Racing Discussion Thread

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:47 am

Next year is going to be really interesting.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 3:50 am

Spoiler:

Mike Mulhern wrote:: Is this sport holding its own or losing ground?
Can we perk things up by solving a few problems?
Here are some idle musings on a long, long Saturday afternoon, awaiting Round Five of the NASCAR championship chase.
Hey, let's fix this Daytona-Talladega problem. Let's make Indianapolis more competitive. Let's get Los Angeles back in the sport.
Let's make qualifying more exciting. Let's make pit road safer.
Let's run Talladega under the lights, like Daytona.
Let's put some fire back in this sport.
First, let's look at the big picture, as best we can.
Glass half-full, or half-empty?

When the Talladega grandstands are as empty as they were last weekend, this sport has a problem.
When Talladega Blvd is traffic-free at 8 a.m. on race morning, this sport has a problem.
When even rock 'em, sock 'em Talladega, the wildest track on the stock car tour, has trouble selling tickets, this sport has a problem.
When Talladega Sunday those 40 TV sets at the Lake Norman sports bar, in the heart of stock car country, are all tuned to something else besides the big race, this sport has a problem.
When race tracks on Fridays, be it Talladega or Dover or Atlanta or wherever, are only large aluminum echo chambers, this sport has a problem.
And that's before Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped his bombshell on this little neck of the woods...making it oh-so-ironic that this Charlotte 500 looks to be the first NASCAR race since 1961 without a North Carolina driver in the field.

Is there a real problem, or is it just 'optics'?
Maybe the sport is just one great race away from bouncing back.
Certainly NASCAR has an battalion of workers firing away.
But is it working?

Now maybe NBC is indeed wining and dining Brian France in hopes of spinning out ABC/ESPN for the second half of the Sprint Cup season, when that new TV contract comes up for debate.
And maybe an NBC-NASCAR reunion might really be just what this sport needs, to create a new dynamic. This sport had some of its best-ever TV ratings back when NBC carried NASCAR each fall.
But that's still a while off.

More immediately perhaps could be the looming 'death' of SPEED, with parent Fox planning to use cable tier channel for more general sports shows.
What does that say about how Fox execs look at NASCAR?
Meanwhile, with the death of newspapers (now even speculation that USAToday may "30" in a couple of years), ESPN has become the American sports world's pre-eminent quasi-journalistic portal, with its multi-channel approach and its army of sports specialists...although it sometimes appears to view NASCAR racing as a niche sport. Then again maybe that's what NASCAR has fallen back to.
And maybe NASCAR is going the way of Formula One, where the live crowd is only peripheral to the really important TV audience.

However an Old School look at this sport might show things in a different light.
Should NASCAR be playing more to its traditional strengths? Can NASCAR reenergize its classic demographic?
If so, how, with whom?
For all its heavy-hitting marketing, NASCAR execs may need to consider that this sport's most poorly served demographic is the blue-collar demographic....people who remember when Richard Petty, after the race, would sit on pit wall signing autographs until everyone in the crowd was satisfied.....
...before drivers and team owners took to helicopters and jets and $1 million motorcoaches.
(Do you sometimes get the feeling that some people in this sport have just gotten too big for their britches?)

So let's solve some problems here...and perhaps pinpoint where the logjams really are:

-- Competition.
Maybe the challenge facing this sport boils down to something really simple: competition. The late Bill France Jr. focused on "good competition" as the bedrock of this sport, the most important selling point. With good competition, everything else pretty much falls into place.
But this season in particularly, with so many gas mileage races and less than thrilling action, competition on too many NASCAR tracks has been less than compelling.
What's wrong here?
Are too many key people in this sport simply going through the motions, week after week after week?
Are there simply too many races? Maybe less is more.
Does the Sprint Cup tour calendar need some major revisions?
Is it time to drop the 'chase' championship format, as now counter-productive for this sport?
Is it time for NASCAR to get back to basics and limit owners to no more than two teams, to clean up this 'satellite' system of farm teams, to get more owners into the sport? With only five big owners running this sport, there is heavy incentive to keep it a closed shop, unattractive to newcomers. And that's not good for this sport, which needs more owners and more engine builders.

