
wheels. Together, these changes are estimated to reduce downforce on
a current car by at least 25%, but reduce drag by less than 4%.
Explanation: lower downforce will reduce speeds, particularly in
fast corners, and slightly increase braking distances, while the
small reduction in drag will have a minimal effect on straight-line
speeds. 2. Tires (2005)
A driver may choose from two types of tire, as in 2004. He will then
have two sets of his chosen tire, one for Friday and Saturday
practice, the other for qualifying and the race. A damaged tire can
be replaced during the race (taken from the first set), but the car
cannot be refueled at the same time as the damaged tire is changed.
Explanation: a tire which must last 350 km rather than 80 km will
have less grip, reducing cornering speeds, increasing braking
distances and possibly producing less tire debris or “marbles”. 3. Engine (2005) One engine to last for
two race weekends. Explanation: both peak and average
power will be less than for an engine with a shorter life. 4. Engine (2006) 2.4 liter V8 (90º) with
maximum bore diameter, fixed cylinder spacing, minimum crankshaft
centre line height, minimum weight and minimum height of centre of
gravity. Direct fuel injection, variable geometry inlet systems,
variable geometry exhaust systems, variable valve timing and
variable valve lift systems all prohibited. Only one spark plug, one
coil and one injector per cylinder. Exotic materials banned.
Explanation: a 20% reduction in capacity will produce a
corresponding drop in power. Constraints on design and the use of
materials will significantly slow the rate of power increase and
reduce the scope for using engine design to improve chassis
characteristics. Keeping existing cylinder sizes retains many
current engine components while keeping engine revs close to current
levels. 5. Other engines During 2006 and 2007,
teams which cannot obtain a 2.4 liter engine will be able to use a 3
liter V10 with power restricted by means of a rev limit fixed by the
FIA. Explanation: this will ensure that all teams (including
new entrants) have access to a competitive engine, even if supplies
of the new 2.4 are initially restricted.
7/16/04
Ralf's wife quits after just one race
The 27-year-old Cora Schumacher, wife of F1 driver Ralf, has called it quits
on her motor racing career after just one race in the Mini Challenge series.
"I just can't do it right now. Even though I had a lot of fun at my racing
premiere six weeks ago, I just can't do it," Cora told The Sun. "The
only important thing is that Ralf gets better. Everything else takes second
priority."
7/16/04
Jordan blames tough schedule on poor results
Jordan have only scored points in two races this season, Monaco and Montreal.
"Six races in eight weeks has to be the toughest schedule any of us involved
in Formula One has ever encountered and for a team the size of Jordan that has
taken its toll in terms of performance," Eddie told Formula1.com.
"With all the resources stretched just trying to keep the show on the road
from Monaco through to the British GP unfortunately we haven't been able to
develop the EJ14 as we needed to. In both France and Britain we dropped off
the pace which was very disappointing."
"We are testing at Silverstone with some new chassis components which look
promising and we should have a new aero package ready for Spa. With the
six-week testing ban effective during this time we will at least be able to
catch up in the factory and start planning for 2005," the Irishman said.
7/16/04
India F1 project dead
Andhra Pradesh on Thursday announced abandoning a bid to set up the world's
19th Formula One racetrack on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Replying to a
question, Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao told the state assembly, "No
further steps will be taken to pursue this project since it is not a priority
for us." He said the Congress-led government, which assumed office in
mid-May, decided against allotting land for Formula One racetrack at
Gopanpally of Rangareddy district. "Neither government land would be
allotted nor private land acquired for the project," he added.
7/16/04
Tour de Road America
The Tour de Road America benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation
is extremely pleased to announce the addition of Herdez Competition
driver’s Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mario Dominguez.
The Tour de Road America brings together these popular drivers from
the Champ Car World Series and large contingent of local cycling
enthusiasts riding together to raise money for the Lance Armstrong
Foundation (LAF) supporting cancer survivorship. In the weeks
following Lance’s bid for an amazing 6th Tour de France victory,
Champ Car drivers will join a group of cyclists who have made
substantial donations to the LAF and together will ride 5 laps
around one of America’s premier road course facilities, Road
America.
"Lance Armstrong is an inspiration,” says Hunter-Reay. “I am reading
his book right now and as an athlete and human being I have an
immense amount of respect for him and his foundation. I am honored
to participate in the Tour de Road America and I look forward to the
opportunity to ride with the Champ Car fans at Road America in
effort to support the foundation. Lance is not only an inspiration
because of the victories he has achieved, but because his
achievements have come through adversity, his own physical health,
the
biggest adversity for an athlete.”
"Lance is a hero of mine and a fine example for young people with
dreams around the world,” says Dominguez. “I am really excited about
the event at Road America and honored to support the foundation."
The event will be a terrific opportunity for a community of cyclists
to meet Ryan and Mario and bicycle around 4.048 miles of the hilly,
sweeping turns of the beautiful Road America race course while
raising money for the LAF. . More....
7/16/04
Why no help for Reynard?
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I'm still curious why as of
yet, they have not given Derrick Walker some time to develop his Reynards.
Rules stability aside it is still bad for Champ Car to have this one
inferior car with no real chance to level the field a little on any given
race day. This chassis freeze came in just after Derrick bought the assets
of Reynard North America effectively screwing Derrick and wasting his money.
They should have considered this and given some type of moratorium to the
rule early in the game so that Derrick would have the chance to sell a
competitive car. This could have brought more drivers/teams into the series
with a low cost alternative to the Lola. Now that this wasn't the case who
would want to buy his car if they know they have no chance of better than p8
unless enough people get taken out of the race (Mario Haberfeld's Toronto
result for instance)? And why even have a constructors cup when it is
absolutely impossible for Derrick's Reynard to compete in it? The IRL
Chevy thing and this are not the same! Chevy had the chance to step up
before Toyota and Honda came. They chose not to. Derrick decided to buy the
intelligent assets of Reynard and then before he could fully appreciate his
car, Chassis Freeze! This to me is still a major black eye on this series
and by allowing him some chance to develop this car then there could be
benefits in competition as well as in the roster! Maybe if Derrick was
making a little more money on his Reynards Michael Valiante would have been
in this year's roster from the beginning. With the talk of a new chassis not
coming into play until 2006, we have to not only watch this painful
embarrassment the rest of this season but next season too! Let's be serious!
Let Derrick bring a competitive Reynard to the races soon and I'm sure it
will benefit Champ Car, if not this year then definitely next year!
It would help make Champ Car seem a little more legitimate and less of a
spec series! Brian Jones Dear Brian, There were a lot of
meetings held regarding giving the Reynards some much needed mods. As
we understand it, when they put the Reynard in the wind tunnel against the
Lola, the Reynard actually generated more downforce than the Lola.
However, the Lola generates more downforce when the chassis is raised for
most tracks because of the bumps. Apparently the upgrades required for the
Reynard were not inexpensive and there just were not enough customers
willing to share in all the costs involved. Mark C.
7/16/04
Lamborghini
aims to challenge Earnhardt Corvette
NASCAR stars usually battle bumper-to-bumper and fender-to-fender in
deep-throated American sport sedans – but when NASCAR Nextel Cup frontrunner
and 2004 Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hits the track this weekend,
his competition will have an exotically foreign sound.
Earnhardt, Jr will make a rare appearance in round four of the American Le
Mans Series (ALMS) at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California on Friday through
Sunday at the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette in the popular GTS (Grand
Touring Sport) class for cars that are production-based but highly modified
– and that’s where the Krohn-Barbour Racing team will race for the first
time with two Lamborghini Murciélago R-GTs, just three weeks after giving
the glamorous Italian marque its US sports car racing debut with a single
car.
On its US debut, the Lamborghini of Brabham and Kox challenged for third
place in the GTS-class all the way to the finish line, missing the glory of
a podium position by less than seven-tenths of a second after two hours and
45 minutes of racing. The Lamborghini again challenged for third place at
Lime Rock, Connecticut, two weeks ago, when the track surface was made
greasy by rain, but the car subsequently lost an hour in the pits after Kox
was blamelessly side-swiped by a rival Saleen S7R.
Driver turned team manager Dick Barbour said: “We’re very excited about
having our new team up to full strength. For the first time, fans will be
able to see not just one Lamborghini racing, but two. The car’s gone that
little bit faster every time it’s hit the track, and I’m sure we’ll make
more progress this weekend. At the same time, we do have to be realistic –
this weekend will be the 50th ALMS race that the Corvettes have taken part
in, and it’s only the Lamborghini’s third. We still have plenty of work to
do to get the car fully up to speed.”
