AVONDALE, Arizona (AP)—Jeff Gordon passed Kyle Busch with eight laps left and stretched his lead from there at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, ending his winless streak at 66 races.
PIR has been the place to end long winless streaks lately. Ryan Newman ended a 77-race checkerless streak at PIR in the autumn and Carl Edwards stopped his run at 70 races without a win.

who started 20th, was knocked into the wall by Edwards, had to pull behind another car to shake a piece of debris from his grill and avoided a massive wreck that led to a 14-minute red flag. He still managed to lead the most laps and was able to pull alongside then bump Busch out of the way late to win for the first time since April 2009 at Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jarno Trulli has criticised the new Pirelli tyres, claiming they make the car shift from understeer to oversteer too readily.
The new tyres have been met with a mixed reaction, but the general feeling is that they will improve racing with higher degradation rates. However, Trulli takes issue with the way they affect the car's handling.
"I think their development work was missing something," he told Autosprint. "The tyres are not well balanced. Pirelli says the FIA has asked them to make tyres that wear quickly, but I don't think this is the problem.
"In my opinion, the degradation is secondary to the balance on the track. When you have new tyres there is initially understeer and then three laps later the behaviour is different - either oversteer or impossible."
The Lotus driver was also critical of F1's ever-changing regulations.
"Frankly, with regards to KERS, is it exciting?" he said. "The people at home just want to understand, but if you change the rules every year, all you do is confuse them."
Trulli also had criticism for Italy's motor racing federation as well as Ferrari, when asked about why Italian drivers are a dwindling breed in F1.
"I know who to thank for my career and it is not the Federation," he said. "And Italians have historically not been included in Ferrari's programmes; I don't know why but it's true."

Stock Car Legends of the Oval Track - Smokey Yunick

There was no one better at interpreting the rule book, but his true talent lay within unmatched engineering skills

August 12, 2010 / By Jim McFarland

The Quick Bio
Born: May 25, 1923
Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL
Died: May 9, 2001
Wife: Margie Yunick
Children: Smokey Jr., Rex Henry (deceased), Betty Ann with first wife. Trish, William Sam (deceased), Steven with second wife. He and Margie had no children.

Smokey was many things to many people. While his personality often portrayed a hard-nosed, rule-bending competitor, there was much more to him than that.

I personally experienced many situations in our 35-year friendship that characterized him beyond the misconceptions of those who did not have those opportunities. He had one of the most inquisitive and probing minds I ever experienced, skilled with an ability to see more "sides" to situations than most of us are able. There is far too little space here to chronicle all facets of his life, both on and off the track, but some highlight the times we spent together. In no particular order, here are a few that found their way onto the canvas of my memory.

There was the time he showed up at Riverside Raceway (in California); in the midst of qualifications for a Trans-Am race. Flat-towing a carefully and aerodynamically groomed '67 Camaro, he proceeded to install Lloyd Ruby into the car for a half-dozen laps, some of which bettered the pole time set by Jerry Titus in the previous year's race. Amid speculation he was entering the race, track officials scoured the car for multiple rules infractions, after which Smokey re-hooked the car to his campered pickup truck and departed the facility, giving clear impression he'd be back to race the next day. That was Saturday before the Sunday race.

On Monday, he called me and asked, "How'd the race come out?" When I inquired about his whereabouts, he indicated he'd never intended to race at Riverside. Rather, he had been on his way to Bonneville to reset some land-speed records with the car. Riverside race locals still talk about the event.

I also recall a late-night engine dyno session in that area of the infamous "Best Damn Garage in Town" when testing some cross-ram intake manifolds for small-block Chevys. We'd been at it all day and into the evening and, frankly, I was beginning to fall asleep...while standing. While I was on one side of the engine wrenching on yet another manifold, one of Smokey's hardly-ever-said-anything mechanics was on the other. Acknowledging I'd seen some of these "box" manifolds (in a nearby parts room) with Plexiglas tops, I asked a stay-awake question. "I can't imagine Smokey standing in here with the engine at 7,500 rpm while viewing air/fuel distribution patterns in one of these manifolds." To which my mostly-silent partner stopped work, put down his wrench, looked me directly in the eyes and said, "What the hell makes you think Smokey would be in here doing that?"

Then I remember the '67 Daytona 500 when Curtis Turner put Smokey's "15/16-scale model of a Chevelle" on the pole, amid a sea of factory-backed Mopars and Fords. With the car qualified, and obviously not allowed to run another design or material of tire in the race, Smokey's crew was trimming out the fenderwells for larger rubber when I happened upon the scene.

A NASCAR official had just walked through a gate exiting the pit area, exclaiming, "You can't do that Smokey. The car's already qualified." With his back to the official and drawing on his pipe, Smokey directed his guys to "Keep cuttin'." The official continued toward the car, repeating his warning. When he was about 10 feet away and with his back still turned away from the official, Smokey cautions him. "You can stop right there, Sonny. Then why don't you turn around, leave that gate you just came through open and tell Mr. France his pole car just went home." He ran the tires.

But I still maintain there was a side to the man that few had an opportunity to experience. My wife and I had traveled to Daytona Beach for a few days with Smokey, a short time before Leukemia finally took his life. The shop was virtually empty, almost ghost-like, and eerily so. No activity had been around the dyno area for quite some time. Still, Smokey was urging NASCAR toward further investigation of his "crash wall" concept, yet another of his crusades well ahead of their time, modeling this one with a battery of used tires selectively placed in one area of the shop's yard. We spent hours in his office, cluttered with bits of memorabilia from his decades of racing and other exploits. It was like time stood still, at least for a few days.

