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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Citing the need to make the championship format "simpler," NASCAR chairman Brian France formally introduced a new points system for the three national touring series Wednesday and also announced slight changes to the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff format and race qualifying procedures.

As has been rumored during the last two weeks, the new points payout will be 43-to-1 -- paying 43 points to the race winner with each position decreasing in one-point intervals, with a single point going to last place in the 43-car fields.

The race winner will also receive a three-point bonus. There are one-point bonuses available for leading one lap and for the driver who leads the most laps, meaning there is a maximum of 48 points available for a race winner who leads the most laps.

"So now everyone will know, when a driver is down by 10 points, that he needs to pass 11 more cars to take the lead in the point standings,'' France told a crowded room of reporters at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte.

"Very much a simple, easy to understand system for us."

In other significant news, France announced the third major change to the Chase playoff format since its inception eight years ago. The top 10 drivers in points after the 26-race regular season will qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. And in an effort to emphasize winning, NASCAR will now make the 11th and 12th place Chase qualifiers the drivers outside the top-10 with the most wins -- giving it a sort of wild-card feel.

The top-10 drivers will be reseeded as before, with a three-point bonus given for each win, compared to the 10-point bonus previously handed out. The 11th and 12th place drivers will be reseeded but will not receive bonus points for their wins.

"These guys are going to be driving like their hair is on fire,'' Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said.

"Give NASCAR credit for placing the emphasis on winning races with the new points system. The points championship should be secondary to winning races week in and week out. If you do that, championships take care of themselves."

NASCAR Announces New Points Format, Chase Changes, New Qualifying Rules originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

On Oct. 27-28, two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Steawart gave AOL FanHouse Senior Writer Holly Cain a rare 48-hour All-Access Pass. She spent two days behind-the-scenes following Stewart through a typical mid-week routine that started at a photo shoot in Mooresville, N.C. and finished the next night 900 miles away in Talladega, Ala.

In this two-part series, you'll find an in-depth look at the professional and private side of Stewart beyond the track. The second installment is a revealing look at Stewart who talks about his image, lessons learned and his hope to start a family.

Tony Stewart ducked into the photography studio's tiny make-up room, quickly stripped off his drivers suit and stood in his underwear and t-shirt while two ladies from a Brooks Brothers fine clothing store in Charlotte, N.C., rolled in a rack of dress shirts and suit pant samples.

They sized him up and took measurements for an order of new suits while Stewart relentlessly teased them and made wisecracks every time they checked his inseam and backside or adjusted his shirt collar to find the right fit.

Blushing a bit and smiling a lot, the women admitted afterward that they had been nervous about this assignment on the 45-minute drive from Charlotte, N.C. Neither followed NASCAR much, but they both knew of Stewart.

"We'd seen him on TV and knew he could be feisty, but he just made us feel so comfortable,'' one of the tailors confided with a wide grin. "It wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was fun.

"He was just great, better than most all of our reg-u-lar customers,'' she added in a dramatic Southern drawl, clearly smitten with Stewart.

Tony Stewart, All-Access Part II: A Champion Opens Up originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: IRL

The IZOD IndyCar Series announced Wednesday that the Edmonton road course event scheduled for next summer has been canceled due to a conflict between the city and the race promoters about necessary track improvements.

"We are disappointed that the city and the promoter were unable to reach an agreement on the venue changes,'' the IndyCar Series said in a statement.

"It's unfortunate that in a time when IndyCar is experiencing momentum and growth, the city would want to miss out on the opportunity to be part of it. We've enjoyed our time at Edmonton as the fans there truly embraced Indy car racing. We currently are examining options for our schedule to see if there are opportunities to replace the event.''

The three-year old race was run on a temporary circuit set up on Edmonton's City Centre Airport. Promoters would have to spend approximately $3.2 million (Canadian) to upgrade and repave a different runway.

Scott Dixon won two of the three races in Edmonton, including this year's event which gained international attention when three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves unleashed a post-race tirade and grabbed an IndyCar Series official after being black-flagged for blocking late in the race.

The removal of Edmonton leaves the series with a 15-race schedule that begins March 27 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

IndyCar Series Cancels 2011 Edmonton Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

The hits just keep on coming for Marcos Ambrose in his bid to take checkered flags when NASCAR has a road course event.

Ambrose, NASCAR's resident Aussie and a road racing phenom, once again saw a better-than-good shot at winning Sunday's Nationwide Series race in Montreal slip away -- just, of course, as he was preparing to drive away from the competition.

A faulty battery and a miserable attempt at trying to change it in the pits dropped Ambrose from the lead to two laps down quicker than a spectator making a trip to the concession stand.

The sad part of all of this is that you could have almost seen it coming. Even as he made a wild save with his car completely sideways in the grass while charging for the lead or when he stalked Carl Edwards and passed the No. 99 for the race's top spot.

Marcos Ambrose Extends Record of Road Racing Bad Luck originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Formula One

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) -- Lewis Hamilton overcame a late scare to win the Belgian Grand Prix and regain the overall lead of the Formula One championship Sunday.

Hamilton ran off the track with nine laps to race but recovered to keep the lead and edge second-place Mark Webber of Red Bull.

"I locked my wheel and went wide," Hamilton said. "I just clipped (the wall). But I was able to get away with it."

Webber dropped to second in the overall standings after failing to defend his pole position after a clutch problem gave him a poor start off the line.

Jenson Button's championship hopes took a hit after the defending F1 champion was knocked out of the race when Sebastian Vettel crashed into him during a failed overtaking maneuver.

Hamilton's 14th career win gave the Briton 182 points - three more than Webber - as the top two opened up a gap over the other title favorites.

