Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/uMKrFIrvmLU/
Helmuth Koinigg Heikki Kovalainen Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet
Saturday
2015 Ford Mustang Production Starts Now, First-Ever RHD Models Begin Testing and Just Look Wrong
Wipe the saliva off your keyboards, Mustang fans, the arrival of the all-new 2015 iteration of your beloved pony car is now mere weeks away. Today, Ford triumphantly paraded the first production-ready 2015 Mustang off of its Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly line in the form of a red GT coupe. READ MORE: 2015 Ford Mustang […]
Friday
Tony Stewart delivers emotional three-minute statement about Aug. 9 accident
Tony Stewart didn't answer any questions from media members Friday in his first public appearance since striking and killing Kevin Ward Jr. on Aug. 9 at a dirt track in upstate New York. Instead, Stewart read a nearly three-minute statement that clearly was emotional for him to compose.
A visibly shaken and stressed looking Stewart spoke softly but pointedly. He paused often, as if he was gathering himself at every opportunity. After his statement, Stewart-Haas vice president Brett Frood took questions about Stewart's return to the track. Frood said that Stewart had sent the Ward family flowers and a card for Ward's funeral.
"Tony has sent the family flowers and a card for the services," Frood said. "Besides that, he's been very respectful of them and their time to grieve. It is very important for Tony to spend time with the family and I do believe that will happen at the appropriate time."
Ward was racing with Stewart at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in a sprint car race. Ward, 20, hit the wall as the two were side-by-side and after his car came to a stop, he exited and went down the track to confront Stewart. He was hit by Stewart's right-rear tire.
Sunday's race at Atlanta is Stewart's first appearance back in the Sprint Cup Series since the incident. He sat out races at Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol.
Here is Stewart's statement in its entirety:
"This is been one of the toughest tragedies I've ever had to deal with, both professionally and personally," Stewart said. "This is something that will definitely affect my life forever. This is a sadness and a pain I hope no one ever has to experience in their life. That being said, I know that the pain and the mourning that Kevin Ward's family and friends are experiencing is something that I can't possibly imagine. I want Kevin's father, Kevin Sr., his mother Pam and his sisters Christi, Kayla and Katelyn to know that every day I'm thinking about and praying for them."
"The racing community is a large family. As you guys know and everyone's saddened with this tragedy. I want to thank all my friends and family for their support through this tough, emotional time. And the support from the NASCAR community, my partners, all of our employees has been overwhelming. I've taken the last couple weeks off out of respect for Kevin and his family and also to cope with the accident in my own way. It's given me the time to think about life and how easy it is to take it for granted. I miss my team, my teammates, and I miss being back in the race car. I think that being back in the car this week with my racing family will help me get through this difficult time."
"I also understand that all of you have many questions and want a lot of answers. But however, I need to respect the ongoing investigation process and cannot answer and address the questions at this time. Emotionally I'm not sure if I could answer them anyway. I'm here to race this weekend and I appreciate your respect and there will be a day when I can sit here and answer the questions. Thank you."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Paul Goldsmith Josй Froilбn Gonzбlez Oscar Gonzбlez Aldo Gordini
Thursday
Volvo aligning model range into three families
Filed under: Volvo
Things have been slow in Gothenburg the past few years, but they're picking up speed. The only new model Volvo has released in the past four years since it was taken over by Geely - that being the V40 introduced in 2012 - started its development when the company was still under Ford's umbrella. But now the Swedish automaker is preparing to launch a volley of new models, and the new XC90 is only the starting point.
Volvo has set out to align its product portfolio into three model families - 40, 60 and 90 - each with three body-styles: sedan, wagon and crossover. (Volvo presented a tidy little table, which we've replicated below, to outline what it has in store.) That means a new S40 sedan and XC40 crossover as well as a replacement for the current V40 wagon, all to be based on a new platform shared with Geely. It also means replacements for the current S60, V60 and XC60 to be based on the modular SPA platform that underpins the new XC90, as well as a new S90 sedan to replace the S80 and a new V90 wagon to succeed the V70 and move it up-market above the V60.
All of these models are set to arrive within the next four years as Volvo moves to replace its entire lineup by 2019 and subsequently move to more competitive seven-to-eight-year product life-cycles. But as aggressively as Volvo is pursuing this renewal of its core models, they're not the only things Gothenburg has in store. Keep reading below to learn how Volvo's model line will flesh out over the coming years.
Continue reading Volvo aligning model range into three families
Volvo aligning model range into three families originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/28/volvo-future-product-model-range-exclusive-featured/
Wednesday
States have failed to spend nearly $540M in federal highway safety grants
Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety
A new report from the Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General has revealed yet another fiasco in highway funding. No, it's not a misuse of federal funds. Instead, it's a complete and total lack of use for government monies.
