It was announced last Friday that NASCAR has changed the eligibility requirements for the February 12 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers who have won Sprint Cup rookies of the year honors from 2001-2010 will now be included in the non-points exhibition race.
So, along with the 12 drivers who competed in the 2010 Chase for the championship and the past series champions and previous winners of the Budweiser Shootout, the Daytona 500 and the July Cup race at Daytona, any ROY’s who don’t qualify under the other requirements will be included. This means that Kasey Kahne (ROY in 2004), Regan Smith (2008), Joey Logano (2009) and Kevin Conway (2010) are now eligible bringing the total to thirty drivers for this year's Budweiser Shootout. ________________________________________ NASCAR Illustrated’s Person of the Year:
Joe Gibbs
Gibbs fits the bill as a person who has had the greatest positive impact both on and off the track in NASCAR…
Since entering NASCAR as the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, Joe’s teams have won three Cup Championships and nearly a fourth with Denny Hamlin finishing second in 2010. With 88 career Cup victories, JGR has thrived in NASCAR. Beyond NASCAR, Joe is a winner in every aspect of the term. Prior to becoming involved in auto racing, Joe’s Washington Redskin NFL teams won three Super Bowl Championships leading up to Gibbs' induction into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1996. But the measure of this man is much deeper than simply as a winner in sports. Joe Gibbs is a strongly religious man who has positively touched many lives with his faith-based philosophy. He has written a best-selling book entitled “Game Plan For Life” in an attempt to inspire people in every walk of life. Giving inspirational speeches on many occasions, this man, in his soft-spoken way, has become a part of the fabric that is America.
Joe Gibbs is a true asset not only to American sport, but to the human race. ______________________________________ SPEED TV is on it! Daytona testing coverage...
23 hours of live testing coverage from Daytona Jan. 20-22 will be presented on both SPEEDTV and SPEEDTV.com as the Sprint Cup Series engine testing roars back to life next week for the first time in three years.
___________________________________________ Add this to Gene Haddock’s list of things to do to help NASCAR bring the fans back:
Start an office pool!
This is very similar to what we do here on Lug-Nuts. Check out the article. This pushes people, just like fantasy games, to at least tune in to the races and who knows, maybe it would push them to attend racing events in their area...
I know the vid is a little long but it’s worth the look…
Do you believe those guys literally flying just a few feet above the ground with those wing-like garments? Amazing… Must really be a rush! Then there’s the guy that parachuted from a helium balloon at over 70,000 feet above the earth… Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ******************************************* Formula One
Construction begins on Austin F1 track!
Wow! People are working… Earning a living! It’s a miracle! Way to go Texas! (Now why does our wonderful media have to put a negative spin on this... The Austin track is a GREAT thing for thousands of people but here's this one poor guy upset about it and the media focuses on him. Want to know what one of the symptoms to our poor economy is? Look no further than the practices used by our news media. There, got that off my chest...) _________________________________ The 2011 Formula One Racing Calendar
13 March Bahrain 27 March Australia 10 April Malaysia 17 April China* 8 May Turkey 22 May Spain 29 May Monaco 12 June Canada 26 June Europe (Valencia) 10 July Great Britain 24 July Germany 31 July Hungary 28 August Belgium 11 September Italy 25 September Singapore 9 October Japan 16 October Korea 30 October India* 13 November Abu Dhabi 27 November Brazil
* Subject to circuit approval ********************************** Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series – A Harbinger of Things to Come? Last Sunday, Ryan Dalziel served notice that Starworks Motorsport is a team to watch in the 49th running of Daytona’s Rolex 24 later this month, unofficially breaking the Daytona International Speedway track record with a lap of 128.194mph (1:39.973) in the No. 8 Corsa Car Care Ford/Riley.
I believe they run a portion of this race on the new surface... Makes me wonder, will speeds top out above NASCAR’s mandated ceiling at the 500? ***********************************
Finally, how about going to the mall when looking for a new car? Check out this video of Europa Autopia’s new auto mall now under construction in Istanbul Turkey… There will be 48 dealerships, financing companies and insurance companies all under one roof and did you notice the roof? A test track is being constructed up there for people to test drive the vehicles! The time for auto malls is upon us!
Okay... Yeah I know, the Hawks are the first playoff team to come in with less wins than losses. And yes, in their nine losses the average margin of victory was 21 points. Yeah, yeah, yeah...
So I figure this will never happen, but I'm going to float it anyway (step by step)... #1. The Seattle Seahawks host the New Orleans Saints (the reigning World Champion) at the home of the 12th man tomorrow at 4:30 EST... The Hawks don't have a chance, right? They come out smelling like roses and squeak out the win... #2. Sunday afternoon at 4:30 EST the Green Bay Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles in Philly and pull off a road victory (entirely possible given the Eagles' health concerns and the strength of the Packers defense)... #3. This scenario puts Seattle in Chicago to face Da Bears while Green Bay moves down the east coast to square off against the top team in the NFL this season, the Atlanta Falcons... #4. Now, don't forget, last October Seattle traveled to Soldier Field and got after poor Jay Cutler for 6 sacks and pulled off a 23-20 road victory. The confidence that win means to the Hawks puts them over the top in another squeaker win only this time its for the right to play for the NFC Championship... #5. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers matches the Falcons' Matty Ice score for score and ends up in the lead when the game ends... #6. This sets up the NFC title game in the home of the 12th man once again (Division winner trumps better record by wild card team in determining home field advantage)... #7. Once this stage has been realized the Seahawks' confidence is soaring...
I was really surprised to see Matt Kenseth at the top of that list... Harvick? Edwards? Kurt Busch? Those I can understand. Maybe Matt's the one to watch out for with that new Ford power package... ___________________________________ NASCAR Drivers on “The All Time Dirtiest Athletes List”?
I’m devastated… Guess who made The 50 Dirtiest Athletes of All Time list that was recently released by the “Complex Media Network”… Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards was listed number 48 on the list of 50. The “Complex Media Dot Com” write up on Edwards reads as follows: “we all get road rage at times but, when it happens in NASCAR, careers and lives are put in danger. Such was the case at the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500, (at the Atlanta Motor Speedway), when Edwards repeatedly tried to take revenge on Brad Keselowski for a crash causing block laps before. Edwards eventually succeeded, sending Keselowski’s car airborne at 190 MPH. Don’t let the endorsement cake and wry smile fool you. Edwards knows all about riding dirty.” That’s all fine and good… Edwards deserves it. But only 48th out of 50?
