Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/08/rahal-to-test-ims-road-course.html
George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage
Tuesday
Monday
The Man Who Should Have Been A Champion?
I?ve admired Fisi for almost as long as I?ve been a Formula One fanatic ? which, sadly enough, accounts for most of my life.. Fisi, or Fisico or Giano, as he?s also colloquially known, was one of a bunch of up-and-coming youngsters who broke into F1 with perennial minnows Minardi back in 1996. Having been [...]
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Sunday
Yamaha Video: Kazutoshi Seki, The Man Behind Valentino Rossi's Electronics
The role that electronics plays in MotoGP cannot be underestimated. Every aspect of bike performance depends on how well the the systems monitoring the bikes read the data, interpret it and then modulate the power as it is applied to the road through the rear tire. Despite their performance, the systems which provide that control are kept carefully hidden from the public, and the people behind those systems remain anonymous.
Yamaha has sought to change this, producing a video spotlighting the work of Kazutoshi Seki, the engine control engineer for Valentino Rossi. The two have worked together at Yamaha since 2004, when Rossi first joined the factory, and again since Rossi's return after his two-year hiatus at Ducati. The video provides an insight into the role which Seki plays in helping to set up the bike for Rossi, and puts the passion and commitment the Japanese engineer pours into the sport. Despite being produced by Yamaha's global marketing department, it is a beautifully produced 14-minute portrait of one of the men so crucial to racing at this level. For more background on Seki and Yamaha, see the story behind the video on the Yamaha corporate website.
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Saturday
Richard Petty Motorsports still searching for consistency
As Richard Petty strolled through the concourse of Kansas City's Memorial Hall, fans streamed towards him with pens an memorabilia for the seven-time Sprint Cup champion to sign.
Others stood and watched, wondering who in the heck that man in the black cowboy hat could be that was causing such a commotion for a few people.
In a way, the varying reactions from fans served as a metaphor for Petty's team's season. At times, both Aric Almirola and Marcos Ambrose have been noticeable. Other times, their performances have been, well, anonymous.
"Up and down. It started way down," Petty said about his race team's progression over the past two seasons. "If you look at the overall deal it?s been better, better and better. Where we?re hurting a little bit is not consistent. We?ve been really super good one week and not so good. That?s our main deal and we know it?s going to take time to do that."
Proof of that consistency issue? Ambrose's ninth place finish and Almirola's 10th place finish at Kansas marked the first time all season that both Richard Petty Motorsports drivers had finished in the top 10 in the same race. Afterwards, both were thrilled, especially Ambrose. He spun to bring out one of Sunday's 15 cautions. But that spin ended up putting him on a strategy that had him fourth for the final restart.
[Power Rankings: And then there were two]
"It felt like a win as far because I thought our day was done," Ambrose said.
"We got a top 10 and I would have never told you that was possible (Saturday) in practice," Almirola said.
Almirola is 18th in the points standings and Ambrose is 20th. That's the reverse of where they finished last year.
"This year we started out really strong and we were up in the top 12 in points and looked like we were going to have a shot to make the Chase and throughout the summer months we just didn?t keep that mojo that we had at the beginning of the year," Almirola said.
Through the first 13 races, the No. 43 was in the top 12. But those Chase chances were over after Daytona where a crash dropped them to 19th.
For Ambrose, it's been a trying season -- "a wash" as he termed it before the weekend began -- and is encapsulated perfectly by Watkins Glen in August. After leading 51 laps in a bid to win a third straight race at the road course, he had a flat tire and was caught up in a crash in the esses. After three top fives a year ago, none have been on the docket this season.
Though perhaps Sunday was a sign of the optimism that Petty shared Thursday. For a team without title aspirations, a good Chase performance can still
"When we started (with the new car at the beginning of the season), nobody knew what was going on so we were as good as anybody," Petty said. "We trucked along there and everything went pretty good and we just didn?t expand quick enough. We got behind the curve and are just now getting back to where we should have been three or four months ago."
Friday
Happy Hour: NASCAR vs. F1, attending races in person and qualifying changes
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
This is quite the packed mailbag this week. Big response to last week's column. Must have been something I said? Or were you all just inspired by Carl Edwards' music video appearance? I'm betting it's the latter.
[Watch: Jeff Gordon trivia]
Anyway, let's stop wasting time and get to it.
