Talladega Superspeedway was the site Wednesday for a test of the new body styles for NASCAR race cars in 2013.
Here's how a few drivers reacted after the test:
Ford's Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: “It seemed pretty racy out there when we got in the seven-car packs. The two-car tandem could catch the group, then kind of stall out, and a single car could run right there with them.”
Chevy's Kasey Kahne: "We had five or six cars out there, and it was actually pretty dicey and pretty exciting. I think the cars are unique because they look different. They have a fresh look , and it resembles the manufacturer’s car, which is great for the fans, who ought to be able to go out and buy a similar car.”
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Toyota takes issue with Kyle Busch's comments at Dover
After leading - by far - the most laps in Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, Kyle Busch was forced to make a late pit stop under green flag conditions in order to make it to the end of the race.
The stop cost him the win and he finished seventh, one lap down. Only six cars, including winner Brad Keselowski, finished on the lead lap. And only two cars stretched their fuel the entire 89-lap distance that Busch was trying to do - Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson.
As he crossed the finish line, Busch let loose a short, vulgarity-laced tirade over his team radio directed at Toyota Racing Development, claiming the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota cars had cost him and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team "another one."
On Wednesday, Lee White, TRD president, took issue with Busch's comments.
"We're as frustrated as he was that he didn't win that race considering how many laps he led, considering he and Denny (Hamlin) both literally dominated the race. We're as disappointed as he was. However, we've got used to saying 'That's just Kyle, you know' But this is a bit of a special case," White said.
"We're extremely disappointed in his negative comments and the tone of the comments after the event. It is under discussion as we move forward. We certainly are very disappointed, having said that, Kyle is an amazing talent in a race car and he takes it very personally when something goes wrong and he loses a race he thinks he should have won.
"Every one of our teams ran full power, full rich (fuel mixture) and kicked their ass. All six of them and some other teams did, too. It wasn't just TRD power that had this issue. The race didn't fall their way and we've seen it happen more lately.
"I'm not going to aplogize for TRD. We went there and qualified three out of the top five. We led a gazillion freaking laps. We should have won the race but circumstances didn't work out that way and I'm sorry. We don't have anything to apologize for. The thing I am most disappointed in is TRD is not some separate entity - we are Toyota. We are a global company. Every person globally shares in our passion for winning and competing - and that's hundreds of thousands of people. All those people and their families basically had their feelings hurt by those comments last week.
"I look forward to take it up with coach (Joe) Gibbs and see if we can't do something to sort it out so that we have a better working relationship in the future. I am confident that we will."
The stop cost him the win and he finished seventh, one lap down. Only six cars, including winner Brad Keselowski, finished on the lead lap. And only two cars stretched their fuel the entire 89-lap distance that Busch was trying to do - Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson.
As he crossed the finish line, Busch let loose a short, vulgarity-laced tirade over his team radio directed at Toyota Racing Development, claiming the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota cars had cost him and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team "another one."
On Wednesday, Lee White, TRD president, took issue with Busch's comments.
"We're as frustrated as he was that he didn't win that race considering how many laps he led, considering he and Denny (Hamlin) both literally dominated the race. We're as disappointed as he was. However, we've got used to saying 'That's just Kyle, you know' But this is a bit of a special case," White said.
"We're extremely disappointed in his negative comments and the tone of the comments after the event. It is under discussion as we move forward. We certainly are very disappointed, having said that, Kyle is an amazing talent in a race car and he takes it very personally when something goes wrong and he loses a race he thinks he should have won.
"Every one of our teams ran full power, full rich (fuel mixture) and kicked their ass. All six of them and some other teams did, too. It wasn't just TRD power that had this issue. The race didn't fall their way and we've seen it happen more lately.
"I'm not going to aplogize for TRD. We went there and qualified three out of the top five. We led a gazillion freaking laps. We should have won the race but circumstances didn't work out that way and I'm sorry. We don't have anything to apologize for. The thing I am most disappointed in is TRD is not some separate entity - we are Toyota. We are a global company. Every person globally shares in our passion for winning and competing - and that's hundreds of thousands of people. All those people and their families basically had their feelings hurt by those comments last week.
"I look forward to take it up with coach (Joe) Gibbs and see if we can't do something to sort it out so that we have a better working relationship in the future. I am confident that we will."