This is the one I’ve got a real problem with… Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch was listed at number 38 on the list and, yes, with only two drivers on the list, that makes Kyle the supposed dirtiest driver in NASCAR.
Kyle gets the following accolades: “from causing wrecks to flipping off officials and even breaking s**t after victories, (that would be the famous Gibson Guitar incident), Busch makes cars going around in a circle 400 times slightly more entertaining. The thing that makes Busch one of the most loved and loathed drivers is the fact that he knows he’s an a**h**e, but simply doesn’t give a f**k.”
Nice commentary… I certainly hope Kyle takes a gander at this…
For those with inquiring minds, here’s the whole list: 1. Marty McSorley – Boston Bruins – NHL 2. Luis Resto – Pro Boxer 3. Roy Keane – Pro Soccer 4. Brusce Bowen – San Antonio Spurs – NBA 5. Bill Romanowski – Denver Broncos – NFL 6. Ulf Samuelsson – NY Rangers – NHL 7. Bryan Marchment – Hartford Whalers – NHL 8. Vinnie Jones – Pro Soccer 9. Tonya Harding – Ice Skating 10. Steve Downie – TB Lightning – NHL 11. Bill Laimbeer – Detroit Pistons – NBA 12. Todd Bertuzzi - Vancouver Canucks – NHL 13. Dennis Rodman – Chicago Bulls – NBA 14. Karl Malone – Utah Jazz - NBA 15. Elizabeth Lambert – New Mexico – NCAA Soccer 16. Ty Cobb – Detroit Tigers – MLB 17. Sean Avery – NY Rangers – NHL 18. Chris Pronger – Phil. Flyers – NHL 19. Albert Haynesworth – Wash. Redskins – NFL 20. Mark van Bommel – Pro Soccer 21. Alex Rodriguez – NY Yankees – MLB 22. Ron Artest – LA Lakers - NBA 23. Reggie Evans – Toronto Raptors – NBA 24. Roger Clemens – NY Yankees – MLB 25. Dale Hunter – NHL 26. Pete Rose – Cincinnati Reds - MLB 27. Rasheed Wallace – NBA 28. Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL 29. Robert Horry – San Antonio Spurs – NBA 30. Marco Materazzi – Pro Soccer 31. James Harrison – Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL 32. Louis Suarez – Pro Soccer 33. Gilbert Yvel – MMA 34. Rodney Harrison – NE Patriots – NFL 35. Darcy Tucker – Toronto Maple Leafs – NHL 36. Roy Williams – Dallas Cowboys – NFL 37. Nigel de Jong – Pro Soccer 38. Kyle Busch – JGR - NASCAR 39. Sammy Sosa – MLB 40. Mike Tyson – Pro Boxer 41. Reggie Miller – Ind. Pacers – NBA 42. Gaylord Perry – MLB 43. Raja Bell – Phoenix Suns – NBA 44. Cortland Finnegan – Tenn. Titans – NFL 45. Kobe Bryant – LA Lakers – NBA 46. Antonio Margarito – Pro Boxer 47. Zola Bud – Olympic Runner 48. Carl Edwards – RFR – NASCAR 49. Jack Tatum – Oakland Raiders – NFL 50. Steve Ott – Dallas Stars - NHL
It’s interesting that 42% of the dirtiest athletes (21 of 50) are from the winter sports, the National Basketball Association (11) and the National Hockey League (10). Cabin Fever?
I was really surprised to see anyone from NASCAR or auto racing in general on this list. These guys play with fire. They shouldn’t be doing anything that qualifies as dirty on the race track. ____________________________________ Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Are you ready for this? A rock band named Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jr.? Not a bad sound (I’m kind of an unofficial music connoisseur and I’ll probably buy it!) and it appears the use of an icon’s name is spelling recognition as they are busily filling a performance schedule with their first album due out this coming spring… Here’s one of several videos available on Youtube:
Pretty imaginative. Wonder what Junyer has to say about it…
______________________________________________ Jennifer Jo Cobb featured on CNN
I hoped to present the interview video here but CNN being CNN, access to the embed code was restricted… (Just another reason why I don’t tune in to this wonderful “news” network) Jennifer Jo is interviewed by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta with questions circling the physical demands of racing, the fear of racing accidents and how Ms. Cobb deals with it.
What's Tony Stewart do when NASCAR's not racing? He goes out and finds another racing circuit! This isn't the first NASCAR off-season when Tony's run down to Australia (of course it's summer down there right now...), but wouldn't ya think he'd be on cruise control and relaxing in the sunshine? Not Tony the Tiger. I guess he's just got to be standing on a throttle pedal, even if it's in an Australian Sprint Car! That led to the following headline:
STEWART FINISHES SECOND, SCHATZ THIRD IN AUSTRALIAN SPRINT CAR GRAND PRIX
Indianapolis is gearing up for the Centennial celebration of the Indianapolis 500 this year... Here are some commemorative stories...
1911 Indianapolis 500
The 1911 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911. A departure from previous Speedway policy of holding numerous smaller racing meets during 1909 and 1910 racing seasons, the singular, large-scale event attracted widespread attention from both American and European racing teams and manufacturers, and, despite controversy surrounding its conclusion, proved far and away a successful event, immediately establishing itself both as the premier motorsports competition in the nation, and one of the most prestigious in the world. From the archives…
Things have certainly changed in 100 years... Isn't it great that we can actually see back then on film? _____________________________________
Stamp Commemorates 100 years of racing at Indianapolis 500…
The 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 will be honored on a United States Postal Service commemorative stamp that will go on sale in May 2011. The stamp will be a "Forever Stamp," always equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce letter regardless of price changes in the future. Illustrator John Mattos created the stylized, art deco illustration of Ray Harroun driving the Marmon "Wasp," winner of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, on the Indianapolis 500 Forever Stamp. Text along the bottom of the stamp reads "Indianapolis 500," with small type along the bottom of the stamp opposite the year 2011 reads "100 YEARS OF RACING."
"It's a great honor for the Indianapolis 500 to be featured on a United States Postal Service stamp," said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. "The stamp recognizes the '500' as a vital part of American culture and is a wonderful addition to our celebration of the 100th anniversary of the race in 2011." __________________________________
Indianapolis 500 Centenary Countdown: First Times for a Legendary Trio In one hundred races at the Brickyard there are but three drivers who have won four Indianapolis 500's in their career.
