Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/stoner-confirms-v8-deal
Saturday
Stoner confirms V8 deal
Casey Stoner has confirmed that he will, as expected, race on four wheels this year.
2012 season in the rear view: Joey Logano
Vitals: 17th in the points standings. 1 win, 2 top 5s, 12 top 10s. 3 DNFs.
Moment to remember: Logano started and finished first in the spring Pocono race, leading 49 of the race's 160 laps. And he made his pass for the lead on Mark Martin on lap 157 with authority.
After looking to the inside down the frontstretch, Logano entered turn one on Martin's bumper and made slight contact with Martin's rear. That was enough to move Martin up the track and opened the inside for Logano to shoot through for the lead.
It was a risky move; had Logano hit Martin harder, it could have sent Martin (and Logano) careening into the fence. Had Logano backed off, he would have lost his momentum and may never have gotten to Martin's bumper again. He had his run, he went for it, and he got it, notching his second career Cup Series win.
Moment to forget: That win at Pocono put Logano in the thick of Wild Card contention at 14th place in the points standings. He would never be any higher. The following week at Michigan, Logano crashed on the backstretch after moving to avoid David Gilliland and finished 35th, falling to 15th in the standings.
The wrap: So, how did Logano end up 18th in the points standings with 12 top 10 finishes? Easy answer: 13 finishes below 20th place. The Loganocoaster was climbing and diving at a high rate of speed throughout 2012 and there were more valleys than peaks between that Pocono win and the Chase. In the 12 races that Logano had to grab a second win and really be a Wild Card contender, he finished in the top 10 three times and 30th or worse three times. If the Loganocoaster is a little more even-keeled in 2013, he could be a Chase contender in his new ride at Penske Racing.
KV Racing Technology 2013 Season Launch
KV Racing Technology 2013 Racing Teams with Drivers Simona De Silvestro and Tony KanaanBaltimore, MD (Wednesday, January 23, 2013) - KV Racing Technology hits the streets of Baltimore today for the unveiling of the 2013 No. 11 KV Racing entry driven by Tony Kanaan and No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Chevrolet Dallara IZOD IndyCar...more»
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/catchfence/~3/pMPq3_0-_lQ/
Kamui Kobayashi Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick
Peterhansel: Faultless run a dream
Stephane Peterhansel says his faultless run to a record 11th Dakar victory was 'like a dream'. The Frenchman took the lead of the rally on the second day and gradually extended his advantage, particularly when both Red Bull buggies hit problems
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/peterhansel-faultless-run-a-dream
Pedrosa, Marquez tip Rossi for success
Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa believe Valentino Rossi will be competitive on his return to Yamaha for the 2013 MotoGP season. Rossi is returning to the Japanese manufacturer after two unsuccessful seasons with Ducati, with which the Italian failed to win a race and scored just three podium finishes
Friday
All-New 2014 Toyota Tundra to Debut in Chicago [2013 Chicago Auto Show]
Toyota will unveil the all-new 2014 Tundra full-size pickup February 7th�at the 2013 Chicago auto show, and we expect big changes. This is a bit of d�j� vu all over again as Chicago played host to the debut of the first truly full-size Tundra pickup?the 2007 model?in 2006. That 2007 truck made big waves with [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/2tpoWUNiSt0/
Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confirm they are a couple
Danica Patrick and two time NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are dating according to [...]
Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson
Thursday
Ezpeleta keen to see top riders on CRTs
MotoGP chief Carmelo Ezpeleta suspects CRT bikes would be much closer to prototype pace if some leading riders tried the second-class bikes. There was a clear gap between the pace of the two motorcycle types during the 2012 season, although Aspar's Aleix Espargaro led the wet finale at Valencia , where Gresini's CRT rider Michele Pirro claimed a class-record fifth place
Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett
Video: Jack Olsen built one Porsche to do it all
Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Videos, Porsche, Specialty, Racing
Jack Olsen has built himself a lair called the 12-Gauge Garage, and inside that garage he built a lairy Porsche 911 nicknamed Black Beauty II. Although it looks like one of Stuttgart's models from the sixties or seventies, it is actually four decades of 911 gubbins from 1965 to 2000 thrown under one shell: the lightweight body is from 1972, the transaxle from 1977, the brakes from a 1986 Turbo, the engine from 1995, for example. It weighs 2,400 pounds and it's got 272 horsepower to get it going, but it's still a pure Porsche, Olsen saying, "If you stop thinking about what you're doing, it will remind you in very abrupt ways."