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Go 'On the Road' with Jimmie Johnson at Hart Witzen Gallery
"On the Road" is a photo documentary, shot by lifestyle photographer Missy McLamb, chronicling the 2011 Chase for the Cup championship from the Johnsons' perspective.
The exhibit is open Oct. 13-20 at Hart Witzen Gallery, 136 E. 36th St., Charlotte. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and noon to 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
A limited number of select prints will be available for purchase at the gallery.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Who Kyle Petty thinks would make the best NASCAR champion
Many NASCAR fans - obviously those not fans of his - would prefer someone other than Jimmie Johnson win this year's championship. Mostly, that's because he's already won five in the past six seasons.
And then the legions of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans would certainly prefer to see their favorite driver win his first Sprint Cup Series championship.
But public-relations wise, who would be the best guy to win the championship? Who does NASCAR need to be champion? Earnhardt? Johnson? Brad Keselowski?
Here is former driver and Speed TV analyst Kyle Petty's take from his appearance Sunday night on "Wind Tunnel."
"Clint Bowyer would be the best champion. I’ll just go and throw that out there. He’s the guy with some personality who would have a good time and have some fun. I think you flip a coin between these guys – I don’t care. This is such a sterile sport now. ," Petty said.
"Nobody has a lot of personality. Brad (Keselowski) has as much personality as anybody else. Jimmie was the champion for five years. Did the sport grow in that five years? I don’t think so. Tony Stewart was the champion last year. Did the sport grow? I think they’re great champions and they represent the sport well but they’re not Miss America. They don’t have to go out to civic organizations and preach the gospel of the sport, so I don’t think any driver is going to do that.
"Just that blue-collar guy to bring the sport back to the Earnhardt era, the Richard Petty era, to that older deal when fans really are interested in the drivers? My money would be on Clint Bowyer."
And then the legions of Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans would certainly prefer to see their favorite driver win his first Sprint Cup Series championship.
But public-relations wise, who would be the best guy to win the championship? Who does NASCAR need to be champion? Earnhardt? Johnson? Brad Keselowski?
Here is former driver and Speed TV analyst Kyle Petty's take from his appearance Sunday night on "Wind Tunnel."
"Clint Bowyer would be the best champion. I’ll just go and throw that out there. He’s the guy with some personality who would have a good time and have some fun. I think you flip a coin between these guys – I don’t care. This is such a sterile sport now. ," Petty said.
"Nobody has a lot of personality. Brad (Keselowski) has as much personality as anybody else. Jimmie was the champion for five years. Did the sport grow in that five years? I don’t think so. Tony Stewart was the champion last year. Did the sport grow? I think they’re great champions and they represent the sport well but they’re not Miss America. They don’t have to go out to civic organizations and preach the gospel of the sport, so I don’t think any driver is going to do that.
"Just that blue-collar guy to bring the sport back to the Earnhardt era, the Richard Petty era, to that older deal when fans really are interested in the drivers? My money would be on Clint Bowyer."
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Is this the year Penske wins his first NASCAR Sprint Cup title?
Brad Keselowski's continued improvement this season and he's impressive performance so far in the Chase for the Sprint Cup raises the prospect of whether 2012 may be the year veteran team owner Roger Penske could win his first Cup title.
Until Keselowski's Nationwide Series championship in 2010, Penske had never won a championship of any kind in NASCAR, although he has enjoyed enormous success in open-wheel racing.
Penske, who was on hand for Keselowski's victory at Dover International Speedway, talked about his NASCAR title hopes after the race.
"You know, obviously I look up to folks like (Rick) Hendrick and Joe Gibbs and (Richard) Childress and (Jack) Roush, the other teams that have been so good here. We've never had a chance to get to the top. We were close a couple times with Rusty (Wallace)," Penske said. "This competition is just very, very tough. A lot of smart people. A lot of experience. I think you got to build it. I see how these other guys have done it. They haven't done it overnight.
"When you look at Brad, he and Paul (Wolfe) have been able to attract the people that are giving us the performance on and off the track. Certainly Mike Nelson, Tim Cindric, the guys back at the shop, Travis (Geisler), there are so many people pulling on this. They're maybe people no one knew about three or four years ago, but we sure know about them in our shop. To me that made the difference. We have to put our arms around those folks and say, 'Let's keep going.'"
