Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/force-india-fairly-ugly/
Saturday
Force India and Ferrari ? fairly ugly cars
Is it just me, or do the new F1 cars look like the cartoon character Roadrunner? The lowered noses and the high front suspensions have created an unattractive group of cars thus far, with only the new McLaren having the elegance one expects from a thoroughbred Formula 1 car. The new Force India, unveiled at [...]
Caterham confirms Van der Garde
As exclusively predicted on this blog, Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Giedo van der Garde will be the team’s official Reserve Driver in 2012. The Dutchman will take part in “a number of FP1 sessions” throughout the season as a core part of the team’s driver line-up. “He is a very exciting prospect that [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/caterham-confirms-van-der-garde/
Happy Hour: Will neutering the Busch boys dull down NASCAR?
Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face. Let's begin with a pressing question:
Won't a NASCAR season where The Busch Brothers are totally PC, only thank their sponsors and the team and behave like choir boys be terrible for NASCAR? Do we really need to see Kurt and Rowdy behaving exactly like Edwards and Johnson?
? Larry from Texas.
This is the flip side of the "Kyle Busch must be stopped / Kurt Busch must be shut up" argument. Let's be honest: most NASCAR drivers, if you hung out with them at a bar, would be more interesting and better conversationalists than any of your friends. But your friends aren't larger-than-life, and that's what NASCAR fans gravitate toward. Your average driver might walk into a room and own it; the larger-than-life ones walk into Daytona and own it.
So here's the question for you: how much are you willing to tolerate from a driver in the name of "personality"? Me, I'm pretty forgiving with on-track incidents and on-radio yammering; I'm not so crazy about, say, driving 128 mph on surface streets. And you?
Next up: more Chase ideas!
____________________
I suggest having a point given for each position for each lap. The leader gets 1 point, second gets 2 and so on down the pack. The winner gets 5 bonus points. ( It might be easier for the "math challenged" to give 43 for first, 42 for 2nd, etc. That is for people who think more is better.)
Logic: Someone who runs in front for the majority of the race and gets taken out near the end by "The Big One" will deserve more points that the driver who runs 25th all day long. There needs to be a premium for front runners. It should be easy to score with today's computer set-ups.
? Dick
That sounds so phenomenally complicated that I'm not sure why NASCAR hasn't done it yet. Think about it: if you give 43 points for first place, and someone goes wire-to-wire, you're talking 21,500 points for one race! That's awesome! Tie a dollar value to each lap and then you'll seriously see some action!
Now, look, I'm just a simple English major and don't know much about math, but wouldn't totaling up the points per lap have the same net effect as the average-finish stat, which we already calculate? By that standard, Edwards owned last season, with an average finish two places better than second-place Kevin Harvick.
Though if NASCAR does come up with a more complicated system, I'm definitely going into the number-crunching side of the industry. Heck with words.
____________________
So Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will run the 6 at the 500. I like the idea, but it got me thinking; would a top-shelf organization like RFR consider running the 6 as a modified start and park to maintain owner points, with a few full races thrown in? Think about it; one or two fuel runs, outlast the other start and parks, and you potentially get a position in the mid or high thirties. That has value, not just for top-35, but for driver development as well.
? Jeff "Sarge" Smith
Statesboro GA
That's not a terrible idea, though it does kind of straddle the fence of elite team/start-and-parkers. Kind of like a high-end steakhouse having a drive-thru window. I'd imagine it's more a matter of resources and preserving the identity of the brand than anything else; better to reroute the money into three good teams than three good ones and one mediocre one. Still, these are changing times in NASCAR, and you might well see big-time teams adapt to these times.
____________________
Video time! One of the best parts of travel is renting cars. One of the worst parts of covering the Daytona 500 is trying to rent a car and getting nothing but a behemoth Mercury Grand Marquis. Yes, I drive to the track in a car not unlike what my grandfather used to drive. But thanks to this video provided by loyal reader Sam Sevr, I can now see many more possibilities for what to do with this rental car (a bit of NSFW language):
I'll be doing burnouts approximately three hours after the checkered flag drops. Meet me at the start-finish line.
