Thursday, February 24, 2011
Why the NASCAR Foundation Organization Supports Charity
One thing they do is sponsor auctions where the proceeds go to one of the foundations supported by the foundation. For example, on September 17, 2007, they announced bidding on Jeff Gordon full-sized and autographed fiberglass auto body. The proceeds from this auction go to the Jeff Gordon Foundation which supports pediatric medical care of children with serious and life-threatening disease.
The NASCAR foundation holds the Blood and Marrow Drives at different tracks each year. The donations help out the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and the Hendrick Marrow Program. Other charities of the Foundation are:
The Dale Earnhardt Foundation,This is a foundation run by the wife of the racing great who died in a race car crash in 2001. Dale Earnhardt was concerned about education, children, and wildlife and his commitment lives on through this foundation.
The Kyle Petty Charity Ride,Kyle Petty is the son of the King of NASCAR Richard Petty and he sponsors a motorcycle ride across the USA for the Victory Junction Gang Camp as well as other childrens charities.
Victory Junction Gang Camp,This is an organization with the mission of helping to enrich the lives of children with serious illnesses by providing them a camping experience in a medically-safe environment. It was founded by Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie in June 2004. The couple also donated the land that the camp stands on today. The camp is interesting because it was built with a racing theme and all the look of a race track. The camp takes cash donations and there are volunteer opportunities. It is also gives a quilt and a teddy bear to each child who stays there so they are always looking for donations of these two items to replenish their supply.
There are many ways to donate to the foundation. One way is through the NASCARs Auto Donation program. Here, you can donate a vehicle and then any of the proceeds that the Auto Donation program gets from the proceeds in an auction are given to charity. All donations are fully tax deductible.
The Day Telethon,This was a telethon held on May 18, 2007 across from Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Speed Channel, NASCAR, and Sirius radio broadcasted this telethon event through the end of the Craftsman Truck Series Race.
There are many other charitable organizations supported by the Foundation but it is obvious that they care about contributing to the community which is probably one of the reasons why this sport is becoming increasingly popular.
For the largest selection of Nascar Merchandise along with up to the minute News, NASCARsupershop offers this and more. We carry everything NASCAR including NASCAR Shorts and NASCAR Sunglasses all at the best prices everyday! I'm not only the owner of NASCARsupershop.com I'm also the senior editor, website developer and a HUGE fan of NASCAR!
Article Source: Why the NASCAR Foundation Organization Supports Charity
Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/103677/why-the-nascar-foundation-organization-supports-charity
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
NASCAR The Drivers Physical Conditioning
The temperatures in the drives cockpit of a race car can reach around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine this temperature with a 500 lap race at 200 mph along with lack of air flow and you will see that NASCAR driver physical conditioning to build in endurance is critical. Plus, a NASCAR driver will need to steer and maneuver a 3,400 pound vehicle around curves, other cars, and over bumps. This can cause a lot of impacting against the driver plus just the strain of controlling the steering wheel. Then there are the G forces that will result from banking turns at speeds close to 200 mph causing pressure on the drivers torso as it presses against the side of the vehicle.
Oxygen is a problem too. Since the cars are very aerodynamic so as to increase speed, the air is guided around the car but does not reach the inside. The drivers cockpit is not pressurized like an aircraft. So, the driver has to be able to process what oxygen he gets very efficiently. Therefore, NASCAR driver physical conditioning will include aerobic exercises so as to optimize the processing of oxygen by the body.
Part of any good physical athletic training is the proper amount of nutrition and rest and NASCAR driver physical conditioning is no exception to this. By including the proper amount of nutrition and rest in NASCAR driver physical conditioning, the driver can maintaining alertness and quick reflexes which are crucial to a safe drive. Not getting the proper amount of rest can cause a driver to make mistakes which at 200 mph could be dangerous and even fatal.
Without the proper nutrition and rest in the drivers physical conditioning, a driver can become confused and disoriented during the race. This is especially true when combining the lack of air in the cockpit mixed with carbon monoxide fumes and tremendous G forces which cause disorientation as well. G forces can also affect vision but proper nutrition and vitamins combat against their effects.
NASCAR driver physical conditioning also includes weight training but not in order to build mass. The weight training performed by a driver is to build up strength for steering and breaking. It is also so that the drivers body can withstand the abuse from bouncing around and getting slammed from excessive Gforces.
NASCAR driver physical conditioning separates those who can make it for an entire racing event and those who would wear out during the qualification races. It is very important and the sport should be taken just as serious as any other professional sport.
For the largest selection of Nascar Merchandise along with up to the minute News, NASCARsupershop.com offers this and more. We carry everything NASCAR including Nascar Car Flags and Nascar Baby Pajamas all at the best prices everyday!
Article Source: NASCAR The Drivers Physical Conditioning
Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/102519/nascar-the-drivers-physical-conditioning
3-D Photo Gallery From Daytona International Speedway
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Fans, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Here's a 3-D photo gallery from Speedweeks here at Daytona International Speedway, as well as several photos from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour in January.To see these photos in 3-D, use common red-cyan 3-D glasses. Remember, left eye red.
Except as noted, all 3-D photos were taken by FanHouse motorsports editor Bob Zeller using a Fuji W3 3-D camera.
Jeff Gordon answers questions from fans in a live chat with FanHouse senior motorsports writer Holly Cain from the media center at Daytona on Friday afternoon.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/19/3-d-photo-gallery-from-daytona-international-speedway/
Verizon Wireless Dodge Elliott Sadler GT Vodka Chevrolet Jason Leffler
Tom Walkinshaw - an obituary
Tom Walkinshaw, who has died of cancer aged 64, was one of the most powerful personalities in motorsport for nearly 30 years and, latterly, an influential figure in English rugby.