7/16/04
ALMS testing starts today
Testing starts today at Infineon Raceway for Sunday's American Le Mans
Series Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma. ALMS cars will have two hours of
testing time starting at 12:50 p.m. (PDT) on the 2.53-mile road racing
circuit located an hour north of San Francisco. NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt,
Jr., will be making his ALMS debut in the race, driving a third Chevrolet
Corvette C5-R entered by the GM factory Corvette Racing team. Earnhardt will
co-drive with road racing veteran Boris Said. The Dyson Racing team will be
going for its second win in a row at Infineon Raceway. Last year, James
Weaver and Butch Leitzinger pulled off a stunning upset by defeating the
favored Audis and became the first to win in the ALMS with a car from the
second Prototype class. Official practice and qualifying will be held
Saturday, along with a Fan Forum and an autograph session featuring all ALMS
drivers. Sunday's race starts at 11 a.m. (PDT) and will be a timed event of
two hours and 45 minutes. CBS Sports will have live TV coverage in North
America from 3-5 p.m. (Eastern) while MotorsTV will have full live coverage
in Europe. The American Le Mans Series Radio Web will have live coverage of
both qualifying and the race online at www.americanlemans.com. Marco Werner,
driver of the ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 and the 2003 ALMS Prototype
champion, will chat live with fans on AmericanLeMans.com at 8 p.m. (Eastern)
on Friday.
Toronto's best kept secret While
in Toronto last weekend we took the time to visit the Canadian Motorsport Hall of
Fame located inside Turn 5 of
the Champ Car track. Hardly anyone mentions this Hall and that's too bad
because they have a nice display of historic cars driven by famous Canadian
drivers. Next time you go to Toronto, stop by and check it out. Remember
when the Player's cars were more of a powder blue? Recognize any of
these cars?
Photos by Mark Cipolloni
7/16/04
Reaction to Green-White-Checker announcement
A “green-white-checkered” finish format will be used for the NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series beginning with next weekend’s races at
New Hampshire International Speedway, NASCAR officials announced today. “The
green-white-checkered format is an attempt to achieve everyone’s goals – a
green-flag finish,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said. “This change
hopefully will provide competitive finishes in the relatively rare occasions
it is warranted. This format has been successful in the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series, and considering the tight competition week in and week out in
the other two national series, we feel the time is right to use the same
procedure in all three national series.”
BRANDON WHITT, Driver, #38 Cure Autism
Now/Werner Ladder Truck:
NOTE: TRUCK SERIES ALREADY IMPLEMENTS UNLIMITED GREEN/WHITE/CHECKERED
FINISHES: “It’s worked pretty well with the Truck Series and I believe, at
least most of the time, it will work well for the Cup and Busch guys too.
There will be times when it doesn’t seem to be all that great and there will
be times when they try it but finish under caution anyway. But by and large,
this gives the fans something extra. For the fans, it’s a better deal.
For pure racing, it’s a better deal. In the long run, yeah, a guaranteed
green-flag finish is the best way to go. But, again, a lot of that depends
on where you are at the time. If you are leading, it stinks. If not, it’s a
great idea.” KEN SCHRADER, Driver, #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge: “I’ve
felt all along we needed to stay with where we are. It’s worked well for us,
and it’s been a good way to run the races. Cup is different than everything
else. We run distances, long distances, and so many times fuel mileage comes
into play. This isn’t like adding extra innings in baseball or an overtime
period in basketball. It’s like stopping everything, and starting from
scratch – except, this time, we’re just running two laps. Two laps of
green flag racing at a Talladega with a late caution? That’s gonna get
awfully interesting. We’ve gone down that road before and the results aren’t
too pretty. But, hey, give it a shot and see how things work out. Most
of the time, it won’t make any difference at all because most races end
under green anyway.” JEFF GREEN, Driver, #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge: “I don’t
really have a problem with it. You have a couple of green flag laps at the
end of the race and one shot to get it done. If you don’t, then you finish
under caution. That’s probably a pretty good compromise. It’s like
I’ve said, the first time I am really close on fuel and we go an extra
couple of laps, I’m probably not going to like it very much. If I am leading
the race, I am probably not going to like it very much. But if I have plenty
of fuel and I’m second place on back, yeah, I’m really in favor of it.
I understand the fans wanting a green flag finish, and they should have
that. We just have to be careful not to go over the line accomplishing that,
and I think this particular plan is right where it should be.” JAY ROBINSON, Owner, #49 Advil Ford (Derrike Cope); #39 Yahoo! Ford (Tina
Gordon: “From a fan’s perspective, it’s probably a good
middle-of-the-road deal. Still no guarantee of a green-flag finish but a
better chance than you had before. But you don’t have to worry about being
out there some 10 or 20 or 30 laps longer than you would have been,
especially if fuel is a situation, because you only get one chance to finish
under green. At some tracks, it’s probably no big deal. At others,
well, as the guy who has to pay the bills to fix these cars, it’s a little
dicey.”
7/16/04
New crew chief for Ward
Haas CNC Racing announced today the appointment of Bill Ingle as crew chief
of the NetZero Racing Team. Tony Furr, who had been serving as crew chief
since April 2003, will now serve as Shop Foreman. Ingle, who had been
overseeing the preparation of both the #0 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series NetZero
Chevrolet driven by Ward Burton and the #00 Haas Automation Chevrolets
driven by Jason Leffler in the Busch Series, will take over duties as crew
chief effective immediately. “Essentially, we just swapped their positions,”
stated Joe Custer, General Manager of Haas CNC Racing. “We originally asked
Tony to join our team last year as shop foreman and about halfway through
the season we had the need to fill the crew chief role. Obviously this team
is not performing as well as we would like and we are very lucky to have the
kind of depth we have here at Haas CNC Racing. Both Tony and Bill are more
than capable of handling both of these roles and we’re hoping that having
Tony back at the shop overseeing the preparation of both the Busch and Cup
cars, and Bill at the track leading our NEXTEL Cup Series team might help us
achieve the results we think we’re capable of. I’m looking at
this as my latest challenge,” said Ingle. “I was 28 years old the first time
I took on my first job as crew chief and it was a challenge then too. Now,
the best things I have going for me are my experience and the resources of
Haas CNC Racing. I’m not sure there is anything seriously wrong with this
team, and sometimes all you really need is a little bit of change.”
NetZero Racing
7/16/04 Industry News
Thieves steal from kids campUPDATE
Randolph County [NC] sheriff's deputies have charged three teenagers in the
theft of the bronze statue from the Petty racing family's new Victory
Junction Gang Camp for sick children. Andrew Marco Callicutt, 19, and Edward
York Branch, 18, both of Randleman; and Charles Thurman Bailey Jr., 17, of
Trinity, have all been charged with felony larceny. Deputies said they
obtained arrest warrants Tuesday and served them on Callicutt and Bailey,
who were each placed under $2,500 bonds. Officers said Wednesday afternoon
that Branch was away with a relative and would be served later. All three
confessed to stealing the statue, said Lt. Chris Maness. Investigators don't
know why the teenagers stole it. Maness speculated that the theft was a
"spur-of-the-moment thing." The sculpture depicts two children playing leap
frog. It was stolen between June 28 and June 29. That was less than two
weeks after the Petty racing family opened the camp for children with
chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The statue has since been returned
to the camp. The staff plans to place it back in its original location and
secure it to prevent another theft. Detectives said they got a tip July 2
that the teenagers were bragging about stealing the statue, which is 6 feet
high and 4 feet wide. Fearing the law was closing in on them, they abandoned
the statue in a church parking lot on Providence Church Road on the night of
June 30, authorities said. Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, bought the
$1,500 sculpture from Metropolitan Galleries in High Point. It was imported
from Thailand.
News & Record6/30/04 - Missing:
two children, 6 feet tall, with metallic complexions and a combined weight
of several hundred pounds. Police have few clues, but one thing is certain.
The kids didn’t run away. Thieves boosted a bronze statue from the Victory
Junction Gang Camp late Monday or early Tuesday, less than two weeks after
the Petty racing family opened their camp for children with chronic and
life-threatening illnesses. Administrators reported the theft to Randolph
County sheriff’s deputies about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. “Just the brazenness of
it,” said executive director Brian Collier. “We’re in a neighborhood, and
they pulled right up, took the statue and made off. You can’t get any lower,
to me, than stealing from a children’s camp, especially children who suffer
from life-threatening illnesses.” The statue, which was beside a gatehouse
at the camp’s front entrance, depicts two children playing leap frog. It is
about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Deputies are investigating the theft and
have no suspects or leads. Camp officials were trying Tuesday to contact the
art gallery that donated the statue to determine its value. Collier said a
rough estimate is between $7,000 and $10,000. “I just hope that someone
either took it and returns it, or they know who took it and they turn it
in,” he said. Anyone with information is being asked to call Detective Brian
Arrington at 336-318-6699 or Randolph County Crimestoppers at (800) 672-2530
News and Record
7/15/04
Feedback on Champ Car/IRL
unification article
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, With regard to Mark
Cipolloni's new Champ Car/IRL unification article,
I could not agree more. The basis of my argument would be that
the NFL and NFL fans had about the same attitude toward the AFL as
Champ Cars to IRL. But they got together for the first “super bowl”.