Lewis Hamilton Wins Belgian Grand Prix originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by FanHouse NewswireINDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The death of a 13-year-old motorcycle rider at Indianapolis Motor Speedway cast a shadow over Sunday's races at the historic track and prompted mourning competitors to defend the development system for the dangerous circuit.

Peter Lenz of Vancouver, Wash., fell off his bike during the warmup lap for the day's first race at Indianapolis and was run over by another motorcycle, driven by a 12-year-old.

Medical workers immediately placed Lenz in a neck brace, put him on a stretcher and began chest compressions while taking him to a hospital.

Several hours later, he was pronounced dead.

Lenz's father reported his son's death on his Facebook page as the county coroner confirmed the fatality.

"Peter passed away early this morning when he was apparently struck by another rider," read a posting on Lenz's Facebook page, which was signed "Dad."

"He passed doing what he loved and had his go-fast face on as he pulled onto the track," Lenz's father wrote."The world lost one of its brightest lights today. God Bless Peter and the other rider involved. #45 is on another road we can only hope to reach. Miss you kiddo."

Peter Lenz, 13-Year-Old Rider, Killed at Indianapolis MotoGP originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

After starting his career sweeping floors at Hendrick Motorsports during a college internship 14 years ago, Marshall Carlson moved up the ranks to become president and chief operating officer (COO) of the 13-time NASCAR championship Hendrick organization, which fields cars for Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Carlson, 37, was promoted Tuesday during the organization's quarterly employee meeting. The position has remained open for the past six years. It was previously held by the late John Hendrick, brother of team owner Rick Hendrick (pictured at right). John Hendrick was killed along with nine other people -- including John's twin daughters, Rick Hendrick's son Ricky, and other Hendrick Motorsports executives -- in an airplane crash near Martinsville, Va., on October 24, 2004.

"Hendrick Motorsports is a family and it's been one of the great privileges of my life to work with these amazing people,'' said Carlson, who has helped guide the company to four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships since he assumed the role of executive vice president and general manager in January, 2005.

After his college internship in the chassis department, Carlson worked as an engineer on the team's Camping World Truck Series team that won a title in 1997. He's worked in the company's marketing and sponsorship department and oversaw more than $200 million in real estate projects working with Hendrick Automotive Group, one of the largest auto dealership conglomerates in the country before taking his most recent position.

Marshall Carlson, From Floor Sweeper to New Hendrick Motorsports President originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, NASCAR

SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- Soaked in champagne and still grinning from ear to ear, NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi was walking over to a Corvette convertible for his second victory lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the last two months when Tony Stewart stopped him in his tracks.

They shook hands, shared a laugh and Stewart, NASCAR's only owner-driver, patted Ganassi on the back, offering his congratulations.

"That was a moment between car owners,'' Sunday's fifth-place finisher Stewart said with a smile and a nod. "Can I appreciate what he's done here? Oh yeah.''

What he's done is make history as the first team owner in auto racing history to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400 at Indy in the same season. But it came with a twist.

One of Ganassi's drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya, dominated practice, qualifying and most of the early race until crashing with 15 laps to go Sunday while his other driver, Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray beat Kevin Harvick on the ensuing re-start, held off the field for 11 laps and ultimately delivered the triumph to Ganassi instead.

In all, Ganassi drivers led a race-best 102 of the event's 160 laps, but McMurray's 16 laps out front (including five earlier in the day) is the second fewest ever for a winner. Not that it matters.

"To win all those (races) in one year is remarkable,'' Harvick said of Ganassi's organization. "It will probably never happen again.''

Chip Ganassi Makes More Racing History at Indianapolis originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR

Tony Stewart grew up an hour's drive from America's most revered race track, Indianapolis Motor Speedway home of the world's most famous race, the Indianapolis 500. And he absolutely remembers his initial reaction -- nearly two decades ago -- to the earth-shaking news that NASCAR might be crashing the party.

"I'll be honest, when I first heard about the test that was going to happen there, I was against it,'' said Stewart, a two-time Brickyard 400 winner and former IndyCar champion.

"But on that day, I was a guy that had grown up in Indiana. ...I was against it because I thought the Indy 500 was the only thing that deserved to be at the Brickyard.

Veteran Mark Martin called the idea of racing there, "ridiculous.''

"I didn't think we belonged there, I didn't think the race track would be conducive to stock car racing,'' Martin said. "All of which was really wrong.''

As with Stewart and Martin, the idea has won over the toughest of converts. And when 43 cars take the green flag in Sunday's Brickyard 400, it will be more than just another race or just another victory. It's a once-a-season emotional indulgence.

NASCAR Stars All Revved Up for Indy originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, NASCAR

Consider this an interruption to the quick judgments, harsh opinions and commentary overload about Danica Patrick's NASCAR debut.

As IndyCar's most famous face prepares to make her fifth NASCAR start this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway -- near her hometown of Roscoe, Ill. -- it's time to step back from all the emotion and hype.

Forget her $1,000 gold-stilettos, police escorts and the unapologetic adulation of NASCAR executives and track promoters. Let's look at her statistics driving a NASCAR race car.

Patrick's four-race average of a 33rd place finish in the Nationwide Series may be an easy target for those told-you-so doubters, but it's absolutely respectable compared to other recent open-wheel NASCAR converts. And even some NASCAR champions.

Her NASCAR Nationwide Series team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., for example, either crashed or had mechanical problems in three of his first four Nationwide races during the 1996-97 seasons, including a string of 39th, 39th and 38th place showings after his 14th place debut. That's an average finish of 32.5, or less than one position better than Patrick.

Danica Patrick's NASCAR Debut on Par With Dale Earnhardt Jr., Other Stars originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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