One wag, when looking at the empty grandstands on too many Fridays, says the problem is easy to see: "No one's home."
Now that might be a bit harsh, and even hard-core NASCAR officials have glazed eyes at this point in the nearly endless season.
But there is the distinct sense that there's a dearth of common sense in several areas... a sense of no more fire in the bellies... a lackluster, even disinterested leadership class... a sense of too many people in this sport just going through the motions, trying to get to the end of the year.
Sometimes -- take the 2013 car marketing fiasco -- it's like no one is really in charge, or no one is paying attention. Sheet metal, sheet metal?
Maybe it is time for Jim France to hop on his motorcycle and head this way to straighten some things out....

-- Why is it there a sense of 'us versus them' in NASCAR marketing versus NASCAR competition?
Marketing may complain that it's hard to market this product without better competition out on the track....and yet Competition too frequently seems to be oblivious to big issues?
Like, uh, too many gas mileage races, and increasing costs, and continued hemorrhaging of sponsorships.
For example, the cost of racing is about to go up yet again with the introduction of some new $500,000 piece of laser inspection machinery, that teams are probably going to have to buy.
That piece of machinery will improve competition and put more butts in the stands and eyes on the tube just how?
And with the new chassis rules and body rules for the 2013s, how many of these hundreds of 2012 cars are within six weeks of total obsolescence?
Where is the Director of Commonsense here?
Where is the man, or woman, with a good big-picture sense of this sport?
Where is the next Jim Hunter?
Too many good sponsors have been leaving the sport....and it may be because this sport doesn't appear to provide them a good return on investment -- why?

So let's look at a few quick and easy fixes that could help:

-- Los Angeles.
One of the most populous and diverse metropolitan areas in the world, it has been a NASCAR tour staple since 1958. It once boasted three big tour events, in late January, mid-June, and early November. RJ Reynolds marketers realized how important that market is.
However since spiffy new California Auto Club Speedway opened in 1997, at the junction of two of this country's most important Interstates, the racing has been deathly boring. Year after year after year.
That's 15 years now, and NASCAR and its sister International Speedway Corp (ISC) have steadfastly, inexplicably, refused to change up that dynamic.
And there is an easy fix: raise the banking to 18 or 20 degrees or more.
It's current 14-degree corner banking was a major design flaw, and at the 210 mph speeds racing is single-file and long strung out.
To make the point of NASCAR/ISC lethargy here even sharper, Homestead-Miami Speedway, which opened in late 1995, has been reconfigured twice. To make that point even sharper, Kansas Speedway, which opened in 2001, has just been reconfigured too. Talladega, Daytona, Darlington, Michigan, Pocono, Bristol, Phoenix, all have had major redesigns/repaves in the 15 years since California Speedway opened.
Why NASCAR/ISC have refused to give Southern California fans a better racing product simply defies logic.
The solution -- fix the track, more banking, new asphalt.
Just do it.

-- Indianapolis.
Despite its storied history and allure, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, since NASCAR first raced there in 1994, has featured more boring racing. Single-file, strung out. At the sizzling speeds into the flat corners, drivers have fought aerodynamic issues the nearly 20 years now.
Moving the Saturday Nationwide event from the IRP short-track nearby to IMS this summer was misguided and a disaster. The race was boring; the crowd was negligible. It only accentuated the problem at that track.
Perhaps the solution here is to look to the past, to Ontario Motor Speedway, a virtual copy of IMS, which hosted NASCAR races from 1970 to 1980 (when it was sold for $3 million, for a shopping mall). Ontario races were something like this: http://bit.ly/WgTZNB When was the last time you saw stock car guys going three-wide into the first turn at Indy? They could go three-wide at Ontario because the cars were 30 mph slower, and boxier too.
The solution: fix the cars, slow them down.
It's one of this sport's most important events. So just do it.

-- Qualifying.
The most boring part of the race weekend, better of two laps, no sex appeal at all, and typically no crowd to speak of, even for the Daytona 500.
Fix it.
Why not qualifying races, like the Daytona Twins?
Well, now word is Daytona is dropping those two Thursday 150s. Lack of sponsorship...and then Thursday afternoon isn't quite prime time TV.
But those two 45-minute shows typically feature some great action, in a tight time frame. Why NASCAR/Daytona isn't running them Thursday night under the lights, as has been suggested for years, would seem to point to a major missed opportunity for increased visibility for the sport.
And maybe Talladega should be running one of its 500s under the lights too, to liven things up.
Sometimes thinking in this sport seems too lethargic.

