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Wednesday
Latest Skinny on Cadillac Variants: Thumbs Up to ATS Coupe, Thumbs Down to All Wagons
In January of 2012, Cadillac revealed the ATS sedan. That car is designed specifically to target the BMW 3-series and similar sports sedans, and it has allowed the third-generation CTS, which just debuted at the New York auto show, to abandon the segment-stretching mission of its predecessor and make a serious run at the mid-size [...]
Landon Cassill joins Nationwide Series team
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller has added Landon Cassill to their team. Cassill will take over the wheel of the No. 4 Chevrolet for the rest of the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.
Cassill, 23, will begin driving the car when the series returns to action at Texas Motor Speedway. He has been driving the No. 33 Sprint Cup Series car of Circle Sport on a limited basis.
LAWSUIT: Cassill suing former team
?I am really happy to be joining JD Motorsports and racing the No. 4 Flex Seal Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,? said Cassill. ?I went down to the shop and met with Johnny (Davis) and the guys, and I am excited for the opportunity. I look forward to helping them improve over the course of the season, and I believe we can race competitively starting at Texas.?
Cassill was the 2008 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year but has struggled to attract sponsors and quality teams since.
Cassill, 23, will begin driving the car when the series returns to action at Texas Motor Speedway. He has been driving the No. 33 Sprint Cup Series car of Circle Sport on a limited basis.
LAWSUIT: Cassill suing former team
?I am really happy to be joining JD Motorsports and racing the No. 4 Flex Seal Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,? said Cassill. ?I went down to the shop and met with Johnny (Davis) and the guys, and I am excited for the opportunity. I look forward to helping them improve over the course of the season, and I believe we can race competitively starting at Texas.?
Cassill was the 2008 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year but has struggled to attract sponsors and quality teams since.
Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby AndrŠ¹ Guelfi
Danica Patrick got hit in the head by a rock
When you see the headline "Danica Patrick got hit in the head with a rock," your first thought is, "Who threw it?" (Our money would be on one of the Busch brothers. Maybe Tony Stewart.)
But no, turns out Patrick was clonked purely by accident at a Vegas dirt-track race. She's fine, thanks for asking: ?I feel like I have a concussion from [Thursday] night," she said. "I got hit by a rock at the dirt track and I took it to the ground. I feel like this is really sore. It hit me straight in the head. Good thing I had a hat on or I?m feeling like there would have been blood."
On a slightly more serious note, Patrick did have to undergo some testing after her vicious hit in Phoenix, where the entire side of her car was torn open after a blown right tire sent her into the wall.
"I was able to say my name and where I was born [to safety crews]," she said. "They take your blood pressure, they do like vitals and they ask how you?re feeling and I really felt fine. It?s understandable that my neck would be sore. The medical staff always does a checkup the next day, they either call or send you a text to ask how you?re doing ... I said I had a headache on Sunday night and on Monday my neck was sore. They said, 'It sounded like it could have been worse, so we?re glad you?re okay.'"
[Also: African-American female driver overstating claims]
So with her bell rung already, Vegas is off to a great start for Patrick. The whereabouts of the rock are unknown. Surely there are plenty of people ready to chastise it for threatening NASCAR's darling, and quite a few others ready to shake whatever passes for a rock's hand. Either way, somebody could've made a few bucks by selling it on ebay.
Patrick's luck didn't quite extend to the weather; because of a rainout of qualifying, she'll start deep in the pack on Sunday. Here's how it worked: because qualifying was rained out, the top 36 teams from last year took the first 36 spots. That means Brad Keselowski, last year's Sprint Cup champion, will start on the pole. (This pole, however, does not get him into the 2014 Sprint Unlimited preseason race at Daytona.)
Three remaining spots were filled out by teams in the top 36 in 2013 owner's points. So Patrick, David Stremme and Michael McDowell will be in the race. The final four spots were determined by qualifying attempts in 2013; owners' points broke any ties.
The remaining spots for positions 40-43 were determined by qualifying attempts this year, with ties broken by owner points. So Scott Speed, Landon Cassill, Joe Nemechek and Josh Wise were in; Mike Bliss is the only driver left out.
"I don?t know how in the hell it works," Patrick said of qualifying, echoing the thoughts of many. "I am so confused. I don?t know about you guys. I?m sure this is not the best talking point for anybody who is trying to inform me, or who has. But look, you have to go like hell and you just have to qualify as well as you can. That?s all you can do."