Historically, I've come to believe that you can learn much about a man by the way he treats his pets. In Smokey's case, it was his two dogs, both of which seemed aware of his impending departure and inseparable around him in that regard. In the evenings, we sat down by the causeway that traversed the ocean side of his shop property and reminisced about times both good and bad. How he was hurrying to finish compiling his "book" and what would happen to the "garage" in his absence. Both dogs stayed at his feet and he frequently acknowledged their presence. He spoke about all the "fun" he'd had racing, particularly winning the Indy 500, the quarrels with NASCAR, and many of the goals he'd achieved, along with those he'd not had time to investigate.

What Smokey brought to the automotive landscape and the way he went about making his marks failed to acknowledge that he understood and related to hard-working, honest people. Virtually anyone could call and talk with him. If you were a racer and had a question, somehow he'd find time to share his thoughts, whether you agreed with him or not. I've often thought his passion was for people and racing was just the stage on which he operated.

Did You Know?
• Won Two Grand National (Sprint Cup today) Championships (Herb Thomas-1951 and 1953)
• 57 NASCAR Grand National Wins, Including Eight at Daytona
• Won the 1960 Indianapolis 500
• Was Part of the Flying Tigers Flying B-17s for the Army Air Force in WWII
• Worked in Ecuador for 30 Years in Oil Drilling and Gold Mining
• Wrote for Popular Science and Circle Track Magazines
• Founding Member and Director of Embry-Riddle University
• Honorary Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Engineering
• Holder of at Least Nine U.S. Patents, Including One for a Racetrack Designed with "Soft Walls"

What is the link between racers, fans, and businesses potentially involved with sponsorship in racing? That is the link that racers need to determine when looking to secure funds from any business. It may be an obvious user-defined link such as a racing vendor supporting a car or a home improvement center sponsoring a NASCAR team. The sponsor is looking to get its name in front of a specific set of customers and associate the company name with racing. It is an act of associating multiple passions with a need and a name.

At the highest levels of our sport the linkage between the sponsor, the driver, and even the team or organization is inextricable. When you hear the name Jeff Gordon one of the first things you think of is DuPont, or possibly Pepsi, and with Tony Stewart the immediate link is with Home Depot. These businesses have recognized and developed a link between their customers and the racers, so there is a clear and distinct linkage between these teams, drivers, and the sponsors.

This does not happen by accident. It takes work and a long term relationship between the sponsor, the racers, and the team to get this kind of recognition. The value to the business is difficult to place a dollar value on, but it is measured and can be determined right down to the penny. There are numerous businesses that track just how often a product is mentioned and the amount of time the product is seen within the media, including TV, radio, print, and movies, to name a few.

It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that it is difficult to field even a local Saturday night racecar solely out of the pocket of the racer. Even if you were to win every week, the purses at the local dirt track or paved oval just could not support the program. Without some additional funding from friends, family or a sponsor of some type, the show would be much smaller or non-existent.

So, how does the local Saturday night racer get a sponsor and the funds to help run his team? The tried and true way is to develop a sponsorship package-a document that defines the team in a favorable light. This document, along with an impassioned pitch, is supposed to get the potential sponsor to see the light and give the racer a very favorable financial package.

The majority of sponsorship packages are trying to sell the prospective sponsor on the driver and the car. The problem is that most racers are trying to sell something when in reality you are entering into a partnership with the sponsor. For the package to really work where both parties benefit, they need to work together. It is much more than just writing a check. Let's examine the content from a typical sponsorship package and see what many drivers are showing to potential sponsors. The document will often include text and photos that delineate:

• Historical points that revolve around a win/loss record of the driver and/or the team
• A profile of the driver
- Some personal information
- Marital status
- Education
- Likes and dislikes
- Length of driving career
- Experience level and types of cars raced previously and the success in each prior division
• A profile of the team and the members and possibly some team history, often with pictures and a profile of the team members in uniforms.
• Past or current championships that the driver has won or the current points battle and how the driver and team are doing
• The look of the car in its current state.
• Pictures of the tow rig and trailer.
• A cost breakdown for the weekly needs of the team, although rarely a budget of weekly costs are included.

The document may also show pictures of the racecar in the potential sponsor's logo and painted in the sponsor's colors. This is easily done with a digital photo and good photo manipulation software.

These are all important details but they are not enough anymore. To win in this arena you will need to bring more to the table. What is separating your sponsorship package from the rest of racers looking for the same deal?

At times racers have a problem with sponsorship because they have yet to get their mind wrapped around the fact that not everybody is as passionate about racing as they are. Difficulties arise when racers approach a potential sponsor and the communication breaks down because they are not talking the same language. Words travel back and forth between the racer and the business person but communication is not taking place, often because racers are talking racing and business people are talking business. Even if the business person is a race fan they are still thinking about the business reasons that are, or should be, compelling them to enter into a business relationship with a race team.

At the core, what the racer is really proposing, whether they know it or not, is a business relationship with the sponsor. You, the racer, are proposing an advertising relationship with the potential sponsor. For "X" amount of money, you, the racer, will place the sponsor's name and/or logo on the "Y" component-the car, the driver, the trailer, and so on-and that placement is the value provided by the racer.

This arrangement may include a number of personal appearances with the car and team at a sponsor's place of business or even developing some additional advertising using the car, the driver, and possibly the team. The problem with this arrangement is that the racer often sees a clear value in this operation while the potential sponsor needs to be educated about the value. From a simplistic perspective that is the core value package you are presenting to the business. You will be representing that sponsor's company at the track and potentially beyond. It can be just that simple. But more often than not it is a bit more complex. The first question that a potential sponsor will ask is, "Why should I do that?" For the same or possibly less money they can buy some advertising on the local cable TV station and possibly reach more people. The real issue, the racer should point out, is not just the number of people you reach, but that you are reaching the right people, the ones who are potential customers.

As a racer you have to discover the linkages between your racing and the sponsor's customers or potential customers. That is the most common missing link, as the racer often misses this critical linkage between the business, racing, and the customer base of the sponsor's business. That customer base could be new or existing customers, and it is a critical linkage that is in the best interest of the racer to help determine. This should be determined prior to the first meeting with a potential sponsor.

How is this accomplished? The racer does this through research, hard work, and planning prior to even approaching the sponsor with a proposal. First and foremost, you should develop knowledge about any business you approach for sponsorship. This is a key point. Write this down and make sure you have knowledge of the potential sponsor's business before you ever contact the sponsor for a meeting. If they make widgets you should be able to talk about widgets with some level of knowledge. This will show that you are a knowledgeable, interested, and enthusiastic partner.

The problem is that the racer usually has not provided the missing component of data that the sponsor will need. How will sponsoring your racecar put money in the pocket of the sponsor? That is the question you need to answer before the sponsor has the opportunity to ask the question. You as the racer need to try and develop that metric. How will sponsoring your race team put more customers into your sponsor's place of business or have customers asking for the sponsors goods or services? This is the value that a racer will help to provide. Another key point, and write this one down, too: Be able to explain how sponsoring your race team will improve the sponsor's bottom line.

Value. Racers need to show that sponsorship will provide a value to the business. How will giving a racer a sum of money to put the sponsor's name on the car help the business? What is that linkage between the spending of the money and an increase in business for the sponsor? Data is something that many racers leave out of the equation. They bring passion to the table and often forget about the data that will help the potential sponsor get as passionate about the idea of sponsorship as the racer. What kind of data do you need to bring to the table to accomplish this shared passion? The most logical answer is, it depends.

First, just how many people will see the sponsor's name each week? This eyeball count is not just going to happen at the track. You need to look beyond the track. It is going to happen on the way to the track. Remember your racecar trailer is a moving billboard and people will see this on the way to the track and possibly where you park it between race weekends. You are in a competition with the print and broadcast industries for this advertising dollar. They have this data; you need to arm yourself with the same data. In fact, you do have an advantage over the print and the broadcast media. The racing fan is a loyal supporter of those who support racing. Given a choice most race fans will pick a product of a racing sponsor over a non-racing product. This is not conjecture-it is a fact demonstrated by many marketing surveys over the years.

For example, let's concentrate on just the track. The data from the track is something you can get and it gives you an advantage. What is the weekly attendance at the track? Remember there are people in the pits as well as the stands and they all count. You need to start gathering some data about track attendance. If it is not made available to you by the track, gather it yourself. There are plenty of clever ways to gather this data. Make a fair estimate of weekly attendance by counting seats. Go into the parking lot and do some data mining:

• What kind of cars are in the parking lot? This might give you some insight to what kinds of cars the race fan is buying-a data point that may be of value to the local car dealers.
• Are there more foreign cars than domestic? A simple metric with two data points; is this spread different at dirt or paved tracks?
• What kind of tires do they have?
• Do they have accessories like aftermarket wheels? Valuable information if you are looking at local tire dealers for sponsorship.
• Are there more trucks than cars?
• Are people coming to the races in groups?
• Are they doing any sort of tailgating prior to the races?
• If they are tailgating, what are they doing-cooking, using prepackaged food, or fast food?
• What kind of bumper stickers do the cars have? (Are they promoting racing, and do they have a notable number on the rear window or bumper?)
• Remember that all short-track fans are not NASCAR fans and some short-track fans are very loyal when it comes to supporting their favorite drivers or the sport they love.
• Look in the stands and see what the fans are wearing. Are they wearing the shirts from their favorite local racer or from a national series driver?

Data Mining
Remember, racers are in a very competitive marketplace. Your team will not be the only team in the pond looking to land that next big sponsor. Key ingredients are often missing from the presentation package. The one key ingredient is why the sponsor should be giving your team money to place its name on the car. What are the data points that are driving that decision? In developing this package you need to answer some questions that the potential sponsor will have about why it should even consider this proposal. It is better to ask and answer these questions prior to being asked by the potential sponsor. These questions and answers should be part of the presentation package.

These are fairly easy data points to gather. The point is that you need to understand who is coming to the races and just what demographic these fans fit into. A potential sponsor, especially if new to sponsoring racecars, needs to know who will be seeing the company's name on the car.

Once you have some numbers you can craft them into your presentation to a prospective sponsor. The presentation should be tailored to the respective business. For example, if your potential sponsor is an automotive related business, show that you can reach more customers who are in tune with their cars than other ways they may choose to advertise. Your audience is more passionate about their car; they will see the link between the sponsor's business and sponsorship to your racecar. You have established a linkage, with the sponsorship and the sponsors business.

Conclusion
I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time at racetracks and spend a great deal of time talking to racers. A common thread is that every racer wants a sponsor; another common thread is that they have very little data that helps them determine the value they can provide to a sponsor. The side of the car has value, for example, and you need to determine what that value is worth.

