Rubens Barrichello will test for KV Racing again next week as he closes in on an IndyCar seat with the squad.

The 39-year-old Brazilian, who lost his Williams F1 seat to Bruno Senna for the coming season after a grand prix career that spanned a record 322 races, is scheduled to spend two days with the team at Sears Point on February 25-26.

This follows the three days of testing that he completed at Sebring earlier this month.

KV Racing co-owner Jimmy Vasser said that a race deal for the Brazilian is close to being signed off.

“It’s no secret all parties are working incredibly hard to make this thing come together,” KV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson told SPEED.com. “Rubens is working hard in Brazil and we’re working hard in the States. We get closer on a daily basis. We talk to Rubens three to five times a day to push this thing forward and we all believe this is going to happen.”

Johnson, along with KV Racing’s ownership, spent Monday at IndyCar’s State of the Series meetings and came away with more positive momentum in their quest to hire the 39-year-old Brazilian.

“It was good today,” Johnson continued. “We had everybody in the same place at the same time, excluding Rubens, and I think we’re just a whisker away from making it happen. It’s not there yet; we can see the finish line and now we just need a few final things to take place.”

Jun.9 (GMM)  F1 is unlikely to consider three-car team entries while the grid is already healthily subscribed.

That is the insistence of FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh, amid Ferrari’s continuing enthusiasm about entering a third Maranello built car for a driver like Valentino Rossi.

Rossi, however, broke his leg in a MotoGP practice crash last Saturday, and now Whitmarsh has revealed that the issue of three cars has not recently been discussed by the F1 teams association.

“It’s really an idea if you get a reduced number of teams,” said the McLaren boss.

Ferrari is a staunch critic of F1′s struggling new teams, but Whitmarsh insists that FOTA wants the entire current grid to “develop and flourish”.

“McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes would all probably be happy to have a third car, but I think in fairness to the smaller teams it would only disadvantage them further,” he explained.

However, if the big teams were able to enter third cars, Whitmarsh acknowledges that it would be an opportunity for celebrity drivers like Rossi, Sebastien Loeb and NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson.

“So in the event that the number of teams drops below 10 – and at the moment we’re hoping it is 13 next year – it would be a fantastic opportunity,” added Whitmarsh.

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.

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.

The Gatorade Duel, is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway.  It consists of two 150-mile (240 km) races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. The finishing order in the two 150-mile (240 km) races, held on Thursday, determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 held on Sunday.

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unique in NASCAR. Only the two front row starters (the pole position and “outside pole”) are determined by the ordinary qualifying process of timed laps. After the top two positions are locked in, the rest of the starting grid is set by the finishing order of these two races. Drivers participate in one of the two races. Half the field entered for the Daytona 500 races in the first race, and the other half the second. The finishing order of the first race fills the odd positions of the starting grid (inside of each row), and the finishing order for the second race fills the even positions of the starting grid (outside of each row).

Sprint Cup Series cars are unique in automobile racing. The engines are powerful enough to reach speeds over 200 mph (320 km/h), but high weight makes for poor handling. Their bodies and chassis are strictly regulated to ensure parity, and electronics are generally simple.

In 2009, Jimmie Johnson was the only driver to win 4 consecutive Sprint Cup championships.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he has noticed a change in culture within the Hendrick Motorsports’ shop area, because the group of his people corresponding to car No. 88 shares with the group with Mark Martin’s car No. 5, and that may be a good omen regarding better performance in 2010.

  From Earnhardt viewpoint, the catalyst for change was Lance McGrew’s appointment as crew chief by the end of the 2009 season.  Last May, McGrew was replaced as interim crew chief by Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt’s cousin.

  “Even if they achieve minimum progress with regards to performance, and don’t have that bad luck in the races that they had, they will be in conditions to rank for the Chase and have a very, very respectful season.”

  “When he (McGrew) managed to consolidate his position and we were able to move forward knowing that that was how things were.  Yes, everybody somehow combined their minds, faith and trust around that, and we could recover some of the trust and some faith in the team," Earnhardt declared this Friday night at the off-season Thunder Fan Fest that took place in the Daytona International Speedway.