"I was just thinking when I walked in, with this being Vegas and all, what the odds would be of a rainout in Vegas," Keselowski said. "I bet that was pretty high. Obviously whenever you can start up front, it's a big deal and you get the first pit stall and all those things that make a big difference on pit road."
The Kobalt Tools 400 starts Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-
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Tuesday
Craziest Moment from Martinsville: Brake failure and ensuing fire end Kurt Busch?s day
Kurt Busch's eventful day ended with his engine in flames 15 laps before the finish of Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville.
In this case, eventful is not a synonym for "good" or "great."
On lap 294, Busch spun around after making contact with David Gilliland entering turn three. And that was in addition to a fuel pump problem that left Busch 29 laps down at the time of his final incident, which was caused by a brake failure entering turn one.
[Related: Jimmie Johnson wins once again at Martinsville]
"Something happened with the brakes," Busch said. "The pedal felt spongy going into three and four and I gave it a courtesy pump and it came to. I go down the front straightaway and gave it another courtesy pump and it went straight to the floor. Something failed with it and I just turned it to the right and fenced it instead of running head on into the fence."
After making contact with the wall, Busch quickly pulled the in-car fire extinguisher trigger, which doused the flames before safety crews had a chance to reach his car and he climbed out unhurt. Busch finished 37th.
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Craziest Moment: Kyle Busch wins as Joey Logano crashes with Denny Hamlin on last lap and scuffles with Tony Stewart
A crash on the final lap of Sunday's Auto Club 400 between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano sent Hamlin to the hospital, left Logano fuming, validated a rivalry that started boiling last week at Bristol and gave Kyle Busch, teammate of Hamlin and former teammate of Logano the win.
And in a separate incident, Logano left Fontana with another nemesis as Tony Stewart confronted him, pushing and swinging after the race because of a move that Logano made while the two were battling for the lead on the race's final restart with 11 laps to go.
After that restart, which we'll get to briefly, Logano took the lead from Busch, who led the race's most laps. Over the final five laps, Hamlin closed in on Logano, and as the two approached the white flag, Hamlin pulled up to Logano's back bumper and then alongside him as the two entered turn one.
[Related: Kyle Busch caps off weekend sweep at Fontana]
The two stayed even through turns one and two and down the backstretch, with Hamlin to the outside and Logano to the inside. They were in the same formation entering turn three, with Logano hugging the white line and Hamlin just to his outside, tucked as tight as possible to the right side of Logano's car. As the two went through turns 3 and 4, Logano wasn't giving an inch. His car washed up the track a bit and Hamlin held his line. The two bounced off each other before Logano's car hit the outside wall and Hamlin's went spinning toward the inside. Meanwhile Busch, who was at one time a seemingly distant third, breezed by on the outside of the track to take the checkered flag.
"He probably shouldn't have done what he did last week, so that's what he gets," Logano said, likely not knowing the impact that Hamlin's car made with the inside wall.
The impact Hamlin made with the inside wall was so hard that it lifted the rear tires of his car off the ground, and shot it into a spin. Hamlin climbed from his car under his own power, but was then treated by track officials on the ground next to his car before he was airlifted to a nearby hospital. NASCAR officials said that Hamlin was awake and alert in the infield care center before he was sent by helicopter to the hospital because of traffic congestion. (Update from Joe Gibbs Racing, which released the following statement Sunday night: "Hamlin complained of lower back pain at the track?s infield medical center and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Hamlin will remain at the hospital overnight for observation.")
Let's flash back to a week ago for a moment. At Bristol, Hamlin got into the back of Logano as the two were battling for position at the front of the pack and the contact spun Logano into the wall. Logano was furious, and after the race, promised payback against Hamlin. Hamlin said that the contact was purposeful, though he didn't mean to wreck him. And that promised revenge? It wasn't going to be an issue because Hamlin usually wasn't in the same part of the field as Logano. (Remarks that he apologized for on Friday.)
This was Logano's opportunity. He hadn't been around Hamlin for most of the day, but that was because he was in front of him. Now they were sharing the same track space, with Hamlin on tires that were some 20 laps fresher than his. It was, in essence, the time to live up to the "Sliced Bread" nickname that Mark Martin had bestowed on him as a teenager and show Hamlin that he wasn't messing around.
After the race, it was apparent Stewart wasn't either, and this week he was the one professing revenge, vowing payback on Logano after that restart, when Logano protected the white line with Stewart behind him in third as the field hurtled toward turn one.
"What the hell do you think I was mad about?" Stewart said after the race. "Dumb little [expletive] runs us clear down to the infield. He wants to [expletive] about everybody else. He's the one who drives like a [expletive]. I'm going to bust his ass.'"
