Any Auto Racing early season thoughts Open Wheel and/or Taxi Cab NASCAR?

[The General]

Guess who is leading the point standings in NASCAR?

Will Power is 2 for 2 in the Indy Racing League winning road courses in Brazil and Ft Lauderdale to open the season.

For you racing fans, what has stood out thus far early in the season? Please share anything on your mind if you enjoy auto racing.

Thanks

[The General]

Juan Montoya is in quite a hole already.

[The General]

Richard Childress has his stable of Chevy's doing well thus far. Harvick, Bowyer and Burton.

[The General]

With his 2 wins, Will Power has a nice point lead already with 103 over Ryan Hunter-Reay's, Dario Franchitti and Justin Wilson's 59 points.

Danica Patrick is still racing, sitting 10th in points.

It was sad to see that America's best driver couldn't get a ride in the season opener and doubtful to make all of the remaining races because of funding. And others in rides for the season who are far less talented than he is. By a vastly wide margin he is a better driver.

[nosniboR11]

i dont know but general you going back to jail this year

[Dunder]

Amazing F1 race on Sunday but it was totally made by a wet track at the start of the race.
The new rules, I fear, are not going to improve the spectacle of the racing on a consistent basis

[The General]

i dont know but general you going back to jail this year

Are you asking or telling me?

Amazing F1 race on Sunday but it was totally made by a wet track at the start of the race.
The new rules, I fear, are not going to improve the spectacle of the racing on a consistent basis

Thanks for sharing, Dunder.

[Stealinhome]

Ferrari is back in F1

[Stealinhome]

Amazing F1 race on Sunday but it was totally made by a wet track at the start of the race.
The new rules, I fear, are not going to improve the spectacle of the racing on a consistent basis

[avssakic]

Johnson will dominate yet again. Already won 50% of races

[onlooker]

I was surprised Hamlin pitted with 9 laps to go at Martinsville, and even more surprised that he won the race.

The RCR success is also a surprise to me.

[hawk 5]

I'm surprised there isn't another Sprint Cup race this weekend, pissed,too.

[The General]

The Hamlin win was quite amazing Monday. Had I seen an odd on him Not Winning after the last pit, I'd dumped the house on it. I'd be homeless had that scenario played out.

[The General]

Alabama track layout looks great if you take a look

IndyCar racing is coming to NASCAR country.



2.38-mile, 17-turn track. Officials estimate the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama could attract as many as 100,000 spectators from April 9-11. The track is about 40 miles west of the Talladega Superspeedway.

IndyCar is headed to Birmingham Alabama next week.

Barber Motosports Park in Birmingham, Ala., plays host to the IZOD IndyCar Series for the first time in 2010.

In the last five seasons, three drivers went on to win the series championship after winning an inaugural event at a track. In 2005, Dan Wheldon won the first race at St. Petersburg. In 2006, Dario Franchitti won the first race at Iowa and Scott Dixon won the first race at Edmonton in 2008. Franchitti won both inaugural events in 2009 – Long Beach and Toronto – on his way to capturing the championship.

The event at Barber is the third round of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. In 14 seasons, only two drivers have won the third race of the year and gone on to win the championship. They are: Dan Wheldon (2005, St. Petersburg); Sam Hornish Jr. (2002, California). The average finish in the third race of the season of drivers who went on to win the championship is 8.5.

http://www.indycar.com/schedule/show/55-izod-indycar-series/1801-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama-presented-by-legacy-credit-union/

The Indy Racing League and promoters announced a deal Monday that will bring the open-wheeled cars to the Barber Motorsports Park track starting in April 2010.

"This will be the only IndyCar Series race in the Deep South, meaning it is a great tourist draw for the region," said Gene Hallman, a longtime area sports promoter who heads Zoom Motorsports, which will stage the race.

The Indy Racing League has 18 dates on its schedule each year, and the Alabama track is getting a spot that opened when Detroit lost its race. The rest of the 2010 IndyCar Series schedule will be announced July 31.

Officials estimate the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama could attract as many as 100,000 spectators from April 9-11. The track is about 40 miles west of the Talladega Superspeedway.

"It's a really interesting track," IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti said in a statement. "It's a fabulous facility -- the way it's built, the way it's kept. The track is a real commitment track, a lot of really, really fast corners."

The event is expected to pump about $30 million into the area economy, according to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau.

More than 20,000 people turned out for IndyCar testing in March at the Barber track, a 2.38-mile, 17-turn track.

Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division, said officials worked for almost two years on bringing IndyCar racing to Birmingham.

Barber Motorsports Park was opened in 2003 by George Barber, former owner of Barber Dairies. Motorsports Park officials bill it as the largest philanthropic project in the history of Alabama with more than $70 million in private funds.

Indy racer Dan Wheldon said the track is both beautiful and challenging.

"It just has a little bit of everything," Wheldon said via conference call.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/racing/07/27/indy.alabama/index.html

[The General]

Back to NASCAR, Joey Logano was impressive at Martinsville. I don't think he was just lucky to finish 2nd. He may be a real dandy driver for Gibbs down the road. I had much doubt a year ago, but he is getting my attention already. NASCAR's youngest ever winner at 19 years old currently (May 24th) and made over 5.3 million in 2009 from Sprint Cup racing alone, not including other forms of racing and marketing.

[Reno Paul]

I'm surprised there isn't another Sprint Cup race this weekend, pissed,too.

The Sprint Cup hasn't raced on Easter Sunday for a while now. Although the Nationwide series will race in Nashville this weekend.

[onlooker]

The Sprint Cup hasn't raced on Easter Sunday for a while now. Although the Nationwide series will race in Nashville this weekend.

Yep. Trucks on Friday and Nationwide on Saturday.

[The General]

Qualifying is about to begin on Versus channel from Alabama.

IndyCar racing is coming to NASCAR country.



2.38-mile, 17-turn track. Officials estimate the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama could attract as many as 100,000 spectators from April 9-11. The track is about 40 miles west of the Talladega Superspeedway.

IndyCar is headed to Birmingham Alabama next week.

Barber Motosports Park in Birmingham, Ala., plays host to the IZOD IndyCar Series for the first time in 2010.

In the last five seasons, three drivers went on to win the series championship after winning an inaugural event at a track. In 2005, Dan Wheldon won the first race at St. Petersburg. In 2006, Dario Franchitti won the first race at Iowa and Scott Dixon won the first race at Edmonton in 2008. Franchitti won both inaugural events in 2009 – Long Beach and Toronto – on his way to capturing the championship.

The event at Barber is the third round of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. In 14 seasons, only two drivers have won the third race of the year and gone on to win the championship. They are: Dan Wheldon (2005, St. Petersburg); Sam Hornish Jr. (2002, California). The average finish in the third race of the season of drivers who went on to win the championship is 8.5.

http://www.indycar.com/schedule/show/55-izod-indycar-series/1801-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama-presented-by-legacy-credit-union/

The Indy Racing League and promoters announced a deal Monday that will bring the open-wheeled cars to the Barber Motorsports Park track starting in April 2010.

"This will be the only IndyCar Series race in the Deep South, meaning it is a great tourist draw for the region," said Gene Hallman, a longtime area sports promoter who heads Zoom Motorsports, which will stage the race.

The Indy Racing League has 18 dates on its schedule each year, and the Alabama track is getting a spot that opened when Detroit lost its race. The rest of the 2010 IndyCar Series schedule will be announced July 31.

Officials estimate the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama could attract as many as 100,000 spectators from April 9-11. The track is about 40 miles west of the Talladega Superspeedway.

"It's a really interesting track," IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti said in a statement. "It's a fabulous facility -- the way it's built, the way it's kept. The track is a real commitment track, a lot of really, really fast corners."

The event is expected to pump about $30 million into the area economy, according to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau.

More than 20,000 people turned out for IndyCar testing in March at the Barber track, a 2.38-mile, 17-turn track.

Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division, said officials worked for almost two years on bringing IndyCar racing to Birmingham.

Barber Motorsports Park was opened in 2003 by George Barber, former owner of Barber Dairies. Motorsports Park officials bill it as the largest philanthropic project in the history of Alabama with more than $70 million in private funds.

Indy racer Dan Wheldon said the track is both beautiful and challenging.

"It just has a little bit of everything," Wheldon said via conference call.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ama/index.html

[TWEETS]

made it to my first dirt race of the season last night, thats what they should be showing on TV not this Nascrap

[The General]

TWEETS, the local dirt and/or concrete tracks are awesome. I enjoy those more so than the bigger events I have been to.

Castroneves wins the inaugural Alabama Grand Prix today and it was a very clean race.

Castroneves will be trying for his 4th Indy 500 win next month.

The Indy 500 and month of May is a great time for auto racing.


Ryan Newman was a surprise to me last night in NASCAR, winning at Phoenix in 600 miles. His team outdid the best in his win.

[Stealinhome]

Yea that was a good race

[JuicedUp]

Yeeeeeehaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hawk 5]

The way Jeff Gordon ran that 1st lap of the restart, you would think he was a rookie.

[onlooker]

The way Jeff Gordon ran that 1st lap of the restart, you would think he was a rookie.

He spun the tires.

[Dutzbot5000]

Yep. Trucks on Friday and Nationwide on Saturday.

Love the trucks

[onlooker]

Love the trucks

We have to wait until May 2nd for the next race.

[your pixel army]

If this Kahne move pushes Martin out of the #5 car, I'm going to hope his ass wrecks every week.

[onlooker]

If this Kahne move pushes Martin out of the #5 car, I'm going to hope his ass wrecks every week.

From what I read, it will be up to Mark Martin. Something about a retirement in 2011, or semi-retirement. Kahne will probably drive a Chevy from the SHR team.

[onlooker]

The way Jeff Gordon ran that 1st lap of the restart, you would think he was a rookie.

Also, do you think he is just content with Jimmie winning everything in his car? Is the fire still there for Jeff Gordon?

[The General]

Kasey Kahne's big move to Hendrick

Rick Hendrick's now the George Steinbrenner of NASCAR, not only in his ability to win championships, but by acquiring top dollar talent in the garage from the drivers on down the roster.

Certainly, the results justify his actions. Hendrick engines have won four of the first seven races this season, and a Hendrick driver's won the last four championships.

However, the new NASCAR owner model is changing again. Team owners have obviously discovered a way to circumvent NASCAR's four-team rule by merging with other teams and/or making said teams "retail partners." Roush Fenway Racing started the practice with Yates Racing, then went one step further and moved Richard Petty Motorsports onto the RFR campus.

Hendrick went around it and took the process one step further, by not only providing its satellite operation at Stewart-Haas Racing with championship caliber equipment, but enlisting talent of an equivalent standard to race it. In 2011, it's possible HMS/SHR could have seven cars in the Chase.

Finally, when a team has a winning percentage such as Hendrick -- 13 of 36 races last season (36 per cent) -- how can other organizations compete off the track when it comes to sponsorship? Put simply, they can't.

WHAT ARE KAHNE'S OPTIONS FOR 2011?

Hendrick says the responsibility to place Kasey on a team next year lies with him.

Multiple sources still say Kahne drives a Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet next season. The only way that scenario changes is if Mark Martin decides to retire early, or run a limited schedule. Hendrick said Martin didn't wish to race full-time after 2011. Other than the contract with GoDaddy.com, there's nothing to stop Martin from an early semi-retirement. "It would have to be Mark Martin's thing that he does not want to do what he told me he wanted to do," Hendrick said.

JR Motorsports doesn't appear to be an option, either. According to Hendrick, "Junior's made it pretty clear that he wants to see that a Nationwide organization. That could change subject to Danica's (Patrick) decisions."

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/04/14/pressing-questions-kahnes-big/

[your pixel army]

From what I read, it will be up to Mark Martin. Something about a retirement in 2011, or semi-retirement. Kahne will probably drive a Chevy from the SHR team.

Which is what pisses me off. Martin is going to move over to SHR and give Kahne the #5 and Gustafson for 2011 because that's just the kind of guy he is. However, I think he needs to be selfish and keep his ass planted in that car for all of this year and next.

Honestly, it makes more sense if Martin moves away in 2011 to SHR and Kahne takes the seat right away. However, Martin is a legitimate title threat whereas Kahne is going to be a novelty that wins a few races a year and finishes 10th in the standings. As a Martin fan, I want to see him have 2010 and 2011 in a pure Hendrick car to see if he can win a championship.

So far
Daytona: Martin 12th - Crapshoot race
Cali: 4th
LVMS: 4th
Bristol: Running 3rd when Biffle takes him out
Martinsville: Running 3-4th when he gets a pit road violation of the team's doing
Phoenix: 4th

Outside of the restrictor plate race, Martin has been the only driver with a top 5 car every week.

[pat venditto]

Nascar

[hawk 5]

Nascar

Yes, you got to love it.

[The General]

Mark Martin will be allowed to dictate the path here and he'll make the correct decisions I believe. Unfortunately, it'll be hard for him to win a Cup title facing a short time frame at the end of his career. I'd like to see it as well, but I'm not very optimistic. I am optimistic that he'll make a lot of money, unlike the early days in his tenure as a NASCAR driver. Nationwide Practice is underway on ESPN2 at Texas. Fast fast fast track.

[your pixel army]

Mark Martin will be allowed to dictate the path here and he'll make the correct decisions I believe. Unfortunately, it'll be hard for him to win a Cup title facing a short time frame at the end of his career. I'd like to see it as well, but I'm not very optimistic. I am optimistic that he'll make a lot of money, unlike the early days in his tenure as a NASCAR driver. Nationwide Practice is underway on ESPN2 at Texas. Fast fast fast track.

You're right that his best chances at a title may be behind him. However, I still think he's the best threat to dethrone Johnson.

I just hope that he doesn't feel that because Hendrick threw him this opportunity to drive the #5 car that he should repay Rick by moving out of it early.