Talladega Two-Steppin’

Posted on April 18, 2011 by gharls

Hendrick Ambush at Talledega ...

NASCAR

Spring Talladega always leaves the racing world gasping for air … and 2011 lived up to the billing.

Let’s be honest … most of us wrote the 48 and 88 out of the picture with two laps to go at the Alabama oval. For some inexplicable reason, the pair fell off the pace after briefly challenging the Bowyer-Harvick combo for the lead, then fell way back out of clear contention. Disappointing, since both cars clearly stood out as the class of the field throughout the race.

Hmm …

The final lap at 2011 Spring Talladega surely goes down as one of the track’s finest moments. Somehow and somewhere along that interminable backstretch, Johnson and Earnhardt put together a remarkable rush of momentum that sucked up a seventy yard margin to the leaders in a matter of seconds. We truly could not believe that the 48-88 pair was still in the hunt as the cars sped out of Turn 4.

We’re sure you’ve all seen or heard the rest. As Bowyer-Harvick (leaders) and Gordon-Martin (charging forward) tried to peel off each other’s side panel air over the final 300 yards, Johnson took a hard left down the banking with Junior close in tow, ducked around a half hearted block attempt by Martin, then slid inside along the yellow line to nose out a stunned Bowyer by .002 seconds … matching the closest race finish in NASCAR history. Hoo boy! Johnson freely credited Junior for providing him with the necessary horsepower to pull off one of Talladega’s great spectacles.

Now comes the fun part … some of our racing friends immediately chimed in to opine that Johnson intentionally sagged off Earnhardt throughout the race in order to create the impression that his car would run faster up front than the 88. In other words, JJ snookered Junior into letting him run the point for the final thirty laps. We don’t believe in such scandalous talk … Johnson’s simply not that kind of guy … or is he?

Is Hamilton (right) the Greatest F1 Passer Since Senna?

Formula 1

F1 China also offered up the thrills and high drama this weekend … and the story centers around the Brown Brit Lewis Hamilton.

After barely reaching the starting grid after his crew overfilled the fuel cell during race prep, Hamilton outgunned wizard Vettel at the start, ran down Rosberg, Massa, and teammate Button with sheer grace after his final service, then literally bushwacked a stunned Vettel with about ten laps remaining to knock Red Bull Racing off the perch for the first time all season. Hamilton looked masterful the entire race, and his daring overtake of a shattered Vettel clearly stands out as the finest race action this season. Ham’s secret? Not much. Red Bull opted to go with a two stop strategy … first on the primes (hard) and then finish on the options (soft). McLaren outfoxed the Red Bulls by simply adding in another stop. By going soft-hard-soft, McLaren knew that their fresher tires would provide more grip over the closing miles. Yes, all Hamilton needed was a fresher set of grippers to run down Vettel like a skunk on the highway.

Over the upcoming three week hiatus, we know that Red Bull will work like fiends to improve their car and finally fix its buggy KERS system … will starry-eyed McLaren be able to keep pace?

Comebacks are Always Sweet ...

IndyCar

IndyCar found itself at Long Beach, arguably its most popular venue outside of the Brickyard, and GPLP is where race driver Mike Conway found redemption.

Race fans remember Conway’s horrific flight through the front stretch catchfence at Indy 2010 and wondered if he would ever return to top form. No worries now. After Helio Castroneves pulled the ultimate blunder and wrecked teammate Will Power on a restart with 19 laps to go (oh just imagine Mr. Penske’s fury), most fans believed that Long Beach belonged to race leader Ryan Briscoe. Yet in a stunning display of driving and craft, Conway (who took great benefit from the Castroneves-Power debacle that also put out contender Scott Dixon) simply slipped past Briscoe with an artful move with only 14 to go and easily sprinted away for wide margin victory. Conway’s stunning win utterly pleased the racing world, resuscitated a miserable day for Andretti Autosport, and placed the star crossed driver once again among the top tier caste in IndyCar. Well done, Conway, well done.

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Slump Buster!

Posted on April 12, 2011 by gharls

Texas Serves Up a Cure for Kenseth ...

