The 25 nominees for the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame class

The nominations for the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame were unveiled Tuesday night and here they are in alphabetical order:

Buck Baker: First driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series championships (1956-57)

Red Byron: First NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949

Richard Childress: 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jerry Cook: Six-time NASCAR Modified champion

H. Clay Earles: Founder of Martinsville Speedway

Richie Evans: Nine-time NASCAR Modified champion

Tim Flock: Two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Rick Hendrick: 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jack Ingram: Two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion

Dale Inman: Eight-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series championship crew chief

Bobby Isaac: 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Fred Lorenzen: 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

Cotton Owens: Driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson

Raymond Parks: NASCAR's first champion car owner

Benny Parsons: 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series� champion

Les Richter: Former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway

Fireball Roberts: Won 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500

T. Wayne Robertson: Helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP

Herb Thomas: First two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 1951, '53

Curtis Turner: Early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"

Darrell Waltrip: 84 wins and three NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series� championships

Joe Weatherly: Two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Glen Wood: As driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success

Leonard Wood: Part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops

Cale Yarborough: Three consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series titles, 1976-78

At this point, it seems that Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough are locks, right? But their chances seemed pretty good last year and they were left out while Bobby Allison, a driver with a very similar resumé, was inducted. And with Childress, Hendrick and Leonard Wood on the list, that's three current Sprint Cup car owners. Which one of them gets in first?

If you're wondering about the 2011 class – Alison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson, Lee Petty – it hasn't been inducted yet. The 2011 class will be inducted on May 23, while the 2012 induction ceremony has been moved to January.

Who do you think should be part of the next class of NASCAR's Hall of Fame? My instant reaction prediction is Baker, Inman, Roberts, Waltrip and Yarborough. But I was one of the ones that thought DW would be going in this year. Drop us a line in the comments with your picks.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/The-25-nominees-for-the-2012-NASCAR-Hall-of-Fame?urn=nascar-wp739

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Back before things got rotten

 

photo: Jim Hunter, NASCAR communications exec who died last Friday of cancer at age 71.

 

TALLADEGA, Ala. – It’s Halloween at Talladega, and neither Jim Hunter nor Ed Shull is here.

Where are the grown-ups going to get their tricks and treats? Beats me.

Kids live in a Halloween world in which one night of the year, they get apples and candied corn and Zagnuts and all kinds of stuff that cost a penny when I was a kid and now runs at least a quarter.

Grown-ups live in a Halloween world all the time, and guys like Hunter and Shull made it bearable, doling out jokes and smart-alecky remarks, all of which, on balance, were enjoyable. Both could, when necessary, spew what seemed like acid from their tongues, sort of like unto a velociraptor, but the taste left in your mouth was never worse than dark, semi-sweet chocolate. Both could also charm a cobra without need of a flute.

Hunter, who died Friday night, was titular. He always held positions of influence: vice president of this or that, president of Darlington Raceway. Hunter never got sent out to a pasture that would hold him long. He could wield power and influence whether occupying the crown or just telling the despot in training what to do in order to keep the rabble in check. In terms of public relations, Hunter was the equivalent of what Jake Gaither said about Bear Bryant: He could take his’uns and beat y’ourn or take y’ourn and beat his’uns. I’d have liked a “flack-off” between Hunter and Humpy Wheeler. There’s no way the National Stock Car Racing Commission could have judged the outcome. The Supreme Court would have had to flip a coin.

The two men, Hunter and Wheeler, once played football, at the same time, at the University of South Carolina, on teams that weren’t notably successful. That’s almost certainly coincidental, but one can’t help but wonder what the Gamecocks had in the water coolers on the sidelines back in the late 1950s.

Wheeler said, via one of dozens of statements circulated on Saturday and one of the few that meant anything other than to meet perceived obligations, “Jim Hunter will be sorely missed because he knew more about pure media relations, and particularly how it relates to the fan, than anyone in motor racing. He was best in crisis, always giving sage advice behind the scenes. He also knew when to interject humor when everyone was ready to crack.”

That’s a fact. Several times he talked to me when I was ready to crack.

Not as many knew Shull, who passed away earlier in the week. A pity. I only had lunch with Hunter once, back in those confused days before NASCAR wrote guys like me off. Hunter and I didn’t dine more often because he probably had a purpose in mind any time he dined. It was in Michigan, back in the 1990s, and Hunter got me together with Jim France, probably because he suspected I had an aversion to anyone with that last name, and he wanted to preserve the reputation of at least one member of the ruling family in my jaded mind.

In one way, it worked. I enjoyed it. In another way, it didn’t. I don’t think Jim France and I have exchanged a word since. I’d be shocked if he has any idea who I am. I do think the quiet member of the family has a lot of sense, which may have something to do with why he doesn’t often traffic in sportswriters.

Shull and I had dinner many times, not because there was any notable reason but more because we enjoyed each other’s company. A typical Shull confab might include yours truly, David Poole, Ray Cooper, Dan Zacharias and a few others, and it might take the form of meeting at (a.) a restaurant that hardly anyone other than us knew about, or (b.) a ballgame, usually involving a pass to one of the luxury suites Gatorade used to have in most of the country’s venues. Shull once invited me to the World Series, which I turned down because I thought my presence alone would contribute to the likelihood of a victory by the New York Yankees. I didn’t go and the Yankees didn’t win, so I’ve no regrets even though it’s probably the only chance I’m ever going to have at seeing the World Series, given this infernal world I’m in.

That was a different century, and in terms of what I do for a living and what Shull did, a different world.

A man in my shoes can’t afford to compromise himself, and that was never an issue with either Hunter or Shull. I hardly ever go to dinner or ballgames or concerts anymore with any “official” who invites me. Then again, hardly anyone ever invites me.

Everything nowadays has to be for a purpose. Influence the media. Affect the outcome. Target the market. Grease the skids. Stuff the ballots.

Most of my dealings with Hunter and Shull were because I liked them, and they liked me. They knew I was too stubborn to be influenced, and I’m pretty sure I told both of them, “Now, you realize, just to make sure there isn’t an issue, I’m going to have to rip you.”

It was a point I didn’t need to get across. I was mainly kidding. They both laughed. Now they’re gone. So are Poole and Cooper. And I don’t laugh quite as often.

Source: http://nascar.rbma.com/on-track/general-motorsports/32742-back-before-things-got-rotten

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Classic F1 2011 - Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has chosen his five greatest all-time grands prix for the second edition of this year's new-look classic Formula 1 feature.

To those unfamiliar with the concept, BBC Sport has asked all the F1 drivers to name their five favourite races, and we will select one of them ahead of each grand prix this season to whet your appetites for the action to come.

World champion Sebastian Vettel started the ball rolling with his selection prior to the Australian Grand Prix, and now it is his friend and countryman's turn.

The drivers are free to choose whether they pick races from their own career, or those from the wider history of F1 that have resonated with them. And like Vettel, Schumacher has selected only races from his time in the sport.

Whereas the Red Bull driver made his F1 debut only in 2007, Schumacher's career dates back to 1991 and the 42-year-old has raided the memory banks to come up with what he considers, for different reasons, key highlights of that time.

Not all of them are races in which he starred. Some of them are intended to highlight his admiration for rivals. Some fulfil both aims.

In chronological order, and in his own words, this is Schumacher's list:

"The 1991 Spanish Grand Prix.

"This was one of the first few races of my career, but that's not why I remember it. It's for the wheel-to-wheel battle down the pit straight between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, when they came within inches of touching. It was two great drivers pushing each other to the edge, but with the respect to leave each other just enough room. It's one of the coolest moments I've seen in F1."

"The 1993 European Grand Prix.

