NASCAR to strip cheaters of tires NASCAR has notified teams that they could lose tires for a race as a penalty for further inspection issues.
It was a point Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, made Monday on “The Morning Drive” on Sirius NASCAR Radio.
Asked about inspection violations, Miller said: “If we continue to have problems, there’s the potential to add more penalties, take tires away, do several different things to kind of make it more painful for the teams not to qualify. We don’t really want to have to do that, but we do have some things in our back pocket in case we continue to struggle."
Robby Gordon Takes Gossage For Wild Stadium Super Trucks Ride Former NASCAR/INDYCAR star Robby Gordon gives Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage a thrilling ride in a Speed Energy Stadium Super Truck on the speedway’s recently completed course. The package includes Go-Pro footage inside the 2-seater truck cockpit of Gordon and Gossage giving the new layout, which includes multiple jumps, a test run before the series arrives Friday for its opening practice session. Comment
Tesla Inc. will open as many as 20 large factories worldwide as it makes multiple models of electric cars and batteries to store energy, co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said yesterday.
Speaking at a shareholder meeting at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., Musk outlined a vision of the company as far larger than it is now and one helping to bring a package of carbon-free solutions.
He said the company is making the transition from an electric carmaker to a "fully integrated sustainable energy company." Tesla acquired SolarCity Corp. last year and now is selling EVs, batteries and solar.
Williams Martini Racing and Canada Life Announce New Partnership
Another sponsor for Stroll
WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING and Canada Life are proud to announce a new multiyear agreement to support Lance Stroll as he continues his debut season in Formula One.
It had been over ten years since a Canadian driver lined up on the Formula One grid, but this year Lance will take to the track for his home Grand Prix in the same year that Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, and his hometown of Montreal celebrates its 375th. As part of the agreement, Canada Life branding will appear on Lance Stroll’s race overalls and on the Williams Mercedes FW40 race car from this weekend’s race.
NASCAR issues four-race suspension to Kyle Busch crew chief, crew members Kyle Busch crew chief Adams Stevens, tire carrier Kenny Barber and tire changer Jake Seminara were suspended four races on Wednesday after a wheel came off the No. 18 Toyota during a pit stop on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.
The punishment is described as the “mandatory minimum” for the violation of Sections 10.9.10.4.C: Tires and Wheels; 12.5.2.6.3.c.Minimum Safety Penalty Options.
Track construction of the 2.89 km (1.786 miles), 11-turn temporary street circuit has begun inside the Exhibition Place grounds for next month's Honda Indy Toronto, July 14-16. The final racing layout will once again feature four left and seven right turns running clockwise direction.
Led by Jim Tario, Director of Track Operations, who has built the Toronto circuit for 30 years, approximately 200 expert crew members will assist in completing the project with much of the work happening at night. Construction will be near completion with Lake Shore Drive closing at 12 midnight on Wednesday, July 12 for the race weekend.
NASCAR Dover TV rating drops NASCAR Cup Series racing from Dover, Del., earned a 2.1 final rating and 3.4 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 Sunday afternoon - down 16% in ratings and viewership from last year (2.5, 3.99M) and down 16% and 15% respectively from 2015 (3.9, 3.94M).
Jimmie Johnson's win ranks as the lowest rated edition of the race since at least 1998 and the least-watched since at least 2001. That includes 2011, when coverage was postponed to a Monday afternoon.
UPDATE Plainfield, IL (June 7, 2017) – Tristan Vautier has been selected to drive the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry at this weekend’s RAINGUARD Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) alongside Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Ed Jones who will be making his first appearance on the high-speed oval.
Vautier, the 2012 Indy Lights Champion, last raced for the team during the 2015 season making 11 starts, which included both his last oval start at Pocono Raceway as well as his last visit to Texas Motor Speedway.
Lawsuit against Michael Waltrip Racing can go to trial A pit crew member's wrongful-firing lawsuit against Michael Waltrip Racing can go to trial, a judge ruled last Wednesday (5-31-2017).
