NASCAR Sprint Cup Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway Open Race Thread

Franck Lagorce Jan Lammers Pedro Lamy Chico Landi

RCR warned about Clint Bowyer's Richmond car

It seems that the NASCAR inspection process should be black and white. You either pass inspection and the car is legal, or you don't and the car must be fixed and/or a penalty will be assessed. It seems straightforward enough, at least on the outside anyway.

However, Jenna Fryer reported Tuesday that Clint Bowyer's Richmond car — the car that he used to clinch a spot in the Chase — came close to failing inspection.

From the AP:

NASCAR scheduled a Tuesday meeting with RCR officials to go over the No. 33 Chevrolet and determine if the team had not made a mistake in its own calculations.

"They were in the box, but getting close to some of the tolerances and we asked them to come in to see if they aren't getting off on one of their build sheets," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton told The Associated Press.

"We have had their cars in quite a bit, and they were always spot-on. This one just seemed to be different, and we felt we owed it to them to make sure they just aren’t off in one area."

Pemberton went on to say that this wasn't similar to the situation that arose when cars from Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson were warned in Dover last season. Pemberton said in that case the Hendrick cars "had no room to breathe" when it came to crossing the line between legal and illegal and that Bowyer's car "seemed to be different" than other RCR cars that have been in the R&D center.

But shouldn't all of the cars in the Sprint Cup Series be pushing the envelope? NASCAR has said that Bowyer's car passed inspection — and I'm not accusing RCR of cheating — but given that the rules are black and white, doesn't it stand to reason that a car should be as close to the legal limit as possible to achieve the maximum performance advantage?

Tony Raines Long John Silver s Chevrolet Tayler Malsam Iron Horse Jeans Toyota

For Denny Hamlin, Dover Confrontation a 'Learning Lesson'

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Awards, NASCAR Fights, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

DOVER, Del. -- Denny Hamlin wasn't continuously nudged by any Richard Childress Racing cars Sunday, although his status as the leader in the Chase for the Sprint Cup took a few dings.

Hamlin's repaired No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota finished without any new dents -- at least ones put there by Kevin Harvick, who rammed Hamlin multiple times in practice on Saturday before the two exchanged words in the garage.

Hamlin said after his ninth-place finish in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday that those sorts of theatrics were over.

"It is on my part," said Hamlin, whose championship lead was cut to 35 points by race-winner Jimmie Johnson. "All we care about is getting top 5's and top 10's from here on out, and to win some at tracks where we know we can win. For me, the important part is that we move on from this (and use it) as a learning lesson."

 

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr Citifinancial Ford Michael McDowell Red Line Oil Dodge

RED BULLS SHINE IN SINGAPORE WITH DOUBLE PODIUM

Red Bull Racing
2010 Singapore Grand Prix
Race Report
Marina Bay circuit, Singapore - 26th September 2010

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal:

?First of all a fantastic team performance to get a double podium with second and third. Both drivers drove excellent races today. We took a bold decision with Mark early on to stop him behind the pace car, which meant going a long way on the prime tyre.
He managed to make it work by making some great passing moves and he had great pace. The incident with Lewis Hamilton was a racing incident. It seemed to be caused by a back-marker who cost Mark a lot of time and enabled Lewis to get a run. He squeezed Mark too much, so Mark didn?t have anywhere to go through the corner and there was contact. Sebastian made a good start and harried Fernando for pretty much two hours. It?s very, very hard to overtake here in Singapore and he gave it his absolute best. We were going for the undercut, but unfortunately Ferrari covered us, which meant we had to overtake on-track. Sebastian continued to push Fernando all the way to the chequered flag. It?s a great team result on one of the hardest circuits on the calendar and we?ve extended our lead in the Constructors? Championship and Mark has extended his lead in the Drivers?, with Sebastian closing in also. It?s a positive weekend and congratulations to the team who have put in endless hours at the circuit and a lot of hard work at the factory.?

Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III

Dangerous idea: Junior should retire for the good of NASCAR

NASCAR would be better off if Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from the Cup series.

Certainly, we've all heard this idea before. At the risk of having my Junior Nation membership card revoked, I think we still put this out on the table and give it the consideration it deserves -- painful as it may be to consider.

My good friend Jerry Offutt is of the opinion that with Dale EarnhardtJr. still driving, fans cannot move on to embrace another driver, even after Junior's generally lackluster performances of late. As Jerry puts it:

"Somebody said the other day that sports is the only thing in the world that people are truly loyal to. Think about that.A guy might cheat on the woman he is married to, but he is not likely to find another driver if he is an Earnhardt fan."

With all due respect to those men who would never cheat on their wives, and to Junior's legion of female fans, Jerry has a point here. He believes that if Junior were to retire, Junior fans would then be free to find another lover -- er, driver, and that this could be the start of a renaissance for NASCAR. More fannies in the seats, more enthusiasm; more comments on The Marbles that don't involve fanatical love/hatred for Junior.

On the other hand, one can hardly imagine Junior just fading off into obscurity. Many observers have indicated that Junior ought to aim a bit higher than just driving in circles and hanging out in his faux-Western town with his buddies. Danica Patrick's record notwithstanding, Junior could well make a far better team owner than driver.

So now it's your turn. Should Junior retire? And what kind of role would you like to see him playing in NASCAR in the future? We'll take a scientific cross-section of the comments, and email Junior our findings.* You never know, you might just change the course of NASCAR.

*-Or not.

Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Ricky Stenhouse Jr

NASCAR Twitter Call

Ryan Newman Phoenix Construction Chevrolet Jeremy Clements

Infineon Raceway Schedule for 2011

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Sprint Cup drivers to introduce themselves before AAA 400 at Dover

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Appeal hearing next step for belegeaured Bowyer

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Good timing

IN 1990, DERRIKE COPE surprised the racing world by winning the Daytona 500. Everyone thought it was a fluke, and that burned Derrike.

At Charlotte that spring, I talked to Cope, and he said that, one of these days, we're going to kick their butts and show them it wasn't a fluke. Not in those words, but that was the idea.

I didn't run the column on Derrike that week. I had plenty of stuff that weekend, so I saved it for next week -- Dover.

I watched the Dover race with mounting excitement. Cope was leading late it the race, and I was rooting for him. Obviously, it would look good to have him win right after saying he was going to kick their butts.

He did kick their butts. When I returned to work that week, I ran into my boss on the street. He smiled  and said, "Good timing."

I only did that one more time. In 1998, I was writing an advance for the Daytona 500. I interviewed a few people, then wrote that it was Dale Earnhardt's year to win the Great American Race. He did, of course. No one smiled and told me I had great timing.

But I knew that, in this case, I did.

Parker Kligerman Steve Wallace 5 hour Energy Toyota

Jeff Gordon at Atlanta

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
EMORY HEALTHCARE 500
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT/JEFF GORDON FOUNDATION CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed racing at Atlanta, his special paint scheme designed by his daughter Ella, making the Chase, Chase strategy and other topics. Full transcript:


YOU ARE SECOND IN POINTS HEADING IN TO ATLANTA, YOU HAVE WON HERE FOUR TIMES AND AM SURE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT A FIFTH TIME: ?That is for sure. It has been a great track for us over the years going all the way back to running our first race here. It is a special place for me and this weekend especially having the Jeff Gordon Children?s Foundation car. Making it even more special is having Ella design it. It is something I?ve been looking forward to. Ella came with me this weekend. It is just me and her and we are having a really fun weekend. She can?t wait to see the car. She?s been talking about it for a while. We had a great weekend off. There is no doubt that this is an opportunity for us this weekend as good as we run here to get that first win of the season and get those bonus points before the Chase gets started.?


THE CHASE GROUP IS GOING TO BE MADE UP OF GUYS WHO WON CHAMPIONSHIPS BEFORE THE CHASE STARTED; GUYS WHO HAVE WON IN THE CHASE FORMAT AND PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THEIR FIRST SHOT AT IT, ANY ONE OF THOSE GROUPS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE? ?When it comes to championships, I always like to lean toward experience. We talked a little bit about this in Bristol. It is hard to go away from the No. 48 as being the ones I would put at the top of the list even if they are not having the type of year we have seen them have in the past. Once that Chase starts, they?re still very strong at those 10 tracks; they are very strong at elevating up their game when the Chase starts. I think Harvick is just having one of those years. It seems like Childress has gotten their program much stronger. I don?t want to say he is owed one or due or anything like that. He is just a solid driver with a solid organization and they have got their act together this year. I think they are going to be really tough to beat. I?m just looking at the favorites right now. I think that we are really solid. I think we?ve got an awesome shot at the championship. What I don?t like is us spotting the No. 11 and the No. 48 50 points going into it. That is what I don?t like. If we could cut into that these next couple of weeks; I think that we have got as good a shot as anybody.?