After several years the leagues merged. My point is/was it all
started with one silly little post-season race. Everyone watched.
Both leagues probably made a bundle – even though “everyone” knew
that the AFL didn’t stand a chance. Back then the hostilities were
HIGH!!! Rules were different. There was fighting for players and
venues. There were arguments about attendance. Just one little game.
Just two races (or your four). You’ve solved the problem of the
cars. You’ve found a time slot and some good venues. Even TG has
something to gain! Jeff Skinner, Northridge, CA.
7/15/04
Interim crew chief for Labonte
Brandon Thomas, a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing engineering
department, will serve as interim crew chief for Bobby Labonte’s No. 18
Interstate Batteries Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Series, team
officials announced July 15. Thomas takes over for Michael McSwain,
who was released from his duties as crew chief July 14 after
serving as crew chief for the 2003 season and 18 races in the 2004
season. Team officials have not set a timetable for when a permanent
crew chief will be hired. “Brandon is a veteran employee of Joe
Gibbs Racing and has worked closely with Bobby and the Interstate
Batteries crew,” J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR, said. “We’re
confident in his ability to lead us through this time of
transition.” Thomas, 30, from Kingsport, Tenn., spent the 2003
season as the engineer for Labonte and served as crew chief for Mike
Bliss’ JGR-prepared No. 80 Slim Jim/Act II Chevrolet July 11 in the
Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Bliss was the
top-qualifying JGR car at Chicago, starting seventh and finishing
31st after an accident on Lap 205. Thomas began his JGR career in
December 2001 in the shock department, before leaving in June 2002
to serve as John Andretti’s crew chief at Petty Enterprises for the
remainder of the 2002 season. After his stint at Petty, Thomas
returned to JGR for the 2003 season as Labonte’s engineer. During
the 2004 season he has served as the head of Superspeeedway research
and development for JGR. Prior to coming to JGR in 2001,
Thomas served as engineer for Rusty Wallace at Penske Racing South
from Aug. 1999-Nov. 2001. During that time, Wallace scored six wins
and finished seventh in points in 2000 and 2001. From 1998-July
1999, Thomas was the assistant race engineer for Dan Gurney’s
All-American Racers and driver Alex Barron in CART. Thomas earned a
degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech University in
1997. “I’m excited for the opportunity to help the team out as
interim crew chief,” Thomas said. “I enjoy working with Bobby and
the Interstate Batteries crew. I just want to help the team get
through this transition period and put ourselves in a good position
as we get closer to the final 10 races.”
7/15/04
Chevy teams test at Michigan
Six IRL IndyCar® Series teams visited Michigan International
Speedway on July 13 in preparation for the Aug. 1 Michigan Indy 400.
Red Bull Cheever Racing drivers Alex Barron, the 2003 winner at
Michigan, and rookie Ed Carpenter, Panther Racing drivers Tomas
Scheckter and Townsend Bell, Patrick Racing driver Jaques Lazier and
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver Felipe Giaffone participated in the
one-day manufacturer's test. "Chevy is working very hard,"
Carpenter said. "Anytime Chevrolet comes to Michigan (International
Speedway) it's a really big event for them with Detroit just down
the road." Scheckter, who won the inaugural IndyCar Series
event at Michigan, said a strong performance at MIS is what
Chevrolet needs. "Obviously, everybody needs to do their part,
and I know Chevrolet is working very hard," Scheckter said. "I know
it's very important here to have a strong engine. The next couple of
races I think we really need to put our foot down and make sure we
come up with a win." Lazier, who is on a race-to-race deal
with Jackson, Mich., native Pat Patrick's team, tested the No. 20
Patrick Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone entry for the first time.
"I'm extremely honored to be driving for Pat," Lazier said. "I was
fortunate to run with A.J. (Foyt) last year. Now this year, I'm
fortunate to run with Pat. Just within a couple of months, I was
able to strengthen my resume, and I'm very excited about the
opportunity. I'm very comfortable with the team, and I think it's an
incredible team."
7/15/04
Papa Joe Hendrick dies
Joseph R. Hendrick Jr., father of Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick
Hendrick and company president John Hendrick, passed away Wednesday
evening at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was 84.
Fondly referred to as "Papa Joe," Hendrick began his auto-racing
career in the early 1960s with longtime friend Frank Edwards,
winning races throughout the state of Virginia at tracks like South
Boston, Martinsville and Richmond. Over the years, Papa Joe
Hendrick became a fixture at Hendrick Motorsports, most recently
co-owning the No. 25 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team and the No. 5
NASCAR Busch Series team with grandson Ricky Hendrick, while
spearheading the organization's show-car operation. A
decorated veteran, Papa Joe proudly served his country in World War
II as a flight engineer and gunner in the Air Force. In June,
Gov. Mike Easley presented Papa Joe and his wife, Mary, with the
Order of the Long Leaf Pine -- the state of North Carolina's highest
honor bestowed on a citizen for dedication and extended length of
service to his or her organization. Visitation will begin at
11 a.m. on Saturday and will be immediately followed by a 1 p.m.
memorial service at the Central Church of God, 5301 Sardis Rd.,
Charlotte, NC 28270. For friends and family in Virginia, a
Sunday graveside service will be held at Union Chapel Methodist
Church in Palmer Springs at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests that donations be made to the Nazareth Children's
Home, P.O. Box 1438, Rockwell, NC 28138, or the Papa Joe Hendrick
Fund, care of the Hendrick Marrow Program, 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick
Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28262.
7/15/04
Lazier turns laps for Patrick Racing
Former IRL IndyCar regular Jaques Lazier turned laps for Patrick
Racing during a test for Chevrolet teams at the 2-mile Michigan
International Speedway on Tuesday. Lazier has a race-to-race deal to
drive Pat Patrick's No. 20 Dallara/Chevy.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
7/15/04
Gossage reiterates ultimatum Texas
Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said he expects the Indy
Racing League to release its 2005 IndyCar Series schedule before the
end of the month. And Gossage reiterated the only way TMS'
second IRL date will appear on the lineup is if it remains as the
season-ender. Gossage said he has no intention of changing the
season-ender-or-nothing proposal he pitched last month. "We
haven't offered that as a consideration," Gossage said. "They
haven't asked, we haven't offered. To have that last race is
special." Gossage has asked the IRL to consider moving its
finale into late September to create a greater window between the
open-wheel race and the inaugural NASCAR Nextel Cup fall race at TMS
on Nov. 6, 2005.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
7/15/04
Siemens Corp signs to sponsor New
Hampshire races Siemens Corporation will title sponsor New
Hampshire Int’l Speedway’s four July 23-25 NASCAR races. The July 25
Nextel Cup race will be called the Siemens 300.
7/15/04
More info on new Champ Car game
The new Champ Car racing simulation and video game that we
previously reported was in the works is being done by a company
called SE Games. Their website is
http://www.s-egames.com/main.html where you can find more
information about them. It should be noted that the key
principals are from Papyrus, who were the best in the business at
racing simulation games.
Featherlite extends with Champ Car Champ
Car and Iowa-based Featherlite, Inc. announced on July 10, 2004 in Toronto
the extension of their relationship through 2006, continuing a long standing
partnership that originally began in 1995. Featherlite will continue as the
"Official Trailer of Champ Car," providing the series with custom-built
trailers designed to transport equipment to each North American event on the
Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford schedule.
"We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with Featherlite for
the next two seasons of the Champ Car World Series," said Champ Car
president Dick Eidswick. "The custom-built Featherlite trailers used by
Champ Car, our support series, our teams and our many suppliers serve a
vital role in the overall success of our sport. They allow us to take our
product on the road. Working together, we have developed an effective
program that meets Featherlite's objectives and allows them to generate and
retain business in our paddock, while also providing a platform to showcase
their custom trailer capabilities at the track. Featherlite has been a very
loyal partner and supporter of Champ Car over the years. We are proud to
extend this relationship and we look forward to doing business with
Featherlite for years to come."
7/14/04 Industry News
Kyalami
sold
Former South African GP venue Kyalami has been sold for $7.1 million to a
consortium of businessmen and racing men who have vowed to preserve the
circuit. The new owners are a consortium of businessmen including both
businessmen and property developers. It is expected that the circuit will
continue to be managed by the new owners but that other parts of the
facility will be redeveloped. One of the partners is the Imperial Group, a
listed company which is involved in tourism, transportation, the motor
trade, leasing, finance and property. The group also includes motorcycle
champions Mike Fogg and Jim Redman, and Dave McGregor, a man who has played
an important role in motor racing in South Africa for many years. The track
was previously owned by the Automobile Association of South Africa, which
acquired the venue 11 years ago after financial problems surrounding the
South Africa Grand Prix resulted in the collapse of the company which owned
the circuit. "The preservation of Kyalami as a world-renowned motorsport
icon is of paramount importance to us.," says Mike Fogg. "At the same time
we intend developing the property as a unique home for all facets of
motoring, from the sport through to the retailing of motor vehicles. The
track will remain central to the motoring theme."