In this case, the DOT's inspector general has discovered that over half a billion dollars in highway safety grants have gone unused by the 50 states. These funds were reportedly earmarked for highway safety programs, such as public service announcements and extra highway patrols during busier seasons, according to The Detroit News, rather than actual road and bridge construction.
Still, the lack of use in funds, which were awarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between 2006 and 2013, is troubling. After all, as The News points out, highway deaths went up 3.3 percent in 2012, while 5.6 million crashes occurred on American roads.
States have failed to spend nearly $540M in federal highway safety grants originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Aug 2014 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/27/states-failed-use-540m-highway-safety-grants/
Benz Binge: Daimler Weighs Purchase of Aston Martin and MV Agusta
Soon, Daimler’s portfolio?which includes brands as diverse as Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Maybach, Freightliner, and Thomas Built Buses?could be expanded with two highly prestigious nameplates. Daimler is weighing the purchase of British sports-car-maker Aston Martin and Italian sports-bike manufacturer MV Agusta. No decision has been made, but both projects are currently under consideration. Aston Martin and Daimler […]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/ZyMA-lvls5Q/
Tuesday
If Tony Stewart won't sit out Watkins Glen, NASCAR needs to park him [UPDATED]
[UPDATE, 10:15 ET: Tony Stewart will not be racing on Sunday at Watkins Glen. Stewart-Haas competition director Greg Zipadelli announced that Regan Smith will step in and race the No. 14.]
It is inconceivable that this is even a matter of discussion. But as of 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, less than nine hours after Kevin Ward Jr. was declared dead following an on-track collision with Tony Stewart's sprint car, Stewart's team indicated he would be racing Sunday at Watkins Glen.
This is flat-out wrong. And if Tony Stewart and his team can't see that, then NASCAR needs to step in and park Stewart.
"We're business as usual today," Stewart-Haas Racing competition director Greg Zipadelli told USA Today Sports. NASCAR types specialize in stringing together cliches, but this is one Zipadelli will want back. "Business as usual?" Hours after a kid died in a wreck involving your driver? Seriously?
Stewart is not a heartless man. Quite the contrary, as a guy who races against young drivers anywhere, anytime, he's surely devastated by this. But given the situation, now is not a time for him to use the race track as personal grief therapy.
This is not about Stewart's guilt or innocence. This is about respecting the loss of life in an accident involving a NASCAR driver, an accident that will have happened barely 15 hours before the green flag flies today at Watkins Glen.
NASCAR has a unilateral power over its teams and competitors that even the NCAA envies. And with that in mind, NASCAR should remember this: There is no good reason, none at all, for Stewart to be racing today. And if his team can't figure that out, NASCAR needs to step in and put a halt to this.
Even if you're so tunnel-blind as to be only worried about Stewart's dwindling chances to make the Chase this season, that's not reason in itself to keep racing. Thanks to NASCAR's new "playoff" system, Stewart still has four races left to win a race and lock in his Chase spot. The system is set up exactly so that a driver doesn't have to get behind the wheel at all costs. NASCAR has the right to use its power to keep Stewart Chase-eligible if he was to miss the race. He attempted to qualify the car, which should satisfy NASCAR's criteria on that score.
In one way, you can't blame Stewart for wanting to race. In the midst of tragedy, we cling to those parts of our life that mean the most to us. And so it's not surprising that drivers return to their cars soon after tragedy, that Kyle Petty drove a month after the on-track death of his son Adam in 2000 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. a week after the death of his father in 2001. But this is so different from those situations, so much closer.
Tony Stewart loves to say that racing is the most important thing in his life. For one day, at least, he needs to broaden his focus. This isn't just about his pain.
____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.
Monday
Tesla Wants to Pay Hackers a Full-Time Salary to Break Its Cars
Computer hackers, call off your salvos against Microsoft and stop trying to wreck our blog: Break into a Model S�and Tesla might hire you. The electric automaker wants to hire up to 30 full-time employees from the hacking community, as evidenced from its display at the recent annual Def Con conference in Las Vegas. More […]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/r4L25NSfvaY/
Sunday
A 50's Bumper Car Revival For Towncar Use
Take a hulk of an electric-powered amusement park and traveling carnival bumper car and turn it into a head-turning conversation piece that can get one easily around for local errands in an artistic style that is more fun than a Smart car, mo-ped scooter, bicycle, or ... skateboard.
Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2014/06/a_50s_bumper_car_revival.php
Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli
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