One more critical component in the sponsor search many racers do not give enough thought to is how much money they need and how much money they are going to ask for. Approaching a sponsor with a well-developed sponsorship proposal with no idea of how much funding you are looking for is not a good sign. It can make you look less than prepared for the meeting. You need to understand how much money you need. If you are spending $500 a week to fund the car and keep it competitive, state as much in your proposal to the potential sponsor. Don't be shy when asking for the funding. Your season may run 22 races and that means that you need $11,000 to fund the car. That could be a starting point for the negotiations. The point is that you do not just want to say that you will be willing to take whatever they will offer. You need to be an organized and well informed racer.

The real takeaway is that getting and keeping a sponsor is an important part of a well-run race team. The sponsor will be more than just a source of operating revenue. The sponsor will become a racing partner. You and your racecar will become part of a total advertising package. The car, team, driver, and the sponsor are all now linked to each other, and hopefully to a loyal fan base of new and existing customers.

Another thing you need to know is how a potential sponsor is currently advertising. Are they using print advertising? Are they using radio or TV? Do they already advertise at the track in any way? Your job is to illustrate that you can reach a core demographic faster and for a better value than any other single advertising medium. And that the racing advertising has more impact.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Trevor Bayne finally made a mistake. Fortunately for him, it didn’t happen until he missed the turn pulling into Victory Lane at the Daytona 500.
The youngest driver to win the Great American Race gave the historic Wood Brothers team its fifth Daytona 500 victory—its first since 1976 with David Pearson—and Bayne did it in a No. 21 Ford that was retrofitted to resemble Pearson’s famed ride.
In just his second Sprint Cup start, the 20-year-old Bayne stunned NASCAR’s biggest names with a thrilling overtime win Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, holding off Carl Edwards after fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed in NASCAR’s first attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish.

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“Our first 500, are you kidding me?” said Bayne, who needed directions to Victory Lane. “Wow. This is unbelievable.”
Unbelievable, indeed.
Just one day after celebrating his 20th birthday and leaving his teenage years behind, the sport’s biggest race was captured by an aw-shucks Tennessean who shaves once a week and considers “Rugrats” his favorite TV show.
The rookie had been great throughout Speedweeks, even proving his mettle by pushing four-time champion Jeff Gordon for most of a qualifying race.
With the win Bayne breaks Gordon’s mark as the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history. Gordon was 26 when he won the 500 in 1997.
“I think it’s very cool. Trevor’s a good kid, and I love the Wood Brothers,” Gordon said. “I’m really happy for him. And I think it’s great for the sport. To have a young talent like that—he’s got that spark, you know?”
The victory for NASCAR pioneers Leonard and Glen Wood ended a 10-year-losing streak, and came the week of the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
This was only the fourth win in last 20 years for Wood Brothers, which hasn’t run a full Sprint Cup season since 2006.
And there were no plans to do so with Bayne, who drove in the Daytona 500 on a loaner from Roush-Fenway Racing. Bayne came onto the NASCAR scene in late 2009 with Michael Waltrip Racing but bolted late last year when the team couldn’t promise a sponsor for this season.
He hooked up with Roush and planned to run for the Nationwide Series title this season, and a deal was made to get him some seat time in the Cup Series with the Wood Brothers for 17 races. It wouldn’t be for points, and he wasn’t eligible to run for rookie of the year.
But the stunning Daytona 500 win might change everybody’s plans.
Bayne could potentially retract his decision to run for the Nationwide title, and the fat Daytona 500 payday could provide the funding the Woods need to become competitive again.
Sunday’s race had a record 74 lead changes among 22 drivers, and a record 16 cautions that wiped out many of the leaders, including Earnhardt Jr. on the first attempt at NASCAR’s version of overtime. It put Bayne out front with a slew of unusual suspects.
David Ragan, winless in 147 career starts, was actually leading the field on NASCAR’s first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. But he was flagged for changing lanes before the starting line, then an accident that collected Earnhardt in the middle of the pack brought out the caution, and Bayne inherited the lead.
But he had two-time series champion Tony Stewart, now winless in 13 career Daytona 500s, lurking behind with veterans Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, who had collected two previous wins over Speedweeks. All were chomping at the bit for their first Daytona 500 title, but Bayne never blinked, holding his gas pedal down wide open as he staved off every challenge over the two-lap final shootout.
“It was too easy,” Bayne said.
He said he thought for sure he was going to brake, let Stewart in front of him, and push someone else to the win.
Then nobody ever passed him.
Edwards wound up second in a Ford and was followed by David Gilliland, Labonte and Busch.
Juan Pablo Montoya was sixth, Regan Smith seventh, and Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Martin rounded out the top 10.
Earnhardt Jr. wound up 24th. It was a rough start to the season for Hendrick Motorsports as three of the team’s four cars, including five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, were involved in an early 14-car wreck.
Gordon, who started on the front row, sustained damage in the melee and questioned the aggressiveness of his fellow drivers in the dicey two-car tandem racing, especially so early in the race.
“What I don’t quite understand is why guys are doing it three-wide, three-deep running for 28th,” he said.

With a sustained push from his brother, Brian Keselowski finished fifth in Thursday's second Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying event and raced his way into Sunday's Daytona 500.

Since then, his phone hasn't stopped ringing.

 

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.*	Chevrolet
2.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
3.	Kurt Busch	Dodge
4.	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
5.	Regan Smith	Chevrolet
6.	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
7.	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
8.	Michael Waltrip	Toyota
9.	Matt Kenseth	Ford
10.	Kyle Busch	Toyota
11.	Kasey Kahne	Toyota

Ray Evernham called with an offer to pick up Keselowski's tire bill for the weekend -- a cool $10,000 or so. Keselowski is driving a 2006 Dodge Charger that Evernham built years ago, and he came to the track this weekend with one set of tires.