Grandprix.com [Editor's Note: If Champ Car is serious
about racing in South Africa, they should race at a proper road course like
Kyalami rather than another crash fest street circuit in Durban.]
7/14/04
SAFER
Barrier for Dover
Construction is underway at Dover International Speedway in preparation for
the new SAFER barriers. The inside backstretch wall of the track is being
rebuilt to accommodate the new energy absorbing walls. Because Dover
International Speedway encircles Dover Downs Raceway, which features harness
racing from November through April, a great deal of work is required to
prepare the wall to accommodate the SAFER barrier. 1,132 feet of the 8"
thick concrete block wall has been removed, and a 12" rebar-reinforced,
poured concrete wall is currently being installed. Kent Construction is
installing the new wall, with an anticipated completion date of Sept. 3.
The
SAFER barrier will then be attached to this new wall. The SAFER (Steel And
Foam Energy Reduction system) barrier walls consist of rectangular steel
tubing backed by foam blocks. The technology helps reduce the force of the
initial impact, and will extend approximately 30" from the concrete
backstretch wall. Dover International Speedway is waiting on additional
recommendations from expert advisor Dr. Dean Sicking, of the Midwest
Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska, to proceed with the
installation of SAFER barriers on other locations at the track. Each SAFER
barrier system is tailor-made to address each track's design challenges. Dr.
Sicking and his team are still in the process of finalizing a safe format
that will work for other locations at Dover International Speedway.
Dover
Motorsports, Inc. will have SAFER barriers installed at all of its
facilities for their 2005 events. This includes the Nashville Superspeedway,
Gateway International Raceway and Memphis Motorsports Park. "Anything we can
do to decrease the risk of injury at the Dover Motorsports family of tracks
is a positive," said Denis McGlynn, CEO and president. "Auto racing is such
an unpredictable sport. We are pleased to be able to improve our facilities,
and protect our competitors, with the addition of the SAFER barriers." -
Dover Speedway
7/14/04
ALMS to try new qualifying format
The American Le Mans Series will introduce a new form of
"single-car" qualifying for this weekend's Infineon Grand Prix of
Sonoma at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. The new
qualifying format, which is in a one-race trial at Sonoma, is
designed to increase the drama of competition for the New Century
Mortgage FastQual Award by giving drivers more of an opportunity to
post their best lap times on a track clear of traffic.
However, unlike single-car qualifying formats used in many other
racing series, the format for the American Le Mans Series will have
multiple cars on the track at the same time, dispatched individually
at specific intervals timed to maximize the opportunity for each car
to have clear track. The spacing of the cars will also create better
opportunities for individual car/driver television coverage as well
as coverage by the American Le Mans Series Radio Web.
7/14/04
Wednesday Silverstone test times
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires Time
Laps
1 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m18.105s 57
2 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m18.895s 52
3 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford B 1m22.075s 59
4 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford B 1m27.649s 26
5 Chanoch Nissany Jordan-Ford B 1m36.606s 25
7/14/04
Wednesday Jerez test times
Pos Driver Team Time Gap To 1st
1. Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:17.571
2. Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:17.963 0.392 0.392
3. Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1:18.088 0.125 0.517
4. Franck Montagny Renault 1:18.104 0.016 0.533
5. Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW 1:18.252 0.148 0.681
6. Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:18.392 0.140 0.821
7. Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:18.768 0.376 1.197
8. Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes 1:18.780 0.012 1.209
9. Christian Klien Jaguar 1:19.106 0.326 1.535
10. Marc Gene Williams-BMW 1:19.151 0.045 1.580
11. Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:19.221 0.070 1.650
12. Bjorn Wirdheim Jaguar 1:19.973 0.752 2.402
13. Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1:20.427 0.454 2.856
7/14/04
Legal firm sponsorship paying off
Jenkins, Jenkins & Jenkins might sound somewhat redundant but the
name has moved to the forefront among NASCAR fans. At least,
that’s what it looks like if you ask the switchboard operator at the
Maryland law firm. The company’s phones have been ringing off
the hook since the first of the year, when Jenkins, Jenkins &
Jenkins announced it would become a sponsor for teams in NASCAR
racing. What began as an idea to serve as an associate sponsor for a
single NASCAR Nextel Cup team has grown into what most racing
observers feel is the most widespread sponsorship for an associate
sponsor in NASCAR racing.
“The fans have certainly responded,” said Frank Jenkins, whose
father started the law firm. “We get calls every day from fans who
have seen our sponsorship on a car or truck, and who need legal
representation. If it is somebody in the state of Maryland, we
can represent them ourselves. If outside the state, we have a large
group of legal firms with whom we have referral agreements, and we
can find them a quality law firm who will represent them well,”
Jenkins said.
Indeed, Jenkins, Jenkins & Jenkins has become a near-household name
among NASCAR fans. The law firm is the first to sponsor stock car
racing teams on a season-long basis, and is involved in all three of
NASCAR’s top three divisions – Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman
Truck. “We wanted to be involved primarily because we saw it
as a great way of marketing our firm and of helping NASCAR fans,”
Jenkins said. “The fact that no legal firm had ever tried it just
added to the incentive. Being on the cutting edge of something as
big as this is pretty exciting, and the results have justified our
investment.”
Teams carrying the Jenkins, Jenkins & Jenkins colors include the #0
NetZero car of driver Ward Burton, who is carrying the firm’s logo
throughout out NASCAR Nextel Cup season, as is the #02 Score
Motorsports entry of driver Hermie Sadler. In the NASCAR Busch
Series, Jenkins & Jenkins is an associate sponsor on the #87
Cellular One entry of driver Joe Nemechek; the #00 Haas/CNC entry of
driver Jason Leffler; the #02 Score Motorsports Busch car of Sadler;
and the #77 Moy Racing-owned Busch entry. Teams in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series include the Hamilton-owned #4 and #18
entries; the #38 Cure Autism Now/Werner Ladders Ford of driver
Brandon Whitt; and the #21 Innovative Motorsports Toyota of driver
Hank Parker, Jr.
7/14/04
Evernham responds to NASCAR
penalties
Responding to the penalties imposed by NASCAR today, Ray Evernham,
president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, issued the following
statement: “NASCAR has made its decision; now it’s time to move on,”
Evernham said. “I understand why Tommy (Baldwin, crew chief for the
No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) and the team reacted the way they did
in the heat of competition. NASCAR has rules. I agree with rules.
Evernham Motorsports also has rules. NASCAR has made its decision
and imposed its penalties. Now, I will impose the appropriate
penalties for Evernham Motorsports. This is behind us now. As a
team, our focus is on the upcoming events and the future.”
Evernham Motorsports
7/14/04
Jeff Gordon to appear on Poker
program
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series, will go "all in" for charity this Thursday night
in Bravo TV's "Celebrity Poker Showdown." Gordon will play for the
Jeff Gordon Foundation, which was established in 1999 to help
support the physical, social and intellectual needs of children and
their families throughout the United States. Jeff Gordon
P.R.
7/14/04
Spa circuit to get new layouts
According to this week's Autosport Magazine, The classic
Spa-Francorchamps circuit could have three new layouts if ambitious
plans come to fruition. Plans have been unveiled to split the track
up for testing and corporate use. This will allow the circuit, which
is now a permanent venue, to have two layouts in use simultaneously.
A new section of track will be built to facilitate this. It will
turn off the run from Eau Rouge to Les Combes and clip the existing
layout at Pouhon before cutting across to Blanchimont.
7/14/04
Nelson Piquet Sr. & Jr. as teammates
According to this week's Autosport Magazine, The Piquet Sports squad
is aiming to graduate to the GP2 Formula 1 support series in 2005 –
and 51-year-old Nelson Piquet could be one of the drivers.
Nelson Angelo Piquet, the 18-year-old son of the three-time F1 world
champion, has indicated that he is hoping to move up next year with
the same team that is running him in the British Formula 3
Championship. He stated that his father was also interested in
taking the second seat in what would have to be a two-car
operation.
Piquet Jr said: “I’m interested in this GP2 series, and it would be
a great step to move up from F3. If we decide to go GP2 then
we’d do it with our own team. And do you know who wants to be
my teammate? My dad! Because in GP2 all the teams
must enter two cars and he wants to come back to racing.”
Piquet Jr, who jointly leads the British F3 points, explained that
his father had been looking at a return to racing for some time. “He
wants to do single-seaters,” he said. “I wouldn’t be too unhappy
about it.” Piquet Sports team manager Felipe Vargas
pointed out that Piquet Sr had always expressed a desire to drive in
the same team as his son. He added, however, that his business
commitments in Brazil might make scheduling difficult.