Walkinshaw's famous TWR racing team won championships in touring cars and sportscars, as well as claiming the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1988, giving Jaguar its first win in the race for more than 30 years in the process.
But Formula 1, motorsport's pinnacle, proved a tougher challenge. Although the Scot was instrumental in the success of the Benetton team with Michael Schumacher from 1992-4, his attempts to conquer it with his own team eventually led to his downfall and exit from top-level motor racing.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
When Walkinshaw joined Benetton in 1991, after nearly two decades of often controversial successes in touring cars and sportscars, his reputation preceded him.
He was known as an uncompromising and controversial character whose granite jaw reflected his determination - he pushed things to the limit, didn't mind who he upset to get his way and used his imposing physical presence to its full effect.
Walkinshaw was not a tall man but he was immensely broad and stocky, and he was not afraid to employ his physical strength to his own ends.
At a sportscar race once, he sought out a journalist to whose reporting he had taken exception, dragged him across the pit lane and hung him over the pit wall as cars passed by at nearly 200mph while he verbally harangued him.
But Walkinshaw had brains as well as brawn. He was a very competent racing driver in touring cars in the 1970s but he was a far better team boss.
One of the people he employed at Jaguar was Ross Brawn, later to transform Ferrari into the most efficient winning machine in F1 history, but then an ambitious young designer.
Walkinshaw took him on to apply F1 expertise to sportscars and the result was a game-changing car that won the world sportscar championship.
With that conquered, only F1 remained and the flamboyant new Benetton team boss Flavio Briatore, an intimidating character himself, decided that Walkinshaw and Brawn were the men he needed to turn Benetton from also-rans to winners. Walkinshaw was installed as engineering director, Brawn as technical director.
It didn't take long for Walkinshaw's ruthlessness to emerge.
He had witnessed Schumacher's talents driving for Mercedes in sportscars and when the 22-year-old German made an electrifying F1 debut for Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Walkinshaw told Briatore this was the driver they needed. By the next race in Italy Schumacher was in the cockpit of a Benetton, the fact that he had binding contract with Jordan a minor inconvenience.
Together, Benetton and Schumacher made a formidable team and success was not long coming - by 1994 they were world champions. But, just as in the other categories in which Walkinshaw had competed, the whiff of controversy followed him to F1.
Benetton were accused of cheating. They were found to have illegal driver-aid software in their cars, but were not punished because the sport's governing body, the FIA, could not prove it had been used. Then, after a refuelling fire during the German Grand Prix, Benetton were found guilty of taking a filter out of their fuel hose without authorisation.
Benetton's 1994 pit fire led to the end of Walkinshaw's career with the team
They blamed it on a "junior member of staff", but the rumour was that Walkinshaw had authorised it.
Benetton agreed with the FIA to part company with certain unidentified staff as an act of good faith. It was an open secret that a deal had been brokered behind closed doors that Walkinshaw would leave the company at the end of the year.
He moved first to run Benetton-linked Ligier, before in early 1996 taking over Arrows.
Such was the regard in which Walkinshaw was held that he was expected to make a success of a team that had never won a race in its 20-year history.
He pulled off a coup by convincing world champion Damon Hill to join the team for 1997 but the car was uncompetitive. Hill took a somewhat freak second place in Hungary but left the team at the end of the year.
From then on, it was largely all downhill, despite a few flashes of hope, namely when investment bank Morgan Grenfell bought into the team in 1998 and Walkinshaw signed a high-profile sponsorship deal with mobile phone network Orange in 2000.
Generally, his Arrows years were a struggle against the odds, and they ended in 2002 with the ignominy of a High Court battle with Morgan Grenfell and a damning judgement, in which Mr Justice Lightman described proposals Walkinshaw had made trying to ensure the survival of the team as "underhand and improper, indeed downright dishonest".
Why did it go wrong for him in F1?
Some said Walkinshaw too often had his eye off the ball, concentrating on his other business interests, such as his TWR engineering group and Gloucester Rugby Club, to the detriment of his F1 team.
Walkinshaw found money and new partners hard to come by, despite his long history in the car and motorsport industries - or perhaps because of it, some believed.
Walkinshaw was a hard-nosed businessman and sportsman, always viewed as the ultimate survivor, the man who could be guaranteed to pull off the last-minute saving deal.
But his failure with Arrows spelt the end of his association with top-level motorsport, although he did continue to run a touring car team in Australia.
He turned his business acumen and tough negotiating skills to a new role in rugby.
Related or not, the collapse of Arrows coincided with Walkinshaw's tenure as chairman of Premier Rugby, the top-flight clubs' umbrella body, from 1998-2002.
Later, he led the clubs' team negotiating with the Rugby Football Union over the release of England players, the details of which are now enshrined in an eight-year agreement that has largely ended what for a while were very bitter wrangles over the management of the men playing for the national side.
As chairman of Gloucester, he is remembered fondly for pumping in lots of money and keeping the team at the forefront of the game, even if he never quite achieved his ambitions either domestically or in Europe.
Walkinshaw was a complex figure who aroused mixed emotions but, although he had a dark side, plenty of people will remember him as a warm-hearted and generous man.
BBC F1 analyst Martin Brundle, whose long relationship with Walkinshaw included winning Le Mans and the world sportscar title, says: "He was a mentor to me.
"I wrote to him and asked him for a drive when he didn't know me from Adam and he gave me a chance. If he hadn't done that, I'd still be selling Toyotas in West Norfolk, for sure. He was an entrepreneurial racer and a great tactician."
And Hill, now president of the British Racing Drivers' Club that owns Silverstone, adds: "He was a very big-hearted guy who put everything he had into motor racing in all its forms. He loved motorsport and he liked business, too.
"Tom had competitive spirit and there were a lot of good things about him. He genuinely wanted to compete. He wanted things to turn out right.
"I certainly believed in Tom and his sincere desire to build a team. But it didn't work out.
