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McMurray with obligations in LA previous to Sunday’s race

imurillo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:22:45 +0000

Slowly but surely, Jamie McMurray has realized his victory in last Sunday’s Daytona 500 wasn’t a dream. It’s real, and he’s enjoying every minute of it. More than six hours after the start of the Daytona 500, McMurray joyfully hoisted the famed Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. McMurray endured lengthy delays for potholes that surfaced on the track, survived a crash-filled affair in the closing laps and held off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap.

Last year, McMurray didn’t know for whom he would drive in 2010 after his Roush Fenway Racing No.26 team folded tent at the end of the season. He landed a ride with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in the No.1 car shortly after, and what a debut he made with the team.

With his second-place run, Earnhardt Jr. was the highest finisher among the four Hendrick drivers. Earnhardt Jr., hoping to snap a 57-race winless streak, charged from 10th on the final two-lap overtime restart to second on the last lap, but McMurray held him off by 0.12 seconds. California has not been one of Earnhardt Jr.’s best tracks, based on his previous performances there. ”I don’t like going out west, but it’s much easier to go there after you run good somewhere else,” Earnhardt Jr. said. Earnhardt Jr. has finished 25th or worse in three of the last four races at California.

McMurray celebrates his Daytona 500 victory with several obligations in Los Angeles this week previous to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

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Kovalainen assures Lotus has great potential

imurillo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:47:21 +0000

Yesterday, Kovalainen completed 30 laps prior to the accident where his front wing broke and forced him to leave the circuit, because there was no spare part to replace it. However, he was not distressed and even though he admitted the single-seater lacks aerodynamics, he assured that the T127 has great potential.

“I think the potential is there. The initial sensation this morning was good,” explained Kovalainen. “With enough grip in the slow curves, the car is behaving quite well. But it does lack adherence in high speeds [curves] where we lose time, probably too, because of configuration issues [set-up]. But, overall it is alright and I enjoyed it very much.”

After running for McLaren since 2008, Kovalainen has great experience in races with the Formula One champion team and is used to utilizing Mercedes engines – considered as the best in the grid.

When asked to compare the Lotus’ V8 Cosworth with Mercedes’ engine, he said: “In terms of sheer power, it is not very far from Mercedes’, although it is probably not as good, but on the whole, the sensation is quite positive. The ease with which you drive it was very competitive when compared with Mercedes. The power is located at different areas, but I feel it is one of the strongest parts of the car.”

Kovalainen has remained in Jerez to test his car today, Friday. The new front wing was delivered last nigh to the racing team.

Button, Alonso and Webber competing

imurillo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:58:54 +0000

With a completely dry Jerez circuit, all the cars are now unveiling in dry. However, during the morning, the times started to drop. Button, Alonso and Webber are competing to clock the fastest lap. McLaren is currently leading at the top of the timesheet with 1:20.394 – a second faster than the best time we have seen in Jerez up to now.

A mechanical failure of Webber, just after 12:00 PM, affected the Red Bull program and caused the red flag of the fifth day. On the other hand, Di Grassi did not arrive to the party on time, because by the beginning of the morning he had not finished a complete lap and is again 11 seconds behind the best time. Lotus is the only racing team that has not timed to this moment, but hopes its gearbox problem is solved and his pilot is determined to take the track this evening.

Williams has begun its box stop testing, and reports point out that Hulkenberg will do a simulation race this evening if the sky remains so clear.

Everything is trouble-free with Mercedes: Schumacher arrived late to the circuit, and ran few laps. At lunch time, Toro Rosso had completed most of the laps (64) while Kobayashi in the Sauber the least (6). This is contrary to the announcement made that said that the racing team was waiting for good weather to run many miles.

MORNING TIMES
.1. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:20.394 (50 laps)
.2. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:21.684 (46)
.3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:21.771 (72)
.4. Robert Kubica (Renault) 1:21.915 (49)
.5. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:21.919 (37)
.6. Adrian Sutil (Force Inidia) 1:21.985 (39)
.7. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:22.973 (64)
.8. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:23.634 (77)
.9. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 1:25.818 (6)
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) 1:26.327 (20)
11. Lucas di Grassi (Virgin) 1:31.670 (22)

Thursday’s Evening Session at Jerez Circuit

imurillo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:55:39 +0000

In the evening, Ferrari has hurried to clarify that the F10 problems had nothing to do with the new chassis that Felipe Massa unveiled yesterday. As a matter of fact, they declared it was time to prepare for Bahrain, making clear that the initial tests were surmounted.

After Massa slid off the track, Vettel improved his time (1:28.162), leaving Red Bull in the third position of the timesheet. After that lap, the red flag stopped everything; the marshals had to clean the racetrack a bit because when Massa slid off his car, the racetrack received some gravel.

A severe rain showered the racetrack again, with strong winds of 50km/h. which enjoyed the passing by of the single-seaters through the Jerez de la Frontera single-seaters. Timo Glock did not let the command go as had been rumored and he rolled during the evening, which Lotus could not do, after Kovalainen’s incident where the front wing of the single-seater was destroyed.

Again, under the rain, Barrichello’s Williams was the one that ran more and better in the curvy racetrack of Jerez. Meanwhile, Buemi, Hamilton, Pretrov and Glock went out to the circuit to take advantage of the last minutes of the day.

Nonetheless, they were not lucky, because again, there was a severe rainstorm that made it impossible to roll at too much rhythm. So much so that Glock’s Virgin stopped at the first curve, finishing his session before the time.

Another day marked by the rain that altered the programmed unveiling plans and the single-seaters evolution. Forecast are not better for tomorrow.

Thursday’s Final Times in Jerez

1. Barrichello 1:271.45 (74 lap)
2. Petrov 1:27.828 (34 lap)
3. Vettel 1:28.162 (49 lap)
4. Massa 1:28.879 (46 lap)
5. Rosberg 1:28.964 (41 lap)
6. De la Rosa 1:29.691 (8 lap)
7. Di resta 1:30.344 (33 lap)
8. Glock 1:31.557 (41 lap)
9. Hamilton 1:31.692 (44 lap)
10. Buemi 1:32.678 (43 lap)
11. Kovalainen 1:33.554 (30 lap)

Mercedes must win races to be in Formula One

imurillo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:04:14 +0000

Daimler’s President, Dieter Zetsche, has warned that for Mercedes F1 racing team to continue in Formula One, it must pay its participation by winning races, and thus helping its headquarter company.

Mercedes, together with Aabar stockholders, took charge of Brawn at the end of last year, satisfying the long cherished dream of becoming a Formula One constructor. The manufacturer chose the seven-times champion, Michael Schumacher for the project, who will partner with Nico Rosberg to win the championship in his first comeback year.