In a 69-page opinion, Mecklenburg County Superior Court Judge Louis Bledsoe III allowed all of former tire changer Brandon Hopkins' termination claims to be heard by a jury. The judge also let some of Hopkins' claims against Michael Waltrip Racing and a team official for conduct after his firing to proceed to trial.
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing prepares to defend Le Mans 24 Hours title In 2016 Ford had a new car, a new team and a new challenge: to win at Le Mans 50 years after taking a 1-2-3 victory at the 1966 Le Mans race.
The team delivered an historic victory and since then has become even stronger, winning races all over the world, competing in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Video: 2017 Monaco Grand Prix Strategy Analysis How did the Mercedes F1 Strategy Team make the most out of a tricky weekend at the Monaco GP where Ferrari dominated? Comment
Video: Challenge Accepted! Lewis vs. Ricci - Ping Pong, F1 Style! Check out what happened when three-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton challenged Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Senior Race Engineer Ricci Musconi to a battle of the paddles! Comment
Visor-Cam footage of Rahal's Finish at TMS in 2016 Visor-cam footage of winner Graham Rahal that showcases the closing laps of last year’s thrilling finish in the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Rahal’s visor-cam footage takes you through the dramatic final laps of his victory over James Hinchcliffe by 0.0080 of a second, the closest race in speedway history and fifth-closest in Indy-car annals. Comment
Doug Duchardt To Leave Hendrick Motorsports Doug Duchardt, executive vice president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, is leaving the company at the end of June.
Duchardt joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 as vice president of development after a long career with General Motors. He was promoted to general manager in 2013.
Drunken Bubba climbs fence above active raceway at Dover (Update) UPDATE It wasn’t fake news or a replay of Richmond International Raceway from a few years ago, someone really did climb the fence in Turn 4 during the closing laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Raceway and when he finally came down, he was "rapidly apprehended."
As the laps ticked down under a late caution, fans in Turn 4 began Tweeting photos of a person sitting atop the fence over the track, which prompted some to think the pics were fake because NASCAR officials never addressed it over their public radio channels. However, a NASCAR spokesperson confirmed the climber was real and NASCAR security, along with CSC (Contemporary Security Corporation) guards took John Infanti into custody and turned him over to Dover police officers.
Video: Motorsports news and rumors for week of June 4th AutoRacing1.com analyzes the latest hotnews and rumors in the world of motorsports for the week of June 4, 2017 Comment
Algarve Int'l Circuit owners have "begun talks with Formula 1's owners regarding bringing the championship back to Portugal." The Portuguese Grand Prix last took place in '96. Work was completed on the 100,000-capacity, 2.9-mile circuit in '08. Discussions are at "an early stage." MOTORSPORT
California won't reach its clean car goal without China
Jerry Brown (D), American enemy #1, looking to take jobs from Americans and ship them overseas
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) wants Chinese companies to fill the state's demand for electric vehicles.
Brown signed agreements Sunday and yesterday with two Chinese provinces to work on clean energy and climate change policies and called for Chinese companies to begin selling more electric vehicles in California to help it meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
In the wake of President Trump's announced withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement (the Paris deal was a redistribution of American wealth to overseas countries. Obama loved taking from the USA and giving it to others) Brown has said he sees China as the world's best hope for leading global emissions reduction efforts. He is in China this week to drum up support for climate policies, including emissions trading and renewable energy generation (of course this is complete BS as there are plenty of American companies making EVs with many more on the drawing boards to meet the demand).
States need to follow the Fed lead on autonomous legislation The rush by states to pass regulations meant to attract development and testing of autonomous vehicles (AVs) runs the risk of creating unintended obstacles writes Neil Abt of Fleet Owner.
That was a takeaway from the latest report from the Eno Center for Transportation, which also studied how states can better align future infrastructure and workforce investments with the rapidly evolving technology.
FOX Sports releases 2017 LeMans broadcast schedule FOX Sports has released its coverage plans for next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bob Varsha and Brian Till set to host the twice-around-the-clock, multi-platform coverage, which begins Sat., June 17 (8:30 a.m. ET) on FS1 and FOX Sports GO.