____________________
An idea: in the Chase, the lowest finishing driver of the Chasers is eliminated. Think about it: the number one driver, if he finishes lowest, is done. This way we would have an exciting Chase, with No. 1 versus No. 2. And here is a new wrinkle: for the last race, the top two drivers have their points set to zero. it would be a win-or-go-home excitement that people would love. What do you think?
? Mitchell Mauthe
In theory, I love the idea. In practice, it'd be a little harder to implement, simply because of the Vickers Effect: i.e., you never know when someone's going to do something to take out a top Chase competitor. The uncertainty is always a part of racing, yes, but it rarely comes with such a heavy penalty on an entire season. So what this would probably lead to is very tentative racing, rather than very competitive racing.
And yes, I know I gave you guys a homework assignment last week, and several of you came through HUGE, so much so that I'm devoting a separate post to it later this week. But here's another for you: anybody who feels like going through the Chase, race by race, and seeing who would be left standing in an elimination system will get a hearty attaboy/girl and posting right here. Have fun!
____________________
Last year in early Feb. I called Penske racing and talked to a Ms Bonnie. I told her the nas car title in 2011 was Roger Penskes to loose. Numbers NEVER lie. The #12 is bad luck. I would very much like someone to help me write a novel on this. Look at what happened to teams like the 99, 18. And look at RCR. Again its numbers that is the problem. OHHH.. And did I mention Dale Jr ?? Please listen carefully. Dale Jr. Can never win with the #88 and#7. It is against everything his dad ever raced for. Please give me a chance to explain this. One other thing that will shock nas car in 2012... Watch what is to take place with the #48. This will be the top nas car story of 2012. THANKS
? Eddie Hall
Daviston, AL
You know, I'm tempted to write this off as another lunatic letter from a "nas car" fan, but what if Eddie from Alabama is right? What if there is some huge numerological conspiracy in NASCAR that we've all been missing all these years? This could be like a redneck "Da Vinci Code"! It's all been in front of us, all along! [The entire letter is sic'd for illustrative purposes.]
All right, since we're already off the track and deep into the infield, let's close with this one, a reference to me calling myself a dork last week for visiting an art exhibit on New Year's Eve:
____________________
After so many years of looking at the paint jobs on the race cars, I guess I can understand why you might belittle visiting an art exhibit, your sense of aesthetics has probably been fried for a long time. I happen to love racing, but am a professional artist. It might actually be good for NASCAR to start losing its ignorant boozing redneck "culture" but I am not holding my breath on that one. By the way, what I did for New Year's was work on a painting for my new book that will be published in June, and completely enjoyed doing so. But this kind of reader comment will never see the light of day on Happy Hour.
? Lexi Sundell
P.S. Happy New Year anyway.
I love these kinds of comments; daring me to publish something when you're flat-out wrong is a surefire route to publication! But all's good. I dropped a little art-knowledge on Lexi (this is all an act; I'm actually a 65-year-old female college professor) and asked her to send some of her work, and she complied. This one's called "Dancing With The Dew":
Wow. That's classy. My readers have talent! Anybody else got any skills? Music? Moviemaking? Hit us up with your work before the season starts.
On that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here.� Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Other popular content on the Y! network:
? Michael Silver: Fired Hue Jackson says Raiders owner made decision
? After three tough seasons, Tom Crean living hoops dream at Indiana
? Video: Fans crash Mavericks' bench during NBA game
? Y! News: Vizio's new TV models nearly 6 feet across
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Indycar Lore Pt.3; The Fastest
It has been more than a few months since the last installment of indycar lore, so in the bleak tundra that is the off season? might as well pick it back up now. I have great aspirations for this series … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/indycar-lore-pt-3-the-fastest/
Force India deny Sutil was dropped over Lux incident | F1 Fanatic round-up
In the round-up: Force India insist the decision to drop Adrian Sutil was not influenced by his impending court case.