7/14/04
Search on for new Labonte crew chief
Joe Gibbs Racing released Michael McSwain from his duties as crew
chief of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Series, team officials announced July 14. McSwain joined Joe
Gibbs Racing in December 2002 and served as Bobby Labonte’s crew
chief for the 2003 season and the first 18 races of the 2004 season.
“Over the past two years, Michael McSwain has worked extremely hard
for Joe Gibbs Racing,” J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR, said. “This was
a difficult decision, but it was time to go in a different
direction. We appreciate all that he has done for the team and wish
him the best of luck in the future.” McSwain, 37, scored victories
with Labonte in 2003 at Atlanta (spring) and the season-finale at
Homestead-Miami, en route to an eighth-place finish in the point
standings. “Joe Gibbs Racing and I had a successful relationship,”
McSwain said. “I wish them the best the remainder of the year and in
the future.” An interim crew chief will be named in the near future.
Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of racing, will assist the team
and the interim crew chief while team officials search for McSwain’s
replacement. Makar served as crew chief on the No. 18 Interstate
Batteries Chevrolet from 1992-2002, winning the 1993 Daytona 500
with Dale Jarrett and the 2000 NEXTEL Cup Championship with Labonte.
“We hope to make the decision on a permanent crew chief in the near
future, but we are going to take our time to find the best person
for the job,” Gibbs said.
7/14/04
NASCAR officials out of control
Whether Tony Stewart is guilty or not in this latest storm - his
bump-and-run Sunday that put Kasey Kahne into the wall and triggered
a pit-road brawl - it is evident that NASCAR and its president, Mike
Helton, are losing control of Nextel Cup competitors and their
respect as well, for their seeming inability to defuse Stewart.
When a well-respected, three-time champion crew chief such as Ray
Evernham, now one of the stock-car tour's top car owners, vows to
take matters into his own hands with Stewart because NASCAR can't
seem to figure out what to do, something is going awry in the sport.
NASCAR's credibility on a number of issues has been questioned this
year, and Sunday's episode is certain to add fuel to that problem.
More at
Winston-Salem Journal
7/14/04
Spike Lee slams NASCAR
The ornery movie director and Knicks fanatic nurses a paranoid
fantasy about the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
circuit. "I just imagine hearing some country-and-Western song over
a loudspeaker at NASCAR: 'Hang them n-- up high! Hang them n-- up
high!' I'm not going to no NASCAR," Lee vows in the August issue of
Playboy.
7/14/04
Champ Car to get Mall presence Limelight
Media Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: LMMG - News) of Memphis, TN
announced Monday that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with
Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford as
the theme partner of the first themed soft zones for malls being
developed by the company. The Champ Car Themed Soft Zone will be an
extension of the company's vision to expand its captive audience
network into high traffic retail locations as well as provide Champ
Car with the ability to reach a new audience for its sport. The Zone
will have the ability to display race events, Champ Car video,
sponsor brand messages and other entertainment content in high
definition. Each zone will also be interactive to provide
promotional information to patrons visiting the locations. Limelight
intends to schedule monthly events surrounding the Zones to further
attract attention. Limelight also intends to install Themed Soft
Zones in 11 malls in 2004. Limelight also stated that an application
for business model patent is in progress. As previously
reported, the Champ Car Themed Soft Zones will feature attractive
seating and surroundings that reflect the Champ Car Theme. The focal
point of each area is a full multimedia island display with plasma
screens airing content and ads. The island display will also include
interactive kiosks that allow patrons to interact with the theme
sponsor or advertisers. "We are very pleased that to have
Champ Car World Series as a theme partner for our first mall soft
zone deployment. Their growing sport is both exciting and
entertaining. I believe that the zones will capture a lot of
attention in the mall setting," states David V. Lott, President,
Limelight Media Group, Inc.
7/14/04
Milwaukee: All IRL tickets now 1/2
price Faced with a fiasco, The Milwaukee Mile is now
selling ALL IRL tickets for 1/2 price online. Champ Car had a
similar deal, but they only sold the cheaper seats for 1/2 price.
Regardless, open wheel oval track racing in the USA is in a sorry
state, unable to gain any market share against the monopoly called
NASCAR.
4th place like a win for Haberfeld Brazilian
driver Mario Haberfeld (Walker Racing) has finished in 4th place at Grand
Prix of Toronto (Canada) on July 11, 2004. Haberfeld’s result equals his
career-best, when he managed a 4th place in St. Petersburg (Florida) in
2003. “I’m ecstatic! The result was better than what we had hoped for, but
it shows that we can be competitive in the series”, he said. “Our goal for
the year is to place consistently in the top-10, considering the equipment
we have. That being said, anything in the top-6 feels like a win for us.”
Haberfeld and his team opted for a conservative strategy for the race. The
Brazilian looked to run an error-free race, without taking too many chances.
“Toronto is famous for accidents, so our main concern was to run until the
end avoiding getting caught in the various incidents”, he said. “It was a
no-thrills strategy which obviously paid-off for me and some of the other
drivers”.
Derrick Walker said, “We maximized our resources with great pit work and
Mario drove a very smart race. Since the car development freeze, Champ Car
has still not addressed the parity between the car makes. Consequently,
results like these reinforce our team’s ability in spite of the rules
penalizing the Reynard chassis”.
In addition to the championship points awarded for his final placing,
Haberfeld was also awarded an extra point for being the driver who gained
the most positions in the race (10), relative to their starting position.
“This was a tremendous day for me and Walker Racing. Perhaps this will be
the turning point of the season for us, and we will continue to progress
throughout the rest of the year”, he concluded.
7/14/04
Toronto Sun calls for switch to IRL This
Toronto Sun
article by Dean McNulty, who has been accused of being a Champ Car
hater for years, calls for Molson to replace Champ Car with the IRL starting
next year. He writes, The contract with Champ Car is up for
renewal both in Toronto and at the Vancouver Indy. Molson is expected to
sign a five-year sponsorship extension soon for the Toronto and Vancouver
events without specifying a particular circuit.........When Singleton sits
down to draw next year's 20th anniversary celebration, where does he go to
bring back to Toronto people who were so much a part of the event's history?
He goes to Tony George. As distasteful as that may seem to the hordes of
fanatical Champ Car fans, deep in their hearts they must know it, too.
[Editor's Note: Mr. McNulty is going to be very disappointed
when he reads the announcement that Champ Car has soon signed a long-term
extension to race in Toronto and Vancouver....and possibly Calgary.
Rumor has it that Molson and Champ Car will ask that he be replaced from
covering future events after enduring years of negative articles and
pandering to the IRL. This Toronto Star
article sheds light on the real story, that the IRL will soon be
shut out of Toronto for a very long time.]
7/13/04
Mods needed to make IRL cars road race ready
What will be needed to run road courses with today’s IRL cars? It is
generally agreed the left-side suspensions will have to be changed, improved
brakes will be needed, refueling mods are called for and either major
gearbox mods or new gearboxes will be required. A. J. Foyt says it will cost
between $50K to $75K per car to do the job. Not cheap. National Speed
Sport News [Editor's Note: Take those figures and double them.
They left out sets of gears, new sets of springs, they will need a whole new
gearbox because modifying the existing one will result in numerous gearbox
failures, different wings, better clutches, and new radiators to combat
overheating that will result, new exhaust headers, etc.]
7/13/04
Baldwin awaits NASCAR penaltyUPDATE NASCAR NEXTEL Cup crew chief
Tommy Baldwin was fined $10,000 for an incident that occurred this past
weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Baldwin, the crew chief for the #9 Dodge
Dealers/UAW Dodge of Kasey Kahne, was fined $5,000 for violating Section
12-4-A of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Rule Book (Actions detrimental to
stock car racing). That penalty was assessed for being involved in an
altercation in another Competitor’s pit area. Baldwin also was fined $5,000
for violating Section 9-4-A of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Rule Book (The
crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his/her driver, car
owner and team members), and placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2004. The
incident occurred during Sunday’s Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland. NASCAR PR7/13/04 - NASCAR crew chief Tommy Baldwin expects to find out Tuesday what penalty, if
any, he will receive for being the instigator of a pit fracas during
Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. "They'll let us know
(Tuesday). Usually that's fine day," Baldwin said during a break in
Brickyard 400 testing today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Baldwin was
spurred into action when his driver, Kasey Kahne, was knocked into the wall
on a restart by eventual Tropicana 400 winner Tony Stewart. Followed by
several Evernham Motorsports crewmen, Baldwin charged from his pit into the
pit area of Stewart's Joe Gibbs Racing team and a shoving match ensued.
Baldwin expects at least a fine but said he doesn't deserve to be penalized
at all. "I hope (NASCAR) doesn't do anything because I didn't do anything
wrong," he said. "It looked a lot worse than it was." Team owner Ray
Evernham was livid and said Stewart should be suspended. But NASCAR ruled it
a racing incident and said no action would be taken against Stewart.