"Not one of my greatest races - I spun out in the pouring rain. I've picked this because of Ayrton. My time racing against him was too short. He was a great talent, and I always have been impressed by his driving, and this race showed exactly why."

"The 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix.

"This race sums up the great relationship I had - and still have - with Ross Brawn. We were behind the McLarens of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard for the first part of the race and Ross decided that the only chance of beating them was to switch to a three-stop strategy - one stop more than them. It was a brilliant plan but it wasn't easy. I still remember the radio message from Ross that I had to make up something like 25 seconds in 19 laps."

"The 2000 Belgian Grand Prix.

"I enjoyed many great battles with Mika Hakkinen, who was very fast and a very tough competitor, and this was one of the best. I got into the lead when it was wet early on, but as it dried up Mika had a big pace advantage and he caught up easily. I managed to fend him off for one lap, but on the next he pulled off a great move to pass me as we went either side of Ricardo Zonta's BAR."

"The 2000 Japanese Grand Prix.

"This is probably both the toughest and most beautiful race of my career. Mika and I were flat out all the way, really on the edge every lap on a great drivers' circuit with the world championship at stake. And the race was really tricky because of changing conditions in the drizzle. I managed to get out ahead after my final pit stop and won. What makes it all the more special was that it was my first world title for Ferrari - this race certainly is my personal number one."

As with Vettel, we have chosen one race to highlight in this blog - and how we could choose any other than Schumacher's number one?

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.

In addition, we have decided to make available the full BBC 'Grand Prix' highlights programme of the time from one of his other choices - the 1991 Spanish Grand Prix. You can watch it here.

You can also enjoy highlights of last year's Malaysian Grand Prix in both short and extended form.

The classic races will also be available on the red button on digital television in the UK. On satellite and cable they will be broadcast from 1900 BST on Tuesday 5 April until 0845 on Friday 8 April. On Freeview, they will be shown from 2215 on Tuesday until 0645 on Wednesday, on Thursday from 0415-0645 and again from 1915-2045.

A final word. In my last blog, I said that we would feature Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg this time around. We were not able to do so because of unforeseen problems. His choices will appear later in the season.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/michael_schumachers_classic_f1.html

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 4.26.11

Quick Spin: 2012 Infiniti M35h

Sporty hybrids are quickly becoming a dime-a-dozen, but the Infiniti M35h has the potential to rewrite the book.

Autoblog Podcast #227: with Brock Yates, Jr. of One Lap of America, New York recap and more!

Brock Yates, Jr. joins Chris Shunk, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert for the 277th installment of the Autoblog Podcast to talk about the 2011 Tire Rack One Lap of America and recap the New York International Auto Show.

Spy Shots: Under this Fiat Qubo is the new small Jeep

Our tactical squad of spy shooters have caught the newest small Jeep undergoing testing, but don't be fooled by the Fiat exterior

Also of interest:

• Ford earns $2.6B in first quarter, most since 1998
• Toyota recalls 51,000 Tundra pickups over possible driveshaft fault
• Cadillac still wants a big rear-drive sedan to battle the import flagships
• Spy Shots: 2013 Ford Flex caught sporting first major update
• McLaren Automotive to introduce a new product every year

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 4.26.11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/26/daily-u-turn-what-you-missed-on-4-26-11/

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IndyCar Series announces format for doubleheader at Texas

The starting order for the second race in the Izod IndyCar Series' doubleheader on June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway will be decided by a blind draw.

Ho-hum, NASCAR does that for the Budweiser Shootout, right? Well, the Shootout doesn't pay points. The races at Texas will.

IndyCar announced that qualifying for the Saturday night twin bill will only apply to the first race. A blind draw will be conducted after the conclusion of the first race for the order of the second race and after an hour of prep, the second race will start.

Each race will pay half points, as the races will be half the distance of the full races that have been run at Texas (275K each versus 550K)

Additionally, entrants shall utilize the same pit locations, based upon qualifications results for the Indianapolis 500, for both races. Because of the brief amount of time between races, each team (distinguished from entry and entrant) will receive one additional engine for use as needed with its entries in Race 2.