Here's a link to the story: http://www.racer.com/indianapolis-500-centenary-countdown-first-times-for-a-legendary-trio/article/192748/ The names resonate with racing fans the world over... A.J. Foyt (won in 1961, '64, '67 and '77), Al Unser (won in 1970, '71, '78 and '87) and Rick Mears (won in 1979, '84, '88 and '91). Notice how the three overlap in the years they won in and yet outside of this 30 year span there hasn't been another... 2011 marks the second year when another driver will have a chance to join this elite group... One of Kristen's favorites, Hélio Castroneves.
_____________________________________________ Will Power’s will power wears down… Coming off his best IZOD IndyCar Series season of his career, Verizon Team Penske driver Will Power is having a good offseason as well. Power married his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Cannon in Maui, Hawaii a few days ago. Will first met Cannon, who is from Texas, when he came to the United States from his native Australia to race cars in 2006. The two worked together at Walker Racing and they began dating. Cannon now is employed as a public relations representative for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series while Power has established himself as one of the rising stars of motorsports following a runner-up finish in the 2010 series championship. Power will return to action in the number 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara /Honda in 2011 looking to defend his Mario Andretti Road course championship and once again fight for the overall IZOD IndyCar Series title.
********************************************** Formula One
Team Lotus verses Group Lotus
The beat goes on with the Lotus split. Team Lotus will continue racing with the familiar forest green and bright yellow Lotus colors while Group Lotus has adopted black and gold for their Renault partnership cars.
____________________________________________________ Petrov confirmed at Renault until 2012
Lotus Renault announced they will retain Vitaly Petrov for the next two seasons.
"I am very happy to continue with the team and proud to be representing Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 and 2012 seasons,” said Petrov, who has just completed his rookie F1 campaign with the team. “I learned a lot about the sport, the circuits and the car this year. That will help me improve even more in the future.
“I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and I'm confident that I will deliver. In many ways, 2010 was about learning. 2011 will be about performing. Today, I feel I am ready to rise to this challenge."
______________________________________ D’Ambrosio lands Virgin race seat for 2011
The Virgin team announced Belgian driver Jerome D’Ambrosio will partner with Timo Glock in their race line-up for the 2011 Formula One season.
Last month, 25 year-old D’Ambrosio successfully concluded an evaluation role with Virgin, taking part in Friday practice sessions at the Singapore, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Grands Prix. In addition, he conducted a further half-day program in the team’s VR-01 car during last month’s Abu Dhabi young driver test.
“I’m thrilled to have achieved my goal of a Formula One race seat with Marussia Virgin Racing,” said D’Ambrosio. “When I came to the team in September this year it was everything I could hope for.
“I had a tough test to complete because there was a lot of competition for this seat, but at the same time I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home. I feel very comfortable with them - they are extremely professional and ambitious people and it is exciting to think that I can be a part of shaping the team’s future.” **************************************************
Finally... What do Cadillac STS, Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, Kia Borrego, Kia Rondo, Lexus SC, Lincoln Town Car, Ford Crown Victoria, the complete Mercury line of automobiles, Mitsubishi Raider and the Volvo V70 have in common? 2010 was the last year all these models and one make of automobiles were manufactured...
1951 Mercury Convertible... So long to another American icon...
_____________________________________________________ 47 Days Kristen, Gene...
Billy Ballew Motorsports – Vision Aviation Racing It was announced December 22nd that Billy Ballew Motorsports (successfully running the nos. 15 and 51 Toyota Tundra trucks in the Camping World Truck Series) has merged operations with Vision Aviation Racing (VAR), a west coast team that has successfully raced in the Super Late Model and K&N Pro Series West. The newly formed team will maintain operations in Mooresville North Carolina and assume the name Vision Aviation Racing. Billy Ballew will continue to have an ownership stake. Personnel decisions are yet to be announced. ______________________________________ Kenny Wallace – RAB Racing RAB Racing with Brack Maggard and veteran driver Kenny Wallace (488 Nationwide Series starts with nine wins, 10 poles, 63 top-five and 159 top-10 finishes) are teaming up to field a full-time Nationwide Series team in 2011. Wallace will make his debut for RAB Racing driving the No. 09 Toyota Camry beginning on Saturday, February 19, 2011, in the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. ______________________________________________ Ford Comes on Late
Early in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season Ford powered cars generally and Rouse Fenway’s ample stable of drivers in particular were no shows as the racing series progressed, then came the long awaited Ford-Yates FR9 engine about mid-season, and still the Ford teams’ overall performance was spotty at best. Finally, like a switch had been thrown, things started to click as Greg Biffle and then Carl Edwards posted wins late in the season and Matt Kenseth began finishing among the top teams each week. In the final analysis, only David Ragan in the UPS No. 6 Ford didn’t come on late. Despite Roush Fenway’s lackluster performance in 2010 Jack Roush has publicly stated there won’t be any wholesale changes moving into 2011. “We’re re-evaluating everybody’s job, from crew chiefs to engineers to tire changers for all four of our programs,” Roush said last Tuesday. “We’ll certainly build on the strength we have had, but if we have a weakness or see an opportunity … again, promoting from within whenever possible and generally that is our trademark. We will be looking for ways to improve ourselves.”
Although winless in 2009 and for the first 34 races of 2010, Roush-Fenway’s real bright spot was the change in Carl Edward’s fortunes as he won back to back races at Phoenix and then Homestead to finish off the season coming in fourth in the final Chase standings. "I think I have a good perspective on the season," Edwards said after winning the Homestead season finale. "I'm able to look at what we've done, look at two race wins and fourth in points and say, 'Hey, if you would've told me 10 races into the season this is how we're gonna wrap this thing up,' I wouldn't have believed you. "This is beyond the comeback that I expected. It's really beyond what I hoped for. This is a very good finish to the season."
Speculating on the late season turn-around, Edward’s Crew Chief Bob Osborne said, "There's not really any one specific piece, technique or process that we've changed to turn the corner. It's just a lot of little things that seem to have built momentum for us and has gotten us back to Victory Lane."
Although the most apparent change for the better, the introduction of the new Ford power package, would seem to have made the difference, Roush-Fenway personnel also point to solving RFR's computer and engine simulation program glitches that were eventually rectified at just about the same time as the stable's renaissance.