Friday
2012 Sepang 1 MotoGP Test Day 2 Times Compared: 2012 Test vs 2011 Test
With almost everyone at Sepang improving their times on the second day of the MotoGP test, it is once again worth comparing times with test times from the same test last year. Below is both a list containing the full ranking, including times from the second day of the 2011 test at Sepang and the second day of the 2012 Sepang test, and a list showing the amount by which each of the riders have improved.
The improvement for each rider makes for interesting reading. The most obvious detail is that the riders who have improved the most are riders who were rookies last year. Cal Crutchlow is nearly a second and a half faster than he was at the same time last year, while Karel Abraham has posted a very respectable improvement of over eight tenths. The other thing that is immediately clear is how badly Toni Elias struggled on the Honda - or rather, on the Bridgestone tires - last year: Stefan Bradl is over 1.6 seconds faster than Elias was at the test last year. Bradl's adapation period has been fast, the German getting up to speed quickly, but most of all, the number illustrates Elias' plight in 2011.
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
VJM05 is ?a big departure? ? Green | 2012 F1 season
Force India's technical director Andy Green says the team's new car is "a big departure" from its predecessor.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/02/03/vjm05-big-departure-green/
Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever
NASCAR announces that it will disclose all fines
NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will stop the practice of 'secret fines' and publicly announce all monetary punishments.
"NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed," a NASCAR statement said. "We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry. While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships� and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed."
Over the past two seasons, the sanctioning body has issued fines in secrecy on multiple occasions, though it's unknown how many times fines have been handed out discretely and for how long. Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin were the first known drivers to be secretly fined for comments in 2010, and Newman was secretly fined again after an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya at Richmond that led to an alleged physical altercation. Brad Keselowski was also fined for his comments at a fan forum about electronic fuel injection.
We've written at length at how absurd the concept of secret fines is, so this is a common sense move that NASCAR had to make. Fines�pertaining to�rules violations were publicly announced, so a dichotomy of some fines being public and some fines remaining private created a feeling of distrust, especially among fans. So props to NASCAR for making the right (and only) decision when it comes to fines and preventing us from writing a third column about the ridiculousness of secret fines.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/nascar-announces-disclose-fines-224610558.html
Here?s a look at David Gilliland?s ride for Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports has become the Duel of the Davids, with David Gilliland and David Ragan taking the No. 38 and 34 Fords, respectively. And now, they'll share a sponsor too, with ModSpace agreeing to come on board for both cars. ModSpace will serve as primary sponsor for Gilliland on several races, starting with Texas in the spring. It'll be the associate sponsor for the remainder, and will also be an associate sponsor for Ragan for the entire season.
ModSpace is a construction services company and is working with Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins in constructing new Taco Bell and Long John Silver's locations. Perhaps they could slap a temporary one up in the Talladega infield. They'd make a killing.
Happy Hour: Who wins the Chase in a single-elimination knockout?
Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.