NASCAR

Score another win for the automatons …

Matty K finally found his fun on the 1.5 tri-oval that is Texas, and along the way took the lumber to the field. Only T-Stew was wise enough to foil the Wisconsin Kid with a daring short pit strategy that would have spiked the entire field but for Smoke’s horrific pit lane speeding blunder while pulling off the grift.

Seems to us that a night run at Texas should produce more excitement … we weren’t expecting a parade.

Red Bull Goes 2-for-2 Without KERS

Formula 1

Red Bull again made mincemeat of both McLaren and Ferrari at Malaysia, and now observers wonder aloud if the technical gap between the leaders and the rest can be overcome in 2012. Sure, McLaren SEEMED to close the gap at Race 2, but don’t be fooled …

Vettel easily ran away from the rest after the little red lights went out, and Button’s close proximity at race end was simply mere illusion, since Vettel literally took his foot off the gas and coasted home over the final ten kilometers. Red Bull is faster, generates more downforce, and turns over a car in pit lane swifter than all the rest. That’s it. We simply can’t see McLaren or Ferrari overcoming the first two attributes in 2011 without a new chassis, which by definition would put them way behind on the final claim.

Power Wall-To-Wall Down in Dixie ...

IndyCar

IndyCar’s admirable promotion push over the winter went up in a puff of smoke this weekend as all were treated to another snoozefest at Barber-Alabama. Team Penske’s Will Power put in a stellar drive, leading wire-to-wire … and he deserves big kudos for such … yet the overall race lacked the passion and drama the Series desperately needs to capture the attention of global race fans.

Let’s face it … no one truly pressed Power all race … the power boosts provided by the Honda engine played no factor in the race … Andretti Motorsport has utterly disappeared as a factor in race victories … and the list goes on. Even CDP’s tried-and-true act of staying out on old tires in order to get track position and camera time falls well short … and plays poorly with race fans who recognize the shtick for what it is. Patrick may think she’s scoring points by shoving her car into the top ten by skipping a stop during midrace, but the only fans still paying attention to IndyCar instead take note of her inevitable descent into the backmarkers after such a stunt … time after time. You’re losing both your track and street cred, Danica. Take heed.

Big props to sportscar guru Simon Pagenaud who put in a brilliant top ten drive as a replacement for Bea Beatrix.

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C’mon, Get Happy!

Posted on April 4, 2011 by gharls

Happy Harvick Bests Junior at the Moment of Truth ...

NASCAR

Wh’appen?

We usually consider the Great Martinsville the Great SnoozeFest. In general, one dominant car outruns the pack over the last fifty laps, and that’s that … but not yesterday.

Early misfortune swamped many of the notables. Hamlin and Newman experienced engine troubles … Johnson suffered an excruciating pit road penalty … T-Stew ran as a non-factor … Jeff Gordon simply did not have enough car. Yet we still ended up with a thriller …

With thirty laps remaining, many believed that Killer (Kyle Busch) would finally get the job done in the Big Series, holding a firm lead over the chasers with a good car. Harvick, as usual, lurked in the foreground, yet as a pleasant surprise, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., unexpectedly ran at P3 and seemed to be in position for a decent finish.

But for the whimsical flirtations with fate …

A late caution sets up a restart with 29 laps to go, and more importantly, places P3 Junior on the curb just behind Killer at P1. Junior slips past Harvick on the green, swiftly sucks up to Killer’s rear bumper in short order, and then stuns the racing world at Lap 480 by shedding his sheepish image before actually giving the 18 the hook. Killer’s bobble allows Junior to flash past into the lead … and one would actually think that the Kingdom had finally arrived on Earth as the Martinsville Thunderdome exploded into apoplexy. The 88 actually gaps the furious Busch, and Earnhardt Nation collectively grabs a gearshift …

Would it last? Hope springs eternal. The irrepressible Harvick, never one to let an opportunity slip away, presses his way past Killer into P2 and then lays the heavy pressure on Earnhardt as the race winds down. Junior masterfully weaves his way through the backmarkers, leaving his fans awash with fantasy, yet with only four to go, Little E overdrives the 88 out of Turn 3, breaking loose the back end. Junior quickly catches up with the loose condition, but his momentary bobble leaves Harvick with just enough room to slip past and claim his second consecutive victory on the Series circuit.

The Latest Unplesantness: The Carnage Left by Truex's (56) Stuck Throttle.