-- Half-way racing.
It's time to reconsider this 'get to half-way and we all go home.'
The California 500 back in the spring was a definitive case. Fans effective got robbed by rain.
Can't fix the weather, but the sport can make it up to the fans by give them half-price tickets to the next 500 if rain forces an early end. That's only fair, particularly in some of this sport's key, tough markets like LA.
It's not 1975 any more. Fans spend a heck of a lot of money, on more than just tickets, to attend these races.

-- Grassroots racing.
One of the great marketing moves during the RJ Reynolds era was the weekly short track program. It tied in perfectly with Sunday's big shows.
Again, it is one of the great mysteries in this sport why NASCAR and Sprint have not used that classic marketing idea.
Yes, NASCAR's K&N Series is a good one, and a lot of hard work is going into it. But the heart of the weekly racing series marketing concept is nationally recognized marketing with a nationally recognized sponsor.
The solution: NASCAR and Sprint launch a weekly racing series marketing program. Cheap and easy.
Just do it.

But if officials aren't even moving in those obvious directions, why expect them to fine tune other problem areas:

Like:
-- Pit road.
Drivers are becoming increasingly careless when pitting, putting crewmen in danger.
NASCAR has steadfastly refused to penalize a driver for hitting a crewman on pit road. It has numerous pit road safety rules, speed limits, and enforces drive-through penalties for violations.
But remember the reason for all those pit road safety rules -- Mike Rich. Killed on pit road at Atlanta in 1990.
Why not the logical safety rule of a penalty for hitting a crewman on pit road too?
NASCAR's response: that might prompt crewmen to jump out in front of a rival's car, to get hit and thus draw a penalty.
Huh?
The solution: a pass-through penalty for hitting a crewman.
Another solution: keep pit road open the entire race, so any driver can pit at any time. 'Closing' pit road, with that traffic light, was done originally because NASCAR could lose track of scoring. That is no longer a legitimate rationale. Open pit road.

Like:
-- Scoring.
Just where was the finish line for last weekend's Talladega 500? Why are officials the only ones privy to that?
Now with embedded scoring loops, NASCAR scoring these days is usually without question. However last weekend's 500 ended in scoring chaos, with that 25-car crash, and no clearly delineated finish line scoring loop.
It took NASCAR officials an hour to sort things out, and the results are still pretty much 'just trust us.'
That chaos and those questions are not fair to the fans.
The solution: paint the scoring loops, so fans can see just what is going on.

Those are some easy problems to solve.

Here's a much tougher one:

-- Demographics.
It's not even clear what the demographic shape of this sport is today, much less what it should look like, or where the marketing attacks should be made.
Focus groups? Focus-hocus-pocus....
Fathers bringing kids to the track is a pretty simple way to handle demographics. How well is NASCAR doing at that? How successful are promoters?
Does NASCAR's current crop of promoters need to get cracking?
How about something like Free Fridays? Qualifying on Friday afternoons, Truck racing Friday night...and make it all free.

Now maybe America doesn't have the car-culture it once had.
Can Detroit and these 2013s maybe help revive that?
Or is that wishful thinking....
Does NASCAR racing face a 'cultural gap' because it is so car-centric?

Hispanics? How is that program going? Is NASCAR's diversity operation all but dead in the water because sponsorship monies have been so hard to come by for too many years now, the U.S. economy being what it is?
This sport's new 'integrated marketing' operation, with an army of specialists and technocrats, may see the big demographic battle in a different light.
How does the current crop of 18-24s really view this sport?
How do the 29-45s see all this?
Is NASCAR in danger of losing a key generation of fans?
Maybe if competition were better we wouldn't have all these questions.

Is it another example of marketing miscues or misdirection that NASCAR is pushing 'Breast Cancer Awareness' month with 30-year sexpot Danica Patrick? What is the demographic for that campaign anyway?
Remember when every owner and sponsor wanted 'the next Jeff Gordon?' Well, the garage appears filled with Jeff Gordons now.
So where's the next Harry Gant, the next Dale Earnhardt, the next racer that the common man can relate to?
Can that be Brad Keselowski? Or will he too become too polished?