Until Keselowski's Nationwide Series championship in 2010, Penske had never won a championship of any kind in NASCAR, although he has enjoyed enormous success in open-wheel racing.
Penske, who was on hand for Keselowski's victory at Dover International Speedway, talked about his NASCAR title hopes after the race.
"You know, obviously I look up to folks like (Rick) Hendrick and Joe Gibbs and (Richard) Childress and (Jack) Roush, the other teams that have been so good here. We've never had a chance to get to the top. We were close a couple times with Rusty (Wallace)," Penske said. "This competition is just very, very tough. A lot of smart people. A lot of experience. I think you got to build it. I see how these other guys have done it. They haven't done it overnight.
"When you look at Brad, he and Paul (Wolfe) have been able to attract the people that are giving us the performance on and off the track. Certainly Mike Nelson, Tim Cindric, the guys back at the shop, Travis (Geisler), there are so many people pulling on this. They're maybe people no one knew about three or four years ago, but we sure know about them in our shop. To me that made the difference. We have to put our arms around those folks and say, 'Let's keep going.'"
Friday, September 28, 2012
A sneak peek at the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule
NASCAR has only released its 2013 Sprint Cup Schedule but The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com have obtained a copy of the Nationwide Series schedule, which is expected to be released to the public next week.
There are no major surprises in the schedule. There are 33 points-paying races, beginning Feb. 23, 2013 at Daytona and concluding Nov. 16 at Homestead, Fla. The only notable change is slight change in dates involving Iowa Speedway's two races.
There are no additional night races added to the schedule.
The 2013 Nationwide Series schedule
Feb 23 Daytona
March 2 Phoenix
March 9 Las Vegas
March 16 Bristol
March 23 California
April 12 Texas
April 26 Richmond
May 4 Talladega
May 10 Darlington
May 25 Charlotte
June 1 Dover
June 8 Iowa
June 15 Michigan
June 22 Road America
June 28 Kentucky
July 5 Daytona
July 13 New Hampshire
July 21 Chicagoland
July 27 Indianapolis
Aug. 3 Iowa
Aug. 10 Watkins Glen
Aug. 17 Montreal
Aug. 23 Bristol
Aug. 31 Atlanta
Sept. 6 Richmond
Sept. 14 Chicagoland
Sept. 21 Kentucky
Sept. 28 Dover
Oct. 5 Kansas
Oct. 11 Charlotte
Nov. 2 Texas
Nov. 9 Phoenix
Nov. 16 Homestead
There are no major surprises in the schedule. There are 33 points-paying races, beginning Feb. 23, 2013 at Daytona and concluding Nov. 16 at Homestead, Fla. The only notable change is slight change in dates involving Iowa Speedway's two races.
There are no additional night races added to the schedule.
The 2013 Nationwide Series schedule
Feb 23 Daytona
March 2 Phoenix
March 9 Las Vegas
March 16 Bristol
March 23 California
April 12 Texas
April 26 Richmond
May 4 Talladega
May 10 Darlington
May 25 Charlotte
June 1 Dover
June 8 Iowa
June 15 Michigan
June 22 Road America
June 28 Kentucky
July 5 Daytona
July 13 New Hampshire
July 21 Chicagoland
July 27 Indianapolis
Aug. 3 Iowa
Aug. 10 Watkins Glen
Aug. 17 Montreal
Aug. 23 Bristol
Aug. 31 Atlanta
Sept. 6 Richmond
Sept. 14 Chicagoland
Sept. 21 Kentucky
Sept. 28 Dover
Oct. 5 Kansas
Oct. 11 Charlotte
Nov. 2 Texas
Nov. 9 Phoenix
Nov. 16 Homestead
"Dean of American Motorsports" Chris Economaki dies
Economaki began selling single copies of National Speed Sport News at age 14 and eventually became the publication’s editor - a position he held for 60 years.
Economaki next turned his attention and energies to broadcasting, covering several Indianapolis 500s, Daytona 500s, Formula 1 Grand Prixes and other motorsports events for “ABC Wide World of Sports” in the ’60s. Two decades later, he moved on to CBS Sports and later contributed to ESPN and TBS motorsports programming.
Funeral arragements are incomplete.
For more information, read Economaki's obituary at National Speed Sport News here.
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