It?s Your 2013 Exit Interview: No. 18 Aric Almirola

Welcome to From the Marbles' 2013 driver reviews. Here, we're going to critique, praise and bloviate about the top 30 drivers in the 2013 NASCAR season. Almirola already?

Aric, you've shown steady improvement throughout your six Cup seasons, and your second full season was an appropriate follow up on your debut last year.

We're really not sure what the expectations are. Setting them at winning races and making the Chase may be a tad too high given your team and your experience in the Cup Series, but at the same time, "not finishing 30th" is way too low too. If we split the difference, we'd say that 2013 was a fruitful season.

You had six top 10s, the most you've ever had, and for a while there you were in the Chase discussion. Heck, you were in the top 10 for two weeks after Talladega and Darlington in the spring. But the Daytona crash in July knocked you to 19th and that was that.

After 15 lead lap finishes last year, you finished on the lead lap 24 times in 2013. Another good improvement. Though the speed that you all had at the beginning of the year disappeared. Not only did that crash create a hole to dig out of, you really didn't even have a stepladder to try to get out of it. The only top 10s after it were at Loudon and Kansas.

You know what could make you endearing in our eyes? A full embrace of your NASCAR live chat nickname "Almirola by Morning." Consider that the missing link and all of your problems will go away if you put that above the window of your car. We're that serious about our chat names around here, and we pride ourselves on our originality. It's better than "Cuban Missile," and we're not in the Cold War no more.

Plus, "Almirola by Morning" fits perfectly with your boss's hat.

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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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Previous Reviews: No. 19 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 20, Jeff Burton, No. 21 Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 22 Marcos Ambrose, No. 23 Denny Hamlin, No. 24 Casey Mears, No. 25 Mark Martin, No. 26 David Gilliland, No. 27 Danica Patrick, No. 28 David Ragan, No. 29 Tony Stewart, No. 30 Dave Blaney

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2013-exit-interview-no-18-aric-almirola-184615336--nascar.html

Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso

Never forget how great Michael Schumacher was

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/never_forget_how_great_schumac.html

John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell Ivan Capelli

Hulman Motorsports Adds O'Donnell & Frye

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/11/hulman-motorsports-adds-odonnell-frye.html

Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson

Viva Zanardi!

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/5/3294060/viva-zanardi

Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca

With Johnson dominant, Cup contenders? press conference is a mild affair

The final Chase for the Sprint Cup championship press conference of 2013 played out like an off-brand kids' movie: pleasant, utterly predictable, with nary an unexpected turn anywhere. But that's what happens when your final weekend is edging away from "race" and toward "coronation."

Three years ago, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick utterly mind-screwed Denny Hamlin. Two years ago, Tony Stewart played psychological ninja on Carl Edwards. Last year, Johnson tried to rattle Brad Keselowski. This year? Johnson holds a 28-point edge over Matt Kenseth, and as the challenger noted, only a miraculous misfire could keep Johnson from his sixth championship:

"Obviously we're not going to make up the deficit on performance. I think Jimmie could run 28th through the grass or with three wheels on," Kenseth laughed. "He's going to have to have a mechanical problem or crash to make something happen. We'll have to be up in the top five to hold on to second or to overtake Jimmie if he has a problem."

"Realistically the only things we can control are what we do," said Harvick, who's 34 points back. "It's definitely a really, really long shot. But we'll control the things that are in our control and see how it all falls."

Kenseth and Harvick didn't even try to mess with Johnson's head. Why bother? It's not like either of them could get in there, and it's not like they could do much damage if they did. Johnson said all the right things, keeping distractions and locker-room quotes to a minimum. And he says hasn't even begun to think about that championship.

"I'm just focused on getting in the car and doing all that I can on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, minimizing the stakes, all those types of things," he said. "I've really tried hard not to go down that road and think about those things. I think it would be a mistake."

There were a few surprises, none related to the competition itself. One came in the news that the reigning Sprint Cup champion would get a Hall of Fame vote, a nice nod to linking the present with the past.