With dozens of stories to cover throughout the exhausting race, Varsha believes one story may just rise above the rest.
Motorsport Network hires NASCAR Digital Media executive as group CEO
Colin Smith with run Motorsport Network's monopoly
Miami, FL – Former NASCAR Digital Media Vice President Colin Smith will join the Miami-based Motorsport Network as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Leveraging Motorsport.com as its core site, Motorsport Network has experienced rapid growth in the past two years to become the world’s largest independent automotive and motorsport-related digital platform connecting hundreds of millions of people that love motorsport and cars.
Wallace To Be First African-American To Race In Monster Cup Since '06
Bubba Wallace
Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. is "set to become the first African-American driver to race at NASCAR’s top level" since '06, starting this weekend with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 at Pocono Raceway, according to Heather Tucker of USA TODAY.
Wallace will "fill in for the injured Aric Almirola" in Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 Ford. Wallace has been competing in the NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck series "for the past five years" and becomes "only the fourth African-American driver to race one of NASCAR’s top national series."
The GP3 Series paddock has gathered at the Hungaroring in Budapest for a two day test mid-season session ahead of Round 2 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria next month. ART’s George Russell was the quickest man in both sessions of the opening day, with a fastest laptime of 1:32.159 set in the morning session, ahead of Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Lorandi in P2 and P3 of the overall timings.
Canada GP - Carlos Sainz 360 hotlap - Scuderia Toro Rosso This weekend we head for Montreal and the Canadian Grand Prix. The seventh round of the F1 World Championship takes place on the unusual circuit named in memory of the unforgettable Gilles Villeneuve. Ready for a virtual lap of the track with our driver Carlos Sainz? Lets go! Comment
IndyCar Detroit TV Rating's plummet (Update) UPDATE The final TV ratings are in for the Detroit GP races on ABC. Sunday's final rating for Race 2 of the doubleheader was a 0.62 with 918,000 viewers tuned in, down 40.4% from 2016's rating of 1.04 and the 2015 rating of 1.0 all on ABC.
Saturday's final rating for Race 1 of the doubleheader was a 0.57 with 847,000 tuned in, down 30.5% from 2016's rating of 0.82 and the 2015 rating of 0.7.
COTA to host postponed SprintX Round 4 in PWC Labor Day Headliner Weekend
COTA action
WC Vision, producers of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships, announced today that Circuit of the Americas will host the rained out CTMP Round 4 of the SprintX division set for Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) at the state-of-the-art racing facility east of Austin.
After a heavy rain storm washed out the May 21 SprintX Round 4 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the WC Vision officials were forced to reschedule the 60-minute, two-driver, one pit stop sprint event for later in the 2017 PWC season.
After tying Cale Yarborough on the Monster Energy Series all-time wins list and earning his 11th victory at the Monster Mile, Jimmie Johnson spent Monday morning having Basal Cell Carcinoma removed from his shoulder.
Known as BCC, the type of skin cancer is one that begins in the basal cells and is very common, caused by excessive exposure to the sun.
Although it’s not a way the seven-time champion had hoped to celebrate his 83rd career victory, the fact that he caught it early was a victory in itself.
Look at all the marbles on the track without a tire war. Recall the tire war days and the tons of rubber on the track, making passing near impossible. Tire wars always result in teams on the best tires having complete domination. F1 is 99% car. Add a tire war and it will be 99.5% car.
Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera says F1's sole tire supplier would welcome a tire war as they like competition.
Pirelli have been Formula 1's sole tire supplier since 2011, having replaced Bridgestone.
Despite a history of complete disasters whenever there was a tire war, Tronchetti Provera says Pirelli would welcome it.
He told Autosport: "We race everywhere in the world, alone and against others.
"We like competition.
"When we race with the others, we win.
"We're ready for any competition, with anybody."