There's something about single-elimination, winner-take-all battles that gets everyone fired up. We talked about this last week, and I put out the challenge to see how a single-elimination Chase would have worked out. I got a ton of great responses, but the first one in came from John Lawson, who laid out NASCAR's version of Mortal Kombat in this way:
Denny Hamlin ? eliminated 1st at Chicago
Ryan Newman ? eliminated 2nd at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart ? eliminated 3rd at Dover
Jeff Gordon ? eliminated 4th at Kansas
Jimmie Johnson ? eliminated 5th at Charlotte
Kurt Busch ? eliminated 6th at Talledega
Matt Kenseth ? eliminated 7th at Martinsville
Kyle Busch ? eliminated 8th at Texas (Did not race)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ? eliminated 9th at Phoenix
That leaves Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards contending for the championship at Homestead. With the points reset to zero their final positions in the standings would have been:
1. Carl Edwards (finished 2nd in race)
2. Kevin Harvick (fishished 8th in race)
3. Brad Keselowski (finished 20th in race)
Great job, John. And here are a few of the other responses from people who took the time to follow this through:
"Fans of the eliminated drivers would have had no reason to watch the latter Chase races. Instead of having a slim chance to recover lost ground and win a championship, Gordon and Junior fans would have had no hope at all." ? Mike, State College, PA
"The true hard pill to swallow in all this would have been after two wins in a row, Stewart being eliminated the very next week for a 25th-place finish. He literally was the lowest finishing Chaser in that race, with Junior and Newman finishing in the two spots ahead of him." ? Greg LeJeune, Gladstone, MI
"Of course, these results may differ if drivers and teams knew that's what they were racing for." ? Eric Christy, Bolingbrook, IL
"Kyle would have been in the running at Phoenix [if he had controlled himself at Texas], and without everyone saying he was an idiot, he may have been able to pull an upset championship." ? Ben, Ypsilanti, MI
Well done, everyone. That was a pretty cool exercise, one that will only serve to make Carl Edwards even more upset about how the Chase turned out. I love the idea but I can see why it will never be implemented. Still, maybe someone ought to do a knockout winner with a million-dollar prize to whichever driver hangs on the longest. A million dollars can't be that hard to find in this economy, right?
____________________
I believe this schedule for the Chase would be better than the current one. If this really is the NASCAR equivalent of the playoffs, they should race on all the different types of tracks NASCAR races on. Also, instead of the last ten races being the playoffs it should be the last five and each type of track should be a part of it. A sample of the schedule could be this:
1 1/2 mile: Pick any of the cookie cutters
Mile: Dover
Short Track: Martinsville
Restrictor Plate: Talladega
Road Course: Sonoma
With this schedule, a driver will have to focus running well on all types of tracks, not just one which is the case now, i.e. cookie cutters.
? Sean
San Diego
I've never quite understood NASCAR's reluctance to put a road course into the Chase. I think it's more a matter of scheduling inertia than anything else, but still, you can't tell me there's not a huge difference between, say, Talladega and Martinsville. Not the same gap between road and oval courses, true, but still: two different skill sets.
_________________
I get so sick of hearing all the rednecks who want pack racing to return to Daytona and 'Dega. They are not interested in racing, they are simply interested in large wrecks. What is exciting about 40 cars bunched together going around a track? No one can pass, no one can do much of anything other than wreck. At least the two-car tandem shows different cars leading and passing and RACING. Sure they wreck less ... what a novel idea, race instead of wrecking. I wonder why NASCAR hasn't thought of that?
? Tim Palmer
Tim is a brave chap. I get what he's saying here, that pack racing isn't inherently superior to tandem racing, but I think the team-up aspect of tandem racing infuriates some people. There's definitely strategy involved, but when team orders and manufacturer loyalty start playing more of a role than racing skill, well, that's when it starts to break with the authenticity of racing.
Regardless, NASCAR has been busier than a middle-school chaperone trying to break up the coupling at Daytona, so we'll see soon enough if the changes end up working.
____________________
This is NASCAR, the top league. It isn't the minor leagues or some off brand of football, but the top level. Equivalent to the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL. My point is, are there teams allowed to be there to start a game and bow out? No, they get their butt kicked if they can't compete. The point being, there are no guaranteed spots, they are in the league to compete. There shouldn't be guaranteed spots in NASCAR Sprint Cup. You want to run with the elite? The top 43 on speed get to compete. If you don't or can't make the speed, pack it on a truck and go home. There are no guaranteed spots in NHRA. It is put up or pack it up. Sprint Cup should be no less.
? Martin Gore
Southgate, MI
Well, some might argue with your definition of "start a game and bow out;" sports fans can think of plenty of teams that have start-and-parked on their season (looking at you, Indianapolis Colts), but I get what you're saying. The problem, my friend, is sponsors. They don't care about the purity of racing, they care about getting a good return on their investment, and a lot more people see their logo if it's on the track on Sunday than if it's heading back up the highway on Friday afternoon.