Perhaps there is an even more basic problem here: Maybe this sport needs a working class hero.
A blue-collar guy, like Harry, Dale Sr., Neil Bonnett, Cale Yarborough...
And let's make this point: working class heroes don't have townhouses in Manhattan, working class heroes don't fly to the tracks in helicopters.
Think optics.
Think Neil and Dale bush-hogging the Back 40.
Think Harry roofing houses on Monday's after the race.
Jimmie Johnson could have been such a working class hero; he grew up in a rough-and-tumble area near San Diego, his mom was a school bus driver, his dad is trucker. And sponsor Lowe's, a North Wilkesboro company originally, remember, could have been perfect for some of that 'Harry Gant' marketing.
Missed opportunity.
The sport opted for sophistication instead. Not necessarily a bad idea, now, but the sport needs to figure out a way to better relate to its blue-collar core.
The solution: change up some of this marketing, find some Old School racers, stop trying to polish everything up to such a sheen.

But then sometimes it's not even clear if anyone really cares.

Not sure what to say about this post, but, there is some problems when you see tracks like Talladega and Bristol not filling the seats.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:19 am

Looks like Jake's home track got a new owner and new management Razz

Oxford Plains Speedway/PASS wrote:: Veteran motorsports promoter Tom Mayberry has entered into an agreement to purchase Oxford Plains Speedway. The transaction is expected to become final this week. The track is being purchased from previous owner Bill Ryan who has operated the speedway since 1998. Mayberry, a former racer himself, has found a great deal of success as Owner and President of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS). PASS was founded in 2001 and has since grown to be the nation’s premier sanctioning body for asphalt short track racing. PASS currently sanctions a variety of stock car divisions throughout North America. Mayberry knows the challenges of owning and promoting a racing facility and is looking forward to his latest endeavor.
“Obviously, I grew up attending races at Oxford Plains and eventually was able to race there myself,” said Mayberry. “We hope we can continue the great tradition at Oxfor
d and are looking forward to a bright future. I’m looking forward to working with the competitors and the fans and I hope to have their support.”
The TD Bank 250 is the biggest single day short track event in the United States and that great tradition will continue under Mayberry’s leadership. The 40th Annual TD Bank 250 weekend has already been scheduled and will be contested July 19-21, 2013. The TD Bank 250 will be a PASS sanctioned, “open” Super Late Model event with qualifying and racing for the PASS Super Late Models on July 21 to continue the single day tradition. It will be the first time the TD Bank 250 has featured Super Late Models since 2006 when the division formerly known as Pro Stocks last competed in the event. Rules are being adjusted at this time so various competitors can make their cars legal if they wish to compete.
The Oxford Plains Speedway regular season opener is tentatively scheduled for April 20, 2013. The full season schedule and event schedule for the TD Bank 250 will be complete by December 1. This will be a major transition period for everyone involved in Oxford Plains Speedway, but the new management will let competitors know divisions and rules for 2013 by approximately November 5.
Plans are in the works for Oxford Plains Speedway to be a multi-use facility with more major events currently being scheduled at this time. A swap meet/flea market has already been announced for October 25-27, 2013 with more details to be announced in the near future.
For media or marketing questions please contact Alan Dietz at alandietzpass@live.com or 704-231-2039. More details will be announced soon and can be found at oxfordplains.com

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:45 am

2013 International V8 Supercar Series Schedule
Feb 16: Official V8 Supercar Test - Sydney Motorsport Park
Feb 28-Mar 3: Clipsal 500
Mar 14-17: Australian Grand Prix
April 5-7: Symmons Plains, Tasmania
April 12-14: Pukekohe, New Zealand
May 3-5: Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia
May 17-19: Austin, Texas
June 14-16: Hidden Valley, Darwin
July 5-7: Townsville 400, Townsville
July 27-28: Queensland Raceway, Ipswich
August 23-25: Winton, Victoria
September 13-15: Sandown 500
October 10-13: Bathurst 1000
October 25-27: Gold Coast 600
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi
November 23-24: Phillip Island, Victoria
November 29-December 1: Homebush, Sydney Olympic Park

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:15 am

Keith Lair/Whittier Daily News wrote:: Racing will return to Irwindale Speedway in March, promoter Jim Cohan said on Friday.

"We have the green light from (track owner) Nu-Way (Industries)," said Cohan, owner and CEO of 211 Entertainment LLC, which owns and operates the L.A. Racing Experience at the speedway.

No date has been formalized, but Cohan said his company and Nu-Way "have a deal in spirit to have an event in March."

The race could lead to more racing next year.

"When fans come through the turnstile, they'll see that a new group is in town," Cohan said. "It will not be all about racing. It will be family fun."

