online auto racing game

Formula One - From Humble Beginnings To Billion Dollar Business

2008-03-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

The first Formula One world championship race took place at Silverstone race track in Britain in 1950 and was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina, who only just managed to defeat his Argentine team mate Juan Manual Fangio. However, Fangio won the championship five times over the next ten years, earning him the title of "grand master" of Formula One from many motor sport enthusiasts.

During this initial period, Formula One was almost entirely dominated by teams run by car manufacturers, including Ferrari and Mercedes Benz. However, over the next 20 years the sport of Formula One changed dramatically with the introduction of not only engineering innovations such as fuel injection and aluminium chassis but also instances of sponsorship in the sport - the first being when Lotus painted Imperial Tobacco livery on their cars in 1968. Lotus was also the first team to introduce ground effect aerodynamics that helped the cars increase their cornering speeds by providing tremendous down force.

Significant business decisions were made during the 1970s, when a man by the name of Bernie Ecclestone rearranged the way Formula One's commercial rights were managed. Ecclestone gained a seat on the Formula One Constructors Association following his purchase of the Brabham team in 1971, before becoming the president of the association in 1978.

Ecclestone began offering Formula One as a package to circuit owners they could either take or leave, when previously the circuit owners negotiated with the teams individually and controlled the teams' income. In return for this package, almost all circuit owners had to surrender trackside advertising, thus beginning the big money business of Formula One sponsorship that has seen tobacco companies, and consumer finance companies and oil companies among numerous corporate sponsors all spending millions of pounds to have their names and logos on the cars and alongside the racetrack.

Technological advancements continued to be made throughout the late 70's and 80's including the introduction and subsequent banning of turbocharged engines. Perhaps one of the more significant developments were electronic driver aids, with the first active suspension system being used by Lotus in 1982, followed by a progression to semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control. Despite complaints that new technologies were determining the outcome of races more than the drivers' skill, a move to ban the new electronic aids proved fruitless as it was discovered that a ban on such aids was hard to police.

The teams of McLaren and Williams dominated throughout the 80s and into the 90s, with the rivalry between F1 legends Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost capturing fans' attention all over the world until Prost's retirement in 1993. Senna's death during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 also made Formula One authorities look more closely at driver safety standards - a move which has ensured no further driver fatalities in the sport since that day.

The dawn of the new millennium was also a new dawn for Formula One as Michael Schumacher, a skilful German driver, began his dominance of the sport, eventually winning an unprecedented five consecutive driver championships with his team, Ferrari, picking up six constructers championships. During this time racing authorities made a number of changes to the rules regarding the qualifying format for races, the points scoring system and more besides. These changes were designed to increase safety and combat the spiralling cost of Formula One.

But, despite worryingly low viewing figures for racing seasons in the early 2000s, the future of the sport looks bright, with Bernie Ecclestone organising a number of races in new countries, expanding Formula One into new areas of the globe and attracting new teams and drivers, all looking to pit their wits against the big boys of the sport.

NASCAR Charities - The Giving Spirit of Racing Men

2008-03-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

Most non-racing fans don't associate the rowdy men of NASCAR with the giving spirit that it takes to be involved with charities. Real racing fans know the truth that NASCAR is one of the most giving of all professional sports. The NASCAR Foundation was started in 2006 as a link between the sport and all of the charitable causes supported by its different elements. They support over 30 assorted charities and foundations many of which are run by the drivers, their wives, teams and team owners. Two of the many charities that benefit from its largess are the Victory Junction Gang Camp and Speediatrics.

Victory Junction Gang Camp was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in memory of their son, Adam Petty, who was killed in an accident during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway. The idea for the camp was Adam's and it's purpose is to provide a place for terminally ill, and chronically ill children to have a camp experience that otherwise wouldn't be an option due to their illness. The camp has received support from many NASCAR drivers, teams, and sponsors, including Tony Stewart, one of the rowdiest drivers in NASCAR. Tony Stewart has donated well over 2 million dollars to the camp.

Speediatrics was founded by Betty Jane France, wife of the late co-founder, chairman and CEO of NASCAR, Bill France. Speediatrics is a pediatric unit located at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, FL and Homestead Hospital in Miami, FL. Its cheerful decor is designed to make children feel as comfortable as possible during a hospital stay. The goal of the unit is to allow children to heal in a place that is fun and inviting. The unit's waiting room, nurse's station, walls, patient rooms and playroom are decorated with a NASCAR theme that includes race cars, checkered flags, and cartoon characters named Traxx, Curves, Six-Speed, and Clutch.

The NASCAR Foundation raises money in many different ways and virtually every one of the people associated with the sport contribute. There is an online auction conducted routinely, last year a motorcycle was auctioned off, this year Dodge has donated a 2008 Dodge Challenger painted Petty blue. NASCAR Day is another huge moneymaker, donate $5, you get a pin and participating employers allow you to wear your NASCAR gear to work. There are many more fundraisers including track walks, races, motorcycle rides and sporting events. Beginning in 2008, NASCAR has taken it one step further in an unprecedented move. All drivers fines will go to The NASCAR Foundation, where before the fines went into NASCAR's pocket. Some may say this will encourage drivers to behave badly, but at least someone worthy will benefit.

NASCAR owners, drivers and teams are making a bundle of money nowadays. The NASCAR Foundation, driver foundations and individual NASCAR charities are a way for them to give back to the communities and help out those in need.

Sports briefs

2008-02-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

Auto racing

DIXON SURVIVES RAIN: At Watkins Glen, N.Y., Scott Dixon won a slippery battle of attrition at Watkins Glen International, holding off Vitor Meira and Ryan Briscoe in a one-lap shootout Sunday to capture the IRL Indy Grand Prix for the second straight year.

The ugly, ever-changing weather -- showers came and went all day and temperatures were in the mid-50s -- made the fifth race of the 14-race IRL season a guessing game right from the start over the 11- turn, 3.4-mile road course.

Arena football

ARENABOWL SET: Joe Hamilton threw four touchdown passes, including two to Javarus Dudley, to help the Orlando Predators beat the Dallas Desperados 45-28 on Sunday and clinch their record seventh berth in the ArenaBowl.
Orlando will play Chicago on June 11 in Las Vegas. The Rush advanced to the title game with a 59-56 win over the San Jose SaberCats on Saturday.

The Predators shut down Dallas quarterback Clint Dolezel, limiting him to one touchdown pass and forcing him into three interceptions. Dolezel, who set a new league single-season record for touchdown passes this year with 105, finished 28-of-48 for 280 yards.

Cycling

ZABRISKIE WINS OPENER: U.S. rider David Zabriskie won the opening prologue at the Dauphine Libere on Sunday, beating 2005 prologue winner George Hincapie in this Tour de France warmup.

Zabriskie, who defeated Lance Armstrong in last year's opening time trial at the Tour, edged Hincapie by almost two seconds over the 2.54 miles. Zabriskie of Team CSC won in 4 minutes, 35.84 seconds. Stuart O'Grady of Australia finished third.

Zabriskie raced last year's Tour with screws in one knee after breaking his leg and wrist when hit by a car in his hometown of Salt Lake City in 2003.

sports in brief

2008-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Riley County native Jon McGraw has been selected specical teams captain for the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Herm Edwards announced Wednesday. McGraw joins offensive captain Brian Waters and defensive captain Donnie Edwards. All were selected by player vote.

McGraw joined the Chiefs as an unrestricted free agent from Detroit in March. The former Kansas State defensive back entered the NFL as a second-round pick (57th overall) of the New York Jets in 2002. McGraw has played in 57 regular season games (12 starts).

Auto racing: Gibbs racing makesmove to Toyota for 2008 season
Joe Gibbs Racing spent 16 seasons jockeying for position in the crowded General Motors camp, where three championships in five seasons wasn't enough to move the organization to the front of the pack.

JGR won't have that problem in 2008. The three-car organization will move to Toyotas next season in a switch that will make it the premier team for the Japanese automaker.

"GM's got four really strong teams, and I think it is probably a little more difficult to say who has a leadership role there," team president J.D. Gibbs said Wednesday. "Obviously there are certain things we think we'd like to have a leadership role in."

JGR signed 22-year-old Kyle Busch last month, and is working on contract extensions for two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

Turns out, Stewart isn't going anywhere. He said Wednesday he's working on an extension to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing past 2009.

Football: Former Husker Jacksonlikely to start at RB for Packers

Note to the Green Bay Packers: Please cancel any sort of military aircraft flyover planned for Sunday's pregame ceremonies. Given the likelihood of starting his first game as a rookie, running back Brandon Jackson is having a hard enough time relaxing right now.

"I'm just trying to stay calm now," Jackson, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, said. "I'm very excited now. It's my first game as a rookie, my first home game."

He'll likely be lining up behind Brett Favre for the Packers' season opener against the Eagles.

Todd Collins is the No. 2 quarterback for the Washington Redskins, with Mark Brunell demoted to No. 3.

The news was hardly a surprise, given that Collins has been working with the second-string unit during practice, but coach Joe Gibbs waited until Wednesday to inform his players.

Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts says the Big 12's coordinator of officials has acknowledged that the Indians' recovery of an onside kick was wrongly overturned in the final minute of No. 7 Texas' 21-13 victory.

"We got a confirmation ... (Tuesday) that they missed the call," Roberts said.

General: Shock takes 1-0 leadin WNBA finals without Ford

Plenette Pierson and Kara Braxton combined for 45 points and 22 rebounds to lead the defending champion Detroit Shock to a 108-100 win Wednesday night over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of the WNBA finals at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Detroit took the lead in the best-of-five series despite the absence of All-Star Cheryl Ford, who sat out with a knee injury. It was the highest-scoring game in the history of the finals.

Pierson, who played collegiately at Texas Tech, scored 26 points and hauled in 10 rebounds. Braxton had 19 points and 12 boards.

Four other players scored in double figures for the Shock, who were able to push around the Mercury, who swept their previous two best-of-three playoff series.

Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson won the second MVP award of her WNBA career on Wednesday.

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit suffered head trauma from his years in the ring that could help explain why he killed his wife, son and himself, a doctor who studied his brain said Wednesday.

Motor trend

2008-02-19T23:42:00.000-08:00

FORZA MOTORSPORT (XBOX) Floor it for the finish line alone or alongside up to seven competitors. More than 230 autos await your command. Support for worldwide leader boards and online car clubs round out the package, with ample customization features an added bonus. $50, xbox.com

ENTHUSIA PROFESSIONAL RACING (PS2) The action's authentic, with a built-in visual gravity system tracking the effects of g-forces on your ride. A career scenario lets wheelmen compete throughout a simulated year, complete with detailed weather effects. $40, www.konami.com
GRAN TURISMO 4 (PS2) More than 700 cars can be driven at hot spots like New York City and Tsukuba Circuit. Cruise the pavement or issue orders to computer-controlled counterparts. Realistic performance and provisions for snapping color photos render this a must-have. $50, playstation.com

NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND 2 (NDS) Pimp an exotic import from spoiler to spinner, then leave opponents eating dust while zooming around late-night cityscapes. Multiple mini-games and customizable decals enhance the proceedings, as does support for four-man showdowns. $40, ea.com

RIDGE RACER (PSP) The finest portable turn-and-burn experience available offers two dozen circuits' worth of high-stakes excitement. Screech through time trials, veer into death-defying drifts, or mash the gas during eight-man wireless multiplayer encounters. It's the ride of your life. $40, namco.com

Papyrus Ships CART Racing

2008-02-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 1997-- Papyrus Design Group, the motorsports division of Sierra On-Line, Inc., announces it has shipped CART Racing, a re-release of its award-winning IndyCar Racing II.

CART Racing ships with a new 200-page CART Racing Strategy Guide, as well as Rendition Support for the first time. The Strategy Guide, called "Winning," teaches CART Racers how to master the tracks, set up the cars, "psych" the competition, tweak the game and win the CART championship.

As stated by Bob Hollander, President of CART Licensed Products, "as part of our continuing relationship with Papyrus, we're delighted with the new guide and re-release under our corporate brand: CART -- Championship Auto Racing Teams."
As IndyCar Racing II, CART Racing won two CODIE awards: "Best Sports Program" and "Best Simulation Software Program," and was presented with five stars by Computer Gaming World. A CD-ROM for Windows 95, CART Racing closely replicates the experience of CART World Series Championship, with realistic special effects and handling. Officially licensed by CART, the game's 15 tracks accurately represent the 1995 racing season's cars, tracks, drivers, sponsors, trackside scenery and billboards.

CART Racing includes the same features as the award-winning IndyCar II:

-- Enhanced artificial intelligence -- SVGA graphics for detail in 640 x 480 resolution -- Increased frame rate for faster, more realistic graphics -- Modem play for head to head competition -- Digitized, stereo sound effects to simulate engine sounds and

squealing rubber -- Limitless gameplay with practice sessions, paint shop feature, and

detailed customization of cars for each race.

CART Racing carries a suggested retail price of $29.95 and is available at computer stores everywhere or by calling Sierra direct at (800) 757-7707. Papyrus is currently shipping the game with a $10 mail-in rebate.

Papyrus Design Group is a software development division of Sierra On-Line, Inc. Developers of the most compelling software-based racing experiences possible, Papyrus' best-selling products include the NASCAR Racing and CART Racing lines. Upcoming titles include NASCAR Grand National Series Expansion Pack and Grand Prix Legends. Winners of 4 Software Publishers Association CODIE awards, Papyrus has a ten-year reputation for superior use of physics and realism. Located in Watertown, Massachusetts, Papyrus employs 75 artists, engineers and marketing staff. The company's website is located at www.sierra.com/papyrus .