"We want to keep the format of this event as exciting as possible for our fans as we revive this open-wheel tradition," said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and operations for INDYCAR, the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series. "With the starting field for the second race set by random draw, you could see the winner from the first race starting from the back of the field, creating quite a bit of drama.

"Also, if a car suffers damage and fails to finish the first race, there will be an opportunity for the driver to rejoin in the second race as we will have extra engines available for use in their back-up chassis. We want to make sure we're ensuring a strong field for Race 2 to keep the excitement and momentum going throughout the entire event."

Personally, I can't wait for the races, simply because this hasn't happened in my lifetime. And add in the fact that it's at Eddie Gossage's house and there's no telling what will happen on June 11. Will this make you tune into the IndyCar Series, or is it a publicity stunt that you'll ignore?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/IndyCar-Series-announces-format-for-doubleheader?urn=nascar-wp542

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2010 Autumn/Fall Ebisu Drift Matsuri Pics And Videos

In the afterglow of the last drift matsuri, a LOT of videos and pics sprung up! Here are some of the best ones I found...

Remi's Matsuri Highlight Video

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Remi runs the website over at www.okidokyo.com where he has a handful of videos about drifting and Japan in general.

Matsuri Mechanics Video



This footage was filmed by the talented Brie Lawrie from the JPP team.

Also from Brie is her Autumn matsuri wrap-up video below..



And here are a few of my favourite Matsuri pics from around the web...

Chris Dejager was showing everyone why he got his D1GP licence. His signature backwards entries up on North course were definitely crowd pleasers. This shot was taken before the car was in an unfortunate accident. Let's just say Chris' S14 will have a different face next year!

As matsuri can sometimes resemble a demolition derby, this car came prepared for the worst. The spotlights are well positioned too so he can navigate around the courses better at night. You can tell he's a matsuri veteran.

And finally, what would a matsuri be without some rusted out corollas? People say he paid only 500 yen for it... or maybe the previous owner paid the guy 500 yen to take it away.

Disco Stu
www.DriftInJapan.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/driftinjapan/~3/W1igMhfu25k/2010-autumnfall-ebisu-drift-matsuri.html

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CCS Late Models at Little Rock

Series joins Legends and Bandoleros for
this week?s round of the Spring Fling

Rockingham, N.C. (April 13, 2010) ? Since opening, Little Rock Speedway has seen a lot of action ? Legends, Bandoleros and testing by some of NASCAR?s biggest names.

But this Sunday, April 17, marks a first for the track as the Carolina Competition Sports Late Model Sportsman (CCS LMS) Series take to the quarter-mile configuration. Never before have full-size stock cars raced on the track.

Little Rock is the third stop on the CCS LMS schedule in its inaugural season.

?The Late Model Sportsman Series is a great addition to our Spring Fling schedule,? said Rockingham Speedway president Andy Hillenburg. ?These cars should put on one heck of a show on the quarter-mile.?

The Late Model Sportsmans will be joined by the Legends and Bandoleros as they make their penultimate stop at Little Rock in the Spring Fling Series. After taking a week of for Easter, the Legends and Bandoleros return with the Allison Legacy Series to wrap up the seven-race series on May 1.

Gates open at 8 a.m. each Sunday of the Spring Fling. Practice begins at 10 a.m. with heat races at 12:30 p.m. and main events to follow. Admission for spectators is $5 with $20 pit passes.

Racing returns to the one-mile Rockingham Speedway on May 13-14 with the UARA Late Models and the USAR Pro Cup Series Carolina 200. Advance tickets for the doubleheader are $20 in advance and $30 at the gate. Suite packages are also available.

For information on any upcoming events, contact Rockingham Speedway at 910-205-8800 or online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com.

Source: http://the-auto-racing-journal.blogspot.com/2011/04/ccs-late-models-at-little-rock.html

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