Stewart added later: "He's nothing but a little rich kid who has never had to work in his life."
The 2011 champion has almost made himself the de facto NASCAR police chief when it comes to blocking and aggressive defensive driving (nevermind his block last year at Talladega caused a massive pileup that saw his car upside down), and he was livid with Logano's defense of the low line on that restart with 11 laps to go. Stewart parked his car alongside Logano's on pit road after the race and shoved Logano and failed to connect on a couple swipes as crew members pulled the two drivers away.
"Tony was just upset about a restart that I was racing him really hard on the bottom trying to make sure I protected my spot" Logano said. "What I was doing actually was I was racing the 18 on the restart and he was spinning his tires. The rule is you can?t beat him to the start finish line so I am pedaling it which gave Tony the run to go underneath me. I wanted to block that because I knew if he put me three-wide that would be the end of my race and I wouldn?t win. I was smart enough to realize that. Then I had to just do what I had to do to get to the front and try to win the race.?
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Jeffrey Earnhardt to Drive No. 5 at Richmond
With the driver?s seat for his No. 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry vacant at Richmond International Raceway, car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn?t have to look far to find an available driver. Earnhardt kept it within the family and chose relative Jeffrey Earnhardt to pilot his car at Richmond, with a sponsor to be named [...]
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.
Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki Travis Wade Kvapil Robert Allen Labonte
Kasey Kahne drives away from field for Bristol win
A week after finishing second, Kasey Kahne found himself in second place once again late in the race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. But this week, Kahne sprinted away on a late race restart and drove away from the field over the last 40 laps to collect his first win at the half-mile bullring.
Kahne started on the inside of leader Brad Keselowski, and given the race's pattern of restarts, it looked like he'd be at a disadvantage as for most of the day, the leader of the field had jumped out to a large lead rather quickly. However, with fourth place Denny Hamlin on Keselowski's bumper, Keselowski spun the tires and couldn't get going, opening the door for Kahne to be the one to dash out to the lead into turns one and two.
"This whole team was flawless again today," Kahne said. "Last week, today, this whole season so far, it's been a lot of fun."
During the final laps of last week's race, Kahne closed in on the back bumper of eventual race-winner Matt Kenseth, but never was able to complete the pass. This week, he never had to worry about anyone getting close to his bumper in the waning laps.
And the first four races of 2013 have been quite different than the first four of 2012 for Kahne as well. After crashing in this race a year ago and finishing 134 laps off the pace, Kahne left Tennessee 32nd in the points standings. Now he's seventh in the standings.
After Kahne said sayonara to the field, the best racing of the closing laps was for second place between polesitter Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Busch had also gotten by Keselowski on that restart and staved off numerous challenges from the defending champion by sticking to the outside line, a maneuver Keselowski had used to hold off Kahne before the race's final caution flag.
With nowhere to go but the bottom lane, Keselowski was able to pull up alongside Busch in the middle of the corners, but Busch's momentum off the turns carried him down the straightaways. Their battle, instead of Kahne's relatively large margin of victory, was indicative of the quality of racing throughout the field the entire day. While tire falloff wasn't a factor, drivers were able to make and complete passes and drive both the bottom and middle grooves. Kahne's final charge was the only time the leader was able to escape the rest of the pack quite comfortably.
Keselowski's third place finish vaulted him to the points lead over Jimmie Johnson, who caused the race's final caution flag when he hit the wall after losing a right front tire. Keselowski leads by nine points over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 15 over Johnson.
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Monday
LeMons New York Inspections: Many 2002s, Greatest Forced-Induction AMC Battle In History
Here we are at the 24 Hours of LeMons’s first visit to Monticello Motor Club, where 120 or so teams and their alleged race cars ran the gauntlet of our grueling inspection regimen. We saw a lot of old friends today, some of whom had upgraded to cars that fit the LeMons Way of Life? [...]
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Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin
Eyes on the Street: Collision Leaves NYU Bus on Greenwich Village Sidewalk
Photo: Philip Winn
A two-vehicle collision left an NYU bus on a Greenwich Village sidewalk this morning, in an NYPD precinct where speed enforcement, for all intents and purposes, is non-existent.
Tipster Philip Winn snapped these photos at Lafayette Street and E. 4th Street at around 9:30 a.m., after the second vehicle, a passenger car, had been [...]
A two-vehicle collision left an NYU bus on a Greenwich Village sidewalk this morning, in an NYPD precinct where speed enforcement, for all intents and purposes, is non-existent.
