Hero To Zero
March 22, 2004
That is a fair description of Marlboro Team Penske and their drivers after their Phoenix performance yesterday. Will they be able to emulate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s similar roller coaster ride in NASCAR, and return to hero status in Motegi?
My suspicion is that it won’t be a problem at all. If they can keep from running over the back markers like Adrian Fernandez, all should be well!
crash.net: Disappointing day for Penske.
Bridgestone Supports Ferrari….
March 22, 2004
….by raising prices in their home market, Japan. I would guess that prices will rise in all of their world markets, but I find it somewhat amusing that the Japanese are the first to pay for all that tire testing and rubber needed to keep Ferrari ahead of the curve. If the exec’s at Bridgestone had any sense of humor, they would give the Tifosi of Europe, especially Italy, the honor of being first to get screwed at the tire counter. You can allways settle for a Michelin, but they don’t work as well, do they!
Bridgestone.co.jp: Bridgestone to Raise Tire Prices in Japan
Bahrain F1 Sold Out?
March 22, 2004
Am I reading this story right? No, I’m not surprised that the event is sold out. I’m stunned that they invest $150 million large, and can only seat 30,000? No wonder security is not an issue, they can frisk each and every attendee and not cause any major delays!
f-1live.com: Packed crowd awaits Middle East’s first race
Denver Event Coming Together
March 22, 2004
Just what OWRS needs, a little positive news. Maybe I should follow the lead of my Commander-in-Chief here at FM, and have blind faith in the OWRS’ ability to pull this off. The only person unhappy over the news will be the Denver area columnist Woody Paige. He was Soooo pleased with last years race!
Driver Notes From Darlington
March 22, 2004
Driver and Crew Notes & Quotes
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Race Notes - Darlington Raceway
MICHAEL WALTRIP, NO. 15 NAPA CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: “As soon as I let off the gas getting into Turn 3, I got a flat tire. Away it went. We spun out and got some heavy damage. We weren’t in that bad of shape, but the No. 77 (Brendan Gaughan) came by and I hit him and that turned me head-on into the outside wall. So we’ve got some damage to the NAPA Chevy. It’s very disappointing, but sometimes stuff happens in life that’s craziness. We’ve had our share of bad luck. But there isn’t anything we can do about that. It’s a tough day.”
Johnson & Knaus Interview
March 21, 2004
Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus Post Race Press Conference:
JOHNSON:
“We had a strong car. We could hold our own in traffic. I could maybe get a spot or two on restarts. But the pit stops were and the teamwork on pit road was what really got us in position to lead the race. We led through two cycles there. In the long run we would loosen up a little bit and I’d burn the rear tires off the car and we’d have to work on it some.
Johnson Tames Darlington
March 21, 2004
Jimmie Johnson beat Bobby Labonte in a four-lap dash to the finish in Sunday’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Johnson was one of 11 leaders on the day but was out front when it counted most.
“I can’t believe I’ve won Darlington. This is unbelievable. This has always been a goal of mine to win at Darlington. We’ve always had a great car and been very close. And then to do it today with the great car that we had is awesome. We had great teamwork. We had a great car on short runs. The pit stops made the difference and got us the lead and got us the win.”
Jeff Gordon had nowhere to go as “field filler” Hillenberg slid across the track after being “helped” into a spin by and Impatient Tony Stewart. Hillenberg was T-boned by Jeff Gordon. After getting checked out at the infield care center Gordon was critical of some of the slower cars.
Kanaan Gets First Win of Season & Second In A Row At Phoenix
March 21, 2004
Tony Kanaan dominated today in the blistering Arizona heat, picking up his first victory of the season and his second in a row at Phoenix International Raceway. Passing polesitter and Andretti Green Racing teammate Dan Wheldon on the first lap, Kanaan led all but nine laps of the race.
Two of Kanaan’s three Andretti Green teammates - Wheldon and Bryan Herta - also finished in the top 10 (third and seventh, respectively). Reigning series champion Scott Dixon bounced back from a disappointing finish at Homestead to finish in second place.
IndyRacing.com: Kanaan Dominates For Second Year In A Row
IndyStar.com: Kanaan dominates IRL race at Phoenix
Motorsport.com: Kudos to Kanaan at Phoenix
Harley-Davidson Get First NHRA Win; Schumacher, Worsham & Anderson Also Score At Gatornationals
March 21, 2004
GAINESVILLE, Fl. - Andrew Hines rode a Harley-Davidson into the history books Sunday, earning the factory’s first win in NHRA history during the Pro Stock Bike final at the 35th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Tony Schumacher, Del Worsham and Greg Anderson earned the wins in their respective categories at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
It was also the first career victory for Hines, the 20-year-old brother of three-time Pro Stock Bike champion Matt Hines. Hines defeated teammate and fellow Harley rider GT Tonglet. Hines earned the win with a 7.076-second run at 189.83 mph to beat Tonglet’s 7.161 at 182.96.
NHRA.com: Sunday Recap
HarleyDavidson.com: SCREAMIN’ EAGLE/VANCE & HINES V-ROD WINS GATORNATIONALS
DragRaceCentral.com: Harley-Davidson Earns First NHRA Win
Schumacher Wins Malaysian Grand Prix, Button Gets First Podium
March 21, 2004
Second race of 2004 - second win for Ferrari, of course with Michael Schumacher coming out on top. It was Schumacher’s 72nd career win, the 53rd with Ferrari.
Lucky Strike B•A•R Honda took the fight to Ferrari and Williams today as Jenson Button delivered a simply outstanding performance in the Malaysian Grand Prix to finish third on the podium. Jenson triumphed in the most grueling race of the season, driving with grit and determination from the start of the 56-lap race to the long-awaited first podium finish of his F1 career.