Cohan said go-karts and other activities will create a festival-like atmosphere.

Cohan said he is trying to negotiate a long-term lease to operate oval racing at the track for Irwindale Events Center, a subsidiary of 211 Entertainment.

"We're waiting for the dots to be dotted and the Ts to be crossed," he said. "It takes time."

In partnership with Nu-Way, Irwindale Events Center already holds weekly NHRA drag racing and rents the facility.

Irwindale Speedway LLC operated the track for 13 years before filing bankruptcy papers in February. The last oval race at the facility was last year's USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix.

This weekend's Formula Drift season finale will be the only time this year that a publicly-paying racing event will be held at Irwindale. It is expected to sell out.

Cohan said that he
had wanted to have races this year.

"We could have done it this year, but there were underlining things that made it so we couldn't," he said.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 12:42 pm

Jason Mazda/Press for Atlantic City wrote:: The NASCAR Nationwide Series appears to have an opening on next year’s schedule for a road course.

Why not New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville?

That’s the question on the mind of NJMP general manager Brad Scott, who spoke via telephone Monday from the AMA Pro Road Racing awards banquet in New Orleans before flying back to New Jersey on Tuesday.

“Once I get back into town, one of my immediate goals is going to be to really get aggressive and at least throw out name in the hat,” Scott said. “If there’s an opportunity to host something like that, we’d love to.”

The opportunity could be there because Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last week ended its six-year relationship with the Nationwide Series. That road-course race had been run independently of the Sprint Cup Series.

Nationwide Series official Amanda Ellis said by phone Tuesday that she could not comment in detail on next year’s schedule, which she said likely will be released in a few weeks.

“We constantly have conversations with promoters who are interested in having a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at their track,” Ellis said.

Working against NJMP is the fact that there are several other tracks that offer similar benefits, including one — Road Atlanta — in which NASCAR has an ownership stake. Road Atlanta is owned by the American Le Mans Series, which last month merged with the NASCAR-owned Grand-Am Road Racing Series.

Still, Scott said it’s worth making the effort.

“We just kind of got wind of it last week that Nationwide was looking, with the termination of the contract with Montreal, that they were considering running on (another) road course,” Scott said. “Mid-Ohio and other tracks apparently have been contacted, but we have been known to get aggressive and go after them ourselves, so that’s what we plan to do.”

NJMP has hosted several major racing series, including Grand-Am and AMA, in its five-year history. But Nationwide, NASCAR’s second-tier stock-car racing series, would be the highest-profile race ever for the park.

The track does have a history of hosting stock-car races as the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) has come to Millville the last five years.

“Certainly something of this level would be another opportunity to showcase the park,” Scott said. “So it would be great to have. I’m not sure how realistic it will come together, but we certainly want to put our name in the hat and be considered, and if it works out, that would be awesome.”

Would be cool to see Nationwide at NJMP.

Updated the master schedule again 0.o.

Spoiler:

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:06 pm

Official Details of 2013 F1 Coverage in the USA.

Canadian GP, Abu Dhabi GP, US GP & Brazilian GP = NBC
Rest of races = NBCSN
All Practice & Qualifying Sessions = NBCSN
All 20 races will be streamed Live on the NBC Sports Live-Stream thing.

4 of the NBCSN Races will immediately be followed by Pre-Race for that days Indycar Race. Indycar is excited about that.

The intent is to broadcast Everything Live.

Will use the FOM World Feed (like everybody else) with a reporter on site & the booth based in a US Studio (like SPEED does), however there is a possibility of having the Booth crew be at certain events (and by that I hope he means more then just the North-American rounds).

Via Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Wed Oct 17, 2012 9:48 am

David Newton/ESPN.com wrote:: CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR may be considering adding a dirt race at Eldora Speedway to its Truck Series schedule.

Multiple sources within the series said they've been told a dirt track could be added to the schedule in 2013. Sources also said a Richard Childress Racing truck was prepared for a test at Eldora, owned by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.

The test was scheduled to take place Monday or Tuesday, the sources said. Officials at Eldora could not be reached for comment.

Stewart has been asking NASCAR to add a race at his half-mile track in Rossburg, Ohio, for several years. It is the site of his annual Prelude to the Dream charity event.

NASCAR officials declined to address specifically whether Eldora was under consideration for a truck race, but the series is looking at potential venues it hasn't been to before.

"We've made several site visits over the past few months to look at possible future venues for our Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series," spokesman Kerry Tharp said on Tuesday. "We expect the 2013 schedules for both of those series to be finished up and released within the next couple of weeks."

For Eldora to be even considered a date for next year in Trucks!
Racing Discussion Thread - Page 25 Yes-gif

Next year is going to be really interesting!

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Wed Oct 17, 2012 12:21 pm

I will shit a fuckton of bricks if it happens.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Wed Oct 17, 2012 12:45 pm

I would sell my soul for a ticket.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:55 am

Valvoline Next Gen is sponsoring Maryeve Dufault in the ARCA race this weekend. Really cool for her, maybe they'll stick with her for a full ARCA or Nationwide schedule next season?

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Thu Oct 18, 2012 4:23 am

Interesting to note; Mike Bliss has only 1 top 10 finish this year, but 17 finishes between 10th and 15th. That's pretty incredibly consistent. If Tri-Star can pick it up, they could be competing for a top 5 finish in points next season.

Tayler Malsam had a 20.6 average finish in his 26 races for Tri-Star.
Eric McClure's average finish is 24.6.
Mike Bliss' average finish is 16.9.
In Jeff Green's 5 full races this season, he has finished no worse than 19th.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:00 am

Looks like I'm gonna be going to Eldora next year. Shocked

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Fri Oct 19, 2012 4:30 am

IndyCar has released the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights schedule, changes include new dates at Pocono, Mid-Ohio and Houston. The race at Trois-Riveries has been cut from the 2013 schedule Sad

IndyCar PR wrote:: Firestone Indy Lights announced today a 12-race schedule for its 2013 season, featuring a diverse line up of ovals, road and street circuits, designed to prepare drivers for the for the next step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder - the IZOD IndyCar Series.

New additions to the schedule for 2013 are the historic 2.5-mile oval at Pocono Raceway, the 1.7-mile, 10-turn temporary street course at Reliant Park in Houston and the series' return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, its first race at the 2.258-mile natural terrain road course since 2010.

"Our goal is to create a schedule that will challenge our up-and-coming drivers while preparing them for the diversity of the IZOD IndyCar Series," said Tony George Jr., director, Firestone Indy Lights. "For the 2013 season, we are adding one new oval, road course and temporary street circuit, which only enhances the strength of our schedule. To be crowned champion and earn the $1 million Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to the IZOD IndyCar Series, a driver must master each discipline on the circuit in order to maximize points opportunities."

The season will open March 23-24 on the streets of St. Petersburg and the season finale will once again be hosted at Auto Club Speedway, Oct. 18-19. Nine venues that hosted Firestone Indy Lights races in 2012 return and all event weekends will be run in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series and complemented by other series in the Mazda Road to Indy.

George added: "We feel it's important to create opportunities to expose the talents of our Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy drivers alongside the IZOD IndyCar Series. We want to showcase the strength of our ladder system and there is no better way to do that than to run at the tracks where the IZOD IndyCar Series competes."

The first oval of the season will be the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, two days before the Indianapolis 500. In total, five ovals appear on the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights schedule.

All Firestone Indy Lights races will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network, with dates and times to be announced soon.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Fri Oct 19, 2012 4:35 am

The new 2014 Chevrolet SS will be revealed to the public on November 29 at the Wynn Las Vegas!

Tom Jensen/SPEED wrote:: So far, every 2013 Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup car that’s shown up for testing has looked like something from a Rorschach test or maybe a psychedelic experiment from the 1960s gone horribly wrong, but that’s about to change.

Up until now, Chevy has insisted that the SS always run in a bizarre black-and-white wrap to conceal its true appearance.

Finally, on Nov. 29 at the Wynn Las Vegas, Chevrolet will show the SS off in real race trim, minus the headache-inducing graphics.

The street version of the SS will be based on Australian Holden VE Commodore, a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sedan. The SS also bears a close resemblance to the late, lamented Pontiac G8, another Holden-based sedan.

GM will be the last of the four automakers currently in NASCAR to formally unveil its 2013 car.

Ford showed off its new Fusion in January and again at Daytona Speedweeks. Before it decided to pull out of NASCAR, Dodge unveiled its 2013 Charger at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Toyota’s new Camry was first shown in May.