However, Zetsche reveled in an interview that, “winning is the project’s “condition,” and he also warned that if there are “clear signs” that Daimler’s money could be better invested in some place else than Formula One, “a new decision will have to be taken.”

“The fact that Aabar is beside us as an investor, not only shows that we are allocating our risk, but it is a sign that the Formula One racing team has to pay itself;” added Zetsche.

Rain disturbed Thursday’s morning session

imurillo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:27:42 +0000

Today, Thursday, the unveilings have restarted with rain after yesterday’s unpredictable day. A of 10 AM, rainstorm limited the unveilings at Jerez; none could complete 30 laps. A little while after 11 AM, the severe storm caused stagnant water in the racetrack generating a red flag.

As a result, times are even more diverse than yesterday’s, with Felipe Massa leading the timesheet previous to the rainfall. The only team that made a remarkable progress was Virgin, with Timo Glock driving up to 26 wet laps.

On its part, Lotus, seems to have stepped backwards and no time has been registered up to now. For a few moments, at the Lotus box, fire was seen coming out from under the engine’s cover, but the team has not yet announced the reason.

Renault has not established a lap time neither at the beginning of the session. Vitaly Petrov continues his second consecutive testing day under the rain.

The teams gathered again on a wet racetrack on the second testing day and more precipitation is expected for tomorrow. The programs were fractured yesterday by two severe rainstorms and five red flags, and it seems that today is not going to be different.

Felipe Massa went directly to the top part of the timesheet with a time of 1:28.879 at the beginning of his second successive testing day. The only teams that changed their UPS line were Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg behind the steering wheel, and Lotus, that made the first test with Heikki Kovalainen with the el T127. Paul di Resta continues in Force India, but it is expected that in any moment, he will be substituted by Tonio Liuzzi. Lucas di Grassi, today will share his single-seater ,Virgin with Timo Glock.

Just before a break for lunch, the racetrack began to improve and that allowed some time modifications. Barrichello placed himself first at one thirty with a best time of 1:28.499 in a rather long session (he remained in the track for 20 minutes straight.) Hamilton clocked his best personal time of the day with 1:31.833, but very far from the morning’s best times. Afterwards, the Brazilian in his Williams stopped the chronometer in 1:27.145, using all the fuel.

Right now, Petrov with his Renault went back to the racetrack and placed himself second with 1:27.891. The track is drying, although there are still some pools. Ferrari has not explained its long stop at the boxes. It has been rumored that it had an electrical problem. At the end of the morning session, only the Russian pilot, Petrov and Barrichello have dropped off from 1:28.9.

Results of Wednesday’s testing at Jerez

imurillo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:25:16 +0000

In what is the second week of testing at the at Jerez circuit, Sebastian Vettel completed the fastest lap in 1 minute, 19.055 seconds in his Red Bull, to finish nearly 1.3 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

With intermitent showers,Toyota test driver Kumui Kobayashi was third fastest, while Nico Rosberg of Williams and MMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica made the the top-five.

Giancarlo Fisichella who is going into his 14th season, set a best lap of 1:21.584 for Force India, and declared: “It’s very promising and I felt much more consistency, even under braking, and more stability in the high speed corners. We are not that far away from the other people so I am looking forward to tomorrow and another day with more laps where we can try to improve the car a little bit and concentrate on reliability.”

McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa and Nelson Piquet Jr. of Renault completed the field. Toro Rosso and Honda were the only F1 teams not present at the track in southern Spain.

Wednesday Morning’s Jerez Test

imurillo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:37:53 +0000

Michael Schumacher led the way in the opening hour of Wednesday’s Jerez test as two red flag situations kept running to a minimum.

Overcast skies and a damp track greeted the drivers on the first morning of this week’s four-day Jerez test.

Felipe Massa was the first to venture out, followed by Fairuz Fauzy, who was given the honour of getting behind the wheel of the new Lotus T127 in its first official test.

Following a brief break after the installation laps, which were completed by all the teams excluding Virgin Racing within the first 20 minutes, Fauzy hit the track again to put in his first timed lap.

The Lotus test driver clocked a 1:46.652 in his brief two-lap run. However, the team had no complaints.

“Fairuz just did a couple of laps on a wet track with no problems, he’s in now for some adjustments,” Lotus reported on Twitter.

The Malaysian driver’s time, though, was over 16s off the lead time set by Michael Schumacher.

While his rivals were lapping in the 1:33s to start with, Schumacher’s first flying lap of the day was a 1:30.549.

It wasn’t a good start to the test for Lewis Hamilton and McLaren as the Brit brought out the red flags when he stopped out on track.

After a 16 minute hold-up the session was resumed only to be stopped four minutes later as Paul di Resta spun his Force India.

Schumacher therefore ended the opening hour in the P1 slot with Pedro de la Rosa 0.214s behind and Felipe Massa in third place.

IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights

imurillo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:51:19 +0000

The IZOD IndyCar Series season opens March 14th with its first race on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America, while the initial race for Firestone Indy Lights is March 28 at St. Petersburg, Fla., street circuit.

Now, prior to this, the Barber Motorsports Park Open Test, is scheduled for February 24-26, and will be the only Open Test conducted prior to the start of the 2010 season. It marks the second-straight season that both IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights teams will conduct an Open Test at the scenic Alabama road course.

Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the Indy Racing League said: “the way the 2010 schedule falls allowed for the opportunity for our teams to focus their preseason plans on the road and street course events to open the season.” “By shifting the oval testing portion to in-season Open Test dates, teams have the option of keeping their equipment in road-course trim until they are ready to focus on the oval portion of the schedule, including the month of May at Indianapolis.”

The first four races for IZOD IndyCar Series and first three Firestone Indy Lights races will be contested on road/street courses, including the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 11 at the 2.38-mile road course in Birmingham, Ala.

The Open test at Barber Motorsports Park will be the third time the IZOD IndyCar Series has held an Open test in Alabama. Seven drivers tested at the facility in October 2007 and both series hosted their preseason road course Open Test at the track last March.

Gene Hallman, President of Zoom Motorsports, the exclusive event promoter of Barber Motorsports Park, declared: “We are honored to have the Indy Racing League in Birmingham for the Open Test, which will be a prelude to the inaugural event in April.”. “The Open Test will allow the drivers additional experience on the finest road course in North America.”

On May 4^th, an in-season oval testing day for IZOD IndyCar Series teams is scheduled for the 1.5-mile oval at Kentucky Speedway, while on May 3rd, Firestone Indy Lights rookies will join IZOD IndyCar Series teams for their rookie oval orientation program at Kentucky Speedway.

