Kevin Ward Jr.'s family issues statement saying 'the matter is not at rest'

The family of Kevin Ward Jr. issued a statement Wednesday afternoon that strongly hinted at a civil lawsuit after an Ontario County (N.Y.) grand jury said that it would not indict Tony Stewart in Ward's death on Aug. 9.

Ward, 20, was struck and killed by Stewart after the two were racing together in a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. After Ward's car hit the wall, he exited the car and came down the track to confront Stewart, where he was hit by the right-rear tire of Stewart's car.

Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo announced the grand jury's decision and said video evidence showed Stewart drove in a straight line, that toxicology reports determined that Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time and it was an amount enough to "impair his judgment."

The marijuana revelation, previously unreported, provided new evidence that transferred the focus of responsibility from Stewart back to Ward, something his family took issue with.

Here's the family's statement.

"Our son got out of his car during caution when the race was suspended. All the other vehicles were reducing speed and not accelerating except for Stewart, who intentionally tried to intimidate Kevin by accelerating and sliding his car toward him, causing the tragedy. The focus should be on the actions of Mr. Stewart. This matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to Kevin.?

Stewart was not subject to toxicology reports but Tantillo said the NASCAR star met with a drug recognition expert after the incident and there was no basis to believe that Stewart was under the influence of anything. According to New York law, a person who isn't arrested cannot be compelled to submit a toxicology sample.

Tantillo said that two videos were used as evidence in the case. While there are no criminal charges in the matter, the Ward family could file a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court.

"Those videos were examined in detail. They were enhanced. They were run through programs that allow the frames to be isolated," Tantillo said. "They were run at 75, 50 and 25 percent speed. They were overlaid with grids and data and they were pretty important piece of the evidence here.

"The videos did not demonstrate any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart until the point of impact with Kevin Ward, at which his vehicle veered to the right, up the track as a result of the collision. Prior to that his course was pretty straight."

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/ward-family-issues-statement-saying--the-matter-is-not-at-rest-215917279.html

John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello

Iowa Rain Out Causes Pit Crew Problems

On a normal NASCAR weekend when the Truck Series and/or Nationwide Series run companion to the Cup cars, there are a lot of pit crew members who double or triple dip. Crew members make some extra cash and get more reps, and the teams get top talent pitting their cars. But this last weekend presented […]

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Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow

2014 Magny-Cours World Superbike FP2: Giugliano Ups The Pace

Davide Giugliano sets the first 1'37 of the meeting, ahead of Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. 

Results:

Race Details

Round Number: 

11

2014

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/FI07qhDVKAE/2014_magny_cours_world_superbike_fp2_giu.html

Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain

Who are the best and worst finishers at the 10 Chase tracks?

The Chase is upon us, and the new elimination format means that we've got a lot of new possibilities for determining a champion. While we can only determine so much from statistics, we can get an idea of who should be in good shape, and who ought to be very careful, based on historical performance at each of the 10 Chase tracks.

Here, we break down the best and worst at each Chase track, including the winner this season. And since Chase participant AJ Allmendinger has had a history of, shall we say, underperforming cars, we also added the second-worst for comparison's sake at tracks where he ran the worst. We begin in the Windy City:

Chicagoland Speedway

Best average finisher, last 10 races: Jimmie Johnson, 8.9
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: Denny Hamlin, 20.5

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Winner earlier this season:� Brad Keselowski
Best average finisher: Denny Hamlin, 8.9
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: AJ Allmendinger, 24.2
Worst non-Allmendinger: Aric Almirola, 21.2

Dover Speedway

Winner earlier this season: Jimmie Johnson
Best average finisher, last 10 races: Jimmie Johnson, 8.4
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: AJ Allmendinger, 27.8
Worst non-Allmendinger: Kasey Kahne, 21.0

Kansas Speedway

Winner earlier this season: Jeff Gordon
Best average finisher, last 10 races: Jimmie Johnson, 8.4
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: AJ Allmendinger, 22.8
Worst non-Allmendinger: Kyle Busch, 22.7

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Winner earlier this season: Jimmie Johnson
Best average finisher, last 10 races: Joey Logano, 10.5
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: AJ Allmendinger, 22.7
Worst non-Allmendinger: Kurt Busch, 19.7

Talladega Superspeedway

Winner earlier this season: Denny Hamlin
Best average finisher, last 10 races: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 15.0
Worst average finisher, last 10 races: AJ Allmendinger, 23.4
Worst non-Allmendinger: Kasey Kahne, 21.5

Martinsville Speedway

Winner earlier this season: Kurt Busch
Best average finisher: Jimmie Johnson, 5.2
Worst average finisher: Aric Almirola, 24.0