From my perspective as a fan I have to say that the new engine, once the break-in period had ended, made all the difference, whether it was in added horsepower or simply by changing the attitude around the RFR garages, the Ford entries, Richard Petty Motorsports teams included, began running to the front with the power necessary to hang in there and withstand challenges.
I’ve got to say that the late 2010 season surge among the Ford racers bodes well as these teams move into the 2011 racing season. The RFR racers and hopefully a revitalized Richard Petty Motorsports effort should push the Hendrick, Childress and Ganassi Chevrolets, the Penske Dodges and the Gibbs Toyotas all the way through the upcoming season.
Here are the top Ford drivers of 2010 and their records:
Roush-Fenway Racing Greg Biffle – In 36 Starts – 2 Wins – 9 Top 5’s – 19 Top 10’s – 0 Poles Carl Edwards – In 36 Starts – 2 Wins – 9 Top 5’s – 19 Top 10’s – 3 Poles Matt Kenseth – In 36 Starts – 0 Wins – 6 Top 5’s – 15 Top 10’s – 0 Poles David Ragan – In 36 Starts – 0 Wins – 0 Top 5’s – 3 Top 10’s – 0 Poles
Richard Petty Motorsports A.J. Allmendinger – In 36 Starts – 0 Wins – 2 Top 5’s – 8 Top 10’s – 1 Poles Kasey Kahne – In 31 Starts – 0 Wins – 7 Top 5’s – 9 Top 10’s – 2 Poles Paul Menard – In 36 Starts – 0 Wins – 1 Top 5’s – 6 Top 10’s – 0 Poles
There’s certainly a lot of room for improvement… _______________________________________ Speaking of Richard Petty Motorsports, Petty’s lead investor, Andrew Murstein, a New York-based taxi tycoon, has let it be known that he’d like to see a NASCAR track built in the New York City vicinity. I understand the original plans for the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey called for an auto racing track to be built there as well and Mr. Murstein was quick to point that out.
Now for the kicker in this blurb, and, if you feel the way I do, it’ll make your blood boil… A “Big City” sports writer covering sports for that liberal media bastion known as NBC had to pop off a couple of weeks ago concerning Mr. Murstein’s comments. If you’d like to read the complete version of what this pseudo-intellectual had to say, here’s the link to the article entitled NASCAR in New York City? You sure about that? Written by one Rob Sylvester on December 15th: http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2010/12/15/nascar-in-new-york-city-you-sure-about-that/#comments
For a sample of this simpleton’s work, here’s the first paragraph: Look, I’ve never been much for NASCAR, mainly because if I wanted to watch teams of rednecks expel gas while going in circles for hours, I’d turn on FOX News. That said, there’s obviously a large, national audience for the sport that perpetually draws strong ratings and has made millionaires many times over out of quite a few good ol’ boys (and not to mention the occasional California pretty boy, such as the polarizing Jeff Gordon). But now one Andrew Murstein, a New York-based taxi tycoon and self-styled racing enthusiast (in addition to the new owner of Richard Petty Motorsports), has a plan to expand NASCAR’s interests even further– into the basketball-loving, NASCAR-averse urban sprawl known as New York City.
Nice huh? _________________________________________________ Gene Haddock’s good buddy, Darrell Waltrip, wrote an article for Fox Sports entitled Taking up the short track debate. It’s a well written piece that speaks about what the author claims is the backbone of NASCAR (short track racing) and what needs to be done to preserve and expand it. Here’s the link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Darrell-Waltrip-How-to-make-short-track-racing-matter-again-122310 ________________________________________
Who will be the new movers and shakers in 2011 Sprint Cup?
In no particular order, here are the names of several second tier Cup drivers who could step up their game in 2011 and challenge the perennial top drivers:
Joe Logano Jamie McMurray A.J. Allmendinger David Reutimann Brad Keselowski Paul Menard
Do you have any names to add to that list? I have one if his medical issues have been solved and from what I hear they have… Brian Vickers.
Now remember, for every new driver arriving in the upper echelon of Cup racing someone’s got to begrudgingly give way… Who are the most likely drivers to slip a notch or two in 2011? Here’s my short list… Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle… Any additions? ________________________________________
Bad Boys, Bad Moves… The worst moves of the 2010 season
Next, here’s a list of the worst moves of 2010 reproduced here verbatim from a Scene Daily article written by Bob Pockrass and published last Thursday.
What’s the use of bringing up bad memories? Hey, learning from the bad can create better results in the future, right?
Yeah, Denny Hamlin fans. That’s right. Believe it.
1. Denny Hamlin spins early at Homestead – Just 24 laps into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hamlin attempted to make what he thought was a fairly routine move when he ducked inside Greg Biffle. But it turned out to be anything but routine. Hamlin didn’t know Paul Menard would try to make it three-wide on the outside, pinching Biffle down and causing Hamlin to spin. Hamlin damaged his splitter and wound up 14th in the race. That finish, coupled with a second-place finish by Jimmie Johnson, turned a championship season into a second-place result for Hamlin, who went from 15 points ahead of Johnson to 39 points behind on the final day. 2. Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski contact – It all started with what seemed to be a mistake by Brad Keselowski as he slid into Carl Edwards early during the March race at Atlanta. After spending 153 laps in the garage, Edwards returned to the race and later tapped Keselowski, whose car went airborne and hit roof-first on the wall. Edwards said he didn’t intend to flip him, but he did mean to wreck him and showed little remorse – and acted the same after Keselowski slid into him battling for the lead in the final lap at Gateway in a Nationwide race in July. In that event, Edwards turned Keselowski just before they came to the finish line, leaving the Penske Racing driver to be hit by several drivers. Keselowski once again escaped serious injury. Both drivers were put on probation, but Edwards drew more of the public scorn as this wasn’t boys have at it. This was boys gone wild. 3. Marcos Ambrose stalls at Infineon – Trying to save gas with eight laps remaining while appearing to be on his way to his first Sprint Cup victory, Ambrose couldn’t get his car restarted going up the hill into the first turn at Infineon Raceway. Because he didn’t keep a reasonable speed, he fell back to seventh and had to settle for a sixth-place finish. While this was the worst move of his Cup career, Ambrose still put a good face on it as he handled questions that day and in the weeks that followed with the politeness and humor that has allowed fans to embrace him through his NASCAR career. 