Olsen said the real point has been to have one car that does it all, so he does everything in his 911 from neighborhood runs to 7-11 to track racing - he loads the aero bits in the car and bolts them on trackside. And he says he'll never stop tweaking the suspension.
You can watch and hear the rest in Olsen's words in the video below.
Continue reading Jack Olsen built one Porsche to do it all
Jack Olsen built one Porsche to do it all originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/23/jack-olsen-built-one-porsche-to-do-it-all/
Stanaway Seals iRPS Title at Suzuka
Continuing his unassailable form in the iRacing.com Road Pro Series, Richie Stanaway made it four race victories on the bounce with a faultless run to the chequered flag in the championship finale at Suzuka International Circuit. The New Zealand-based sim-racer who has dominated the second half of the season, demonstrated his qualifications for the championship crown with a pole-to-flag run that couldn’t be matched by any of the other 24 sim-racers in their virtual Williams-Toyota FW31s. In what has become a regular role for Stanaway, the Team Redline pilot found himself in pole position after setting a qualifying time of 1:29.891 to best Yudai Narumi (1:30.094) for the top spot, with Mogar DG Filho and Emil Spindel occupying the second row.� As the lights turned to green, Stanaway put-on an [...]
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/stanaway-seals-irps-title-at-suzuka
NASCAR Fan Picks: Top Five Drivers in the Auto Club 400 at Fontana, California (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
NASCAR heads to Fontana, California this weekend with Sprint Cup drivers racing in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 25 at 2:30 p.m. EST. Who will capture the checkered flag? Here is a look at the five drivers who have the best chance at a victory.
David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch
Wednesday
Miss the banquet? Check out Brad Keselowski?s speech here
If you didn't have a chance to catch Friday night's Sprint Cup Series banquet and want to see Brad Keselowski's championship speech, we've got you covered.
Enjoy!
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? David Beckham leaves L.A. on top | Picture-perfect
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? Y! News: Police say hero instructor fought son in arrow attack
Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty
Patrick aiming for Daytona pole
Danica Patrick is confident she can challenge for pole position for the Daytona 500 given her strong testing form ahead of her first full NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Patrick was among the quickest in the group test at Daytona earlier this month in her Stewart Haas Chevrolet. "We all think that we maybe have a chance at the pole," said Patrick, who took pole for last year's Nationwide Series opener at Daytona
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/patrick-aiming-for-daytona-pole
Hendrick, Knaus Need To Know When To Let Go Of NASCAR Appeals Process
Perhaps it’s time for Rick Hendrick to just let it go.
After losing today’s appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel, Hendrick will continue to pursue the overturning of NASCAR sanctions imposed against Jimmie Johnson’s team on opening day of Daytona 500 inspection. The infraction in question, unapproved C-posts that didn’t fit NASCAR’s template, [...]
After losing today’s appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel, Hendrick will continue to pursue the overturning of NASCAR sanctions imposed against Jimmie Johnson’s team on opening day of Daytona 500 inspection. The infraction in question, unapproved C-posts that didn’t fit NASCAR’s template, [...]
Richie Ginther Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock
2012 season in the rear view: Landon Cassill
We're going to be reviewing the Sprint Cup Series season for every driver over the month of December. First up is Landon Cassill.
Vitals: 31st in the points standings. 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s. 4 DNFs.
Moment to remember: Did you know that Landon Cassill's highest finish of the season came at Kansas in the fall? Wait, you don't? Yeah, it kind of got overshadowed.
At Kansas, Danica Patrick crashed herself while trying to crash Cassill after the two raced closely the lap before. Cassill continued on to an 18th place finish and Patrick was in the garage with a wrecked race car. (Cassill also finished 18th at Charlotte in the spring.)
Moment to forget: Not being able to complete a lap at Pocono in June. On turn three of the first lap of the race, Cassill got loose and slid down the racetrack, collecting Martin Truex, Jr. and AJ Allmendinger and then sliding back into the SAFER barrier in the outside wall. Cassill finished dead last.
