Retired NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dies of apparent self-inflicted wound: Richard "Dick" Trickle -- who parlayed a legendary reputation as a short-track driver into a full-time career on stock car racing's biggest stages in the 1990s -- died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, a North Carolina sheriff's office said. He was 71

posted by BornIcon to auto racing at 10:41 AM - 5 comments

28 Fans Injured at Daytona by Crash Debris: A violent 12-car crash at the end of the Nationwide NASCAR race Saturday sent a tire and other debris flying over the grandstand fence at Daytona International Speedway, injuring at least 28 fans, some critically. Deadspin has video of a fan who was filming a few seats from where the tire landed. More from Reuters.

posted by tommytrump to auto racing at 07:43 PM - 7 comments

Danica Patrick wins the pole position at Daytona 500.:

posted by grum@work to auto racing at 01:05 PM - 56 comments

Two NASCAR Drivers Are Dating: Danica Patrick told an AP reporter that she and fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are in a relationship. Patrick and Stenhouse are both rookies this year in the Sprint Cup Series and said this won't affect how they race. "I always say I'll race people how they race me until they do something to make me change my mind. I don't anticipate that changing at all, or us having any issues on the track," Patrick said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 09:24 AM - 17 comments

Formula 1 Racing Returns to the U.S.: Formula 1 racing returns to the U.S. for the first time in five years Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas race outside Austin, Texas. The $400 million track, the first built expressly for F1 in the U.S., has a 10-year contract. "The track seems spectacular," said Fernando Alonso, who trails Sebastian Vettel by 10 points going into the season's penultimate event. More than 100,000 fans are expected to attend.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 04:24 PM - 5 comments

Lewis Hamilton signs for Mercedes: - the 27 year old 2008 World Champion signed a three year deal with the German team, ending his 14 year association with McLaren F1. Hamilton will replace seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, while up-and-comig Mexican driver Sergo Perez will take Hamilton's seat at McLaren.

posted by Mr Bismarck to auto racing at 12:38 PM - 1 comment

NASCAR Driver Motors Away from Date: NASCAR driver Tony Stewart began a radio interview on Sirius/XM Wednesday speaking in a whisper, prompting the hosts to ask him why. "I'm trying to not wake up my date," Stewart responded. "She's not that hot, so I don't really want to wake her up. I'm trying to get out."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 01:46 PM - 1 comment

Lawsuit: Driver 'Too White' for NASCAR: An aspiring Hispanic driver has filed a federal suit against NASCAR, claiming he was denied the opportunity to compete in the racing circuit's diversity program because he looks "too Caucasian." Michael Rodriguez, 24, is of Spanish and Puerto Rican descent and claims he was discriminated against because of his blue-eyed, fair-skinned complexion. NASCAR Attorney Jeff Pasek argued in court that if the diversity program was not allowed to consider a driver's skin color, "it would make a mockery of the program."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 10:43 AM - 20 comments

DeltaWing, a Nissan-powered race Batmobile, zooming into Le Mans: Think of it as a Batmobile for the race track.

posted by gfinsf to auto racing at 07:15 AM - 4 comments

Matt Kenseth Wins Fire-Delayed Daytona 500: In a rain-delayed, primetime Daytona 500, Matt Kenseth won a race that featured a cinematic explosion of burning fuel with 20-foot high flames when Juan Pablo Montoya's car collided with a jet dryer, spilling 200 gallons of jet fuel onto the track that ignited. Montoya and the dryer driver escaped serious injury. The two-hour delay to clean and repair the track included a nice product placement for Tide detergent. "It's amazing that NASCAR had enough Tide," said car owner Jack Roush.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 08:48 AM - 23 comments

Nascar Driver Calls Woman 'Dumb Bitch' on Twitter: Nascar driver Kasey Kahne recently got something off his chest, posting on Twitter that it was gross to see a woman breast-feeding her child in public. When a woman tweeted that he's a "douchebag" for this opinion, he responded by telling her, "and your a dumb bitch." She's now getting threats from his fans. Kahne subsequently apologized on Facebook. "I respect the mother's right to feed her child whenever and wherever she pleases," he said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 01:17 PM - 19 comments

Former NASCAR Driver Arrested for Speed: Former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was arrested Tuesday night on drug charges and methamphetamine, dozens of guns and nearly $100,000 in stolen goods were found in his Catawba, N.C., home, police said. Mayfield was suspended from NASCAR after failing a random drug test in May 2009.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 12:18 PM - 7 comments

Dan Wheldon Dies in 15-Car Crash at Las Vegas: Dan Wheldon died Sunday from injuries suffered in a 15-car wreck during lap 13 of an IndyCar race in Las Vegas. He was 33. Wheldon won this year's Indianapolis 500. "I've never seen anything like it," driver Ryan Briscoe said of the crash. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something."