Texas Motor Speedway

Winner earlier this season: Joey Logano
Best average finisher: Matt Kenseth, 8.2
Worst average finisher: AJ Allmendinger, 21.7
Worst non-Allmendinger: Aric Almirola, 19.6

Phoenix International Raceway

Winner earlier this season: Kevin Harvick
Best average finisher: Jimmie Johnson, 6.3
Worst average finisher: Aric Almirola, 18.6

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Best average finisher: Carl Edwards, 6.6
Worst average finisher: Kyle Busch, 21.3

What can we divine from this? Well, Allmendinger and Almirola are going to have to overcome a lot of history to advance out of even the first round of knockouts. And Johnson can all but write his name in the Homestead Final Four in Sharpie. Recent performance suggests Logano, Harvick, Gordon, and Keselowski will be in the mix late as well.

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/who-are-the-best-and-worst-finishers-at-the-10-chase-tracks-012541071.html

Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy

Carb Day Wrap-up

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/carb-day-wrap-up.html

Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow

Photos: Day After Photoshoot

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/photos-day-after-photoshoot.html

Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy

Joey Logano wins and puts both Team Penske cars into the next Chase round

New Hampshire has been very kind to Joey Logano.

Statistically, Logano hasn't been great at the one-mile track (his average finish entering the race was 19.3), but it's the site of Logano's first Sprint Cup Series win and now his latest one as he pulled away from Kevin Harvick on multiple late race restarts to win on Sunday.

He's now guaranteed to advance to the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup along with last week's winner and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski after next week's race at Dover.

The race featured 15 cautions, the second-most in New Hampshire history, and after Logano took the lead from Harvick under green with more than 20 laps to go, he held on to it over the course of three restarts.

Logano got to the front with a strategy call that looked iffy at the time. Track position is always a dominant theme at New Hampshire and the first half of the race had largely been a green-flag affair. On lap 247, some 30 laps after the leaders last pitted, Logano's crew chief Todd Gordon called him down to pit road for four tires.

The call put Logano back in the pack, but it didn't matter. With fresher tires than the cars ahead of him, he sliced through the field.

"I thought we gave it away at that point," Logano said of pitting. "Man, four tires were good and we had some good restarts and were able to get ourselves back up there and had to work hard. This is my home race track. This is the coolest place to win for me. I could never pick a better place to win. I watched my first Cup race here when I was five and I won that other Cup race here and I just felt that I had to win one here the right way."

The "other" Cup race Logano refers to was on June 28, 2009. Logano, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first full season in the Cup Series replacing Tony Stewart, played the fuel strategy game with then-crew chief Greg Zipadelli. It was his only choice after a cut tire and a car that was nowhere near the fastest on track. But it worked. When rain arrived to call the race early with 27 laps remaining, Logano was the leader.

There was no such trickeration on Sunday. He had one of the fastest cars throughout the course of the race and while Harvick, who ultimately finished third, felt Logano might have been accelerating too quickly on those restarts, he didn't have a car quick enough to chase Logano down once the lead had been established.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/joey-logano-wins-and-puts-both-team-penske-cars-into-the-next-chase-round-214947254.html

Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto

Hamilton glory cannot hide the hurt

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/lewis_hamiltons_victory_in_the.html

Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford Alberto Crespo

Indianapolis 500 Practice Day 7

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/indianapolis-500-practice-day-7.html

Johnny Claes David Clapham Jim Clark† Kevin Cogan

Sportsbook installs Kevin Harvick as Chase favorite

Is Kevin Harvick your favorite for the Chase?

The Bovada Sportsbook has made Harvick the favorite for the Chase at 7/2. Jeff Gordon is the second favorite at 4/1.

Jimmie Johnson is the best value on the board. He's the fourth favorite and listed at 6/1. Brad Keselowski is third at 9/2.

Here's a complete list of the odds. We also think Kasey Kahne's a pretty good value too.