4. Inability for quick fix to Daytona pothole – Stuff happens. But when it happens, it needs to be fixed. A pothole during the Daytona 500 led to two lengthy delays while officials attempted to repair the damaged asphalt. While such an occurrence could be considered an uncontrollable act of nature, the inability to repair the hole quickly because of the cold and wet conditions of the past month was unmistakably a lack of preparation for NASCAR’s biggest race. With 77 laps remaining, workers spent 1 hour, 40 minutes trying to patch the track before the race resumed. But after 32 green-flag laps, another delay of 44 minutes was needed to again repair the hole. Television ratings suffered, fans suffered, and NASCAR’s reputation suffered thanks to the pothole that turned the race into an event that lasted 6 hours, 12 minutes and 36 seconds. 5. RCR violation ruins Chase for Clint Bowyer – Their car, Richard Childress Racing officials swore, left the shop for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway race within the NASCAR specifications. How it got to be outside of specifications following Clint Bowyer’s victory in the opening Chase race? It had to be the tow truck, the team and its crash expert said. NASCAR and its independent panels didn’t agree and a 150-point penalty was upheld, knocking Bowyer out of Chase contention. The penalty came a week after RCR was warned about Bowyer’s car being too close to the tolerances. Either RCR didn’t listen to the warning or it just had one very unlucky circumstance. 6. Chase races move from ABC to ESPN, ratings fall – ESPN officials said they didn’t believe the move from ABC to ESPN made a big difference in the ratings for the Chase For The Sprint Cup. But the data shows double-digit decreases for eight of the nine Sunday races that went from ABC to ESPN. Could it be a coincidence and that fans just weren’t enamored with this year’s Chase? Possibly. But it also was one of the best Chases in series’ history. This seems to be a classic case of research and science indicating one thing, but basic facts in front of the eyes telling another story. 7. Kyle Busch flips off NASCAR official at Texas – So giving the one-finger salute with both hands wouldn’t be bad as long as you don’t have a sponsor that caters to kids. Oh wait, that’s exactly what Mars does. Bad Kyle. Bad, bad Kyle. Whether NASCAR fined him or not, Busch learned a valuable lesson – that he can’t treat NASCAR officials with disrespect. Especially with an in-car camera to catch the salute. 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s move triggers multicar wreck at Talladega – In a year where most things didn’t go right for Earnhardt Jr., this was one of the worst. His mistake while bump-drafting Jeff Burton triggered a multicar wreck at Talladega, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver to apologize to Burton and his competitors. ..................................... What about Smoke and Boris? Did they forget the dust up between Jeff Gordon and Kurt? How about the two Jeff’s having at each other? Then there was “who wears the fire suit in the family”… All moments worthy of being on this list in my humble opinion… ___________________________________________________ NASCAR’s Nutty Moments…
***************************************************** Formula One
Is it just me or has Formula One gone down the drama road?
From speedtv.com comes the following headline: F1: Chapman Family Comes Out Against New Team Lotus The Chapman family doesn't want to see the Team Lotus name back in F1...
What’s in a name? Now let me get this straight… There’s a play being carried out concerning the use of the famous racing name “Lotus”.
The Players: 1. The Colin Chapman (who formed Team Lotus Racing several years ago) family members. 2. Investor Tony Fernandes (a Malaysian entrepreneur). 3. Proton Holdings, parent company of Group Lotus (also a Malaysian entity)… 4. David Hunt – A former Formula driver and businessman who purchased the bankrupt Lotus Racing in 1994, couldn’t resurrect it then sold the Lotus branding rights to Litespeed F3 racing in 2009. 5. Litespeed F3 a UK based auto racing team.
Enough players?
So… Hunt buys Lotus Racing in 1994 through a bankruptcy.
In 2009, after unsuccessfully attempting to resurrect the racing team for 15 years, he sells the Lotus rights to Litespeed F3 who let it be known they planned on entering F1 racing.
After unsuccessfully applying for F1 membership, a change in F1A policy (a team budgetary cap was eliminated) and a BMW entry’s backing out on the 2010 season led Litespeed F3 into selling 90 percent of its new Lotus racing venture to two Malaysian investors, Tony Fernandes (55 percent) and Proton Holdings (35 percent). The financially reinvigorated team then successfully gained admission to F1 in 2010.
Both Fernandes, a millionaire business promoter, and Proton Holdings’ management knew the Lotus name was right up there in Formula racing with Ferrari in recognition and evidently both planned to take advantage of it. The investors went about including Lotus originator Colin Chapman’s family in the racing company’s promotional dealings, clearly making ties to the Lotus legacy.
Everything seemed to be going along well so long as the name “Team Lotus” was not used (Lotus originator Colin Chapman called his racing venture “Team Lotus”). This is where it gets hazy for me… At some point during the team’s first year of operation there was a falling out between Tony Fernandes and the Chapman Family who pulled their favorable backing of Fernandes in a statement issued by Clive Chapman (Colin’s eldest son) last Wednesday. Evidently, Fernandes was intent on changing the venture’s name from “Lotus Racing” to “Team Lotus” setting off the disagreement.
While all this was going on, Proton Holdings put together a motorsports subsidiary named “Group Lotus”. This subsidiary goes about branding a special edition Proton street car as “Lotus”, they enter IndyCar racing by planning to build new race cars and engines (in a partnership with Cosworth) in an Indianapolis shop with the Chapman family condoning what Proton is doing.
So the Chapmans and Proton are now aligned against the majority owner of Lotus Racing, Tony Fernandes… A British court is scheduled to hear both sides of the branding issue next summer and will hopefully put an end to what ultimately has become a convoluted mess…
If you want to see what I mean, go to http://www.speedtv.com/ and look for Adam Cooper‘s article posted December 23, 2010. ____________________________________________________ Another Soap Opera?
Rome Grand Prix promoter Maurizio FlamminiPushing Ahead With Rome GP For 2013
Even though it appears opposition is mounting on all sides, Rome Grand Prix promoter Maurizio Flammini is moving ahead with his plans to put a Formula One race on the streets of Rome by 2013. Beyond Monza race official’s understandable disapproval, Ferrari and a majority of Rome’s residents have made their opposition known. Despite the opposition of Monza, Ferrari and an apparent vast majority of local residents, promoter Maurizio Flammini has vowed to push ahead with his plans for a Rome street race. Monza and Ferrari want F1 to limit itself to one annual race per country, and a survey published this week shows 80-90 percent opposition to the Rome event from residents who live near the proposed layout in the capital's EUR district. Armed with support from Formula One’s president Bernie Ecclestone, Flammini said the final plans will be reviewed by authorities by the end of December. "According to the standard procedure this will take at least 60 days. If the project would have been approved by the end of the year, we would have been ready for 2012," he said.