____________________
Kurt Busch is driving for what most would call a very small organization. Having said that if he wins, does that make his case as a great driver even stronger? Back when Jimmie Johnson was dominating NASCAR, (seems so long ago) it was the argument I heard all the time: take him out of the best equipment, put him in a car that doesn't have all the breaks that Hendrick has, and let's see what he can do. Could this finally be that moment where a great driver has to drive a less than awesome race car like Johnson, Gordon, Edwards, and Hamlin drive week in and week out? Does winning where there isn't a ton of cash to put into the team make a driver great?
? Wes Rose
Pikeville, KY
This is actually a great question, because this is the truest test yet of driver-vs.-equipment in the success equation. It's also going to force people to reconsider Kurt if and when he does end up winning. (Of course, the underlying theme will be that Hendrick supplied Phoenix Racing, but whatever.) I see nothing but upside for Busch in the situation he's in now; he'll be entitled to a ton of credit if he manages a win, but he'll have no one to blame but himself if he loses.
____________________
One of four children of a father who won Michigan twice and died unexpectedly, this man is popular but faces many critics. After finishing in the top 5 numerous times early in 2008, his drive fell short. In 2012, despite solid support and popularity, even some among his most ardent supporters doubt whether he can win the Big One.
Mitt Romney or Dale Earnhardt Jr?
? Joshua
Oh, well done. So I'm guessing that would set Newt Gingrich as Tony Stewart (a trail of messy romantic travails in his wake, but might just win the damn thing), Sarah Palin as Danica Patrick (insanely popular even though a large segment of the populace wonders if she has any idea what the hell she's doing), and Barack Obama as Jimmie Johnson (he won the Big One, though oh, does it infuriate a large chunk of fandom).
And since that's as far as we're going with politics before someone torches the joint (we learned our lesson from the Michelle Obama/booing fiasco), we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here.� Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Thursday
Marussia to give Jerez test a miss
The rebranded Marussia team will miss the first test of the season in Jerez, despite having originally planned to run the 2011 Virgin ? mainly to give rookie Charles Pic more seat time. The team has now decided to skip … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/24/marussia-to-give-jerez-test-a-miss/
Babies! Crew chiefs! Promises! A roundup of news from Media Week
NASCAR Media Week concluded Thursday, and while there wasn't a whole lot of earthshattering news, there's plenty that will have an effect on NASCAR in the 2012 season and beyond. If you missed any of it, clip and save this handy post.
? NASCAR ended its policy of secret fines. We'd tell you what we think about that policy in general, but we don't want to get publicly fined.
? Ford rolled out the 2013 Fusion, which got everyone excited for 2013 before 2012 even begins.
? Kevin Harvick and wife Delana will be adding a new member to their race team. Bad news: their first child is going to have to qualify on speed.
? Danica Patrick will be passing up the Indy 500 to run the Coke 600, more evidence of the total career makeover she's undergoing.
? Bill Elliott will return to the Sprint Cup series, driving a Wal-Mart car at the July Daytona race.
? And another Elliott, Elliott Sadler, will be driving in the Sprint Cup series once again, running for Richard Childress Racing in the Daytona 500.
? Chip Ganassi declared his team's 2011 performance "pathetic." Ouch.
? Richard Petty Motorsports will be forming a Nationwide team for Michael Annett.
? And in sad news, Pocono owner Doc Mattioli passed away. Condolences to his family and friends.
Happy Hour: Will neutering the Busch boys dull down NASCAR?
Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face. Let's begin with a pressing question:
Won't a NASCAR season where The Busch Brothers are totally PC, only thank their sponsors and the team and behave like choir boys be terrible for NASCAR? Do we really need to see Kurt and Rowdy behaving exactly like Edwards and Johnson?
? Larry from Texas.
This is the flip side of the "Kyle Busch must be stopped / Kurt Busch must be shut up" argument. Let's be honest: most NASCAR drivers, if you hung out with them at a bar, would be more interesting and better conversationalists than any of your friends. But your friends aren't larger-than-life, and that's what NASCAR fans gravitate toward. Your average driver might walk into a room and own it; the larger-than-life ones walk into Daytona and own it.
