Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2012/09/for-rhr-to-win-championship.html
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem
Saturday
A Car of Tomorrow Renaissance
I read a post the other day over at Autoextremist�(a fantastic automotive blog)�about the optimism surrounding the introduction of the Gen 6 car even in the face of continuing struggles for NASCAR, and it got me thinking about the recent evolution of our race cars. In the post, Mr. De Lorenzo talks about NASCAR’s unwillingness [...] 
TheNASCARInsiders.com
Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/kBBTXioYbPE/
Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
2013 MotoGP Austin Test Day 3 Press Releases: Repsol Honda, LCR Honda and Repsol Video
The Repsol Honda team and the LCR Honda team issued the following press releases after testing at Austin. Repsol also shared a video from the test:
Year:
2013
Remembering Dan Wheldon
There isn?t much more to say about the man that was Dan Wheldon. Many amazing columns have been written by people far more skilled than I. And honestly, what more is there to be added? October 16th will always be … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/remembering-dan-wheldon/
Friday
Race Rewind: Phoenix 1
Did you miss Sunday's race at Phoenix? No worries, we've got you covered. In less than 10 minutes in fact!
Or maybe you just want to re-live the two and four tire debauchery in the desert? Well, it's your lucky day too. Though it's also a Monday, we'd understand how watching NASCAR is better than work.
Spoiler Alert: Carl Edwards wins.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/race-rewind-phoenix-1-140719364--nascar.html
Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
Do your bets to make NYC trip stylish
Riding any regular car in NYC can be a sign of you not being able to afford luxury service and this will never do for sure. In order to look and feel your best you have to get a taxi to JFK that looks and feels just like you are a superstar. So make sure [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/407-do-your-bets-to-make-nyc-trip-stylish.html
A new face at Red Bull
There has been a quiet but important change at Sauber in recent months with the departure of one of the triumvirate of engineers who run the team’s technical operations. Pierre Wach�, a former Michelin engineer who was in charge of vehicle dynamics at Hinwil, working alongside chief designer Matt Morris and head of aerodynamics Willem [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/a-new-face-at-red-bull/
Reset
So, here we find ourselves again. Welcome back! Insert excuses galore, but the break was more due to soul searching than anything else. A few nights ago, I was navigating the crazy waters of youtube and stumbled across the much … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/reset/
Thursday
KTM 990 Adventure
If you love two wheel adventures, then you?ll certainly love the KTM 990 Adventure too. The motorcycle has a pretty versatile character which helps it deal with any type of terrain with poise.
Born to be a tough enduro, the KTM 990 Adventure has received a long list of features which make it perfectly suited for off road riding.
With 114 hp under its belt, the 990 Adventure?s water-cooled V-engine delivers enough punch to fill your veins with adrenaline. The engine is brought to life by an electric starter and is mated on a six speed, claw shifted transmission. You also get the electronic Keihin engine management system which regulates the fuel injection system delivering top notch performances thus improving the rideability.
Other features include a stable chassis, disconnectable ABS, frame-anchored fairing and a lockable stowage compartment.
Hit the jump for more information on the 2013 KTM 990 Adventure.
KTM 990 Adventure originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 14 March 2013 20:01 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/ktm/2013-ktm-990-adventure-ar147763.html
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen
Nationwide driver Jeremy Clements suspended for unknown comments
NASCAR announced Tuesday that it had suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for comments he made in an interview on Saturday.
What interview that was or what Clements said is unknown, however.
?During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark,? NASCAR Senior VP of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell said in a release. ?NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that?s explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code.?
Tuesday evening, Clements posted the following statement to his team's Facebook page:
?I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team. NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment. ?
There's no point in speculating about what Clements, 28, said; and it's entirely possible the comments he made will be published in an interview that's yet to be released. Or we may never know. Was it a TV interview that wasn't aired? Though that seems to be refuted by Clements' reference to a writer in the apology. And how would the comments found to be suspension worthy? The interview obviously wasn't conducted in the media center at Daytona. (Though I guess it seems logical that we've moved from secret fines from suspensions for unknown comments?)
Clements finished 14th in last year's Nationwide Series standings driving for his own team, Jeremy Clements Racing in the No. 51. At Daytona, he finished 33rd after only completing 88 laps because of an oil line problem.
Martin Whitmarsh: ?We?ve faced a challenging few weeks??