"In Italy everything is ready (for 2013)," continued Flammini, "and the Formula One circus is ready to welcome us. A few days ago I spoke with Bernie Ecclestone and he asked me to go ahead. __________________________________________ Red Bull Christmas Card is said to be mocking Ferrari... See for yourself:
******************************************************* Finally, What not to do with your off road vehicle…
In Florida , an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days.
He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays.."
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.
Court is adjourned... How about some Global Warming!
I need some Global Warming and I live in Florida!
Check out this sign... These so-called experts used to say snow would be a thing of the past... Now this! Whatever happens is a result of Global Warming... Too cold? Global Warming... Too hot? Global Warming... Not enough rain? Global Warming.... Flooding? Global Warming... Who are they trying to kid?
Finally, in the spirit of the season, some Christmas quotes:
Joan Mills Christmas is the keeping-place for memories of our innocence.
Dale Evans Rogers Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give. It's Christmas.
Charles Dickens Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!
Charles Dickens I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.
W. C. Jones
The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
Harlan Miller I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.
Julia Peterkin, A Plantation Christmas I hear that in many places something has happened to Christmas; that it is changing from a time of merriment and carefree gaiety to a holiday which is filled with tedium; that many people dread the day and the obligation to give Christmas presents is a nightmare to weary, bored souls; that the children of enlightened parents no longer believe in Santa Claus; that all in all, the effort to be happy and have pleasure makes many honest hearts grow dark with despair instead of beaming with good will and cheerfulness.
Bill McKibben There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.
A high technology, super smooth racing surface with more “grip” than older style surfaces will most likely lead to tighter racing and increase the odds of “the big one”, so says last season’s Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray as well as several other top drivers who were on hand last week for Goodyear’s tire testing. Here’s what a few of those drivers had to say about “the big one”: “My opinion is it will probably increase the chances,” defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray said.
“It's increased,” said Jeff Burton.
“It definitely is increased,” said Kurt Busch.
“I would say it would increase them,” said Bobby Labonte.
Asked about any difference between racing at Talladega and the newly repaved Daytona (using the same technology as used in Alabama), Jeff Burton said, “Three-wide here is work, four-wide (like at Talladega) is a wreck.”
On a more positive note it was revealed that the new surface has resulted in much lower tire temperatures (as much as 50 to 75 degrees lower) causing driver Mark Martin to speculate that it might be possible to run the whole 500 mile race on one set of tires, a comment passed off by Goodyear officials.
McMurray went on to rave about the new surface, “The track is really good,” McMurray said. The 2011 Daytona 500 “is going to be a different race than what we've had in the past in Daytona. The cars are going to stay bunched up a lot more. In the past, as the tires would wear out, the pack would spread apart a little bit until you cycled through the pit stops, then gather back up. Typically by the end of the race, if the sun went down, you would run in a pack.” Now, though, “with the amount of grip that the track has, and the way the tires are not falling off at all, it will be two- or three-wide, really hard on the drivers and spotters for 500 miles.”
Another positive note: NASCAR should be pleased with the current restrictor plate size since last week’s testing speeds ran around 197 MPH (they don’t want speeds in excess of 200 MPH)…
The resurfacing work didn’t just stop when the race track was completed. The pit lane and aprons were also resurfaced with pit lane additionally being widened 10 feet to 60 feet in width. I was surprised to hear how beneficial the drivers thought the pit road work would be… “This pit road was the most treacherous of all the pit roads we race on,” Kurt Busch said. The old surface, the oil left over from the sports cars in the Rolex 24 and the pit-box size conspired to make Daytona 500 pit stops downright dangerous, Busch said. “Now, it looks like Green Acres out there.”
Hold on tight Kristen! It looks like the stars are lining up for one heck of a Daytona 500 to kick off the 2011 NASCAR racing season…
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Catch Cans Have Been Abolished!
After testing self-venting dump cans used for refueling the race cars when on pit road in the Camping World Truck Series resulted in very favorable results, NASCAR will now adopt the same refueling system for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series in 2011. The move eliminates one person from the over-the-wall crew reducing that number to 6 people. While NASCAR points out the improved safety implications, I’m sure the team owners are happy to save a little on their crew costs. According to NASCAR Vice-President for Competition, Robin Pemberton, the switch to the new E-15 ethanol fuel next season also played in on the decision to switch to a new fueling system. "It better enables us to keep a control on the open container of fuel," Pemberton said. "Because with the E-15 you want to make sure you never get any moisture introduced into that, and this better helps that."
On the downside, the move to this fueling system will slow down pit stops by around one second per fuel can and we all know how critical split seconds can be…
I’m seeing rumors that indicate NASCAR may implement what I consider to be great changes to the Sprint Cup Points accumulation system by handing out additional points to the race winners or to the points leader prior to the commencement of the Chase. Anything that keeps the drivers off of cruise control is welcomed in my book. In an article written by David Newton for ESPN.com, the author points out that if the driver leading in points before the start of the Chase was simply awarded an additional 50 points, Jeff Gordon would have won his 5th championship in 2004 or if the same 50 points was handed to Kevin Harvick in 2010 Jimmie Johnson’s run of consecutive championships would have ended. If drivers were awarded additional points for winning races the drivers qualifying for the Chase would be different than what we’ve had and again the impetus would be to win (isn’t that what it’s all about?)…
Well it looks like these two changes may be in the works for 2011 and I’m all for it. Do you believe that the guy who led the points accumulation process most of the 2010 season would start the Chase in third place (Kevin Harvick went from 228 points ahead to 30 points back at the start of the Chase based on the number of races he won in the previous 26 races)? Thinking about it, since they changed the points system in 2007 there has only been one year when the regular season points leader started off the Chase in the lead (2008 – Kyle Busch). Something’s wrong with this picture… An additional 50 points to Kevin at the end of the 26 preliminary races (for coming in first at that point in the season) would have kept him in the lead at the beginning of the chase and that difference would have scuttled JJ’s 5th consecutive championship. Kevin would have won it and deservedly so!