So here's the question for you: how much are you willing to tolerate from a driver in the name of "personality"? Me, I'm pretty forgiving with on-track incidents and on-radio yammering; I'm not so crazy about, say, driving 128 mph on surface streets. And you?
Next up: more Chase ideas!
____________________
I suggest having a point given for each position for each lap. The leader gets 1 point, second gets 2 and so on down the pack. The winner gets 5 bonus points. ( It might be easier for the "math challenged" to give 43 for first, 42 for 2nd, etc. That is for people who think more is better.)
Logic: Someone who runs in front for the majority of the race and gets taken out near the end by "The Big One" will deserve more points that the driver who runs 25th all day long. There needs to be a premium for front runners. It should be easy to score with today's computer set-ups.
? Dick
That sounds so phenomenally complicated that I'm not sure why NASCAR hasn't done it yet. Think about it: if you give 43 points for first place, and someone goes wire-to-wire, you're talking 21,500 points for one race! That's awesome! Tie a dollar value to each lap and then you'll seriously see some action!
Now, look, I'm just a simple English major and don't know much about math, but wouldn't totaling up the points per lap have the same net effect as the average-finish stat, which we already calculate? By that standard, Edwards owned last season, with an average finish two places better than second-place Kevin Harvick.
Though if NASCAR does come up with a more complicated system, I'm definitely going into the number-crunching side of the industry. Heck with words.
____________________
So Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will run the 6 at the 500. I like the idea, but it got me thinking; would a top-shelf organization like RFR consider running the 6 as a modified start and park to maintain owner points, with a few full races thrown in? Think about it; one or two fuel runs, outlast the other start and parks, and you potentially get a position in the mid or high thirties. That has value, not just for top-35, but for driver development as well.
? Jeff "Sarge" Smith
Statesboro GA
That's not a terrible idea, though it does kind of straddle the fence of elite team/start-and-parkers. Kind of like a high-end steakhouse having a drive-thru window. I'd imagine it's more a matter of resources and preserving the identity of the brand than anything else; better to reroute the money into three good teams than three good ones and one mediocre one. Still, these are changing times in NASCAR, and you might well see big-time teams adapt to these times.
____________________
Video time! One of the best parts of travel is renting cars. One of the worst parts of covering the Daytona 500 is trying to rent a car and getting nothing but a behemoth Mercury Grand Marquis. Yes, I drive to the track in a car not unlike what my grandfather used to drive. But thanks to this video provided by loyal reader Sam Sevr, I can now see many more possibilities for what to do with this rental car (a bit of NSFW language):
I'll be doing burnouts approximately three hours after the checkered flag drops. Meet me at the start-finish line.
____________________
An idea: in the Chase, the lowest finishing driver of the Chasers is eliminated. Think about it: the number one driver, if he finishes lowest, is done. This way we would have an exciting Chase, with No. 1 versus No. 2. And here is a new wrinkle: for the last race, the top two drivers have their points set to zero. it would be a win-or-go-home excitement that people would love. What do you think?
? Mitchell Mauthe
In theory, I love the idea. In practice, it'd be a little harder to implement, simply because of the Vickers Effect: i.e., you never know when someone's going to do something to take out a top Chase competitor. The uncertainty is always a part of racing, yes, but it rarely comes with such a heavy penalty on an entire season. So what this would probably lead to is very tentative racing, rather than very competitive racing.
And yes, I know I gave you guys a homework assignment last week, and several of you came through HUGE, so much so that I'm devoting a separate post to it later this week. But here's another for you: anybody who feels like going through the Chase, race by race, and seeing who would be left standing in an elimination system will get a hearty attaboy/girl and posting right here. Have fun!