As Harvick celebrates a truly deserving victory, both Junior and Killer bemoan just what could have been. Did Junior make a mistake at the moment of truth? In our opinion … YES! A smoother drive in those closing laps would have forced Harvick to attempt an outside pass … not a mean feat at the Paper Clip … yet Junior panicked under pressure and tried to use his gas pedal to outrun Happy. Harvick didn’t outrun Junior … he simply picked up the scraps over a racer still not accustomed to late race scenarios. Harvick scooped up the cookies, Junior was left to his nightmares, and we all received our money’s worth. Even if it was only Monopoly money.

Formula 1

As Singapore swiftly approaches this weekend, the F1 Circus released a stream of news that will keep folks chatting for days on end …

- The racing world gagged on its sushi after learning that Red Bull Racing (Vettel) ran away at Melbourne without the need of KERS, the fabulous technology that gathers energy from braking and stores the same for future use as added horsepower. Many enthusiasts shook their heads in disbelief until rumors emerged suggesting that Red Bull has figured out how to use brake energy in some double-secret, small scale way to improve performance. If such is the case, RBR’s not giving away any clues … while running circles around its clueless competition.

- Creative genius Adrian Newey of Red Bull Racing dusts off McLaren’s success at Melbourne simply as the latter’s shameless copying of its own exhaust design. In true form, McLaren only grins in response. Techno-copy crime exists as standard fare in F1 … its part of the evolutionary framework inherent in the sport … yet heads still turn when the Great Oz (Newey) cries foul. More spice for the soup, we say …

Looks Like Kimi Wants Some ...

Another global stunner: Former F1 WC Kimi Raikkonen announced his intent to race for American Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Camping World Series. What? Kimi in the tin top trucks? Are you kidding us? Furthermore, Kimi’s bringing his own pot of money along to finance his entry and hopeful promotion deep into NASCAR. Given woeful prior attempts by open wheelers to break into American tin tops (T-Stew and JPM remain the most reputed examples), Kimi’s foray into the trucks stands as the correct approach. As racing fans already know, the days of big shot A.J Foyt stepping into a stock car and winning the D500 are long past … it simply cannot be done in the modern context. Today’s tin top drivers are much too skilled for such a splash. Kimi shows us some brains by his willingness to learn the ropes with the trucks, and then surely NNS, before risking any embarrassment with a Sprint Cup ride.

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Not So Old … And In The Way …

Posted on March 28, 2011 by gharls

The Prey Finally Feeds Upon the Predator ...

NASCAR

NASCAR reduced the mileage at Fontana down to 400 miles and the move did wonders to spice up the event. See? We toldya.

Denny Hamlin appeared to hold the horses until the fire went out under the hood, thus leaving Killer (Kyle Busch) to pick up the scraps and sprint away for the win …

Oops.

On the last restart with nine laps to go, Jimmy Johnson and Kevin Harvick opt to join a race parade Busch had been enjoying all by himself for nearly a hundred circuits. Double J pours the rain and blows by Killer with just three to go before rushing away into the overcast for his first win on the season …

Oops.

As the white flag drops, Harvick rapidly slides into Johnson’s slipstream around the first curve and backstretch, then pulls off the clever by pressing up against Johnson’s rear bumper and bump drafting him hard into Turn 3. Unlike Daytona or Talladega, where a shove works in tandem with steep banking, Harvick’s help-along on the flat curve at Fontana works just the opposite. Johnson wobbles and lets off the gas in order to avoid sailing off the edge, allowing Harvick to sail past on the outside and boost his first victory on the season.

Oops. It hurts when you’re not even old and in the way.

Like A Steam Locomotive, Running Down the Track ...

Formula 1

The F1 Festival began a new run around the globe this past weekend at Melbourne, yet the scenery looked as if the 2010 race season was still under way. F1WC Sebastian Vettel continued with his mastery of machine and circuit with a thorough thrashing of the field at Albert Park, and no matter what the pundits claim, Ferrari and McLaren still have a lot a work to do to close the margin.

The race did produce some backstory; Vitaly Petrov’s impressive podium finish only promises more drama and copy for F1 enthusiasts when wonderboy Robert Kubica returns back to the team. Kubica purportedly stands as the team’s best driver, yet Petrov has now foiled a pass by Ferrarinista Fernando Alonso in two consecutive races … something Kubica has never been able to pull off. The Russian has improved in dramatic fashion, and the healing Kubica simply will not be able to glide back into the No. 1 Renault seat upon return. In other action, McLaren caught a triple reprieve at Melbourne … (1), the car actually worked, (2), the car actually survived the entire race despite a broken floor strut beneath the chassis that Hamilton dragged along for thirty laps and a P2 finish, and (3), the stewards did not penalize McLaren for being out of specification for the broken strut. If McLaren somehow nips out Red Bull for the Constructors’ Championship at season end, please note Race 1 at Melbourne and the magic of plain dumb luck.

Simona Steals the Show at Saint Pete ...

IndyCar

We admit sensing a bit of excitement as IndyCar St. Pete fired off the line … we so desperately want IndyCar to again climb back into the racing mainstream … and the event offered up some unexpected surprises that can only lift its brand in the short term.

Dashing Dario won the race with ease after his competition (teammate Dixon, rivals Briscoe and Castroneves) met with demise early … thus leaving us with another ho-hum parade … yet interest spiked with every restart and the dramatic moves made by Swiss distaff wonder Simona de Silvestro. Lost in the enormous shadow cast by CDP, de Silvestro broke out at St. Pete with a masterful drive that left her with a titantic P4 finish and Danica spitefully choking on her exhaust. SDS has never played the gimmick route via gender … she doesn’t carry the glamour or self promotional skills of series’ mate Patrick … but she is the real deal on the track. We were truly impressed at how she took advantage of each and every restart during the early chaos to advance her position. With a better ride, we seriously believe that the Swiss Miss could rewrite the gender story in IndyCar. Maybe even scratch CDP from the script? OK, so maybe we’re pushing things a bit too far …

Marco's Day Ends Quickly at St. Pete (Lap 1, Turn 1) ...

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Something Borrowed, Something Blue …

Posted on March 21, 2011 by gharls

Who's Your Grandpappy Now? ...

The motorsport world again focused its eyes upon the old wartime airstrip at Sebring, Florida for the annual once-around-the-clock slugfest, and no one was left wanting. Billed as another classic showdown between the German and French diesels, the works entries for both Peugeot and Audi ran into unexpected troubles throughout the day, leaving a private Peugeot-ORECA (Lapierre, Duval, Panis) entry to pick up the pieces and steal an unanticipated victory in dramatic fashion. The works Peugeot No. 8 entry, maintaining only a narrow seven second lead over the No. 10 privateer ORECA entry, unexpectedly suffers bodywork trouble with just over three hours remaining. The No. 8 endures an extended service stop shortly thereafter, subsequently suffers an on-track spin, and the grandfathered No. 10 ORECA surges past into the lead, short pits with an hour and a half to go for insurance, and dashes away for a dramatic upset victory over its fellow works’ machines. BMW goes 1-2 in the GT division and easily dusts off the American Corvettes.

NASCAR

Killer Holds Off All Challenges at Bristol ...

The irrepressible Kyle Busch pulls off another double at Thunder Valley, winning both NNS and Sprint Cup events in grand style, yet many racing fans silently wondered as to why runner up Carl Edwards did not punt Busch out of P1 position in the closing laps. Edwards and Busch maintain a testy on-track relationship over their joint careers, and Cousin Carl still smarts over the rough treatment he received from Busch at Spring Phoenix, a wreck that cost him valuable points in the Chase table. Edwards slyly implies that he’s saving his payback for a later date, yet most observers counter that by making such a statement, NASCAR will surely lower the boom on any subsequent shoving. Thus leaving Busch with the last laugh. Edwards will have no choice but to outrun Killer by way of clean racing (a clear advantage to the latter), yet the former does have the horsepower and the mettle to do just that. Stay tuned.

CDP Upset Over a Bit of Tin-Top Shoving? ... Say It Ain't So!

On the lighter side, the motorsports world enjoyed a collective soft chuckle after watching Danica Patrick (CDP to our readers) gesture in feigned disbelief and anger over her rough handling at the hands of Ryan Patrick at NNS Spring Bristol. CDP’s antics serve as fresh relief for her new NASCAR fans, yet those of us who have watched this shtick over her IndyCar career can only shake our heads with cynicism. The act is tired, Danica, just plain tired. A driver can complain in IndyCar due to the inherent danger of contact with open wheel racers. A driver can complain in tin-top restrictor plate racing where just the slightest contact can shove a driver into a horrific shunt. But complaining during your very first race at Bristol? Bristol is all about trading sheet metal. Bristol is all about shoving around the backmarkers and the inexperienced. Bristol is all about taking your lumps until a driver figures out the correct line, feet coordination, and tempo … and then a driver issues out the lumps on the rest. Experienced fans know the score at Bristol … and thus cast wonder at the sincerity of CDP’s plaint.  Always Be Closing, replies Danica to our observations, we’re sure …

Formula 1

Cranky and Impolitic to the Bitter End ... It's Why We Both Love and Cringe at Bernie's Management Style ...

As Race 1A at Melbourne swiftly approaches at week’s end, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone stepped away from the money counting tables long enough to sneer away at any notions of F1 adopting an eco-friendly power strategy, one pursued by every other major form of motorsport. Despite the explosive rise in the cost of fossil fuels and the ever growing trend of consumers pursuing energy efficient automobiles, Ecclestone scoffs at the idea of Formula 1 pursuing eco-friendly technology as a development platform. According to BE, all the fans truly care about is eardrum splitting engine noise, and as long as that noise remains in the sport, the fans could give a flying frack as to whether F1 engineers develop energy efficient technology. In fact, the diehard F1 enthusiast only follows the sport in order to monitor modern automotive technology. Furthermore, sportscar racing has only become more competitive and interesting as the German and French diesels have risen to the fore. F1 could only improve its profligate image with a serious initiative towards eco-friendly technology. Sorry, but that stuff remains not ‘macho’ enough for tough guy Bernie. Meanwhile, we watch the weekly parade around the chicanes while expensive French champagne dribbles down the chins of F1 brass and their lovely, thinly-clad escorts. Guess we picked the wrong career, huh?

IndyCar

Penske Dominates at Barber ...

Team Penske, whether sandbagging or not, showed muscle at BMS down in Alabama last week as drivers Will Power and Helio Castroneves finished atop the tables after the two-day preseason test. No real surprises here, since most expect Penske to rate as the most prepared team prior to St. Pete, yet some of us would have enjoyed watching some of the lesser teams show some speed. Such is not to be … IndyCar is a two-owner race war between Penske and Ganassi, and the remaining field increasingly drifts back and fades deeper into the scenery with each passing season. Penske-Ganassi dominance remains the sole reason IndyCar needs distractions such as CDP, the Indy 500, and its newly proposed $5 million challenge for non-Series drivers. It’s a true devil’s bargain … the Series folds without the presence of Penske and Ganassi, yet the racing world will not stand for their joint monopoly over the Series for much longer … there’s much too much to do and view on TV otherwise.

 

 

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$5 Million? … Did You Say $5 Million?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by gharls

Supercross Superdude James Stewart Wants Some ...

The noses are up and sniffing the air after IndyCar’s brash $5M challenge available to non-series drivers at its Las Vegas run later this year.

The speculation started with Sam Hornish, Jr. Spread like a web towards former open wheelers Tony Stewart and A.J. Allmindinger. Sparked like wildfire when Al Unser Jr. and former Indy great Jacques Villeneuve showed interest.

Now the word is that superdude James Stewart, a relative unknown among the four-wheel racing crowd but virtually a living legend among the X Games-Shredder legions, could see himself in the hunt for the big bucks. Stewart’s primary venue still remains the supercross spectacle, yet his handlers insist that his promise and natural talent atop a kart makes him an easy fit for an IndyCar shell and a race owner eager to tap into his young fanbase. Now we all know that Mr. Stewart surely would be lost at sea attempting even a practice lap at LVMS at race speeds, yet IndyCar needs just this bit of brashness in order to ascend back to its proper place as an elite racing series.

As asides, Bridgestone reversed course and elected to remain the IndyCar rubber through 2012 … that’s what true begging and pleading will do for a series. We also can rest now knowing that T-Kanaan apparently will catch a ride with KV Racing (Vasser & Co) for 2011, thus ensuring captivating and intelligible prerace and postrace commentary for all throughout the IndyCar race season.

Formula 1

Sauber's Sergio Perez Turns Heads at Barcelona D3 ...

Final preseason testing at Barcelona dominates the news in F1. Red Bull (Webber, Vettel) dominate the first two days, yet the final three days offer up pleasant surprises as Schumacher (Merc, D3), Sergio Perez (who?, Sauber, D4), and Nico Rosberg (Merc-D5) each rule a respective session. Some may contend that the absence of McLaren in the upper mix actually proves out as the biggest shock at Barcelona.

NASCAR

Has The Worm Turned? ...

Only the trucks ran over the weekend as the tin tops licked their wounds back in North Carolina. Kasey Kahne picked up another truck win at Too Tough Darlington, yet the news centered upon the nasty row between Kevin Conway and Robby Gordon over sponsorship money. Gordon alleges that Conway never forked over any Extenze sponsor money while running under his shop during the 2010 Sprint Cup campaign, and the pair came to blows over the issue in all places, Vegas. Looks like the two men never ‘firmed’ up their deal (our apologies … bad, bad joke). Other news highlights the apparent improvement DEJ enjoys while running under new crew chief Steve Letarte. It’s hard to argue against their newfound optimism … Junior clearly ran in the hunt at the D500 until misfortune wrecked him out of good finish. Subsequent top ten finishes at Phoenix and LVMS suddenly places Little E in the top ten in points, and the 88 Nation surges into apoplexy as Junior’s career seemingly attempts to arise from the morgue slab. If Earnhardt scores another T10 at Bristol in the coming days, there will be no end to the love slathered all over the young man … and the France family will heave an enormous sigh of relief.

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NASCAR Retrospective: 1956 Grand National at Tulsa

Posted on March 9, 2011 by gharls

Lee Petty (42) Kicks Up Only Sand at Daytona in February, yet Tosses Up a Storm at Tulsa Later in August.

NASCAR drivers have a long and storied history in voicing their opposition to track promoters and their high handed demands for showmanship, and such griping at times boils to a head over the issue of track conditions. Early NASCAR pilots always complained of the ever dangerous track configuration at Langhorne, Pennsylvania and other circuits during the early days, and they took matters into their own hands on a Grand National stop at Tulsa, Oklahoma in August 1956.

The driver fraternity, fresh off an event at Oklahoma City the night before, arrives at the Tulsa Fairgrounds for the scheduled 100-miler night feature only to find a large oval dust bowl with mere highway cones to separate the half mile racing strip from the hardpan dirt infield and a lonely pair of light fixtures over the main grandstand to serve for track lighting. Angry with the arrangements, the drivers voice their complaints to the promoters, who in turn heatedly point to the paid crowd of 6,000 Sooners anxiously awaiting an official scoring NASCAR event.

The drivers, not wishing to disappoint the fans, climb in to start the race, yet visibility swiftly degrades as the rotating tires kick up an impermeable cloud of dust.  When the sun dips under the horizon, the racers only stand at lap 40 of a planned 200, yet the mounting dust and weak lighting reduces vision down to nearly zero. The drivers slog through ten more laps before pending Series legend Lee Petty inexplicably skids to a halt at the start/finish line. Climbing out of his car before a stunned crowd, Petty immediately jumps the outer barrier, scrambles up the starter’s stand, grabs the red flag from the well, and then waves the same to the passing cars, thus stopping the event. The angry promoters, keeping a nervous eye on an even angrier crowd, order the drivers back to racing, yet Petty and his colleagues refuse to continue the event. The crowd goes berserk with disbelief, before venting its anger by hurling debris upon the track, and the promoters, after calling in the local authorities to restore calm, offer immediate refunds to its patrons.

NASCAR ultimately upholds Petty’s bold action by not issuing a sanction against his rash move, and the Grand National circuit never returns to the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Fortunately, the Sooner track later earns its own national acclaim after a subsequent relocation and skillful promotion transforms the new three-eighth mile circuit into the now beloved Chili Bowl.

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IndyCar Retrospective: 1911 Indianapolis 500

Posted on March 9, 2011 by gharls

Ray Harroun Takes Checkers at Maiden Indy ...

Although the now revered IMS started hosting motorsport events as far back as 1909 (on a monthly basis, no less), the maiden ‘Indianapolis Sweepstakes’ event, a 500-mile feature race, actually came to the fore on May 29, 1911 on a weekend Americans would later come to celebrate as the Memorial Day holiday.

Although every Indy remains memorable simply by its inherent spectacle, the 1911 version fails to win points on elegance. Tragedy strikes early on Lap 12 when Arthur Greiner drops a right wheel on the backstretch, careens off the oval, and soars into a fence. The crash kills co-driver (the convention of the day) and mechanic S.P. Dickson, and army soldiers must club their way through the curious pressing crowd in order to reach the drivers and administer first aid.

The endurance factor emerges thereafter as scores of mechanical failures and blown tires reduce the future classic down to a perpetual go-and-slow parade. Former racer Ray Harroun, who came out of retirement to run the sweepstakes event, finally pushes past American racing wizard Ralph Mumford at the 190th mile and pulls away from the field, taking checkers by a wide margin.

Unfathomable by our standards, maiden Indy took nearly seven hours to complete. According to press accounts, the 80,000 in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the day despite the rash of mechanicals.

Harroun, after surviving an official protest to his victory by Mumford, took his $10,000 grand prize purse with pleasure and promptly returned to retirement. Not bad for a day’s work.

Add some spice to your race viewing weekend and play Fantasy Cup Series. What? You’re going to watch the race anyway …

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Planet Danica In Ascension

Posted on March 7, 2011 by gharls

Who you callin' curvy? ...

Us men never learn. Never cast disdain upon the distaff side …

Media Monster Danica Patrick again feeds the motorsport world a spoonful of redemption after her admirable performance at Winter NNS Las Vegas. We graciously take back all the times we labeled DP as ‘no drive’ … and encourage the other haters to do the same.

We’ve already scanned the race reviews online and can only chortle at the editorials that still seek to diminish CDP’s (Curvy Danica Patrick … our moniker) run at LVMS as simply another ‘fuel mileage’ run that affords more credit to the crew chief (Tony Eury, Jr.) than the driver.

We just call that old fashioned “hatin’” in the blog biz …

Patrick put in a splendid performance at LVMS by keeping the sheet metal intact and outrunning a bevy of racing talent that found themselves in the SAME FUEL WINDOW as the 7. In other words … girl meets boy, girl beats boy. We particularly took delight in how CDP cleverly used both feet and a pick to easily put away NASCAR wunderboy Trevor Bayne in the closing segment.

The media swarm around Danica during the postrace treatment surely raised the hackles of race contender Brad Keselowski, who suffered the biggest of heartbreaks that afternoon. Leading the race with the white flag fluttering above, Kez dropped a right front while entering Turn 1 and helplessly slid up into the outer barrier. Mark Martin, desperately holding on with a light fuel load, scampered past and picked up the scraps for a victory, yet Kez, who adroitly limped his car around for a P3 finish, didn’t appreciate the love raining down on Patrick, who finished one position behind. Kez used Twitter to unload on ESPN for drooling over the Patrick finish and along the way not even stopping by to catch a few words about the REAL RACE STORY. ESPN naturally blamed its behavior on logistics, but we all know the real story … Danica’s got back, and with American television, that fact wins every time.

NASCAR Sprint Cup

On the Sprint Cup side, the story centers around Tony Stewart’s strong performance … and how he still lost the race. Clearly driving the swiftest and best handling machine all afternoon, T-Stew brilliantly opted to pit with 33 to go, catching the other racers out of pocket, but then blew the moment by taking four tires. Carl Edwards and crew, sensing their chance, stop for service a few laps later, only take two tires, and the time savings makes all the difference as the 99 storms away for his first NSC win on the season. Smoke fumed and ‘stewed’ during the postrace session, yet his mistake was glaring for all veteran enthusiasts to see (we found ourselves screaming at the TV) … if you stop early near the end with intentions on outfoxing the gang in a close race, you can only take two tires … we’ve seen this blunder time and time again in NASCAR racing.

Formula 1

Where Is The Love? ...

Those of us who watch F1 with a jaundiced eye could only offer up a smug smirk after excerpts from a new Big Bernie tell-all again speaks to the bitter rift that exists between supremo drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Back in 2007 when both men drove for McLaren (Alonso the defender, Hamilton the rookie), Alonso’s fury over Hamilton’s tremendous performance prompted the former’s PR camp to allegedly launch a withering smear campaign against the Briton, thickly insinuated with the notion that the brown-skinned superkid could never have dreamed of reaching an F1 grid without the paternalistic sponsorship (insert: token) of McLaren honcho Ron Dennis.  After the uppity darkie later rings up victories at Indy, Silverstone, and Hungary, a humiliated and incensed Alonso privately demands that Dennis diminish Hamilton’s ride while declaring the Spaniard as the clear Number 1 team driver … a policy McLaren has never implemented throughout its history. We know the rest of the story … Hamilton wins two more races and loses the WC to Raikkonen by one mere point, prompting the petulant Alonso to storm off back to Renault. Yes, Alonso has a horrific reputation as a poor sport, but come on … that’s a little bit too much information even for us …

IndyCar

In its never ending yet promising attempt to lure crowds and eyeballs back to IndyCar, the Series announced last week the return of the twin-race, doubleheader concept after a twenty year hiatus. Starting this year at Fall Texas, IndyCar will host a Twin 275 event comprised of two separate races, with the start of Race 2 determined by the finish result of Race 1. We fondly remember the concept from ‘back in the day’, and believe that the current crop of drivers, all fairly matched in talent, will produce an thrilling event that easily bests its predecessors.

Roll, Tide, Roll ...

On a more discouraging note, Bridgestone (Firestone) announced last week its intention of dumping IndyCar tire production for 2012. What’s left? With Goodyear committed to NASCAR, Pirelli to F1, Michelin and Continental to sportscar, and Hoosier to the lesser stock series, one gets the shaky feeling that Sears Craftsman or Pep Boys Brand may become the Series’ official tiremaker.

Add some spice to your race viewing weekend and play Fantasy Cup Series (Second Half NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar). What? You’re going to watch the race this weekend anyway …

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NASCAR Retrospective: 1956 Grand National at Merced, California

Posted on March 3, 2011 by gharls

The Now Beloved Mighty 300s Make An Appearance in California's Central Valley ...

Millionaire and somewhat eccentric northerner Carl Kiekhaefer turned NASCAR upon its ear in 1955 after buying his way into the series with the mighty Chrysler C-300 and 300B, a pair of beautiful Hemi-powered juggernauts that dominated the tracks and swept up 45 of 90 Grand National races over two seasons.

Although drivers Tim Flock, Buck Baker, and Herb Thomas tittered with glee as they pocketed the prize money, the powerful Hemis did not sit well with the southern NASCAR establishment, who clearly viewed the wealthy Kiekhaefer as a northern interloper intruding upon their cultural treasure.  Kiekhaefer, who made his immense fortune by devising the Mercury outboard motor, did not suffer the snobbery and set out to crush his competition.

Beginning with a win by driver Buck Baker at Atlanta on March 23, 1956, Kiekhaefer’s entries triggered a remarkable stretch of racing performances that resulted in sixteen consecutive victories, a team owner record that likely will stand for NASCAR eternity. The Chrysler 300B ended its wondrous run on June 3 at a rural half-mile dirt oval speedway located in the California Central Valley town of Merced (by coincidence, our own hometown NASCAR track). Herb Thomas (300-B Carl Kiekhaefer Chrysler) held off Harold Hardesty’s 1956 Chevrolet in a hundred lap NGN event for his forty-eighth and final Grand National career victory.

Trouble shortly thereafter bubbled up for Kiekhaefer and his powerful cars. Flock quit his team in a snit soon after the NASCAR West Coast tour, and upon the series’ return to the South, bristling fans began to hiss and jeer Kiekhaefer and his entries despite their racing success (Buck Baker spoke on the record about his seething anger regarding his treatment by fans after his 1956 racing victories).  In the following 1957 season, Big Bill France, anxious to rid his NASCAR franchise of the ‘northern intruder’, implemented a series of technical rule changes that utterly debilitated the mighty Chrysler 300s. Kiekhaefer battled with France over the unfavorable treatment for a brief spell before exiting the sport out of fear that the negative publicity would harm his own Mercury Outboards enterprise.

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