TWO QUESTIONS - WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT ELLA?S DESIGN AND SECOND QUESTION, IS THE YEAR JIMMIE?S (JOHNSON) IS HAVING, THE SLUMP HE SEEMS TO BE IN, DOES IT FEEL DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? ?The design with Ella-it was just fun going to Sam Bass? office with her. Getting her to see all the cars that were there. She got really excited about that. We were trying to explain what she was doing and I didn?t think she really kind of grasped the concept, but, you lay some paper down in front of her with an outline sketch of a race car and give her a bunch of paint brushes and things, that is all it takes. That is pretty much what she did. She kept wanting to put her hands in the paint, so finally we let her do that. That is what you see on the paint scheme is a bunch of different mixtures of colors and brush strokes and hand prints. Of course Sam Bass putting the finishing touches on it, bringing it all together. The guys in the shop were telling me we better run really really fast with this car because it has a lot of pink on it. It is really bright and it is not a car you want to run in the back with. If that?s the inspiration that we need, then I?m fine with that. On the flip side, can?t wreck this car because she isn?t going to want to see me wreck the car she designed. So a lot of pressure this weekend (SMILES).


?As far as Jimmie, you know, with the Chase format, I?ve really not put a whole lot into what goes on during the regular season. Right now, two races to go, they could go win these next two races and I?d say they are the absolute favorite. It?s just that momentum can come so quick and so late. Yes, they are having things happen to them that we haven?t seen in the past, but that doesn?t mean that it doesn?t get all out of the way and they go into the last 10 and just tear it up. It is only because they have won the last four that you can say that. If they hadn?t won the last four, then you could say ?oh yea, I don?t think they are going to do it this year.? You can never count those guys out. Until they don?t win one, you can?t count them out. Are we seeing things that are different? Yes, definitely. But we?ve seen different things for them and other teams happen and still go on to win the championship. That is the exciting thing about the Chase, you just can?t really predict who and how and what is going to happen. I like that aspect of it.?


HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE RACING CHANGE HERE AT ATLANTA OVER THE YEARS AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT IT AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DON?T PARTICULARLY CARE FOR? ?The only thing that I saw different was when they reconfigured it and repaved the track, it was so fast. It just had so much grip that you ran right around the bottom. The think that I have always loved about Atlanta is how wide the grove it. Running up against the wall. Down on the bottom. That only lasted a year or two with the new pavement. After that, it went right back to the old Atlanta that everybody loved. Even that first year, it was still a pretty spectacular race; it was just really, really fast. Going back to the old configuration-that is what I loved about it was the big sweeping corners. All the different groves that you could run on. When they reconfigured it, once that grip went away in the pavement, it went back to being the same old Atlanta; it is just that the front straightaway is over here with a double dog-leg front stretch. Other than that, it is pretty much the same old really fast, hard to get a hold of?sort of like a Darlington-type race track. It is certainly one of the things I love about it.?


YOU SOUND PRETTY CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR RACE PACKAGE HERE AT ATLANTA, NEXT WEEK GOING TO RICHMOND, YOU HAVE WON THERE, DO YOU ANTICIPATE HEADING TO RICHMOND WITH THAT SAME AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE AND DO YOU FEEL THAT RICHMOND IS A TRACK THAT DOESN?T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR BEING A TOUGHER TRACK TO RUN? ?Richmond is a very tough race track. The reason that I have confidence, not only here, but next weekend is we have run so well here so many times. We had a tire problem the last time we were here that we feel like we have addressed for this time plus Goodyear has maybe changed the tire up a little bit for us as well. At Richmond, I felt like we had a real legitimate shot at winning that race the last time we were there. I felt like Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin) run really really strong there but we definitely cut into that gap tremendously the last time we were there. It is a tough race track. It is a short track. It is not easy to get a hold of. You go from day to night because the race starts sort of in the evening but you still slip and slide around a little bit until the sun goes down. Then you have double-file restarts which at any short track, but especially a multiple groove track like Richmond really makes it challenging and that is one of the reasons we lost the race last time we were there.?