The effects of handing out additional points for winning individual races is a little harder to track concerning seasons gone by, but the bottom line is that by placing a higher premium on winning and consequently leading in points accumulation these guys would be spurred on to victory throughout the season …
We can expect to hear from NASCAR sometime before mid-January…
What do you think of this rating of the Most Controversial Wrecks in NASCAR History?
1. Bobby Allison, Talladega 1987
Talladega is known as a "superspeedway" with good reason; without restriction, cars can reach unfathomable speeds there. In 1987, Bill Elliott qualified for the Winston 500 with a still-record 212.809 mph, and in the ensuing race, NASCAR realized the very real dangers of such speeds. On lap 22, Bobby Allison took flight and ended up cruising along the retaining wall that separated spectators from the track. Had the car gone all the way into the stands, the tragedy would have been unspeakable; fortunately, injuries to fans were relatively minor. As a result of this wreck, though, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona. Drivers and fans may not care for them, but they're far better than the potential alternative.
2. Cale Yarborough and the brothers Allison, 1979 Daytona 500
The stars aligned for NASCAR at the 1979 Daytona 500. It was the first race ever televised wire-to-wire, and with much of the northeast trapped under snow, it was the only show in town. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison hammered each other through the final laps until both wrecked, spinning into the infield grass and allowing Richard Petty to take the win. As Petty cruised to victory, Yarborough, Allison and Bobby Allison got into a huge infield fistfight. It was an astonishing finish - and one which cemented NASCAR's roughhousing image, for good or ill, in the heads of an entire generation of fans.
3. Ricky Rudd, Atlanta 1990
In the last race of the year, Ricky Rudd lost control of his car as he entered Atlanta's pit road. He spun into Bill Elliott's car, which was undergoing a tire change. (You can see Rudd's car spinning toward Elliott's in the center right of the photo above.) Elliott's rear tire changer, Mike Rich, was caught in the wreck and later died. Two other crew members were injured. As a result, NASCAR altered pit-road rules and mandated a pit-road speed limit.
4. Dale Earnhardt spins Terry Labonte, Bristol 1999
One of the Intimidator's final wins, and one of his most controversial, came in 1999 when Terry Labonte charged into the lead at Bristol. In the race's final laps, Earnhardt turned Labonte around and took the checkers for himself. Whether you thought the move was good hard racin' or flat-out dirty probably depended on whether you had #3 memorabilia in your collection.
5. NASCAR's biggest crash, Daytona 1960
With a stunning 68 cars in the field for a Sportsman race in Daytona, accidents were bound to happen -- but no one could have predicted what happened. A 37-car accident resulted in few injuries, but NASCAR realized that it wouldn't be so fortunate forever. Fields were cut down significantly in the wake of this gargantuan wreck.
6. Fireball Roberts, Charlotte 1964
While running in the middle of the field, the popular driver Fireball Roberts was caught up in a wreck begun by Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. Roberts' car hit the wall and burst into flames. Jarrett pulled Roberts from the wreckage, but burns already covered 80 percent of his body. He died after six weeks in a Charlotte hospital, and in the wake of his passing NASCAR mandated far more stringent fire-safety gear, new fuel cells and on-board fire extinguishing gear.
7. Michael Waltrip, Bristol 1990
In 1990, Michael Waltrip appeared headed for a fairly standard wall-scrape at Bristol. But a gate hadn't been properly closed, and Waltrip's car absolutely vaporized. Somehow, Waltrip was barely scratched. Even more surprisingly, Mike Harmon suffered almost the exact same wreck in 2002, when once again the gate wasn't properly closed. The fact that neither driver was seriously injured is a minor miracle - and a reminder that NASCAR always needs to be vigilant about even the smallest potential flaws in track design.
8. The deaths of Dale Earnhardt and Neil Bonnett
Both Dale Earnhardt Sr. (above, left) and Neil Bonnett died in accidents at the Daytona Speedway, accidents that were tragic but painfully understandable. (Earnhardt's death led to safety improvements that have saved many drivers since then.) The controversy surrounding both came with the release, or attempted release, of their autopsy photos. The families of both drivers sought to prevent the release of the photos, and Earnhardt's case in particular became a landmark in celebrity privacy litigation.
Kyle Busch had already garnered a rep as a hotheaded -- but extremely talented -- driver when he and Junior tangled in Richmond early in the 2008 season. Busch had been booted from Hendrick Motorsports to make room for Junior, and with Junior hard in search of his first win at Hendrick, Busch wasn't about to make it easy on him. The resulting wreck sent the entire Junior Nation into a blood frenzy for Busch that hasn't subsided to this day.
10. Brad Keselowski puts Carl Edwards into the wall, Talladega 2009
When you're racing for the checkers, anything goes, as Carl Edwards discovered in the closing yards of Talladega. Keselowski put Edwards high into the fence, kicking off a two-year fight between the two that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in auto damage and several major, race-altering wrecks. And even though it's nearly two years old, this clip still makes you wonder how Edwards survived.
Graham Rahal has a new full-time ride, and Chip Ganassi has two more drivers to chase a fourth straight IndyCar points title. Ganassi says Rahal and Charlie Kimball will run full-time on his team next season. Ganassi already has two-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and two-time points champ Scott Dixon signed for next season. Now he's added one of the biggest American names in IndyCars by signing Rahal, son of 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal. He drove only part-time on the IndyCar circuit last season after losing his full-time gig with Newman/Haas.
The addition of Rahal and Kimball will give the series six American drivers this season including Ryan Hunter-Reay and Danica Patrick.
In the spirit of Christmas (equals toys to folks like me and Gene Haddock), take a look at the latest addition to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum:
Yep, it took 125,000 pieces to get ‘er done, but LEGO and racing enthusiast Dr. Brian Darrow (pictured) took the project to completion on a 7 foot by 10 foot layout…
I guess I’m too old for LEGO’s… I was a Lincoln Logs kid and they’re not too conducive to race cars… (although Fred and Wilma Flintstone’s rig had logs for wheels… Ha!)
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Formula One
Austin’s New F1 Venue
The news out of Austin Texas concerning their new Formula 1 race track continues to be good as the formal submission of plans for F1A’s homologation (fancy word for sanctioning) process has been made with an eye toward the United States Grand Prix coming in 2012. Austin Chairman Tavo Hellmund (who’s successfully been through this same process before) issued the following statement last Friday:
“We are excited to submit the track design to the FIA for homologation design approval. Our early submission is a true indicator of our ability to meet our slated opening in 2012. We look forward to approval and positive feedback from the FIA Circuit Commission which will meet in February to review our submission.”