Indy Star
7/13/04
Silverstone Day 1: Kimi on top
1. K. Raikkonen – McLaren - 1:17.649 – 95 laps
2. D. Coulthard – McLaren - 1:18.026 – 70 laps
3. N. Heidfeld – Jordan - 1:21.397 – 47 laps
7/13/04
Vickers leads week two at Brickyard
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rookie Brian Vickers was fastest among 22
drivers participating in the two-day NASCAR test at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway on July 12-13, turning an unofficial lap of 49.5721 seconds,
181.554 mph July 13 in the No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet.
Teams are at Indianapolis preparing for the 11th Brickyard 400, scheduled
for a 1:30 p.m. (EST, local time) start on Sunday, Aug. 8. More.....
7/13/04
Kentucky Speedway lands sponsor renewal
Kentucky Speedway has extended sponsorship deals with the
Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers and Ford Racing through ’07. Ford
Racing will continue to title sponsor the track’s NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series event. GCFD will remain presenting sponsor of the race,
as well as official car and truck of Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
7/13/04
Molson considering selling Champ Car races
UPDATE We did a little
checking and from what we can gather, Molson won't be selling their
Champ Car races. Selling was a topic weeks ago, but it is no
longer a consideration. 7/13/04 - This Toronto Globe and Mail
article says, Molson Inc. is considering selling some of the
assets of its sports and entertainment division as part of its
enhanced focus on the core brewing business. "We are considering the
possibility of selling Molson Sports and Entertainment," Jo-Ann
McArthur, president of the division, said in an interview yesterday.
"We're just looking at it potentially. It's not at the top of the
list," she hastened to add.
She said any potential sale would exclude Molson's 19.9-per-cent
stake in the legendary Montreal Canadians hockey team as well as
concert producer House of Blues, which is a partnership with HOB
Concerts Canada Ltd. The key assets of Molson Sports and
Entertainment include the three Molson Indy automobile racing venues
in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver; broadcasting, television and DVD
production; the NHL Hockey Archive; events management; and venue
sponsorships.
"We're taking a look at what could be involved [in a possible
sale]," Ms. McArthur said. We're evaluating how we would take
Molson Sports and Entertainment to a broader market for sale."
Molson president and chief executive officer Dan O'Neill has been
struggling lately with a $1.2-billion investment in the Brazilian
beer business that has proven more difficult than anticipated, and
he is also trying to reverse sagging sales at home of its flagship
Molson Canadian brand.
Those efforts are taking place against the backdrop of a feud among
Molson family members over control of the company, as the
speculation mounts that it may end up being sold to a U.S. or
overseas brewing behemoth.
7/13/04
Audi Champion team adds sponsor
Champion Racing is pleased to announce ANSUL, a fire suppression
business of Tyco Fire & Security, as a new sponsor for the Audi R8
Le Mans Prototype competing in the world renowned sports cars
series, the American Le Mans Series. The ADT Champion Racing team
had a perfect start to the series with wins at both Mid-Ohio’s
Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on June 27th, and at Lime Rock
Park in Lakeville, Connecticut just this past weekend.
7/13/04
IRL Kansas TV Rating UPDATE The final TV Rating
for the IRL race on ABC in Kansas dropped from an overnight of 1.4/4
share, to a 1.2, the same final rating as in 2003. Once again,
the IRL shows no signs of growth, this despite Honda and Toyota
pumping millions into the series to prop it up.
7/8/04 - The
overnight ABC broadcast of Sunday's IRL race from Kansas garnered a
1.4/4 share TV rating. This is the same overnight rating as
2003. Last year's final dropped to a 1.2/3 Share, so it will
be interesting to see what this year's final comes in at. The
finals for last weekend will be out next week due to the July 4th
holiday.
7/13/04
Pepsi 400 Ratings down UPDATE The final TV Rating for
the Pepsi 400 on FOX was a 5.2, down a massive 13% from the 6.0
final rating in 2003. 7/8/04 - Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Pepsi 400 from Daytona
International Speedway drew an overnight rating of 5.0 and a 10
share from Nielsen Media Research, the
Sports
Business Daily reports. The figures represent a 2 percent
decline from the 5.1/10 overnight figures in 2003. Last year's
final was a 6.0 rating/13 share so it will be interesting to see if
this year's final makes a big jump.
7/13/04
NASCAR to announce NY City race soon UPDATE According to this
Grandprix.com
article, The plan is to build a 2.5-mile race track, which
would be similar in size to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and
could therefore have an infield road course. Formula 1 is keen to
hold a race in New York but all attempts so far have run into
trouble. This is the first time AutoRacing1 has heard that the
track would be a 2.5 mile Superspeedway. All prior talk was
for a 1.0 or 1.5 mile facility, which would make an infield road
course too Mickey Mouse. 7/13/04 - According to this ESPN.com/AP
article, Start spreading the news, NASCAR could be in New
York soon. NASCAR chairman Brian France said Sunday he hopes to have
an announcement "in the next month or so'' for a track in the New
York City area. NASCAR has looked at several sites in the area, with
Staten Island discussed more than any other. "There's a lot of
momentum in that market,'' France said. "What I know is they're a
lot closer than they were just six months ago. And I think you'll
see some positive announcements come, it would be my hope, in the
next month or so.''
7/13/04
Davidson set to leave BAR, blow to team
Jenson Button is bracing himself for a blow to his BAR team, with the
prospect of Anthony Davidson leaving at the end of the season.
Davidson has caught the attention of plenty of people in the Formula
One paddock with his testing performances this season and is widely
expected to be racing next year. Button confessed Davidson's
impending departure will be a blow to BAR, who have benefited from
the Englishman's hard work in Friday practice this year.
Button said: "He's done a good job, he really has. It's his first
year as a third driver, driving on Fridays - and he has done a good
job. On long runs he is very consistent and he comes up with some
useful information from that. "He's very important for the
team. I'm sure he'll be looking around next year for a race drive,
but it will be a loss for us if he goes. He's very quick."
Daily Mail
7/13/04
Time to pull the plug on NASCAR
Peter DeLorenzo is an ex-PR exec with one of Detroit's Big 3.
He has a website, which is properly named, Autoextremist. In
his latest
article he makes a case for why it is time for Ford, Dodge
and Chevy to pull the plug on their NASCAR programs because all they
are accomplishing is lining the pockets of the owners of NASCAR -
the France family. What does NASCAR actually have to do with
helping Detroit in its quest to hold market share - or even increase
it? DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors spend $75 million each
on their NASCAR programs. That includes direct payouts to teams,
drivers, promotions and advertising support. What, exactly, does
Detroit get for its money? In a few words? Not a damn
thing.
First of all, NASCAR has created a cult of personality based on its
drivers (and their car numbers) and their teams. The drivers are the
first priority for NASCAR's marketing machine, and they've been
extremely successful creating this cult of personality - based on
the number of TV commercials, print ads and promotions that we see
with NASCAR drivers involved.
Second, NASCAR has created a marketing environment for its
participating sponsors second only to the NFL in both its
effectiveness and in the pampering way they treat their sponsor
representatives at the events (which helps mask the fact that the
sponsors are putting more into furthering NASCAR's interests than
they are getting a return for their investments).
Third, NASCAR has created a marketing vehicle only loosely based on
the actual racing. Instead, it's all about "the show" - and NASCAR
does everything in its power to enhance that show - with sponsors,
the car companies and especially the fans taking a backseat to
NASCAR's "vision" for what constitutes entertainment.
What does that last point mean, exactly? It means that
NASCAR has taken gradual steps over the last decade to equalize the
competition, figuring that if "the show" has as close to a boffo
ending every week that they can possibly orchestrate, then the TV
numbers will stay up, and the whole machine can get fueled for even
more sponsor participation - i.e., even more money. But
in their zeal to orchestrate "the show" - NASCAR has proceeded to
make Detroit's participation irrelevant. The cars, masquerading as
the Dodge Intrepid, Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Monte Carlo, are now
defined by "headlights" and grille openings created by different
decals, and if you squint real hard they look like the cars' street
counterparts (sort of), but in fact, the car bodies are identical,
with heavy restrictions due to aerodynamic controls and the quest to
"equalize" the competition. Not to mention the fact that the cars
populate rental car fleets across America and are completely useless
in Detroit's fight in staving off their import competitors.
What is Detroit getting, exactly, from their involvement in NASCAR?
I'll reiterate an earlier point, only this time with an assist from
the late, great R&B singer Edwin Starr - absolutely nothing.
The NASCAR marketing machine is in place to do one thing: Promote,
enhance and expand the NASCAR brand. Period. They use
their drivers to create a "cult of personality" in order to
orchestrate and perpetuate that mission.
Detroit is wasting a cumulative $225
million on NASCAR. And wasting is the operative and dead-accurate
word to use here. Here they are locked in the fight of their lives,
literally for their very survival - and they're pissing away a
quarter of a billion dollars every year to advertise their rental
car fleets and help fuel NASCAR's marketing machine.