____________________
Last year in early Feb. I called Penske racing and talked to a Ms Bonnie. I told her the nas car title in 2011 was Roger Penskes to loose. Numbers NEVER lie. The #12 is bad luck. I would very much like someone to help me write a novel on this. Look at what happened to teams like the 99, 18. And look at RCR. Again its numbers that is the problem. OHHH.. And did I mention Dale Jr ?? Please listen carefully. Dale Jr. Can never win with the #88 and#7. It is against everything his dad ever raced for. Please give me a chance to explain this. One other thing that will shock nas car in 2012... Watch what is to take place with the #48. This will be the top nas car story of 2012. THANKS
? Eddie Hall
Daviston, AL
You know, I'm tempted to write this off as another lunatic letter from a "nas car" fan, but what if Eddie from Alabama is right? What if there is some huge numerological conspiracy in NASCAR that we've all been missing all these years? This could be like a redneck "Da Vinci Code"! It's all been in front of us, all along! [The entire letter is sic'd for illustrative purposes.]
All right, since we're already off the track and deep into the infield, let's close with this one, a reference to me calling myself a dork last week for visiting an art exhibit on New Year's Eve:
____________________
After so many years of looking at the paint jobs on the race cars, I guess I can understand why you might belittle visiting an art exhibit, your sense of aesthetics has probably been fried for a long time. I happen to love racing, but am a professional artist. It might actually be good for NASCAR to start losing its ignorant boozing redneck "culture" but I am not holding my breath on that one. By the way, what I did for New Year's was work on a painting for my new book that will be published in June, and completely enjoyed doing so. But this kind of reader comment will never see the light of day on Happy Hour.
? Lexi Sundell
P.S. Happy New Year anyway.
I love these kinds of comments; daring me to publish something when you're flat-out wrong is a surefire route to publication! But all's good. I dropped a little art-knowledge on Lexi (this is all an act; I'm actually a 65-year-old female college professor) and asked her to send some of her work, and she complied. This one's called "Dancing With The Dew":
Wow. That's classy. My readers have talent! Anybody else got any skills? Music? Moviemaking? Hit us up with your work before the season starts.
On that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com. You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here.� Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
Other popular content on the Y! network:
? Michael Silver: Fired Hue Jackson says Raiders owner made decision
? After three tough seasons, Tom Crean living hoops dream at Indiana
? Video: Fans crash Mavericks' bench during NBA game
? Y! News: Vizio's new TV models nearly 6 feet across
Wednesday
Senna wants to ?write a good chapter? in Williams history
Bruno Senna has spoken about the positive impact he wants to make at Williams in 2012. The Brazilian was formally announced as�Pastor Maldonado’s partner for the new season this week and he couldn’t be happier. Speaking about what the future holds, Senna said: “I feel very privileged Williams has selected me as one of their [...]
Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
2012 Sepang 1 MotoGP Test Day 1 Times: Lorenzo Fastest As CRTs Struggle
Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest man after the winter break at Sepang, the factory Yamaha rider the only man to crack the 2'02 barrier. Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa ended the day in 2nd, a third of a second behind Lorenzo, while Monster Tech 3's Cal Crutchlow impressed on his return to a MotoGP bike by ending the day in 3rd, over half a second behind Lorenzo, but just ahead of the factory Yamaha of Ben Spies.
The new Ducati GP12 appears to be working well, with Valentino Rossi posting the 5th fastest time, just under three quarters of a second off Lorenzo. The bike - containing what appears to be an engine which has been rotated backwards to make the bike more compact - has been on track only once previously, with Carlos Checa and test rider Franco Battaini at Jerez, and the team will need to work on a lot of data, but the debut appears promising.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe Animals That Reach 300 km / h
A few months ago that talked about the Auto blog Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Black Series Coupe. This is the most powerful and radical version of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. We speak then of the 517 hp provided by its 6.3-liter V8 engine, acceleration capacity (4.2 seconds to 100 km / h), and even his gearbox [...]
Tuesday
Super Bowl Ad: Matthew Broderick reprises Ferris Bueller role in Honda's Super Bowl commercial
 |
When this Matthew Broderick teaser first surfaced last week, speculation ran rampant that there was a Ferris Bueller movie in the works. If you were one of those people that thought the same thing, you’re both right and wrong on that one.