EVERY HIGH PROFILE TEAM WANTS TO MAKE THE CHASE, BUT WHEN YOU MISS THE CHASE LIKE YOU DID IN ?05, HOW MUCH DOES THAT HELP YOU REEVALUATE AND HOW MUCH DID IT HELP TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS? ?There is no doubt about it. It is very hard during the season especially if you, it depends on where you are in the Chase, if you are on, let?s say sixth through 12th and it is a tight gap, all you can do is go to the race track and put the best equipment that you have and the best setups that you know of in those race cars and go to the race track and just try to perform at your best knowing that you might be a top-10 car or maybe every once in a while, slide a top-five in there. But maybe not really with what it takes to win. You can?t test at that time; all you can do is make it in the Chase and hope that you get things turned around once the Chase starts. But, you are kind of at a disadvantage. If you are in the top-three, four or five and you?ve locked yourself in early; you?ve got that points gap, then you have the advantage of really testing and trying new things. Even if you miss it, at least you know that doesn?t work. But, you might hit on something that does work. If you miss the Chase, then those final 10 races are basically nothing but a test. It is nothing but getting yourself ready for the next year. Trying to make sure you don?t miss the Chase because you are embarrassed. You are frustrated of the type of season that you have had. That?s what we went through. We were just angry that we weren?t running any better. We didn?t deserve to be in the Chase because we just didn?t perform well enough. It is a little bit different that you have other teammates that are in the Chase. It allows you to tap into their setups and see what they are doing and learn from it and say ?ok, why have we not been able to make those setups work and how can we get more toward that direction and make our cars go faster or make it drive more comfortable.? And, that?s what is constantly going on with everybody out there. It depends on what position they are in as to how they approach races and how they approach what they are going to do for the upcoming season. Right now we aren?t doing a lot of testing for next year. We?re just focused on how we can win this championship.?


LOOKING BACK TO 2001, YOU FINISHED BY JUST A BUMPER TO KEVIN HARVICK, HIS FIRST WIN, CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT RACE? ?At the time, I was really wanting to be the spoiler of that victory because we wanted to win and you see the checkered flag and you just want to go for it. But looking back on it, it was a special moment for our sport with the loss of Dale (Earnhardt, Sr.) bringing Kevin on; it was just meant to be for those guys. Looking back on it, I?m kind of glad we didn?t win that race that day. It certainly made for an even better story and great highlights to see just how close we did come to getting that victory that day.?


IS IT PRETTY MUCH A GIVEN HERE NOW THAT IF YOU RUN JUST A HANDFUL OF LAPS AND GET A CAUTION YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO COME IN AND GET FOUR NEW TIRES? WHAT ARE THE THOUGHTS ON THE TRACK AND THE TIRE BECAUSE THE SPEEDS FALL OFF PRETTY QUICKLY? ?This track right now is very very abrasive. It wears tires very quickly. You are taking a real gamble by staying out there. The only thing that can work in your favor is if it is going to be a green-white-checkered and the caution comes out. Otherwise, if you stay out on tires, you are going to get beat. I just don?t think there is anyway around it. There are only a few things that are going to pop us that are going to prevent you from getting beat if you don?t come in. This is a place you almost absolutely have to have tires. I don?t think it is a gamble worth taking by staying out. Maybe, maybe, if you only have one or two laps on the tires, you might, but even then I think you are a disadvantage to guys that come out on sticker tires. Just seems like just that little bit of heat, little bit of build up you get on the tires versus the cold stickers. When you take off, the brand-new tires are just able to run wide open through one and two (turns) and just about wide open through three and four (turns) coming to the first lap and that is just such a huge advantage.?


CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW NERVE WRACKING TO BE ON THE BUBBLE TRYING TO MAKE THE CHASE? ?Oh man, I?ll tell you, being in that position it is not a fun position to be in. Every week you are just focusing on each position, each point. There is just a tremendous amount of stress. To me, there is as much stress right now for the guy that is trying to make the Chase as there are at the end of the season when it comes down to a couple of guys trying to win the championship. It is really that intense. It?s that important to be in the Chase. When you are that close to it, especially if you have been in it before or if the expectations are that you should be in it, that intensity and that kind of pressure is hard to deal with because it is the intensity of what?s going on within the team. You are already putting a lot of pressure on yourself but then it is the added pressure of the media and the fans and all the expectations from outside.?

Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet Coleman Pressley

Mini-racing: Get the entire Loudon experience in 10 minutes

What a start to the Chase! This was one of the season's best races, hands down, with thrilling hunts for the lead, heart-stopping wrecks, and a tension-filled run to the finish. Never thought watching to see if a guy runs out of gas could be so exciting, did ya? Here's the whole deal:

Plenty more to come throughout the day, but for now ... your thoughts?

David Reutimann Aaron s Dream Machine Toyota Joey Logano

GP2 announces 2011 entrants

Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Carl Edwards Copart Ford

Paris Preview: Citro�n teases DS3 WRC car (w/video)

Filed under: Motorsports, Paris Motor Show, Citro�n, Racing

Citroën DS3 WRC teaser - Click above to watch video after the jump

Citroën's DS3 WRC entrant, the car they've chosen to adapt to the new regulations, will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next week. Among the deluge of pics and videos teasing all manner of creations we'll be seeing on the French floor, the Gallic firm has strung together a few shadowy snippets of the hot hatch that Sébastien Loeb will pilot next year (according to him, his final year) in his attempt to win yet another title. He'll have to beat the new Mini Countryman WRC along the way. Follow the jump to be teased. Hat tip to Dan

[Source: YouTube via WRC.com]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Citro�n teases DS3 WRC car (w/video)

Paris Preview: Citro�n teases DS3 WRC car (w/video) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge

Kyle Busch says that he needs a sponsor to run his truck team in 2011

During the second episode of "Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch" (and Sam Sarcinella), Busch and Sarcinella spent most of their time at the Kyle Busch Motorsports shop, decaling a Toyota Tundra and putting together the gift shop and trophy room. (And if you didn't catch the glorious shots of KBM General Manager Rick Ren's mullet, you really missed out)

While that episode wasn't as memorable as the first or third episodes, it may turn out to be more intriguing given Busch's comments during media day for the Chase on Wednesday. Busch said that if he can't find sponsorship for his truck team in 2011, he'll be forced to shut it down.

From SceneDaily.com:

“It’s hard to get anything and there really is nobody coming into it,” Busch said during Chase Media Day. “It’s hard to sell [a sponsorship]. Right now, just going through all that, learning how to run the team, learning how to run the business has been stressful and strenuous and very impacting on my pocketbook as well.

“If we don’t find a sponsor for next year, I’m going to have shut it down. I’m not going to be able to do anything. That’s very unfortunate because I love all the guys working for me.”

Busch said he has about 30 employees who would be let go from the No. 18 team, which is currently second in the owner points, just 82 points behind the Germain Racing No. 30 team and driver Todd Bodine.

Busch started the season with two trucks, but now is currently fielding one, a timeshare between himself and Brian Ickler. That truck was originally scheduled to have funding from Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts, but a tribe election just before the season essentially canceled Miccosukee's NASCAR funding. The team started the season with another truck driven by Tayler Malsam, but that truck was shut down and Malsam moved to Braun Racing in the Nationwide Series.

Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne

Jimmie Johnson Falters in NASCAR Chase Opener

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

Anyone looking for a chink in four-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson's armor will seize upon his 25th-place showing in Sunday's opening race in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

His finish at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway equaled his starting position -- which was a career worst at the track. But it hardly tells the whole story of an eventful afternoon of more spills than thrills.

Johnson spun out, traded paint and misdiagnosed a wheel problem in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet before ultimately posting the worst performance of the 12 Chase drivers. It dropped him from second in the standings to seventh, 92 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, who finished runner-up to winner Clint Bowyer.

"We just don't know until the end what type of bonus points you need,'' said Johnson, who started the Chase with 50 bonus points earned for his five regular season wins this year. "The bonus points coming in ... how helpful were those 50 that I had coming in ...

"Only time will tell. But you don't want to get off to this start. If you can hope for something, you want a top 10, and 25th is not what you hope for.''

