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Sunday
Asphalt! Drivers talk track surfaces and impending Kansas repave
KANSAS CITY, Kan. ? With the track changes at Bristol Motor Speedway underway and the imminent repaving of Kansas Speedway scheduled to start moments after the conclusion of Sunday's STP 400, repaving and track surface discussion dominated Friday's driver media sessions at Kansas Speedway.
Here are the comments from some drivers about repaving. And spoiler alert: old pavement is preferred, though Jimmie Johnson says that he views track repaves as an opportunity for he and his team to gain an advantage.
"No, it might be that mindset for some drivers, but for me I look at it as an opportunity," Johnson said. "The tracks are going to change, and it's going to be different. Whoever figures it out first will have the advantage and win. So, I'm excited about the new surfaces that go down. Some of them are very challenging, and I hope people pay attention to the tracks that have instant success and the others that take a long time to come around, and we can learn from that as well. I'm excited for the opportunity, and I love to test. I love to be at the race track learning, and am excited to have testing at tracks we race at. We can really get data files on tracks other than Milwaukee or Nashville, and these tracks that we don't race at anymore. I'm happy we have some testing at the real tracks on the correct tire."
Jeff Gordon says that the track surface looks good from a driver's perspective. However, track officials and engineers say that the repave at Kansas is absolutely necessary because of a combination of weather and environmental factors.
"I don't really understand why they are paving this race track," Gordon said. "It looks great out there. This place is awesome. I wish they wouldn't touch it. I'm not the business person. I'm not an engineer that looks at the construction, foundation, all the things that they feel like why they need to do it. Whatever they put in front of us we will just go about it the best way that we can. I feel like ISC has gotten enough information and experience paving race tracks that I have faith they can do the right thing. I think Homestead is a perfect example. They did a great job at Homestead. That was one of the only race tracks I can remember being repaved where we came there and raced the first race and it was a fun race. Of course, what they had before was so bad, it was easy to improve. What they have here is going to be hard to improve."
Carl Edwards said he'd love to race on a track that would never be repaved.
"I would not resurface this track ever. I wouldn't resurface tracks ever if it were up to me," Edwards said. "I'd patch the holes and keep on running."
Kansas Speedway is moving to progressive banking, which is it what is currently installed at Homestead, Bristol and Las Vegas. Bristol is concrete, a surface that Dale Earnhardt Jr. says doesn't respond as well to progressive banking as asphalt does.
"When you're using concrete, concrete has a lot of limitations for our cars," Junior said. "We only have a few tracks that are concrete or have been concrete in the series or the sport. None of them truly became multi-groove race tracks. Dover is the closest thing that we have to a multi-groove track, but to be honest with you, the majority of the racing is done on the bottom of that race track as ell. In a perfect world, in m opinion, if I owned the race track and had all the money that [SMI president Bruton Smith] has or the technology that we have today, I would pave the track with the configuration that they currently have with the progressive banking with asphalt. But its not my decision and I think what they're doing is going to be fun and I like that they're making a change. Even though when you pave a race track, it typically doesn't put on the best races after a few years of weather and wear on the surface, it tends to work out okay and the track really comes into its own again. As much as we'd like to have a lot of the tracks stay with the older asphalt, it's just some of them are deteriorating so bad that it's just not an option.
"I think progressive banking has done wonders at a lot of race tracks and been a real plus at a lot of places. It's just the combination of progressive banking and the limitations of that concrete is what's challenging to Bristol."
Jeff Gordon?s miserable luck continues at Darlington
Jeff Gordon's 2012 keeps getting more and more unbelievable.
Once again, Gordon had a competitive car during Saturday night's race at Darlington despite an early Darlington Stripe. And, fleetingly, anyway, there were glimmers of hope that the black cloud that has hovered over his season would start to lift. But those glimmers vanished as soon as his left-rear tire started to go flat on Lap 194.
As Gordon made his way to pit road, it looked like he would catch a relative break, no pun intended, as the caution flag flew for debris from his tire right as he entered the pits. That meant that instead of potentially two laps down under green, the four-time champion would be able to line up just one lap down.
Alas, when you're in Jeff Gordon's 2012, when things go south, they really go south. Just a few laps after the restart, his tire went down again, and the team was forced to take the car to the garage for repairs. He ended up 35th, 29 laps down.
A week after falling six spots in the standings to 23rd, Gordon's continued issues dropped him another spot to 24th, 170 points behind points leader Greg Biffle. The man that passed Gordon in the standings? Mark Martin, who did so despite running only eight of the season's 11 events. That's how crazy of a season it's been for Gordon. For the Chase, wins are now imperative. But so is getting into the top 20.
2012 Donington World Superbikes QP1 - Smrz returns to form
Jakub Smrz returns to his familiar place at the top of the timing sheets ahead of Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa. Rain threatened the session, but luckily didn't stay around for long enough to be too much of a problem.
Results:
JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Saturday
Video: Do we have too many 1.5-mile tracks? (Spoiler: yes.)
NASCAR again returns to a 1.5-mile track this weekend at Kansas, and we must ask: does the sport have too many of these cookie-cutter tracks? We also consider similar head-scratching questions like: Is air good for you? and Is the sky blue? But what other options are there? Ah, there's the rub. Your favorite Yahoo! Sports Jays, Busbee and Hart, kick around the cookie-cutters ... for at least a mile and a half. Enjoy.
Pastrana To Debut With RAB Racing?
When Travis Pastrana, who was in attendance at Texas Motor Speedway, makes his NASCAR debut next weekend at Richmond International Raceway, it may be in a car associated with RAB Racing. Pastrana’s Pastrana 199 Racing has an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing, but the team hasn’t run it’s #99 Nationwide car since last season and [...] 
TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Friday
Eliseo Salazar Showcase Its Mini John Cooper Works WRC In The Mapocho
On Saturday 21 April at 10:30 hrs in the Mapocho (height between the bridges Pedro de Valdivia and Concepcion), the driver Eliseo Salazar of Chile show the car that will compete between 26 and 29 April in the fifth day of the World Rally Championship (WRC) to be held in Cordoba, Argentina. The car will [...]
Williams begin ?beginning of a rebuilding process?
If Ferrari fans thought that their team had perhaps not lived up its name last season then they should talk to fans of Williams. The team that dominated in the early 90?s winning multiple World Championships managed to score only five points last season. Five. It?s a sad fall from grace and one, that at [...]
Brad Keselowski adds extra element to two-car tandem and pulls away to win at Talladega
It wasn't a spur of the moment move. It wasn't a move that anyone expected. It was a move that team owner Roger Penske called "pretty amazing." And it was a move that made Brad Keselowski the winner of Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.
Most everyone expected the two-car tandem to be the deciding factor in Sunday's Aaron's 499, just like it was in Saturday's Nationwide Series race. And the common thought was that the driver in second place in that two-car tandem would have the advantage as the finish line approached. Keselowski confirmed the former. But not the latter.
Restarting on the inside of the front row with two laps to go, Keselowski had Kyle Busch (the driver he famously called a rear end in no uncertain terms once in Bristol driver intros) behind him. Race leader Matt Kenseth had his teammate Greg Biffle behind him on the outside line. Just like at Daytona, Kenseth had the dominant car on Sunday. And Just like at Daytona, Biffle couldn't get latched onto Kenseth's bumper in the closing laps. Yes, Kenseth's car might have been too good to win.
Enter Keselowski and Busch, who immediately latched together as Kenseth and Biffle pulled away at the restart. However, once Keselowski and Busch gathered steam while their bumpers were locked, Kenseth, Biffle and the rest of the field were left fighting for third place.
[Video: 'The Big One' claims Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards among others]
Keselowski led Busch high into turn three on the last lap. He knew that Busch would wait as long as possible to make his move to capitalize on the draft, so he made his move early, diving to the low-side of the banking, breaking contact between his rear bumper and Busch's front fender. Once that contact was broken, Busch's momentum was too, and Keselowski could focus more what was in front of him than was in his rear-view mirror.
"Then Kyle, I just knew the move I wanted to make and made it into three and disconnected us and that was the key right there. Once we got the air bubble in between the two cars, it was going to take two or three laps for him to pop that and we only had to go half a lap, and not quite that."
It was Keselowski's second win of 2012 and second win at Talladega, the first coming in 2009, the first time we'd see the tandem draft work to such extremes in the Sprint Cup Series. That, of course, was when Carl Edwards went flying off of Keselowski's front bumper in the tri-oval. Three years later, this move came from the front, and didn't involve flying sheetmetal.
And because it's Keselowski's second win of the season, it makes him a virtual lock for the Chase if he's not in the top 10 after the season's 26th race. A Sprint Cup Series title is the only thing that's eluded Penske, and he feels that Keselowski is the driver that can deliver it for him.
"He's matured a lot," Penske said of Keselowski. "He's been a tremendous asset to the team. He's not just for Brad Keselowski, he's for Penske Racing. You see that when he comes in the shop and he's spending a lot of time. I wouldn't trade him for anybody right now and you know that."
[Related: Drivers take differing points of view on wreck tally at Talladega]
Keselowski joined Penske late in 2009, and after just over a year in the No. 12 car that resulted in just two top 10s in 39 races, took over the Miller Lite No. 2 in 2011. In that No. 2, he's got five wins in 46 races. As a Wild-Card entrant into last year's Chase, Keselowski was still somewhat of a championship afterthought despite his three wins.
He finished the 2011 season fifth. Now in May of 2012, it'd be crazy to not consider him a prime contender when we get to November.
"He came to me, and we talked about before he went to work for us, he said 'Look, I'd like to come to Penske Racing and help you build a winning Cup team.' He said 'that's my goal,'" Penske said. "And I think he's certainly demonstrating that from his driving ability and the way he's been able to pull together and his chemistry with Paul Wolfe and that whole team has obviously made a difference because this is not just about the driver and the car or the sponsor, it's about the whole team and I think that he's the real package and what we're trying to do is give him everything we can to give him a winner and obviously one of the goals in my life is to sit up on that stage either in New York or Las Vegas sometime and I think he's the guy that can make it happen this year, hopefully."
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Pat Forde: Bodemeister has one the best runs by a losing horse in Derby history
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Fry says F1 needs Mercedes deal before flotation | F1 Fanatic round-up
Fry says F1 needs Mercedes deal before flotation is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
In the round-up: Mercedes CEO Nick Fry says F1 owners CVC should agree terms for them to remain in F1 before the planned flotation.
Fry says F1 needs Mercedes deal before flotation 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/2012/05/11/f1-fanatic-roundup-115/
Thursday
2012 Estoril Moto2 and Moto3 Sunday Post-Race Press Releases
Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 team after Sunday's race at Estoril:
Year:
2012
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
Mercedes and F1
Mercedes-Benz has been involved in Formula 1 non-stop since 1993, although it must be said that the decision to get more involved in the sport was taken 25 years ago. At the time Peter Sauber had been working with Mercedes engines in sports car racing for several years. He had made his breakthrough in 1986 [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/mercedes-and-f1/
Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto
2012 Estoril MotoGP Race Result: Winner Controls Race From The Front
Result and summary of the MotoGP race at Estoril:
Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
Drag car wreck at Bristol takes out fortunately unattended camera
We complain about robots taking over the world, but there are times when we'd like to leave some of the dirty jobs to our mechanical brethren. Like filming a drag race from right next to a track, for instance. Considering what could happen if things go off-kilter, how about you handle that one, WALL-E?
The above car belongs to Lizzy Musi, who, as you can see from the photo at right, is not your typical drag racer. Musi, the daughter of well-known NHRA/IHRA championship driver Pat Musi, got loose at Bristol Dragway and, as you can see from the video, took out a camera in the process.
Musi, a 21-year-old driver in her first year of racing, was running at the 2012 ADRL Spring Drags III at Bristol, and the wreck happened in a qualifying session. Aside from, you know, that wreck, she's done well so far; she hit 170 mph and cleared a 1/8-mile run in 4.34 seconds on Friday. And thankfully, she walked away from this wreck under her own power. She'll race again another day.
[Hat tip to Jalopnik and Tri-Cities.com]
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
? Which 10 non-goalie players have disappointed the most in 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
? UFC 145 recap: Jon Jones' length crucial in handling Rashad Evans for decision win
? Spanish soccer fans pelt pitch with tennis balls in protest
? Y! News blog: Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin on Time's 'most influential' list
Wednesday
The surface of a track doesn?t tell the whole story when it comes to repaving
We've found out over the last few weeks that NASCAR drivers prefer a worn out, slick surface over a freshly paved track. And we know from experience that tracks, especially intermediate ones, typically have a break-in period of a few years as a second groove works its way in as the track surface weathers and ages.
Many drivers felt that the surface at Kansas Speedway was just reaching its sweet spot. The track's 15 degrees of banking in the corners was heavily featuring three different lines of racing, as the 11 years of Midwest winters and summers had worn the track.
However, the weather conditions took their toll underneath that top layer of asphalt.
"Visually, looking at the surface, the asphalt ? if you go take a look at it ? doesn't look bad," ISC director of engineering Martin Flugger said. "But the problem isn't� so much on the top layer, it's the bond between the layers and then the cracking itself. So there's the real possibility that a section of the track could actually ? that a layer of the top surface could pull off."
Yes, that means you, Daytona pothole.
"Everybody thought Daytona looked great until that hole opened up in the middle of Turn 1 and 2 because of problems that weren't necessarily right at the top but were basically down into the asphalt," Flugger explained.
Repaving Sprint Cup tracks has become very common over the last 10 years ?�there are more ovals on the 2012 schedule with pavement in the single digits than not ?�and as track technology has advanced, progressive banking has emerged as the preferred option. (Well, OK, maybe not in the case of Bristol, which announced on Wednesday that the top groove in the corners of the track would be ground down. But according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., progressive banking on concrete is a different proposition than it is on asphalt.)
Progressive banking is when the degree of banking in the corners increases as you go from the white line to the wall. The idea is to create multiple lanes of racing immediately.
"What we're trying to do on is, on the front end, build in multiple lines coming through the corner," Flugger said. "In order to do that, we have to bring up the banking a little bit and give a little bit of banking to each of the lanes incrementally, so you're a little flatter at the bottom and slowly work your way up to the top with a little more banking."
The birthplace of progressive banking in the Sprint Cup Series can be traced back to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"It really kind of came about back when we were looking at Homestead, which was some nine years ago," Flugger said. "And they knew the repave was coming, they knew they were going to change the track and they were trying to look at ways they could, in their opinion at the time, make it better."
At Homestead, the track was reconfigured from it's flat, more-rectangular layout to an oval with 18-20 degrees of banking in the corners in 2003.
"I think a lot of tracks I can look at and think about ones they reconfigured and I don't think they made better, but if you want to use Homestead for an example, that's just about a perfect race track," Matt Kenseth said on Friday. "They did the variable banking and it used to be so flat. It's got the most banking on the top, but not very much more, and it's pretty darn competitive."
The shape and size of Kansas is staying the same, while the banking is moving to 17-20 degrees in the corners, the steepest possible within the track's current configuration.
"We've got an existing system around the outside of the track right now. To get from 15 degrees, as you start to ramp up to 20 degrees, you have to get that real estate from somewhere, and to hold the inside of the track where it is right now and try to get 24 degrees (of banking), well it starts to incrementally climb up that wall to the point where if I'm at 24 degrees, I'm probably over the top of the wall," Flugger said, angling a business card on the table in front of him as a demonstration.
"You kind of work within the box that you have to see how much you can get out of it without climbing the wall too much [or] without taking away too much of the remaining track."
At Kansas, the white line will be further to the inside of where it was, meaning that during the repave process the track will be taking a scoop out of the bottom portions of the banking while raising the hill towards the wall. The track is banked in sections, rather than in a linear fashion, so the bottom 13 feet of the track will be at 17 degrees while the top 19 feet will be at 20 degrees.
After it's decided what the maximum banking can be within the limitations of the facility, Flugger said that computer simulations are run over and over to find the ideal gradient and banking increase to attempt to ensure that multiple lines of racing will be equally competitive as soon as the track opens. Once the simulation finds two lines to be as equal as possible, other lines are explored. According to Flugger, the new Kansas setup will have three lines.
"As soon as you start to basically get those numbers closer and closer, once you get within that window, then all of the sudden a second line is now as fast as the preferred line, and then you start to build on that. And then that's where you start to work in a third line, and if you can, a fourth line," Flugger said.
How many lines will there immediately be once cars take to the track? We'll find out in October.
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
Webber ?will threaten? Vettel in 2012
Bernie Ecclestone has stated his belief that Mark Webber could be Sebastian Vettel’s biggest rival for the title this year. Check out our review of Red Bull in 2011! Webber failed to win a race last year of course, but Ecclestone is convinced that the Australian will improve, threatening his Red Bull team-mate along the [...]
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