Martin Whitmarsh says that it?s impossible to predict the formbook for the Australian GP and beyond, and admits that McLaren has not had a straightforward winter testing season. ?In the days leading up to the Australian Grand Prix, it?s fair … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/03/08/martin-whitmarsh-weve-faced-a-challenging-few-weeks/
Nationwide driver Jeremy Clements suspended for unknown comments
NASCAR announced Tuesday that it had suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for comments he made in an interview on Saturday.
What interview that was or what Clements said is unknown, however.
?During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark,? NASCAR Senior VP of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell said in a release. ?NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that?s explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code.?
Tuesday evening, Clements posted the following statement to his team's Facebook page:
?I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team. NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment. ?
There's no point in speculating about what Clements, 28, said; and it's entirely possible the comments he made will be published in an interview that's yet to be released. Or we may never know. Was it a TV interview that wasn't aired? Though that seems to be refuted by Clements' reference to a writer in the apology. And how would the comments found to be suspension worthy? The interview obviously wasn't conducted in the media center at Daytona. (Though I guess it seems logical that we've moved from secret fines from suspensions for unknown comments?)
Clements finished 14th in last year's Nationwide Series standings driving for his own team, Jeremy Clements Racing in the No. 51. At Daytona, he finished 33rd after only completing 88 laps because of an oil line problem.
Clint Bowyer is ready to go racing ? and lion-hunting
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Clint Bowyer?s going lion-hunting.
This is not some cheap metaphor about how he?s going to chase down the biggest names in NASCAR. No, he?s literally going lion-hunting. The Monday after the Daytona 500 (unless he wins), Bowyer will head to Arizona to see if he can scare up a mountain lion or two. No, really.
Bowyer does plenty of hunting, even if it?s not always of the bow variety, as you?d think from those omnipresent Five-Hour Energy ads. (?You can?t really be walking around with a rifle in commercials these days.?) He?ll get away in the offseason when he can, and when he can?t, he?ll sneak in a little carnage during the year. (Last year, he bagged an eight-foot gator in Louisiana, and when it was stuffed by a Texas taxidermist, it was too big to fit anywhere but the back of the No. 15 hauler.)
Bowyer is one of the few current drivers you could actually see spending time in a freezing, fog-shrouded hunting blind. And for that reason, he?s one of the few drivers who hits all three marks of a successful driver: old-school credibility, talent, and sponsor satisfaction. He?s got a huge hill of public perception to climb (you know, drivers are all vanilla, nobody speaks their mind, et cetera), but as Brad Keselowski has shown, it?s possible to break out of the stereotype.
Nobody expected it to go this way. When Bowyer started the year with a new team, a new manufacturer, a new sponsor and a new crew, not even he thought he?d be anywhere near those heights by Homestead.
?The natural instinct is, change is dangerous, change is scary,? Bowyer said. ?Last year is proof that change isn?t always a bad thing. Literally picking up and starting over from scratch is what I did. Every face that I worked with was new.?
And it?s not like this was a foregone conclusion; at the time, the move from Richard Childress Racing to Michael Waltrip Racing was seen as a step down, if not off a cliff. Bowyer admitted to more than a little trepidation about his decision, both from inside and outside his circle.
?The media and everybody around you sure gives you a feeling about your decision when they?re asking, ?What the hell are you doing??? he laughed. And he was reminded, often, about how he once called his new owner Michael Waltrip ?the worst driver in NASCAR?: ?Ate a little crow with that, for sure. That?s why you never burn bridges. That?s a prime example of what can happen.?
Still, he started solid; by the fourth race of the season, he was in the top 12, and he?d remain in the top 10 from June onward. He won at Sonoma and Richmond, two tracks about as dissimilar as you could imagine. His second-place finish at Homestead, combined with a late-season fade by Jimmie Johnson, vaulted him up two spots into the runner-up spot, 39 points behind Keselowski.
It was impressive, yes, but skill on the track is only one part of the puzzle. Plenty of extremely talented drivers still have trouble attracting sponsors. The trick in 21st-century NASCAR is figuring out how to preserve enough of yourself to be able to look at yourself in the mirror, while still molding yourself into a sponsor-friendly, media-ready action figure. Some drivers remain themselves, to put it politely, so staunchly that sponsors want nothing to do with them. Some drivers are so eager to please sponsors that you can almost see the puppet strings at every press conference.
?We?re in this business as drivers to win races and do good on the race track,? he says, ?but in doing so we have to build brands not only for ourselves but our sponsors. It?s fun when you can have a sponsor that directly speaks about you. I?m wide-open, full of energy all the time. People ask, ?Have you always been on Five-Hour Energy???