  Some changes with the personnel that works at the shops have elicited more sense of cooperation between the groups of people who are in charge of the two cars.  "When I mentioned the culture, that’s what I was trying to say; I’m referring to both, the cars and the people who is really intertwined between the two groups.  The result is that everybody is working and have faith again in the No. 88.  That’s what I believe has changed a lot," Earnhardt declared.

  Martin, who arrived second behind Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup NASCAR Championship, last year, does not think that Earnhardt’s performance has to improve too much, as long as he can overcome the bad luck that derailed promising performances in many races, last year.  “In other words, they don’t need to give a great jump regarding performance, if only they take that weight off of their shoulders."

  "In many races, they performed better than car no. 5, but nobody really realized it, because they were crashed or something broke. Many things went wrong when they were faster than us with car no.5."

  His team mate, Jeff Gordon thinks that confidence in himself is clue to see a change in Earnhardt, who begins the season after going through a bad patch of 57 races without wins.  "Nothing much is necessary to go off the track," Gordon said. "What I mean to say is that everything becomes competition when you’re in the tracks.  And I know that sometimes it seems as if they are very far behind, but I don’t think they are as much as people think.  I believe that a new beginning is the only thing that’s necessary; a few things.

  "The organization puts so much effort into each car, that the ingredients are certainly there.  I think that, probably what’s missing is more self-confidence.  This happens to everybody.  If the pilot is confident, the crew chief is confident, the people who work in the boxes are confident.  It’s like a waterfall where everything falls from the top.

  "Let’s hope that all the hard work they’re carrying out in the season’s break will help them to start with the right foot and that self-confidence doesn’t decline too early, because once it does it’s difficult to gain it back."

  Earnhardt understands the importance of ranking in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  In three of the last five seasons, he has been unable to achieve that goal.

 "When he didn’t rank for the Chase... I feel I have let them down," Earnhardt, admitted.  "They help you to fight all year long.  They struggle every week right there, by your side.  They go through a work day while they argue with someone who is criticizing me.  So, they fight their own battles just as I do in the tracks.

  "Therefore, you really feel as if you have disappointed them when you don’t even rank for the Chase.  What I mean to say is… ¡Damn!  One would expect to rank for the Chase.  That is not asking too much from your pilots.  So you feel very bad.

  I think that’s what bothers me most about having a disappointing year."

The great heights and popularity that the NASCAR automobile competition is getting will be fully covered by ESPN and ABC television networks, which have guaranteed the 17 tests for the next season’s broadcasts.

The remaining 41 tests will be broadcast by the National network FOX (14), cable’s TNT (6) and SPD (4), respectively.
The competition will again have among its outstanding pilots the Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya -who last season finished on 8th place of the championship’s competition-, will begin February 6 with the initial text in the Daytona International Speedway.

But it will not be but until February 21, a week after the Daytona 500 Mile classic race, that the Sprint Cup Series competition will begin at California’s Auto Club Speedway.
Nevertheless, ESPN and ABC will not begin the 17 broadcasts they have programmed until July 25 with the Brickyard 400 test, and will complete them when the season ends with the 10 races that define the NASCAR champion with the Sprint Cup Chase series.  The last one will be the one that will take place at Homestead (Miami), in November 21.

ESPN will broadcast 14 tests, while ABC -the National network from the same business group and which last season broadcast 11-, this year will only broadcast three, and all of them on Saturday night.
ESPN’s broadcast races’ schedules will be: 1:00 PM (18:00 GMT) for the East Coast and 3:00 PM (20:00 GMT) in the West Coast, except for Atlanta’s on September 25, which will begin at 7:30 PM (00:30 GMT).
The three races broadcast by ABC on Saturday nights will be Bristol, Tennessee, (August 21), Richmond, Virginia, (September 11) and Charlotte, North Carolina, (October 16), at 7:30 PM (00:30 GMT).
John Skipper, ESPN Executive Vice-President, stressed in an official press release about the excellent results the network had last year with NASCAR competition’s broadcast.
“All we did last year showed us that ESPN is the best network for NASCAR”, Skipper underlined. For his part, Paul Brooks, NASCAR Media Group’s President, likewise in an official press release, praised all of ESPN’s subscriber base which has special relevance among the young population segment.