IZOD IndyCar Series teams are allowed up to six private testing days and a minimum of 800 miles testing depending on the number of full-time cars fielded by the team, in addition to the three Open Test dates. Teams can earn an additional 300 bonus testing miles by testing a Firestone Indy Lights driver at least 600 miles for a maximum of three private test days.

Jamie McMurray ready for Sunday at Fontana

imurillo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:06:03 +0000

Jamie McMurray is somewhat digesting Sunday’s Daytona 500 victory with the help of the great number of interviews he has given.

But the signs of appreciation must soon give way to the task of adding to it, particularly running well on the intermediate-length tracks that make up the bulk of the Sprint Cup schedule. Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway (2-mile track) in Fontana, Calif., begins a three-race run at 1.5- to 2-mile tracks, and McMurray aims to add to his breakthrough 2002 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With experience from Dodge and Ford, he’ll copy the Chevrolet setup used by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, who mostly ran well on those tracks last year in making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Most of McMurray’s success at Auto Club came in his first stint with Ganassi with four top-10s in five starts; 13 starts have resulted in an average finish of 16.4.

“It will be important to run well this weekend,” he said during a teleconference. “That’s honestly a really good track for me. I haven’t been in one of their cars on a mile-and-a-half.

“I expect to get to Fontana, be able to unload with the setup that Juan ran last year and be really close. Juan Pablo Montoya ran great there last year (11th and third).”

Two new Lotus Racing stakeholders

imurillo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:37:11 +0000

In order to strengthen the Lotus Racing management group, this Friday was announced the appointment of two stakeholders who will be part of the team. They are S M Nasarudin Kandmarudin Meranun. Together with the principal, Tony Fernándes the three will be in charge of Lotus Racing.
S M Nasarudin, one of the two stakeholders of Lotus-Cosworth explained: “We turned into reality a simple Malaysian dream, thanks to the passion we put into it, the hard work and the team’s spirit. As in the case of all the other challenges we have had to get where we are now, we approached these challenges as a team, and how, we are determined than ever to finish what we started. We are realistic regarding our goals, but in no way we think that things will be easy from here forward, but our faith is still there.
On his part, Kamarudin Meranun, the other new Lotus-Cosworth stakeholder said: “We still have a long way to go and we do not know what the future might bring, but we are in the way and we have to do the best possible. We made a great product in a very short period of time and in one of car racing’s most competitive platforms in the world. Honestly, I think we have the motivation, decision and most importantly than anything else, the passion to take this project to the end, with God’s will.”

Finally, Tony Fernándes, Lotus-Cosworth’s team principal declared: “Our goals and objectives are clear, but as mentioned earlier, we have hard work ahead of us. There are 19 races and with the mutual help of the three (principal and stakeholders), we thing that management has all the necessary resources to lead the team.”

Peters wins the Nextera Energy 250 Truck Series race

imurillo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:38:23 +0000

With a last-lap pass of superspeedway ace Todd Bodine, Timothy Peters won Saturday, February 13^th night’s NextEra Energy 250 Truck Series race at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

With a push from polesitter Jason White passed Bodine on the backstretch and won the race to the finish line. Bodine, who had won the previous two season openers at Daytona, crossed the stripe in second place but spun into the infield grass after taking the checkered flag.

“I can’t believe it — this thing drove like a Lexus tonight,” Peters said of his No. 17 Toyota Tundra. “We just won Daytona! I was just content where I was at, but the No. 23 [White] came up and gave me a great run.

“I can’t believe it — I’m going to Disney World!”

Peters’ only previous win in the series came at .526-mile Martinsville Speedway.

Dennis Setzer, White and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five, as Bodine took solace from his second-place run — magnified by wrecks that ruined the nights of defending series champion Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner, perennial contenders for the Truck Series title.

“You’re a sitting duck leading,” Bodine said ruefully. “I saw the replay when I was sitting down there in the mud [after spinning]. Timmy did what he had to do.

“We’re disappointed. There’s no doubt about it. But second’s nothing to sneeze at.”

Two separate crashes on the pace laps — before the race had started — promised an action-filled evening, and, indeed, before the race was a lap old, Aric Almirola took the field three-wide in Turn 3. Austin Dillon, making his first superspeedway start, broke loose between trucks and ignited a nine-truck collision that damaged the trucks of Kyle Busch and Landon Cassill, among others.

“I really don’t know what was happening,” Dillon said after exiting the infield care center. “I was sucking up to Jason White and someone got under me. Just looked like they weren’t being very patient there to start. Just caught in the middle and got banged around there a few times and tried to save it — just nothing I could do there.”

Hornaday was the victim of a 10-truck wreck after a bump from Ricky Carmichael turned him into the outside wall at the end of the backstretch on Lap 32. The same wreck ruined the winning chances of front-row starter Elliot Sadler. Skinner’s race ended early after a tap from Peters launched him into the Turn 3 wall on Lap 62

Summary of the results: 1 Timothy Peters (Toyota); 2 Todd Bodine (Toyota); 3 Dennis Setzer (Dodge); 4 Jason White (Ford); 5 Matt Crafton (Chevrolet); 6 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Toyota); 7 Stacy Compton (Toyota); 8 Johnny Benson (Ford); 9 Donnie Neuenberger (Chevrolet); 10 J.J. Yeley (Chevrolet).

The Memory Jamie has Burned in His Head

imurillo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:42:10 +0000

After a late night of celebrating their coveted victory in “The Great American Race”, yesterday, Jamie McMurray and his team handed over their No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet to be inducted into the attraction’s Gatorade Victory Lane. The winning car will be on display until next February when it will be returned to the team prior to the 53rd annual Daytona 500.

Winning the most prestigious race on the NASCAR circuit finally started to sink in Monday morning for 2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who celebrated with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team during the Daytona 500 Champion’s Breakfast at Daytona 500 Experience.

“It’s kind of sinking in,” McMurray said. “Every time we do something it’s a little more real. Whether it’s getting the jackets or the ring or just everything that’s a part of this, it’s just really, really exciting.”

Winning crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion was enjoying the surreal experience.

“Everything’s been in fast forward,” Manion said. “Pictures, media center, inspecting the car, pushing the car to the trailer to come over here and then a couple hours of sleep for some of us. It’s just been so exciting.

“(On) rain delays you stay over but winning the race and you have to stay over and have breakfast — that’s pretty cool.”

Also enjoying the festivities was co-owner Chip Ganassi, who is one of only two owners to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.

“Jamie showed me a text from (last year’s Daytona 500 champion) Matt Kenseth where he said, ‘You’ll never want this day to end.’ I agree completely. I don’t want this day to end.

“You have a complete flashback of your entire racing career — thinking about the possibility of something like this happening. You’re always shooting for that and you’re always trying for that. It’s just so reflective right now. Every sacrifice you made and every tough meeting I’ve had with a crew chief or a driver – the ups and downs of this business. It all seems worth it now.”

McMurray, who also unveiled the logo for 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20th, is now on a whirlwind media tour making appearances on Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City as well as making stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles before Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Despite his hectic upcoming schedule, McMurray knows the memory he’s going to take away from all of this.

“The thing that I’m going to remember is getting out of the car and running up and grabbing the flag and then running back down and seeing the Daytona (painted) in the infield (grass) and seeing ‘Daytona 500’. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. That’s the memory I have burned in my head right now of the 500; that’s something I’ll never forget.”

Greg Biffle’s pole run should not have been a surprise to anyone

imurillo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:19:55 +0000

Steve McCormick, in About.com Guide commented regarding Greg Biffle, “Even the fastest car can’t drive itself. Greg Biffle brings an impressive resume to Daytona: 1998 Truck Series Rookie of the Year, 2000 Truck Series Champion, 2001 BGN Rookie of the Year, 2002 Busch Series Champion and the winner of last July’s Daytona race.”

“Take a guy who is a proven restrictor plate winner and put him behind arguably the best engine in the sport and you’ve got a potential pole sitter. Can anyone tell me why sports writers are calling his pole winning run “shocking” and “surprising?”

“His name may not be on the tip of your tongue when you think of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars but this pole run shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone.”

Greg Biffle who was born in December 23rd, 1969, started 7 races in 2002. His official rookie season was 2003 and he featured a win at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. Jamie McMurray beat him for Rookie of the Year honors.

His more outstanding performances have been:

2000 – Craftsman Truck Series Champion.

2002 – Busch Grand National Series Champion.

2003 – Won first NEXTEL Cup Race (July Daytona)

2005 – Finished second in NEXTEL Cup points

Jack Roush picked up Greg Biffle back in the mid 90′s with the idea that with some seasoning he could be great.

Just a few years later Greg rewarded Roush Racing with it’s first NASCAR championship as Greg pushed and shoved his way to the Craftsman Truck Series title. A couple of years after that Greg again came through, this time delivering a Busch Grand National series championship.

Early in his NEXTEL Cup career Greg has proven that he can get the job done. His first victory in NASCAR’s premier division came under the lights in Daytona as Greg won the Pepsi 400 during his 2003 rookie campaign.

There are surely more championships in Greg’s future. Those stories are still to be written but clearly he knows what it takes to win titles and he is with a top-notch team in the form of Jack Roush.

The F1 teams will continue at Jerez despite rain forecast

imurillo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:46:20 +0000

The possibility of moving from the Spanish Jerez circuit to another speedway for two of the four test days this week was suggested. Rain forecast indicated that weather conditions would be worse this week, but an adequate replacement for Jerez could not be found on such a short notice.

When Sauber Beat Zendher, team principal, was asked about the possibility of moving to Valencia or else, to the Portimao circuit he answered: “The circuits are taken up and weather conditions are quite uncertain.”

The pilots are waiting for the option of dry driving to be able to understand the performance of the cars and to tune them up before the March 14^th Bahrain season’s opening. Hence, time is ticking away and there are only eight test days left, four in Jerez this week and four in Barcelona, next week.

Weather conditions are particularly bad for the new teams. Virgin and Lotus have just unveiled their single-seaters this year with two cars that start up in zero during the winter. With scarce experience, they need dry performance much more that others with more data and experience, to be able to overcome the initial problems with their new engines. Last week, Virgin lost the best part of the day, due to the front wing failure and lack of spare parts.

Schumi considers Mercedes GP as candidate to the title

imurillo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:52:35 +0000

Michael Schumacher, confirms his “total convincement” that Mercedes GP has a car “capable of fighting for the championship” and that he hopes “to have an opportunity.”

“I cannot know what the future might bring, but I believe in this team and this is enough challenge for me. I love competition and hope to have a chance to show it,” he declared in an interview in ‘www.formula1.com‘.

The German pilot will be the oldest of the 2010 Formula One season’s grid, and recognizes that “after so much time in the single-seater world, he is aware that there are always fans who follow you and others that do not so much.” “To be able to be in for such a long time, sometimes I had to close up a little and it might just be the same this time,” commented Michael.

The seven-times champion of the world shares ‘box’ with another German pilot, Nico Rosberg, situation that Schumacher considers an advantage because they can communicate in the same language. “I wish the best for him. He is a constructive pilot and it is interesting to have him as a neighbor, since our ‘motorhomes’ are side by side in the paddock,” he explained.

Schumacher clarified that he felt well and that his doctor, Johannes Peil, who attended the test that Mercedes GP performed in the Valencia Circuit, is supervising his evolution.

“He was in Valencia to do me some check ups, as the last one. He wants to make sure that I am totally prepared for the race and obviously, I want to know, too. I am alright and that is the reason why it was not necessary for him to be in Jerez,” he added.

McMurray Wins Daytona 500

imurillo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:48:31 +0000

Jamie McMurray held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a finish so thrilling it just about made up for a pothole that nearly derailed the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

NASCAR needed two stoppages of well over two hours total to patch a pesky pothole between turns 1 and 2 of Daytona International Speedway. The setback brought the biggest race of the season to a frustrating halt and had NASCAR executives fretting over the potential fallout.

Hoping for a spectacular season-opener to re-energize the industry, the delays instead sent NASCAR chairman Brian France into the broadcast booth to calm an agitated audience.

In the end, though, the hole inadvertently improved the racing.

The action picked up tremendously after the second patch was applied, partly because drivers had to race as if the hole could rip open again and end the event on any lap. And did they ever.

They beat and banged their way through the field in a white-knuckle final 32 laps. Then a flurry of late-race accidents put NASCAR’s ”green-white-checker” policy — an overtime of sorts — to the test.

McMurray, using a boost from former teammate Greg Biffle, powered into the lead on the second and final green-white-checkered attempt. But Earnhardt, who restarted the final sprint in 10th place, was slicing his way through the field.

He weaved in and out of traffic, shoving his Chevrolet into three-wide lines, eventually darting his way to McMurray’s bumper. It was vintage Earnhardt — he’s a 12-time Daytona winner spanning NASCAR’s top two series — and McMurray was terrified to see him growing in his rearview mirror.

”When I saw the 88 behind me, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ He had a good car and I just thought — Earnhardt and Daytona, they win all the time it just seems like,” McMurray said. ”You never know what to expect.”