See what he did there? Bowyer?s simple-country-boy routine conceals a guy who knows exactly what?s expected of him. He sits down for an interview, and inside the first two minutes has worked in plugs for both the new Gen 6 car, on behalf of NASCAR, and the Camry, on behalf of his manufacturer Toyota.
Of course, like any driver in the multimillion-dollar celebrity machine that NASCAR has become, even Bowyer falls prey to a diva moment now and then. Witness this exchange between Bowyer and SPEED TV host Rutledge Wood from Thursday?s Media Day, in which Bowyer gripes about a local Atlanta radio show that left him on hold for ? three minutes.
Three minutes? We?d consider that lightning-fast service from our cable company. Anyway, Bowyer did eventually reach out on Twitter with an offer to mend fences. And if nothing else, the mini-spat shows how maybe the virtually unceasing media access to drivers might not be the best thing for the sport.
?Honestly, I?m stir-crazy,? he said. ?I?m over talking about it. I?m ready to get down to business.?
Because of the rules in the latest iteration of the season-starting Sprint Unlimited race, Bowyer wasn?t in Saturday night?s lineup; he didn?t win a pole last year. He took to Twitter to vent his frustration: ?I have officially reset my 2013 goals.... Win a damn pole, this sucks!!!?
Over and above winning a damn pole, Bowyer has a clear idea of what he wants to do in 2013, and it?s exactly what he?s tried to do every year. Only now, he?s looking like a potential championship contender, and he?ll set the stage accordingly.
?Your goals are the same from the first time I won races and made the Chase in 2007: start out the year, win your first race,? he says. ?Get that footprint in the ground. Then build on that win. Hit that Chase in stride, hit it on a positive note. That?s why we?re here, to win championships.?
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Wednesday
Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2013? | 2013 F1 season preview
Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2013? is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Which driver will come out on top in each of the teams this year? Compare them all and pick who will get the better of their team mates.
Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2013? is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/03/13/2013-f1-season-preview-team-mates/
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Kyle Busch wins second Budweiser Duel in caution-free fashion
Kyle Busch capitalized on a Jeff Gordon pit road speeding penalty to capture the second Budweiser Duel qualifying race for Sunday's Daytona 500.
Gordon started on the pole for the race by virtue of qualifying second during last weekend's pole qualifying session and kept Busch, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and others at bay until the race's first set of pit stops.
As Gordon led the field onto pit road, he was penalized for speeding entering pit road in sections four and five of the race. It was a penalty that puzzled Gordon, who said he was under his prescribed tachometer reading while he drove to his pit at the far end of pit lane.
[Related: New Daytona 500 favorite emerges after Duel 1]
"We've got a major problem with the tach then, I was way under," Gordon radioed to his team after he was informed of the penalty, which put him a half a lap behind.
That handed the lead to Busch, whose team had audibled as he entered his pit stall. Instead of taking two tires as they had planned, crew chief Dave Rogers made the decision to take fuel only, and it put Busch at the head of the pack, a position he held for all but one lap the rest of the way. He'll start fourth in Sunday's Daytona 500.
On the final lap, Kahne was able to get around Kenseth on the backstretch for second, but didn't have enough time or momentum to make a move on Busch before the checkered flag. Much like the first duel race, this race was dominated by cars on the outside line of the banking. But unlike the first race, which saw a late caution bunch up the field and provide a flurry of multi-lane racing to the finish, this race never got one.
[Related: Danica Patrick flying high personally and professionally]
And that caution flag would have been Gordon's only hope of getting back within sniffing distance of the lead. The race's only moment that could have been caution-worthy happened just before Gordon's speeding penalty. As he was entering the pits behind Gordon and others, Ryan Newman's car wheel hopped under braking, and he spun towards the outside wall at the entrance to the tri-oval. But because the field was spread out due to the green flag pit stops and he was able to continue on his own, it didn't fly.
Gordon finished 12th.
Mike Bliss, who had to serve a black-flag penalty early in the race because his window net fell down, finished 22nd and joined Brian Keselowski as the only two drivers to miss the Daytona 500.