Sierra, located in Bellevue, WA, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. In July 1996, Sierra was acquired by CUC International, Inc. (NYSE:CU), a technology-driven retail and membership services company that provides access to travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement, financial and other services to more than 70 million consumers worldwide. Sierra is part of CUC Software, an operating unit that consolidates the sales, manufacturing, finance, accounting and management of CUC International's software divisions.

Championship Auto Racing Teams is a 19-race series that features open wheel, 850-horsepower race cars that are capable of speed of more than 200 miles an hour. Drivers such as Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal, Paul Tracy, Alex Zanardi, and Christian Fittipaldi race on ovals, road courses and temporary street courses in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and Australia. -0-

Sierra press releases are available on the Internet, via the Sierra Web at http://www.sierra.com

New circuit will try to find niche on racing landscape

2007-06-19T02:30:00.001-07:00

Talk of the Team Racing Auto Circuit has fueled many rumors in racing circles for the last year or so, and a tentative game plan for the new stock car league at last was announced May 15 in Charlotte.

TRAC's vision, according to the official news release, is to "provide highly desirable content on tracks and television screens across the U.S." Organizers claim their product will not operate in direct competition with NASCAR but will expand the existing stock car fan base through the introduction of another series.

We don't want to try to position ourselves within the current marketplace and try to steal the existing market share," says Jon Pritchett, president and chief operating officer of Team Sports Entertainment Inc. Its subsidiary, MAXX Motorsports, developed the TRAC concept.

"We think it makes a lot more sense to create our own, and the sky's the limit," Pritchett says. "Our intention is to create a major national television league."

When NASCAR pulled the plug on its broadcast deal with ABC/ESPN and CBS by moving its top series to Fox and NBC last year, it left a major programming void in the sports departments of the abandoned networks. ESPN had invested considerable time and effort in building and supporting the Winston Cup series over the last decade, and the word was that Michael Eisner, chief executive officer of parent company Disney, was not pleased with NASCAR's decision.

Auto Show Tries Different Ways to Spark Sales

2007-06-19T02:26:00.000-07:00

How do dealers use the New York International Auto Show to spark sales among an expected 1.2 million motor enthusiasts? Let us count the ways.

A Taste of Knowledge

With competitive vehicles in every price, size and class spread about 846,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, the auto show's owner, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Assn., invites manufacturers to host meals and tours for sales people to enhance their product knowledge.

General Motors Corp. hosts a breakfast and motivational sales meeting before inviting sales people to scour the sales floor for ideas. Jaguar also hosts breakfast and offers early admission to its sales people. Volvo hosts a meeting for sales managers.

The association stages automotive career fairs at the auto show, hoping to recruit sales and service people to take advantage of the association's new $25 million dealership training center in Queens.

Doing It All on Purpose

All the fun-filled activities - such as the U.S. Lawnmower Racing Assn.'s competitive rally, BMW Car Club day and Hispanic Day - have a basic focus at the show: to entice people to buy a car or truck.

Candida Romanelli, show director, says surveys show most show patrons plan to purchase a vehicle within 18 months, using what she calls the largest showroom in the world to help differentiate their ideal model.

Donna Walter, auto show manager for Toyota, says that, of the 24 million people who attend the major auto shows around the nation, 65% of attendees buy a vehicle within 12 months, 20%-25% percent buy within 3 months.

Auto Show Tries Different Ways to Spark Sales

2007-06-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

How do dealers use the New York International Auto Show to spark sales among an expected 1.2 million motor enthusiasts? Let us count the ways.

A Taste of Knowledge

he association stages automotive career fairs at the auto show, hoping to recruit sales and service people to take advantage of the association's new $25 million dealership training center in Queens.

Doing It All on Purpose

Auto Assault

2007-06-18T06:05:00.001-07:00

MMORPGs don’t always have to be about elves, pixie dust, and other forms of…well…nonmanliness. How about one that takes place in a postapocalyptic world? You know, Mad Max style, with car combat, explosions, and destruction? Thankfully, that’s exactly what Auto Assault promises.

The world

A vast wasteland populated by humans, mutants, and biomeks, where you drive around creating mayhem or walk around communities looking for items to soup up your road rocket.

The hook

The Havok physics engine allows for fully destructible environments and vehicular manslaughter that sends enemies flying through the air, rag-doll style. These physics effects are possible across a MMO because the effects are done natively on each player’s computer.

The game’s cars drive smoothly whether you use the keyboard or a mouse. Vehicles can also be outfitted with improved armor and weaponry. Ah, the spoils of battle.

The snare

Motor City Online, the closest thing to an MMO car game, failed dismally, but that was straight-up racing, not combat. If online worlds can blend with pure vehicular action, then Auto Assault will be worth “tuning up” for.

Auto Assault

2007-06-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

The world

A vast wasteland populated by humans, mutants, and biomeks, where you drive around creating mayhem or walk around communities looking for items to soup up your road rocket.

The hook

The game’s cars drive smoothly whether you use the keyboard or a mouse. Vehicles can also be outfitted with improved armor and weaponry. Ah, the spoils of battle.

The snare

Online Racing - Jeff Green of team AOL

2007-06-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

fter blowing his first chance at a full-time Winston Cup ride, Jeff Green has teamed with AOL and will enjoy a well-deserved return in 2002

IT'S NO SECRET THAT SUCCESS in big-league auto racing doesn't always come from what you know, but who you know.

Many a good driver has been shut out of quality equipment because he was either unable or unwilling to "play the game." On the other hand, naturally, many an undeserving driver has landed a great seat due in large part to political and marketing reasons. Therefore, it's refreshing when someone rides out of Winston Cup racing, then earns his way back to the big show with his own good work. Thanks to Jeff Green and Richard Childress, we're reminded that results actually still count for something.
Childress announced this summer that Green would return to Winston Cup racing full-time in 2002, driving an RCR Chevrolet sponsored by America Online. Green will also run about 20 Busch Series races in a Childress car.

Along with Green's success in the Busch Series over the past three seasons, the promotion was also a product of tragedy. Kevin Harvick was originally in line to drive the third RCR car, but his move to Winston Cup was unfortunately premature--when Dale Earnhardt was killed in the Daytona 500, Harvick stepped into the Goodwrench-sponsored Earnhardt ride.

Sega.com and Capcom Team Up To Bring Online Racing Game to Playstation 2 Computer Entertainment System; SEGA Network Application Package Tapped to Dri

2007-06-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

Sega.com, the world's pioneer in online console gaming and Capcom(R), a leading force in the interactive entertainment industry, today announced that Auto Modellista for PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system will utilize SEGA Network Application Package (SNAP) technology for networked gameplay. Tapping into Sega.com's extensive experience in online gaming, SNAP provides Capcom with a reliable, easy-to-use online gaming solution to take their cutting edge game to the next level. SNAP technology is the ideal custom network transport to provide optimal gameplay for Auto Modellista and SNAP Services will assist Capcom with operation, maintenance, and development of a networked game environment, as well as server hosting, in-game web development, implementation consulting, and network quality assurance.
SNAP has been the technology backbone for many of the leading SEGA console games," said Ryoichi Shiratsuchi, CEO of Sega.com and general manager, Network Business Division, SEGA Corporation. "We are very excited to be working with Capcom on this project that combines an industry leading game, gaming console and network technology, to offer players a seamless online gaming experience."

VW Performance Parts - Handling Upgrades

2007-03-04T23:30:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of aftermarket parts you can install on your VW in your own garage that will improve handling performance. You should do plenty of research before deciding which parts to put on your car. There are many forums online full of VW tuners that can give you a great idea of what parts you should or shouldn't install on your car. Chances are if a part exists someone has installed it and written about it on one of these forums.

Here are a few handling upgrades you can do that will make your car more fun to drive.

1) Sway Bars. If you take a corner at high speed and it feels like your car is falling over sideways you might look into upgrading your sway bars. An anti-roll kit helps keep your car flat during cornering. Aftermarket bars are usually thicker and/or stiffer than the stock bars, which is how they can perform better than the stock sways. Be warned however that this puts more stress on your tires grip on the road, so if you install sway bars on a VW with bald tires you could be asking for trouble. These can be installed yourself without a huge amount of trouble if you have the right tools and a place to do it. It will probably take several hours. Installing these bars will not impact the ride quality of your vehicle, which is great for those who like to take corners a bit crazy once in a while but not have the car feel stiff and bumpy all the time. A good set of sway bars (front and rear) will run you a few hundred dollars or so.

2) Lowering Springs. Aftermarket springs lower your car anywhere from .5 to 2 inches. This has the effect of lowering your car's center of gravity, which improves handling. These new springs also have different spring rates and will usually give you a much stiffer ride than the stock springs. While springs are generally really cheap ($100-300), installing them is not easy. You must have a spring compressor tool and know how to use it. These springs are under tremendous pressure with an entire car sitting on them, and if one should come loose while using the spring compressor it could easily kill you. Even with the knowledge of how this installation is done it can still take a long time. Unfortunately this also means that having them installed at a shop is usually going to cost you more than the springs cost. I've seen quotes of $150 all the way up to $600 to install a set of springs. Be aware that lowering your car too much can have other implications and you should do research on "camber" prior to choosing a set of springs.

3) Shocks. Replacing the stock springs but leaving the old shocks on there is going to cost you in the long run. Lowering springs put more stress on the shocks since they are more compressed under normal use. This will cause them to wear out faster. Depending on how many miles are on your current shocks it is probably a good idea to replace them at the same time as the springs. This is especially true if you're paying someone else to install them. It will probably cost almost the same amount to install shocks and springs as it will to install just the springs. You don't want to pay someone that labor fee again in a few months when your shocks need replacing. Once you've 'sprung' for new shocks and springs, you may want to consider looking into coilovers since the cost will be very close to the same.

4) Coilovers. Coilovers are a shock and spring combination that has the added flexibility of being adjustable. You can adjust the ride height of your vehicle. This is great if you take your VW to the track. You can lower it for racing and raise it back up for daily driving. The more expensive coilovers also feature the ability to adjust the ride stiffness. This also comes in handy if you race your car. You most likely won't want it set to maximum stiffness for daily driving. A set of coilovers can run between $500-1500.

5) Strut Tower Bar. You've probably seen these bars for sale. They're usually made of colored aluminum and go across the front struts near the rear of the engine. It is generally accepted that these don't do much for you in terms of performance, but they do make the engine compartment look nicer. If you decide to pick one up make sure you get the billet aluminum oil cap that matches.

6) Tires. Probably the most overlooked performance enhancement you can do for your car is to replace the tires. Adding lots of engine power won't do you any good if you can't get that power to the pavement. Replacing your tires with a wider tire or tires with a stickier compound will help you get more traction. Choosing tires is usually a compromise between Performance, Ride Comfort, and Tread Life. High performance tires don't last as long as regular ones. High performance tires can cost quite a bit of money too.

Kahne Stretches the Fuel to Win Ameriquest 300

2007-03-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

California Speedway

(September 2, 2006) - Kasey Kahne won the Ameriquest 300 which turned out to be a fuel mileage race with Paul Menard in the end. "It was a great battle," Kahne ex-plained after the race in Gatorade Victory Lane. "We were both saving fuel, both trying to make it to the end. He's showing up fourth. I think he did run out of fuel. We were just trying hard to save fuel and race each other and do what we can do. It was a lot of fun racing Paul."

Kahne and Menard exchanged the top spot four times over the closing laps until the final lap when the fuel ran out for Menard and he coasted across the finish line in the fourth position. "We knew we were going to be really close, really close," Menard said. "With one more lap of caution I think maybe we would have ran out maybe 3/4 through that last lap. You know, all in all I'm really happy. Kasey could go when he needed to and I could go when I needed to. We were both kind of lagging around drafting each other, trying to save fuel. You know, if we had one more lap...I don't know if we could have got him or not but it would have been close."

Kevin Harvick who was battling a loose condition also gambled on fuel mileage which netted him the runner-up spot. "We stole this one," Harvick said after the race. "Our U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet got really, really loose there in the middle part of the race. It was good in the beginning and then at the end it came back pretty good. Shane and all those guys did a great job adjusting on it. I was screaming on the radio that I couldn't hold on to the thing but did what we needed to do in the end."

Mark Martin dominated most of the event leading (88) of the (150) laps and took four tires and fuel on the last pit stop under green. Time just ran out for Martin as he could not run down the cars who stretched the fuel mileage to the end. "I really want to thank my truck team," Martin offered. "They did an awesome job here in the pits and on the race track. It was one of the nicest cars I've ever driven. This is one of those nights where things could have worked in our favor but they didn't."

Clint Bowyer won the pole and led the field to green for the start of the race and still had the top spot on lap (6) when the first caution flag was displayed. The field was slowed when the motor let go on the No. 4 car of Auggie Vidovich and oiled down the race track. None of the leaders went to pit road under caution and Bowyer led the restart followed by Kyle Busch, Harvick, Stewart, and Kahne.

Kyle Busch took the lead from Bowyer after the restart on lap (10) and Harvick followed him to take second place. Harvick was three wide with Busch and Kahne for the lead and won out for the top spot on lap (18) and Kahne followed through for second.

The third place car of Busch broke loosed on lap (29) and slid sideways on the race track to bring out the second caution of the night. Busch avoided contact with anything and the leaders would take the opportinity to pit for service. Harvick led off pit road followed by Biffle, Martin, Kahne, and Stewart.

Paul Tracy had a scare on lap (43) when his car broke loose and went for a slide on the track prompting the third caution. Tracy avoided contact with the wall and refired the car to continue on. Harvick stopped under this caution thinking he had a tire going down but the cars of Martin, Kahne, Biffle, Gordon, and Kenseth stayed out.

The field would be slowed again on lap (75) for Kertus Davis when he was limping around the track with a flat right front tire. Everyone stopped for service and Kahne led off pit road followed by Martin, Kenseth, Busch, and Stewart.

This run would be short lived when Jerry Robertson lost control of his car on lap (82) and slid off the track through the grass and then back on track. Harvick, Kahne, Menard and others pit. The leaders did not pit and Martin led the restart followed by Kenseth, Busch, Kahne, and Stewart.

Disaster struck for JJ Yeley when he had a tire go down and lost the tread causing the No. 18 car to break loose on lap (93) and hit the outside wall hard. There were two other cars were also involved in the incident when David Ragan and Paul Tracy both spun and received damage. The leaders stay out and Martin led them back to green followed by Busch, Kenseth, and Biffle.

Green flag stops began with Kenseth running second being the first to stop four tires and fuel on lap (129). Kyle Busch would exit a lap later for service then the leader Martin made his stop on lap (131) for tires and fuel. Stewart and Bowyer were in for service taking only two right side tires and fuel with (18) laps remaining. Greg Biffle another front runner made his stop but a tire got away from the crew on pit road and Biffle had to return and serve a drive thru penalty.

Kahne enherited the lead after the leaders pitted and Menard followed in second place. They traded the top spot four times over the final laps then Menard ran out of fuel on the last lap but coasted coasted home in fourth place. Harvick who like Kahne stretched the fuel to the end finished in second and Martin made his way back to third but ran out of laps to run down the leaders.

Experience Days: Rally Driving Guide

2007-03-04T23:28:00.002-08:00

This article guides you through rally driving experience days available and lets you know where to find more information and purchase this exciting gift!

Rally driving courses and experience days can prove the perfect gift for adventurous members of your family and friend, the question is…what is available??

Rally driving courses are available at a wide range of top UK driving schools. The following are a range of products and packages offered by most:

Rally driving gift vouchers

All rally driving schools will offer their own type of gift voucher scheme that can be passed on as the ideal gift. Check how long these are valid for and ensure that the one you purchase offers the right type of driving to suit the gift recipient.

Rally driving days

The actual content of the experience day can vary considerably, however, the big selling point of rally driving experience days is the ability to get behind the wheel of fully-equipped rally sports car and go wild across a number of different terrains including dirt and gravel as well as through forest tracks.

The participant will be able to try tricks and maneuveurs, understeer, oversteer, skids, handbreak turns and power slides included in the list of rally driving skills they will learn. The circuits themselves are designed to get the best from the driving experience. Each rally driving school will also offer from a range of rally sports cars including Subaru and Toyota.

Buying the experience day

Rally driving days are available at a wide variety of prices to suit your budget, generally the prices range between £125 to £1,000. This range covers the standard half-day course to an intensive one on one course including tuition that could even lead to the individual taking up the sport as a hobby of new profession!

Sony HD 500: Two Weeks Until The Chase

2007-03-04T23:28:00.001-08:00

There are only two weeks left until the Chase for the Championship. Do you know where your hillrod is?

If he works for Roush Racing, he's likely in serious trouble. Of the Roushketeers, who were so dominant in 2005, the only driver sure to make the Chase is Matt Kenseth, who just rattled off two straight wins and this week is returning to the track where he won his first race of '06 (Fontana). Mark Martin is hanging on to 10th place by his fingernails, and could lose out. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards are dark horses at best, and Jamie McMurray is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile Kasey Kahne, evidently the object of many females' affections, is idling androgynously in 11th place. Those three guys -- Kahne, Biffle and Edwards -- are the only three drivers currently outside the top 10 who aren't mathematically eliminated from the Chase. But a whole mess of drivers currently inside the top 10 could drop out with two terrible races over these next two weekends. I'm going to say that Jimmie Johnson, Kenseth (who have clinched their slots) and Kevin Harvick (who has an 80-point gap on fourth place) are safe. Let's take a look at the other possibilities:

Kyle Busch: Currently: 4th place, 402 points back. Busch has a career victory at Fontana, and is very good at the two-milers in general. And while he hasn't won at Richmond, he's never finished outside the top five there, either. He's as close to a lock as you can get. Verdict: IN.

Jeff Gordon: Currently: 5th place, 408 points back. You never quite know what you're going to get from Jeffy Jeff, but he looked really good at the Michigan two-miler just two weeks ago, finishing second. That means he'll probably have a good piece this weekend, and he may need it, because he's finished 30th or worse in the last three Richmond events, including a 40th this summer. Contend for the win this week, and the pressure is off next. Verdict: IN.

Denny Hamlin: Currently: 6th place, 429 points back. The Rookie of the Year has been excellent on the two-milers (a ninth and two 12ths this year), and finished second in his first Nextel Cup race at Richmond. Anything can happen, but I think Hamlin's extremely safe. Verdict: IN.

Jeff Burton: Currently: 7th place, 435 points back. Burton is testament to the fact that fortunes change quickly in Nextel Cup. Burton was a lock for the Chase as recently as a few weeks ago, but a popped engine at Michigan sent him hurtling down the ranks. He led a ton of laps last weekend at Bristol but when push came to shove, he faded and finished ninth. The blown engine in the Irish Hills may have been the best thing to happen to this team, because it made them work even harder on this weekend's car. The RCR Chevys have been awesome at downforce tracks this year, so I'd expect Burton to post a top-10 and end a lot of questions. He's passable at Richmond, though I wouldn't expect him to win. Verdict: IN.

Tony Stewart: Currently: 8th place, 443 points back. The defending Series champ had posted four straight top-10s to recover from a midseason swoon, but he went out like a lamb at Bristol last Saturday, coming 22nd after qualifying fifth. Stewart probably had the second-best car at Fontana way back in February but blew an engine, so that's a little scary, but his flat-track genius will serve him well at Richmond next week, where he's posted three consecutive top-seven finishes. Verdict: IN.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Currently: 9th place, 448 points back. Considering how well he ran in this season's two Michigan races, and the fact that he won the Richmond spring race, this is a no-brainer. Verdict: IN.

Mark Martin: Currently: 10th place, 450 points back. I think Martin could be in trouble. It's a shame, because he's been nicely consistent this season, but beginning in early June he hit a patch that saw him fail to top 13th place in five consecutive events. Lately, it's been one-race-on, one-race-off for Martin, and his 28th at Bristol last week was a killer. He's got a 90-point bulge on Kahne, a 251-point lead over Biffle and a 261-point gap on Edwards. He's a very, very consistent two-miler driver, and I'd expect to see him play it very conservative, and try to finish around 10th place this week. But he's had a few bad Richmond races over the past few years, and while he's as smooth as they get, a guy who's behind him can rip off two amazing events and topple this apple cart. Verdict: OUT.

Kasey Kahne: Currently: 11th place, 540 points back. Kahne really saved himself by finished 12th at Bristol; it's not one of his best tracks, and the fact that he could get 48 points on Martin was huge. Now I'd have to say Kahne is a favorite to beat Martin in each of the next two events; he finished fourth (to Martin's ninth) earlier this year at California, and posted his first career win at Richmond in '05 (though he did have engine troubles and finished four laps down there this year). If someone's going to do it, this is going to be the guy. I think he's going to do it. Verdict: IN.

Greg Biffle: Currently: 12th place, 701 points back. Biffle is excellent at Fontana and Richmond; he had the best car in the field here back in February but had his engine pop, and he's got four consecutive Richmond finishes of eighth or better. But this may simply be too far to come. He can win both of these races, and if the guys don't break right in front of him, he'll still miss the chase. Bummer. Verdict: OUT.

Carl Edwards: Currently: 13th place, 711 points back. Edwards is similarly awesome at the two-milers (what Roush car isn't? put your hand down McMurray), but isn't as fab at Richmond. I don't think he's got a chance. Verdict: OUT.

Last Week: I didn't get to watch it, but the Saturday night race at Bristol was good to me once again, perhaps because I pimp it so mercilessly. I had Matt Kenseth as the winner, and I also took Kenseth in a head-to-head matchup. That means for the week, we profited 1.41 units (while putting 1.5 units at risk each week); for the season, we've had profitable weeks 70% of the time, including seven of the last eight, and we've profited a total of 16.01 units.

Note: The following odds are preliminary; I'll change 'em before the race comes on Sunday when the online bookmakers post their boards. I'll also make a head-to-head pick for the week when those odds are online.

Take Matt Kenseth (+700), 1/6th unit. Is it likely that Milwaukee Matt wins a third straight Nextel Cup event? Hell, no. But can he? Hell, yes. He has been amazing at this track type over the past several seasons: his average finish at Michigan since 2002 is an incredible 6.1, and he's come seventh and first in his last two Fontana events. Kenseth can go balls-out because he's already clinched his spot in the Chase, and there's no reason to think that this incredibly smooth driver won't at least contend.

Take Greg Biffle (+800), 1/6th unit. Biffle has one option and one option only: win the next two races. And he can do it. He was by far the best car here this spring, and had a huge lead when his engine went bad, so you can bet on him here simply based on the "track-owes-him" theory. And while Biffle took a step backward at a Michigan track where he won consecutive events not too long ago (he finished seventh and fourth which, believe it or not, is a step back), he's still the unquestioned master when the tracks get wider and the cars can slide into the turns. While a lot of the guys in front of him in the standings have to play it conservative, Biffle has to go go go.

Take Kyle Busch (+1200), 1/6th unit. As I said above, the younger Busch is just about secure in the Chase, and a top-five finish all but nails it down for him this weekend. But he's gunning for more. Fontana is the site of Busch's first Nextel Cup win, exactly one year ago. I'm also recalling that he was streaking up through the field at Michigan two weeks ago when something on his car broke and he ate wall. To me, that means the #5 crew has something figured out, and if they can keep the car together, they can win here once more.

Auto Racing of the Future; Any Thoughts?

2007-03-04T23:27:00.000-08:00

As we watch NASCAR we wonder can those cars go any faster without flying off the track? And each year they do go a couple of miles an hour faster and well not all of them stay on the track completely. It is man and machine and a test of will and watching auto racing well there is simply no greater thrill. Yet we ask in the future what is the deal, as materials get lighter and stronger, is they any upward limit to the speed? And what about the propulsion systems as these units put out more raw power than can be believed.

What about the drivers all in their prime and best athletic years? Will they be able to handle 300 mph hour on the ground around a track. What about the gravity forces during acceleration? Surely in the future with carbon nano-tube construction these bodies will weight less than the decals and the paint on top of them? And they will be 50 to 100 times stronger than the titanium frame. But lightness whereas it has its advantages it also has its drawbacks, consider if your will a car gone airborne, well it is liable to fly out of the stadium.

Auto Racing in the present period is an incredible sport indeed, yet in future periods those with the need for speed will be pushing the limits of our imagination and our dreams. Perhaps you will think on all this in 2006, now start your engines and let the race begin.

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

2007-03-04T23:26:00.002-08:00

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series is one of the biggest events on America's sporting calendar and the most important of NASCAR's racing series. The top NASCAR series used to be called the Grand National and then later became the Winston Cup Series. Nextel took over as the main sponsor of the NASCAR Cup series back in 2004. After doing so, Nextel modified the Cup Series to make it more competitive and give new NASCAR drivers a better chance. The NASCAR Nextel Cup playoff system pits top driving teams against each other whilst singling out the best drivers in the Chase for the Championship after the twenty sixth race. As with other NASCAR races, drivers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series can gain points for final position and for laps led. Drivers win an extra five points for each whole lap in which they lead the race.

A separate Chase for the Championship is operated by the Nextel Cup Owner's Championship and the Nextel Cup Driver's Championship. Over the course of a cup series it is quite common for driver's points to differ from owner's points. It is rare for drivers and owners to be the same people in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. This fact is due to the structure of the modern NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races tending to favour racing teams that own multiple cars.

The NASCAR Cup Series began in 1950, when it was won by Bill Rexford, still the youngest person ever to have won it. The most successful driver ever in the NASCAR Cup Series was Richard Petty, who won twenty seven races in 1967. He was the son of previous NASCAR Cup Series champion Lee Petty. The NASCAR Cup Series has been vital in promoting the sport of racing, which started out on dirt tracks with little reward. Richard Petty was the first driver to earn over $100,000 in a NASCAR Cup Series.

Besides the skill of the drivers, it takes several others to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. These include the dedicated crews who support cars during the race for the cup and also on the designers, who work year round on find ways to improve the cars for participation in the series. Computer simulations are used by NASCAR crew chiefs to assist them in judging how well cars are likely to run in the series. Most are in agreement that a strong, durable engine is the most important thing when it comes to winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

Nextel's sponsorship of the NASCAR Cup Series has helped to revive corporate interest in the telecommunications company. Nextel was recently purchased by the Sprint corporation to become Sprint Nextel. It is expected that this will result in next year's premiere racing competition being renamed from the NASCAR Cup Series to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR continues to reinvent itself to appeal to the masses, to provide increased value to it's sponsors and to provide more safety to the drivers.

The NASCAR Busch Series

2007-03-04T23:26:00.001-08:00

NASCAR runs a second division stock car racing event called the NASCAR Busch Series. It is the training ground for up and coming drivers wanting to eventually compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Initially known as the Sportsman Series, it began back in 1950, and was based around a series of short track racing events. In 1984 brewing company Anheuser-Busch took over the leading role of series sponsor, and 2 years later the series became officially known as the Busch Grand National Series. In 2003 the Busch Grand National Series series became known as the NASCAR Busch Series.

The NASCAR Busch Series features cars which differ from those in other NASCAR series in several important ways. First, they are smaller, better at coping with the tighter curves of the track. Secondly, they have larger spoilers. Third, they use leaded fuel. Concern has been expressed over the environmental damage this has caused, and NASCAR is researching the possibility of using only unleaded fuel in the cars in the Busch Series, working to determine how it will affect performance. NASCAR design teams work all year round to improve the cars competing in the Busch Series, which also rely on the hard work as skill of NASCAR crews on the ground during the series races.

Manufacturers have now approved NASCAR's plans to make some major changes to the cars which compete in the Busch Series. This is an example of the major changes which have occurred within NASCAR itself since its early days in which spectators, living in a country short of new cars, didn't want to watch good quality cars being damaged in NASCAR races, so that modified old cars were used in the series instead.

The Busch Series not only provides an opportunity for NASCAR drivers to hone their skills for the Nextel Cup, it provides a good opportunity for established Cup drivers to practice and get the feel of the track. Many Cup Series drivers run full Busch and Nextel Cup seasons. There are those Busch Series drivers that protest that this takes away chances from new drivers trying to get their feet wet in NASCAR events. Others argue that having Cup drivers in the Busch Series draws more spectators which is a good thing. It also means that sponsors find the Busch Series more appealing as far as sponsoring drivers go. Other Busch drivers like the added competition of racing Cup drivers.

In the NASCAR Busch Series, every race counts, but it seems that some may count more than others. One of the most famous racing tracks used in the Busch Series is O'Reilly Raceway Park. Drivers who win the race at the O'Reilly Raceway Park frequently go on to become Busch Series champions. The O'Reilly Raceway Park event is a favourite with spectators as it involves a lot of close contact between the NASCAR vehicles, and also because of its long history as a centre for short track racing.

Considering A NASCAR Race Car Theme Party?

2007-03-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

For racecar enthusiasts, the natural thought for a party is a NASCAR racecar theme party. It’s a simple theme and can be done in style based on the time of the year. It is always possible to find the decorations and other memorabilia that are connected to the NASCAR races, so that part of your party is easy.

If you’re trying to choose the best time for the party, you might want to consider a NASCAR race car theme party sometime in the month before or after the annual competition in your area. After all, during the time preceding and immediately following the races, everyone is in high gear and either excited about the race coming into their area or about the results of the race. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t have a party at other times of the year, but this time will be when you will gain the most enthusiasm from your guests.

Is it time for a birthday party? Do you have a NASCAR enthusiast? You can do a NASCAR racecar theme party. No one said that children are the only ones who can have a birthday party with a theme, so now you can do it for your NASCAR racing fan. If you have photographs from the last race, pick a favorite one and take it to a bakery that does cakes with your favorite photograph on it. Even if the party is not a surprise, you can certain keep the theme of the party and the cake a surprise. Even a party to celebrate a promotion or retirement can be laced with a NASCAR theme for your special fan. Of course, if the fan lives with you, it may be a little more difficult to keep it a secret, but with a little bit of ingenuity, you can do it.

Auto Racing

2007-03-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

Racing cars began soon after the launch of petrol-fuelled cars in the nineteenth century. The first race was organized by a Paris magazine Le Petit Journal in 1894, to determine the best performers. A year later, the first real race was staged from Paris to Bordeaux, in France. International racing began with the Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing. Chicago was the venue for the first auto race in the United States in 1895.

It was the French who dominated the auto racing scene and the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city in Europe or France.

There are several kinds of auto racing the most well known being single-seater racing, in which specifically designed cars are used. In these cars, the wheels are not covered, and there are aerofoil wings in the front and rear to improve the grip of the car on the racetrack. These races are held on specially designed closed circuits or on special street circuits that are closed for the duration of the event.

The top series is the World Rally Championship (WRC), but there also regional championships and many countries have their own national championships. There are also many smaller, club-level categories of rallies which are popular with amateurs, making up the ""grass roots"" of motor sports.

The other kind of single-seater racing is kart racing. In this the small but powerful go-karts pick up speed quickly on the small tracks. So many racing drivers of today started by driving karts as it is the cheapest way to get into auto racing. It has made racing so much more accessible. Today, it is also a fully-fledged international sport in its own right.

Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived racecars. The American variant of touring car racing is called stock car racing. In drag racing, mostly popular in the United States, the objective is to complete a certain distance, traditionally a quarter of a mile, in the shortest possible time. Whatever the kind of auto racing, the thrill lies in the speed.

Brickyard 400: The Australian Open Of NASCAR

2007-03-04T23:21:00.000-08:00

It's the AFC Championship Game of stock-car racing.

Okay, no, that's not exactly right.

It's the Australian Open of NASCAR.

Kind of.

Anyway, the Brickyard 400 is a big deal. The vestigial home of auto racing in America is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (or "Brickyard"), where the Indy 500 has been run for 745 consecutive years. Or something like that; I'm not much of an open-wheel-racing guy. Beginning in 1994, though, the real drivers came to this place (all right, that's a ridiculously provincial thing to say, but hey, I'm writing about stock cars...), and this midsummer event quickly became the second-most-prestigious on the circuit, behind only the Daytona 500.

Now, don't get me wrong: the actual racing at this track (when it comes to stock cars) really isn't that great. It's a massive 2.5-mile venue (built in 1911), but its rectangular shape and relatively shallow-banked turns (only nine degrees, putting it roughly on par with, say, the one-miler in Phoenix) mean that Nextel Cup drivers won't be able to go all out heading into the turns. Open-wheel Indy cars have lots more downforce than the relatively bulky NASCAR cars, and thus can zip in and out of the turns and not lose much speed. Not so, Nextel Cuppers.

As such, it's extremely hard to pass during the Brickyard 400, and we're likely to see the same kind of long green-flag runs without much change in running order as we saw two weeks ago in Pocono, and three weeks ago in New Hampshire. It's unfortunate, because this'll be one of the year's most highly anticipated events, and probably get a relatively big viewing audience for basic cable (a measure of how much excellent racing NBC expects the Brickyard to generate is the fact that it's putting this race on TNT). Nevertheless, the fact that Indy shares some characteristics with Pocono (huge straightaways, shallow corners) means many teams will run the same car this week as they did two weeks ago, and it gives us more data points when considering who we should pick. Tony Stewart won an emotional victory here last year after coming 7th at Pocono; Jeff Gordon won here two years ago after finishing 5th at Pocono; Kevin Harvick won here in 2003 after coming 12th at Pocono; and Bill Elliott won here in '02 after winning Pocono the previous race. Who should we pick this weekend? Read on, gentle car aficionado.

Last Race: All races should be as easy to handicap as the most recent Pocono race was. Denny Hamlin easily cruised to his second consecutive Pocono victory, winning me a straight-up bet of 1/6th of a unit at +454, and Kurt Busch finished second, easily outdistancing the man I picked Busch over in a head-to-head bet for 1 unit, Dale Earnhardt Jr. For the week, then, I netted a positive 1.04 units, and for the season, I've profited exactly 16 units.

Take Jeff Gordon (+960), 1/6th unit. The pretty-pretty Gordon has won the Brickyard four times in 12 tries (which is how many NASCAR races have been held here); a 33% success ratio at any track is pretty great. Gordon was very stout finishing third at Pocono two weeks ago, and one would imagine he learned a lot. Gordon is precariously in the Chase for the Championship right now, at ninth in points, but he'll have to produce over the next month to ensure his spot. I think it can happen with another Indy win; while everyone will be talking about Tony Stewart (+908) as the race favorite, I think Gordon can take heart in the fact that this isn't a true "downforce" track (a la Charlotte, Texas, Atlanta, Michigan, et al), which is the kind of place where Gordo continues to struggle. He's got it in him to contend this week.

Take Kasey Kahne (+516), 1/6th unit. Kahne qualified well at Pocono a couple weeks back (third), but had problems throughout the race, and came 31st. However, I'm taking Kahne based on the fact that he's finished second and fourth here in this two previous Brickyard attempts. Remember: this is a favorite track of #9's predecessor, Bill Elliott (+2794 as part of Field), who won here in '02. And there's no question that one of my primary concerns from '05 is now basically resolved: the Dodges can pretty well hang with Chevys and Fords, especially at non-cookie-cutters.

Take Kurt Busch (+2315), 1/6th unit. Busch hasn't shown much in a Brickyard; he's come 18th, 10th, 7th and 41st in his four tries at this track. But I love the fact that he came in second in both Pocono races, and the fact that he came here this weekend and posted the fastest practice lap, and then went out and qualified third (Kahne will start fourth). I'm still mightily tempted to take Denny Hamlin (+898) because if there's any equivalency at all between success at Pocono and success at Indy, one would assume Hamlin would be a shoo-in to contend this weekend. The reason I'm picking Busch over Hamlin, though, is twofold: first, this is Hamlin's first Brickyard, and there's a lot of pressure. Second, Hamlin showed his great Pocono strength before the race prior to each of his victories by winning the pole in each and practicing about as fast as anyone else; this weekend, Hamlin practiced 10th and qualified 14th. That's not terrible, of course, but I don't think it qualifies as dominant. I may regret it, but I'm taking Busch instead. (Sunday Morning Note: Busch wrecked his primary car in a post-qualifying practice, which explains why the odds are so high here. I'm not allowed to change my pick here, but you are; taking Hamlin might be kinda smart at this point.)

In this week's head-to-head matchup, take Gordon over Stewart (+105), 1 unit. I hate to do it, because Smoke could easily win this race, but there aren't a lot of other choices out there. Kurt Busch would've been a nice bet over his brother Kyle, but since he's starting from the back in his backup car (the car that cruised in Pocono is officially deceased), I'm too wussy to pick him. So it's Gordon over the defending race winner; the good news is that he'll start in the middle of the field, while Stewart will start toward the back. The bad news is that starting toward the back doesn't usually matter to Smoke. Both men talked confidently about their cars on Saturday evening, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them dueling for the win. My main thought here is that guys like Carl Edwards (+1267) and Clint Bowyer (+2794 as part of field), who Stewart wrecked at Pocono two weeks ago, will do everything in their power to not see Stewart win. We'll see if this four-time-winning underdog (Gordon) can come through.

Fire Up The Still - Let's Go Racing With NASCAR and e85?

2007-03-04T21:48:00.002-08:00

The NASCAR Truck Series has a GM Powered e85 Silverado Truck driven by Dennis Setzer that is performing rather well. Dennis has had four top ten finishes this year and is currently running in the top 10 standings. It may be a little more impressive if the truck was actually running on e85 :-)

General Motors officials asked NASCAR to consider switching to e85 ethanol. As did Sen. Tom Harkin, the Democrat from Iowa, who made a similar public request to NASCAR CEO Brian France.

The appeals didn't gain much attention though.

Brent Dewar, vice president of sales, service and parts for GM is quoted as saying:

"It fits the racing mode, and we would definitely be in favor of any move that moves us away from dependence on foreign oil,”

He later said:

``It fits with what's good for America,'' Dewar said. ``The racing fans are really mainstream, heartland folks.''

Dewar became an ethanol believer after overseeing GM’s successful sale of ethanol flex fuel cars in Brazil.

NASCAR could be a great asset to the ethanol cause. Their fan base is very loyal to sponsors. A couple of years ago NASCAR got rid of tobacco sponsorship in order to maintain a better public image. With everybody up in arms about "Record Oil Company Profits" now may be the time for NASCAR to get involved. Maybe a "Stick It To The Oil Companies Season". Of course this may cause problems because NASCAR has a major sponsorship deal with Sunoco one of the major oil companies.

The Indy Racing League is already switching to ethanol for the 2007 season with 100% of the cars being powered by ethanol.

IRL vice president of business development John Lewis said "ethanol fits in with the league’s image as a technology leader".

“We believe ethanol is the right decision, a responsible decision,” Lewis said.

NASCAR is in the process of switching from "leaded gas" to "unleaded gas" right now. Maybe they should just eliminate this switch and go straight onto e85.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said "that officials are focusing on the transition to unleaded, which might begin with tests in the trucks and Busch Series this year, but NASCAR would consider ethanol or other alternative fuels down the road".

Many NASCAR Teams complain that when new rule changes occur it cost them millions of dollars to make the changes but..... I am sure with the endorsements and sponsorship deals it probably wouldn't be that bad on them. Especially since the "Big Three" Auto Makers are scambling to get on with flex fuel vehicle manufacturing.

I would imagine that NASCAR is already testing e85 as a racing fuel - They will probably wait to see how the Indy Racing League does with it in their 2007 season.

NASCAR - Its Race to Fame

2007-03-04T21:48:00.001-08:00

NASCAR, the acronym, stands for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Stock car racing is rooted in the southeastern United States. Building and driving fast cars relates to another southern tradition, that of making moonshine whiskey. Bootleggers were men who legally ran whiskey to hundreds of markets in the southeastern U.S. The bootlegging business really began to boom. The drivers soon began to race one another to see who had the faster car. This quickly became a very popular sport in the back roads of the South.

Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR has become one of the hottest spectator sports in the world. In the years following World War II, stock car racing began to grow. However, there was little organization and no consistency in the rules between tracks. In the summer of 1938, William H.G. “Bill” France organized a race on the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. He soon realized for stock car racing to grow, an official organization had to exist. On December 12, 1947, Bill France gathered promoters from the southeast, northeast, and midwest in Daytona. Over the next three days, rules and specifications were drawn and agreed upon. The name of the organization would be called NASCAR. The first true NASCAR race was held at the Charlotte, North Carolina Fairgrounds on June 19, 1949. The division in which this race was held was in the “strictly stock” division, which has become the racing division of NASCAR, known as the Winston Cup Series. It was a 150-mile race. The “strictly stock” division was open to competitors who drove full-sized American made passenger cars, with complete bodies, fenders, bumpers, and grilles-all parts were required to be listed in the manufacturer’s catalog for each model. On September 4, 1950 the first Southern 500 was held in Darlington, SC on a larger, wider, and faster track than any stock car driver had ever seen before. Under the direction of Bill France Sr. and later his son, Bill France Jr., NASCAR has become the fastest growing spectator sport in the nation.

NASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of motor sports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. IN 1996, 1997 and 1998 NASCAR also held exhibition races in Japan. Australia held one race in 1998. Beginning as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the 2nd most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League (NFL).

NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., and has 75 million fans that purchase over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales! These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport.