Ever been whupped by a pink race car?
August 29, 2008
This is the car that Funny Car driver Ashley Force will pilot at this weekend’s Mac Tools US Nationals in Indianapolis.Quite reminiscent of Top Fuel pioneer Shirley Muldowney’s pink dragster, isn’t it? Read more
Silly Silly Season!!!
August 28, 2008
This year I think is going to set a record for a Sprint Cup Silly Season. It just gets worse as it goes on. Drivers are being hired without knowing which car, or sponsor they will run in 2009. There apparently are only four teams left in the sport. Read more
FastMachines.com Radio Episode #8
August 28, 2008
Chris and Josh are joined this week by Tiffany Ricardo from RaceLineOnline.com. We into the big mess after the checkered flag few at Bristol, the Childress shake ups, and talk about what we can expect from the rest of the Sprint Cup season. Then Josh and Chris review the F1 race in Valencia, as well as the latest IRL and Sports Car action… Show notes below the fold…
Let us know what you think by commenting on this posting, or shoot Chris and I an email by sending to radio@fastmachines.com.
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The FastMachines.com Radio Podcast is brought to you by:
Michelin - Race to Learn, Race to Win
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NASCAR Tells Kyle And Carl To Play Nice
August 27, 2008
If you were wondering whether or not there were going to be any penalties due to Carl Edwards’ hands slipping on the wheel and turning Kyle Busch into a really fast pinata; the answer to that question has been given, and the great and mighty Oz of NASCAR had this to say:
“It was a postrace incident involving two highly competitive drivers, both of whom are in the midst of battling for a championship. The issue has been addressed with both drivers and they both know where they stand,” (Kerry) Tharp said. Read more
Changes are a-comin’ for the Bud Shootout
August 27, 2008
NASCAR and Budweiser recently announced that the Budweiser Shootout, an exhibition race held during Speedweeks prior to the Daytona 500, will undergo a major format change starting with the 2009 race. For the past 30 years, the race sponsor extended invitations to those drivers who won a pole the previous season, or previous winners of the race. Now, the race will only be open to the top 6 teams from each manufacturer. The top 6 teams will be determined by the previous year’s points position. Read more
Massa dominates Euro GP
August 26, 2008
I had a chance to catch up on my DirecTV playlist over the weekend, and watched an F1 race that featured a couple hours of boredom interrupted by moments of excitement and/or sheer terror. Felipe Massa and Ferrari won the race in dominating fashion, which helped to soothe some of the disappointment of a horrible day for Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen ran what seemed to be a loafing pace compared to Massa, but that may have been due to a lagging engine.
But that wasn’t the worst of it for Kimi. Near the end of the race, Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen pitted on the same lap within seconds of each other. And let’s just say that the race out of the pits was a little bit too exciting. Raikkonen got a little bit anxious and left his stall before the fuel hose was detached, causing a huge debacle. The launched car dragged the fuel hose through a group of crew members, knocked down the crew like a set of bowling pins, and causing one man to nearly get run over by Kimi’s right-rear tire. It was a frightening incident, and fortunately nobody was terribly hurt, and there was no fire. Reports I’ve found are that the injuries are limited to bruises, scrapes, and a broken toe.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Bristol
August 26, 2008
I bump you, you bump me, we’re a NASCAR family…
No Christmas cards will be exchanged between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards this year, and there probably wouldn’t have been before Carl took Kyle’s bump during the cool-down lap and gave him his best heavy metal left hook.
I love Bristol. Read more
Blue Monday: Helio wins, turbos to come in next decade
August 25, 2008
After spending most of the 2008 season as the bridesmaid-but-never-the-bride in the Indy Car Series, Helio Castroneves finally got a win in Sonoma. I can’t really comment directly about the race, because I haven’t seen it yet thanks to a very busy weekend that kept me away from my apartment, and the fact that the one-hour window I had to watch racing was spent watching the ALMS race. But reports from most fans that I’ve been conversing with tell me that it was a typical road-course snoozer produced by the under-performing Dallara/Honda package.
Furthermore, the fact that the season has been dominated by the Ganassi/Penske juggernaut demonstrates that despite being a spec series, that car development is what really wins races in Indy Car. So the series is saddled with an ugly, under-performing car until 2011. And worse, the super-teams have the millions it takes to “put lipstick on the pig” and will continue to dominate the series. It’s not exactly a great recipe. I’d live with domination like we see in ALMS prototypes and F1 as long as I was excited about a chassis/engine formula with different manufacturers and designers involved. But to combine a formula that is ugly and old-as-hell-in-the-tooth with domination by two teams is a recipe for disinterest.
Hey Open Wheel Guys, How’d That Work Out For Ya?
August 25, 2008
A mere two years after the beginning of NASCAR’s big ”Open Wheel Invasion,” we are about to come full circle. As of now, it looks as though the two original drivers who defected from open-wheel racing may be the last ones standing for 2009. Congratulations to Sam Hornish Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya for having such staying power. Read more
Kyle gets gored at the bullring!
August 24, 2008
Three race leaders… sounds boring. But it wasn’t! Carl Edwards took the early lead, only to give it up to Kyle Busch. Other than a single lap up front by Jeff Gordon, Busch was firmly in control for more than 400 laps. After every pit stop, with fresh rubber, Carl would challenge Kyle for the lead, occasionally pulling beside him, but never getting ahead of him. On lap 469, following yet another caution, Carl got under Kyle, bumped him, and went back into the lead. Kyle’s teammate Denny Hamlin also got past Kyle to run second. Read more