Kevin Harvick��������������������������� 7/2
Jeff Gordon����������������������������� 4/1
Brad Keselowski���������������������� 9/2
Jimmie Johnson����������������������� 6/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr.�������������������� 13/2
Joey Logano���������������������������� 8/1
Matt Kenseth���������������������������� 12/1
Kyle Busch������������������������������ 14/1
Kurt Busch������������������������������� 16/1
Denny Hamlin��������������������������� 20/1
Kasey Kahne���������������������������� 22/1
Carl Edwards��������������������������� 40/1
Greg Biffle������������������������������� 100/1
Ryan Newman�������������������������� 100/1
Aric Almirola���������������������������� 200/1
A.J. Allmendinger��������������������� 200/1

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/vegas-sportsbook-installs-kevin-harvick-as-chase-favorite-230900264.html

Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg

Cup Start-And-Parks Dwindling

The practice of starting-and-parking has been a much discussed topic over the last couple of years. If you aren’t aware, starting-and-parking refers to a system in which teams enter a race and pull into the garage after only a few laps with a perfectly good race car in order to collect prize money. Teams can […]

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Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan

Motor racing and politics

With the Russian Grand Prix coming up, the F1 world must again face the question of whether sport should be treated as something unconnected with the real world, or whether it should be treated as an integral part of the political landscape. It is not an easy question to answer because, on the one hand, […]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/motor-racing-and-politics/

Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno

Indianapolis 500 Practice Day 6

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/05/indianapolis-500-practice-day-6.html

Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown

Brad Keselowski takes lead with three-wide pass, wins at Chicago

Brad Keselowski saw Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson battling for the lead ahead of him and as Larson went high and Harvick went low heading into turn one, Keselowski took the middle.

It was the right option.

Keselowski stormed past both drivers and held on for the lead through a last restart to win the first race of the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup on Sunday at Chicago.

Larson and Harvick were having a fantastic battle off a restart with 18 laps to go. Larson had the lead and Harvick, who restarted second, was able to hang with him. The two ran side by side for virtually the entirety of two laps, but the great racing came at a price.

Keselowski was hanging around in third and got an incredible draft of the huge hole in the air the two were creating with 16 laps to go. As Harvick headed to the white line and Larson went towards the wall, Keselowski cut the middle and was clear by the time he was on the backstretch.

"I'm not really sure," Keselowski responded when asked how he made the pass in victory lane. "I'll have to watch the ESPN replay to figure it out. But we obviously had a great car ... these Fords have really come together for a strong Chase run."

Last week, Keselowski won the last race before the Chase at Richmond for his fourth win, a victory that gave him solitary possession of first place for the Chase. With the win at Chicago, he keeps first place in the Chase and may put him in place for a repeat. Keselowski won at Chicago en route to the 2012 title. (Oh, and Keselowski is also guaranteed a spot through the first elimination round of the Chase.)

It was a win that came without the benefit of great track position too. Keselowski and his teammate Joey Logano have been the masters of qualifying this season but Friday's qualifying session was washed out. The lineup was set on practice speeds and both Penske cars started in the 20s. It ultimately didn't matter.

And neither did late pit stop trouble. Keselowski had to pit a second time under caution on lap 184 because of a potential loose wheel. He restarted 17th after starting at the back of the field but quickly sliced and diced his way up through the field. He was ninth within 25 laps and two more late cautions helped his ascent.

Jeff Gordon finished second and he's second in the points standings, seven behind Keselowski. Larson finished third while Joey Logano was fourth and Harvick was fifth.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/brad-keselowski-takes-lead-with-three-wide-pass--wins-at-chicago-213304817.html

Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

Watch Tony Stewart's press conference at 1 p.m. ET here

Tony Stewart will meet with the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway at 1 p.m. ET on Friday. It's his first media availability since he struck and killed Kevin Ward in a sprint car race in upstate New York on August 9. Watch the session live at the video feed above.

Stewart is making his return to the Sprint Cup Series this weekend at Atlanta, where he'll race Sunday night. It's his first Sprint Cup race since the accident.

The investigation into the accident by the Ontario County (N.Y.) Sheriff's Department is still ongoing. We'll have further coverage of Stewart's return after his press conference Friday afternoon.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/watch-tony-stewart-s-press-conference-at-1-p-m--et-here-163410311.html

Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini

Joey Logano wins and puts both Team Penske cars into the next Chase round

New Hampshire has been very kind to Joey Logano.

Statistically, Logano hasn't been great at the one-mile track (his average finish entering the race was 19.3), but it's the site of Logano's first Sprint Cup Series win and now his latest one as he pulled away from Kevin Harvick on multiple late race restarts to win on Sunday.

He's now guaranteed to advance to the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup along with last week's winner and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski after next week's race at Dover.

The race featured 15 cautions, the second-most in New Hampshire history, and after Logano took the lead from Harvick under green with more than 20 laps to go, he held on to it over the course of three restarts.

Logano got to the front with a strategy call that looked iffy at the time. Track position is always a dominant theme at New Hampshire and the first half of the race had largely been a green-flag affair. On lap 247, some 30 laps after the leaders last pitted, Logano's crew chief Todd Gordon called him down to pit road for four tires.

The call put Logano back in the pack, but it didn't matter. With fresher tires than the cars ahead of him, he sliced through the field.