The wrap: 2012 was the first time that Cassill had competed in a season's entire Sprint Cup Series schedule. And unlike last year, when he start and parked his first three races of the season, he started each race with the intent of going the distance. And you know what? He performed pretty admirably, scoring seven top 20 finishes. It remains to be seen how the introduction of the new car will affect BK Racing in 2013 -- it acquired the equipment from Red Bull Racing after that team folded -- but if the team hits on something early as the field is still shaking out the new car, it wouldn't be too crazy to see Cassill swipe a top 15.
Lack of Sponsorship Forces Justin Lofton Into New Opportunity
Photo Credit:�Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR By: Toby Christie ? Follow on Twitter @Tobalical One of the pleasant surprises of the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, was the emergence of Justin Lofton as a championship contender. Although he would finish the season eighth in the point standings, Lofton nabbed his first career win in 2012, and he held the points lead following three consecutive races, and he held a spot inside the top-three of the standings after 10 of the 22 races last season. It appeared that Lofton and Eddie Sharp Racing would band together for another run at the title in 2013 ? that won?t be the case. Lack of sponsorship has forced Lofton to reduce his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series efforts in order to run the full-season in Robby Gordon?s new Stadium Truck Series. This was a story that was first reported by SB Nation back in December, but it is still unsure how many events Lofton would be able to compete in in the NASCAR Truck Series. Wha...
Tuesday
Today?s Headlines
Puran Thapa, 7, Killed by Driver in Ridgewood; “No Criminality Suspected” (Post 1, 2; DNA)
Pedestrian Critical After Driver Pins Victim to Wall in Brooklyn Heights (DNA, BHB, NBC)
TSTC: Imperiled Safe Routes Funding All the More Reason for Albany to Act on Traffic Cams
Lawrence Downes: Cuomo Should Slay the NIMBY Beast Blocking LIRR Third Track (NYT)
South [...]
Pedestrian Critical After Driver Pins Victim to Wall in Brooklyn Heights (DNA, BHB, NBC)
TSTC: Imperiled Safe Routes Funding All the More Reason for Albany to Act on Traffic Cams
Lawrence Downes: Cuomo Should Slay the NIMBY Beast Blocking LIRR Third Track (NYT)
South [...]
Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/01/18/todays-headlines-1554/
David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch
Video: Watch new SRT Vipers snake down the assembly line
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, SRT
Official production of the 2013 SRT Viper kicked off this month with VIN No. 001 rolling off the Conner Avenue Assembly plant to a small celebration that included the car's owner and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. Now, The New York Times has released a video and some great pictures showing just what it takes to get the newest Viper from a bare frame and engine to the final product.
The fast-motion video shows various stations along the Viper's production line ranging from engine inspection and assembly to a dyno test of the body-less car (shown above). The video of the birth of these early Vipers is posted below, but be sure to visit the NYT site for a handful of images of the car, the plant and its workers.
Continue reading Watch new SRT Vipers snake down the assembly line
Watch new SRT Vipers snake down the assembly line originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/21/watch-new-srt-vipers-snake-down-the-assembly-line/
Mark Martin?s Plans for His Twitter Hacker: NASCAR Fan View (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
Mark Martin has revealed his plans to get revenge on the person who hacked his Twitter account and changed the name to Epic Swag. Although Mark Martin has been able to recover his account, he plans to use Epic Swag as his name on the No.
Timing issues leave WRC in the dark
The Monte Carlo Rally running order is a mystery at the end of day one of the World Rally Championship season-opener with a timing problem leaving teams and fans in the dark. Sistemas Integrales de Telecomunicacion (SIT) took over from Stage One Technology as the WRC's timing and tracking supplier for 2013. An issue with communication on stage three meant a slew of unreliable times as the official system registered gaps of several minutes between lead cars.
Monday
Loeb wins as final stages cancelled
Sebastien Loeb clinched his seventh Monte Carlo Rally victory early as the final two stages of the 2013 event were cancelled on safety grounds. Heavy rain had moved into the previously icy and snowy region as the cars were in the mid-evening service, and as the worsening conditions prompted hordes of spectators to leave the stages, local roads became badly congested.
What?s the impact of NASCAR?s New Media and Fan Engagement Center?
On Monday, NASCAR unveiled its new "Media and Fan Engagement Center," a 500 square foot area at NASCAR Plaza that, in partnership with HP, boasts 13 high-definition 47" screens to "monitor, analyze and better understand the current media landscape in order to respond more effectively and efficiently to fans and respond more rapidly to national, local and global media."
