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January 31, 2012
Brad Keselowski Announces Twitter Contest For Fans Around Season-Opener NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race
Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR)MOORESVILLE, NC (Jan. 30, 2012) – Brad Keselowski announced today that he and Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) will conduct an online contest that will provide fans an opportunity to have their Twitter handle featured on the No. 19 BKR RAM that Brad will pilot in the season-opening NASCAR Camping World Truck Series...more»
CONQUEST SET TO ENTER LMP2 FOR 2012 ALMS
| Channel: Sports amp; GT Cars | Class: ALMS / IMSA Lites | The LMP2 class in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patroacute;n is rapidly heating up. |
Read More... Ryan Hughes
Jaguar Celebrates 20 Years Since XJ220 Launch
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the fastest Jaguar ever built, the 217mph (350 km/h) XJ220 that was built between 1992 and 1994 and held the top speed title until the McLaren F1 took it in 1994.
As with most cool cars, the project started with passion, not a market greed, in mind. Certain Jaguar employees had created an informal group they called "The Saturday Club", which met after-hours and on weekends to work on unofficial pet-projects. In the 1980s, Jaguar's chief-engine...
As with most cool cars, the project started with passion, not a market greed, in mind. Certain Jaguar employees had created an informal group they called "The Saturday Club", which met after-hours and on weekends to work on unofficial pet-projects. In the 1980s, Jaguar's chief-engine...
New Pictures Anton Mang
V8 Supercars Celebrates 2011 Season At Gala Dinner
| Channel: Saloon Cars/Trucks | Class: V8 Supercars | V8 SUPERCAR drivers, teams, officials and guests gathered tonight for the 13th Annual V8 Supercars Gala Awards Dinner at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. |
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PSL ATLANTIC VICTORIOUS IN FLORIDA WINTER TOUR OPENER
"Alan Rudolph and Fritz Leesmann score wins for PSL Atlantic in Palm Beach"
The PSL Atlantic team celebrates on the podium in West Palm Beach
(Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group)
Fredericton, NB - January 23, 2012 - The PSL Atlantic Karting Team of Fredericton, New Brunswick, kicked off their 2012 Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour (FWT) with not only some 'Serious Fun,' but with some serious winning. Scoring wins in both the DD2 Masters and Rotax Senior categories against some of the toughest grids anywhere at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida, PSL Atlantic team drivers Alan Rudolph and Fritz Leesman brought their 'A' game to the Sunshine State to start their 2012 karting seasons.
Karting legend Alan Rudolph took the DD2 Masters field by storm in West Palm Beach. Having never piloted a DD2 powered kart before and making his FWT debut, the shifter kart master started off his 2012 Florida Winter Tour campaign with a third place run during the first qualifying session on Friday, which would set the grid for Sunday's main. Putting the pedal to the metal for Sunday's qualifying run later that day, Rudolph would post a blistering lap with his CRG kart to earn pole position for the round one prefinal on Saturday.
Unused to rolling starts, Rudolph would put four wheels outside the starting lanes during the start of the Saturday prefinal. An ensuing ten-second penalty relegated the championship caliber driver to the 11th place when the prefinal came to an end. Starting the final race from the inside of row six, Rudolph rocketed to second place in just two laps! Battling with the race leader for the following 16 laps, Rudolph took the top spot with a few laps to go. Unable to hold on to the point, the karting veteran settled for second place, crossing just 0.339 seconds back.
Starting third for Sunday's prefinal, Rudolph quickly made his way to the second position. Battling for the lead, Rudolph emerged the victor and would start the day's final from the pole position. In the final, the five-time Rock Island Grand Prix King of the Streets winner stole the show by taking the win by nearly five seconds and topped the blocks in the evening podium presentation. With his win and second place finish, Rudolph is well on his way to earning the DD2 Masters title and a chance to represent the USA at the Rotax Grand Finals later this year.
Alan Rudolph took the DD2 Masters win on Sunday
(Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group)
"This is the first time I have worked with Alan and one thing I have come to realize is that you can never count him out regardless of where he starts in the field," commented PSL Atlantic Team Principal Mike Dobbelsteyn. "He started 11th on Saturday and finished in second place, unbelievable! Then, to win on Sunday, it truly shows his strength and versatility."
Running against 68 hungry competitors in the stacked Rotax Senior field, perennial frontrunner Fritz Leesmann led the way for the PSL Atlantic squad. Turning heads in the paddock, Leesmann would make a statement in the ultra-competitive class as he clocked the fastest time during Friday's first qualifying session. Returning later in the day for Saturday's qualifications, Leesmann proved his speed was no fluke, as he would turn the second quickest time to start off-pole the next day.
However, Saturday would be one to forget for the 2010 SKUSA S1 Pro Tour Champion. Not turning a lap during the day's prefinal and classified in the 37th position, Leesmann only managed to muster up a 26th place during the final race.
"Fritz started up front in Saturday's prefinal," noted Dobbelsteyn. "Then, a catastrophic brake rotor explosion put us in the back for Saturday's final. It's too bad as we were fast all week."
Back to the track for a new day, Leesmann would show just how fast he really was. Starting the prefinal on pole, the shifter kart star went on to not only take the prefinal victory but did so in commanding fashion. At a track where the draft is everything, Leesmann broke free and ran his CRG chassis uncontested to a 4.4 second win. Falling back to third at the start of the final, Leesmann would maintain his pace with the leaders and eventually capitalize on the last corner of the last lap to steal the victory and cap off a sweep of the day.
Fritz Leesmann earned another victory for PSL Atlantic in the Rotax Senior category
(Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group)
Also contesting the Rotax Senior class under the PSL Atlantic banner were Nick Rivellini and Nathan Kelly. Working with AJ Whisler of Whisler Racing Services, Rivellini would start off his FWT campaign with two solid qualifying efforts on Friday. Transferring directly to both prefinal races, Rivellini maintained his 26th place starting position during Saturday's prefinal action but fell to 34th during the main event. Posting the 18th quickest time during Sunday's qualifying session, Rivellini came home 30th during the 14 lap prefinal on Sunday and then went on to improve all the way to 20th during the day's final. Kelly, running a one-off race with PSL Atlantic, struggled to find the necessary speed in qualifying and would be forced to run the last chance qualifier both days. Finishing the LCQ outside the transfer positions, Kelly went on to take third in Saturday's B main. Sunday would see Kelly finish eighth in the LCQ, earning him a place in the main event. Failing to turn a lap during the prefinal and scored in 38th, Kelly had a great showing in the final after he recovered to 29th place, a great drive for a newcomer to the series.
"I was extremely pleased with the effort both Alan and Fritz put forth in Sunday's race," continued Dobbelsteyn. "They both have the heart of a champion. The entire PSL Atlantic team has a lot of heart, and I really think it showed here in West Palm."
PSL Atlantic will next see action at the Florida Winter Tour as rounds three and four are set for February 16-19 at Homestead Karting on the grounds of the famed Homestead-Miami Speedway. For more information in PSL Atlantic or inquires on Florida Winter Tour opportunities with the PSL Atlantic team, please call Mike Dobbelsteyn at 506-458-9357 or email mdobbelsteyn@dobbelsteyns.nb.ca.
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Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey Claims a Third-Place Podium in Arlington
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey showed off his determination, consistency and the power of his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 while claiming a third-place podium finish at the 13th round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. It was a thrilling night of racing, with a packed crowd of 51,509 there [...]
Related Stories Billy Liles
January 30, 2012
Ordonez joins Greaves for Le Mans
Lucas Ordonez has joined Greaves Motorsport for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series. The 26-year-old Spaniard will drive one of Greaves' Nissan-engined Zytek prototypes as the British squad bids to win the LMS and repeat its LMP2 class victory at Le Mans. Ordonez, a graduate of the Playstation GT Academy, will share the Zytek with Martin and Alex Brundle at Le Mans, while Tom Kimber-Smith and Brundle Jr will be his co-drivers in the LMS.
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Curtis,Controller,1238,108v,550amp
Curtis slightly used 1238-6501 108v 550amp AC Controller.Price is $900 plus shippig. HPEV AC-31 motor is $1000. I will sell both for $1900 plus...
Source Related Photos Mike Baldwin
1-Millionth Pentastar V6 Built by Chrysler Group
While press releases announcing production milestones are more than a little dry, the fact that Chrysler Group managed to sell so many Pentastar engines in a short amount of time is an indication of a successful V6 if you as us.
The one millionth unit came from Chrysler's plant in Saltillo, Mexico. The 3-liter V6 is sold on a numerous Jeep, Dodge or Chrysler models, and even the Lancia rebadged units making their way to Europe. These include the 200, 300 and Town and Country from Chrysler, th...
The one millionth unit came from Chrysler's plant in Saltillo, Mexico. The 3-liter V6 is sold on a numerous Jeep, Dodge or Chrysler models, and even the Lancia rebadged units making their way to Europe. These include the 200, 300 and Town and Country from Chrysler, th...
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Sebastian Vettel Interview - Season Review 2011
| Channel: Formula 1 | Class: 2006 to current | Sebastian Vettel talks about winning the 2011 Championship and significant moments from this year... |
Source Videos Jeremy McWilliams
2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, an FIM World Championship officially underway - Anaheim Recap, Phoenix Preview
As the series heads into round two at Phoenix, Arizona’s Chase Field, potential title contenders have already begun to establish themselves. At Anaheim I, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto walked away with the season kickoff win in the Supercross Class, while Cole Seely captured the Supercross Lites victory for Lucas Oil / Troy Lee Designs / Honda.
Stats and data below courtesy Feld Motor Sports
Villopoto was clearly the fastest rider on the track, and was the only rider during the main to lay down lap times under 1:01. When the checkered flag waved, Ryan was more than 12 seconds ahead of second place finisher Chad Reed of TwoTwo Motorsports/Honda. But the fight for second was the best skirmish of the night. JGR/Toyota/Yamaha’s James Stewart got a mid pack start and was forced to work his way up, while Villopoto, Reed, and Red Bull/KTM’s Ryan Dungey began up front.
Stewart was eventually able to make his way up to Dungey in third, and that’s when things got interesting. The two riders battled back and forth, forcing each other into various mistakes, but Reed made an error on his own, allowing Dungey and Stewart to close the gap. Just as Stewart was gaining on Reed, the JGR rider made yet another mistake, and landed on top of a tuff block in an on/off section, resulting in a crash.
Related Stories Lucio Cecchinello
January 29, 2012
The New 2009 Dodge Ram - Was It Worth the Wait?
Author: vehiclevoice
Added: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:16:19 -0800
Duration: 627
All the hooves and horns at the press event introducing the new 2009 Dodge Ram couldn't block out the fact that this is one hell of an upgrade from the old model. David Barrett got a tour of the new Ram from Chrysler's own Russ Ruedisueli.
Picture of The Day Greg Albertyn
Headshake Solutions
When I first started riding big bikes, I was so stoked to finally have all of the power I wanted. However, with great power, comes great responsibility…courtesy of Uncle Ben from Spiderman. Sometimes, we can get ahead of ourselves on a rougher track and the braking bumps fight back. Most of the time, the chop [...]
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Tech Dept.: Diving Inside Porsche’s Seven-Speed Manual and PDK Transaxles
Rummaging through the parts bin to build several cars out of the same basic bits is nothing new and, in rare cases,can even result in cars with distinct personalities. Porsche’s Boxster, Cayman, and 911 don’t suffer from sharing a multitude of body, chassis, and powertrain components. Now Porsche’s transmission engineers have moved parts-sharing down to [...]
New Pictures Jock West
Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Class Registration Open
GT7 Motorsports driver Anthony Gangi Jr. bit by gremlins and tough calls as he leaves the opening weekend of FWT Rotax Mini Max with disappointing resultsBraselton, GA - Skip Barber Racing School is proud to open registration and release the schedule for the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class in the 2012 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Series. Only eleven spots are available for application for racers who have completed five or more Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge race weekends. With eleven races split up over eight race weekends at legendary tracks including Sebring International Raceway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America, this new class provides another step in the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder for racers aiming to race professionally in sports cars. The winner of the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class will receive funding to compete in the full 2013 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Series. For more information visit skipbarber.com
2012 Playboy MX-5 Cup Schedule Covers 11 Races, Eight Weekends
TOPEKA, Kan. - SCCA Pro Racing, in conjunction with Mazda, announced today the complete 2012 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup calendar. The schedule is an 11-race season spread out over eight race weekends.
The Playboy MX-5 Cup will once again conclude at Road Atlanta (Weber photo)
The Series, which previously announced three events in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron at Sebring International Raceway (March 14-16), Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (May 10-12), and the season finale at Road Atlanta (October 17-19), added more top North American road courses to the schedule.
The MX-5 Cup will share two weekends with the Grand-Am Rolex Series in June, visiting Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 8-10, followed by a visit to Road America for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Rolex Series weekend, June 22-23.
July sends the racing action north of the border to Mosport International Raceway, July 20-22, again with the American Le Mans Series.
September is a busy month for the series, visiting both coasts during the month. The Series returns to Virginia International Raceway, September 14-15 with the American Le Mans Series, to a track that has hosted some of the closest races in series history.
A week later, for the first time, the Playboy MX-5 Cup will visit the Coronado Festival of Speed in San Diego, an airport circuit that traditionally hosts a vintage event during the San Diego Fleet Week on Naval Base Coronado. Fleet Week San Diego 2012 will take place September 21-23.
"We listened to our racers and our fans as we developed the 2012 schedule,” John Doonan, Motorsports Director, Mazda North American Operations, said. “We love our traditional tracks like Mazda Raceway, Road America, and Road Atlanta, and we wanted to find another way to get a new west coast race into the schedule. And what better place to kick off the season than Sebring? We think this will be our best season yet with new venues and new faces in the paddock. We are actively working on a new TV package for the year so even those fans who can't get to a race can follow the action."
The 2012 race schedule is as follows:
*March 14-16, Sebring International Raceway, with American Le Mans Series
*May 10-12, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with American Le Mans Series
June 8-10, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with Grand-Am
June 22-23, Road America, with NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am
July 20-22, Mosport International Raceway, with American Le Mans Series
September 14-15, Virginia International Raceway, with American Le Mans Series
September 21-23, Naval Base Coronado, with Coronado Festival of Speed Historic Races
*October 17-19 Road Atlanta, with American Le Mans Series
*doubleheader weekends
The Champion of the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Series annually is rewarded with a funded ride up the MAZDASPEED ladder system. Mike Cooper, the 2011 MX-5 Cup Champion, will spend 2012 competing for the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car title behind the wheel of a MAZDASPEED3.
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Performance Tech Motorsports - PFT battles through its first season in the ALMS
| Channel: Sports amp; GT Cars | Class: ALMS / IMSA Lites | A motorsports mainstay, Performance Tech Motorsports (PFT) has more than 25 years of racing experience under its belt competing in multiple series including the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship, the Sports Car Club of America and the Porsche BMW Owner's Club (PBOC) of Florida. |
Source Videos Tommy Wood
January 28, 2012
How the 2012 rules will influence F1 car design | F1 technology
With few major changes in the technical rules for 2012, could teams have more scope to innovate? John Beamer looks at the season ahead.
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Pirelli tweaks tyre markings for 2012
Pirelli has tweaked its tyre markings for 2012 to make the different compounds more visible for fans - with its wet rubber also getting a total revamp in their look. Although Pirelli has kept the four different coloured sidewalls – red (super soft), yellow (soft), white (medium) and silver (hard) – the Italian tyre maker has tweaked the design of the markings to make it easier to differentiate between the rubber
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Bryan Ortiz Selected for 2012 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program
“Puerto Rico driver to compete in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for Rev Racing” Bryan OrtizCharlotte, NC (January 27, 2012) … NASCAR announced that Bryan Ortiz has been selected for the Drive for Diversity Program for 2012. Ortiz was one of six drivers named to compete for Rev Racing, formerly known as Revolution Racing. The...more»
Source Related Pictures Maurice Bolwerk
RICK BENJAMIN TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT MSRXSS AWARDS BANQUET
| Channel: Must See Racing XSS | Class: Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint | Must See Racing announced today that popular television and radio personality Rick Benjamin from Charlotte... |
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Mercedes-Benz-News: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Tuning by Wimmer
Wimmer setting the house provides a touch of sporty and more races on the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. This car will be faster and more fun while driving. With the upgrade section of the vital parts make this car in an optimal and faster and faster while driving. These colorful cars that provide the real power of sport, because in addition to comfortable in this car, you can also use the fast-moving along the road.
Part of the engine changes and improvements to this car from a car with a 6.3-liter V8. Given the sport camshafts and cylinder, that the change makes this car gives a good idea. Sections using a stainless steel exhaust combined with an electric motor Filter Wimmer, causing a soft voice while driving on the highway. Equipment and devices, before the car height is able to work… Read the rest of this entry
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Rebellion opts for WEC, adds Primat
Rebellion Racing has committed to the new World Endurance Championship for 2012 and announced the signing of ex-Aston Martin driver Harold Primat. The Le Mans Series LMP1 champion team confirmed in November that its Lolas would remain Toyota powered despite the Japanese firm launching its own factory effort, and has now finalised a two-car WEC programme. With the LMS opting to make LMP2 its top class from 2012, Rebellion has chosen to move into the WEC rather than switching to the American Le Mans Series
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January 27, 2012
NASCAR-CUP: Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing Media Tour day 1 quotes
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How different will your team look this year? “I think our team is going to look totally different even though there’s just a few changes here and there. It’s going to be a total different race team I feel like. I’ve got two different people speaking in my ear and you’ve got a lot of energy within the shop. I know you hear that a lot, but we’ve really gone through some big changes with our team and it’s obviously got a lot of people excited.”
How good of a hire was it for your race team to get Darian Grubb? “It was big for us because he (Darian Grubb, crew chief) had so many good options and he had an offer from every race team in the garage area. For him to pick me as his driver and continuing to want to be a crew chief, that’s a big deal. So, at least it gives you the faith that the guy has got a lot of faith in your talents and that you can bring him another championship.”
How much different will it be for you to have a new crew chief? “I think there’s a lot of things that are going to be different. I’ve got to be a little bit more aware of what’s going on with my feedback. I think at times I kind of took for granted that Mike (Ford) just always knew what I needed at certain times even though I might not say it. With him (Darian Grubb, crew chief) I’ve got to make sure I continue to voice those things and tell him the specifics because he’s not worked with me before. Working with other drivers, he’s got different ideas and stuff that he can bring up to me. I think it’s going to be key for me the first six months to really communicate a lot with him.”
How much information can you use from Darian Grubb? “You’ve got to listen to a guy that’s won five of 10 Chase races in one year. He’s (Darian Grubb, crew chief) obviously got that experience. He’s got a lot of Hendrick (Motorsports) information that’s coming over to (Joe) Gibbs (Racing). That part of it is always good. New blood sometimes is just what you need to kind of get your team fired up.”
What does it say about Darian Grubb to know he won five of 10 Chase races when he knew he was being let go? “It tells me in those situations that the guy is mentally tough. When he knows his job is on the line and might not know what he’s doing next year, he’s still got the focus to bring what he brought to the race track. For me, I think he’s one of the most well-respected guys within our garage and that’s going to be a key asset to have.”
How long did it take you to get reenergized after last season? “I just had to get away from Charlotte for a little while. That’s all it took. Get away from racing and you know when you have such a bad year like we had last year, you’re waiting for the season to be over with. You always kind of get that second breath of life where you’re like, ‘Okay, the Chase is starting so it’s a fresh start.’ And, then when we come out of the gates and had the issues that we had in the very first race, it’s like that year is just not meant to be for us. It doesn’t take long before you’re starting to count down how many weeks are left in the season to just get it over with. Let’s go through the motions, get to the track, do our job and get out of there. And, obviously it’s going to be hard to win races with that attitude. Now, we’ve got a lot of reasons to be optimistic.”
What have you done during the off-season to get your mind away from the race track? “I’ve been racing since I was eight years old -- 23 straight years of living and breathing this sport every single day and every single week. Our schedule is not driver friendly with all of the obligations that we have on and off the race track, we’re doing so much during the week. We just don’t have that much time at home. For me, I had to get away from Charlotte, get away from the same people that I see all of the time, just to kind of relax and do my own grocery shopping, do my own laundry, cook my own food and just feel like I was on an island by myself. So, I feel like that has all been really good for me personally and it’s just gotten me super energized for a new season because I really do feel like I’ve had a break now.”
Why are you so confident going into this season? “I think we’re going to be going to the race track with completely different race cars. I can’t get a heck of a lot in depth with it, but just some of the things that we’re building in our race cars and things like that are just, gosh, things that I’ve wanted for a long time but it’s been hard to get past the departments here and there. We feel like we’re heading in a good direction, there’s no doubt about it. I feel like Toyota is getting stronger than what they were last year, all three teams are on the same engine program, we’ve got an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing – there's a lot of things that are stronger this time around. And, on top of that my confidence is way higher right now than it was to start 2011.”
Can you use the adversity that you’ve faced during your career will help you to the next level? “I think the adversity that I’ve had in my career and the ups and the downs is going to make it sweeter when I finally do win that championship.”
Do you need to improve on speed in your race cars for the 2012 season? “It’s just things weren’t as easy as what they were in 2010. In 2011, for us, I was sweating like a dog in practice to be 20th fastest. It’s just having to work too hard to get the speed out of the car and that tells us that we’ve got to improve on a couple of different areas. I think we’ve shifted our focus this year to those areas and I think that there’s no doubt that when we get to the race track that we’re going to be much more competitive.”
Do you think having Darian Grubb as a crew chief is what you need to win a championship? “I just think that he (Darian Grubb, crew chief) brings so much good information over to our race team. Just the way that he was doing things over at Stewart-Haas and Hendrick and the way we were doing things at Gibbs, there’s a lot of good things that both teams were doing that we’re going to mesh together and make for hopefully a team that performs. Really, for me, it’s just hearing the different voice of reason. That gets you fired up sometimes and obviously when you know a guy has been as successful as him, it’s hard not to have confidence when you’re behind the wheel. All of this stuff has worked out it seems like perfectly for my career. There’s a lot of things that’s been put into place for me to be successful and I feel like this year is my best opportunity to do that.”
Will adding fuel injection to the race cars level all of the teams out? “No, I don’t think that will change much. I think that what’s driving the back tires is still that engine, it’s not the fuel injection. Us having Toyota on our side as far as that’s concerned on all three teams this year will be a big benefit because we’ve obviously got a lot of technology that they’re going to bring from their street program to our race program -- whether it be fuel mapping or things like that to try to help us with fuel mileage. Look how many races have been fuel mileage races here lately. It’s just you’ve got to have every aspect of your race team as good as possible.”
Do you think NASCAR’s current points system is the right formula? “I do and I think that the emphasis on winning is more than it’s ever been. That’s the mentality that you have to have. If you’re going to have to wreck a few race cars in the process to do it, then so be it because if you’re winning, you’re going to be in the Chase and that gets you a shot at the championship. I’m probably going to take a little bit more risk here and there to try and get those wins because we see how valuable it was last year.”
What did you do when you heard Darian Grubb was available? “When we heard about Darian (Grubb, crew chief) becoming available of course we were one of many teams that were after him pretty heavy. We knew he was going to have a tough decision. He’d had a relationship with Hendrick (Motorsports) for many, many years and when he got offered that position we thought we could possibly lose him to that because we know he is a loyal guy. But, it’s through sitting there and talking to him and I asked him about his motivation to win another championship. He says he feels like he wanted to crew chief until he was 40 years old and his son got to a certain age. His job now, he says, is to win another championship and show everyone that he can win with multiple drivers.”
How much does it increase your confidence to have Darian Grubb as your crew chief? “A lot. Everyone knows that the driver and crew chief relationship is very, very important. It’s as important as anything as far as being successful so we know it’s going to work. It’s going to take some time for him (Darian Grubb, crew chief) to understand what I need in my car and for me to tell him what he needs to hear. That part is going to be a little bit of a transition, but I think right now we have enough motivation and confidence that should carry us until that point happens.”
Will you use last year as motivation for this season? “I can’t even remember more than about five races last year in the sense of that we were really competitive, had a shot to win and those are the races that get me motivated. The rest of them, I feel like I was just there. I was one of those cars in the middle of the pack and that’s not me. I’m too competitive for that, I won’t stand for it and I’m not going to have the rest of my career go that way. We’re going to go back to the front where we belong.”
***
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Do you see any situations where you may start competing in the NCWTS again in the future? “To me, I think we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Truthfully, I don’t have to run Truck races. My fans love it and I love racing Truck races for them, but, like I said, I would love to see Kyle Busch Motorsports be able to sustain itself on its own and not have to have me in the seat every single week in a Truck race or Nationwide Series race.”
Does this make your 200 wins goal more difficult and eliminate something you find fun? “We’ll see. There’s no telling. Certainly, I wish that we could win eight races a year in Cup and eight races a year in Nationwide and right there you’re at 16 wins a year, so that’s not that bad. Granted, you run Truck races you can probably win five or six, so that puts you at 21 or 22 races a year. The focal point now is -- and has been -- although I want the 200 wins someday, the focal point needs to be on the Cup deal and trying to win a championship there, of course, and put my primary focus into that.”
Is the goal of cutting the NCWTS races to be stronger in the Chase? “Certainly, it all relates to one another. It’s all circumstantial upon something else. I think running less races is also a conditioning tool. I’ve been working really hard in the off-season in doing some things and running less races will also help that, but just being more focused and just trying to operate more on a level field with Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and how much he works and how hard he works and I’ve got to do the same.”
Do you think cutting back on your Nationwide and Truck schedule will be beneficial? “It’s certainly a possibility, but you know in 2008 and 2009 I ran the most races that I’ve ever run in a season and didn’t have any issues. Things went pretty well those couple of years. I think it’s been most frustrating for me because I’m getting more and more into my Cup Series career and I have yet to win a championship. For me, you get down to the end of the season and the first 26 races go well and then you start the Chase and you kind of fumble a little bit and you’re chasing a ball sometimes. We still had a shot -- we were running fourth or fifth in points at Talladega and then got crashed out there. Then we’re fifth in points or something like that in Martinsville and we get crashed out there. Your whole season’s shot. It’s not like one week’s gone -- like you didn’t win that race or something. You’ve got to wait all the way until next February to start a whole new year in order to get down to November. Think about it -- when you throw a whole year of your life away, it’s like, ‘Damn, this sucks.”
Is it a balance to determine how to not lose your drive and handle frustration better? “It certainly is and I’ve had a lot of fans, whether it’s been in meeting them in person or seeing them on Twitter or whatever -- they all tell you, ‘Don’t change anything -- we love the way you are and keep that attitude.’ At the end of the day, it doesn’t seem like me not changing anything is helping anything. I have to change something, I just have to figure out what that is and make it work for me.”
How is your relationship with Joe Gibbs? “He (Joe Gibbs, team owner) is a phenomenal character and has a lot of personality to him because he’s probably seen so much over the years. For me, him and I have a great dialogue -- we talk quite a bit. It’s been really good. He believes in me. I wouldn’t be here if the guy didn’t believe in me. He knows what kind of person I am and it’s not that I have to convince the people that are closest around me what kind of person I am -- I have to convince those that are furthest from me that don’t ever get to see me.”
Do your results in last year’s Chase give you more motivation for 2012? “I don’t need any extra motivation, trust me. I’ve been here long enough. I’ve been here plenty of times and I’ve run plenty of laps where I’m not just getting tired of not winning a championship, I think people are.”
Are you ready to get back to racing in February? “You get an off-season and you’re not racing so you kind of miss the bug a little bit. You spend some time relaxing and hanging out and just letting the New Year come to you. For me, I’ve been ready. I think I’m pretty well versed in what we need to have happen this year and what we’d like to have happen and what we’d like to see.”
Do you race all 36 races the same or separate from the first 26 to the Chase? “We’d like to have the whole 36-race season go according to plan. You don’t run the first 26 and then the final 10. We like to run the whole 36 the same way. You go out there and you try to win every single week. If you can’t win, then you go to the best of your opportunity and the best of your ability and what’s given to you on that day. Whether it’s a third, a second, a fifth or whatever. You do have to keep conscious of not putting yourself in bad positions or wrecking out and finishing back in the 20s or 30s.”
***
Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you excited to have Jason Ratcliff as your new NSCS crew chief? “Me and Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief), we’ve worked together for two races over in the Nationwide side and I felt like we connected really quick. I felt like the two of us, the communication at the race track, at the shop -- it really accelerated at a really quick rate. So, I was excited about that. When the decision came up, I think Jason was kind of a shoe-in for that deal. I think he’s the perfect match for me. I think even in practice, we come in, sit down and talk to each other and try to make the best decision with the race car we possibly can. I feel like we’ve done a really good job for those first two races. I always felt like, ‘Man, I need to work with him more.’ I think we can do good things with it. I think he’s the right man for our Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota and we’ll go out there and do the best we can this year.”
What do you think about Greg Zipadelli leaving Joe Gibbs Racing? “Sometimes things just don’t match up perfectly. I love Zip (Greg Zipadelli) to death. I’m going up to New York this weekend to do his charity ride. The friendship is still there. Things sometimes just don’t match up perfectly and we probably will get along a lot better now that we’re not working with each other. I still like him. I think it’s a good call for him to go over there. He wants to be home with his kids more. His kids are growing up. I don’t have kids so I don’t know what that’s like, but I would assume you want to be with them a lot. I think that’s a really good call for him and I think it’s going to be really neat. I think it’s going to be the best for both of us in the long run. I think it’s something that the No. 20 team itself needed and I think Zip needed it, too.”
Do you feel more pressure this season? “No, not right now. I’m very relaxed. I feel like my head is in the right spot. I feel like I’m very confident in myself, I’m very confident in Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and my whole team and doing the right thing. I tell you, Jason – I’ve talked to him a ton. Everyday we’re on the phone, I’m at the shop talking to him, doing something with him. I think that’s gone along really well. Then, Jason is one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s there all the time. Between Dave (Rogers, No. 18 crew chief) and Jason, I’ve seen them on the Nationwide side before and those two will keep getting each other to work harder and harder and they’re going to do that over here on the Cup side along with Darian (Grubb, No. 11 crew chief) involved with that too, it’s going to be unreal. I’m pretty pumped up about it. I think there are some really good changes at Joe Gibbs Racing that I think are going to help all three teams.”
Is it important for you to make the Chase this year? “Yes, it’s a hard to set goals. You go to race track to win every one of them, so I think everyone’s goal is to win a championship. I think you have to shoot for the moon. That’s the only way you are going to do it. If you just shoot for making the Chase, that’s all you’re going to do. You’re not going to do anything better than that. I think you have to shoot for the moon and keep shooting for that and see what comes out of it.”
Have you experienced any changes since Darian Grubb joined Joe Gibbs Racing? “Yeah, I think it’s refreshing. There’s new faces and there’s new changes. I think bringing Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) in and Darian (Grubb, No. 11 crew chief), both of them are bringing a lot of new energy and a lot of new life. I think it’s something that was needed to be done. I think Joe (Gibbs, team owner) and J.D. (Gibbs, team president) made some really good calls. I know they’re tough decisions. I couldn’t imagine being put in that spot. I think it’s the right thing for our race teams and we’ll make it happen.”
What lessons have you learned in your racing career? “When you’re little and your mother is like, ‘You just wait, I’m stupid right now but you’ll get older and discover how smart I was.’ Yeah, that was the same thing, but in racing for me. Obviously you want to be confident, you need to think that you know a lot and think that you’re the best race car driver out there. But, at the same time you have to be humble and go ask questions, talk to the guys -- do whatever you can to make yourself a better race car driver. I’ve learned that stuff very quickly. It’s something that is a very valuable experience. I’m going to take that in the rest of my life, whether that’s in racing or not.”
Is this going to be a make it or break it year for you? “I don’t make anything of it. It’s no difference to me. You should treat every year like it’s a make it or break it year. So, what’s the difference? That’s how I look at it. I should go out there and try to win every race, whether it’s contract year or not. There’s no difference there for me.”
Was last season a disappointing year for you? “Obviously last year was a disappointment I think for all three teams. I can speak for myself -- that was terrible last year. We did everything as a team completely wrong in a lot cases, whether it’s driver mistakes, team mistakes -- whatever it was, we weren’t on it. With a year like that, talk about being humble, that will humble you in a hurry. That’s when you have to dig down deep. You don’t want to do that again. It was seriously no fun at all to do something like that. That motivates you a ton to go out there and do a lot better. I know I have the guys behind me now. I’m very confident going into this season, probably more confident than I’ve ever been going into a season. Obviously with Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief), signing on a new sponsor like Dollar General, that brings some new life into the team, too. We’re excited about that.”
What can you do to make yourself better? “You can’t just pin point one thing. There’s a lot of different things. I can say now, I feel like I’m a lot more involved with what’s going on with Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) -- I feel like we’re working on the same level now. We’re bouncing ideas off of each other a lot more. The communication is huge. If you wanted to point out one thing, it would be communication and I feel that’s going to come naturally with me and Jason.”
Does getting a new sponsor this season put pressure on you? “It is pressure bringing them in, but it’s confidence when you get them. Think about how hard it is to get a great company like Dollar General in our sport. It’s very hard to do, there are a lot of other teams out there trying to get them. A lot of other teams with great drivers trying to get them. For us to be able to reel them in and get them, that puts a lot of confidence in our team and myself for sure.”
How have you been able to be positive with what your team experienced last year? “Positive thinking is very important no matter what is going on. That’s something I’ve learned more this last year than I’ve ever thought of. I went to a sports psychologist, you talk to those people and you find a new way of going to a race track and a new whole way of thinking about a lot of things. That’s very, very important. I was able to see the gains you can make in that stuff. That’s the stuff when you’re down, you look at anything. I think that was some really good things to look at. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) is good in that department.”
Source: Christian Beggi
Chad Reed video - Poster Boy 2012
It seems like it's Chad Reed week as we again look at a video of the Australian Supercross king. Here Reed gets to do some play riding for his 2012 poster shots. The Aussie continues to surpise and amaze people with his victories in the AMA Supercross Championship.
Best Picks Geoff Duke
Lorenzo to ride India’s new circuit on Wednesday
Along with several other promotional events this week in India, Jorge Lorenzo will have the opportunity to learn the layout of the new Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi.
Source: Georges Jobe
Supercross 2011: Kyle Regal discusses move to L & M Racing Yamaha
Moving up from the Lites class to the full time 17 rounds in the premier 450 Supercross class is a big step for any racer. Making it a double whammy, Kyle Regal is also going from Privateer Status to a full Factory Sam Manuel L & M Yamaha ride.
Kyle rode a few 450 Supercross rounds last season, when he wasn’t racing in the Supercross East Coast Lites, but it was this summer Kyle really gained momentum on the 450, finishing ninth in the series final standings.
Source Videos Fabio Barchitta
January 26, 2012
American Ethanol to sponsor Dillon, No. 3 in '12
In a nod to its commitment to the sport, American Ethanol announced Saturday at the NASCAR Preview fan event in Charlotte, N.C., that it will continue its relationship with Richard Childress Racing for the 2012 season.
Related Shots riStar Motorsports Chevrolet
Introducing the BMW X6
Author: vehiclevoice
Added: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:16:16 -0800
Duration: 131
Some say the styling is as "out there" as the Bangle-butt on the 7 Series. Some say it will take the SUV market by storm. What do you say?
Source Videos Ken Armstrong
BTCC engine testing under way
| Channel: Saloon Cars/Trucks | Class: BTCC | A comprehensive British Touring Car Championship engine lsquo;flow-test programmersquo;, that will result in establishing each turbo enginersquo;s baseline boost pressure for next season, is currently being conducted independently by Lotus Engineering... |
Best Practices Roberto Locatelli
Wussing Out on the Wind, Testing Communicators
I was first out of bed on Saturday and when I saw how the wind was blasting I started reconsidering doing the Last Brass Monkey Run. Then when Judy got up, her first words were “I’m not going with you on the Last Brass Monkey Run.” I had already decided not to ride when I [...]
Best Practices Brendan Gaughan
Joke Of The Week
From Cyril Huze Blog... - An old grizzled biker walks into the barbershop for a shave and a haircut, but he tells the barber he can?t get all his whiskers off because his cheeks are wrinkled from age. The barber gets a little wooden ball from a cup on the shelf and tells him to put it inside his...
This is a content summary only. Click on headlines for full links, images, other content and more! 
This is a content summary only. Click on headlines for full links, images, other content and more!
Related Stories Brett Metcalfe
January 25, 2012
2014 Ford Mondeo Wagon Rendered: We’ll Take It as a Fusion
Now that the 2013 Ford Fusion‘s sheetmetal has been exposed, one of our illustrators has grafted cargo space onto the back to create a wagon. And a good-looking one at that. Since the new Fusion will be sold in Europe as the Mondeo, this rendering is more relevant to the continent. But because we’ll never [...]
Related Videos Max Biaggi
Video: Harley-Davidson Multiple Lovers Ad
From Bikes in the Fast Lane -
This Spanish TV commercial is not a real Harley-Davidson TV advertisement, but it could have been. It's very much in style with previous Harley ads.
Nicely done, quite professional, it shows a young guy on his Harley motorcycle going from woman to woman.... ...
This Spanish TV commercial is not a real Harley-Davidson TV advertisement, but it could have been. It's very much in style with previous Harley ads.
Nicely done, quite professional, it shows a young guy on his Harley motorcycle going from woman to woman.... ...
Picture of The Day Josef Autengruber
Petrov hopes to sort future by next week
Vitaly Petrov believes his Formula 1 future should be sorted within the next week, with the Russian remaining hopeful that he will be on the starting grid in Australia. The former Renault driver, who was dropped by the outfit at the end of last year in favour of Romain Grosjean, has been linked with a role at Caterham but could also work with Pirelli if he does not land a race seat. Speaking at a Pirelli event in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Petrov said he could not expand on what his options were for the year ahead but reckoned that matters should be settled soon
Best Practices Verizon Wireless Dodge
Looks Like a Mini, Only Bigger
Author: vehiclevoice
Added: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:49:06 -0800
Duration: 419
The "other" mini was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show by putting it's newest feature forward, it's rear end to be exact. With three new "surprise" doors, a flat cargo area, and lots more cubic feet of storage space, the littlest signature car on the road just got even more unique.
Source Related Photos Derek Woodman
Ferrari 430 Scuderia Hooning on the Track [Video]
The Ferrari F430 Scuderia is one of those vehicles that can reset your brain using its soundtrack alone and we've brought a video to illustrate this, with the clip showing the racing-inspired version of the supercar on the track.
The video, which was uploaded by Youtube user cvdzijden, brings us to the Spa Francorchamps track, where a driver manhandles his F430 Scuderia. As the vehicle passes by, its exhaust sound floods the surroundings, with the Italian V8 being more than happy to offer aud...
The video, which was uploaded by Youtube user cvdzijden, brings us to the Spa Francorchamps track, where a driver manhandles his F430 Scuderia. As the vehicle passes by, its exhaust sound floods the surroundings, with the Italian V8 being more than happy to offer aud...
Best Picks Sadao Asami
The Dignity Memorial Wall Experience
This past Saturday we took some time to visit a unique site that has some significance for our family. The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Experience is a traveling three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and it was recently installed at Resthaven Cemetery here in the Des Moines area. Since 1990, the [...]
Related Videos Jaromir Cizek
January 24, 2012
Road closed? What-EVER, still a great ride!
Wow, it’s been a hectic summer, and it’s almost over already! I guess once again I’ve been on a brief hiatus… oh yes I’ve been enjoying the bike as much as possible, plus we’ve gone to a couple car shows to enjoy the Corvair, and we’ve embarked on the adventure that is my daughter’s senior [...]
Source Related Pictures Marcel Ankone
The Citadelle of Namur - MX Illustrated Feature
There is no doubt the most incredible motocross track I’ve ever cast my eyes upon was the Namur circuit in Belgium. Growing up as a young kind looking through issues of Motocross Action, I would see pictures of the track and read about it, but there was no just way I could totally visualize what the place truly was about.
Source Related Pictures Roland Pike
The 2012 Honda NC700X is Coming to America
Unveiled for the American market at the New York IMS Show, the Honda NC700X is officially coming stateside for 2012. The more off-road oriented version (6″ of travel up front, 5.9″ of travel in the rear) of the boringly practical 2012 Honda NC700S, the NC700X features Honda’s new 670cc parallel twin motor, which was built with fuel consumption and rideability in mind. The numbers won’t blow your hair back, with Honda’s new urban motor making ...
Source Videos Matthew Roy Kenseth
Dodge Ram Review - How Does it Stack Up to the Ford F150?
Author: vehiclevoice
Added: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:19:38 -0800
Duration: 448
Truck Week Part Tres! You've seen the new Ford F150, and the new Dodge Ram. Now it's time to get our truck expert Jim Hossack's opinion of the new pickups. We begin with the Dodge Ram.
Related Stories R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
Video: Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut
Filed under: Spy Photos, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury
Last we heard, Mercedes-Benz was planning to bring its new A-Class to North America, a market where the current model has never been sold. But whether it makes the trek or not, there's little question that the new premium hatchback will be a vital product for Daimler.
While the current A-Class hasn't been a smashing success, the segment has grown into an important one for luxury automakers like Audi with its A3 and BMW with its 1 Series. The new model, however, aims to take a slice of that particular pie once it debuts as anticipated in production form at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in a couple of months from now.
We've already seen the A-Class in concept form, test-mule spy shots and even in production-ready patent renderings. Now Mercedes has released a video clip showing a prototype strutting its stuff on the open road, but instead of the usual body-cladding or shape-disguising camouflage, the German automaker has covered the mule in QR codes to enable the legions of smartphone-toting fans the opportunity to peer into the future of the premium hatchback. Check out the video clip after the jump for a closer look.
Continue reading Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut
Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsRelated Shots Lewis Young
Bugatti Galibier gave the green light!
For those who like Veyron, but indulged in it due to insufficient number of seats for passengers, Bugatti has prepared a concept Galibier. In the car were going to install veyronovsky W16, deforsirovanny to 800 horsepower. And supposed to ask him 1.4 million dollars. And until now the car is at a stage of uncertainty, but recent reports VW stating that he was finally given the green light!
Good news, though, because, in fact, Bugatti Galibier will be the most expensive, most powerful and fastest production hetchebkom.
Photo: Bugatti
Best Practices Kevin Cowley
January 23, 2012
All New 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
Author: vehiclevoice
Added: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:46:07 -0800
Duration: 85
Our fearless leader George Peterson got tapped by Mitsubishi to try out their all new Lancer. He gets asked to do these kinds of things a lot, but rarely does he come back from a test drive this happy. Check out George's take on this new sports sedan and why he thinks it's like driving a video game. To see more reviews, check out VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.com).
Best Picks Christian Klien
DREW B AND SCOTTY C RIDE COVERS
RIDE BMX has a cool article on their covers from 2011, Drew Bezanson and Scotty Cranmer
Best Practices Ryan Villopoto
John Wes Townley to Drive RAB Racing’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Entry in 2012
RAB Racing with Brack Maggard LogoCONCORD, N.C. (January 13, 2012) – RAB Racing with Brack Maggard announced today that John Wes Townley will compete for 2012 Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving its Toyota Tundra. Townley, 22, has made seven starts in the Camping World Truck Series, most...more»
Best Picks Jeremy McWilliams
New Lotus passes final crash tests
Kimi Raikkonen will definitely have his new Lotus ready for the first Formula 1 pre-season test after his outfit passed the last of its mandatory crash tests on Monday morning, AUTOSPORT can reveal. As the former world champion began a private test at Valencia in Spain in a 2010-spec R30, exclusive pictures of which can be seen here , sources have confirmed his Enstone-based team was completing the last of its crash tests. For the first time this year, F1 teams must pass the stringent FIA crash tests before they are allowed to run their cars on track - as opposed to only being required to do so for the first race of the campaign
Source: Frantisek Stastny
January 22, 2012
Here and there
Once again, the month of July has been brutal for us, weather-wise… temperatures in the mid- to upper-90’s, with the heat index pushing us up into the 100’s and even 110’s for about the past three weeks. It’s deceiving to sit inside in the air conditioning (thank God for air conditioning, and for the funds [...]
Source Related Pictures Bob Coleman
John Phillips: One Superfast Summer as a Superslow PR Guy
In 1985, when I was 32 years old, I was a public-relations guy for Jack Roush. For the entirety of that year, it became my challenge to make Jack laugh. I could usually get him to smile but little more, in part because he was colossally busy. He had entered two Ford Mustangs in IMSA’s [...]
Source Videos Michael Byrne
Williams confirms Senna for 2012
Bruno Senna will drive the second Williams car during the 2012 Formula 1 season, as the team from Grove finally announced who will partner Pastor Maldonado.
New Pictures Graeme Crosby
Ford Performance Racing Begins 2012 With 2011 Test
| Channel: Saloon Cars/Trucks | Class: V8 Supercars | FORD Performance Racing has finishing up its 2011 season with a full day test at Winton Motor Raceway on Monday where the team focused on testing a range of new components for 2012. |
Best Picks Rob Herring
First Production Lexus LFA Crash
Ladies and Gentlemen, let us hold a moment of silence, for we are confronted with what is reportedly the first production Lexus LFA crash. The accident took place in Orlando on October 8th last year, as ClubLexus writes. It seems that the vehicle was subsequently put on sale at Expo Motor Cars in Houston, Texas, receiving a new owner on January 3rd 2012, when the car had a total 635 miles (1,022 km) on its odometer.
It seems that the vehicle was crashed by a Lexus Orlando employee, who had ta...
It seems that the vehicle was crashed by a Lexus Orlando employee, who had ta...
Best Picks Jimmie Kenneth Johnson
January 21, 2012
Senna says he has family support
Bruno Senna says his family has given its full blessing to his tie-up with Williams this year, despite his uncle Ayrton losing his life with the team back in 1994. Williams ended months of speculation about the identity of its second driver on Tuesday when it announced that Senna will line-up alongside Pastor Maldonado for 2012
Read More... Troy Corser
Tony Stewart Vampire Slayer
With his win in the 2011 AAA Texas 500 Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart cut Carl Edward’s Chase to the Sprint Cup lead to 3 just points.
Smoke has won four of the eight 2011 Chase races, including the last two. And even though Edwards leads in the standings, it is the Stewart wins [...]
Smoke has won four of the eight 2011 Chase races, including the last two. And even though Edwards leads in the standings, it is the Stewart wins [...]
Related Videos Heikki Mikkola
Moberg Report #2: Best in the West
The Western Canada Motorcycle Power Tour kicked off its first week on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. My travels included stops at select Yamaha Dealerships in Duncan, Courtenay, Parksville and Victoria, demonstrating new 2011 Yamaha Motorcycles. Being springtime, a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts come out of the winter humdrum looking for dry, warm weather to ride [...]
Related Stories John Hartle
NASCAR-CUP: Series pre-season test day 3 interview: Pemberton and Darby
An interview with: Robin Pemberton and John Darby
NASCAR press conference: NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby
KRISTI KING: If I could have everyone's attention here, as we have the last couple of days with this test, and it's been a really good test so far, trying to compile and consult the drivers and everyone's really gathering a lot of information, which was the intention of this test all along. But after the final drafting session started at 1:00, we had several requests from you guys just to kind of get Robin and John's take here on this last day of testing.
I'll open it up for you, Robin, and then we'll take some comments from John about where we are right now and looking forward to the Daytona 500 next month.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Yeah, I think so far we've had a good test, as Kristi said, and gaining a lot of information. As everybody knows, we've been shrinking plates, growing plates and working on different parts of the cooling system, and the goal was to see what our limits were.
As you've seen over the three days, got big on a plate, now we think we're honed in on where we need to come back and start Speed Weeks.
This morning we realized how far we can go on our -- as far as the pressure on the water system, and we've made some changes since early practice. But all in all, I think comments from the drivers have been pretty positive, the way the cars run in the draft, the way they can draft and do draft and what they do to get their cars running to their maximum potential.
So far, so good. You know, we know that when we come out of here, there will be some loose ends we have to tie up and probably get all of our information together and come up with our final plans for Speed Weeks. But all in all, everything is going according to plan. So I'll turn it over to John.
JOHN DARBY: Yeah, if I can add to that, just the things that we are happy with, one being the restrictor plate size, we talked yesterday about the reason for the change and that primarily being engine rpm. With the 29/32 plate on, we're still going to have the excitement of seeing some race speeds over 200 miles an hour. But at the same time we've been able to take all the engine builders off of suicide watch today. They're in a much more comfortable place. The rpms are back to what I'm going to call reasonable, and everything is performing very well right now.
The one grille configuration change that we made yesterday or last night seems to have been very effective, and as we continue to close the gap or lessen that delta, I guess, if you will, between old-school drafting and tandem drafting, that's being achieved. It's getting closer and closer every time we make a change.
Q. How confident are you that fans will likely see at least some of what they saw of the big pack drafting? And I have a quick follow-up.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Yeah, that's a hard question because you don't know what pleases all folks, and everybody has got a difference of opinion. So I think there will be a solid mix of all kinds of things, and you never know. In today's world something else might pop up that becomes the advantage for a driver, a team, a group. We'll see.
But so far, we like what we've seen. It's been a good mix of what they can do in a larger pack and how close they can get for a limited time to push.
Q. And a follow-up, John, the other day you talked about -- or I think you both talked about not wanting to go the route of telling people not to do something, and from talking to several drivers in the last couple days, many or most seem pleased with that approach, rather tinkering with rules to kind of tweak the mechanics rather than putting out a blanket kind of statement or prohibition. Have you found that very receptive, that approach, for this test?
JOHN DARBY: Yeah, I think that's why -- that's one of the reasons we've had all the cooperation from the teams is because they would rather -- the competitors feel better when the race car package kind of tells them what they should and shouldn't do or could and couldn't do.
The rule of not tandem racing, I mean, we've used it before. It's there, I suppose. But I'm right with the competitors on hoping that we can develop a package that keeps us out of that business. I'm a race fan, too; I'd just as soon watch the Daytona 500 as try to police it for 200 laps.
I think, like I said, everything we've done has all been in the correct direction, and short of nailing down some final sizes of grille openings and radiator pressures and things of that nature, I think we're there. I think we're very close.
Q. Do you feel like you've done everything you can as far as in these three days, or would you consider bringing them back at all between now and February and/or when would you tell them what the package will be for February, at least for the start of Speed Weeks?
JOHN DARBY: Once we leave here, obviously there will be a lot of energy spent on looking through all of the data that we've collected this week, looking through lap times and speeds and watching film and footage like everybody else does. You know, I would like to have the final rules package out as quickly as we can just to make sure the teams have enough time to react to everything I guess is the right way to put that. And we'll do our due diligence and get it out as fast as we can.
Q. The 200-mile-an-hour range used to be like a forbidden zone. You would reach it and you guys would react, and whether you were consciously doing it or not, you would get them down below the 200-mile-an-hour range. We're there now. It looks like they keep creeping back up there. Is that something that's concerning you now, the 200 mile an hour range, because I think fans are looking at that as some kind of magic number where, gee whiz, they're at 200 miles an hour and it's going to attract a lot of attention. Is that barrier still something you're going to react to before Daytona, or is it not a concern?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: We've been over 200 for a couple of years now during the races. You know, we feel anything can happen, but we feel comfortable. We've done a lot of work in the wind tunnels, and I think if you saw the little contact today, cars stayed on the ground pretty good, knock on wood.
But you know, at some point in time you drew a line, whether it was 200, whether it was just something to keep in mind and keep us in check. But right now I think we feel pretty good about it.
Q. Are you going to ask the guys to draft anymore today, or are they done with that?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: It's up to the teams right now what they're doing.
Q. Can you give us an idea of how much you don't want to tweak things once we get back here for Speed Weeks, or is this target so elusive that it's virtually inevitable?
JOHN DARBY: I think we'll leave everybody's roll cage as they were when they came in.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Most of it. Yeah, I think in today's world, people are used -- we're all in this together. I mean, things have changed. The landscape has changed, how we do business, communications between the governing body and the teams. So I think the day that we would come down here and it would be this, oh, wow, we're making a plate change, it doesn't even affect anybody anymore. Everybody is prepared for that. They know what the rules of engagement are, and they respect us for what we have to do. There's no animosity or anything like that. It gives us an opportunity to come down here with a clear head and watch what unfolds and do what we do, you know, on our side and on the team side. You never know what you might have to do to make a change, but we're okay with it, and so are the teams.
Q. You were a crew chief a long time ago. If you were on the other side of the fence, if you were a crew chief at this test, would this be driving you crazy as a crew chief do you think?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: I think what you would want is as early as you could to have the rules just locked down, you know, so you can go and work on your package. I think that in today's world, they know that that's unrealistic. But the whole mindset is different nowadays. I think when you look back, back in the day, you would build your best car, you'd come down here and you would hope that nobody would even come look at your car. You just wanted to be on your own and hide what you could hide and work what you could work with and get your advantages.
But that was then, and I think in today's world, I don't think the mindset is near the same as what it was then. I probably would have shot myself by now if it was.
Q. Robin, the changes that you guys have been asking the teams to make during the day and from day to day, how long does it actually take these guys to initiate those changes, especially like the grille and the shark fin, things like that?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: It's only a matter of hours at the most. I mean, we've got other folks that are here working and doing some work for us with the pressure relief valves and things of that nature. But it's not something that -- not anything that's taken a lot of time by any of them.
JOHN DARBY: I'll give you an example. The new rear window fin was finalized in the tech center Monday evening about 4:30, 5:00. Our aero guys made phone calls to the teams Tuesday, knowing that their test cars were already loaded and getting ready to leave for the way down here.
By noon on Thursday, I think every car in the garage had the new fin on the car. The teams, as good as they are, have the ability to react to changes today much, much, much more quickly than back in Robin's day. That's a big plus for us.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: A hammer and a block of wood.
JOHN DARBY: Part of it is because the teams have the expectations of changes, so they're more prepared to adapt to them. The other side of it is the fact that the cars are probably a little easier to change in the areas that were working.
Q. It's been suggested that when the grip starts going away from this track that the tandem racing will also go away. Are you assuming that's the case, and if so, how long do you think it'll be before we get to that point?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: We assume that that will happen because that's what happens when the grip goes away. But to be quite honest with you, the technology used to build racetracks and the paved racetracks nowadays, the job is tremendous. I mean, hats off to them; they're doing just an outstanding job. I mean, Talladega has got a few more years on it than this place does, and it's not even close to going away.
You know, it's -- the stuff is really nice nowadays. It's a shame, you don't want it to age, but you wish that it would, but it's not going away.
Q. It seems like an ideal situation might be pack racing for most of the race and tandem racing maybe for the last five laps or so, and that might make fans happy. But fans tend to be really impatient. Could you explain just how difficult it is, your job is, to arrange for this kind of stuff? Sometimes they really just don't understand, don't get it.
ROBIN PEMBERTON: Well, I think everybody has opinions. We all do in this room. I'm sure some people like the way it was ten years ago or a year ago. I mean, everybody is different. And so we've just got to have a nice mix for everybody, and you don't want to alienate any part of the fan base for one reason or another.
I think we're going to get geared up and probably have a pretty damn good race when we come back here based off of what we've learned the last three days and what'll probably unfold in the R & D Center and the shops over the next week or two.
I mean, I'm pretty excited about it. There's a lot of good cars out there. Speeds are up. For the first time in forever, we feel really good about our qualifying speeds, being in the mid-190 range, I think, according to John's estimate. And we're in for some good stuff ahead of us.
Q. I know you guys make it a point to talk to the people in the garage to get their input and feedback on stuff. With the changes that you all have made, how much weight do you give to what they're telling you compared to what you guys are trying to achieve out there?
ROBIN PEMBERTON: He's asking if they're lying to you, John. (Laughter.)
JOHN DARBY: I guess you make those decisions from the large number of people you talk to. You know, if you talk to 30 people and 29 of them tell you that something is wrong, then the chances are great that there's something wrong, you know. The competitors today, though, also understand that -- they're the actual guys that hold the responsibility for exciting racing. They all want to win, right? But they all want to have the opportunity to win, also, which kind of makes -- that's where that excitement thing comes into play.
What we know is if every car on the racetrack, all 43 cars run exactly 200.000 miles an hour, right, and we line them up, you could pretty much predict that the checkered flag is going to be how we lined them up, right. So there's got to be -- in development of all of these packages, there's got to be enough room and areas for the teams to still move around a little bit so that if I am at 200.000 miles an hour, you can still work on the possibility of getting to 200.1 miles an hour; see what I mean? Because otherwise we're not going to race, we're just going to parade.
I think a lot of that leads to the reason that we're not trying to totally eliminate the tandem, because what we know for the competitors is it's a very useful tool when you want to pass somebody, whether it's a full, locked-together tandem or if it's any version of, if it's a bump draft down the back straightaway, that extra momentum many, many times is what helps a competitor or two create the pass, right, and that's what makes a race.
The balance between everything we're doing is trying to manage how the cars perform on the racetrack and what style of drafting they choose to use, but at the same time leaving enough tools in their toolbox that we can still wave a checkered flag and go, wow, that was really great. You know, so that's the goal.
KRISTI KING: Gentlemen, thank you very much for your time.
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