Penske Racing, which fields Sprint Cup cars for Keselowski's younger brother, Brad Keselowski, offered to supply a stronger engine for the No. 92 Dodge. Unlike other well-heeled teams, Keselowski doesn't have a fresh engine to put in the car for Sunday's race.

A complication is that Keselowski is running an older generation R5 engine. The new R6 power plant available from Penske requires, among other things, completely different motor mounts and an external fuel pump. According to Keselowski's father and crew chief, Bob Keselowski, the team might not be able to install the engine in time for Saturday's practice.

Keselowski also is working on a sponsorship deal with Golden Corral, which already had sent him a mockup of the paint scheme for Sunday's race.

"Honestly, I couldn't answer all the calls," Brian Keselowski said. "It's just been insane. By the time I got out of the media center and got dressed [after the race], I looked at my phone, and I had 50-something messages and text messages and phone calls. It's been crazy"



Bayne will not go to a backup

After a last-lap crash in Thursday's second Duel 150 qualifying race, Trevor Bayne assumed he'd be in a backup car for the 500.

A thorough examination of the car found no structural damage, and the Wood Brothers, who get their chassis from Roush Fenway Racing, decided to repair the No. 21 Ford rather than roll out a backup.

"We were standing there looking at it yesterday, and some of the guys in [Jack Roush's] fab shop that helped build the car to start with said they could fix it," Wood Brothers co-owner Len Wood said.

As a consequence, the team opted to sit out both Friday practice sessions while the car was repaired.



Sprint Cup practice doesn't draw a crowd

What if NASCAR scheduled a practice session and no one showed up?

The speedway wasn't empty during the two Sprint Cup practice sessions on Friday, but it was close.

Only 12 of the 43 cars qualified for the Daytona 500 participated in Friday's first practice session. Only 12 cars showed up for the second session, too, as teams were content to change to their Daytona 500 engines and work on their cars in the garage stalls, rather than risk calamity on the race track.

Many of the cars that took to the track were those that either weren't up to satisfactory speed in the Duels, were damaged in those races and subsequently repaired (as with Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet), or were backup cars (as with David Ragan's No. 6 Ford).

"We're sitting out [Friday's] practice completely," Kyle Busch said. "We're working on the car and doing our engine change and making sure everything is up to spec and tuned for the 500. We'll probably just go out for practice a little bit [Saturday] just to make sure the engine runs -- it runs on all eight cylinders, and the spark plugs are good.

"That's about it. We'll get out there with one of our teammates most likely and push them around for a few laps and call it a day."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Nationwide Series practice speeds topped 200 mph Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR reacted quickly to slow the cars.
It didn't work.
NASCAR reduced the size of the openings in the tapered spacers used to reduce horsepower on Nationwide engines from 61/64ths to 60/64ths inches for teams running old generation engines and from .945 inches (the equivalent of 60.48/64ths) to 59/64ths inches for teams running new engines.
With Tony Stewart as a drafting partner, Aric Almirola led the first Nationwide practice session with a lap at 200.303 mph. Stewart, the only other driver to top 200 mph, was second on the speed chart at 200.236 mph.
With the smaller spacer opening, Stewart ran 202.238 mph in the second practice session, followed by defending series champion Brad Keselowski at 202.234 mph. Almirola and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also topped 200 mph in the second session.
"We didn't have a test like the Cup teams had, so we're allowing the teams to make changes during [Wednesday's] practices," Nationwide Series director Joe Balash said between sessions. "[The 200.303 mph] was not really the number we're looking for."
After the second practice session, NASCAR decided on a tapered spacer/restrictor-plate combination designed to disrupt airflow to the carburetor. The spacer openings go up to 1 1/16th inches with the openings in the plate, which is positioned beneath the spacer, at 61/64ths inches.
The combination will be used on all engines in the series.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP)—Clint Bowyer has won the pole for the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
Bowyer’s lap of 180.821 mph in Friday’s qualifying session knocked Landon Cassill off the front starting spot, moments after he had knocked Danica Patrick from the top position.

The final qualifying order ended up Bowyer first and Cassill second, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. also squeezing in ahead of Patrick.
Earnhardt owns Patrick’s team, so JR Motorsports will have two cars starting side-by-side in the second row of Saturday’s race.
Bowyer wore a black No. 3 hat following his qualifying lap to mark the 10-year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti joined Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Frank Williams and Jody Scheckter in being the second class of inductees into the Motor Sport Magazine Hall of Fame during ceremonies Feb. 15 in London.
Franchitti, of Scotland, is a three-time IZOD IndyCar Series title-holder, including winning the past two, with Andretti Green Racing and Target Chip Ganassi Racing. He recorded three victories in 2010, tying Rodger Ward for 11th on the all-time Indy car victory list with 26 (16 in INDYCAR, 10 in CART). Johnny Rutherford (27 wins) is next on the list.
Franchitti won the first of his two Indy 500s in 2007 on the way to winning his first series title. In December, Franchitti was named British Competition Driver of the Year by Autosport.
Accepting the award on behalf of Sir Jack Brabham was his son David Brabham, with Sir Stirling Moss delivering the introduction. Brabham won Formula One World Championships in 1959, 1960 and '66. He is only man to ever win the F1 drivers’ title in one of his own cars.
F1 commentator Murray Walker announced Sir Frank Williams, founder of the Williams F1 team, as an inductee, while TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and five-time Grand Prix winner John Watson introduced Scheckter, the 1979 F1 World Champion. He's the father of IZOD IndyCar Series driver Tomas Scheckter.
In 2010, Mario Andretti, Tony Brooks, Jacky Ickx and Ron Dennis were inducted, along with founding members Enzo Ferrari, Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—A lower-tier open-wheel race in Bahrain was called off Thursday amid anti-government protests and a crushing response by riot police. The cancellation leaves in doubt next month’s season-opening Formula One race at the same track.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled for March 13, with F1 workers due in the country 10 days earlier.
Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said he will wait until next week to decide whether to proceed with the race. He spoke Thursday to Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa about the situation.
“It’s not good is it?” Ecclestone said. “We’ll have to keep our eye on things and make a decision quickly. I spoke to the crown prince this morning. He doesn’t know any more than you or I, but they’re monitoring exactly what is going on.”
Organizers said the GP2 Asia Series race set for Friday and Saturday was canceled at the request of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation because of “force majeure”—a French expression referring to uncontrollable events. No further information was available.
FIA, the governing body of motor sports, has expressed confidence that the protests on the island nation in the Gulf would not prevent the running of next month’s F1 race.
“We are constantly in touch with both the national authorities and local authorities,” FIA spokesman Norman Howell said. “We are monitoring the situation.”
Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, chief executive officer of the Bahrain International Circuit, has said security remains of paramount concern.
“Our priority at this time is ensuring the well-being of everyone associated with this event, and we will respond appropriately to any further developments,” he said in a statement.
Riot police with tear gas and clubs early Thursday broke up a camp that anti-government protesters had set up on the square, killing four people, according to medical officials. Armed patrols prowled neighborhoods throughout the day and tanks appeared in the streets for the first time. Public gatherings were banned Thursday and the city was virtually locked down.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings and promising to push ahead with reforms.
Associated Press writer Hadeel Al-Shalchi contributed to this story from Manama, Bahrain.

The Lotus-backed outfit said the experienced 33-year-old German would test for the team at Spain's Barcelona circuit this week and race alongside Russian team mate Vitaly Petrov at Sakhir on March 13.
Kubica will be out for at least three months and possibly the entire season after suffering serious arm, leg and hand injuries in a rally crash in Italy.
He underwent another eight hours of surgery on Wednesday, his third operation in 11 days, to stabilise and reconstruct his broken right elbow.
The team said doctors were happy with the outcome and Kubica, 26, will remain in intensive care for a few days.
"I would have liked to come back to Formula One in different circumstances, but I'm proud to have been given this chance," said Heidfeld, who has yet to win a race despite starting 172 grands prix.
The German, who likes the nickname 'Quick Nick', drove for Sauber last year after starting the season as the Mercedes test driver and then working with new tyre provider Pirelli.
He was also Kubica's team mate at Sauber for the best part of four years.
"Everything has happened so quickly, but I've been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone (the Renault factory)," said Heidfeld.
"I really enjoyed the test last week in Jerez and I've already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I'm extremely motivated and can't wait for the season to begin."
Renault principal Eric Boullier said the team could not afford to waste time on finding a replacement with just two important tests remaining to develop the car before the first of a record 20 races this year.
"We gave Nick a chance in Jerez last week and he really impressed us," said the Frenchman, who opted not to use any of the team's five contracted but inexperienced reserve drivers.
"He's quick, experienced and is very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car. We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car and we feel he is the ideal man for the job."
Kubica's absence will be keenly felt in Formula One, with the Pole both popular and very fast.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose championship-winning team are also powered by Renault engines, said that Kubica must set realistic targets in planning his recovery and not put pressure on himself.
He added that Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone was also keeping an attentive eye on one of the sport's hot properties.
"I've spoken to Bernie on a few occasions, who has followed his progress with great interest, and it seems like he (Kubica) has received really good medical attention, the doctors have done a fantastic job for him," said the Briton

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—New pavement, same result: Bobby Gerhart won the ARCA race at Daytona.
Gerhart held off the field for the final 10 laps to win Saturday’s ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway—his seventh Daytona win in the minor league stock car racing series.

Chris Buescher finished second, followed by Matt Merrell, former motocross star Ricky Carmichael and Jason Bowles.
“It’ll probably take a long time, maybe until I’m even done racing, until the meaning of what we’ve done really sets in,” Gerhart said. “But we’re geared up to compete here, and I’m privileged to do that. I’m already thinking about next year.”
It was a warmup for upcoming NASCAR events on the repaved Daytona track, and drivers seemed to like the new smooth surface.
“It was something that needed to happen for sure,” Gerhart said. “You can’t stop it when the track begins to fall apart. It will certainly make for better racing. Fantastic. They did a beautiful job.”
Gerhart said he nearly ran out of fuel in the closing laps of the race.
The Daytona ARCA race often is known for its big crashes, but Saturday’s race was relatively clean until a big wreck with 17 laps to go. When the race restarted, Buescher and the rest of the field couldn’t really challenge Gerhart for the lead.

Updated Feb 12, 7:46 pm EST

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—The Ford Motor Co. has informed NASCAR it would like to race the Mustang in the elite Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2013.
Ford currently uses the Fusion in the Cup Series. The Mustang was used in four second-tier Nationwide Series races last year, and will be raced full-time this season.

The director of Ford’s North American Motorsports program tells The Associated Press that fan reaction to the Mustang exceeded all expectations. Jamie Allison also says Ford wants to bring the iconic Mustang to NASCAR’s top series to have its entry consistent with a model fans can buy in the showroom.