The full Daytona 500 lineup:
1. Danica Patrick
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Kyle Busch
5. Greg Biffle
6. Kasey Kahne
7. Juan Pablo Montoya
8. Austin Dillon
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Clint Bowyer
11. Kurt Busch
12. Matt Kenseth
13. Tony Stewart
14. Mark Martin
15. Brad Keselowski
16. Paul Menard
17. Casey Mears
18. Jeff Burton
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
20. Jamie McMurray
21. Joey Logano
22. David Ragan
23. Bobby Labonte
24. Marcos Ambrose
25. David Gilliland
26. Aric Almirola
27. Joe Nemechek
28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
29. Michael Waltrip
30. Dave Blaney
31. Scott Speed
32. Josh Wise
33. Trevor Bayne
34. Ryan Newman
35. Denny Hamlin
36. Carl Edwards
37. Martin Truex Jr.
38. Michael McDowell
39. Terry Labonte
40. Regan Smith
41. JJ Yeley
42. David Reutimann
43. Travis Kvapil
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Matt Kenseth wins at Las Vegas on 41st birthday
Matt Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne over the final 26 laps of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 to win his first race with Joe Gibbs Racing on his 41st birthday.
Kahne was the race's strongest car, leading a race high 114 laps, but Kenseth found himself out front after he won the race off of pit road with 41 laps to go. Why? Well, because crew chief Jason Ratcliff had made the call to take no tires while most of the rest of the leaders took two.
On that caution, Kahne had to wait to leave his pit stall as Tony Stewart was entering his pit directly in front of Kahne's. That meant that Kahne restarted in sixth, but his car was strong enough that he was able to work his way back up to second.
But much like it was with the previous car (ha! NASCAR, you can't fine me!), clean air was a strong advocate for the car at the front, and when Kenseth jumped out on that final restart, he never lost the lead.
"I was real nervous, all day (Kahne) had the best car," Kenseth said in victory lane. "I told (crew chief Jason Ratcliff) with about 12 to go, I'm like 'I'm sorry man, we're going to get beat.'"
"I was getting too tight and I was killing the right front. I just had to make sure I stayed in front of him and didn't have quite the fastest car there at the end but we had it where it needed to be. Just great pit stops, great strategy and we were in the right place at the right time and took advantage of it today."
Yes, that dreaded reference to track position. Kahne was able to get close a couple times, though. Over the closing laps, he would be able to close towards Kenseth on the backstretch off of turn two but wasn't able to carry the run through turns 3 and 4 to catch Kenseth near the start finish line. His best opportunity came with 4 laps to go when Kenseth had to step out of the throttle because of lapped traffic, but while he closed the deficit to Kenseth, he was never able to drive up alongside him and attempt a pass.
When he emerged from his car, Kenseth was again optimistic about what's in store at JGR, and after the first three races, why shouldn't he be? He was one of the strongest contenders at Daytona before engine trouble and finished seventh last week at Phoenix. The 2003 Cup champ joked about how Sunday was his 29th birthday, but even though the first digit is actually a 4, it's not hard to see that some of his best Cup Series days may be ahead of him.
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
Denny Hamlin stands up to NASCAR?s fine, defends his criticism of new cars
NASCAR has a lot riding on the 2013 season, and in particular its new "Generation 6" car. Dwindling attendance, sliding TV ratings, vanishing sponsors and new safety concerns have shaken the sport. So you can understand why NASCAR brass might be a bit sensitive to criticism of their newest showpiece vehicle.
How sensitive? Denny Hamlin found out this week when he was fined $25,000 for what appeared at the time to be relatively innocuous thoughts on a still-new car. Speaking after last Sunday's Phoenix race, which was for the most part a long parade of cars, Hamlin said, "I don't want to be the pessimist, but it did not race as good as our Generation 5 cars [a.k.a. "Car of Tomorrow"]. This is more like what the Generation 5 was at the beginning. The teams hadn't figured out how to get the aero balance right. Right now, you just run single-file and you cannot get around the guy in front of you."
That was enough to tick off NASCAR, which took offense at the "disparaging" remarks Hamlin made against the car and determined that Hamlin had run afoul of Rule 12-1, "actions detrimental to stock car racing."
"While NASCAR gives its competitors ample leeway in voicing their opinions when it comes to a wide range of aspects about the sport," NASCAR said in a statement, "the sanctioning body will not tolerate publicly made comments by its drivers that denigrate the racing product."
NASCAR and its drivers exist in a mutually beneficial partnership; each side needs the other. And despite some occasional public spats, they tend to coexist in harmony. Except when they don't. This is one of those times.