Those Texans know how to get things done, even in today’s economic and political climate…
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Formula One Teams Looking For More Money
Even though Formula 1 handed out a greater share of their commercial revenue to the series’ teams under the terms of their current agreement, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo continues to contend the teams need more when the contract comes up for renewal in 2012. Speaking at his annual Christmas media luncheon he commented, “We're at a crossroads. We have Formula One in our hearts and minds, but we don't want to be in a Formula One prison. We can see three possible scenarios for the teams: we stick with the rights holder, CVC Capital Partners; we find new owners but keep the same business model; or we break away and promote our own series, like they do in the NBA.
“For me, the presence of Bernie (F1 Chairman Bernie Ecclestone) is a priority [of the first option], because Formula One can't be ruled by a stock exchange. We need people with credibility, personality and experience. But in the end we can always find a different promoter. At the end of the day, this business is not so complicated.”
Ecclestone responded: “It's what he always says this time of the year, ‘We need more money.' It's all nonsense. They're not going to break away. They've tried it all before. Luca's a lovely guy, but he likes to say these things. And then he forgets what he has been saying.”
AVUS: The First Autobahn, the Craziest Racing Circuit
Few sports incorporate geography as much as auto racing. While most sports take place at identically prepared facilities with standard sizes and amenities, every auto racing facility is a unique specimen. Road courses in particular tend to incorporate the terrain of the land into their design. These speedways and autodromes also leave huge footprints on the land due to their sheer size. In a few instances, like the Nürburgring in Germany or Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, some purpose-built tracks are even partially incorporated into the local road or cycling networks. Even when a circuit closes down, it is often visible decades after it falls out of use. In southwest Berlin lies a freeway that falls under both categories, and during its history as a racing circuit may have been the most unique, unusual, and frighteningly fast track on the planet; one whose footprint is permanently ingrained on the landscape.
In the middle of the Grunewald forest, one will find a particularly straight section of the A115 autobahn slicing through it labelled simply as ‘AVUS’, an acronym for the rather mundane formal name of Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße (Automobile Traffic and Practice Street). This stretch of highway was not only the first completed section of limited-access divided highway in Germany (completed in 1921), but also served for 78 years as one of the most unique race courses in the world. The road was conceived by the German Automobile Club in 1907 as a testing track for the burgeoning automobile industry. Construction began in 1913, but was halted almost immediately due to the outbreak of World War I. Construction resumed after the war and the track was finally completed in 1921.
The result was a 19.57305 kilometre-long track (compare with the modern standard of 4-to-6.5 kilometres) with a very distinct, uncomplicated shape: two parallel 8 km-long straights joined at either end by 180-degree curves (a large radius turn at the north end; a sharp hairpin at the south end). The long straights (which weren’t completely straight as you can see if you look really closely near Hundekehlesee) generated extreme amounts of speed for the time, and were augmented by the 1936 conversion of the north curve into a steeply-banked turn made of bricks. Banked at an absurd 43° with no railing, the new turn helped drivers maintain more speed and served to make AVUS the fasted closed circuit on the planet (it also meant cars carrying too much speed would fly off the track into the air to tumble tens of metres down the other side). As early as 1935, drivers reached 380 km/h (236 mph) on the straights, and in 1937 Bernd Rosemayer posted 284 km/h (176 mph) for an entire lap; speeds that would not be seen again until the 1960s in IndyCar racing (it still remains the fastest lap seen at the Formula 1 level due to the exclusive use of road circuits for grand prix racing since 1961). Already considered too dangerous, AVUS’ racing circuit was clipped in half when the south curve was demolished in order to connect AVUS to a new autobahn to the south; a new south hairpin was constructed to reduce the track length to a still-large 8.3 kilometres.
Were the track still used by open-wheel cars today, one could easily envision laps of 430-plus km/h (270-plus mph) and straightaway speeds near 480 km/h (300 mph) close to that of drag racers. Of course, that will never, ever happen, and even if AVUS was still used for racing, grand-prix-level open-wheeled cars have not used the track since the 1959 German Grand Prix, and for good reason. Remember that 43° north curve? It was nicknamed the ‘Wall of Death’ for good reason:
In a 1959 sports car race in advance of the German Grand Prix that weekend, French driver Jean Behra flew off the top of the wall to his death. This was the impetus for removing banked tracks from Formula 1 racing. Today, even the most steeply-banked North American oval tracks don’t dare go over 30° (not to mention the barriers and catch-fences surrounding them to prevent cars from departing the track). By 1967, the wall had been dismantled and replaced with the wide, flat curve seen today. AVUS remained in use until 1999 with temporary chicanes placed in the straights for races in an effort to add variety to the track and bring it in line with other European road courses, as well as to further reduce speeds for safety’s sake (even then, big crashes were still unavoidable (:56)). While the danger of the track helped, it was the reunification of Germany that sealed the fate of AVUS as a racing circuit. AVUS is just north of the border with Potsdam. Upon reunification, traffic on the autobahn between Berlin and Potsdam increased greatly, and AVUS took the brunt of it. Closing a city street three days a year for an auto race like some cities do is one thing, but closing a major freeway multiple times a year for races proved to be too much for Berlin. AVUS is now too vital to the regional transportation network to hold races anymore.
While AVUS’ major geographic legacy is as the beginning of the first, and many say most advanced, limited-access divided highway system in the world, its actual footprint remains quite visible on the landscape even beyond the freeway portion of the track. Using Google Maps and WikiMapia, one can easily discern the curves at either end of the track. Most notable is the post-1967 north curve in the middle of the A115-A100 interchange. One can see where the curve exits the A115, and how the southeast section of the curve is used as an off-ramp. The rest of the curve is no longer part of the public road grid; there are even karting tracks built upon it. The race control tower also remains, having been converted to a motel since the closure of the track to racing. Inside the curve, the infield has been converted to a rest stop for transport trucks. The post-war south hairpin also remains (although driving past it on the autobahn, it resembles something akin to a blocked-off pullout).
Regardless of the actual safety of racing AVUS, it lasted nearly eight decades as a regularly used facility in addition to its role as the first autobahn. The track was storied enough to make it onto a stamp series issued by Deutsche Bundespost Berlin in 1971. Below, you can watch a short clip of racing at AVUS spanning from the 1920s to the 1960s.