Greetings. I happened to bump into some of that race yesterday (at Martinsville). Rubbish. I believe the fans have begun to figure out this lapping exhibition as witnessed by the growing number of empty seats and increasing conversion of seating sections to race day billboards. This sport has long lost its appeal. Last month I attended the Singapore F1 event. The entire weekend was a blast. First rate entertainment, plenty of food and beverage, no lines and exciting backdrop. Nascar, and while I'm at it horse racing, need to take a look at what's going on in Asia to revive these sports. Otherwise lights out.
- Cowboy Bob.
Oh fun, we haven't had some F1 attitude in the mailbag in a while. Are you saying that you don't want to pay a bunch of money to listen to Hank Williams Jr. perform before Bristol? What type of race fan are you?
I also think it's a tad crazy to compare an F1 street race in Singapore to a NASCAR race at Martinsville. Apples to toboggans. And I'll leave it at that.
_____________________
If I had a dime for every time I've heard the statement "Hotel prices are the biggest factor keeping fans away from the tracks". I would've burned out an industrial strength coin roller at this point. My question is "if that's the biggest issue. Why are the local fans not showing up?"
TV ratings for Martinsville are a perfect example. Here's some of the the top 10 areas for ratings. Greensboro (1), Greenville S.C. (2), Norfolk (3), Charlotte (5), Richmond (6), and Raleigh-Durham (10). Those 6 cities are less than an 8 hour round trip from Martinsville, heck, #1 is practically walking distance! These are people that don't need to worry themselves with room prices.
What is it that NASCAR isn't doing (or IS doing) that is keeping even the locals away on Sundays?
- Darrell
Some good points here, and on that note, I think it's important to mention that ISC announced that it was going to take steps to start upgrading WiFi capacity and HD screens at some tracks. And that's why you've seen tracks like Texas and Charlotte go with the big screens as well.
Look, let's not be naive. Attending a race, hotel prices or not, can be expensive, especially if you want the access that NASCAR is known for. Hot passes, unless you have a hookup, aren't cheap and neither is grandstand seating for that matter. Then you add in the cost of a scanner or FanView and souvenirs, concessions and anything else you want to think of and it's an absurdly pricy weekend at the track alone.
Or, you could stay at home, get things accomplished before the race, crack a beverage that you've paid for at 10% of the track cost at the grocery store and watch from your couch on your big screen. And you'll get radio access at a minimal cost per year if you paid for RaceView and all the other info you don't get via TV on Twitter. I think every NASCAR fan should have the opportunity to experience at least one race live and take it all in. But I can't blame someone for preferring to watch from his or her living room.
_____________________
Why don't they give out points for qualifying, 3-2-1 Would make it interesting. Having more cars on track would be viable as well.
-John
I like this idea to spice up qualifying, and I'm also glad that NASCAR is looking at different qualifying formats for next year. I think in the car count era we're in with minimal cars missing the race every week, qualifying not only needs a shakeup in terms of format but in terms of emphasis. An extra few points for the top qualifiers would help significantly, especially in the Chase.
_____________________
What is wrong with the know it alls at Nascar? Leave qualifying alone. We are not Indy Cars or Formular One. I for one, and I hope others want to watch single car qualifying. Shortening the times Nascar is on TV, has already been started with Speed becoming Fox Sport 1. Which I hate!
- Betty
And here we are with the opposite opinion. Betty seems to speak for a vocal minority of fans who are disappointed about the Speed to Fox Sports 1 transition and if you're included in that group, please email me with the answer to this simple question. Why?
[Watch: Jimmie Johnson trivia]
I can understand if you're that disappointed about the loss of WindTunnel or SpeedCenter, but outside of those programs, it's simply been a void of cheap reality content that was meh. The live coverage of racing hasn't been affected and with the launch of Fox Sports 2 there's a backup channel for it. Not every NASCAR test session or truck practice was televised in the Speed era, and it's not going to be in the FS1 era either.
_____________________
First, start a new series of oval track racing where the cars must be STOCK cars. Either remove the interiors or have the manufacturers build them special without interior, insulation and sound deadening. Then add safety equipment and racing wheels and tires. No other changes from factory specification.
It's been done many times for road racing, remember the Corvette Showroom Stock series that was started when the 'Vetts of the 90's got so good they were kicked out of other classes? Remember when Dodge sold Neons minus interiors etc strictly for racing use? Do the same for oval racing. I bet if given decent TV coverage it would soon be as or more popular than the fake cars NASCAR has been running.