"He was a major player in motorsport for a long time and that will be his testimony."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/12/tom_walkinshaw_who_has_died.html
Team orders and F1's radical plan to improve racing
Formula 1 will be changed for ever by the new rules announced by Formula 1's governing body at its world council meeting on Friday.
The decision to switch to vastly different, far more efficient engines from 2013 and the introduction of movable rear wings for next season will change both the way the sport is viewed by the wider world and the action on the track.
The new engine regulations - the adoption of 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo engines with energy recovery and fuel restrictions - mirror the way the car industry is going and are aimed at boosting F1's public image, helping it to survive into the future by opening up new avenues for sponsorship and - most importantly - speeding up the adoption of more sustainable engines in road cars over the next few years, thus dramatically reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
More immediately, the controversial adoption of movable rear wings in 2011 will make overtaking easier. At least that's the hope.
The issue of overtaking is a perennial problem in F1. All stakeholders agree it has been too hard to do in recent years. Races can be processional, or turn on pit stops.
The problem for F1's bosses, who want racing rather than tactics to decide outcomes, is aerodynamics.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
Cars are created with quite incredible capabilities but significant limitations when it comes to racing. Cornering forces often reach 5G. To see an F1 car in the flesh as it negotiates a fast corner like Silverstone's Becketts complex is both to doubt your eyes and to marvel at the way it uses physics to test the limits of the possible.
But aerodynamics work most effectively when a car is running on its own. Give it some turbulent air - such as that created by another car directly in front of it - and its ability to produce downforce - and therefore grip - is dramatically reduced. So drivers find it difficult to get close enough to a car in front to try to pass it, even if they are in a faster car.
A number of attempts to change this have been made in recent years, most recently major new rules in 2009 with significant changes to the way cars produced their downforce and the reintroduction of slick tyres. None of them have worked.
So F1's brains have come up with the movable rear wing.
The idea is that drivers will, when on a straight and trying to pass another car, press a button in their cockpit which will move a part of the rear wing.
This will reduce its effectiveness, thereby cutting drag and increasing straightline speed, allowing the driver to get a run on his rival into the next corner. The driver in the car in front who is defending his position will not be able to use his wing at the same time.
The plan is controversial because it appears to be adding a degree of artifice into the situation - and critics are worried it will make a joke of overtaking by making it too easy, particularly when used in conjunction with the Kers energy recovery and power-boost systems that are returning to F1 in 2011 after a year on the sidelines.
The sport's bosses are aware of the concerns. One insider who has been instrumental in writing the rule says: "The idea is to make it work, but not work too well."
The way it will work is as follows:
The FIA will define a time gap between the two cars at which point the driver behind will be able to use the system. Initially, it is likely the driver in the trailing car will need to be within a second as he enters the corner before a straight where it is possible to overtake.
The driver will then get an indication - either via a light on his dashboard or audibly - that he can operate his wing. He will then press the button when he is on the straight, giving him more speed than his rival and thus the potential to pass him.
The problem is that no-one is sure whether the system will work or achieve its objectives until it is used in a race - and the first opportunity will be on 13 March, when Bahrain hosts the first grand prix of the 2011 season.
The bottom line is that F1's bosses want to make overtaking easier but not so easy that it requires little skill.
Had the movable rear wings been in place in 2010, I am told Ferrari's Fernando Alonso would have been able to overtake the Renault of Vitaly Petrov in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and thus keep alive his chances of winning the title.
Instead, the Spaniard was unable to pass Petrov's slower car, which had a prodigious straight-line speed, and therefore unable to chase down his rivals as he went in search of a third drivers' crown.
That would have freed Alonso up to try to catch the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, who was in the fourth place the Ferrari driver needed to prevent Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel snatching the title from under his nose.
Rosberg was quicker than Petrov but probably marginally slower than Alonso. But because the performance differential between the Mercedes and the Ferrari was much less, getting past Rosberg would not have been a given - even under the new rules.
So rather than watching a race in which overtaking was practically impossible, the audience would have known it was possible, but not inevitable, that Alonso would get by - and would have been on tenterhooks as they watched him try.
Such a scenario would have made the title-deciding race much more exciting.
Put like that, as long as F1 finds a way to make it obvious to the audience when a driver is using his movable rear wing, the introduction of such a device has at the very least got to be worth a try.
UPDATE 1530 GMT:
The FIA's decision to remove the rule banning team orders will doubtless offend those who did not like Ferrari's application of them in this year's German Grand Prix and who objected to the Italian team "getting away" with "only" a $100,000 fine for doing so.
But the move - telegraphed when the FIA said it would look into the rule after deciding against giving Ferrari further punishment - is the only practical solution open to F1.
However offensive some find team orders, there is simply no way of effectively policing a rule banning them. There are any number of ways a team could employ them without anyone finding out.
Ferrari might have got caught out because of the unsubtle way in which Felipe Massa was asked to let team-mate Fernando Alonso through in Hockenheim but other leading teams also employed what could be termed team orders in 2010 and no one complained about them - or, in some cases, even noticed.
It is about reality not idealism, logic not emotion.
If you cannot police a rule, what's the point of having it? And surely it's better to have it out in the open than to force teams to go through the ridiculous charades some - not just Ferrari - did last season.
The lifting of the ban does not mean all teams will act in the same way as Ferrari, who now don't need to be quite so secretive about Alonso being their number one driver.
It simply means that when teams choose to use them they don't have to cover it up.
In every other way, nothing will change.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/12/f1s_radical_plan_to_improve_ra.html
Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki Travis Wade Kvapil Robert Allen Labonte
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Remembers His Father in His Own Way
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The white No. 3 decals are no bigger than a fist and sit just above and behind the driver's side window of all the Richard Childress Racing team's Chevrolets. Crew members wore black baseball caps with the same No. 3 logo and driver Tony Stewart strolled through the Daytona International Speedway garage Friday afternoon clutching one of the prized caps himself.