[Also: 'First African-American female licensed by NASCAR' overstating claims]
Hamlin has been fined by NASCAR before; in 2010, he received a "secret fine" (believed to be about $50,000) for suggesting that NASCAR seems to throw caution flags to tighten up races that are too spread out. That one, he accepted with a minimum of grumbling and some jokes about needing to play the Lotto.
This time around, he wasn't so conciliatory. He immediately fought back, using the court of public opinion on Twitter (entire paragraph sic'd):
"The short of the long of it is I believe I was severely disrespected by NASCAR by getting fined," he wrote. "I believe that the simple fact of us not even having a conversation about this issue before I was hit with a fine has something to say about our relationship. What I said was 1 sentence taken completely out of context. Most drivers will tell you that we constantly have our AND nascars best interest in mind when speaking. On the other hand I am a person that worked very hard from the BOTTOM to get where I am today and someone telling me that I can give my 100 percent honest opinion really bothers me. Since being fined in 2010 I have been a lot more careful about what I say to media and I felt this past weekend felt completely in my rights to give a assessment of the question asked. I feel as if today NASCAR lost one of its biggest supporters vocally of where our sport is headed. So in the end there are no winners. I said today I would not pay the fine. I stand by that and will go through the process of appealing. Trust me, this is not about the money.. It's much deeper. I will now shift my focus on giving FedEx and my team what they deserve this weekend, a win."
It's worth noting that when Kyle Busch won the first race with the Car of Tomorrow back in 2007, he blasted the car's handling in victory lane. Some observers have raised the possibility that NASCAR believes the Car of Tomorrow never had a chance because of Busch's comments, and the sport is trying to head off a similar problem with the Gen6 car.
[Also: Will publicity from NRA 500 be detriment or benefit to NASCAR?]
Of course, "heading off a problem" is another way of saying "stifling dissent," and there are already signs that drivers have gotten the message. Asked about the Gen 6 car on Thursday, Clint Bowyer smiled and said, "It's good. The car is good. Everything is very, very good."
"I'm not going to say anything for the rest of the year, as long as it relates to competition," Hamlin said on Thursday. "I mean, you can ask me how my daughter is, talk to me after wins about what have you, but as long as it relates to competition, I'm out from here on out. The down part is I feel like I've been a pretty good spokesman for them, and being positive when things aren't always positive. They just lost one small spokesman today, that's all."
NASCAR faces a raft of difficulties going forward. But muzzling its most charismatic drivers, which are one of the sport's great assets, is a strategy that will do little to address the sport's many problems.
-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-
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Tuesday
Will the publicity from the NRA 500 be a detriment or benefit to NASCAR?
That Eddie Gossage sure is one hell of a promoter.
The outspoken, gregarious (and conservative) Texas Motor Speedway president got his track's spring race a whole heck of a lot of publicity at TMS's media day on Monday when it was announced that the NRA would replace Samsung Mobile as the title sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series April 13th 500 mile race.
Yes, that NRA. The National Rifle Association, a group well known to most Americans and even more well-known to the people who make up NASCAR's core demographic.
Just two weeks ago, one of the most talked about cars at the Daytona 500 was one that bore a solicitation of monetary donations for the community of Newtown, Connecticut after the Sandy Hook school shooting left 26 people dead. In addition to that number that people could text to donate to, the car was even No. 26 for the race instead of its usual No. 30. To hear the car's owners retell the story, it was NASCAR President Mike Helton's idea. NASCAR CEO Brian France gave $50,000 to the Newtown charity. The NASCAR Foundation matched it.
[Also: Danica Patrick hits wall hard after losing a tire in Phoenix]
Now, less than two months later, the group whose CEO announced a plan to install armed guards in every school in the wake of the Newtown shooting -- a plan that did not go over well, mind you, is sponsoring a race on the same circuit's schedule.
I don't blame you if that seems incongruous.
This isn't the first time the NRA has sponsored a race; they were the title sponsors of the Nationwide race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last season, so their foray into motorsports isn't new. And they also sponsored Austin Dillon's car in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona last July. On Monday, Gossage said he saw no connection between the Sandy Hook tragedy and the NRA.
"I think, like everybody thinks, that was a heartbreaking occurrence," Gossage said. "But we don't see any correlation between that horrible act of violence and this organization."
Sponsorship agreements for races are negotiated and signed by the tracks and not NASCAR, but are ultimately subject to NASCAR's approval. And in a statement on Monday, NASCAR said that the agreement between Texas Motor Speedway and the NRA fell within the sanctioning body's guidelines for approval. So, in other words, there's no issue as far as NASCAR is concerned.