All of next year’s cars will have new and very different bodies, although the existing chassis will work on the new cars.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Fri Oct 19, 2012 8:04 am

Tom Jensen/SPEED wrote:: The inaugural Grand Prix of America race in Northern New Jersey will be postponed one year until 2014, sources have confirmed to SPEED.com.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and event organizers will make the announcement on Thursday, sources said.

The race, scheduled for June 16, 2013, will be pushed back a year in order for track organizers to finish the permitting process needed to complete the 3.2-mile road course along the Hudson River in Weehawken and West New York, N.J.

Among other things, track officials are waiting approval from Corps of Engineers to take control of property along the Hudson River where grandstands will be erected.

The three-day event is expected to attract more than 100,000 race fans and pump in more than $100 million to the local economy.

Last month, the New Jersey event was released on the official 2013 Formula One calendar, one of 20 races in 19 countries.

Well, this sucks if the race doesn't happen next year Sad

. At least we have at least 2 new GP's to look forward to as far as Jersey and Russia not counting the rumors for Bangkok, Greece and London.

Heard a rumor that SPEED has canceled plans to do at the track coverage/extended coverage of this year's United States GP.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:08 pm

So apparently Denny Hamlin crashed in testing today at Kansas. He got checked out twice at the care center. here's the article http://www.nascar.com/news/121018/dhamlin-kansas-test-crash/index.html

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Sat Oct 20, 2012 3:43 am

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jjcracing

Jennifer found out how to usteam.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:33 am

ARCARacing.com wrote:: (KANSAS CITY, Kan. - October 19, 2012) - Officials from FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) have announced a multi-year extension of the current television rights agreement between the two groups, with a minimum of 10 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards events televised either live and/or same-day delay each season.

In 2013, ARCA television coverage begins with the drop of the green flag on the series' 50th appearance at the world-renowned Daytona International Speedway in February.

"ARCA has a very supportive group of race fans, and for over 15 years they have turned to us for their television coverage," said Scott Ackerson, FOX Sports Media Group EVP, executive producer, and SPEED president. "We now look forward to continuing in that role over the coming years."

ARCA's relationship with SPEED reaches back to April 20, 1997, when the network (then Speedvision) covered the ARCA Racing Series race at Salem Speedway. Since then, SPEED has aired 197 ARCA Racing Series events, with tonight's season-ending Kansas Lottery 98.9 scheduled as the 198th.

Year-over-year broadcast ratings have spiked by 24 percent in 2012, highlighted by substantial improvements in key demographics.

"We're very encouraged by the completion of this deal," said ARCA president Ron Drager. "Fox Sports Media Group has shown its commitment to motorsports in a significant way this week, and we are especially pleased to make this announcement at the season finale to create some momentum as we move forward into 2013."

The ARCA Racing Series season will close in tonight's Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway, with race action starting at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local) on SPEED. ARCARacing.com will also feature live timing and scoring coverage for the season finale.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:42 am

Hearing Gateway might be on the 2013 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown schedule. I have to wonder about Trucks. Rumors are all around the place for them. Track has SAFER too so it wouldn't be too hard to get a date there.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:48 am

When Edwards isn't turning people on the frontstretch, the track has some decent racing on it. Would be cool to see Nwide and Trucks back there, along with USAC and other forms of racing.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:34 am

"I have some very bad Martinsville news: our Dodge needs valve springs, exhaust rocker arms and retainers. This is $2,000 or more that we don't have right now. I may have to sit out this one in order to finish strong and be ready for TX, Phx and Miami. Tough decisions being made right now. I have commitments to Blake to drive the Ford... we will keep you posted. $2,500 for engine parts and $2,000 for a set of tires would solve everything." - JJC

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:14 am

sucks to suck

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:38 am

"The Nationwide Series has perhaps not left Quebec, Canada for good, it could end up in Trois-Rivières, and, starting next year. Discussions were initiated, according to sources, with representatives from NASCAR to maintain a Canadian race on the schedule. The mayor of Trois-Rivières has appointed the chairman of the Grand Prix, Dominic Fugere to conduct these talks. Also, there was some discussion of holding a Nationwide Series race at Mosport next year, but the track does not currently meet the crieteria necessary for a NASCAR race. NASCAR has not disclosed the Nationwide schedule in 2013, which suggests that negotiations are ongoing with various promoters"

Nationwide. Trois-Rivieres. Fuck yes.

Subject: Re: Racing Discussion Thread Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:29 am

Trois-Rivieres, fuck yeah

so that means we're hipsters.

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