The mighty, thundering voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been silenced.
Tom Carnegie, the chief announcer for the IMS Public Address system for 61 years, died Feb. 11. He was 91. Carnegie is survived by his wife, D.J., and children Blair, Charlotte and Robert. Services are pending.
Carnegie served as the Public Address announcer at the Speedway from 1946-2006. He called 61 Indianapolis 500s, 12 Brickyard 400s and six United States Grands Prix for millions of fans at IMS.
Carnegie's baritone coined and developed such iconic phrases as, "And heeeeeee's on it!" "Heeeeeere's the time and speed report!” and “Aaaaaand, it’s a neeeeew track record!"
He developed his style through the mid-1950s and pretty much had it perfected by the early 1960s, bellowing the phrases and others to the delight of the crowds.
“This is a very sad day for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and everyone worldwide who loved Tom Carnegie," said Mari Hulman George, Chairman of the Board of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. "Millions of race fans who never met Tom still felt as if they knew him because of his distinctive voice and his passion for the Speedway, its events and its people. Tom cared about everyone at the track, whether it was a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner or a young fan attending a practice day.
"He provided the soundtrack for the greatest moments of 61 years at IMS, and he never will be forgotten. Tom was a dear friend of four generations of the Hulman-George family, and we will miss him dearly.”
Added INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard: “It was truly an honor to meet a man that played such an important role in creating the legacy of the Indianapolis 500. If there are two sayings that truly resonate with race fans around the world, it is ‘Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines’ and Mr. Carnegie’s iconic ‘It’s a new track record.’ He will be remembered as an important part of what made fans and competitors fall in the love with ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ ''
Born in Connecticut as the son of a Baptist minister, Carnegie grew up aspiring to be an actor. But those hopes were dashed when he was stricken with polio as a student in Missouri. He turned his attention instead to the broadcasting of sporting events, and his sense of the dramatic quickly came to the fore.
After graduating from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., he landed a job in 1942 at radio station WOWO in Fort Wayne, Ind. Westinghouse in Pittsburgh owned WOWO and sister station WGL, and the station manager suggested the name Tom Carnegie would go well in the East since the name Carnegie was prominent in Pittsburgh. So Carl Kenagy (Carnegie's birth name) became Tom Carnegie.
Fate eventually led him to radio station WIRE in Indianapolis near the end of World War II. He also wrote sports columns for the Indianapolis Star. It was while he was the emcee at a vintage car concourse days before the 1946 "500" that track president Wilbur Shaw heard his work and invited him to assist with the public address on Race Day. Carnegie accepted and kept coming back for the next six decades.
Perhaps his favorite "call" came in the closing moments of the 1967 Indianapolis 500 when Parnelli Jones had to drop out with Andy Granatelli's turbine after having led for much of the day, setting the stage for A.J. Foyt to become a three-time winner.
Moments before Foyt was due to come through Turn 4 for the final time, a multi-car accident took place on the main straight, all but blocking the track. While cars were spinning in every direction, Carnegie was bellowing, "He should be coming through it at any moment. Will he get through? Will he get through? Where is he? Where is he?" What followed was the triumphant, "There he is!"
Carnegie never really wanted to quit. But he understandably found himself tiring more easily upon entering his 80s. Realizing that the dramatic finish to the 2006 "500" would be hard to top -- Sam Hornish Jr. overtook Marco Andretti on the frontstretch of the final lap -- Carnegie decided to call it a career in June 2006.
He would continue to visit the track during event times and be besieged by race fans of all ages who wanted to share their memories and thank him for his contributions.
His contributions spread far beyond the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was covering qualifications for the inaugural Ontario (Calif.) 500 in 1970 for what was then WFBM-TV (now WRTV), of which he was the longtime sports director, when he was quickly pressed into service.
Carnegie actually travelled the circuit for a couple of years after that, announcing all of the United States Auto Club national championship races. He was a real friend to USAC, as well as to the Speedway, never failing to show up for any kind of press announcement over a period of many years and always willing to interview a driver on camera about an upcoming race.
He was eventually to be inducted into a variety of Halls of Fame, in the fields of both motor racing and broadcasting.

Felipe Massa was fastest at Jerez as the F1 teams reconvened following a six-day break since the last test in Valencia.

Inevitably, most talk was about Robert Kubica and the spare Lotus Renault GP seat, and Nick Heidfeld was on hand to watch Vitaly Petrov in the R31 that he will drive this weekend. Bruno Senna, Tonio Liuzzi and Pedro de la Rosa were also present in the paddock Thursday.

The team was relieved to get back to work after the turbulent few days since Kubica’s rally crash.

“After a difficult few days, it’s good for the team to be back at the track and to have our minds focused on developing the car,” said team boss Eric Boullier. “Things went pretty well, but it’s early days and there is still so much for us to learn about the new car, especially at a track like Jerez with some high-speed corners. We had a small oil leak on the car in the morning, which kept us in the garage for a while, but the aero program went well today and has taught us some useful things.”

McLaren, Virgin and Force India gave their new cars their first proper circuit runs, while the only absentee was HRT, the team preferring to undertake filming duties with the old car for Pirelli at Monza.

As well as being fastest, Massa also completed more mileage than anyone else, logging 101 laps on the red car. Second fastest was the Sauber of Sergio Perez, the Mexican continuing to find his feet in the Swiss team, while Mark Webber was third for Red Bull.

“It was pretty good today,” said the Australian. “There were a few red flags, but we did almost 100 laps and the car ran well. On the performance side I think we’re going OK; it’s very early and you don’t know who’s doing what, but we’re focusing on ourselves and seem to be going in the right direction.”

His countryman Daniele Ricciardo was fourth in the Toro Rosso, before handing the car to regular race driver Jaime Alguersuari.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth in his first go with the new McLaren, while Adrian Sutil drove the Force India, and Timo Glock the Virgin.

Mercedes continues to set modest times, but Nico Rosberg remains positive.

“We had a reasonable day and I was able to complete quite a few laps, which is positive,” said Rosberg. “It’s important for both me and the team to get good mileage, and we’re really learning about the car all the time. We had a few little issues, which you always expect from a new car, so we just have to keep putting the miles on it.

“The KERS was working well and having more time to get used to the system is a real help; it’s not just a question of using the buttons but also understanding the effect of the KERS under braking. We are starting to understand the tires better and that will be one of the key factors to success over the race weekends.”

Pastor Maldonado did no proper flying laps in the Williams after a problem with the moveable rear wing mechanism. The team focused instead on aero work,

PARIS (AP)—How does one go from racing Formula One cars one minute to quietly sitting at home knitting woolen socks the next? Quick answer: You don’t.
That is why it makes total sense that Robert Kubica races in rallies on his off-days as an F1 driver. However foolhardy his hobby looks now, with Kubica in hospital, his right arm mangled after his terrifying weekend crash, his need for speed is an inseparable part of the man.
Risky? Of course. But, if you’re Kubica, as necessary as eating or breathing. Those who worked with and paid the star Polish driver understood that and were prepared to live with the consequences.

Fans critical of Kubica for endangering his F1 career and the season of his Lotus Renault team by rallying need to ask themselves what they want from their heroes. Gut-felt passion or clock-punchers who drive but aren’t married to it? If the answer is the former, Kubica is your man.
His team says Kubica cannot go more than a day without racing—anything, just so long as it has four wheels. As a kid, Kubica was given a miniature car with a four-stroke petrol engine and honed his driving by slaloming between bottles laid out on the ground.
“Rallying is a very important thing for Robert,” says Clarisse Hoffmann, spokeswoman for Kubica’s team that now needs to quickly find another driver before the F1 season starts next month. “He’s just so passionate about racing. Driving an F1, a go kart or a rally car is a way of finding his personal balance. He knew the risks and he always insisted that his contract should let him drive other cars than F1.”
So there you go. Bottom line: Kubica’s employers knew of his rallying but still hired him. They had no corporate policy barring him from extracurricular racing and Renault and Lotus “understood this,” Hoffmann says.
“We also knew that there was a potential danger. We accepted the situation. (The team) doesn’t want its drivers to be the ‘corporate robots’ everyone seems to be complaining about,” she told The Associated Press.
Others, however, struggle to understand how the team could allow its top driver to put himself in such danger. Triple world champion Jackie Stewart notes that he raced sports cars during his F1 career and that fellow driver Graham Hill did rallies, too. But in their day, in the 1960s and ’70s, “that was par for the course,” he said in a telephone interview.
Later, as a team owner, Stewart says he developed qualms about his drivers’ off-track activities. F1 teams pour fortunes into racing, hundreds of people depend on that for jobs, and “you’ve got to look after that investment,” Stewart says.
“It’s quite a challenge to stop drivers doing the things I believe are unwise leading up to an F1 season. Skiing is the one you would immediately think of,” he says. He added that, as a driver, the agreement with his boss was that he wouldn’t ski or drive motorbikes.
BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen says that when Kubica drove for his F1 team, rallying wasn’t allowed.
“I knew about Robert’s passion for karting and, even more so, rallying. Knowing how important it is for him, I have always followed it with sympathy. And, of course, driving any sort of race car at the limit hones your skills as a racing driver,” he said in a statement to the AP.
However, Theissen added: “The driver is key to success in F1, only he can turn the tremendous effort of several hundred equally determined people into results. And what’s the point in pushing hard for the highest safety standards in F1 if a driver is then seriously hurt in other racing activities?”
It is true that F1 cars have become so safe that it’s become easy to forget the risks that drivers take. Kubica was, in his own words, very lucky to survive a spectacular crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. Before starting F1, he also fractured his right arm in another crash.
If F1 drivers were able to drive during their offseason from November to March, then perhaps Kubica wouldn’t have felt such a need to look elsewhere for adrenaline kicks. Preventing teams from pouring money down the drain by banning them from testing cars over the winter makes financial sense but leaves drivers at somewhat of a loose end.
The racy and compact Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car Kubica was driving would have given him racing sensations completely different from Lotus Renault’s new F1 car that he tried out for the first time last week. It required different skills, too.
Plus, as his boss Eric Boullier told the French sports newspaper L’Equipe: “He could also have been run over by a bus going to get his bread.”
In other words, accidents happen.
We must wait for Kubica’s explanation of his crash, because he’s too busy healing. The surgeon who helped to rebuild his right forearm, Igor Rossello, says “each bone was broken in two points, the tendons were broken in two points.”
Let’s hope Kubica gets well soon because, for better or worse, he clearly needs to race.
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org

Updated Feb 8, 3:58 am EST

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP)—Danica Patrick is trimming her NASCAR schedule by a race.

Patrick announced Wednesday that she will drive in 12 Nationwide Series events, including the first four of the season, and compete full time in the IndyCar Series.

Patrick says she has a “much different perspective heading into this season” and that she knows “a little more of what to expect.”
Patrick made 13 starts for JR Motorsports last year, her first foray into stock-car racing. Her best finish was 19th in the season finale at Homestead.
She will open her second season at Daytona next week. She also will race in Phoenix (Feb. 26), Las Vegas (March 5) and Bristol, Tenn. (March 19). Her final eight races will be in Chicago, Daytona, Montreal, Richmond, Va., Kansas, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.

Updated 8 hours, 32 minutes ago