But should there be? It didn't take a soothsayer to see how controversial this sponsorship would be in the wake of Sandy Hook, even without the Newtown tribute car running at Daytona. But its presence in NASCAR's biggest race, and the attention that it was given when it was unveiled at NASCAR's media day preceding the Daytona 500 adds a layer of contradiction.
[Also: Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes on weight-loss plan, but it's nothing crazy]
Yes, NASCAR is the safest area of sports sponsorship for the NRA. Many drivers, owners and crew members are avid hunters. The same can be said for fans. To put it bluntly, much of the NASCAR demographic is also the NRA's key demographic. The NRA knows this. NASCAR and its tracks know this. Gossage said that "The response on social media has been 99%, I'm not exaggerating, favorable. Most of those enthusiastically favorable."
As NASCAR has expanded from a regional southern sport to a national one that has only one full-time driver in its top series hailing from North Carolina, the sports home base, the tug of war of pleasing its most ardent and loyal fans while also appealing to a mainstream and corporate America has risen to the surface.
Fair or not, the decision to allow the NRA to buy the sponsorship rights for the race was going to churn up a lot of conversation and debate because of what was said by the NRA after Sandy Hook. In turn, that conversation could potentially cast the series in a not-so-flattering light of Southern Good-Old-Boys who just don't get it.
At Daytona, a Nationwide Series driver was suspended by NASCAR for two races after making an offhand racist comment in a conversation with a reporter. It was a strong public statement, one that was certainly made with any potential ramifications through public discussion from those remarks in mind. (Yes, sponsorship discussions were already well underway between the NRA and Texas Motor Speedway at the time of the suspension. However, it's another example of a contradiction.)
[Also: Danica Patrick, crew chief make for odd couple]
It's a perfect litmus test of that tried and true cliche that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Through this announcement, the issue of guns and gun rights is now near the forefront again. That discussion will continue through April 13, though it will be similar to what it was a couple months ago. Lines will be drawn. Minds won't be changed. There likely won't be much productivity. But this time, NASCAR will be involved.
Is the potential seven-figure amount from the NRA for the race sponsorship and the thousands of t-shirts sold -- not to mention the new NRA members enrolled at the track on race weekend -- worth it? NASCAR is about to find out.
-Follow Nick Bromberg on Twitter at @NickBromberg-
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Blast From The Past, Part 1: Qatar 2012, By Scott Jones
With the 2013 MotoGP season due to start in just four weeks' time, it's time to take a trip down memory lane and get ourselves excited about this season's racing. To do so, over the next few weeks, we will be running an occasional series of shots by MotoMatters.com star shooter Scott Jones, taken at some of the rounds he attended last season. His stunning photos are a reminder of why we love motorcycle racing so much. Remember also to check out the special offers Scott has on signed photos, including riders such as Casey Stoner, Cal Crutchlow and Nicky Hayden. Not long to go now...
Qatar gave a glimpse of what was to follow in 2012: Jorge Lorenzo was a hard act to follow
Sadly, 2012 would be the last time we would see Casey Stoner on a MotoGP machine
Less sadly, it would also be the last time we would see Valentino Rossi on a Ducati MotoGP machine
Monday
The Chrome Horn 2013: Episode 2, Daytona
Hey y'all, when we got done writing on Sunday night, yours truly and Geoffrey Miller headed over to everyone's favorite NASCAR broadcaster's radio booth to record our post-Daytona 500 edition of The Chrome Horn.
We talk about all about the storylines of the weekend, especially the most important topic: Chad Knaus's Instagram account. Click here to listen to the podcast in your browser and click here to download it. Enjoy!
Kyle Larson spins CE Falk for late model win at Daytona Battle at the Beach
As the Sprint Cup Series takes a brief break between qualifying and practices for the Budweiser Duels and Daytona 500, Monday and Tuesday are opportunities for drivers from NASCAR's regional and touring series to take to Daytona.
On Monday night, it was the NASCAR All-American Late Model Series and Kyle Larson spun CE Falk for the win as the two headed towards the checkered flag on the 0.4 mile temporary oval on the Daytona backstretch.
The evening's crashfest finally got an extended green-flag run at the end of the race, and Larson rumpled up his front bumper significantly while racing with Ben Rhodes for second place. At first, when Larson got around Rhodes, it looked like the damage on the front end of his car would be too significant to reel in Falk, but over the next laps, Larson did just that, setting up a great 10 lap battle between the two.
