Nascar Race News!» FanHouse Newswire

VERSUS, DirectTV Reach Deal on Airing IndyCar Races

FanHouse Newswire — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:38:00 +0000

A day after the IZOD IndyCar Series' season-opener in Brazil, its primary broadcast partner, the VERSUS network, has reached an agreement with Comcast-owned DirectTV for the satellite network to resume carrying the sports channel.

Comcast dropped VERSUS last fall after the two sides couldn't agree on a proposed rate hike and it cost the series a significant audience share for the IndyCar races.

New IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard issued a statement today thanking the executives at both Comcast and DirectTV for "working diligently to get this deal done.''

"Everybody wins - DIRECTV, VERSUS and most importantly the fans of the Indy Racing League,'' Bernard said. The IndyCar series is currently in the second year of a 10-year deal with VERSUS.

VERSUS is re-airing the Sao Paulo 300 - won by Team Penske driver Will Power - at 10 p.m. EDT Monday and will broadcast 11 of the remaining 16 races. The series next moves to St. Petersburg, Fla. for the March 28 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which will be broadcast by ABC.

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Will Power Wins IRL Season-Opener

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Filed under: IRL

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Will Power made a late overtaking move to take the lead from Ryan Hunter-Reay to win the rain-shortened IndyCar season-opener on the streets of Sao Paulo.

The Australian passed the American with three laps to go, clinching the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 for his second career victory.

Power crossed the line 1.858 seconds ahead of Hunter-Reay when the race ended at the two-hour time-limit with only 61 of the 75 scheduled laps completed.

The race had to be red-flagged near its halfway point after heavy rains made track conditions unsafe, marking another setback for the track which was initially being hailed as one of the highlights of the season but faced problems throughout the weekend.

Home-crowd favorite Vitor Meira was third, followed by compatriot Raphael Matos at the 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer), 11-turn Anhembi temporary circuit in South America's biggest city.

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Marco Andretti Uninjured After Scary Accident in Brazil

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:06:00 +0000

Filed under: IRL

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Marco Andretti escaped injury after being involved in a scary accident at the start of the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on Sunday.

The car of Brazil's Mario Moraes span and crashed on the back of Andretti's slowing car as they approached the first chicane after the start.

Moraes' car finished on top of Andretti's and they slid tangled for several yards. The bottom of Moraes' car appeared to be touching Andretti's helmet.

It took more than five minutes for officials to remove Moraes' car so the medical team could attend to Andretti, who eventually was able to walk away from the scene.

Andretti was briefly taken to the medical center and then released.

The American driver said he slowed down because he could not see in front of him as other drivers made contact approaching the first turn and threw a lot of dust into the air.

"It's obviously dusty," he said. "I think if you have any common sense, you're not going to stay flat out if you can't see the car ahead of you."

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Alonso Marks Ferrari Debut With Victory

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:40:00 +0000

Filed under: Formula One

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) -- Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain Grand Prix in his debut for Ferrari, leading the team to a 1-2 finish in Formula One's season-opening race on Sunday.

Alonso passed teammate Felipe Massa at the second corner after the start. He then overtook pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel on the 34th lap for a lead he would never relinquish.

After two frustrating years at Renault, Alonso pounded his chest after jumping on top of his car in celebration as Ferrari got off to its best start since 2004 -- when Michael Schumacher led a 1-2 start. Alonso replaced Kimi Raikkonen, who also won on his Ferrari debut three years ago.

"A very special day for me, coming back to the top of the podium is always special, but also more special with Ferrari and the history of the team and the expectations," Alonso said. "There is no better way to start the relationship."

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Franchitti Wins Pole for IndyCar Opener

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:45:00 +0000

Filed under: IRL

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Defending champion Dario Franchitti of Scotland won the pole position for the IndyCar season-opener on the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday.

Franchitti clocked 1 minute, 27.7354 seconds at the 2.6-mile Anhembi temporary circuit. Alex Tagliani of Canada was second, 0.0322 seconds back, and Justin Wilson of England was 0.0829 behind in third.

Qualifying for the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 was moved to Sunday after drivers complained on Saturday that the track's front stretch lacked enough grip to make racing safe. Grooves were added to the Sambadrome straightaway overnight to fix the problem.

It was the first time in IndyCar Series history that qualifying and the race were taking place on the same day.

Franchitti had struggled on the first day of practice on Saturday and was nowhere near the front with his Target Chip Ganassi car, but he recovered nicely in Sunday's session and will lead the pack in the first race of season.

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IndyCar Qualifying Postponed; Drivers Complain About Track

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Filed under: IRL

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Qualifying for the IndyCar season-opener on the streets of Sao Paulo was postponed Saturday because the main straight lacked enough grip to make racing safe.

Drivers ran practice sessions on Saturday, giving officials time to try to improve track conditions overnight. Qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday morning ahead of the race.

Drivers complained that the temporary circuit for the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 has severe bumps and was dangerous on the slick front straightaway.

The straight goes through a Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that stretches for about a third of a mile and is the only part of the track with concrete instead of asphalt. It is where the traditional Carnival parades take place every year.

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AP Source: NASCAR Will Not Suspend Carl Edwards

FanHouse Newswire — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:52:00 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR will not suspend Carl Edwards for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski's car during last weekend's race at Atlanta, a source told the Associated Press.

There had been a loud cry for NASCAR to punish Edwards for returning to the track Sunday after an earlier wreck with Keselowski and then deliberately causing a crash. The contact sent Keselowski's car flying into the air, and it bounced on its hood off a retaining wall. No one was injured.

A person familiar with NASCAR's discussions said Edwards will not be suspended for his actions.

NASCAR president Mike Helton is to address the Edwards accident later Tuesday. The person familiar with the decision spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Helton will be making the official statement.

Edwards could still be fined or placed on probation, but escaped the more serious penalty, presumably because NASCAR wanted to protect its relaxed "boys, have at it" attitude of allowing drivers to police themselves on the track.

NASCAR announced in January it would loosen its stance on aggressive driving and allow drivers the opportunity to settle scores on their own. The policy wasn't tested until Sunday, the fourth race of the season, when Edwards returned to the track down 153 laps and spent at least one lap intentionally trying to wreck Keselowski.

He succeeded with three laps to go in the race, igniting a frightening crash that he admitted deliberately causing.

Edwards was unrepentant, too, citing past incidents with Keselowski as the root of the retaliation.

Keselowski, meanwhile, called for a harsh penalty.

"It'll be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it," he said after the wreck. "They have the ball. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or the grandstands. It's not cool to intentionally wreck someone at 195 mph."

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Kurt Busch Wins Again at Atlanta After Two Crashes

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, NASCAR Crashes

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Kurt Busch survived a couple of restarts and 16 extra laps to win again Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a race marred by accusations of an intentional crash that sent a car hurtling toward the main stands upside down.

Busch won the spring race at the 1.54-mile trioval for the second year in a row, beating Matt Kenseth to the line by nearly half a second. Juan Pablo Montoya was third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard.

The race went 341 laps instead of its scheduled 325 because of two big crashes. The first one drew the most attention.

Carl Edwards, running 156 laps behind, clipped Brad Keselowski and caused his car to spin, then lift into the air at around 190 mph. It smashed into the barrier in front of the stands roof-first, then flipped back onto the track right side up. Keselowski was OK, but NASCAR ordered Edwards to park his car and summoned him to its trailer for a tongue-lashing.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins First Pole Position in Almost Two Years

FanHouse Newswire — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:46:00 +0000

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the pole for the first time in nearly two years. He's hoping it will lead to Victory Lane.

Earnhardt claimed the pole Friday night for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a blistering speed of 192.761 mph. It will be the first time Junior has taken green at the head of a Sprint Cup field since the April 2008 race at Texas.

"It's good to be on the pole and I'm real proud of it," Earnhardt said. "Getting a pole anywhere is good for our team. We're so hungry to do well on Sunday."

He's coming off a miserable season in which he failed to win a race, cracked the top 10 only five times, led a mere 146 laps in 36 races and finished 25th in the overall standings -- despite racing for Hendrick Motorsports, the best team in the business.

After a major shake-up within his group, Earnhardt is hoping to be a Chase contender in 2010. He hasn't won a race since June 15, 2008, at Michigan.

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U.S. Grand Prix Team Shuts Down, Reports Say

FanHouse Newswire — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:11:00 +0000

The fledgling United States Formula One team based outside Charlotte, N.C. has closed its doors and furloughed employees, according to reports Tuesday in Autosport and AutoWeek.

Autosport reported that shortly before lunchtime Tuesday, the remaining employees were told they were being put on unpaid leave, but remained technically employed.

Neither publication could confirm the shutdown with team principals Peter Windsor or Ken Anderson. The news comes after weeks of speculation and uncertainty about whether the team would actually come together. On Jan. 25, Windsor announced that Argentine driver José María López would be the team's driver.

ESPNF1 reported Tuesday that Lopez had quit the F1 team and that his manager was working to get him released from his contract.

The team, founded by journalist and former F1 team manager Windsor and run by Anderson, was funded by YouTube co-founder Chad Harley. It had received permission from the FIA, the worldwide auto racing governing board, to compete in F1 and had set up shop in a former Sprint Cup race shop outside Charlotte.

But the team was unable to get a car on the track, even for testing, and F1 officials had declared the outfit unready for competition last week after an inspection visit.

The shutdown means that the Serbian startup F1 team, Stefan Grand Prix, which has been waiting in the wings for several months, may have a chance of getting a late entry into Grand Prix racing.

Anderson and Hurley had made a desperate last-ditch effort to save the team by formally requesting that the entry be postponed until 2011, AutoWeek reported. The shutdown was likely prompted by a negative response from the FIA to that request, the weekly paper said.

The photograph above shows Windsor (left) and Lopez during the Jan. 25 press conference when Lopez was announced as driver.

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