First of all, there’s no Ferris Bueller movie currently in development, but there’s this Super Bowl commercial from Honda that brings "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" back to life.
Some of you might be too young to remember the movie and the success it generated in the box office, but for those that remember Bueller’s clever attempts at skipping school and spending the entire day in Chicago just having some fun, then you’ll certainly notice all the movie references made in the two-and-a-half minute commercial where Broderick plays himself and decides to skip a movie shoot just so he could enjoy his all-new Honda CR-V.
Charming as the ad is on a lot of fronts, it does cast a generational tone to it, especially for those that never got the chance to see the movie and won’t understand what the big deal is all about.
Super Bowl Ad: Matthew Broderick reprises Ferris Bueller role in Honda's Super Bowl commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:00 EST.
SuperCars from an IndyCar Fanatic?s Perspective
January, 27th. That was the day. The entire city has been in a state of mobilization for quite a while, but Friday was the day when all the hard work and planning was finally going to pay off. My fair … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/supercars-from-an-indycar-fanatics-perspective/
Ricky Stenhouse to run Daytona 500 in No. 6 car
Roush Fenway Racing will be a four-car team again, at least for the Daytona 500, as Nationwide champ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will run the 500 in the No. 6 car.
The team does not expect to run the unsponsored car for the full season but is locked into the first five races based on owners points from 2011 when the car was driven by David Ragan. The only race confirmed for now is the Daytona 500. The team currently does not have a sponsor for the race, team spokesman Kevin Woods said.
Ragan was let go from Roush Fenway when UPS moved to Carl Edwards as an associate sponsor and there was no funding for the car. The car is guaranteed a spot in the Daytona 500, so Stenhouse will not have to worry about qualifying on time.
The move also means that there is now one fewer set of owner points available for the Great American Race. According to NASCAR, teams don't officially "buy" owner's points, but points swapping has become a common occurrence to make sure that teams have a guaranteed starting spot for the 500 (and the next four races after that.)
With Roush's intentions to run the No. 6 in the 500, there are now three guaranteed spots stilll available via the No. 33 at Richard Childress Racing (Clint Bowyer moved to Michael Waltrip Racing) and the two Red Bull Racing cars. Because of the move to MWR, Bowyer's team is looking for owner points ? discussions between MWR and Red Bull have been reported�? and Stewart-Haas Racing is looking for points for Danica Patrick. However, that's an easy internal switch for the team, as Tony Stewart is guaranteed into the first five races as a past champion.
New Delphi Technology At CES 2012
At CES this year, Delphi will demonstrate the integration of interface technology, infotainment, security and connectivity to the vehicle through its connection with security system Midi ?. By using innovative technology in an environment that optimizes the user experience and mitigates the distraction, Midi is helping to refine the relationship between driver and vehicle. Infotainment [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/130-new-delphi-technology-at-ces-2012.html
Vegas Positioning
The loss of Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a thematic one. In a time when indycar racing is scraping by in anonymity and irrelevance, we are running away from a facility that actually wanted to see us run. Add to … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/vegas-positioning/
Monday
Video: Jay Leno reviews his personal McLaren MP4-12C
| |
A few weeks ago, Jay Leno’s brand new McLaren MP4-12C was caught in California and now the late night talk show host is ready to put it in the spotlight. Something tells us he is very proud of his brand new $230,000 acquisition.
Leno has sat behind the wheel of the MP4-12C many times considering he has repeatedly invited McLaren to his Garage for some test runs, but in this 15 minute video, Leno gets a bit more personal and goes into details of the MP4-12C that have never been addressed in other reviews.
As a refresher, Leno?s McLaren MP4-12C is painted in a very cool Volcano Orange and is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that delivers a total of 592 HP at 7,000rpm and 443 lb-ft. of torque between 3,000 and 7,000rpm. It can hit a top speed of 205 mph.
Video: Jay Leno reviews his personal McLaren MP4-12C originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 29 January 2012 06:00 EST.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)