Second, adding up all the times the Daytona 500 has been shortened, there's more than enough missing laps to make up another 500.
Put all those laps into one race and limit entries to only drivers who have never won a race or even placed in the top ten in any level of NASCAR competition. NO TEAMS! Every driver on his or her own with their crew.
That would put the attention on the up and comers without having to be overshadowed by the teams with practically unlimited funds.
Call it a make-up race for all the Daytona 500 action we've missed over the years. Could even have a company like Mary Kay or Maybeline sponsor it. Would the "Mary Kay Makeup 500" attract more women drivers to racing?
- Gregg
There's a series that involves stock cars and it's called the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. If "stock" car racing was such the draw that the loyalists say it is, why isn't the CTSCC more of a draw than it is? Hell, the races aren't even televised live. They're usually shown on delay a few days after the race airs.
And I'm not sure where you're going with the final few graphs of your letter, Gregg, nor am I sure that I want to.
When I purchase a ticket to see a 300 lap race, I expect to see 300 laps of racing, not 20% of the race as caution laps. NASCAR needs to not count caution laps as "race" laps.
- Vance
Raise your hand, do you want caution laps to count? Sunday's race at Martinsville took a cool 3:45 to run and featured 111 laps of caution. At 20 seconds per lap at Martinsville under green flag conditions, that's more than 30 minutes of green flag racing that would be tacked on to that race. No. No. No. No. No. NASCAR races should only go over four hours on the rarest of occasions, namely the Southern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
Besides, that's counter to the argument that NASCAR races need to be shortened in this era of shortening time spans. While I understand that, I think that's significantly muted if the racing in the early and middle stages is remotely compelling. I certainly don't hear the cries about football games, namely college football games, going over 3.5 hours. And I think that's a significant issue. With the overtime exceptions, football games shouldn't take that long to complete. And the same goes for NASCAR.
- - - - - - -
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!
FIVE Moments That Defined 2013
Sebastian Vettel glided almost effortlessly toward his sixth straight victory and his fourth consecutive world title on Sunday, celebrating with a series of spectacular doughnuts in front of his adoring (yes, really) fans in New Delhi. Love him or loathe him, there is absolutely no question he and the Red Bull Racing team deserve their [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/uyhDs-CDQ28/five-moments-that-defined-2013
Thursday
Sutil: Teenage ?kids? aren?t ready for F1 | F1 Fanatic Round-up
In the round-up: "You need to be a grown up in F1" - Sutil ? Di Resta and Anthony Hamilton go to court ? Ecclestone refutes F1 sale charge
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/10/31/f1-fanatic-round-up-3110-2/
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
Wednesday
5 Hour Energy returning to sponsor Clint Bowyer in 2014
Michael Waltrip Racing can breathe a public sigh of relief after 5 Hour Energy announced via its Facebook page Friday morning that it would return to the team to sponsor Clint Bowyer in 2014.
"This week the 5-hour ENERGY� team met after the New Hampshire race to discuss our future with Michael Waltrip Racing," the post said. "While our original plan was to announce the status of our sponsorship at the end of the year, this timeframe left many concerned about their future. There are scores of passionate fans, numerous charitable organizations, and hundreds of hard-working MWR employees and their families who are directly impacted by 5-hour ENERGY?s NASCAR sponsorship."
"After several internal discussions and meetings with MWR, we are prepared to announce our decision ahead of schedule. 5-hour ENERGY� will be back as a sponsor of MWR and Clint Bowyer for 2014. We look forward to another great year of competitive racing. Go 15!"
The president of 5 Hour, Brian Henderson, was at New Hampshire and according to the AP said "There's a lot of talk about integrity,'' he said. ''When the guy who's in charge can say, 'I can do whatever I want and I'm going to do it and I just did,' I wonder about integrity. I want to make sure we can win in this sport, OK?'' He then walked off.
Those comments looked to be in reference to NASCAR president Brian France, who in the wake of the MWR race manipulation allegations at Richmond, added Jeff Gordon to the Chase as a 13th car.
MWR was accused of having Bowyer and Brian Vickers slow down to ensure Joey Logano finished ahead of them at Richmond after Bowyer spun late in the race. That got Martin Truex Jr. into the Chase before he was penalized by NASCAR the following Monday. Last week, NAPA made the decision to leave Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of the season.