Friday marked exactly 10 years since the driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 3, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, was killed in Turn 4 of this track after crashing on the last lap of the Daytona 500. The speedway will remember the NASCAR icon with a moment of silence and fans will hold up three fingers on the third lap of Sunday's Daytona 500.
But for such an overwhelming event, it has been a subdued, subtle and suiting anniversary.
For the past week, Earnhardt's competitors, teammates and friends have shared emotional stories about that fateful Sunday afternoon. But the one person you won't see participate in any contrived memorial this weekend is Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr. No hat, no decal. None necessary.
"I'd personally rather just watch it and stand on the sidelines,'' Earnhardt said of the various tributes and memorials planned for the weekend.
"It's more fun for me hearing how other people reflect, hearing other people's stories. I know how I feel in my heart and I don't feel a real need to discuss that a lot.
"I want to do what's right and honor him, but I don't need to do it in front of a bunch of people. I feel like he carries his own weight and he doesn't need me being a part of the celebration or whatever you want to call it. I don't want to take away from it in any way.''
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/18/dale-earnhardt-jr-remembers-his-father-in-his-own-way/
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crashes in Practice, Will Start Daytona 500 in Back
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Testing, Sprint Cup, IRL, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Daytona 500 pole-winning Chevy was involved in a crash Wednesday afternoon and sustained enough damage that the team had to go to a back-up car and will now have to start both Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying race and Sunday's Daytona 500 from the back of the field instead of from the front.
Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy Chevy was riding second in a two-car draft behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson when they slowed to avoid traffic. The two cars behind them -- Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers --- didn't react quickly enough and Truex hit Earnhardt from behind, sending both cars into the inside wall.
Because of the unique qualifying format for the Daytona 500, only the two fastest cars officially "qualified" for the 500 during Sunday's time trials -- polewinner Earnhardt and second fastest Jeff Gordon. NASCAR rules state that if a driver has to switch from the car he qualified in, then he must drop to the rear of the field for the green flag. When that happens, the third place starter -- which will be determined in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying race -- will move up into the first position alongside Gordon for the start of the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt, who had won his first career superspeedway pole, said he had a bad feeling about even running in the rain-delayed practice Wednesday.
"We've got the pole-sitting race car, we didn't need practice,'' an obviously frustrated Earnhardt said, 'I had a fast car and I didn't want to practice it.
"I had a bad feeling about it and we come running up on some guys that didn't have their heads on straight and got into an accident.''
And now, "Get the next one ready,'' he said shaking his head.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/dale-earnhardt-jr-crashes-in-daytona-500-practice/
Di Resta out to prove winning potential
Paul di Resta has bumped up the British numbers racing in Formula 1 this year by finally signing for Force India.
But unlike his compatriots, McLaren drivers and world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Di Resta is out to prove he deserves his place on the grid.
The likeable 24-year-old Scot, whose promotion has been expected for some time, has plenty of reasons to feel confident about his first season in F1.
Over the course of 12 months as Force India reserve in 2010, Di Resta has already managed to galvanise the team's support.
His manager Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis, revealed: "There hasn't been anything negative from the team. Paul has done a great job and they love him."
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions
The team were so smitten by Di Resta that his seat does not depend on sponsorship - in stark contrast to 2011's other rookies, Pastor Maldonado of Williams, Virgin's Jerome D'Ambrosio and Sauber's Sergio Perez.
In fact, to partner Di Resta with German Adrian Sutil, Force India will have to pay a financial settlement to Sutil's 2010 team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi for breaking the firm contract the Italian had for this season.
Force India must be certain Di Resta has something worth paying for.
The son of racer-turned-businessman Louis di Resta and cousin of three-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, Di Resta has described having racing "in his blood".
After winning the 2010 German touring car championship (DTM) for Mercedes on his weekends off from F1 duties, Di Resta arrives as a proven champion.
In his junior career, the Scot raced against future F1 world champions Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, notably beating the German to the Formula Three Euroseries crown.
Di Resta recalled in a 2008 interview: "Sebastian was my team-mate in 2006. I definitely beat him on far more occasions than he ever beat me.
"I'm not saying that I'm a faster or better driver than him but you'd have to say there's at least parity between us.
"As for Lewis, when we had the same machinery we were equally good."
In terms of raw talent Di Resta may well be a match for two of F1's fastest men but it will be difficult for him to prove it when he rejoins them on track.
The laidback Scot's first task will be to adapt his racing mindset from DTM's slower 'tin-top' cars to F1's open, single-seater speed machines.
The difference between driving a touring car with 500bhp and an F1 car charged with 750bhp and tonnes of downforce can be compared to handling a family estate car and a supercar.
"It requires a different style to drive both [cars] on the limit; it's not easy," explains McLaren reserve and driver Gary Paffett, who was one of Di Resta's Mercedes team-mates in the DTM last year.
"But if you can win in DTM it puts you in a good position to do a good job in F1. Paul will do a good job - but how good?
"If you're used to winning you might have to get over the fact that you're not going to be beating the McLarens and Ferraris week in, week out or beating your team-mate 100% of the time. That's something you have to learn."
In eight first practice sessions over grand prix weekends for Force India last season, Di Resta was only able to out-pace either Sutil or Liuzzi, who alternated in the other car, once.
Improving that niggling statistic will be a target for the Scot when the season begins with free practice in Bahrain on 11 March.
Beyond that, barring a major surprise Di Resta will not have the machinery capable of reigniting his teenage rivalry with Hamilton and Vettel, Red Bull's reigning champion.
Force India finished seventh in the constructors' championship last season with Sutil collecting best-place finishes of fifth in Malaysia and Spa. In terms of pace, both drivers failed to qualify inside the top 10 in the final six races of 2010.
The development of Force India's 2011 car has had to absorb some unsettling changes at the team's Silverstone factory, with two technical directors, James Key and Mark Smith, as well as chief designer Lewis Butler leaving for rival teams in the space of a year.
Force India intend to fine-tune the new VJM04 car in the wind tunnel before introducing it at the second pre-season test in Jerez - a policy also adopted by McLaren, but not by Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Williams, who will all have new cars ready for the first test in Valencia next week.
After the flashbulbs and fanfare of being unveiled as an F1 driver have died down, Di Resta will start the process of making his opportunity count in Valencia driving a modified 2010 car.
Di Resta may still have everything to prove in F1 but like the rest of 2011's rookies he also has nothing to lose.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/01/paul_di_resta_has_bumped.html
Aric Almirola JR Motorsports Chevrolet Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge
Daytona 500 Winner Trevor Bayne Living a Dream at 20
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Flashing his dimples, and looking even younger than his 20 years, Trevor Bayne grinned broadly, laughed and fidgeted as he conducted his first news conference as the youngest Daytona 500 winner in history.
One day after celebrating his 20th birthday Bayne drove the legendary No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford to victory Sunday in NASCAR's biggest race -- sharing the honor with the team's previous Daytona 500 winning drivers, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, Tiny Lund and David Pearson. Bayne wasn't even born when Pearson claimed the Wood Brothers' last Daytona 500 trophy in 1976.
Explaining how grateful he was for the opportunity, thankful for his good fortune and appreciative of his team's efforts, the good-looking, well-spoken Bayne sounded as mature and poised behind the microphone as he was behind the steering wheel in holding off three series champions and a handful of other veterans on the last two laps of Sunday's race.
The Knoxville, Tenn., native's biggest smile, however, seemed to come when he found out that his Twitter account expanded from 6,000 followers to 16,000 by the end of the race. And, he modestly conceded, he was going to need a friend to drive his Ford truck home. Seems that while most of Bayne's competitors flew in private jets to the race, he drove his Ford F150 pickup truck from Tennessee to Florida.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/20/daytona-500-winner-trevor-bayne-living-a-dream/
Tony Stewart wins fourth straight Nationwide season opener at Daytona
Stewart Wins Nationwide At Daytona Tony Stewart wins the Nationwide-opener race at Daytona for the sixth time in seven yearsStewart Wins Nationwide At Daytona VIDEO PLAYLIST Stewart Wins Nationwide At Daytona Stewart Wins Nationwide At Daytona Tony Stewart wins the Nationwide-opener race at Daytona for the sixth time in seven years Dale Earnhardt's Last Ride Dale Earnhardt's Last Ride The NASCAR world was shaken to its core on Feb. 18, 2001, when Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the Daytona 500 Tags: NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt, Daytona 500 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart has mastered how to win at Daytona International Speedway on Saturdays.Now, if he could only figure out how to win on Sundays Related posts:- Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive No. 3 in Nationwide at Daytona to honor father CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr...
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t race No. 3 after Nationwide Series race at Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. ...
- Clint Bowyer snaps 88-race drought in Chase opener Clint Bowyer Wins Chase Opener Clint Bowyer take the...
Source: http://doxcar.com/tony-stewart-wins-fourth-straight-nationwide-season-opener-at-daytona/
Monday, February 21, 2011
Daytona 500: Driver Breakdown
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway
(AP) -- A look at drivers competing in the 2011 Daytona 500, in order of starting position:No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
BORN: Oct. 10, 1974
HOMETOWN: Kannapolis, N.C.
CREW CHIEF: Steve Letarte
SPONSOR: Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National Guard
NOTES: NASCAR's most popular driver won the Daytona 500 pole, then wrecked in practice on Wednesday. Now, he'll start Sunday's race at the back of the field. Earnhardt was a non-factor on the track for the fourth consecutive year in 2010. Earnhardt finished 21st in points. With teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon also struggling, owner Rick Hendrick shook up most of the four-car team. Will another new crew chief and a shop change be enough to overhaul Junior's fortunes?
No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Jeff Gordon
BORN: Aug. 4, 1971
HOMETOWN: Pittsboro, Ind.
CREW CHIEF: Alan Gustafson
SPONSOR: Drive To End Hunger/DuPont
NOTES: After a winless season, Gordon was one of three drivers shuffled at Hendrick Motorsports. He moved out of the 24/48 shop into the building now known as the 5/24 shop. The four-time series champion is paired with crew chief Gustafson.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/20/dayton-500-driver-breakdown/
Jonathan Edward Wood Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley Nascar
F1 teams battle over cost-cutting
The first race of the 2011 season is still two months away, but the fight for a competitive advantage in Formula 1 is still raging away behind the scenes.
As their engineers put the finishing touches to their new cars in time for the start of pre-season testing next month, team bosses are trying to thrash out a new cost-saving agreement. And it's getting a bit nasty.
Rivals - almost without exception, I'm told - believe Red Bull exceeded en route to winning the world title last year the limitations laid out in the document that defines how teams commit their budgets. They also claim that Red Bull are blocking a new version of the so-called Resource Restriction Agreement to take the sport through to 2017, where the current one runs only to 2012.
One insider at a rival team said Red Bull had been "flouting" the RRA. This is quite a serious accusation, as it effectively claims Red Bull either spent longer developing the aerodynamics of their car, employed more staff, or spent more money - or all three - than they were allowed to. In other words, they had an unfair advantage.
Red Bull deny outright that they overspent in 2010, and insist they are objecting to the revised agreement only because it is flawed in its current form and they want to ensure it is "fair and equitable". More of which in a moment.
"We've worked in accordance with the RRA limits since they were introduced," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told BBC Sport. "With tremendous hard work and internal efficiencies, we believe we've absolutely adhered to it.
"Red Bull has committed its budgets wisely and it's obviously surprising that people will feel that way, but it's inevitable, I guess, when you're at the front and winning races."
No one will go on the record to confirm their suspicions about Red Bull, but Virgin Racing chief executive officer Graeme Lowdon, while making it clear he does not know about Red Bull's budget, says: "On something as fundamental as this, on something that's there to make the whole business you're in sustainable, if someone was to even breach the spirit of that, then that's extremely disappointing.
"I cannot see how anyone can level a criticism at an RRA. If it made a worse show, or watered it down, then there would be a case to answer. But it doesn't so it's very disappointing if teams ignore something as fundamental as this."
In many ways, this financial dispute echoes the technical rows that enveloped Red Bull in 2010.
Unable to explain or understand how the RB6 car was so fast, rivals first accused Red Bull of having an illegal ride-height control system, and then of an overly flexible front wing. Red Bull insisted the car was completely legal, and the FIA, F1's governing body, never found otherwise.
Horner finds Red Bull in the middle of another controversy about 2010. Photo: Getty
"We expect other teams to potentially challenge [whether we have over-spent]," Horner says, "as they have done on front wings and ride heights and everything else in the course of last year. But we don't have any issue.
"Red Bull probably has the third or fourth biggest budget in F1. We spent prudently and have achieved great efficiency within the factory, and we have to top that in 2011."
This row has come up in the context of negotiations over revising ways of controlling F1's costs. Keeping a lid on budgets is, along with ensuring the racing remains as good as possible, one of the central themes for F1 stake-holders at the moment, as the sport's bosses seek to ensure it remains both compelling for its audience and affordable for its competitors in a difficult economic climate.
The RRA is the document the teams drew up in 2009 to control costs in F1. It defines a series of limitations on resources, getting stricter through 2010, 2011 and 2012, and the penalties for exceeding them. But it was always meant as a stepping-stone to a longer agreement.
In the current agreement, there is a sliding scale of penalties covering the following main areas of resource commitment:
- Aerodynamic development, measured in wind-tunnel hours or computational fluid dynamics data, with the more you do of one, up to a given limit, meaning the less you can do of the other;
- Total staff numbers, from 350 in 2010 down to 280 in 2011, and total external spend, from 40m Euros in 2010, down to 20m Euros in 2011, with the more you commit to one, the less you can spend on the other.
The penalties were based on a sliding scale. For example, a breach of up to 5% is punished by having that same amount taken off your resource allocation for the next year; a breach of 5-10% means having 1.1 times that amount taken off; and so on.
The new document - the fundamentals of which were largely agreed at a meeting at the Singapore Grand Prix last September - changes that.
One team principal, who did not wish to be identified, said that the new RRA relaxes the restrictions on resources - teams can spend a bit more money and employ a few more staff - and in return the policing is stricter, both in terms of how teams' spending is analysed and the penalties for exceeding the limits.
But the detail is proving problematic, with Red Bull in particular unhappy about the new document as it stands.
Horner says his objections are rooted in ensuring the new RRA, which would run until 2017, does what it is intended to do.
"The RRA is a positive thing for F1," he says. "I think a solution can be found for the outstanding issues, it just needs some sensible discussion between the teams, because the thought of an unrestricted spend in F1 is unpalatable for all the teams.
"So it is a matter of achieving transparency and a fair and equitable system between all independent and manufacturer-owned teams so that no party is at an advantage or disadvantage."
"The resource restriction needs to be sorted quite quickly because at the moment it is unclear what rules we are working to in 2011 in many respects, so it's important a solution is found and I think one will be found."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/01/f1_teams_battle_over_cost-cutt.html
Will new McLaren live up to expectations?
Confidence was not in short supply at McLaren as they unveiled their dramatic-looking 2011 Formula 1 car on Friday.
While most teams chose to reflect the austerity of the times by taking the wraps off their new cars in the pit lane at the first pre-season test in Valencia this week, McLaren instead went for a grand reveal in the centre of Berlin.
Mechanics wheeled in a chassis and suspension and attached the wheels and bodywork to the car in front of a crowd of interested spectators in Potsdamer Platz, a public space that sits on the fringe of the old Berlin Wall.
Fortunately, the appearance of the new MP4-26 car justified such a flamboyant approach, its sweeping lines and radical design innovations immediately obvious.
Equally obvious was the expectation the team have invested in the spectacular-looking machine. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button could barely stop themselves smiling as they contemplated the car they both hope will take them to a second drivers' world championship.
Button talked about his "beautiful new baby"; Hamilton of his confidence that McLaren would be more competitive than in 2010 - when they won five races and both men led the championship at various stages of the season.
Hamilton and Button were bullish about their chances this season, and looking at the new car it was easy to see why.
For some time now, there have been rumours that McLaren had pushed the boat out with their new car, and that it would be probably the most innovative of the season. It did not disappoint.
From the intricately curved front wing back, the new McLaren looks the part. It bristles with innovation - including an extra air intake on the airbox behind the driver, needed to cool the hydraulics and gearbox because the car has been packaged so tightly; L-shaped sidepod openings designed to get more airflow to the rear wing; and a particularly long wheelbase, which helps maximise downforce.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh, sharing his drivers' optimism, added that there was more to come before the first race of the season in Bahrain on 13 March. "Be warned," he said, "we have not shown you everything," adding that the team had some "fantastic innovations" to come.
"I'm brimming with excitement," Whitmarsh said, "I think it's a fantastic car."
This has been a week of new-car launches, and much attention has focused on novelty.
In Valencia, there was Renault's new exhaust system, which exits out of the front of the sidepods and blows along them and under the floor in a bid to increase downforce. There was Williams's tiny gearbox. Even humble Toro Rosso were at it with a double floor.
Poor Ferrari - whose car does have innovations on it even if they are not as immediately obvious as some - and Red Bull - who have concentrated on evolving the car that was the class of the field in 2010 - were virtually ignored.
Until the cars actually went out on to the track, that is. At which point, guess what? Just as for most of 2010, the Red Bull and Ferrari were the quickest things out there, world champion Sebastian Vettel setting the pace on day one from Fernando Alonso, before the Spaniard, last season's runner-up, turned the tables, on day two.
They were beaten only by Robert Kubica's Renault on the final day, when the track was quicker because more rubber had gone down and Vettel and Alonso had gone home.
And there's the rub. F1 isn't all about innovation. It's about getting your car working together as a package, about making the numbers add up, about what engineers call "L over D". That's lift over drag - getting as much downforce (negative lift) as you can for as little drag as possible.
Hamilton and Button cannot hide their admiration for their new F1 car. Photo: Getty
In recent years, this has been what has let McLaren down. The team innovated last year, too, introducing the F-duct aerodynamic device, which stalled the rear wing on the straights, therefore allowing the team to either run more downforce than their rivals without the attendant straight-line speed penalty or the same downforce and be faster on the straights.
Even with this, though, the McLaren was not as aero-efficient as the Red Bull or Ferrari, and that continues a trend that has been apparent for the last few seasons.
Last season was a step forward from 2009, when McLaren started the year with a car that even they admit was awful. It improved through the year to the point that Hamilton was able to win a couple of races, but was still some way behind the pace-setters on tracks where efficient downforce is critical.
Even in 2007 and 2008, when McLaren respectively should have and did win the drivers' title, Hamilton believes the car was fundamentally not as good as the Ferrari against which it was competing. "Since I've been here, we've never had a car that was particularly strong aerodynamically," he said at one point last season.
That, in a nutshell, is the big question mark hanging over McLaren on the eve of the 2011 season.
Their drivers are world-class, Hamilton arguably the fastest in the world, and Button - not far behind him on pure pace - possibly the cleverest; the team is well-resourced; and they have fabulous engineering depth. But will the car ultimately be quick enough?
McLaren are aware of where they have fallen short in recent years, and director of engineering Tim Goss talks about "setting ourselves a very ambitious aerodynamic target for 2011".
But, for all the gorgeous curves on their new car, only in Bahrain next month will they begin to get a definitive answer as to whether those targets have either been achieved, or were high enough.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/02/confidence_was_not_in_short.html
Copart Ford Aric Almirola JR Motorsports Chevrolet Justin Allgaier
F1: Q and A: Liuzzi on Hispania test
Q & A: Liuzzi on Hispania test By Edd Straw Sunday, February 20th 2011, 14:43 GMT Tonio Liuzzi tested Hispania's 2010 car at Barcelona yesterday with a view to taking the team's currently vacant second seat alongside Narain Karthikeyan. He told AUTOSPORT about the experience and what he was hoping for from 2011. Q. Related posts:- F1: Liuzzi: Hispania has good potential Liuzzi: Hispania has good potential By Matt Beer Friday, February...
- F1: Liuzzi expects quick Hispania decision Liuzzi expects quick Hispania decision By Edd Straw Sunday, February...
- F1: Liuzzi pleased with first day at HRT Liuzzi pleased with first day at HRT By Steven English...
Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-q-and-a-liuzzi-on-hispania-test/
Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crashes in Practice, Will Start Daytona 500 in Back
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Testing, Sprint Cup, IRL, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Daytona 500 pole-winning Chevy was involved in a crash Wednesday afternoon and sustained enough damage that the team had to go to a back-up car and will now have to start both Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying race and Sunday's Daytona 500 from the back of the field instead of from the front.
Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy Chevy was riding second in a two-car draft behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson when they slowed to avoid traffic. The two cars behind them -- Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers --- didn't react quickly enough and Truex hit Earnhardt from behind, sending both cars into the inside wall.
Because of the unique qualifying format for the Daytona 500, only the two fastest cars officially "qualified" for the 500 during Sunday's time trials -- polewinner Earnhardt and second fastest Jeff Gordon. NASCAR rules state that if a driver has to switch from the car he qualified in, then he must drop to the rear of the field for the green flag. When that happens, the third place starter -- which will be determined in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying race -- will move up into the first position alongside Gordon for the start of the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt, who had won his first career superspeedway pole, said he had a bad feeling about even running in the rain-delayed practice Wednesday.
"We've got the pole-sitting race car, we didn't need practice,'' an obviously frustrated Earnhardt said, 'I had a fast car and I didn't want to practice it.
"I had a bad feeling about it and we come running up on some guys that didn't have their heads on straight and got into an accident.''
And now, "Get the next one ready,'' he said shaking his head.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/dale-earnhardt-jr-crashes-in-daytona-500-practice/
Miguel Ángel Guerra Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney
NASCAR Tickets - NASCAR Makes Racing Debut on Wii
While NASCAR Kart Racing is highly comparable to the dominating Mario Kart Nintendo game of a similar caliber, this virtual automotive delight adds a personal touch to the highly-respected sport of racing, even featuring characters named and resembling 14 drivers, including Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart, with two unlockable mystery drivers including racing legends Richard Petty and Joey Logano. Just like in real life, these characters each have different attributes and strengths that affect how they run races, making this Wii game even more exciting for racing fans. 10 other non-NASCAR drivers called "Outsiders" are also available options for choosing drivers in the Kart Racing game.
In NASCAR's newest Wii endeavor, players select a driver and also choose a teammate, building up added speed bonuses for staying close to teammates in the various races at several different racetracks across the country. NASCAR Kart Racing isn't all about going fast and turning left, however, like it is for these real racecar drivers, as in the Wii game there are several racetracks with varying obstacles blowing through the screen. Just like in Mario Kart, Kart Racing's competitors try to outspeed each other in some high-flying racing action on the track, zooming past dizzying landscapes, rocky cliffs, falling boulders and other hazards on their way to victory.