"I thought we gave it away at that point," Logano said of pitting. "Man, four tires were good and we had some good restarts and were able to get ourselves back up there and had to work hard. This is my home race track. This is the coolest place to win for me. I could never pick a better place to win. I watched my first Cup race here when I was five and I won that other Cup race here and I just felt that I had to win one here the right way."

The "other" Cup race Logano refers to was on June 28, 2009. Logano, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first full season in the Cup Series replacing Tony Stewart, played the fuel strategy game with then-crew chief Greg Zipadelli. It was his only choice after a cut tire and a car that was nowhere near the fastest on track. But it worked. When rain arrived to call the race early with 27 laps remaining, Logano was the leader.

There was no such trickeration on Sunday. He had one of the fastest cars throughout the course of the race and while Harvick, who ultimately finished third, felt Logano might have been accelerating too quickly on those restarts, he didn't have a car quick enough to chase Logano down once the lead had been established.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/joey-logano-wins-and-puts-both-team-penske-cars-into-the-next-chase-round-214947254.html

Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca

The Home Racers Assessed

The German Grand�Prix provided an opportunity to add the garnish to an already euphoric population, who are still celebrating their World Cup win. With four countrymen on the grid, and one driving a silver arrow, there was a high chance of German success once the lights went out. The Hockenheimring gave Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, [...]

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Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel

2014 Singapore Grand Prix in pictures | F1 Pictures

The 2014 Singapore Grand Prix in pictures.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/09/21/2014-singapore-grand-prix-pictures/

Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley

Hamilton pips Rosberg to crucial Singapore pole | 2014 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

With two minutes to go in Q3 there was no Mercedes in the top five. But they bounced back to claim their seventh front-row lock-out for 2014.

Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/09/20/2014-singapore-grand-prix-qualifying-report/

Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain

Kasey Kahne at last nabs Chase spot as Kyle Busch's woes continue

HAMPTON, Ga. - Rest easy, mature ladies of NASCAR. Your boy made the Chase.

If this race were a romance novel, which fits the boyish good looks of race winner Kasey Kahne, it'd be titled "Kahne's Konundrum," or "Racin' Kasey," and it'd have dashing heroes (Kahne, of course) and scheming suitors (Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick) and even a villain (Kyle Busch) who almost vanquished our hero's chances of winning the heart of his beloved Chase Bertha. (All right, we'll work on the name.)

Alas, this was only a race, albeit a crucial one for the points standings, and the only romance taking place in the Atlanta Motor Speedway infield probably isn't the kind we can discuss in any detail on a family website. Regardless, Kahne captured his spot in the Chase, bringing a satisfying end to a long and frustrating regular season for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.

And for a moment, it looked like Kahne was going to watch it all slip away. He was dominant through the race's final laps, out in front of Harvick and riding the smooth clean air. But then Busch and Martin Truex Jr. got together ? more on that in a moment ? and Kahne saw his lead evaporate. Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, and Paul Menard all beat Kahne off pit road for a green-white-checkered finish, and for a lap or so, it appeared Kahne's best chance to make the Chase was over and done.

But then onetime teammates Menard and Harvick collided, taking them out of the mix and bringing out the second late caution flag. Kahne was able to outrun Kenseth, not exactly a surprise given the fact that Kenseth was on two fresh tires to Kahne's four, and just like that, the fourth of four Hendrick cars was locked into the Chase.

Kahne's three teammates ? Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon ? all stopped by victory lane to congratulate Kahne. After the race, team owner Rick Hendrick pronounced this year's quartet "the most balanced" he's ever fielded in the Chase.

The race's drama came about when Busch and Truex collided in the closing laps, each repeatedly hammering each other. After the race, Truex stopped his car at Busch's hauler, holding up the entire line of entering cars, and leaned in Busch's window to express his displeasure.

#Nascar ... Martin Truex Jr's discussion with Kyle Busch after the race. #AskMRN @MRNRadio pic.twitter.com/V4T3f4tc24

? Dustin Long (@dustinlong) September 1, 2014

Truex continued the discussion with Busch's crew chief Dave Rogers as Busch climbed out of the car and left the garage without speaking. It marked yet another low point in Busch's ongoing late-season skid, and while Kyle is locked into the Chase, there's little indication at the moment that he'll be entering with any momentum.

The series now heads to Richmond for its regular-season finale on Saturday night. Two Chase spots remain up for grabs, with a victory guaranteeing a berth. If Sunday night in Atlanta was a romance novel, that night is going to be an MMA fight.

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/kasey-kahne-at-last-nabs-chase-spot-as-kyle-busch-s-woes-continue-042743711.html

Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi