Johnson takes control, scores all-star win

Hendrick had a huge night with Junior winning the first race of the night to qualify for the million dollar All-Star main event. But Jimmy Johnson was in a class by himself last night.

http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/05/19/87517/johnson-takes-control-scores-all.html

Ryan Briscoe wins Indy 500 pole by closest of margins

dRyan Briscoe

The qualifying story came down to Andretti Autosport vs. Team Penske. In the end Ryan Briscoe was the guy holding te giant check for a hundred-grand.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120520/SPORTS0101/305200010/1217/SPORTS0107

IndyCar drivers lobbying to keep extra turbo boost for race day

The move to turbocharged engines should have meant *more* horsepower for Indycar this year. However, the engines have been a little soft, which is why Indycar cranked up the turbo-boost for Fast Friday and Qualifying. The speeds yesterday were on par with previous years, and the pole should be around 228 mph.

The drivers are said to be lobbying to have Indycar keep the boost turned up for the race now, with some drivers saying that the car feels better with the extra horses. But can these engines last 500 miles while being pushed that hard?

IndyCar drivers hoping series officials keep power boost for race day at Indianapolis – The Washington Post.

Dani Pedrosa snatches Le Mans MotoGP pole as Stoner struggled for clean lap

“We had the pace to take pole – but I don’t think I got one clean lap.” – Casey Stoner

BBC Sport – MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa on pole for French race in Le Mans.

The equivalency formula is back in Indycar? Will Lotus get more boost to keep the field full?

This is pathetic.  If Lotus can’t build a motor even in the same bracket of performance with Honda and Chevy, they shouldn’t qualify for the 500.  Indycar is mulling over the idea of giving Lotus more boost so they don’t get run over, and to make sure they have 33 cars within 105% of the pole time.

So is the equivalency formula making a comeback? Roger has a tractor engine he wants to run in his Dallara next year.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120519/SPORTS0101/205190323/1217/SPORTS0107

“Old Man” Casey Stoner could switch to V8 Supercars after MotoGP retirement, also fastest in practice today

Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner, the “grisly old veteran” that is retiring MotoGP this year at age 26, is now linked to a moved to V8 Supercars in Australia. Stoner says to be retiring due to “family reasons”, which probably means that guy wants to keep his body intact and take on other challenges.

The “old man”, by the way, was fastest this morning and is likely to retire at the top of his game. He has hardly looked better at any time in his career.

Stoner could switch to V8 Supercars.

Video: NASCAR on FOX crew previews Darlington


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Lewis Hamilton rockets to Spanish pole in strange day of qualifying

Lewis Hamilton

What the “H” is going on in Formula 1 this year with teams like Lotus andd Sauber out-qualifying Red Bull? It seems some of the upside-down results are due to tire (tyre?) saving strategies that some teams are using, but the start and early part of the race should be very dicey.

Spanish Grand Prix 2012 – Qualifying
Driver Teams Time
1 LC Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 1’21.707
2 P Maldonado (VEN) Williams 1’22.285
3 F Alonso (ESP) Ferrari 1’22.302
4 R Grosjean (FRA) Lotus 1’22.424
5 KM Räikkönen (FIN) Lotus 1’22.487
6 S Perez (MEX) Sauber 1’22.533

ESPN F1 has more.

Lewis Hamilton rockets to Spanish pole | Spanish Grand Prix | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1.


Danica Finishes 12th In Darlington Debut

RIR_2288

Say what you want about Danica’s media circus,  but you have to have some driving chops to finish in the top 15 at Darlington. That place is just a weird old racetrack that looks absolutely frightening to race on.

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/nns-danica-patrick-finishes-12th-in-darlington-raceway-nascar-debut/

Carrol Shelby, famed race-car designer, dies at 89

2011-07-16 16.29.11

DEARBORN, Mich., May 11, 2012– Carroll Shelby was a member of the Ford family for the better part of 60 years, producing stunning performance vehicles from concepts to production models.

He once said his energy and passion for performance products were always strongest when he was working with Ford.

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Stage at Talladega couldn’t be more perfectly set for Earnhardt Jr.

This would be a storybook way for Hendrick to get their big win and Earnhardt to get his first one in a bazillion races.  Steve Letarte might still find a way to mess it up, though.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/05/06/3951174/stage-at-talladega-couldnt-be.html

Casey Stoner takes MotoGP championship lead by beating Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa to Portuguese Grand Prix win

So far the MotoGP season has been lacking entertainment value, but Stoner’ dominance has been something to behold.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99411


IndyCar Races Are Coming to YouTube: Fan’s View – Yahoo! Sports

Now, I will be able to watch full race replays on IndyCar’s YouTube channel, after the races have been broadcast. I learned about the news via IndyCar’s Facebook page and in researching this article, I could not find any other official announcements made, other than the update on Facebook. The post reads “Exciting news! Our races will be on our YouTube page after they broadcast! Look for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle coming soon!”

 

IndyCar Races Are Coming to YouTube: Fan’s View – Yahoo! Sports.

PR: Team Patrόn Finds Themselves in an Exciting Rookie Showdown in Houston #NHRA

Topanga Canyon, CA (May 2, 2012) — After three very solid qualifying rounds and an exciting showdown in the first round of eliminations, the Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrόn Toyota Camry Funny Car team left the Lone Star state happy with their performance and ready to hit the ground running in Atlanta, GA.

Going into the weekend, Team Patrόn knew they would be up against high temperatures, making for tricky track conditions. The crew was able to apply their knowledge from a previous warm weather test day, giving them a slight tuning advantage going into the weekend.

“Our team was very happy with our results, given the hot track. The car has consistency and has been running fast. It’s all about progression,” said Jim Oberhofer, VP of Kalitta Motorsports.

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NASCAR From Richmond Ties Second-Lowest FOX Overnight

I know that the NASCAR machine wants to tout Richmond as some sort of no-holds-barred bullring, but I’ve never found this racetrack to be very interesting. Neither did much of America on Saturday night as the race was one of least watched races ever on FOX.

Sprint Cup: NASCAR From Richmond Ties Second-Lowest FOX Overnight | Sports Media Watch.