“They are wonderful news for our NASCAR competition fans,” said Brooks in the press release.  ”The ESPN subscriber base is of nearly 100 million and the network has a special gift to attract young viewers.”
Brooks recognized that this ESPN reality will allow the NASCAR competition to be viewed more, which will benefit all equally.

Last season, US Jimmy Johnson (6.652 points) won the championship title for fourth consecutive year, being the first to do this in the history of the competition.
Montoya, who fought among the firsts until the last two Sprint Cup Chase tests, finished on eighth position, with 6.252 points and winning 5.270.120 million dollars, in what was his second season in the NASCAR competition.

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The 2008 NASCAR Racing Sprint Cup season was dominated by a small circle of teams that have ingeniously advanced their entire programs over the past four or five years. Most NASCAR fans will agree the Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing are at the zenith of the sport when it comes to on-track performance and achievements. Take a glimpse at the driver roster for each of the above mentioned teams. Roush Fenway Racing boasts a blend of talented personalities in Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, and Jamie McMurray. Hendrick Motorsports owns perhaps the most star-studded lineup in NASCAR history with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Mark Martin. Richard Childress Racing possesses perhaps the most consistent trio of drivers with Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. He added former Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears to his driver roster for the 2009 season. Joe Gibbs Racing has the youthful vigor of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and rookie Joey Logano, with their ages ranging from 18 to 28. Logano replaces the two-time champion Tony Stewart. In 2006, the four teams made up eight of the ten drivers in the Chase for the Championship. In 2007, they occupied ten of the twelve slots in the ten-race championship chase. In 2008, the entire Chase for the Championship field was drivers and teams from the ‘big four’. Clearly, it is no surprise that other teams may tremble at the thought of having to compete with these juggernauts. However, there are a few teams out there with drivers and personnel capable of giving the big four a run for their money.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates were separate entities prior to the merger in November of 2008. Remember the Coors Light Dodge battling the Budweiser Chevrolet in the early 2000’s? Now they are one operation, combining their resources with the intention of competing at a higher level. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has their share of critics, but they have two talented drivers with solid sponsors. Martin Truex Jr qualified for the Chase for the Championship in 2007 after winning his first race at Dover. Truex Jr quickly became a popular driver with his laidback outdoorsmen demeanor. Juan Pablo Montoya is not one of the more popular drivers in the Sprint Cup garage, but no one can say that he is not talented. Montoya and Truex Jr are both capable of winning a race in 2009 with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing equipment. In fact, the organization is practically depending on it. Aric Almirola is expected to compete in all thirty-six races in 2009 in the No. 8 car. Stewart Haas Racing: Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are significant upgrades from Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs, but how will they stack up against the big four? Stewart Haas Racing will use engines and chassis supplied by Hendrick Motorsports, but they are no Hendrick Motorsports, at least not yet. In due course, this team will flourish with Stewart and Newman as the drivers. Stewart is a two-time champion and Newman is a Daytona 500 champion so they do not lack credentials. Stewart and Newman winning a race in 2009 is not that far-fetched, especially on the restrictor plate tracks as well as the road courses. It would come as a surprise if they are fast enough to contend at the 1.5-mile and 2-mile tracks.

Richard Petty Motorsports: Like Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports is fresh off a merger and name change. Formerly Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises, they are now one team with four drivers. Kasey Kahne is the star, the driver that will likely produce the best results. Elliott Sadler is the veteran who has struggled in recent years, but hopes to turn the corner. Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger are hungry young drivers itching to earn a trip to victory lane. Kahne provides the only real threat to the big four. Allmendinger may emerge as a pleasant surprise if he has the opportunity to compete in the full slate of races. Penske Racing: Kurt Busch is the only driver in Penske Racing’s three-team shop that can really threaten the big four. Busch qualified for the Chase for the Championship in 2007 after winning two races. Ryan Newman won thirteen races in Penske Racing equipment, but bolted after three sub par seasons. David Stremme replaces Newman, but you get the feeling that Penske settled for his test driver. Sam Hornish Jr is comparable to Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson when he is driving in the Indy Racing League, but his results in NASCAR Racing have been downright awful. Hornish may begin to show signs of potential in 2009.