What Detroit is doing in NASCAR has nothing to do with racing -
instead, it has everything to do with perpetuating the NASCAR brand
and enhancing "the show." And for those very crucial reasons,
Detroit is being classically underserved in its interests.
More....
7/13/04
Silverstone attracts 195,000
The British Grand Prix attracted 85,000 people more than it did in 2003,
attracting a total of 195,000 spectators over two days and with very few
complaints about traffic jams the race seems to have been a big success,
evidence perhaps that changing the pricing structures is the way forward for
race promoters. Magny-Cours also brought down prices this year and attracted a
much bigger crowd than in previous years. It is very clear from these numbers
that further reductions in ticket prices would push up the numbers more and if
the tracks have the capacity could produce a bigger profit. The biggest
problem for promoters remains the fact that the race fees demanded by the
Formula One group are very high and that a lot of commercial opportunities are
taken away in the contracts that they have to sign. Most of this money goes
out of the sport. There is no doubt that Silverstone is developing
quickly with work going on to revamp the industrial areas and various other
projects being undertaken. The British sports minister Richard Caborn says he
is confident that the British Grand Prix will continue at the track for
another two years and is still talking of developing the facility as "an
industrial centre of excellence for motorsport".
Grandprix.com
7/13/04
More on Ford sues Kahne
NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne is being sued by Ford Motor Co. in Wayne County
Circuit Court for allegedly breaking a contract with Robert Yates Racing to
pursue a more lucrative deal to drive Dodge race cars. Kahne, 24, is the top
rookie on the Nextel Cup circuit. He is 14th in the points standings after
18 races and has five top-five finishes. Ford has not yet said how much it
would seek in damages, but according to a summons filed in court Friday, the
breach of contract is more than $25,000. According to the lawsuit, Ford and
Yates signed a contract with Kahne that required him to drive Ford cars for
the team and appear in promotional activities. But last October, according
to documents filed in court by the plaintiff, Kahne dropped Ford and started
driving Dodges for a team owned by Ray Evernham. Kahne took over the #9
Dodge for Evernham Motorsports after Bill Elliott decided to run a limited
schedule this season. Kahne's lawyer, Harvey Heller, said Monday that as a
policy the firm did not comment on cases involving its clients but said an
answer to the charge will be filed in court later this week.
Detroit Free Press
7/13/04
Stewart/Kahne
- the final word “Everybody is ready to fight, and it’s the
same guy week in and week out,” said Ray Everham (right) owner of the #9
Kasey Kahne Dodge. “ Tony Stewart loses his temper again and takes us
out for the second time this year, something has to be done.”
After a re-start following a yellow flag for debris, Tony Stewart ran into
the back of Kasey Kahne which caused Kahne to spin out and hit the wall. As
a result of the accident, Kahne’s car was damaged so badly that it had to be
towed into the garage. The event infuriated pit crew member Tommy Baldwin of
Kahne’s crew so much that he ran down the pit lane and began a shouting
match with the crew of Tony Stewart's team. The argument escalated to the
point that a shoving match broke out which required NASCAR Officials to jump
in and tackle members to prevent an outright brawl. “ That’s just Tony
Stewart doing what he’s been doing all year, driving like a moron, you
know,” said Baldwin after the fight (Fight photo below right by Rick
Schenk).
“I
was there, I was right behind him. I don’t know whatever happened but for
some reason his car just slowed down,” said Stewart. “ It could have taken
us out just as easily. I’m surprised it didn’t tear up my car more than it
did,” said Stewart. “ I didn’t need to take him out because I clearly had a
car that was capable of running away at will. When Stewart was asked if
NASCAR should impose a penalty to Baldwin for his actions in the pit,
Stewart replied. “ Why not, last week I went down to someone else’s pit and
didn’t even touch him, and I got a big fine, so why not.” Following the post
race press conference Stewart added, “ If you have a question ask it now,
because I’m going home and I’m not turning on my phone for two weeks.”
“I was getting ready to shift into fourth,” said Kahne. “As I pulled it into
fourth my car turned right and went into the wall. Obviously, the #20 car
just put us into the wall. I don’t know why he would do that.” Kahne was in
twelfth place going into Chicagoland and had an opportunity to move into the
top ten after ninth place driver, Ryan Newman ( #12 Alltel Dodge ) was
involved in an accident earlier in the race. Following the race, Kahne
dropped to fourteenth and Newman dropped to tenth. Stewart keeps his first
place position. Kahne’s team will await NASCAR'S decision on possible point
penalties which may drop him farther down the list.
NASCAR Spokesperson, Kurt Branham stated, “After reviewing the incident,
NASCAR has determined that the incident on the track was a normal racing
incident ( no intentional wrong doing ) and no fines will be imposed on
Stewart.” When asked about penalties regarding the pit row fight, he
replied, “ We will address that later this week.” Ron Reinhold
7/13/04
Ralf wants to return early
After his serious accident at Indianapolis, Ralf Schumacher still isn’t in a
condition to return to the cockpit, but he is keen on coming back soon.
When Ralf returned from the US Grand Prix and his doctors found that he had
suffered a vertebrae injury, they told him that he would need approximately
eight to twelve weeks to recover. But, being a committed racing driver with a
highly professional attitude, the German would love to return to the wheel as
soon as possible.
Ralf contacts the BMW WilliamsF1 Team on a regular basis and has confirmed
several times that he is working hard to achieve a condition enabling him to
perform an early comeback. Although his brother Michael – who missed six races
after his Silverstone shunt back in 1999 – has advised Ralf to take it easy,
the BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver hopes to be able to come back earlier than his
doctors have predicted.
“Had my condition been good enough, I would have returned to the cockpit for
Magny-Cours,” explained Ralf, thus denying all rumors that his motivation
might have suffered because of the accident. “I’m desperate to come back as
soon as possible to successfully contest the remainder of the season for the
BMW WilliamsF1 Team.”
BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen is also convinced that Ralf is highly
motivated to contest further races this year. “I have talked to Ralf and he
was rather optimistic to be able to come back earlier than the doctors have
advised,” said Theissen. “Ralf believes to be able to be back in time for the
Hungarian Grand Prix, but I’m not so sure if his doctors will allow him to do
so.”
Be that as it may, one thing is clear: the winner of the 2001 German Grand
Prix won’t have recovered in time to contest this year’s race, taking place on
25th July at the Hockenheimring. Williams BMW
7/13/04
More improvements for Williams
Since the French Grand Prix, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team has been using a new aero
package. Now, further development steps are scheduled to follow writes
Williams BMW technical chief Sam Michaels.
The BMW WilliamsF1 Team is working flat out to successfully enhance the
WilliamsF1 BMW FW26. The goal: to be able to contest the last races of the
2004 season as successfully as the team has been in the past.
The first step on the way back to success has been the new aero package
introduced at Magny-Cours, but according to WilliamsF1's Technical Director,
Sam Michael, further improvements will follow soon, “We’ve got quite an
aggressive development program over the next three or four races to bring
parts to that package,” said Michael.
“We made quite a big change to the side pod and the floor and it was really
just a change of direction in comparison to what we had before. The initial
step brought more downforce, but it wasn’t a step that we ever believed would
put us up to Ferrari straightaway.”
Prior to the German Grand Prix, a home race for BMW, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team
will complete another intensive three-day test at Jerez de la Frontera. This
test will run from Wednesday to Friday and the team will use it to further
improve the performance of the WilliamsF1 BMW FW26. Williams BMW
DEI re-signs Waltrip
NBC reported during its prerace show that Michael Waltrip and sponsor NAPA
had re-signed with Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s #15 Chevrolet for next year.
Speculation on Waltrip's future was fueled in early June when Dale Earnhardt
Jr. said Waltrip would like to finish his career at DEI but might not get
the opportunity.
Richmond Times Dispatch
7/13/04
Calgary vs. Edmonton A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1.com, Regarding the rumored new
Canadian races on your rumors page, I'm hoping against hope that Calgary in
Alberta, Canada gets a Champ Car race sooner rather than later. Either
Calgary or Edmonton would be ideal for me, since I live in downtown Calgary,
but being born in Edmonton, I frequent much of my summer there (about 30
days a year). Either city would be a good candidate for a race. I fly to
Vancouver every year, and if both Alberta and Vancouver hosted races, I
would attend them both.
The positives for Calgary are the massive amount of corporate dollars
available. That and the fact that Calgary's Airport is the provincial hub.
Calgary also gets behind it's events big time. The Stampede and Winter
Olympics are prime examples. Negatives about Calgary? Where would the
race be held? Downtown streets in Calgary are notoriously narrow.
(Very similar to Denver.)
Positives about Edmonton? First off, racing history. Bobby Rahal had
his first professional race at the old Edmonton International Speedway. And
Edmonton has been host in the past to the NHRA, as well as Can-Am. However,
there is an obvious place for Edmonton's track. Edmonton has a large
municipal airport literally right downtown. It has been host to CASCAR
events in the past, and would be absolutely ideal for a Champ Car race. I've
been to that CASCAR race, and imagined how perfect Champ Car would be there.