Sounds like a NASA Control Center, huh? Well, pardon me for thinking Truman Show.
?The Fan and Media Engagement Center build has been a thorough process more than a year in the making, and we are excited to see it come to life,? NASCAR CEO Brian France said. ?We believe this tool has the potential to be the best of its kind in sports ? the first ever to combine not only social, but also traditional and broadcast media analysis. We?ll be able to use this to help our industry and business partners and better connect with NASCAR fans across the world. It?s another example of our commitment to innovation.?
Innovation. After all, this is the sport that adopted fuel injection... last year. And most companies, including NASCAR, have been combing through data analytics and social media monitoring for some time. This is a PR move that does nothing to affect the product on the track, the main catalyst of fan engagement. (Oh hi NASCAR, I know this just popped up on one of your fancy screens as soon as it was published.)
The sport has embraced social media ? though don't tweet in the car ? and it certainly doesn't hurt that two of the Sprint Cup Series' last three champions are arguably its most impactful users.
It was also the #2 trending sport on Twitter, a fact that's been championed about significantly. It is an accomplishment, though it isn't without context. While the NFL and MLB bracketed NASCAR, each of those leagues' teams also champion their own hashtags ? as evidenced by the San Francisco Giants coming in fifth ? which potentially limits their specific hashtag use significantly. While hashtags for drivers not on Twitter like Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and teams like Hendrick and Roush exist, they're not used nearly to the extent of team hashtags from stick and ball sports. In a larger summation, NASCAR would likely be dwarfed.
For a sport that always talks about its fans, the social media echo chamber for them has never been more crowded. And while the exposure atop the Twitter trends every Sunday is nice, that exposure is largely free. It's the revenue from TV that pays the bills.
When it extended its TV contract, or partnership, as many in the industry are keen to say, Fox upped its per year commitment to NASCAR significantly; the total package was a 36 percent increase from the previous agreement between Fox and NASCAR despite NASCAR viewership dropping about 10 percent in 2012 after increasing in 2011 for the first time since 2005. That annual value increase from $220 million to approximately $300 million in 2015 is another example of the power of live sports.
Those TV ratings presented alongside NASCAR's apparent social media clout also seems a bit incongruous. If fewer people are watching NASCAR, especially in the coveted 18-34 demographic, it stands to reason that it's simply a process of NASCAR's hardcore fans, the ones who watch over 30 races a year, becoming more adept at Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels and immersing themselves in almost every race weekend.
It certainly can't be a case of fans engaging in social media but not tuning in, right? NASCAR's digital media compliments to race broadcasts, while improving, are still a work in progress. Over the past two seasons, ESPN has made most Chase race broadcasts available via its WatchESPN application and RaceBuddy on NASCAR.com while RaceBuddy has also been available for TNT races. NASCAR recently started managing NASCAR.com from Turner and has promised strengthened digital content, but the full extent of those features have yet to be unveiled.
(It's also worth pointing out that while the TV audience for the 2011 Daytona 500 wasn't far off from each game of the 2012 NBA Finals, Lebron James boasts almost 7 million Twitter followers while Danica Patrick, the most recognizable driver in mainstream America on Twitter has less than 700,000 and Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski each have approximately 355,000 followers.)
There's a certain form of irony in a Fan and Media Engagement Center that's not open to the public (likely because of its purposeful placement in NASCAR Plaza) and walled off from everything else in the office around it.
Given the sentence I quoted in the first paragraph, the cynic in me sees this ritzy data center as a fancy way to monitor and attempt to control the company message as best as possible fronted as a service to fans. With the cacophony of voices in social media, it's a task without turn-by-turn navigation. But combined with the constantly dwindling number of independent voices following the sport on a weekly basis, it's certainly an achievable one, especially as soon as something threatening pops up on any one of those 13 flat-screens.
From this vantage point, it seems that the key to engagement isn't one with a bunch of flat screens and people watching every tweet and post. It's the racing. New fans aren't going to tune in to watch a single file parade at another 1.5 mile track, let alone jump on Twitter unless they're going to use hashtags that no one at the command center is going to want to see or respond to.