Speaking of the teams' "willingness" to have just one tire supplier, he added: "I never heard in the last years or months any will to change."
Challenge Accepted! Valtteri vs. Tony - Ping Pong, F1 Style! Check out what happened when Silver Arrows Formula One superstar Valtteri Bottas challenged Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Senior Race Engineer Tony Ross to a battle of the paddles! Comment
Video: Monaco - The Bits You Didn't See An alternative angle on the 2017 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, courtesy of photographic ace Paul Ripke! Comment
HPD Trackside -- Honda IndyCar Sunday Detroit GP Race Report Despite a late-race red flag, Graham Rahal and Honda completed a dominant performance Sunday in Detroit, as Rahal became the first driver to win both races of the Verizon IndyCar Series double header weekend on the Motor City’s Belle Isle Park temporary street circuit. Comment
Gutierrez ruled out as replacement for Sebastien Bourdais at Texas
Esteban Gutierrez out for Texas
Dale Coyne Racing had hoped to get Esteban Gutierrez, Bourdais’ replacement for the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader, approved to drive at Texas Motor Speedway, but he needed to test on an oval first.
A Coyne official told The Indianapolis Star that the team requested that Verizon IndyCar Series officials allow Gutierrez to test at Chicagoland Speedway this week, but the request was denied by IndyCar on the grounds that this part of the calendar is a testing blackout period.
An IndyCar official told The Indianapolis Star that the series’ statement on the matter is only that “Gutierrez is not approved to run at Texas.”
NASCAR Truck Series Teams Continue To Have Financial Struggles
NASCAR should have deep-six'ed the Truck series years ago. With motorsports in a free-fall there needs to be some consolidation. If not the Xfinity series will be next to go under.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is seeing its teams "battle financial challenges while facing questions about a schedule that has veered from its grassroots beginning," according to Dustin Long of NBCSPORTS.com.
Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski, who owns a team in the Truck Series, said that his truck operation lost $1M in '14. But he noted that figure is "still the average for his organization."
Red Horse Racing, which ran in the Truck Series for 13 years, "suspended operations May 22 after struggling to find sponsorship."
Roush Fenway deep-six #6 RFR announced on Monday that they will suspend the operations on their #6 Xfinity car despite Bubba Wallace doing so well and being a championship contender this season. They cited financial concerns as the culprit and will search and evaluate sponsorship opportunities as they come around the rest of the season.
Luckily for Wallace, he was also named today as the full-time replacement driver in the No. 43 Ford for Aric Almirola with Richard Petty Motorsports until Almirola will be able to return. Almirola, broke his back at Kansas on May 13 and has an 8-12 week recovery time table.
Video: Jimmie Johnson Makes History With 83rd Win Jimmie Johnson wins his 83rd career race to tie Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list. It was Johnson's 11th win at Dover. Comment
Video: The Racing Life Of NASCAR's Danica Patrick From the Daytona 500 to Homestead Miami, life as a NASCAR driver isn’t all glitz and glamor – it’s 40 weeks of relentless travel, competition, risk and reward. Mobil 1 The Grid spoke to Stewart-Haas Racing’s Danica Patrick to find out what makes life on the road exhausting and gratifying in equal measure. Comment
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Bubba Wallace will transition from its No. 6 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) Ford Mustang to the iconic No. 43 Ford Fusion of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) where the 23-year-old will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at Pocono Raceway.
“We are very proud of Bubba and his development at Roush Fenway Racing,” said team president Steve Newmark. “We believe that Bubba has tremendous potential and will continue to excel in NASCAR’s top series. He has been a great representative of our organization both on and off the track and we’ve enjoyed being part of his growth as a driver. Our entire team is excited to see him take the next step in his career and make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the No. 43.
Chip Ganassi Racing Announces Partnership with 5.11
Ganassi Crew
Today, Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced a partnership with California-based 5.11--the global innovator in tactical apparel and gear--to become the new apparel, gear and accessories outfitter of the racing organization. 5.11 will also serve as the official partner of the CGR pit crews and associated training facilities at the Concord, N.C. and Indianapolis-based race shops.