But with just two laps to make up so much ground, Earnhardt ran out of time and had to settle for second as McMurray sailed to his first career Daytona 500 victory.

”I didn’t know where I was, you know, ’til I really kind of got done almost wrecking down the back straightaway,” Earnhardt said of his charge. ”Then I looked up — there’s just one car in front of me, ‘Jamie’s gonna win this damn race!’

”I was happy for him. He deserves it. They’ve been through a lot. It’s a great team.”

McMurray climbed from his car and ran to the Daytona 500 logo in the infield, dropping to his knees and pounding on the painted grass. Overcome with emotion, he sobbed in Victory Lane as he celebrated with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team.

It was McMurray’s first race back with Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates, who gave him his Sprint Cup Series shot in 2002. But McMurray left and spent four frustrating seasons with Roush Fenway Racing, only to lose that ride at the end of last season when NASCAR forced Roush to drop a team to meet its four-car limit.

McMurray had to fight to get a seat back with Ganassi, and it included convincing sponsor Bass Pro Shops’ owner Johnny Morris to take a chance on him.

The risk was well rewarded Sunday with the biggest win of McMurray’s career.

”It’s unreal,” McMurray sobbed. ”You know, to be where I was last year and for Johnny Morris and Chip and Felix. What a way to pay them back. It’s just very emotional.”

Biffle, a close friend of McMurray’s, was disappointed in finishing third because he was the leader when the caution came out after the first green-white-checkered attempt. But he was able to give McMurray the push that got his buddy into Victory Lane.

”I just made my move too soon, a mistake on my part probably,” Biffle said. ”This is a big, big win for anybody’s career. You got to be happy for anybody that ever wins this race. I was especially happy, the guys I was up there beating and banging with, you know, I would rather see Jamie win than those guys.”

Clint Bowyer finished fourth and was followed by David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. — teammates for Michael Waltrip, who finished 18th in what’s expected to be his final Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick was seventh and was followed by Matt Kenseth, last year’s race winner, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya, McMurray’s teammate.

After the race, DIS president Robin Braig apologized for the hole and the delays that caused many fans to head to the exits long before the finish.

”We’re the World Center of Racing. This is the Daytona 500. This is not supposed to happen, and I take full responsibility,” Braig said. ”We can come back from this. We know how to fix it. This is hallowed ground. We understand that. We accept the responsibility.”

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

¡Congratulations Jamie McMurray!

imurillo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:54:09 +0000

Yesterday, Jamie McMurray won the 2010 Daytona 500 behind the wheel of his number 1 Chevrolet leading only two laps, the least in Daytona 500 history. He beat out Dale Earnhardt Jr who placed second, and Greg Biffle third. McMurray humbly cried after the race showing great respect for the men who previously won this historic race.

In 1999, McMurray made 4 starts in the Craftsman Truck series. In 2000, he ran 15 Craftsman Truck races and posted 1 top-five and 4 top-ten finishes.

In 2001 and 2002, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series, driving the #27 Williams Travel Centers Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The latter year turned out better for McMurray, as he won two races and finished sixth in the overall points standings.

Before the fall race at Richmond in 2002, Chip Ganassi announced McMurray as the driver of a Texaco-Havoline sponsored Dodge in 2003. Ganassi planned to have Jamie drive the #42 Dodge for seven races in 2002. Those plans were accelerated when Sterling Marlin fractured a vertebra at the Winston Cup Race at Kansas Speedway.

At the end of 2009, he left Roush Fenway Racing to drive for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the #1 car, replacing Martin Truex, Jr who signed to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing. His departure came as Roush Fenway was forced by a new NASCAR policy implemented a few years prior that limited the amount of cars a race team could have to four, and the #26 was the team Roush Fenway chose to cut. McMurray will reunite with Chip Ganassi in the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Problems for Barrichello with the gearbox

imurillo — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:19:07 +0000

Rubens Barrichello finished the season’s second test for the Williams team, where he established the third best time of the day, after doing 90 laps, mainly in dry conditions. The gearbox was the only problem of the day.

Sam Michael, Technical Director said: “After a very humid beginning of the day, we went to perform some configuration tests with Rubens, in the afternoon and he progressed with regards to understanding the car. Also, we have worked with the systems. Unfortunately, we had to stop before we expected due to a problem with the gearbox. Overall, the test has been useful to put mileage on the car and advance in the tuning up.”

Rubens Barrichello: “Today, we focused on tuning up the car and we completed 90 laps before we had the gearbox problem, which the team is investigating right now. The car has worked well these last two days, and we have discovered some interesting things that will help to its evolution. I had hoped to do a few fast laps at the end of the day, because the car felt in good conditions, but unfortunately my session was called off. There is work to do in terms of enhancing the performance, but I’m happy with the results we are getting.”

Qualifying for Daytona 500

imurillo — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:57:44 +0000

The Daytona 500 is the only event with a unique qualifying system on the NASCAR circuit. In the primary qualifying, only the front row (the pole position and the second fastest driver) are locked into the race positions. Since 2005, NASCAR’s top 35 owners points standings from the previous season automatically qualifies those teams (not the drivers) into the event. The top two teams that are not within the owners’ Top 35, automatically qualify in the Gatorade Duels, a pair of 150 miles (240 km) races. This is followed by a combination of last years’ owners points, pole qualifying speed and if needed, a past champions’ provisional fills out the field.

Qualifying

One round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series timed qualifying will be held. Each team may run two laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time. The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two and are the only guaranteed positions, filling the front row for the Daytona 500. • The Gatorade Duels, the 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race won by Matt Kenseth with car number 17 on February 15 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. The Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya finished in 14^th position, and the race was called off with 48 laps to go after a severe rainstorm that had been lingering throughout the area hit the track.

Who is your favorite for Sunday’s Daytona 500?

Review of fourth day of unveilings’ morning session

imurillo — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:37:38 +0000

The rain that affected the programs of the teams on Friday was still pouring down at the beginning of the session. However, dry conditions as of mid-morning allowed the single-seaters to roll out with more confidence on this test day at Jerez (this week), where Rubens Barrichello, did best time with 1:22.319.

Robert Kubica was the first to start out to a wet racetrack, with Sebastien Vettel in the Red Bull and Barrichello behind the wheel of the Williams FW32 following his trail.

Nonetheless, it was Felipe Massa, who did the first timed lap of the day with the Ferrari F10. In his first attempt, the Brazilian made a time of 1:29.534, but little by little he found the rhythm until his car stopped on the grass of the pit-lane entrance. It seems as though the team is pretending to go the limit. There was the rumor that the car was deliberately left without fuel to confirm the tank’s capacity.

Michael Schumacher, Massa’s ex-team mate was slightly shaky during the first moments, achieving the best lap with 1:29.768 before taking his Mercedes GP W01 to boxes, where it remained the rest of the morning. The spectators were surprised.

The changing weather conditions forced the teams to the difficult task of choosing tires. Even though the pools of water in different parts of the racetrack were drying, the teams decided to play it safe and made pauses, waiting for the track to dry.

Barrichello informed through the radio that the driving and visibility conditions were quite good and hoped that the team could realize an evening session “to its fullest.” Lewis Hamilton was glad with these news, who seemed distraught after he began his work with Jenson Button’s McLaren MP4-25, on Friday. He declared that the day had been a waste of time, since neither him nor McLaren had been able to make a remarkable progress on their test program due to the wet racetrack.

On the contrary, Nico Rosberg, was filled with confidence after his second day with the Mercedes W01 GP, despite the fact that he was not allowed to drive in dry during two sessions. He announced feeling comfortable with the car and to be sure that the Silver Arrow “will be near the racing pole positions when the competition begins in Bahrain, on March 14^th.”

“We have some valuable data, like all the procedures. It’s difficult when you change teams; there is so much to learn. It’s like airspace science, you know? Two days ago I did four dry laps, and a one and a half today. I felt extremely comfortable with the car, as if I could really up. That gives me a lot of confidence, so I’m not worried with the fact that there was not much time to roll in dry” Nico assured.

The first appearance of the red flags came when Vettel skidded out of the racetrack and left the Red Bull trapped at the circuit end. Yet, the delayed caused by this incident was minimal, thanks to the quick response of Jerez circuit recovery team. In 15 minutes, the RB6 was back in the boxes.

At the end of the morning session began to improve quickly. Barrichello did 1:22.319 after 39 laps and Massa stopped the chronometer at 1:22.697 after 94 laps. The red flag indicated that Barrichello reached midday as time leader, three tenths faster than Massa.

Pos.	Pilot	Single-seater	Times	Laps
1.	Rubens Barrichello	Williams FW32	1:22.319	32
2.	Felipe Massa	Ferrari F10	1:22.614	94
3.	Robert Kubica	Renault R30	1:24.373	23
4.	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull RB6	1:24.588	52
5.	Pedro de la Rosa	Sauber C29	1:25.039	52
6.	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso STR5	1:25.756	67
7.	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren MP4-25	1:26.023	21
8.	Adrian Sutil	Force India VJM03	1:27.606	37
9.	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes W01	1:29.768	11
10.	Lucas di Grassi	Virgin VR-01	No Time

Toro Rosso tried out and found balance

imurillo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:27:05 +0000

After humid weather on Wednesday, today there were better conditions that allowed the racing cars to run through the day with dry tires. Sebastien completed a good number of laps. Let’s hope the rain forecast for tomorrow is wrong. The agenda of the Toro Rosso team evaluated some aerodynamic components, tried out several of them and, as the rest of the teams, tested those set-ups with different fuel loads.

The Swiss pilot rolled out three components brought by Bridgestone –the super soft, soft and hard.

“I’m very happy with the last two days and, even though the rain is not an ideal condition, yesterday’s meant we could try out the rain tires,” said Sebastien Buemi. “Today, we have been able to lap many times with dry weather, and the car is reliable. We approached several topics and ran with diverse fuel loads, so we are starting to obtain a better understanding of STR5 overall.”

Button and Brawn GP nominated to the Laureus Awards

imurillo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:40:48 +0000

Jenson Button and the Brawn team (currently, Mercedes GP) have been nominated to the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.

Button, who prior to 2009 has only won a Grand Prix, is nominated for the 2010 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after winning last season’s pilot championship. The other nominees in this category are: Mark Cavendish (cycling) and Tom Daley (diving), as well as Juan Martín del Potro (tennis), Ji Yai Shin (golfer), and the relatively small German football team, LVI Wolfsburg. Lewis Hamilton got last year’s award after winning the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mika Hakkinen, Laureus World Sports Academy Member and double Formula One World Champion will announce the nominees

The winners –who will be selected by a jury of 46 people-, will have to attend the ceremony that will be held next month in Abu Dhabi.

Information about fuel will not be known

imurillo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:01:43 +0000

The FIA announced through a press release that it will not publish the fuel loads of the 2010 Formula One season different single-seaters. Despite this year’s refuel ban all through the Grand Prix, each team’s strategies will not be known before the race nor which single-seaters have a more efficient fuel consumption engine

During the last months, there was speculation regarding the possibility of FIA maintaining the publication of the fuel loads this season, but finally it was decided not to, and the weight of each car will be kept a secret.

Jimmie Johnson aspires to 5th title

imurillo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:11:04 +0000

A week after the Super Bowl, the USA shares, the same day, two other events that will paralize the country… and hundreds of thousand more fans around the world. This Sunday, February 14th several million viewers will sit in front of their televisions to enjoy the begining of the 52nd Annual Daytona 500, and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas.

The approximately twenty million spectators who will watch the stock car race will add to the more than 200.000 who will crowd the stands and the inside of the 4.023 meter three-oval racetrack near Daytona Beach. Many of them will go to see the NASCAR myth, , number 48, Jimmie Johnson who managed a third position for Sunday’s lineup. The thing being that, the pilot from El Cajón, CA, aspires to his fifth Sprint Cup consecutive title.
Obviously, his rivals will do what is in their hands to prevent him from a new title, specially, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Robbie Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and the Busch, Kyle and Kurt, who pretend to ruin Johnson’s party of a five-time-championship. At Daytona, Martin will have the pole position, but the 3.5 hr test might bring many surprises. The 200 laps to the speedway by the 43 top pilots at more than 300 kilometers an hour, guarantee an extraordinary exhibition with passings, collisions and a lot of adrenaline.

Lineup ready for Daytona 500

imurillo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:39:32 +0000

Yesterday, the Daytona International Speedway was the stage of the two 150-mile qualifying races where Kasey Kahne won the Gatorade Duel 2 by .014 seconds driving his Ford . Tony Stewart crossed the finishing line second at the wheel of his Chevrolet, while Juan Montoya’s Chevrolet got third. On his part, Jimmie Johnson won the Gatorade Duel 1 by .005 seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick who came in second. Kyle Busch won third place.

This leaves the ground set for February 14^th (next Sunday) Daytona 500 were the lineup will be as follows: No. 1 Mark Martin, No. 2 Dale Earnhard Jr., No. 3 Jimmie Johnson, No. 4 Kasey Kahne and No.5 Kevin Harvick, all of the behind the steering wheels of Chevrolets, except for Kahne who will drive his Ford.

End of second day of unveiling in Jerez

imurillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:18:20 +0000

Under a sunshine that the ‘scuderias’ in the racetrack were thankful for, the second session of unveiling began in the Jerez circuit. With the absence of Virgin Racing in the tracks, because there were no spare parts to repair the single-seater, most of the pilots ran for long periods of time.

Today restarted the work that could not be done yesterday due to bad weather. The teams have collected more data and have been playing the cat and the mouse. Buemi’s Toro Rosso stopped the chronometer at 1:20.026, getting the best time of the day.

Many tests and many data, would be the balance of the day, where the expected Valencia time duel did not happen. The media were left with the feeling that the duo reserved for later on. However, tomorrow if the climate allows it, there will be new unveiling with other pilots.

Time classification

1. Sebastian Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:20.026 (121 laps)
2. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:20.618 (83)
3. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:21.565 (67)
4. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) 1:20.754 (80)
5. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:21.083 (122)
6. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 1:21.377 (100)
7. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:21.424 (129)
8. Robert Kubica (Renault) 1:22.003 (101)
9. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:22.043 (29)
10. Timo Glock (Virgin) 1:29.964 (11)

End of second day’s morning session

imurillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:31:14 +0000

Despite the wet racetrack due to yesterday’s rain, the morning session allowed to collect and prove the single-seaters’ new modifications.

The pilots scheduled for the morning rolled out: Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Nico Hulkenberg, Viantonio Liuzzi, Sebastian Buemi, Michael Schumacher, Timo Glock and Kobayashi.

During the morning two red flags were seen, the second being more significant, because a front wing belonging to Timo Glock’s car roamed in the racetrack and the German pilot passed over it destroying it.

Sebástien Buemi’s Toro Rosso was a surprise making the best time; the pilot from Switzerland lowered his own times. Alonso remained up to an hour in the boxes doing changes to the F10. Everything is ready for the evening. The teams expect better racetrack conditions.

Second day’s morning times

1. Sebastian Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:20.026 (58 laps)
2. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:20.618 (29)
3. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:21.565 (28)
4. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:21.907 (60)
5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:21.928 (79)
6. Robert Kubica (Renault) 1:22.129 (43)
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) 1:22.886 (37)
8. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:23.164 (60)
9. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 1:23.190 (41)
10. Timo Glock (Virgin) 1:29.964 (11)

New section in Silverstone

imurillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:00:35 +0000

Finally, the Silverstone circuit has the approval to utilize the new section of the circuit for the 2010 British Grand Prix.

The “complex stage” was originally designed for MotoGP, but when Silverstone recovered the contract to hold the British Grand Prix at Donington, it immediately approached FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) to be able to run in the new racetrack. Today, Thursday, the FOM consented on the use of this new area, which the organizers hope will improve the view for the audience.

“The circuit was always designed for two and four wheel competitions,” explained Silverstone’s managing director, Richard Phillips. “We have been very careful, together with the marshals and pilots to insure that we are improving and increasing what Silverstone has to offer – one for the pilots and another view for the audience.”

The F1 circuit will keep most of the high-speed racetrack, but will lose Chicane Abbey, Corner Bridge and the left in Priory –all of which have been left untouched to provide an alternative design. Contrary to this, the drivers will now turn to the right at the Abbey, before entering a 90 degree right turn that opens in two at the left to again go to the existent National Circuit and, finally, the F1 circuit. It is expected that the extra length will increase the F1 times per lap in four seconds.

Ryan Newman did not lock in one of the front rows

imurillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:21:50 +0000

NASCAR’s format for the opener, Pole Day locks in the top-two qualifiers for next Sunday’s (Feb. 14) Daytona 500 and establishes starting positions for Thursday’s 60-lap, 150-mile qualifying races. The results from the two 150-milers will determine the starting field — positions 3-43 — for the 500.

So it was a bitter sweet day for Ryan Newman who got third position at the Daytona 500 last Saturday, February 6th. As he did last year at the opening Sprint Cup event, he was the third fastest in Pole Day time trials at Daytona International Speedway.

“It would have been nice to lock in one of those front row spots for the 500,” said Newman, who was the second of 54 drivers to make a qualifying lap. “But overall we had a strong performance and I look for more of the same next week. I want to give a shout-out to all the Soldiers–we are doing our best for you.”

In Saturday’s two-lap qualifying show, Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet covered the 2.5-mile oval in 47.225 seconds at 190.577 miles per hour.

He was a few ticks slower than the top-two qualifiers — Mark Martin (pole winner) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (outside pole). Martin’s lap time/speed was 47.074 at 191.188 while Earnhardt’s was 47.142 at 190.913.

It’s worth mentioning that the top-three cars are Chevrolets and are powered by Hendrick engines. Rounding out the top five were Bill Elliott (fourth) and Juan Pablo Montoya (fifth).

“It was shaky out there because the wind was tricky,” added Newman about his qualifying laps. “There was no good way to read the wind. A couple of things happened during the lap that I wish didn’t happen, but the wind was hard to predict. It was a great effort by the U.S. Army Chevrolet. Tony Gibson (crew chief) and all the guys did an outstanding job. From now until the 500 we need to be smart and get this Soldiers’ car ready for the big race.”

Newman’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, was 21st fastest and will start 11th in Thursday’s second qualifying race.

The Cup series resumed practices on last week on Wednesday. The 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday were televised on SPEED.

Will Earnhardt Jr.’s comeback benefit NASCAR significantly

imurillo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:18:05 +0000

There are people who are putting a lot of pressure on only one man, namely, Dale Earnhardt Jr., suggesting that if he won several races during 2010, NASCAR’s difficult situation would improve significantly.

Regarding this, Felix Sebates -minority owner of the Earnhardt Ganassi cars of Montoya and Jamie McMurray-, said “I think Dale Earnhardt’s lack of winning the last two years have really hurt the sport overall, because everyone expected him to be the leader.” “He has not been the leader. I hope he wins a bunch of races [in 2010] because if he wins a bunch of races, he’ll bring fans back to the race track. He’s good for everybody. I hope we win our fare share, but I want Junior to win a bunch of races. I really do.”

On his part, Kyle Petty, former driver and current television analyst said, “You’re putting too much pressure on one guy.” “If our sport depends on Dale Jr., then this sport is hurting, period.

Humpy Wheeler seems to agree. The consultant and longtime race track promoter doesn’t believe Earnhardt winning again would be enough to foster a NASCAR revival by itself. “It’s going to take more than that,” he said. “If Earnhardt Jr. could win a couple of races and battle maybe [Juan] Montoya, and trade some paint doing it, and let Tony Stewart get in the mix too, that’s what’s going to pep things up and move the needle and get the phones to ring. Junior by himself winning a race passively — by passively, I mean fuel mileage or something like that — that’s not going to click the meter.”

So maybe multiple trips to Victory Lane by the No. 88 car wouldn’t be enough to raise NASCAR back to its early-2000s height. But clearly, they wouldn’t hurt. Anyone who has ever been to a race track when Earnhardt takes the lead has heard the roar, powerful enough to be noticed over the sound of 43 engines. So a complete turnaround? No, maybe that’s too much to ask of Earnhardt. But a spark? That’s something else altogether.

Jeff Behnke, executive producer and senior vice president at Turner Sports — the parent company of NASCAR broadcast partner TNT, and, in the interest of full disclosure, NASCAR.COM — believes an Earnhardt comeback would also be reflected in television ratings. “I think the ratings would go up. Our job is to talk about all 43 drivers, which we do. But the answer is, yeah, he’s been the most popular driver for however many years running now, and there are reasons for that. You just see it when he takes the lead in a race. You see the grandstands, and they go berserk.”

Look, nobody wants to get back to where he was as a very, very high-performing driver more than Dale Jr. I met with him [in January], and he wants to return and so does Rick Hendrick, and if it does, it will help NASCAR, no question about that. But that’s sports. We’ll have to let it play out,” explained NASCAR chariman. “Even someone of his status has a relatively limited reach. It’s likely a gross overstatement to say that a revival of Dale Earnhardt Jr. would translate into a revival for NASCAR itself.”

“I get a really good feeling from Dale Jr. this year. I really do, no joke,” said Petty, who spoke with Earnhardt. “I think he’s excited about this year. He’s excited like he was when he was 16 and going to run Caraway and going to run Concord. He has a little of that spark when you talk to him. If he turns it around, it’s going to be huge for the sport. It’s going to be big for his fans, it’s going to be big for the sport, it’s going to be big for everybody, because the tide will rise and the ships will float with him.”

We’ll see what happens. For the time being, Dale will be starting second –behind teammate Mark Martin-, in the Feb. 14 Daytona 500, at the Daytona International Speedway, his best qualifying position since starting second last year at Kansas. It’s the first time he’s been on the front row for a restrictor-plate race, where seven of his 18 career wins have come, since 2003.

Martin secures pole position at Daytona 500

imurillo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:37:34 +0000

Last Saturday, Mark Martin secured his pole position for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, which will take place February 14, 2010.

Behind the steering wheel of his number 5 Chevrolet, the 51 year old driver from Arkansas managed to earn the pole position driving at more than 191 mph at 191.188. Next, on second place came Dale Earnhardt Jr., followed by Ryan Newman driving his number 39 Chevrolet.

Saturday’s qualifying decided only the front-row spots for the 500. The rest of the lineup will be set after Thursday’s two 150-mile qualifying races. Drivers who finished in the top 35 of last year’s owners standings are guaranteed to start somewhere.

Review of morning session under the rain

imurillo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:45:22 +0000

At 9:30 the single-seaters began to go out to the racetrack of the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, during the first day of the 2010 season’s second official unveiling.

In the morning, Fernando Alonso, started to try out the new parts that arrived all the way from Maranello, with the intention to verify mechanical elements performance, for next week when they expect to have new aerodynamic components.

The rain did not miss the appointment. Even though it was not intense, it certainly was annoying enough during the performance checkup of the F1 racing cars. When the rain pour began, all the single-seaters had to be taken to the boxes to make wet condition adjustments.

By the time the cars started to go out again, it was almost 10 AM and Nico Rosberg, with his Mercedes GP, was the leader of the first timesheets, even though it was not significant because he was one of the few who made some time before the rain began to fall. Later on, the pilots were around 12 seconds higher.

Time went by without any interesting event. In the circuit were: Ferrari, Mercedes GP, Williams, Red Bull, Force India, Toro Rosso and BMW Sauber. The Virgin VR01 must not be prepared for rain for it did not make any lap.

At midday the rain was heavier and the only thing that caught our eye were again the hard-working mechanics running to cover the diffusers to avoid photographers from pleasing us with the latest in aerodynamic novelties.

It was almost 12PM and nothing interesting happened. There were almost no single-seaters in the racetrack and everything was extremely quiet. My laptop (mini) seemed to say, “it’s enough for today.” “I think a diving suit would be a good idea,” I thought and looked for shelter waiting for the rain to stop.

Brian France compared again

imurillo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:15:46 +0000

On January and being at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center north of Charlotte, Brian France became annoyed at the implication that he has not been a good leader in his more than six years as NASCAR’s chief executive. Truth is, many of the stakeholders in the sport feel much the same way about the CEO wondering if he wants to do the job, and why he did not adjust his managerial approach to leading the sport sooner as NASCAR began to have economic difficulties. This problems included drops in attendance and TV ratings, both of which were falling before the recession hit.

Brain France has only been NASCAR’s leader since 2003, but many changes have taken place since then. ”I’ve known Brian a long time, and I know he can do it. But he’s got to stand up and say, ‘I’m in charge, we’re doing this. We’re on the same page, and we’re going to get this done,’” said Ray Evernham, former crew chief for Jeff Gordon.

In a brief interview -just before he ran from one meeting to another, talking to NASCAR owners and drivers, crew chiefs and marketers, track presidents and TV executives, as the start of a new season was just around the corner-, France stated, “I have to lead in a way that fits my style and approach. Not everybody is going to agree with that.”

The thing is he has been compared to his father, Bill Jr. and to his grandfather, Big Bill. “If you’re going to compare me to somebody else, my father or whoever, I’m not going to be somebody else,” said a Brian, who has never been more active than in the months following the end of last season. France’s offseason mission: meet with every track operator, broadcast partner and team by his self-imposed deadline of this week’s Daytona 500.

Jacques Villeneuve working to be in the grid

imurillo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:21:35 +0000

The world ex-champion, Jacques Villeneuve said he is “working hard” to secure his comeback in 2010 Formula One.

Villeneuve withdrew from the F1 for three years and a half, since he lost his place in Sauber in favor of Robert Kubica. At first, the possibility of becoming part of the Lotus project was mentioned, but it did not work out.

“A bunch of people got carried away with the Lotus thing,” Villeneuve stated. “I wanted to visit my good friend, Gino [Rosato] who is now working for Lotus, but at the production car company. I has absolutely nothing to do with the new Formula One team.”

Asked by Auto123.com about his plans, he explained: “There is nothing much to say at this point. I am still working hard to return to F1 this season. So hard you would not believe it.”