Over those 10 laps, the contact that Larson and Falk had made was nothing more than customary short-track late-lap fender rubbing. But on the final lap, Larson gave Falk a shove in turns 3 and 4 and then gave him another, harder one coming out of the corner and sent Falk's car spinning to the inside.
?It's the first race I've ever won in that manner, but this was a pretty big race,? Larson said. ?I wanted to win it. It's the last lap. You have to slow down so much in the center of the corner, I got run on him and got into the back of him. I got underneath him and then got him around. I feel bad for him, but like I said, I wanted to win.?
Larson is driving full-time in the Nationwide Series this season and Tony Stewart guaranteed he will be a star at last week's NASCAR media days. And his performance chasing down Falk with a battered car was evidence in favor of Stewart's guarantee. But that move to spin Falk on the final lap? Well, it's hard to defend that. It's one thing to make contact with a driver in the corner in an attempt to move him out of the way. It's another to smack him coming off the corner like that to really get him out of the way.
Do you have an issue with what Larson did last night? Fair game or a low-blow? Drop us a line in the comments.
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After progress in 2012, it?s time for Williams to deliver in 2013 | 2013 F1 season preview
After progress in 2012, it’s time for Williams to deliver in 2013 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Williams made an overdue return to winning ways last year but it could have been better - and needs to be this year.
After progress in 2012, it’s time for Williams to deliver in 2013 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/03/11/2013-f1-season-preview-williams/
Clint Bowyer hits crew member and Travis Kvapil?s car while trying to exit pits
The dangers inherent to pit road were on display again early in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix.
Clint Bowyer, last year's championship runner up, was in his stall for a two-tire pit stop early in the race and, as is customary for many two-tire stops, hit the gas to leave the pits when the jack was released on the right side of his car. One problem, his front tire-changer and carriers were running in front of the car towards pit wall -- there was an apparent miscommunication about a two and four-tire pit stop.
As he left, Bowyer hit one of his crew members. And then, to add insult to the incident, he hit the rear of Travis Kvapil's car as Kvapil pulled into the stall in front of him.
Bowyer's crew member was unhurt, and as soon as Bowyer hit reverse after making contact with Kvapil, his crew went to work fixing the damage on his car. Bowyer finished 6th.
Ross Brawn: ?We?re realistic about our performance here??
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn was in an upbeat mood after the team finished the winter test season at the top of the Barcelona timesheets, although he cautioned that it was too still too early to draw too many conclusions. … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/03/03/ross-brawn-were-realistic-about-our-performance-here/
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Sunday
2013 Season Preview (Video)
In a week?s time F1 will be back with us, ending a winter bereft of motorsport action. What better way to get in the mood for the return world?s very best motorsport than watching some of the best moments from recent seasons? [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/Ztr-5RNDVLI/2013-season-preview-video
RIP Cycle News Editor Henny Ray Abrams
Cycle News contributing editor and long-time motorcycle racing journalist and photographer Henny Ray Abrams was found dead in his apartment in New York today, 28th February. Abrams was found at his computer by friends, sent to the apartment after the veteran reporter had failed to reply to emails and phone calls, something which was totally out of character.
Abrams was a respected reporter and well-liked face around the paddock, and had been involved in reporting on motorcycle racing since the 1970s. He was a stalwart of the AMA for a long time, but also reported on MotoGP for a number of publications. His longest association was with Cycle News, both in print and online once the print magazine folded. Readers outside the US will have known him for his contributions to Sport Rider magazine and GPWeek, and latterly, the online version of Cycle News. Abrams also wrote and photographed for non-motorcycle news organizations, including contributing to the AP and Corbis press agencies.
A cause of death is yet to be established, though circumstances suggest Abrams' death was from natural causes. Abrams was 57.
Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Kevin Harvick?s slick final-turn moves prove the difference in the Sprint Unlimited
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In a newly named race with a new car and an odd new format, it was an old veteran who ended up with the trophy.
The 2013 Sprint Unlimited may not have been the most competitive of races ? indeed, it often seemed about as fiercely fought as a split-squad spring training baseball game ? but Kevin Harvick took control early on, dominated through the final two segments, and closed off the race with an absolutely perfect finishing move. Harvick has now won three of the last five Sprint Unlimited/Bud Shootout events, and appears to be one of the first drivers to have figured out the new Gen 6 car.