Under the new partnership, 5.11 and CGR will create unique social and digital content featuring the pit crews throughout the remainder of the 2017 racing season. 5.11 will also be an associate partner on the No. 1 Chevrolet SS driven by Jamie McMurray for two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races.
Video: Kyle Busch Post-Media interview "I'm not surprised" Kyle Busch was not happy that the kid born with the silver spoon in his mouth won the Coca-Cola 600. Did Busch think Dillon was gifted the win, i.e. did he get the call and that is what Busch was miffed about? After he dropped the mic he walked out. Comment
Coming off his doubleheader win in Detroit this past weekend, can Rahal repeat his Texas win from a year ago?
It's near impossible to peg a favorite in IndyCar these days writes Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram.
Seven races, seven different winners so far in the open-wheel circuit. Parity is even prevalent in the winners, too, with five different countries being represented. A couple Frenchmen, an Aussie, two Americans, a Canadian and now a Japanese driver have all visited Victory Lane.
The winners have hailed from powerhouse teams such as Team Penske to smaller shops such as Dale Coyne Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
Pirelli previews the Canadian GP Milan, – Following two events in Europe, Formula 1 heads to the Canadian Grand Prix, widely acknowledged as one of the most unpredictable races of the year. Just like Monaco, the three softest compounds in the P Zero Formula 1 range are present: soft, supersoft and ultrasoft. But this semi-permanent track is much quicker, with top speeds exceeding 300kph, and so poses a bigger challenge for both cars and tires. With a slippery surface, changeable weather and a relatively high incidence of safety cars – thanks mainly to the famous ‘wall of champions’ – a wide variety of race strategies has been seen in the past. But this year, we have a brand-new range of tires and different characteristics…
Scott Dixon displayed his warrior-like mentality on Belle Isle, coming to the island battered and bruised from his crash in the Indianapolis 500, definitely disappointed from his worst finish (32nd) in the IndyCar series premier race.
Dixon had no time to nurse his ailing left ankle -- which was broken or definitely bruised -- instead needing to climb back in his No. 9 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing and continue his fight for the IndyCar series championship.
Video: Legge and Lally give Shank first Acura win A strong qualifying performance and fast opening stint from Katherine Legge, followed by a quick pit stop by the Michael Shank Racing team and successful closing run by co-driver Andy Lally, netted the first victory for the Acura NSX GT3 in international sports car racing Saturday on the Belle Isle Park temporary street circuit in Detroit, Michigan. Comment
Video Highlights of 2017 Detroit GP Race #2 Shot list: • Green flag start, first five turns and lots of racing action • No. 98 Alexander Rossi makes pass on No. 27 Marco Andretti • No. 26 Takuma Sato leads the field • No. 9 Scott Dixon, No. 12 Will Power and No. 1 Simon Pagenaud battle
Wolff's driver Hamilton did not want to test the new Pirellis after last season because his fragile ego could not take getting beat by Rosberg. Now Mercedes is paying the price
Tire situation 'an Italian mystery' - Wolff
Magnussen sitting out sessions due to contract
Russia wants later race date in 2018
Monaco to build new F1 pits for 2018
Malone, Mateschitz in 'secret' F1 meeting
Force India angry after race number controversy
Stewart tips Vettel to beat Hamilton in 2017
Ferrari has 'better car' - Ecclestone
Less extreme 'T-wings' from now - Force India
Alonso unsure over Honda engine upgrade
Formula 1 Aiming For More Than 21 Races Per Season, Sean Bratches Says
Toyota beats 2016 pole, mops up Porsche at LeMans 24 test Toyota swept the top-3 positions in the 24 Hours of LeMans test session held Sunday.
Kamui Kobayashi ended up fastest with a 3m18.132s aboard the #7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID, which was more than a second and a half up on Neel Jani's 2016 pole time for Porsche.
Those times put him ahead of the #8 Toyota in which Kazuki Nakajima had led the way during the morning of the test.
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