Tipster Philip Winn snapped these photos at Lafayette Street and E. 4th Street at around 9:30 a.m., after the second vehicle, a passenger car, had been [...]
Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs
Crutchlow not expecting podium
Cal Crutchlow is not expecting to turn his second place on the Qatar Grand Prix grid into a podium finish in Sunday's MotoGP season opener. The Tech 3 Yamaha rider equalled the best qualifying performance of his grand prix career in qualifying at Losail, only missing out on a maiden pole position to world champion Jorge Lorenzo . But despite starting ahead of the second factory Yamaha of Valentino Rossi and the works Hondas of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, the Briton still thinks he will be shuffled backwards during the race
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/crutchlow-not-expecting-podium
Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr
Marquez: podium on debut a dream
Marc Marquez said he gave everything he had to fend off Valentino Rossi in the 2013 MotoGP season opener in Qatar, but was still overjoyed to manage a podium on his debut. Despite dropping to eighth at the first corner, reigning Moto2 champion and Losail practice pacesetter Marquez was able to claw his way up to second place ahead of Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/marquez-podium-on-debut-a-dream
Sunday
Vandoorne takes pole on FR3.5 debut
McLaren junior driver Stoffel Vandoorne has taken pole position for his Formula Renault 3.5 debut at Monza. The reigning Formula Renault Eurocup champion came out on top in tricky conditions, taking pole shortly before a red flag came out in the closing stages when Lucas Foresti crashed
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/vandoorne-takes-pole-on-fr3-5-debut
AndrŠ¹ Guelfi Miguel Šngel Guerra Roberto Guerrero MaurŠ½cio Gugelmin
Stewart, Logano say they have moved on from fracas
Tony Stewart and Joey Logano say their dustup is over. They just haven't said it to each other.
The drivers tangled two weeks ago at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at California, where Stewart thought Logano had blocked him in the closing laps. Stewart parked his car near Logano's and approached him. There was some shoving, but crew members broke it up quickly.
Stewart says the fracas ''is two weeks ago'' and that he's in Martinsville mode, trying to figure out how to make the three race cars he owns go fast in time for Sunday's race.
Logano says he thinks it's over, too, even though the two have not spoken.
He says the week off between California and Martinsville gave everyone time to ''cool off.''
The drivers tangled two weeks ago at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at California, where Stewart thought Logano had blocked him in the closing laps. Stewart parked his car near Logano's and approached him. There was some shoving, but crew members broke it up quickly.
Stewart says the fracas ''is two weeks ago'' and that he's in Martinsville mode, trying to figure out how to make the three race cars he owns go fast in time for Sunday's race.
Logano says he thinks it's over, too, even though the two have not spoken.
He says the week off between California and Martinsville gave everyone time to ''cool off.''
Oscar Alfredo GŠ±lvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner
Salom on Moto3 pole in Qatar
Luis Salom took his maiden Moto3 pole position in a dramatic finale to qualifying for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Spaniard hit the front on his Ajo KTM with five minutes remaining, knocking Alex Rins' Monlau-run KTM down to second. Salom, last year's championship runner-up, then lost the top spot himself to Maverick Vinales, who became the first man to dip below the 2m08s barrier in the session.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/salom-on-moto3-pole-in-qatar
Report: Over $20,000 in 'irreplaceable' trophies stolen from Goodwood
Filed under: Classics, Etc., UK
A band of thieves is being blamed for a brazen nighttime theft of 33 historic trophies from the Goodwood estate, where the Festival of Speed and Revival are held. According to the Telegraph, at least four burglars drove up to the Earl Of March's 12,000-acre estate on Monday night in a Range Rover, whereupon they broke a window at the Kennels Clubhouse (above, upper left) and smashed four cabinets to gain access to the trophy collection.
The trophies are valued at £15,000 - over $22,700 US - but are essentially priceless because they cannot be duplicated and some have significant historic and sentimental value. One of the stolen pieces includes the Mobil Oil Trophy, awarded in 1931 to the Earl's grandfather for a race at Brooklands.
An estate spokesperson fears the trophies may be sold for scrap, as they figure to be very difficult to sell. A reward has been set up for the return of the trophies and local police are asking for help from anyone who may know anything about the burglary.
Over $20,000 in 'irreplaceable' trophies stolen from Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/06/over-20-000-in-irreplaceable-trophies-stolen-from-goodwood/
Randy Joseph Lajoie Kevin Paul Lepage William Ashton Lewis Jr Sterling Burton Marlin
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