NASCAR Kart Racing is rated E (for Everyone) by the ESRB and has been given the description "Cartoon Mischief," letting all racing fans with a Nintendo Wii get a slice of the action. The Wii program also offers myriad options when it comes to controls, as the game is drivable by Wii remote, remote and nunchuck, classic controller or Gamecube controller.
While racing enthusiasts are now getting their kicks from the NASCAR Kart Racing Nintendo Wii game via living room televisions and Wii remotes, die-hard racing fans are still lining up to get NASCAR tickets to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Co. kick up dust live from racetracks across the country. Racing season is alive and well, so scour the web for tickets to a race and head down to the track to watch everyone's favorite icons zoom past the checkered flag on their way to Victory Lane!
This article is sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.
Article Source: NASCAR Tickets - NASCAR Makes Racing Debut on Wii
Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/249502/nascar-tickets-nascar-makes-racing-debut-on-wii
Chevrolet Chase for the Sprint Cup Richard Childress Racing Tony Stewart
Sunday, February 20, 2011
F1: Di Resta confident of improving VJM04
Di Resta confident of improving VJM04 By Simon Strang Friday, February 18th 2011, 18:43 GMT Paul di Resta is confident that there is more to come from the new Force India VJM04 after the Scot was forced to wait for parts to arrive before he could begin testing at Barcelona. Despite not beginning his programme until 1540, di Resta set the sixth fastest time of the day - having completed 26 laps - 2.2s off Sebastian Vettel's ultimate pace. But given the time he lost in the morning, the DTM champion said that he expected to improve the car through tomorrow before handing it over to his team-mate Adrian Sutil Related posts:- F1: Sutil convinced VJM04 is step forward Sutil convinced VJM04 is step forward By Steven English Thursday,...
- F1: Di Resta aiming for consistent season Di Resta aiming for consistent season By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday,...
- F1: Di Resta to sit out Singapore practice Di Resta to sit out Singapore practice By Pablo Elizalde...
Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-di-resta-confident-of-improving-vjm04/
NASCAR Issues Technical Changes for Safety's Sake
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- As NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams were packing up their equipment from Sunday's Daytona 500 pole qualifying session, NASCAR officials issued a technical bulletin aimed at keeping the cars from the 206-mph, two-car drafts that dominated Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout 75-lap non-points race.
"I thought it was cool at the beginning, medium in the middle and when they hit 206, I wasn't thinking of the race anymore, I was thinking what we needed to do in the next couple days,'' NASCAR Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton said of Saturday's race,
In response to the increasing speeds and two-car breakaways, NASCAR has regulated the front grille opening on all the cars to 2 1/2-inches by 20-inches and it will install a pressure relief valve in the water cooling system. Pemberton said the idea is to decrease the temperature that the engine water will boil. Some cars could run water as hot as 290-300 degrees. Pemberton would like to get that temperature down to 250 degrees.
Cars shouldn't be able to run in the two-car pack for a sustained period of time for fear of overheating, thus making it less likely they will reach speeds upwards of 200 mph like they did Saturday night.
Although NASCAR did not change the size of the carburetor restrictor plate, Pemberton said that remains an option and didn't rule out other technical changes in advance of the Feb. 20 season-opening Daytona 500. Officials are looking to see what the racing is like in the Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday. They issued the technical bulletin Sunday so teams will have a chance to make the necessary changes before NASCAR Speedweeks resumes with a practice session on Wednesday morning.
"The speeds are high because everyone did their job,'' Pemberton told reporters in a nearly abandoned Daytona garage late Sunday afternoon. "The track with the paving, Goodyear, the teams have done a great job and now we're (NASCAR) in the fold and trying to reel some of that back in. And we have the support of the race teams.
"There's a lot of pressure here,'' he continued. "I can't even begin to tell you the pressure from a large group of people that are expecting us to get it right (for the Daytona 500).''
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/13/nascar-issues-technical-changes-for-safetys-sake/
Nascar And The Critique It Faces
Some courses of the Formula 1 put up to 5 or 6 G's of stress on the body of the driver. This is totally absent in Nascar. But Nascar has denied these allegations and countered by saying that there are certain race series in which road courses are included. But again it is for a very small percentage of the race. Nascar has also brought to light the fact that even the Indy racing league uses mostly oval tracks.
The Grueling Season
The grueling racing season of Nascar is also a reason for its criticism. While a Formula 1 race has 22 cars in its beginning, a Nascar Nextel cup race has 43. Add the 36 point races for the entire series, and the session becomes extremely hectic. The drivers are left with just a few hours to practice. Some of the drivers have even quit the sport because of their inability to cope with such stress.
Drivers who have been reasonably successful in road racing circuits have been unable to duplicate that success record in Nascar. The prime reason is the difference in the entire structure of the two.
The Cars
The technology behind the cars is another reason that Nascarhas faced so much criticism. The cars are mostly fitted with accessories from the 1950s. The carburetors, cast iron engine blocks and most primarily the use of leaded fuel have triggered huge criticism against Nascar. The reluctance of Nascar to add safety devices has also aggravated the criticism against them. The use of this equipment places more emphasis on getting an undue advantage rather than focusing on the skill of the driver.
The Business
The last thing that has received flak from critics is the Nascar business structure. The majority of revenue generated by the entire Nascar racing goes towards the France family, as they control most of Nascar . Many say that the drivers do not have a voice in Nascar and it is like a dictatorship. The penalties and fines that Nascar levied on its drivers for using foul language in the media have also been a reason for criticism against it.
This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise
Article Source: Nascar And The Critique It Faces
Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/111183/nascar-and-the-critique-it-faces