The drivers were all asked about the Chase itself, and while Johnson was pleased, Kenseth naturally wished for a little more latitude in the points department. Harvick gave an interesting answer, echoing many fans:

"Things I don't like about it are the same racetracks year after year," he said. "I think it would help our schedule, it would help some of the racetracks, help build some excitement around some different racetracks. I think there needs to be a road course in it. I think there definitely needs to be some things mixed up in it. I think the format is great, but I think the tracks need to change on a yearly basis."

Festivities at Homestead kick off on Friday, with the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 coming Sunday afternoon.

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

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/johnson-dominant-cup-contenders-press-conference-mild-affair-231508699--nascar.html

Andrea Chiesa Ettore Chimeri Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood

Phoenix is Bobby Labonte?s final race of 2013

Could Sunday be the final race of Bobby Labonte's Sprint Cup Series career?

The 2000 Cup champion hasn't announced plans for next season, and with almost every full-time team set for next season, unless Labonte can snag a part-time role or hitch on with a new team, Phoenix may be his 718th and last start. (Though don't be surprised if a team puts Labonte in its car for the Daytona 500 for the use of the Past Champion's Provisional.)

It's been a trying season for Labonte and JTG-Daugherty Racing. The team brought AJ Allmendinger on board for what it deemed to be a second opinion earlier this season. Allmendinger's first race was at Michigan in June, while Labonte was able to catch a ride with Phoenix Racing to keep his consecutive starts streak intact.

However, two weeks later at Kentucky, Allmendinger was in the No. 47 again and Labonte didn't have a ride and the streak ended at 704 races. Allmendinger is scheduled to drive the No. 47 at Homestead and signed with the team to drive in 2014.

Over Labor Day weekend, Labonte was scheduled to drive for Phoenix again at Atlanta, but broke his ribs in a cycling accident and missed three weeks.

Labonte hasn't won since 2003, so for many newer NASCAR fans, his past accomplishments may be overlooked. However, whenever he is eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, his career will serve as a fascinating barometer for how voters will consider the standards for drivers.

Through his 717 starts to date, Labonte has 21 wins, 115 top fives and that 2000 championship. Is that enough to be in the Hall of Fame? For reference, Dale Jarrett, a 2013 inductee, finished with 32 wins and a Cup title, but Jarrett also won the Daytona 500 three times.

Is any driver who wins a Cup title a Hall of Famer? Labonte's inclusion or exclusion may answer that question. What do you think?

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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!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/phoenix-bobby-labonte-final-race-2013-180311257--nascar.html

Adriбn Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Make Changes

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/07/rahal-letterman-lanigan-make-changes.html

JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore

Althea Racing Return To The Ducati Fold: Will Field Niccolo Canepa As EVO Entry In 2014 WSBK Campaign

The Althea Racing team is to switch back to Ducati from Aprilia for the 2014 World Superbike season. After their split with Ducati over development of the Panigale at the end of 2012, the Italian team are to return to the Bologna factory fold and race the Panigale in 2014. 

They will do so on a different footing to their previous relationship with Ducati, however. Next season, Althea will race the Panigale 1199R as an EVO entry in WSBK, the subclass set up to allow a more affordable entry into World Superbikes. With WSBK looking set to switch completely to EVO rules in the next few years, having a strong partner to help develop the Panigale within the restrictions set by the EVO rules - basically, a Superstock-spec engine in Superbike-spec chassis - will help Ducati prepare for the future. Given how well the Panigale has performed in Superstock form wherever it has been able to use the Ducati ECU, the bike should suit the EVO rules well.

The signing of Niccolo Canepa to race the Panigale with Althea is indicative of how close the cooperation with Ducati is likely to be. Canepa has a long history with Ducati, having functioned as a test rider for the Italian factory for a number of years, and having won the Superstock 1000 title on a Ducati in 2007, and raced Ducatis for the majority of his career. 

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/eDxnZYHCtpA/althea_racing_return_to_the_ducati_fold_.html

Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes