Thursday, March 31, 2011

Animals Are Cool!

The front page of the St. Petersburg Times online today featured the following video on Busch Gardens' newest member...


He's 40 days old here and they're going to have a contest to name the little guy...


Cheetahs are an endangered species in their native African range.


One of the most endangered species in the world, the California Condor, the world's largest flying bird, is slowly making a comeback. A carrion feeder, these majestic birds soar for miles at a time on wingspans up to 10 feet across. I'm not sure if I saw one once when backpacking in the Sierras, but it was sure one big buzzard if not! If they're close enough while soaring, the white feathers on the underside of their wings give them away...



Then there's the story about Abbey the Bed Bug dog!


Finally, I knew a lady (a friend of mine's mother) who each spring would buy a few baby goats (not yet weaned) and turn them loose on her small ranchette just to watch them run, jump and play!



Once they got too old to have around she'd sell them and wait for next spring to do it all over again! Hope all you race fans enjoyed a little different post...

Monday, March 28, 2011

Let's Talk Points...

It's a rainy day, nothin' to do, so let's talk points. Shall we? If I don’t miss the mark (and it’s been known to happen)… Here are the top twelve in the old Sprint Cup Chase format standings as of March 28th. 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 Kasey Kahne-157, 12 Dale Earnhardt Jr.-156. But under the new format, if the Chase started today, these are the twelve who would make it with one caveat… 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 (16) Jeff Gordon-130, 12 (44) Trevor Bayne-0. This is based on Gordon and Bayne both being race winners. ______________________________________ Now, since Trevor declared as a points racer in the Nationwide Series, I assume he won’t be allowed in the Chase even though he won the Daytona 500. With that as a given, then these are the Chasers if it started after Fontana… 1 Carl Edwards-187, 2 Ryan Newman-178, 3 Kurt Busch -177, 4 Kyle Busch-176, 5 Jimmie Johnson-173, 6 Tony Stewart-170, 7 Paul Menard-164, 8 Juan Montoya-161, 9 Kevin Harvick-157, 10 Matt Kenseth-157, 11 Kasey Kahne-157, (16) Jeff Gordon-130. Kahne gets in on points and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would lose out due to his teammate (Gordon) having a win at Phoenix… Am I right? _____________________________________________________________ What if… Let’s say the Lug Nuts Trifecta used a points basis similar to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series to determine our winner. (E.G. First place gets 43 points, 42 for second and so on). _____________________________________________________ Here are the Lug Nuts standings after three Trifectas… 1. moseby -124 points based on 1 1st, 1 3rd and 1 4th, 2. Dwindy1 -121 points based on 2 2nds and 1 7th, 3. Hanny -120 points based on 1 1st, 1 3rd and 1 8th, 4. Ra6an -117 points based on 1 2nd, a 6th and a 7th, 5. CR -116 points based on 1 1st, a 4th and an 11th, 6. tez -115 points based on 1 3rd, a 5th and a 9th, 7. jon -114 points based on 2 5ths and an 8th, 8. SB -112 points based on 2 6ths and an 8th, 9. Bev -103 points based on a 9th and 2 10 place finishes, 10. JD and 11. Kristen both missed one Trifecta and would have 77 and 69 points respectively, and then there's: 12. the Stork and 13. F2 who only participated in one Trifecta each with 34 and 32 points respectively. _____________________________________________ I know, I know, ya can’t change horses in the middle of a stream, but it would make the Trifecta a little more interesting… and reward those of us who don't actually win a Trifecta... (Kinda like how Sprint Cup rewards drivers that don't actually win...) :))

Friday, March 25, 2011

Off The Wall Racing News


NASCAR Edition

Fontana!(?)

Along with Pocono, probably the most maligned racing venue in NASCAR is Fontana Speedway. This weekend Southern California’s Inland Empire populace gets a chance at redemption with a new, shortened Auto Club 400 race moved from the second to the fifth racing date of the season.

The relatively new track built in 1997 by a consortium led by Roger Penske and later sold to International Speedway Corporation, features an asphalt 2 mile long “D” oval with uniform 14 degree banking through the turns, 11 degree banking on the frontstretch and only 3 degrees of banking on the long straightaway. The early on races went along glowingly until 2004 when NASCAR pulled Rockingham’s late season race and moved it to the Southern California track. It suddenly became apparent that the Southern California market is a one race town as attendance dropped even though Fontana was hosting a very meaningful race late in the racing season. The laid back Southern California lifestyle had struck yet another professional sport. This coupled with the ill-will NASCAR generated with its core fan base in the Southern United States by pulling this important race date from one of the South’s historic tracks located in North Carolina has worked to denigrate Fontana.
Even though the track’s layout has led to a refreshingly different style of racing in NASCAR with three wide or more side by side competition being commonplace, the fans haven’t returned after the track’s early success. Today it appears the local politicians have taken notice of just how important the NASCAR race date has been to the local economy and they are openly encouraging everyone in the area to get involved or the region might lose as much as $100 million in revenue if NASCAR completely pulls out…
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Kevin Harvick and Fontana

Fontana can be called the home track to a formidable group of NASCAR stars that includes Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Of this group, JJ has by far had the most success here while Kevin Harvick for some reason just can’t seem to put it together at Fontana. In 17 career Sprint Cup starts on the D oval, Kevin has just 2 top five’s and an average finish of 17th place. The problems have persisted in the Nationwide Series races as well where Kevin, despite 7 top three finishes in 16 starts still hasn’t won a race. Sometimes when athletes know they have family and friends in the stands they simply try too hard and things go haywire…

Is this the year Kevin breaks out of his Fontana funk?
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The NASCAR Points Racing Change Effect

Can you tell me off the top of your head who the points leader is right now in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series? How about Jason Leffler! In a move that makes a lot of sense, NASCAR has shined the media attention light on a group of young up and comers (with the exceptions of Kenny Wallace and Elliot Sadler) racing in the Nationwide Series. Here are the current top 10 in the Nationwide standings:
1. Jason Leffler – 142 Points, 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 140, 3. Justine Allgaier – 124, 4. Reed Sorenson – 121, 5. Aric Almirola – 119, 6. Trevor Bayne – 112, 7. Kenny Wallace – 111, 8. Elliot Sadler – 110, 9. Danica Patrick – 109 and 10. Brian Scott – 107…

Here’s another example of a home track not yielding success. Long Beach native Jason Leffler hasn’t had much luck at Fontana. Driving for Turner Motorsports, Jason’s unbridled optimism remains intact as expressed in a San Bernardino Sun article by staff writer Louis Brewster:

"This is a really fun race track. It's wide open pretty much all the way around and has multiple grooves, so there is a lot of two- and three-wide racing," said the driver of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet. "You're always searching for that groove where your car is the fastest."

Leffler will debut a new chassis for the race, and the powerplant is supplied by Hendrick Engines.

"I feel we have the right equipment to make a run for the championship," said Leffler, who's benefitted from NASCAR's new rule the says drivers must choose a series in which to compete for the driving title.
"It's great to race with the Cup guys - certainly we can learn from them - but it's good that NASCAR has decided to strengthen the Nationwide identity."
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The He Said-She Said Rick Russell-Jennifer Jo Cobb Deal Devolves

The owner of 2nd Chance Motorsports (interesting name considering the
circumstances), Rick Russell, has reportedly filed charges accusing Cobb and her crew chief Steve Kuykendall of larceny (stealing/theft). This is a serious matter if true but Ms. Cobb explained it as follows:
"I'm not sure how you steal something from someone when you move it from their property A to their property B," Cobb said, "It's just him trying to stir up more trouble. I'm not concerned. He's just trying to rattle us.
"Picture a divorce,” Cobb added. “You move out of the house and accidentally take the ex-wife's favorite hair brush you both use. That's what this is like."

We all know what happened just prior to last weekend’s Bristol Nationwide race and now this…

As of yesterday, Sgt. S.D. Elliott of the Mooresville North Carolina police department commented that Russell accused both Cobb and Kuykendall adding he’s talked to all parties in the case, and that no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.

And the beat goes on… And watch as Jennifer Jo shows up at Fontana driving for Rick Ware Racing.
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Bobby Labonte


Let’s all pay close attention this weekend to former Cup champion Bobby Labonte as his comeback continues. Back driving full-time after a two year hiatus of poorly funded driving, Labonte has been very competitive so far in 2011. Marcos Ambrose’s old number 47 Toyota ride with JTG-Daugherty has been a Godsend for Labonte who has responded, not only thankful to the car’s owner for putting him in a well-funded racing effort but also for the team atmosphere surrounding JTG-Daugherty working with Michael Waltrip Racing’s drivers (Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann) and shop personnel.


Here’s hoping Bobby remains in the heat of things throughout the season!
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Honoring Ronald Reagan


Watch for Richard Childress Racing’s number 33 car driven by Clint Bowyer this weekend. It will feature a new paint job honoring who I consider to be the greatest President so far in my lifetime, Ronald Reagan. This will be part of the year-long Ronald Reagan Centennial celebrating what would have been Reagan’s 100th birthday. Oh how I wish another man of integrity would emerge on the scene to run for the Presidency next year…
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Finally, here’s a look at the forecasted weather this weekend –

The Fontana weather forecast:

Today: Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tonight: Areas of fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest.

Saturday Night: Rain likely, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. South wind around 5 mph.

It looks like practice and qualifying will be rained out today… And green tracks may be in the offing for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races but hopefully the races won’t be hindered by rain beyond that.
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For you open wheelers…
Melbourne Australia is forecast to have a chance of rain right up through Saturday night and then have a bright, blustery (winds from 7 to 20 mph) sunshiny day while St. Petersburg Florida will be partly cloudy with daytime highs in the low 80’s all weekend…
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Here we go!


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Off The Wall Racing News


Your 2011 Open Wheel Primer...

Indy Car

IndyCar: Interest shown in $5M gambit

Remember the $5,000,000 IndyCar is prepared to hand to any non-IndyCar driver who might win their season finale race in Las Vegas? Well, according to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, the offer has spawned a lot of inquiries from the other circuits' drivers. Without divulging any names, Bernard stated, "Some of the names are fantastic. I think people will be surprised on who wants to drive it."


Included in the overtures were drivers from NASCAR, Formula 1, Supercross and Rally.


"The bottom line is us trying to gain credibility, to say that our drivers are the best drivers in the world," Bernard said. "They're the fastest, most versatile drivers in the world. That's really what this is all about, is putting that out there to say, 'If you don't believe it, come take a look.' "


Last year’s IndyCar finale from Homestead was broadcast on Versus while this year’s Las Vegas finale will be on ABC with Bernard pointing out, "Our whole key to this is last year we did a .3 rating on our championship race. In my opinion, that's the best-kept secret in motorsports. If we can't do a 1.5 or 2 rating on network television, I would consider it a failure."


"Our drivers have not been able to create the credibility they need," he said. "It's not because they don't have the talent; it's because there's been no emotional attachment to our fan base. What we have to do is bring that back."
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IndyCar 2010 Final Point Standings – Top 10 –


1 Dario Franchitti - 602
2 Will Power - 597
3 Scott Dixon - 547
4 Helio Castroneves - 531
5 Ryan Briscoe - 482
6 Tony Kanaan - 453
7 Ryan Hunter-Reay - 445
8 Marco Andretti - 392
9 Dan Wheldon - 388
10 Danica Patrick – 367

To the victor go the spoils... Dario and wife Ashley Judd.
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Here’s a list of the 2011 IndyCar Teams and Drivers

Chip Ganassi Racing
– Car #9 – Scott Dixon – Sponsored by Target, #10 – Dario Franchitti – Target, #38 – Graham Rahal - Service Central and #83 Charlie Kimball (R) – Novo Nordisk
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Team Penske
- #3 – Helio Castroneves – Shell/AAA, #6 – Ryan Briscoe – IZOD/PPG and #12 – Will Power – Verizon Wireless
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Andretti Autosport
- #7 – Danica Patrick – GoDaddy.com, #26 – Marco Andretti – Venom Energy Drink, #27 – Mike Conway – GoDaddy.com, #28 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – DHL/Sun Drop and #43 – John Andretti – Window World
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Panther Racing
- #4 – J.R. Hildebrand (R) – U.S. National Guard
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Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
- #22 – Justin Wilson – Z-Line Designs/Dad’s Root Beer, #23 – Paul Tracy – Wix Filters and #24 – Ana Beatriz (R) – Petroleo Ipiranga/Lubrizol
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A.J. Foyt Enterprises
- #14 – Vitor Meira – ABC Supply Company and #41 TBA – ABC Supply Company
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Sam Schmidt Motorsports
- #77 – Alex Tagliani – Bowers & Wilkins, #88 – Jay Howard – Service Central, #99 – Townsend Bell – Herbalife and TBA – Wade Cunningham (R) – Creatherm
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HVM Racing
- #78 – Simona de Silvestro – Entergy
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KV Racing Technology
– Lotus - #5 – Takuma Sato – Lotus Cars/Panasonic, #8 – E.J. Viso – Lotus Cars/PDVSA and #82 – Tony Kanaan – Lotus Cars/ GEICO/Cerveja Itaipava
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Dale Coyne Racing
- #18 – TBA – TBA and #36 – TBA – Boy Scouts of America
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Newman/Hass Racing
- #2 – Oriol Servia – TBA and #6 – TBA – TBA
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Conquest Racing
- #34 - Sebastian Saavedra (R) – TBA and #36 – TBA – TBA
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AFS Racing
- #17 – Raphael Matos – Automatic Fire Sprinklers
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Sarah Fisher Racing
- #67 – Ed Carpenter – Dollar General
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Team REDLINE Xtreme
– #TBA – TBA – REDLINE Xtreme Energy Drink
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Bryan Herta Autosport - #TBA – TBA – TAB
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So we’ve got 36 potential cars with 29 signed drivers and 30 cars with sponsors…
Where’s IndyCar’s 2003 Rookie of the Year and 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon? He was replaced at Panther Racing by rookie J.R. Hildebrand!
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The 2011 IndyCar season kicks off this weekend in St. Petersburg Florida with the running of the Honda Grand Prix.



ABC TV's coverage: Live Sunday, March 27th @ 12:30pm-3:00pm ET

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And for all you fellow head-scratchers out there when it comes to picking a winner...
From the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book here are the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg odds:

Will Power 2/1, Dario Franchitti 5/1, Helio Castroneves 5/1, Scott Dixon 6/1, Ryan Briscoe 7/1, Ryan Hunter-Reay 12/1, Justin Wilson 12/1, Graham Rahal 15/1, Sebastien Bourdais 15/1, Marco Andretti 25/1, Alex Tagliani 50/1
Mike Conway 50/1, Tony Kanaan 50/1, Takuma Sato 100/1, Raphael Matos 100/1, Danica Patrick 100/1 and Vitor Meira 100/1

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Formula 1

Bernie Not Going to Melbourne

The President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, Bernie Ecclestone won't be on hand for the Formula One season opener in Melbourne Australia this weekend so he can meet with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to discuss plans to put in a Formula One race circuit on New York City's Staten Island. The move (snub) has added fuel to a growing fire that this season will be the last for the Australian Grand Prix. Only time will tell...

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Robert Kubica To Have More Surgery

Since his accident in a rally on February 6th Robert Kubica has gone through three operations (seven hours to save his right hand, one on his shoulder and another on his leg) and now he will have a final procedure on his elbow. The good news is that he has feeling in his hand and can move the fingers. How long his recovery will take is only speculation at this time but I’d be willing to bet he’s anxious to get his Lotus Renault ride back from Nick Heidfeld.
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The 2010 Formula One Final Standings – Top 10



1 Sebastian Vettel - German - RBR-Renault - 256
2 Fernando Alonso - Spanish - Ferrari - 252
3 Mark Webber - Australian - RBR-Renault - 242
4 Lewis Hamilton - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 240
5 Jenson Button - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 214
6 Felipe Massa - Brazilian - Ferrari - 144
7 Nico Rosberg - German - Mercedes GP - 142
8 Robert Kubica - Polish - Renault - 136
9 Michael Schumacher - German - Mercedes GP - 72
10 Rubens Barrichello - Brazilian - Williams-Cosworth - 47
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Here are the 2011 Formula One Teams and Drivers
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Red Bull Racing
– Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button
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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
– Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
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Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team
– Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg
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Lotus Renault GP
– Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov
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AT&T Williams
– Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado
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Force India F1 Team
– Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta
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Sauber F1 Team
– Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez
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Scuderia Toro Rosso
– Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari
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Team Lotus
– Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
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Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT)
– Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi
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Marussia Virgin Racing
– Timo Glock and Jerome d’Ambrosio
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The Australian Grand Prix!

SPEED TV’s coverage -

Live 03/27 @ 1:30am ET… Replay 03/28 @ 12:00pm ET

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From The Spread.com


http://www.thespread.com/sports-betting-articles/032311-formula-1-odds-2011-australian-grand-prix-vettel-favored


Here are the Australian Grand Prix winner’s odds:


Sebastian Vettel 11/10, Fernando Alonso 13/10, Mark Webber 7/2, Lewis Hamilton 15/4, Nico Rosberg 6/1, Michael Schumacher 6/1, Jenson Button 7/1, Felipe Massa 10/1, Nick Heidfeld 20/1, Rubens Barrichello 40/1, Kamui Kobayashi 100/1, Adrian Sutil 100/1, Vitaly Petrov 100/1, Paul di Resta 120/1, Pastor Maldonado 200/1, Sebastien Buemi 200/1, Jarno Trulli 250/1, Sergio Perez 250/1, Heikki Kovalainen 250/1, Vitantonio Liuzzi 750/1, Timo Glock 750/1, Narain Karthikeyan 1000/1, Jerome DAmbrosio 1000/1 and Jaime Alguersuari 1500/1
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The Quantas Airlines Australian Grand Prix Grid Girls...

Bernie, if you're not going to miss Australia I know a lot of guys that will!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Bristol!

There's artist Michael Atkinson's vision of Thunder Valley...


And then there's NASCAR's!

Some tidbits going into the spring Jeff Byrd 500 race at Bristol…

What are the drivers singing as they run the high-banked half mile?

• Jeff Gordon: "I Won't Back Down," Tom Petty
• Carl Edwards: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" theme from "Cheers"
• Ryan Newman: "Good Ol' Boys," Waylon Jennings
• Clint Bowyers: Theme from "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly"
• Matt Kenseth: "Nightmare," Avenged Sevenfold
• Regan Smith: "Welcome To The Family," Avenged Sevenfold
• Marcos Ambrose: "Fuel," Metallica
• David Ragan: "No More Mr. Nice Guy," Alice Cooper
• Greg Biffle: "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night," Black Eyed Peas
• David Reutimann: "Pretty Fly For A White Guy," The Offspring
• Joey Logano: "Opposite of Adults," Chiddy Bang
• Kasey Kahne: "A Country Boy Can Survive," Hank Williams Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.: "Homeboy," Eric Church
• Bobby Labonte: "God Bless Texas," Little Texas
• Kevin Harvick: "Back In Black," AC/DC
• Jeff Burton: "Welcome to the Jungle," Guns N' Roses
• Paul Menard: "Concrete Jungle," Black Label Society
• Juan Pablo Montoya: "Ladies and Gentlemen," Saliva
• Kurt Busch: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," George Thorogood
• Jamie McMurray: "Burn It To The Ground," Nickelback
• Denny Hamlin: "Shipping Up To Boston," Dropkick Murphys
• Tony Stewart: "Bawataba," Kid Rock
• Kyle Busch: "Rowdy Busch," 2012 featuring Raytona500

JJ and Brian Vickers are selecting each other's songs and will keep them a secret until the introductions while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin are also being secretive… (or just couldn’t decide)…

BTW, I looked up Kyle’s song. It’s what I’d call screaming heavy metal (a new genre?) and was recently introduced to benefit the Kyle Busch Foundation…

On another couple of notes here… What in the world is Kurt Busch thinking? Do you picture Marcos Ambrose listening to Metallica? And then there’s Logano’s pick (What’s up with that?)…
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Biffle’s got a new Gas Can Man!

You could see this one comin’ from a long way off… I suppose the new guy’s the reason they finished second in qualifying…

The pit stop wars should be very interesting in Bristol as we’ll see whether fueling with ethanol continues to be a problem or, as the teams learn to cope, it's become a non-issue.
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How long has Goodyear manufactured racing tires for NASCAR? Yeah… Just about as long as there’s been a NASCAR…

Why do they seem to constantly have tire issues? This isn’t WWII when our nation’s security depended on coming up with synthetic rubber… We’re going round and round on tracks that have been gone round and round on for years…

Here’s a look at a right side tire that came off a car after practice at Bristol this week…


Nice huh?

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Racing at Bristol is like an art form… (According to Kyle Busch)


________________________________________________

I’ll leave you with the latest shot of Ms. Danica Patrick who will be plying her trade this afternoon in Thunder Valley…


Evidently she wasn't a happy camper about something… I'll bet a top ten finish at Bristol would put a smile on her face!

My song for Bristol... Will It Go Round In Circles? by Billy Preston

Here we go!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Fill ‘Er Up!

It’s just not that simple anymore.
Since the days way back in the 1950’s when Leonard Woods of Woods Brothers’ racing fame began tinkering with NASCAR’s pit stop processes and found a huge competitive advantage by shaving seconds off their driver’s pit stops, the science of making a quick, efficient pit stop has become a virtual art form.

As a result of Leonard Woods’ pioneering pit crew analysis and the changes made, today a group of people is selected for certain physical and mental attributes and molded into a team. They’re choreographed into performing specific functions (jacking a race car up and lowering it, changing tires, filling the fuel tank and making chassis adjustments) as quickly as possible. Their job is to constantly practice those functions working together, all while being tutored by their very own pit crew coach and under the watchful eyes of a demanding crew chief and an impatient driver.


From those early days when pit stops lasting a minute or more were commonplace, the pitting process has evolved to the point that a pit crew taking over 14 seconds to change four tires, completely fuel the vehicle and make minor chassis adjustments is chastised by the crew chief. Now think about that. If it takes more than 14 seconds to carry out those jobs, the pit crew stands to be admonished!

Enter 2011 and NASCAR’s mandated switchover to 15% ethanol racing fuel…

Suddenly a whole new set of potentially time consuming circumstances have presented challenges to be resolved. The crux of the problem being that ethanol attracts atmospheric moisture and is consequently easily contaminated. To avoid this, a whole new gas can had to be introduced that featured a “closed system”. The cans in use this season are easily recognizable due to a clear plastic tube running parallel to the metal fill spout. It acts to return air and any excess fuel back into the can while the car’s tank is being filled (The old cans allowed outside air into the tank filling process that aided in speeding the whole procedure along [and released fuel vapor into the atmosphere]). These new “closed system” cans actually take more time to empty into the car’s fuel tank. The new cans also must have what I call a quick shut-off valve feature or better yet, a sure shut-off valve at the end of the fill spout that must be precisely mated to and removed from a receiver fitting at the top end of the car’s fuel tank neck. The valve adds length to the fill spout tube. These new gas can additions have resulted in a can that has several moving parts and weighs at least 15 pounds more than the old can when full of fuel (from what was 85 lbs. when filled to possibly over 100 lbs.). And last but not least, the “closed system” fueling process was supposed to eliminate the excess fuel problem presented by the old filling system created when the gas can was lifted away from the car’s fuel receiver and a fairly large amount of excess fuel would slosh to the ground. To solve this problem with the old fueling process, a seventh “over the wall” person became necessary to stand beside the gas can man and catch any excess fuel in what became known as a “Catch Can” held directly below the car’s fuel receiver. Now NASCAR has eliminated that seventh “over the wall” man.

So, in a nutshell, here is the set of new, time consuming circumstances and an ongoing safety concern the pit crews have to contend with:
1. The closed system fuel can takes longer to empty.
2. The valve at the end of the new can’s fill spout must be precisely mated with the fuel tank’s neck receiver at a certain angle. If the two components are not properly mated, air will get into the process slowing an already slow filling procedure.
3. The valve must also be removed from the car’s receiver in a certain way or it will hang.
4. The new can has a longer fill spout and is 20% heavier.
5. The new can still results in fuel being spilled.
And 6. One less person is now allowed over the wall.

After three Sprint Cup races so far this season, here are a few different approaches some of the teams are now employing or will employ to address these problems:

1. The supposed cost savings to be enjoyed with one less person in the pit crew has been negated by the need for another man behind the wall to hand the gas can man his second fuel can when the need arises.

2. The height and angle at which the fuel can is held when approaching the car is critical to making a proper hook-up with the car’s receiver. This requires a tall gas can man (preferably around 6’2”).

3. To expedite the fueling process its been found the new man behind the wall who hands the second full can to the gas can man must also be tall.

4. The longer and heavier gas cans require even stronger gas can men who can shoulder and carry it, pivot to the car while holding it at the proper height and angle and then slam the can home.

5. The loss of the catch can man puts added responsibility on the backs of other “over the wall” crew members to make rear chassis adjustments, assist when need be with the fueling process and do it quickly while also handling their original duties.

6. The gas can man must pay close attention to the rear tire changer trying to anticipate when he will get his job completed so he can quickly remove the gas can from the car’s receiver before the driver tries to speed away.

For a look at a good 2011 pit stop, here's HMS’s number 48 team at work last month in Phoenix:

Now here’s a look at Roush-Fenway’s number 16 crew at work in Las Vegas…

What was wrong with that picture?

As it stands, in order to completely fill a car’s tank on green flag fueling stops using two cans of fuel, at least 14 seconds will be needed (6.5 seconds per can and one second to make a can switch). Something we may see this year as a result: A can will be jerked out of a gas can man’s hands when the driver just can’t wait any longer, unexpectedly pulling away from his pit.

When split seconds transmit into football field lengths at 190 mph, rest assured, racing engineers and pit crew coaches will be attempting to figure out how to get fuel out of these new cans and make pit stops as fast as possible well into the future.
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If you’ve got a few minutes, here’s a unique Sports Science look at Joe Gibbs Racing’s number 18 over the wall crew from last year that analyzes their work in a two part video. Check out the slow motion shots of the front tire changer, they’re really something.

Kyle Busch Pit Crew by Sports Science – Part One




Part Two

Thursday, March 10, 2011

What’s On Tap This Weekend?

Camping World Truck Series!

The Too Tough to Tame 200 on Darlington’s famous “Lady in Black” 1.366 mile track will unravel Saturday evening with one of our own, none other than Gene Haddock, in attendance at what I’d say is his home track.

As it stands right now, 38 entrants, including last season’s series champion, Todd Bodine, this season’s current point leader Matt Crafton (who just happens to be from Tulare, California or about 14 miles from my hometown!), former Sprint Cup driver Elliot Sadler and current Cup driver Kasey Kahne (making only his 4th CWTS career start driving Kyle Busch Motorsport’s number 18 Toyota Tundra) are set to go along with a mix of names including a group of foreign drivers. Nelson Piquet Jr. (London, England), Max Pappis (Como, Italy) and Miguel Paludo (Nova Prata, Brazil) will certainly add spice to the mix along with series standouts Ron Hornaday, James Buescher and Timothy Peters and a crew of young up and comers, Austin Dillon, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Cole Whitt.

Tune in to SPEEDTV at 5:00 PM to get your racing fix if winter still has you cooped up.

The Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Gainesville (Florida) Raceway…

One of the premier events on the NHRA schedule will include Kurt Busch trying his hand at fulfilling a long-time dream when he makes the quarter mile run in a brand new Pro Stock ride. When asked why the interest in drag racing, Kurt commented, "This is just something to challenge myself to do another discipline of motorsports. It's four rubber tires and a race track, but, man, it's just night and day difference on how you have to be prepared for a drag race versus a NASCAR event."

A year ago at the Gatornationals Kurt strapped himself into a 1970 Dodge Charger in the Super Gas category in his first attempt on the professional level of NHRA but was smoked, never making it out of the first round. After obtaining his Pro Stock license in Bradenton, Florida, where he posted one run at 210.43 MPH passing through the lights at 6.576 seconds, Kurt appears prepared to show well this season driving the Shell Dodge Avenger pictured below…

Good Luck Kurt!

My Local Track...


Here’s what’s happening at the Citrus County Speedway this Saturday:

With a 5:30 PM start time there will be Open Wheel Mods, Sportmans, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, PRO Figure-8’s and Outlaw Mod Mini’s… on the 3/8th mile paved oval next door to the Citrus County fairgrounds in Inverness, Florida.


That’s a lot of exciting, live racing for just $13 per adult ticket… And the track’s only a 30 minute drive from my house!


Check out your local tracks, there are all sorts of fun auto racing events taking place around the country…

If you can, support your local races, the breeding ground of the future NASCAR greats!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Formula One is Growing


Formula One was dealt a blow when the first race of the 2011 season had to be scratched due to political unrest in Bahrain. I have to agree its better in this day and age to be safe rather than sorry. Unfortunately the international attention an F1 event draws would have been a perfect platform for political controversy to raise its ugly head. With Middle East races in Abu Dhabi and Turkey also on the 2011 schedule, one has to wonder if similar problems might be in the offing there as well…

So the first race of this already unusual season will occur at the end of March in Melbourne Australia where the Australian Grand Prix will be run in this now 19 race season. Even with Bahrain still in the mix, I think its obvious F1 has plenty of room for more racing venues and dates…

With a reinvigorated United States Grand Prix contracted for the 2012 Formula One schedule at the now under construction Austin Texas venue, the highly innovative Formula One brand of racing is on the move. (By the way, isn’t it refreshing to see a group of racing enthusiasts come together with their local and state government officials, wade through what’s become a ridiculous permit process, a process that’s become nothing but a political means of stopping business growth and job creation, and push ahead with a major project that has already become a boon to the central Texas economy?)

To follow along with the track news and construction progress, here’s a link to the United States Grand Prix’s official site:

http://www.formula1unitedstates.com/


But back to the subject at hand…

Not too long ago the head of Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone let it be known he felt 20 races was the maximum number for a viable racing season but now that tune has been changed as interest in the sport continues to grow. It appears Bernie is willing to expand to as many as 25 races and the 2012 season may mark more venues being included on the F1 schedule beyond the United States Grand Prix… Currently 19 races are bound by contract for 2012 with Japan and Turkey (current race sites) not signed up but expected to be. With this comes the news of new tracks proposed for the Palma / Mallorca region of Spain (500 acre site featuring a 5km track with a 2012 completion date)
An artist's look at the Mallorca Site.

and Croatia (450 acres has been purchased and the planning has begun for a 2014 track completion date),


The proposed Croatian course...

and with the Russian Grand Prix remaining on track to join the circuit in 2014 and finally the possibility of a revived South African Grand Prix jumping back in the mix, Bernie’s 25 race season could very well become a reality in the not too distant future…

Friday, March 4, 2011

An Interesting Quandary…


It was recently announced that the IndyCar series will offer $5 million to any qualified, non-IndyCar driver who might qualify for, drive in and win their season’s finale race at Las
Vegas on October 16. The offer is to be limited to no more than 5 non-IndyCar drivers.

The challenge designed by IndyCar portrays what CEO Randy Bernard hopes to prove; the best auto racing drivers in the world drive for IndyCar. The challenge was issued to showcase that contention.

There was some immediate speculation about a couple of former open-wheel stars who currently race in NASCAR possibly putting together an effort to participate in IndyCar’s challenge. The problem is that although there is no Cup race on Sunday, October 16th, there is one the night of the 15th in Charlotte North Carolina (approximately 2,200 miles away). On top of that, qualifying in Las Vegas will be held on Friday, October 14th, while “Pole Night” in Charlotte will be on Thursday night, October 13th.


Both Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya have been asked about the possibility
of honoring their NASCAR commitment and then jumping on overnight flights to run back and forth between practice sessions, qualifying and finally the races, all the while trying for the big payday in Vegas. Both drivers, in so many words, have begged off saying there’s no way anyone can just switch from a NASCAR ride to IndyCar without even practicing (Stewart went so far as to say to be competitive he felt a non-IndyCar driver would have to run in at least three to four IndyCar races).

I did hear that another NASCAR driver might be willing to give it a go, also a former open-wheel driver, young A.J. Allmendinger.

Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately as I'm sure IndyCar thoroughly thought this through) Formula 1 is scheduled to be in Yeongam Korea for the Korean Grand Prix on October 16th so that pretty much leaves any of those drivers in a lurch as well. Can you think of anyone else that might be willing to give it a go?

Seems to me as it stands for October 16th, IndyCar's 5 million dollars is pretty safe… Maybe we need another IROC (International Race of Champions) series if they really want to find out who the best driver of the best drivers really is.