 

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Bowyer Penalized 150 Points and a Championship Opportunity

Michael Curtis Waltrip Scott Alan Wimmer Jonathan Edward Wood

Kyle Busch on Pole for TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175

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Running wide open: Your Richmond II talkback thread

Nighttime racing at Richmond, everybody! Time to enjoy the final race of the NASCAR regular season. Who's going to win? Who's going to make the Chase? Who's going to angrily knock someone into the wall? We're about to find out. Hang here and comment, or offer up your thoughts in the big-time chat on the main page. Enjoy!

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COT Round 3: The Richmond Nationwide Preview

Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman

Two plus two equals gigantic video screen

 

CMS president and general manager Marcus Smith has called a press conference to today in conjunction with Panasonic. Now what do you think the subject will be?

 

 

About two years ago, the president of Charlotte Motor Speedway was asked what major changes he hoped to effect under his direction.

 

Here’s what Marcus Smith said:

 

“Video screens are a nice amenity for fans, but they’re still very expensive right now and cost millions and millions of dollars,” he said, “but if I could have one thing at our speedways, if I could push a button, I’d want those big, big video screens like what football and baseball stadiums have. Some of them are 100, even 200, feet wide.

 

“The challenge is that our speedways are eight times larger than football stadiums in terms of area. We’d probably have to put one up that’s 300 or 400 feet wide. Those boards are extremely expensive, and they haven’t come down in price. I’d like to see that happen, especially where aggressive technology is concerned. Today you can buy a DVD player for less than $100 that used to cost $1,000. I would definitely love to have large video screens, and that’s something we’re watching and considering closely.”

 

Flash forward. On Tuesday, the speedway is holding a press conference in conjunction with Panasonic. Reckon what that could be?

 

What could happen is that CMS erects the largest video screen in America, larger even than the one in the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium. Even if it were built on the back straight, it could be so gigantic that its replays, information and promotions could be seen clear as a bell by all the fans sitting on the other side of the track.

 

It could be yet another trendsetter for Speedway Motorsports Inc., the company headed by Bruton Smith (Marcus’ father) that gave NASCAR lights, condos, luxury suites and other fan amenities that revolutionized stock car racing as a spectator sport and helped raise it to a level at least comparable to professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

 

What the press-conference announcement says is that CMS officials will be joined by special guests to announce “a groundbreaking, colossal facility addition that will revolutionize the fan experience at sporting events.”

 

The Smiths, Bruton and Marcus, will be there along with Jim Doyle, president of Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company.

 

It sure sounds like a gigantic video board.

 

This seems like a fairly educated guess.

Kellogg s Cheez It Ford Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet A J Allmendinger

Motorcycle Incidents Strike Indianapolis

Trevor Bayne Out! Pet Care Toyota Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota

2011 Coda electric sedan priced at $44,900 - over $12k more than Nissan Leaf

Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Electric

Coda Sedan - Click above for high-res image gallery

What plug-in car will cost more than a Nissan Leaf or a Chevrolet Volt but is virtually unknown to the American public? The Coda EV Sedan, that's what. Coda Automotive has announced that the price for its all-electric vehicle will be $44,900 - or, $37,400 after the feds chip in $7,500 as a tax credit. To compare, the Leaf costs $25,280 after incentives and the Volt can be had for $33,500 with federal help. So, your options will be to either buy a Volt and get an electric vehicle with a range extender or spend $4,000 more to go gas-free and have a longer EV-only range. Or, spend a lot less on the Leaf ($12,120) and go almost as far on battery power. The Leaf is expected to get around 100 miles to the charge, while Coda is saying that its 33.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery system with active thermal management will provide "a dependable all-weather range of up to 120 miles and at least 30 percent more usable energy than our leading competitor." Here's some of the not-as-good fine print:

After tax savings, net as low as $37,400. MSRP $44,900, with federal tax savings from 0-$7,500. Excludes tax, title and license. Initially available through online reservation process. Deliveries will commence in December 2010. Subject to change. Limited quantities available in California only. Increased availability in Spring 2011 with full market rollout through 2012. Taxpayer must incur federal tax liability to receive full benefits. Consult your tax professional.

Even reserving the car costs more than it does for the Leaf. Coda is asking for a $499 refundable deposit that can be placed here. The Coda will be available in California later this year and Hawaii in 2011.

Gallery: Coda Sedan

[Source: Coda Automotive]

2011 Coda electric sedan priced at $44,900 - over $12k more than Nissan Leaf originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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