Jimmie Johnson and Burnouts
October 24, 2003
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse Chevrolet discusses his 2003 season and outlook for the upcoming Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Ga. Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA.
Johnson currently sits in fifth place in the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings, just 66 points behind second place, 23 points behind third place and 6 points behind fourth place. Johnson has ranked among the top-10 in the Winston Cup points standings for 65 consecutive races, dating back to the 2002 spring race in Atlanta.
Rudd on his career and Atlanta
October 23, 2003
Ricky Rudd philosophises on his career and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ricky has been a fan favorite for his clean (mostly) and fast racing, and it sure would be nice to see him take down the speedway with a “W” this weekend.
sportsillustrated.cnn.com: Winning more important than consecutive races streak
Nascar and the U.S. taxpayer
October 23, 2003
The taxpayer is you and me. The issue is the U.S. Army spending $16 million a year of our money to sponsor the MB2 Motorsports Nascar entry. The Army’s objective? To gain 1200 new recruits this year due to the Nascar marketing angle. I guess if the military can justify $1,200 dollar hammers, paying $13,333 per new recruit shouldn’t be a big deal. Except it’s not working. They should just offer a sign-up bonus to the first 1200 new recruits and be done with it.
ajc.com: ‘Army of One’ car fails on all fronts
Tire testing the difference in F1…
October 23, 2003
…tire war. According to Michelin and Bridgestone reports. And don’t forget about having the rules changed to compensate for your tires lack of competitiveness (Bridgestone). Or your tires complete failure in the wet (Michelin). I am almost over Ross “The Rat” Brawn’s antics this year, but not quite. The only thing softening my anger is the complete failure of the BMW Williams team in all aspects of the game in the last two races of the year. If only…
f1racing.net: F1 tyre war won on the test track.
Awards presented
October 23, 2003
Team owner Rob Dyson and driver Jan Magnusson were honored with awards this past Sunday.
speedarena.com: Dyson, Magnussen Win Special American Le Mans Series Awards
More on Renna crash
October 23, 2003
The story below expands the available info to date on Tony Renna’s crash which took his life yesterday. I have to wonder how many emergency personnel were on hand for the testing session and if additional help would have been present if they were racing as opposed to testing. According to reports, Renna was delivered to the hospital within 23 minutes of the incident, which would normally indicate a rapid response. A full investigation of the crash will no doubt reveal all circumstances of the crash and the response.
sports.yahoo.com: Cause of Renna’s crash remains unclear
Where there’s a statistical chance…
October 23, 2003
…there is hope. As long as they are within striking distance of the title, Team Rahal’s Gigante car with Michel Jourdain Jr. behind the wheel will be attacking both remaining races of the year. All’s they have to do to win the championship is win both remaining races. If not winning the title outright I think they will pressure Bruno Junquira out of second place.
cart-racing.com: Championship dreams for Michel Jourdain Jr
Mayfield contract extended
October 23, 2003
In the age of “What have you done for me lately” Jeremy Mayfield should be gratefull for his contract extension at Evenham Motorsports. You can bet your restrictor plate if he struggles next year, he will not see 2005 in an Evernham Dodge. As the competition continues to tighten for sponsorship dollars and success, the tolerance for mediocre performance will continue to dwindle.
thatsracin.com: Mayfield to stay with Evernham
Death and racing
October 23, 2003
Can F1, and open wheel racing in general, learn anything from the tragic deaths and near deaths in racing this year? My guess would be not likely. Not that racing teams are reluctant to institute new techniques of design safety. The driving cells or cocoons, of most open wheel cars have been proven to be remarkably strong in the worst of accidents. The real problem is when cars get airborne, and then it’s only a matter of luck how the car hits and lands. In one case, Kenny Brack manages to survive, in another, Tony Renna incurs fatal injuries.
grandprix.com: Can F1 learn lessons from the death of Tony Renna?
Sam meets Team Penske
October 23, 2003
Sam Hornish had his first driving opportunity for Team Penske at the Indianappolis Motor Speedway.
buffalonews.com: Hornish goes for drive for Penske, his new boss