NAPA was a full season sponsor for Truex. With the return of 5 Hour, the team now has two of its three cars funded, but is still looking for sponsorship for Truex.
Tuesday
Monday
FIA Ethics Committee dismisses Ward?s complaint
The FIA Ethics Committee, which met on Friday in Paris, has dismissed David Ward’s complaint. The committee said that “nothing in what the Committee saw or heard gives any hint that any ethical regulation of the FIA has been breached by Mr Todt or any of the parties implicated”. It also rejected the claim that […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/fia-ethics-committee-dismisses-wards-complaint/
Sunday
Travis Kvapil will drive No. 93 car as scheduled this weekend following arrest
Travis Kvapil's driving duties will be unchanged after his Tuesday evening arrest. BK Racing says that it's standing by its driver after he was arrested and charged with assault and false imprisonment.
?After discussions with NASCAR and the Kvapil family, BK Racing has elected to support Travis and his family,? co-owner Ron Devine told FOX Sports on Thursday. ?It?s the right thing for Travis and his family to let the system take its course.
?He has the ability to set aside the issues and focus, and he?s prepared to race this weekend.?
The arrest and charges from the domestic dispute came after Mooresville police responded to a 911 call from Kvapil's residence. According to police and court records via the Sporting News, Kvapil "allegedly pulled his wife into a bedroom by her hair and struck her in the head as she tried to pull away." The charges are misdemeanors, and neither party was under the influence of alcohol.
A court date regarding the charges has been set for November 19. NASCAR released a statement Thursday:
"NASCAR does not condone the actions with which Travis Kvapil has been charged and we are disappointed to learn of this incident. We have been in close communication with the race team and are in the process of gathering as much information as possible," the sanctioning body said in a statement. "NASCAR takes this matter very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation as it moves forward."
So, yes. Go forth and race, Kvapil.
However, it must be said again, this is the sanctioning body that suspended Jeremy Clements two races for saying a racial slur at Daytona, as it violated NASCAR's code of conduct. Does this matter not violate the code of conduct?
Per those discussions that Devine referenced above, NASCAR and BK Racing must know something that we do not via the information available and the charges to allow Kvapil to race this weekend. That's the only explanation, as this was deemed a serious enough incident and there was enough information for charges to be filed.
Mike Harmon wasn't suspended when he was charged in the saga of Jennifer Jo Cobb's hauler, so there is a NASCAR precedent that's already been set this year. However, it's fair to say that the situations that Harmon and Kvapil were in are quite different. A hauler is not a person, and there's enough finger pointing with the hauler drama to make your head spin.
The right decision, given the code of conduct that NASCAR has referenced both in the Clements and Nelson Piquet situations, is to have Kvapil on the sidelines for the remainder of the season, or until the situation is resolved, whichever comes first. A domestic dispute like this is much more serious than a slur or a stolen hauler -- the charges prove that.
Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
Ben Spies Retires From Racing,
Ben Spies is to retire from motorcycle racing. The shoulder injuries the Texan suffered in the past year have cast doubts over whether his shoulders will ever be strong enough to race a motorcycle again, and so Ducati and Spies have come to a mutual agreement for Spies to terminate their contract after just 1 year. Spies' retirement leaves the second seat at Pramac Ducati vacant for 2014.
The trouble started for Spies during his difficult second year with the factory Yamaha team. After a series of strange mechanical issues and a few crashes, which led to his decision to leave the team, Spies had a massive highside in the wet at Sepang, in which he badly damaged his right shoulder. He had surgery to fix that injury late 2012, in the hope of being ready to test at Sepang with the Pramac Ducati team. Riding that soon after such major surgery proved to be a mistake, and after the Austin round of MotoGP, Spies decided to pull out. A brief return at Mugello followed, and then a return to full fitness at Indianapolis in August. Another huge highside damaged saw Spies damage his left shoulder, and be forced to pull out for the rest of the season.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/EGUv4VRZjfI/ben_spies_retires_from_racing.html
Saturday
2013 Motegi MotoGP: Provisional Revised Weekend Schedule Announced
A provisional revised schedule for the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi has been announced, with individual qualifying sessions to take place later this afternoon. Moto3 and Moto2 will have hour long sessions while the premier class will get an hour and fifteen minutes. It certainly has the potential to be a captivating day as riders and teams will be scrambling to rapidly sort out their set ups while also determining grid positions for tomorrows races.