posted by etagloh to auto racing at 06:29 PM - 28 comments

Former Indy 500 Champ Arrested for DWI: Al Unser, Jr., a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was arrested in Albuquerque, N.M., early Thursday morning for reckless driving, aggravated DWI and racing upon a highway. Unser was clocked at 100 mph and his blood-alcohol content was .16. He allegedly told police he'd been racing another car. "You caught the slower driver," he said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 04:10 PM - 17 comments

Nascar Driver Pushed Across Finish Line to Win: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun out on the final turn of the Nationwide series U.S. Cellular 250 Friday night, but won the race when Carl Edwards accidentally pushed him across the finish line. "That's the most amazing finish I've been involved with in a long time," Edwards said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 10:58 AM - 6 comments

Nascar Pastor Gives Sponsor-Packed Invocation: Pastor Joe Nelms delivered the invocation prayer before Saturday's Nationwide Nascar race in Nashville, thanking God for "GM Performance Technology," "Sunoco racing fuel" and many other things. "I don't want to do the cookie-cutter prayer," he said later.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 04:53 PM - 12 comments

Spectators Lucky to Survive Le Mans Crash: Audi driver Allan McNish crashed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race Saturday, running into a low wall that miraculously kept his car from hitting numerous spectators. See the video, especially at 2:30. "I saw the people at the side of the track and that was a lot of luck, I have to say," said McNish, who suffered minor shin and back injuries. "It made my heart stop when I saw that as well."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 11:32 AM - 11 comments

NASCAR Driver Caught Speeding 128 mph: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was stopped by police near Troutman, N.C., for driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone. Busch, who was charged with reckless or careless driving, said he was testing a Lexus LFA sports car loaned to him by the manufacturer. "I thank the Iredell County Sheriff's Department and all law enforcement for the hard work they do every day to protect the public and to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner," he said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 01:11 PM - 25 comments

'Most Staggeringly Complex Steering Wheels Ever Built': German Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg explains the dials, knobs and readouts of his race car's steering wheel to Autopia. "It looks a bit more like a spaceship control pad than a steering wheel," he says.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 04:18 PM - 8 comments

Jeff Gordon Ends 66-Race Winless Streak: Avoiding early-race carnage that included a 13-car wreck, Jeff Gordon won for the first time in 67 Sprint Cup starts, holding off Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson in Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 08:37 PM - 4 comments

Rookie Driver Wins Daytona 500: In just his second Sprint Cup start, 20-year-old rookie driver Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500. In a race that featured a record 16 cautions and 74 lead changes, Bayne won the second green-white-checker finish on extended laps, holding off Carl Edwards. It's the first win for the Wood Brothers team since David Pearson in 1976 and its first Cup win since 2001.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 08:15 AM - 8 comments

Drivers Remember Earnhardt's Death: The upcoming 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death has prompted the Nascar drivers involved to discuss the fatal accident on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Ken Schrader, the first to reach Earnhardt's car, recently revealed for the first time that he knew right away there was no chance of recovery. "I knew he was dead," he said. "I didn't want to be the one who said, 'Dale is dead.' ... I couldn't say it." Last lap and post-race coverage.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 10:17 AM - 9 comments

Nascar Gives Nationwide Drivers Chance to Be Champs: Nascar is ending a practice that let its current stars slow the rise of future ones. Drivers only can earn points in one of its three series. "The Nationwide Series has to have its own stars and identity to be successful," says Martin Truex Jr., who in 2005 was the last Nationwide champ who wasn't a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 07:57 AM - 5 comments

Vettel Becomes F1's Youngest Champ: Driver Sebastian Vettel clinched the Formula One title by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Sunday, to become the youngest ever champion. Fernando Alonso could have won by finishing fourth, but he ended up seventh. "Weltmeister!" Vettel's team screamed over the radio in triumph, which is German for "world champion."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 02:36 PM - 3 comments

Jenson Button Escapes Carjacking Attempt: Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button escaped a carjacking attempt in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday evening. As five or six armed men approached an armored car carrying Button and his father that was stuck in a traffic jam, the undercover police officer driving the car managed to escape. "There were two guys with small hand guns along with one guy who had a big gun that looked like a machine gun," Button said. "The driver saw it and floored it. There wasn't enough room to get through so we were banging through all the cars, and eventually made it."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 12:07 PM - 10 comments

NASCAR Winners Asked to Be Less Boring: Facing declining ratings and attendance, NASCAR is pleading for its drivers to sound less like infomercials after they win a race, when they dutifully thank all sponsors but end up saying little about the race. "Just about every driver goes through media training," said driver David Ragan. "I not only learned how [sponsor] UPS worked, but a lot about the people who make it work. You become part of that family."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 11:40 AM - 15 comments

F1 Driver Mark Webber: How I Got My Body: In an ongoing Guardian feature called How I Got My Body, F1 driver Mark Webber describes the physical demands of his sport. Here's how he got his worst scar: "A plug popped off one of the pipes in the cockpit, and the heat basically blowtorched through my fireproofs, through my underwear, and peeled back the skin on my hip. It happened early on in the race and I told my team I was thinking about retiring."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 08:24 AM - 8 comments

Indy Driver Milka Duno 'Dangerously Slow': Milka Duno, a female Venezuelan who joined the IndyCar racing series three years ago, is driving so slowly that it's a danger to other drivers (third heading), series CEO Randy Bernard and others in the sport are saying. "If she's going to drive in this series, she's going to have to drive with her mirrors," driver Ryan Hunter-Reay said two weeks ago at Watkins Glen. "There are 15 turns on this course and she's the 16th."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 09:42 AM - 7 comments

Driver Killed in Crash at NHRA Northwest Nationals: Drag racing driver Mark Niver, 60, became the third person to die at an NHRA event this year when he crashed after crossing the finish line Sunday. Niver's parachutes failed to deploy and he crashed into netting at the end of the track. See the video.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 03:36 PM - 14 comments

Danica Patrick Booed by Indy Fans: After a poor run put her in 23rd during Indianapolis 500 qualifying, Danica Patrick was booed Sunday for remarks she made during an interview broadcast over the public-address system. "I've never been bad here before. I've never been outside the top 10 on a finish or qualifying, so, it's not my fault," she said. "The car is not good."

posted by rcade to auto racing at 10:30 AM - 34 comments

Meet the New Boss,Kasey Kayne signs with Hendrick's Motorsports: For Kasey Kahne, It was a matter of when, not if, he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports. He joins Gordon, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt in 2012.

posted by texpat to auto racing at 01:32 PM - 0 comments

World Beater: how an unemployed guy with $500 and 0 support staff managed to place third in his class in WRC Mexico. Photos. His Youtube channel. [via Kottke]

posted by yerfatma to auto racing at 01:12 PM - 10 comments

Edwards gets probation for intentionally wrecking Keselowski: NASCAR driver Carl Edwards received a three-race probation penalty for intentionally wrecking fellow driver Brad Keselowski during Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The two have a history, including Keselowski wrecking Edwards on the final lap at Talledega last season.

posted by wfrazerjr to auto racing at 02:34 PM - 14 comments

Spectator Killed by NHRA Dragster's Wheel in Arizona: A woman died Sunday after she was struck by a wheel when Antron Brown crashed during a National Hot Rod Association competition at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona. The left rear wheel broke off right after Brown's crash at the start of a race and bounced over several barriers.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 07:42 AM - 5 comments

Schumacher returns to seek record 8th F1 title: Michael Schumacher targeted an unprecedented eighth Formula One title after Mercedes announced he was coming out of retirement to race for them at the age of 41. "This is a team that has just won both championships this year, they have Mercedes now as a strong partner so our aim can only be to fight for the championship," the 7 time champion told reporters in a conference call. "Having played around with motorbikes, I feel ready for some serious stuff."

posted by tommytrump to auto racing at 12:09 PM - 7 comments

Danica Patrick Joins NASCAR: IndyCar driver Danica Patrick is going to drive a partial schedule for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next year, making her stock car debut Feb. 6 in the ARCA race at Daytona. GoDaddy.com is sponsoring her along with Mark Martin in the Sprint Cup Series, with an eye towards Patrick replacing him in 2012.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 09:53 AM - 22 comments

And Another One Down...: Toyota have pulled out of Formula One with immediate effect. This comes on the heels of the news that Bridgestone will leave the sport after the 2010 season. BMW announced earlier this year they were leaving. Last year we lost Honda. This year we lost BMW and Toyota. With Brawn and Red Bull doing so well this year, will 2010 be a continuation of The Rebirth of the Privateer?

posted by Drood to auto racing at 03:20 PM - 9 comments

Jean Todt wins FIA presidency: Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

posted by Drood to auto racing at 03:33 PM - 3 comments

Jenson Button is the 2009 Formula One champion: A race that saw Kimi Raikkonen on fire, a huge opening lap accident, and action throughout the field, the title was sealed when Lewis Hamilton clipped Rubens Barrichello, causing the Brazilian to get a puncture. Jenson finished fifth in the race and won the championship with one race to go. Despite not winning a race since Turkey, Jenson has won one more race than Lewis did in 2008 to become champion. It's the first time since 1969 there has been back to back different British drivers as champion. (Then it was Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart.)

posted by Drood to auto racing at 02:22 PM - 11 comments

NASCAR reveals names of first Hall of Fame class: NASCAR on Wednesday announced the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame that includes: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty. Noticeably absent was David Pearson. "When I seen the two Frances was in, I knew I didn't have a chance," Pearson said moments after the ceremony ended.

posted by Demophon to auto racing at 06:27 PM - 17 comments