Category: General

Superbowl Sunday….  Really…? So what…?

It seems America shuts down for the Superbowl. Why…? The previews and predictions and the dissection of the minutia of the teams’ seasons leading up to this thing are mind-numbing. It is not just the sports programs going on and on about it, both before and after the game, but everybody on the TV seems to have some segment dedicated to the game. Regular news channels go on and on about the teams, the halftime show, the commercials…  Really?

Why…?

What do we get out of this game? As a fan, seriously…, what do you get from it? How is your day-to-day life affected by the game of football? You may get some blather around the water cooler about “the game” yesterday…  You might even win a few bucks if you play the points… But what do you really get from it? What do any of us get from it? (more…)

Michael Shank Racing went from driver to owner to the podium at Daytona. The #60 Ford / Riley Daytona Prototype dominated the course to take the checkered with a comfortable margin over the next car to cross, also a Ford. The drivers kept cool heads and fast lap times while the entire team put in the effort to take the win. AJ Allmendinger, Ozz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson put in a great performance with Allmendinger (NASCAR) at the wheel at the finish. AJ maintained the lead for several hours leading to the end. Fords rolled over the line 1-2-3 with Michael Shank Racing taking the first and third spots with Starworks Motorsport in the second slot. (more…)

January is busy for racing as the garages start to fill and teams roll back into the routine of the daily grind. They review the previous season, plan changes, and take the rules changes to the chassis and the track. January is also NASCAR Hall of Fame time as the newest batch of legends take their places during the ceremony, held in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center, on January 20th. The total number of HoF Members is now 15. (more…)

“Headline: GM offers repairs to Volt owners for structural modifications”  This is not an actual “recall” as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is not directly involved. However, if you own one of these things you should consider it as such. There are reports of some kind of battery fires which have forced GM’s hand in offering these fixes as well as creating some policy changes on making mechanical repairs. Newer models apparently have these structural issues dealt with.

“Headline: GM announces the possibility of cutting production” It seems these things are not flying off the lots. Or production hasn’t matched demand. It kind of depends on who you talk to. Sales analysts and automotive watchdogs may say it is priced too high and that other electric / hybrids offer a better history of performance. There is also the buying public being confused as to how the thing works. You have to plug it in and put gas in it…? The gasoline engine doesn’t recharge it but runs the electric motor when the battery dies…? It costs how much…? How fast is it…? What…? (more…)

“What speed through yonder bumper brings?”

“To draft, or not to draft, that is the question”

“To push, perchance to pass —ay, there’s the rub:
For in that draft of speed what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled with this slipstream toil,
Must give us the pass—there’s the respect.”

Yes. I’m playing with, what some would say are sacred, words in order to illustrate how NASCAR plays with rules changes. It also makes a point that your average NASCAR fan knows as much about the “rules” as they do the works of William Shakespeare. (more…)

Danica Patrick is running with Stewart-Haas racing to run selected Sprint Cup races for 2012. In an interview from Daytona this week, she said she was taking on the 2012 season like a “honey badger”.

“… the honey badger, he doesn’t give a crap, he takes what he wants. And that’s how I’m going to be this year, like a honey badger.”

She made reference to a video she had seen about the animal in which the narrative is quite funny and the honey badger goes about wreaking mayhem on other creatures in a quite bloody fashion. The animal is quite a beastie and has, apparently, an “I don’t give a crap” attitude. (more…)

The “Roar” has run at Daytona. The “Roar before the 24” sessions of testing and practice have run the laps and the countdown is on to the end of the month for the “ROLEX 24”.  Mark your calendars for the weekend of the 28th-29th and make sure you know where SPEED is on your TV system. (You should know that, anyway…)

This is a full 24 hours of racing! Multiple drivers for each car with two classes of cars running at the same time. The big and low Daytona Prototypes and the more “street common” GT class. (more…)