Yates Racing: Yates Racing has made some bold moves this off-season. After forming an alliance with Hall of Fame Racing, they were able to use the Ask.com sponsorship to lure 2000 champion Bobby Labonte to their neck of the woods. Labonte joins Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil. Menard and his sponsor, Menard’s, fled Dale Earnhardt Inc, joined Yates Racing, meaning that the team has two fully sponsored cars. Travis Kvapil may not compete in all races unless sponsorship is found. Labonte may contend on the restrictor plate tracks, and possibly the short tracks. Menard still has a lot to prove in NASCAR’s highest level of competition. Red Bull Racing: Red Bull Racing has a couple of young drivers that will put it all on the line. Brian Vickers owns a Sprint Cup victory and had shown considerable progress in his two years at Red Bull Racing. Scott Speed is a rookie, and it may take a few banged up race cars before he fully catches on to this NASCAR Racing thing. Michael Waltrip Racing: David Reutimann is Michael Waltrip Racing’s strongest driver based on his result over the 2008 season. He ended the season on a high note with solid performances at Texas and Homestead. Michael Waltrip has yet to show any signs of contending in his own equipment. Marcos Ambrose will be a contender on the road course tracks, but he may struggle on the ovals.

Fans, get used to it. Jimmie Johnson is expected to complete the four-peat, four consecutive championships. At least that is what the odds-makers are saying. Is it really a surprise that a driver who has won twenty-two races in the last three years is expected to win the championship? When does it stop, right?

Eventually, his championship run has to end. Realistically, we all know that, including the odds makers. However, with that said, the odds makers must formulate their odds based on probability, and all they have to go by is what has taken place. Jimmie Johnson has dominated the Sprint Cup Series over the past three years, so naturally, he is the favorite to capture the championship, and a smart bettor would shy away from betting against the three-time defending champion.

Initially, Jimmie Johnson has 4-1 odds to win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship. Nine-time race winner . In 2008, Carl Edwards, has 9-2 odds to win his first Sprint Cup title. Edwards will likely emerge as the trendy pick when the early preview guides are released in January.

Kyle Busch, who tallied eight total victories in 2008, has 5-1 odds to win his first Sprint Cup championship. Busch dominated the first 26 races of the 2008 season, only to crumple in the final ten. Nevertheless, if Busch is as stout as he was for most of 2008, do not anticipate another late-season collapse.

Greg Biffle was the surprise championship contender in 2008; however, he will no longer sneak up on anyone in 2009. Experts predict another solid season for Biffle, who is listed as 10-1 odds to win his first championship. Biffle has emerged as a veteran leader in Sprint Cup, and is getting better with age.

NASCAR’s. Favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, is listed at 12-1 odds. Earnhardt Jr’s odds have plunged since last year, following a perceived disappointing season. However, Earnhardt, Jr. was solid for most of the season. Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin are listed as 13-1 odds. Gordon and Hamlin produced one victory between them, and it was not Gordon that enjoyed the victory lane celebration.

Mark Martin, now a member of the Hendrick Motorsports cronies, is listed as 18-1 odds, along with his former protégé Matt Kenseth, who is the 2003 champion. Kenseth failed to win a race in 2008, his first winless season since 2001, which was also the last time he finished outside the top ten in the championship standings.

Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are listed as 20-1 odds and 22-1 odds respectively. Burton is still searching for championship number uno, as is Harvick; however, Harvick would be happy just to rekindle his once close relationship with victory lane.

Listed at 30-1 odds are Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and David Ragan. Stewart is in the midst of a new endeavor, as he will run his own Chevrolet operation. Obviously, his championship odds are significantly lower than they were while he was with Joe Gibbs Racing. Bowyer will begin the 2009 season with a brand new team, still in the Richard Childress Racing organization.Kurt Busch hopes to rebound from perhaps the worst season of his career. Ragan is the up and comer of the group.

Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray are listed as 40-1 odds. Kahne won twice in 2008, but stammered in the latter half of the season. McMurray was only getting started as the season ended. Rookie Joey Logano is also listed at 40-1 odds. However, this is a bit of an overrate. Logano struggled mightily in 2008 in his handful of starts. You mean to tell me that he has a better shot at the championship than Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr, or even Juan Pablo Montoya?

