Category: Auto Absurd

You see a lot of things at Martinsville Speedway. Neon pink hot dogs, TV, film and music stars, racing legends, sports icons…

The hot dogs are a given. Yummy bits of boiled goodness with chili and slaw. We’re surprised it is not some kind ordinance to make it mandatory to have at least one when attending a race…

Stars of entertainment are usually around either for official duties with the National Anthem or sponsorships or whatever. Country music stars such as Danielle Peck and Trace Adkins have performed in the past. Mario Lopez was around this past weekend to start the race. Emmy award winner Mark Burnett and his wife, actress Roma Downey, (producers, “The Bible” mini series) were there to start engines.

Richard Petty, racing icon and the face of STP, has been seen around Martinsville compared with Elvis sightings…

VA Tech football coach Frank Beamer was in the pace car for the STP Gas Booster 500… (more…)

Can you put a phone into the wall? Is it possible to bump a smartphone and send it spinning around?

We may find out. The phones of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin traded a few scuffs following some contact at Bristol.

Joey attempted to confront Denny, still in the FedEx #11, but some team folks were there to push him aside. It seems Logano was none too happy about on track bumps that sent his Pennzoil #22 around and tailing the wall.

It is Bristol… There are going to be some bumps…

Logano, However, didn’t see it as “just another bump” and attempted to clarify the contact. That plan did not play out well… (more…)

The first race of the season… OK – In reality it was the second race but does the ROLEX 24 really count?

Sure, team points and such come into play but the ROLEX 24 is such a hooplah of drivers mixed in from other series and it throws a wrench into the works for the Grand-Am regulars who open their seats for these interlopers. After all, Juan Pablo Montoya was in the seat of the Ganassi 01 Telmex BMW when it crossed for the win. The rest of the season is on the shoulders of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas while Montoya chases the NASCAR circuit.

So – The Circuit of the Americas was the first race of 2013 that put all the season regulars on the track without distraction of visitors. It was also a big run for Grand-Am as the course in Texas is brand new with barely a scrape following the Formula 1 Grand Opening in 2012. (more…)

We missed some racing.

But then… We missed a lot of things…  Air conditioning, refrigeration, lights, computer, internet, television…

We were luckier than many as we had hot and cold running water. Natural gas for the water heater…  Some had no running water at all.

Yes. The storm along the eastern United States got us. The last thing on the television was qualifying from Sparta, KY. High winds shut it down. Bits of pop-up tents were flying around the infield and garage area sweeping up setup notes, driver caps and SPEED personality scripts. At the time that seemed a bit unusual. Unusual to the point that we checked online for the weather in the area of Sparta. It was a storm with an arc of color indicating heavy rain moving across Ohio and northern Kentucky.

“Hmmm – That is interesting” and “Wow” and “Sucks for them” were pretty much the thoughts at the time. (more…)

Speed is universal. It is the variety of the vehicle that becomes a variable. It can be anything. The standard issue human body put to the test on the road of a marathon or a swimming pool or can be seen as a basis for muscle and blood endurance. Once you add a machine to the equation, the skills of handling the machine become another variable to consider.

In a very short period of time, we have been to one location to witness a range of machines and the people pushing their limits within. At Virginia International Raceway, variety is almost a constant. The terrain, the turns, the trees and the technology all come together in form and function. We have seen stock cars, prototypes, open-wheel and production based cars being raced here. Most recently, it was side by side racing with two less wheels.

Motorcycle racing is different. It is fast and fun to watch. The acceleration and the angles are multiplied by the human element which is plainly visible through every motion. The body is enclosed in a car. Surrounded by a roll cage and steel, the driver is mostly hidden from view. The motorcycle offers only a helmet and some bits of leather. (more…)

Audi is on the pole for the 24 Heures Du Mans (24 Hours of Le Mans). This is the showcase race that shares the name with the series for France, Europe and even the American Le Mans Series. This French race has been one of the centers of racing lore and history for decades.

These Germans have had a long history with Le Mans, including the pole and the win for 2011 at this race with their TDI R18. For 2012, they have taken the pole with a hybrid. A hybrid!! (more…)

Talladega was a merry-go-round of sheet metal. A number of cars were damaged and put off or out. There were five yellow flag situations. Cautions and crashes. On average, a bit light on yellow for Talladega.

Then came Darlington. Green flag racing for the first half of the race. The last half of the race brought the yellow but for the most part it was a NASCAR call for “debris”. There were some spins and wall slides but no real field-changing sheet metal bang-ups.

Fan excitement. The debate is on… Again.

At some point in the week following Richmond on the way to Talladega one of the many “race talk / preview / review” shows on TV brought forth the subject of fans and attendance and viewing. One of the sub-topics included was cautions, crashes and what fans want to see. It seems the 2012 season is below average for crashes and cautions. Apparently, there is just too much green flag racing to keep the “fans” interested. (more…)