Another "Cleveland" would be awesome. I remember my first big event as a kid
was watching Teo Fabi and Paul Newman racing those 1000hp Can-Am beasts at
the old speedway. It was really cool. Also, Edmonton summer nights are
notoriously long, warm and sunny. During the summer solstice, the sun does
not set until midnight. Negatives for Edmonton? It isn't the provincial
airport hub, connections are more difficult, and it is not as corporate of a
city as Calgary, Edmonton is much more blue collar, (although that may
actually be a positive, sports-wise).
Either city would be an excellent host for the race. And if people wonder if
there are Champ Car fans in Edmonton and Calgary, well, last year, on my
flight back to Edmonton after the Vancouver race, the plane was PACKED with
race fans. Lots of #3 shirts and hats were being worn, and the chatter on
the plane was about Tracy's big win. And a friend who was flying back home
to Calgary, said the flight back home was equally packed with race fans.
As for Winnipeg? I think it would also be a good destination, however,
it is rather far from any other large metropolitan areas, and may not be
able to draw as well. Also, the economy in Winnipeg is not as strong as
Calgary's is right now. With that said, I have talked to people in Vancouver
who flew from Winnipeg to catch the race, so obviously, there are Champ Car
fans all over the province. Edmonton and Calgary are only two and a half
hours apart by car and have each other to draw upon, so in Alberta, you
would have a population base of over 2 million to draw upon.
Either way, Edmonton, Calgary or even Winnipeg, I'd be first in line to get
my tickets. Looking forward to Vancouver, (and hopefully another
western Canadian race, very very soon!) Jason Hoehn
7/13/04
Chicago's lack of NASCAR coverage
Chicagoland Speedway is viewed as a gateway to the nation's No. 3 television
market for NASCAR, its teams and sponsors. But the only view of the Windy
City's famous skyline from the 1.5-mile track is when its grandstands are
empty, and the vacant seats form an orange and blue pattern of skyscrapers.
The Joliet track is located about 45 miles southwest from the Loop, about an
hour-long drive. The distance might explain why the Nextel Cup Series, which
normally enjoys blanket coverage while crisscrossing the country each week,
has struggled for exposure in the metropolitan area. NASCAR couldn't bump
the Cubs, White Sox or Olympic trials off the cover of yesterday's sports
section in the Chicago Tribune, the city's biggest daily newspaper. The
Tribune had two stories on Saturday's events buried on Page 13. Local
television wasn't much better. The two inflatable oranges that got loose
during Busch qualifying Friday dominated the weekend's telecasts,
overshadowing Jeff Gordon's fourth straight pole position.
Richmond Times Dispatch
7/13/04
Chicago overnight ratings up
NBC’s broadcast of Sunday's Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway drew a 5.2
overnight rating and 11 share from Nielsen Media Research. The overnight
rating was up 6.1 percent from the 4.9 last year and represented the highest
figure for the race since NBC began carrying it.
The Sports
Business Daily also reports that NBC's broadcast of Saturday's Tropicana
Twister 300 Busch Series race drew a 2.1/5 overnight, up 17 percent from the
1.8/5 in 2003. NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter
7/13/04
LA newspaper trivia
The Los Angeles
Daily News now list F1 practice, qualification and racing under “Auto
Racing” in the Sports TV listings. Interestingly, they have posted the ET
times, so folks will tune in three hours late. And for the last two races
they have had a separate heading: “CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES” which listed the
correct time for the SPIKE broadcast. Jeff Skinner, Northridge, CA
7/13/04
Champ Car vs. F1
A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1, I watched the British GP and
the Toronto race and I was struck by the following. Many times this season
Champ Car starts have ended up with a full yellow incident straight away.
Honestly, any orchestra where the conductor has to stop the music after the
first few bars and restart the show would soon go out of business. The show
needs to flow. In F1, the safety car at Silverstone was
noticeable because it is so rare. The TV production in F1 is a lot better,
the cars are in closer focus, the sponsors logos are more visible too. The
graphics are better. The Champ Car ticker goes too fast to read without
distracting the eyes of the viewer from the show, in F1 the graphics for the
positions of cars are static and can easily be read without taking your eyes
off the action. One area where CART was a clear leader in the
late 90s was letting viewers listen in on the car-team radio. I'll never
forget Michael Andretti colliding with PT on a short oval and shouting "That
guy's an as**ole" for all to hear. F1 leads in driver discipline, see how
Schumacher, unlike PT, seems to avoid incidents and bides his time, without
trying to get past every car at every corner. Schumi sat behind Button at
Silverstone and chose when to go for the lead. A true champion knows when to
choose his battles. This comparison is not quite fair on Champ
Car, as the similarity of the cars means that like is fighting like, in F1
it is hare vs. rabbit, but Toronto was ruined for too many by drivers trying
too hard to pass and crashing into others. Schumi only seems to crash into
other drivers when, like Hill and Villeneuve they are passing him for the
World Championship. Can OWRS learn from this and improve the show? Ed
McFarlane, Goadby, England Dear Ed, You make a lot of good points.
There are a lot of accidents in turn 1 for Champ Car because they use
rolling starts instead of standing starts. Not only is the entry speed
into the corner higher, but there is an accordion effect because the guys in
the back have a much longer run into the first corner than they would if it
were a standing start because rolling starts are so strung out, hence there is a much greater speed differential
and everything happens at a greater speed.
Also, the Champ Cars are big, wide and heavy compared to a F1 car for a
tight unforgiving circuit like Toronto. We have called for Champ Car
to reduce the weight and size of Champ Cars (to F1 size) for years now. As for the
TV production, F1 uses many more cameras and hence the cars look faster and
the shots are up closer. Their audio is also much better, you can hear
the scream of the V10, whereas the sound of the turbo Champ Car engine
sounds muffled and unexciting on TV. Mark C.
7/13/04
Nashville tidbits
The IRL is in Nashville this coming Saturday night.
IndyCar Series drivers face concrete
challenge: The IRL IndyCar Series makes its fourth visit to the
1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway, the only concrete facility on the
schedule. The concrete surface puts a premium on handling as track
conditions change throughout the race, which begins at twilight and ends
under the lights. Last season, 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran
claimed the victory in the season's final night race. Season reaches midpoint: The Firestone Indy 200 marks the
midpoint of the 2004 IndyCar Series schedule. The only driver to earn the
IndyCar Series title after leading at mid-season was Sam Hornish Jr. in
2001. Andretti Green Racing driver Tony Kanaan hopes to turn his strong
first half into a title, but his Andretti Green Racing teammate Dan Wheldon
and Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice each have won two races and are his
closest competition for the title. Local links: IndyCar Series driver Dario Franchitti is a
native of Scotland, but the driver of the No. 27 ArcaEx
Dallara/Honda/Firestone calls Nashville home. In addition, Nashville-based
Firestone provides all of the tires for every Indy Racing League team. The
company recently opened a distribution center near Nashville Superspeedway
in Lebanon, Tenn,, which typically handles 90,000 tires per day and services
customers in the company's mid-South region, shipping tires to every state
east of the Mississippi River. Firestone also serves as title sponsor of the
Firestone Indy 200. Racing and music join forces again: The Firestone Indy 200
pre-race Capitol Records Summer Concert Series will feature country music
star Trace Adkins, whose hits include "I Left Something Turned On At Home,"
"Chrome," "I'm Tryin'" and "Hot Mama." Past concerts at Nashville events
have featured Wynonna and Brad Paisley. Medeiros takes aim at IRL record: Menards Infiniti Pro Series
points leader Thiago Medeiros can set an IRL record if he wins at Nashville.
A victory in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series Cleanevent 100 would be
Medeiros' fourth consecutive win, breaking the mark he currently shares with
IndyCar Series driver Kenny Brack and Menards Infiniti Pro Series driver
Mark Taylor. Concrete suits Barron: Red Bull Cheever Racing driver Alex
Barron has finished in the top five in each of his two visits to Nashville
Superspeedway. Barron won his debut at the track in 2002 and finished fifth
at the track last season.
7/13/04
Tracy symbolizes bush-league Champ Car Series
UPDATE A reader writes, Don’t
worry what the Toronto Star prints, it is just a tabloid rag that is only
good for lining bird cages. All of the respected newspapers in Canada ( ie
National Post, the Globe and Mail) gave a factual write-up of the event,
including the excellent attendance figures which certainly matter more than
the opinion of some Star hack. Ross Baillie, Vancouver
7/12/04 - This Toronto Star
article cuts the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford to
shreds. As we have seen in almost all Champ Car markets, there
is always one reporter from the local newspaper who writes a
scathing article in an effort to discredit the Champ Car Series in
an effort to get the IRL to replace Champ Car in that city.
The reporter even suggests the Champ Car race be replaced with an
IRL event.
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