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.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): I know we talk a lot about Johnson's Martinsville success, but his fifth place finish Sunday was his 16th worst out of 24 starts. Let that sink in. That's crazy. Anyway, Texas Motor Speedway is billing that the battle between Kenseth and Johnson is the tightest NASCAR points race with three to go. And while that is correct, they're tied. Can't really top that, can you?
3. Jeff Gordon (LW: 5): Gordon is trying his best to keep the hope alive that we'll have a treasure trove of "driver added to field by commissioner's selection wins Chase" stories. It's not going to happen, but it's fun to think about. Also fun to think about, Gordon's win total when he retires. Sunday was No. 88. What are the chances he gets to 100?
4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 4): Wow, so the comparison that I had for Harvick in last week's Power Rankings about party guy turned out to be kind of accurate. Except I didn't think that he'd turn on the people he came to the party with. They're sticking with him, at least until the party's over. And that's cool with you, because once the party's over, it's not your problem any longer.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Junior's running well and had another top 10 at Martinsville. It's just that his Chicago engine failure has ruined the Chase and the torrid pace set by the top two drivers has left him helpless to the championship. Is he the best case for a Chase mulligan? Because he's Junior, maybe not, because of the conspiracies some fans would concoct.
6. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): That car sure faded over the last part of the race and after being near the front all day, Busch ended up 15th. At least he had a better day than his brother, who spun while trying to make a pass and ended up 18th. If Kyle Busch was a Kid Rock song, which one would he be? Why did I ask that question?
7. Clint Bowyer (LW: 8): So it looks like the funny rawhide is back. That's good to see, though it'd be awesome if he made some poison oak jokes and we could all laugh about it. His crew chief Brian Pattie had one of my favorite in-race radio quips of the year Sunday when he told Bowyer to drive the car hard and not loaf around like a certain midwestern-born Camping World Truck Series driver.
8. Jamie McMurray (LW: 6): Sneaky, sneaky, that McMurray. He finished in the top 10 a week after winning at Talladega and could be a surprise contender at Phoenix. He's also 24 points ahead of Brad Keselowski for the prestigious and never-remembered "highest finishing non-Chase driver" award.
9. Greg Biffle (LW: NR): Biffle gets this spot here because of the impressive drive he had without a rear bumper cover over the final laps of the race and the sleek sneak-spin-attack on Jimmie Johnson. If you're scrambling for Halloween party ideas, you could do a lot worse than plastering a bunch of 3M products all over yourself and randomly grabbing people by their collars and torquing them in the name of the Biff.
10. Kurt Busch (LW; 8): Busch could not have planned that spin any better to drive off with minimal damage. He was the guy at fault, but ended up with just a monstrous dent in the door while Mark Martin had an obliterated front end. If Jimmie Johnson has had a golden horseshoe you-know-where in previous chases, don't go looking for what the No. 14 team has. You could be scarred for life.
11. Carl Edwards (LW: 11): If Carl Edwards ever misses his backflip, will it make a thud similar to the one that was heard in Edwards' hometown when Missouri's Andrew Baggett's kick in double overtime clanked off the uprights? That was cathartic to type, I promise. Stick with me at 
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 10): If drivers didn't have custom fitted seats, Sunday would have been the perfect opportunity for Newman to do the whoopie cushion or flaming bag of poo trick to Harvick's seat at Stewart-Haas after Homestead. Alas, we won't have the opportunity for that awesomeness so we'll instead have something else. Likely nothing.