"Nobody in the whole field had a clue what would happen," Harvick said, "so I figured we had a chance."
NASCAR tried to inject some added life into the event by giving the fans power over the race format, the first pit stop and the possibility of elimination. But in every case, the fans took the most conservative approach, going for a balanced race length (30 laps/25/20), a full four-tire pit stop and no eliminations. (To be fair, an early wreck took out six of the best drivers, and Terry Labonte started-and-parked in an exhibition event, leaving only twelve cars.)
But the on-track result was more tentative than aggressive. Driver after driver tried to figure out exactly how the combination of Gen 6, a clean track and cool temperatures combined, and more often than not the pack slimmed into the dreaded single-car train. Only a few drivers ? Harvick, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano ? actually made moves throughout the race. And while Kenseth may have had the strongest car of the entire field, he wasn't able to get help to get a shove back up to the front, and ended up fifth.
But reaching Harvick is one thing; passing him is quite another. With Stewart challenging him low and Greg Biffle pushing high, Harvick pulled off a slick double-block, running three wide all by himself, to hold off both drivers. The only way to beat Harvick would have been to take him out, and neither driver was prepared to do that.
"When you're coming from white to checkered, it's whatever you take," Harvick said. "You get whatever you can. A game of chicken would be a good way to put it."
?I thought about sticking it in there, and it just didn?t look like it was going to work to me," Biffle said. "It looked like it would be sparks and parts flying. He shut the door on the top. That's what Kevin needed to do to win the race." Biffle would end up finishing second; Logano got past Stewart for third.
The race took an early hit when Stewart set off a chain reaction that took out six cars: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.
"I thought I was clear," Stewart said. "The spotter did not clear me, so I went on my own and I thought I had enough of a run to be clear of the third-place guy and I'm pretty sure I clipped whoever was in third. So I made a move for the lead and probably was anxious too early ... I was kind of stagnant where I was at, and I was having fun moving forward and felt racy."
It was a quirk of the race format that the reigning Cup champion, Brad Keselowski, wasn't even in the race. Wearing a suit and commenting for Fox, Keselowski demonstrated insight and humor, but obvious frustration at being on the sidelines. "I think we saw Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, the guys that really drive aggressively, are rewarded and that is, I think, a really key thing," he said. "We also saw that Greg Biffle made a great move for the lead at the end, but Kevin Harvick drove more aggressive and made it work and that's what won him the race."
The drivers learned a bit for the Daytona 500, but probably not enough to make a significant impact. The track will be more worn in by the time the 500 rolls around, and with temperatures expected to soar into the 80s, the track could offer an entirely different style of handling than drivers saw Saturday night. While tandem racing is likely done for good, huge pack racing could be the style all afternoon ... and there's usually only one way that ends.
Best guess? An edgy race early, an aggressive, to-the-wire one very late ... and a monstrous wreck somewhere in the middle that takes out some famous names. Get ready.
"It'll be crazy," sixth-place finisher Aric Almirola said. "Absolutely. 100 percent. What a wild race that will be."
-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-
Ducati 750 Super Sport
A classic Ducati 750 Super Sport was put on sale at an auction with an estimated price of ?15.000-?20.000. This bike is in nice condition with good paint and chrome and alloy wheel rims.
When the 401 round-case 750 Ducati Super Sports were completed in 1974, two-strokes looked like they were going to dominate Formula 750, with the Yamaha TZ 700 leading the way. Ducati elected to contest endurance racing, which did not restrict engine size. They bumped up the 750 SS engine by using a pair of 450 racing pistons to create an 864-cc motor?the 900 SS.
In 1975, both the 900 SS and 750 SS used the square-case engine, with the 860 sleeved down to make the 750 SS. They were basically the same bare-bones production racers as the 1974 models, with right-side shift, a small CEV taillight, fibreglass gas tank, Conti pipes, open bellmouth carburettors and no turn signal provisions.
Only 246 ?900 Super Sports? and 249 ?750 Super Sports? were built, and an amazing 198 of the 500 went to Australia. The 1976 Super Sports would be civilised, with left-side shifting, steel gas tanks, carburettor air cleaners and quieter Lanfranconi mufflers (though Contis would usually be included in the crate).
Any 1975 750 Super Sport would be a rare find indeed these days, and this model is always sought after by serious Ducati collectors.
Hit the jump for more pictures.
Ducati 750 Super Sport originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 9 March 2013 02:31 EST.
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