It has also been announced that forty minute practice sessions will occur on Sunday morning for Moto3 and Moto2, while the MotoGP class will get fifty minutes. These sessions will in theory be extended warm ups and the races will then run according to the original timing schedule.
Full details of the revised outline can be seen below, they are according to local time:
Friday
Texas Motor Speedway to build world?s largest HD video board behind backstretch
The race to have the largest high-definition screen keeps going and going.
Texas Motor Speedway announced Monday that it will have the largest HD video board in the world in 2014 when it unveils a new screen behind the backstretch grandstands in time for its spring race weekend April 3-6, 2014. The video board will be 20,633 square feet, more than four thousand square feet bigger than the video board on the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, currently the largest high-definition video screen in the country.
Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway are both owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc.
TMS also says its screen is 79 percent larger than each video board at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. And of course, this being Texas and all, it'll be named "Big Hoss."
"The 1080p screen will consist of nearly 4.8 million pixels, display 281 trillion colors and feature a 140-degree horizontal viewing radius to provide rich, high-definition imagery for race fans in every frontstretch seat and suite of the state's largest sporting facility," the speedway said in a release. "For those fans in backstretch seating, Panasonic also will be installing an 18'x24,' 1080p HD video board on the infield side of the backstretch for their viewing pleasure."
Thursday
Happy Hour: Looking to the future and looking to the Dodgey past
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
As Geoffrey Miller and I discussed on the award-winning Chrome Horn podcast, the Travis Kvapil story has disappeared in the wake of the Charlotte race and the NASCAR schedule unveiling. Of all the stories to have a short shelf life, the one that doesn't need one seems to have one.
Not that we want to be talking about a driver being charged with domestic violence by any means, but this is something that shouldn't have been pushed aside so quickly. Want more on that? Listen to the podcast.
Hey, there's also the news of Todd Parrott, the highest profile crew member to be suspended because of NASCAR's substance abuse policy. While I understand NASCAR's no tolerance policy completely, this news combined with the no news on Kvapil makes it impossible not to go "Hmm..."
Oh, real quick! We've professed our love for Steve Wallace's songs before, and every listen of his song here through October will be donated to cancer research. Keep on writing the racing songs, Steve.
Now, let's talk about the schedule, shall we? And those communists at NBC. Let's start with a doozy.
I'm a nascar fan but I. Won't watch it on nbc that is a leftist leaning they hate American thAt want are rights and freedoms but the goverment controled network they got there heads so far up Obama ass that if he stops they will come out his mouth. I will not watch anything on nbc.
- Donald
Please note that we did not touch up anything that Donald wrote in this email. The cleanest line of copy was the "Sent from my iPhone" tagline at the bottom. Donald can blame fat fingers for his typing, but I'm not sure what he can blame for his ridiculous thinking.
----------------
FUNNY--NO ONE ever mentions as to how Brad K. did so well last year--out of the chase this year. How can you "experts" be so stupid? The reason is D-O-D-G-E. Most everyone wants them out , and,as usual, they got their wish. DODGE is the reason Brad won last year-against HUGE odds. No one wanted DODGE to win--they did everything they could to stop him--but 2 Dodges in the whole field in 2012--One guy named Brad--WINS "all the marbles" as you say. Now he drives Ford--the results speak for themselves in 2013. I should be writing your editorials--it's SO easy to see why Brad did lousy this year. Did you EVER think what would happen in Nascar if Dodge had as many entries as GM, Ford, & "Rice burner"? They would run away with the field as they do in Canadian Tire series in Ontario, Canada. This is WHY the other 3 manufacturers have tried SO HARD to get Chrysler out of NASCAR. This is NOT NEW. They've been trying since back in the '60's when the vaunted Hemi took over . GM & Ford were so mad--they pulled the "money strings" with the NASCAR management to get this engine outlawed. So, here we are again--Chrysler gets back in in 2001--took them 11 years to get Chrysler back out of it. It's so plain --you dummies can't see it!!!!!
- Dan
Maybe I'm insane, but no one wanted Dodge out of racing. It was a matter of financial commitment and the ability of teams to find other manufacturers with more resources.
There's also absolutely no basis of comparison for "Dodge is the reason why Penske missed the Chase this year with Brad." They had an EFI problem earlier in the season, and then a crash and Richmond and so on and so forth. Is that stuff going to happen regardless of manufacturer? Likely.
Dan, do you also still think the Hemi was being run in NASCAR? Maybe that was Penske's secret last year. Brad had a Hemi engine!
@NickBromberg Do you think the rumored schedule changes for 2015 will really be that dramatic or this just NASCAR over hyping stuff again?
? Chris Nulty (@RealChrisNulty) October 17, 2013
How sad is it that wondering about overhype is a completely warranted and natural reaction to anything in NASCAR these days?
I like to think that it is, and I'm optimistic that there will be some significant shifts. Will they be as significant as a lot of people want them to be? Likely not, and therein lies the problem.
There are so many fans who want a complete -- or near complete -- overhaul of the NASCAR schedule that anything that the sanctioning body does will come up short in the minds of a vocal minority.
And look, it's not possible for NASCAR to throw everything away and start over again. There are too many ties that bind to make it happen and too many people to please. And with so many tracks tied to two Cup dates, there isn't a ton of flexibility.
But while there's not a ton, there's some. And I'm hoping that NASCAR takes advantage of it. But be forewarned, brace yourselves for the cacophony from the echo chamber about race manipulation if the NASCAR season ends with a restrictor plate race. That could be nauseating.
Wednesday
Surprise as Kvyat lands Toro Rosso seat for 2014
Toro Rosso has confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will replace Daniel Ricciardo next season. The 19-year-old Russian will partner Jean-Eric Vergne, who will be in his third year with the team. Kvyat is currently second in the GP3 series, and has … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/10/21/surprise-as-kvyat-lands-toro-rosso-seat-for-2014/
Tuesday
Happy Hour: Looking to the future and looking to the Dodgey past
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
As Geoffrey Miller and I discussed on the award-winning Chrome Horn podcast, the Travis Kvapil story has disappeared in the wake of the Charlotte race and the NASCAR schedule unveiling. Of all the stories to have a short shelf life, the one that doesn't need one seems to have one.
Not that we want to be talking about a driver being charged with domestic violence by any means, but this is something that shouldn't have been pushed aside so quickly. Want more on that? Listen to the podcast.
Hey, there's also the news of Todd Parrott, the highest profile crew member to be suspended because of NASCAR's substance abuse policy. While I understand NASCAR's no tolerance policy completely, this news combined with the no news on Kvapil makes it impossible not to go "Hmm..."
Oh, real quick! We've professed our love for Steve Wallace's songs before, and every listen of his song here through October will be donated to cancer research. Keep on writing the racing songs, Steve.
Now, let's talk about the schedule, shall we? And those communists at NBC. Let's start with a doozy.
I'm a nascar fan but I. Won't watch it on nbc that is a leftist leaning they hate American thAt want are rights and freedoms but the goverment controled network they got there heads so far up Obama ass that if he stops they will come out his mouth. I will not watch anything on nbc.
- Donald
Please note that we did not touch up anything that Donald wrote in this email. The cleanest line of copy was the "Sent from my iPhone" tagline at the bottom. Donald can blame fat fingers for his typing, but I'm not sure what he can blame for his ridiculous thinking.
----------------
FUNNY--NO ONE ever mentions as to how Brad K. did so well last year--out of the chase this year. How can you "experts" be so stupid? The reason is D-O-D-G-E. Most everyone wants them out , and,as usual, they got their wish. DODGE is the reason Brad won last year-against HUGE odds. No one wanted DODGE to win--they did everything they could to stop him--but 2 Dodges in the whole field in 2012--One guy named Brad--WINS "all the marbles" as you say. Now he drives Ford--the results speak for themselves in 2013. I should be writing your editorials--it's SO easy to see why Brad did lousy this year. Did you EVER think what would happen in Nascar if Dodge had as many entries as GM, Ford, & "Rice burner"? They would run away with the field as they do in Canadian Tire series in Ontario, Canada. This is WHY the other 3 manufacturers have tried SO HARD to get Chrysler out of NASCAR. This is NOT NEW. They've been trying since back in the '60's when the vaunted Hemi took over . GM & Ford were so mad--they pulled the "money strings" with the NASCAR management to get this engine outlawed. So, here we are again--Chrysler gets back in in 2001--took them 11 years to get Chrysler back out of it. It's so plain --you dummies can't see it!!!!!
- Dan
Maybe I'm insane, but no one wanted Dodge out of racing. It was a matter of financial commitment and the ability of teams to find other manufacturers with more resources.