Obviously, the odds are subject to change as the 2009 season approaches, but this is just a taste of what to expect in the looming season.

According to a multitude of fans and media members, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. encountered a travesty of a season while driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. Apparently, he was supposed to jump into a Hendrick Motorsports prepared car and post Jimmie Johnson-like stats. When the 2008 season began last February at Daytona, Earnhardt, Jr. captured the Bud Shootout and one of the Gatorade 125 races, increasing his expectations even more.

As the season progressed, Earnhardt, Jr. enjoyed several solid showings throughout the first half of the year. He nearly won a number of races, most notably at Richmond in May when he was spun by Kyle Busch with just a handful of laps remaining. In fact, for the first quarter of the season, Earnhardt, Jr. was arguably the top performing Hendrick Motorsports driver despite the fact that he was shut out of victory lane.

The first win finally occurred at the 2-mile speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Earnhardt, Jr. ran among the top five and ten for most of the race, but it was superior fuel mileage that earned him his first and only victory of the season.

Earnhardt, Jr. spent most of the first half of the season among the top three in the Sprint Cup championship standings.

Following his victory at Michigan, Earnhardt, Jr.’s performance began to wane a little. He would only score one top ten finish in the preceding ten races; nevertheless, he still easily qualified for the ten raceChase for the Championship.

His championship pursuit was far from spectacular, as he scored only three top ten finishes in the final ten races and finished last among all twelve drivers in the Chase for the Championship in the standings. Certainly, it was not an ideal way to begin his career at Hendrick Motorsports; however, was it a disaster?

It seems as if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has topped everyone’s list as the most disappointing driver of the 2008 Sprint Cup campaign. He could have done a lot worse.

Firstly, let us take a glimpse at some hard facts. Earnhardt, Jr. finished twelfth in the championship standings, better than Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex, Jr., Jamie McMurray, and other familiar stars.

He scored ten top five finishes. Only six drivers in the entire Sprint Cup series scored more top five finishes. Under the traditional championship format, Earnhardt, Jr. would have placed seventh in the final standings, higher than Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth.

He completed 98.6 percent of the laps he races, which is a personal career high. His average running position was 11.6, fourth among all drivers.

Most significantly, Earnhardt, Jr. won a race, something that Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and twenty-two other full-time drivers could not accomplish.

A true measure of a driver’s performance is the driver ratings. Driver rating’s are an intricate formula consisting of wins, finishes, top fifteen finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green flag conditions, fastest laps, most laps led, and lead lap finishes. Basically, the driver’s with the highest rating are the ones that are frequently running near the front of the pack.

Earnhardt, Jr. finished the season with a driver rating of 99.0, which was fourth among all Sprint Cup drivers. Only Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch produced a better driver rating than Earnhardt, Jr, whose rating was higher than Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart.

So fans, was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. really that awful?

He is the most popular driver in NASCAR, and that comes with monumental exposure. Additionally, he is the son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, Sr, which that alone adds insurmountable pressure. Honestly, it does not matter how well Dale Earnhardt, Jr. performs, he will always fall short of expectations, because people expect his performance to match is popularity, which is utterly impossible. He is a victim of his own name and fame.

Private jets no luxury for NASCAR teams

Business travel can be a grind, But for NASCAR drivers and race teams who are on the road for 36 races per year travel is unavoidable.

If these teams had to rely on commercial airline schedules travel would be a nightmare, if not a logistical impossibility. That’s why most of the top tier drivers own private jets, and race teams operate fleets of small aircraft to transport pit crew members and team executives to the racetrack each week.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. owns a LearJet 60, which is the top of the LearJet line, and their largest jet. It’s a business jet that can seat up to 10 passengers.

Thanks to the jet Earnhardt can leave his home in North Carolina and be at the racetrack in Daytona or Texas a couple of hours later — about the time it would take to drive to a major airport and clear security.

NASCAR rookie and former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya also owns a LearJet 60. 2006 champion Jimmie Johnson owns a Learjet 31A, and Jeff Gordon owns a British Aerospace Hawker 800.

Most of the drivers leave the flying to professional pilots, but Mark Martin is a licensed pilot who often pilots his own Cessna Citation. Martin lives in a unique community near Daytona Beach called Spruce Creek. It’s a fly in community with it’s own airport. Residents have aircraft hangars in the yard where most of us have garages. Martin can literally park his jet in the garage.

The race teams operate larger planes to ferry the pit crews and team executives to the track. Roush Racing operates a fleet of planes, including a Boeing 737 and several smaller business jets. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. flies it’s pit crew on an Embraer 120, a mid-size turbo-prop that seats 30 passengers.

While cars have vanity license plates, NASCAR teams have vanity aircraft registration numbers. Dale Jr’s Learjet is N8JR, and Jeff Gordon’s Hawker is N24JG. The corporate Embraer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is N500DE.

NASCAR has come to rely on private jet travel so much that many tracks are located right next to airports. Daytona International Speedway is located right next to Daytona Beach International Airport where private jets and commercial flights arrive daily.

While most tracks are not located so close to a major international airport, some tracks have built their own airports. Right next to Atlanta Motor Speedway sits Tara Field, a small general aviation airstrip that sees little traffic until race week, when more than 600 planes descend on this tiny airfield.

However, some tracks are not as convenient, but when that happens expect the NASCAR drivers to come up with a solution. When NASCAR descends on a track like Dover Delaware some drivers like Dale Earnhardt bypass race traffic by flying from the airport to the racetrack in a chartered helicopter, landing directly in he infield.

Some people consider private air travel a luxury, but with the hectic schedule of today’s drivers it is a necessity. Following a Sunday afternoon race a driver can hop on his jet and be home by Sunday night. This means they can meet with the crew chiefs and team owners Monday morning to review the previous race, and develop a strategy for the following race. During the week drivers are often on the jet again, meeting with sponsors, shooting TV commercials, making public appearances, and testing. Without a jet this schedule would be impossible. Most drivers agree that having a private jet gives them one to two days per week of productive time, or just allows an occasional day off.

You can see pictures of these jets at JetJit.com and get more detailed information on each airplane.

See photos of these jets and more at JetJit.com

For the second consecutive time, Greg Biffle managed to advance in the final section of the Camping World RV 400 Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway taking the victory and overcoming the leaders and favorites to win this particular competition. Biffle certainly surprised many of us with his brief running to grasp the title. 

 

The Nascar’s driver Biffle was able to closely drive for most of the race next to the race leaders, but at the point when there were only 15 laps remaining he competed against his teammate Matt Kenseth; this was a very exciting part of the competition as Biffle constantly tried to surpass Kenseth in each lap but Kenseth put up a good race but finally Biffle overcame him with an absolute win. 

 

On the other hand, Carl Edwards achieved a third place despite trying very hard to obtain a better place. He was then followed by Mark Martin in the fourth place driving a Chevy, and the two-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, arrived in fifth place. 

 

Among the top ten positions also were: Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip. Eight of these ten drivers had previously competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, except for Martin and Waltrip. One driver that did not have a good performance as expected was Kyle Busch who ended the race in the 43rd position, which was the last place.

 

Despite the fact that it was a very splendid day for Nascar’s racing it was not such a good day for Busch neither David Gilliland as they both collided hardly against the retention wall. Another crash was that of Patrick Carpentier, which lost control of his Dodge in the first curve, striking the defense of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase contender, Carl Edwards.

 

Another driver Jeff Gordon showed his skills and speed while taking a privileged position along with Hamlin, Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Reutimann, Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

 

During the 64th lap Joe Nemechek caused another yellow flag when his Chevy burst a front wheel and struck the external wall. Some other remarkable drivers who rose to top positions and finished seeded in the top ones were: Reutimann, Johnson, Bowyer, Burton and the race winner Biffle. Toyota’s AJ Allmendinge’s caused another yellow flag some laps later when hitting the retention wall. The sparks continued shortly after the yellow flag when Robby Gordon was put behind McMurray this certainly changed the race which at half point of the competition the Nascar driver Hornish crashed again in the 187th lap.

 

Another highlight of the race was the good performance and rising of the Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya who achieved a 17th place. He has also been improving race after race as he seems to be getting more comfortable with the vehicle he is now driving, he is one of those drivers that will sooner than later surprise us with an unexpected victory in the short run.

NASCAR Weekend Report 5/25

Author:  Matt Gerwitz

U. S. Sports Media, Inc

CONCORD, N.C. – Lowe’s Motor Speedway was the setting again this week for NASCAR’s top two series, The Nationwide and the Sprint Cup, while the Camping World Truck series took the weekend off. The rain-filled Memorial Day weekend interrupted the racing schedule, cutting Saturday’s race short and delaying the Coca-Cola 600 until Monday. Qualifying for both races was completed on schedule.

Thursday night featured the Sprint drivers with Ryan Newman leading the way, turning a lap of 188.475 mph. The lap won him his eighth career pole at Lowe’s, his fifth for the Coca-Cola 600. Kyle Bush started in the number two spot followed by Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kasey Kahne filling out the first three rows. Asked about the possibility of winning NASCAR’s longest race, Newman said, “”Yeah, right now, I’m going to call it even between me, the 18 and 24, and throw Tony Stewart in there on Sunday, too.”

Qualifying for Saturday’s Carquest Auto Parts 300 finished with Carl Edwards on the pole, Kyle Bush starting second, and Greg Biffle third. Busch was later forced to start at the back after an engine change but managed to charge his way back to the front. He took the lead from Carl Edwards on lap 41, holding it until Brian Vickers took it from him on lap 140. At lap 146 Vickers made a scheduled green flag stop, surrendering to the lead back to Busch who came in to the pits on lap 149. Meanwhile Mike Bliss stayed on the track making him the only car on the lead lap when caution came out on lap 153. On the restart Bliss was the leader but started behind eleven lapped cars, including Busch. Brendan Gaughan was the lucky dog and restarted second, taking the lead from Bliss, but Bliss battled back and passed Gaughan at lap 167. Three laps later the rain came, giving Bliss his first victory since 2004. Gaughan was the runner-up with Busch finishing third, Vickers fourth, and Logano fifth.

Sunday’s race never got underway as rain pounded the speedway, leaving parts of the infield covered with standing water. The race began at noon on Monday under cloudy skies that brought a red flag for rain just over seventy laps in. After nearly an hour-long delay the cars returned to the track for another 100 laps. Kyle Busch was again the dominant car but Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, and Jaun Pablo Montoya all put the pressure on at various points during the race.

At 3:00 PM eastern NASCAR put out the yellow flag, brought all the cars in, shut off the engines and observed a moment of silence in honor of Memorial Day. Shortly after resuming the race, lap 177 brought out the second red flag for rain. A third and final rain delay came at lap 221 which cost Kyle Busch his second race of the weekend. As the rain began to fall all the leaders hit the pits in anticipation of going green again. David Reutimann, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon chose to stay out, with Reutimann inheriting the lead. The delay turned into several hours and the race was finally called at about 6:25 PM. David Reutimann was declared the winner, giving Michael Waltrip Racing its first Sprint Cup victory. Ryan Newman finished second, followed by Robby Gordon in third, Carl Edwards fourth, and Brian Vickers third. The six through ten positions went to Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joey Logano, and Matt Kenseth.

Source, http://www.RacingWeeklyNews.com, U. S. Sports Media, Inc

With all respect to Kyle Busch and his 20 victories covering three series, Jimmie Johnson is still the man. Say what you want about driving for Rick Hendrick’s “evil empire,” how much of a factor Chad Knaus adds to the equation and how the Chase arrange (which I personally still despise) has played to his strengths, Johnson has four very large silver bowls in his possession, all with his name engraved as NASCAR champion. Only three another men in the 60-year history of NASCAR can claim to have won at least four Cup championships:Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon . Think about that for just a present moment. We’re talking three of the excellent drivers ever, and Johnson — who just turned 34 — definitely deserves to be a part of that conversation.

Jarrod Breeze
Kyle Busch did some special things this year, most notably in the Nationwide and Truck series. Fiftysomethings Ron Hornaday and Mark Martin pooh-poohed the age thing. Tony Stewart was successful as an owner/driver. Did you know Jeff Gordon led the Cup Series with 25 top-10s and tied for most top-fives with 16? But at the end of the day, at the end of the season, the matter in NASCAR that matters most is the Cup championship. And that title belongs to Jimmie Johnson, the face of NASCAR in 2009. End of discussion.