Hence the expectations being placed on the Sprint Cup Series new car, which may soon be crushed underneath the weight of all of them. If you didn't know any better, the car could reasonably be interpreted as the second coming in motorized form. If all goes according to plan, the car won't have as much grip and be harder to drive, allowing side-by-side racing to be more common at those intermediate tracks and, believe it or not, be easier to crash. More passing and crashes, two things destined to increase fan investment. What more could anyone want from a NASCAR race?
And if the new car doesn't produce racing distinctly different from its COT predecessor? Well, no hashtag or analytic tracking will be able to polish that up or promote it effectively. For all of its flaws, the NFL's rise to the top is a product of its compelling games and close finishes, not on the back of a public relations strategy.
That's NASCAR's key too. An effective social media and communications strategy hinges largely on the product that the company produces. For NASCAR, it's the racing. Entertaining and intriguing competition is a powerful thing.
Carl Edwards paint schemes for 2013
Carl Edwards will continue his driving for Roush Fenway Racing in 2013. Many of Edwards? previous sponsors will return for the upcoming season with Fastenal, Aflac, Subway and UPS all sharing time as the primary sponsor of the No. 99 Ford Fusion.
Edwards will be looking to improve on last seasons numbers. He finished 15th in the driver standings and managed a career worst 3 top-fives and 13 top-tens. Edwards failed to win a race for the first time since 2009.
Top photo from Roush Fenway Racing Facebook, other renderings from Lionel.
Edwards will be looking to improve on last seasons numbers. He finished 15th in the driver standings and managed a career worst 3 top-fives and 13 top-tens. Edwards failed to win a race for the first time since 2009.
Top photo from Roush Fenway Racing Facebook, other renderings from Lionel.
Chrysler 300S Turbine Edition Harks Back to ?63 Turbine Car; We Offer Brief History Lesson [2013 Detroit Auto Show]
Turbine-powered cars enjoyed a brief period where the public was largely fascinated by the concept in the 1950s and ’60s, but the infatuation pretty much died along with the space age. Chrysler is bringing a bit of that Motorama-style mojo back with an extremely orange-colored 300S sedan called, semi-appropriately enough, the Turbine edition. The one-off [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/NnCJRu1q3LQ/
Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV
Sunday
Loeb still leads amid Turini carnage
Sebastien Loeb maintained his Monte Carlo Rally lead into the final evening as tricky conditions on the Col de Turini caught out several frontrunners.
RSR League welcomes McLaren to iRacing
The largest ever starting field in Red Sox Racing League history, a record forty-one drivers, qualified for the “Gentleman Jim’s Day” at the Daytona Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida.� The event was held in memory of former RSR member, “Gentleman” Jim Albertson.� Jim’s race number, 67, was retired by the league in a moving ceremony prior to the race.� “Jim was the consummate competitor”, said Jeff Thomas.� “Everyone at RSR has positive memories of their races with Jim, so we thought it was only fitting the league should retire number 67.”� In a further tribute to Gentleman Jim, driver Corey Wolf drove a unique “POW/MIA” paint scheme to mirror the one used by Albertson during his final season of racing. After several seasons of multi-class competition, RSR took advantage [...]
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/all-news/rsr-league-welcomes-mclaren-to-iracing
iRacing Launches World Championship Series web site
iRacing.com today announced the launch of wcs.iracing.com, a website focused on the iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series and the NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship.� The site features profiles of the drivers competing in the two series, along with schedules, standings, track guides and World Championship-related stories, videos and photo galleries. The World Championship series each feature the top 50 sim-racers from iRacing?s official road and oval series competing for more than $35,000 in cash and prizes.� iWCGPS drivers race digital versions of the Williams-Toyota FW31 on laser-scanned versions of many of the world?s legendary road courses including Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka and Silverstone, while their NiSWC counterparts compete on a variety of American speedways including Daytona, Dover and Martinsville in cars modeled on the Chevrolet Impalas raced in the NASCAR Sprint [...]
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/iracing-launches-world-championship-series-web-site
Risi Ferrari returns to the ALMS
Multiple GT champion team Risi will return to the American Le Mans Series for 2013 after a one-year hiatus. The team skipped last season having been unable to put a financial package together in time. It will be back this year with a single Ferrari 458 and has committed to 2014's combined Grand-Am/ALMS championship too
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/risi-ferrari-returns-to-the-alms
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