There's also absolutely no basis of comparison for "Dodge is the reason why Penske missed the Chase this year with Brad." They had an EFI problem earlier in the season, and then a crash and Richmond and so on and so forth. Is that stuff going to happen regardless of manufacturer? Likely.
Dan, do you also still think the Hemi was being run in NASCAR? Maybe that was Penske's secret last year. Brad had a Hemi engine!
@NickBromberg Do you think the rumored schedule changes for 2015 will really be that dramatic or this just NASCAR over hyping stuff again?
? Chris Nulty (@RealChrisNulty) October 17, 2013
How sad is it that wondering about overhype is a completely warranted and natural reaction to anything in NASCAR these days?
I like to think that it is, and I'm optimistic that there will be some significant shifts. Will they be as significant as a lot of people want them to be? Likely not, and therein lies the problem.
There are so many fans who want a complete -- or near complete -- overhaul of the NASCAR schedule that anything that the sanctioning body does will come up short in the minds of a vocal minority.
And look, it's not possible for NASCAR to throw everything away and start over again. There are too many ties that bind to make it happen and too many people to please. And with so many tracks tied to two Cup dates, there isn't a ton of flexibility.
But while there's not a ton, there's some. And I'm hoping that NASCAR takes advantage of it. But be forewarned, brace yourselves for the cacophony from the echo chamber about race manipulation if the NASCAR season ends with a restrictor plate race. That could be nauseating.
The Tattletale Issue
Let me just say this first: I don’t care that somebody threw the Penske guys under the bus. There, I said it. (Cue the “you work for Hendrick” trolling in 3…2…1…) Last week, after both Penske cars were busted by NASCAR at Texas for some creative rear-end components, Jenna Fryer wrote that NASCAR may have [...] 
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Monday
Car No. 43 crew chief Todd Parrott suspended by NASCAR
Todd Parrott, crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports car, has been suspended by NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy.
"Todd Parrott, a crew member in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body?s Substance Abuse Policy," NASCAR's statement said.
"On Oct. 17, Parrott was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy) of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book."
Parrott has 31 Sprint Cup Series wins as a NASCAR crew chief and was the crew chief for Dale Jarrett when he won the 1999 Sprint Cup Series championship with Robert Yates Racing.
RPM said that Sammy Johns, the team's VP of Operations and Competition, would take Parrott's spot atop Almirola's pit box.
"We have an expectation of all RPM employees to conduct themselves at the highest level of professionalism and within the competitive confines as set forth by NASCAR," Johns said in a statement. "We are very disappointed that one of our employees did not meet our expectations and we completely support NASCAR, their policies and final decisions when it comes to the substance abuse policy."
Parrott became Almirola's crew chief in September of 2012 when the team swapped crew chiefs for the final 10 races of the season.
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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!
Sunday
Brad Keselowski passes Kasey Kahne late for win at Charlotte
Last year's champion finally made it to victory lane this year.
After going winless for over a year, Brad Keselowski won Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte after passing Kasey Kahne with eight laps to go and pulling away from the win.
With the win, Keselowski became the first non-Chase driver to win a Chase race since Kahne's win with Red Bull Racing in 2011. After winning the title last year, Keselowski missed the Chase this season, largely because that winless streak hurt his chances for the Wild Card.
The racing throughout Saturday evening's affair was, well, let's say a tad snooze-inducing. Clean air was once the name of the game and cars simply couldn't run side-by-side for an extended period of time.
However, when Kahne and Keselowski were together late, they produced the night's most riveting racing, even if it was just for a few brief moments.
"I love hard racing, and there are a handful of guys you can't race hard with in this deal because they freak out, Kasey's not one of them. He's an excellent driver and he ran me hard but he ran me clean and that's great racing," Keselowski said after the race in victory lane, perhaps taking a swipe at a certain driver he crashed while racing with last week.
Kahne had the lead on the race's final restart after taking two tires, and Keselowski restarted sixth with four tires. He quickly moved past Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth for second, and set his sights on Kahne and closed in on the Hendrick driver's bumper.
"I tried everything to keep him behind me," Kahne said. "He cleared me once and I got back by him, we just battled really hard and he did a really good job, he had a fast car at the end."
After Kahne got back by, Keselowski hung on his left rear quarterpanel entering turn one and cleared him. It was smooth sailing ahead for his 10th career Sprint Cup Series win.
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
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