Midwest Dirt Tracker Wins at Sonoma

Bowyer enjoying the limelight

SONOMA, CA - "I just kept thinking, 'He's a dirt late model racer from the Midwest -- there's no way he can be able to run the road course,' but he did," said Kurt Busch of Clint Bowyer’s win at the Sonoma 350. With 15 laps to go in the 350-mile road race and running 2nd, Kurt Busch kept strong pressure hoping to force Clint Bowyer into a mistake. Unfortunately for Busch, he was the one who made the mistake.

Boyer's Toyota was dominate most of the race.

In past races, the tires at turn 11 could be knocked out of place by drivers wanting to straighten the turn out. This year however, NASCAR had them bolted down. With only eight laps to go, Kurt Busch thought he could pull off the old stunt. This time however, Busch hit the barrier hard and broke his Panhard rod, shattering any chance for a win, and giving Tony Stewart an opportunity to pass. “Honestly I don't know how he kept it on the racetrack,” Stewart said. “Every time he'd go into a corner, the rear end would shift. We kind of got [the pass] by default to a certain degree. But, unfortunately, we just weren't close enough to finally take the front.”

Kurt Busch gave Bowyer a run for his money.

Stewart put up a good fight at the end, but it was just too-little-too-late, allowing Bowyer his sixth SPRINT Cup win, first of the season and with Martin Truex placing 4th, the best ever two-car finish for Michael Waltrip Racing. “To have this dirt-[track] boy from Kansas in victory lane is big, trust me,” said Bowyer. “Damned glad he didn't have it,” speaking of Stewart. Bowyer said of the extra lap. “You know how many races I'd have won if it wasn't for that damned guy in front of me? He could have beat me.” (Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120624/nascar01/120629894#ixzz1ypZrzqGj )

Tony Stewart had a chance in the final lap - but too-little-too-late

Front row qualifiers Marcos Ambrose and Jeff Gordon were outside the top five in Sunday’s race. Ambrose’s car developed handling problems early in the race and Jeff Gordon, who had the fastest car in practice, somehow managed to run out of gas just before his second pit stop. "We went about a half a lap too far there on that one run," Gordon said. "I think we made the car a little bit better and just used a little bit more fuel in that second run and ran out, unfortunately. It never fails, you run out just as you pass pit entrance. We were lucky to get back to pit road and get it fueled up."

Marcos Ambrose qualified for the pole, but the car faded early.

It is interesting to note that the dominance of road-course “ringers” like Boris Said is coming to an end. There were 4 ringers entered in the race, with only 3 qualifying for the Sunday event. Said managed the best finish at 29th. As the regular SPRINT Car drivers become more adept at turning right as well as left, the “mid-west dirt-trackers” are more than holding their own on the road courses. "That's the toughest thing," Said commented. "To come in here, no matter how good a race car driver you think you are, these guys for sure are the best in the world, in my opinion. To do it twice a year is just tough. I haven't sat in one since Watkins Glen last year, and that wasn't my best result. But still, I relish the challenge. I feel like it's a privilege that I get to do it, and I think I've had a great career doing it. Maybe I haven't won a lot of races, but I love competing. If we were competitive and maybe ran in the top 15, that would be like a win."

Though not as competitive as in the past, Boris still enjoys the SPRINT Car rides.

Audi Sweep at Le Mans! Diesel-Hybrids 1-2; Diesel 3.

 LE MANS, FRANCE – It was certainly an impressive 24 hours for Audi. Sweeping all three podium spots with diesel engines, and the top 2 finishing cars hybrids at that! The #1 Audi e-tron diesel hybrid of Lotterer/Treluyer/Fessler took the checkered flag followed by the #2 Audi hybrid of Kristensen/McNish/Capello. The #3 Audi powered by a “conventional” diesel rounded out the podium. The Toyota hybrids ran well, but both suffered accidents, and placed no better than 4th. "This is no doubt a historic victory for Audi, explained Audi’s Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We were the first to win Le Mans with a direct-injection turbo gasoline engine and the first to be successful with a diesel engine. (Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120618/alms/120619815#ixzz1yAaTY9Kv )

It is remarkable to note that the #2 Audi piloted by McNish was involved in a serious accident with a lower classed Porsche requiring the car to be nearly rebuilt. "I'm devastated, said McNish. “I'm sorry for our team: Dindo, Tom, the engineers and the mechanics. They did a perfect job throughout the race. Despite a few problems we were in contention for victory up to my accident.” (Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120618/alms/120619815#ixzz1yAYxbJ1s ).

 The Toyotas were both involved in important wrecks. The most spectacular was the #8 Toyota hybrid of Anthony Davidson which flipped in the air and smashed into the tire barrier at the end of the Mulsanne straight when it was clipped by one of the Ferrari GTE cars (Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzw5i14ewXY ). Davidson was hospitalized and sustained two broken vertebrae. The #7 Toyota hybrid piloted by rookie Nakajima made contact with the innovative Nissan Deltawing causing it to hit the wall and ending its Le Mans effort with only 75 laps under its Deltawing. The accident happened as 5 P1 cars were overtaking the Deltawing. The 5th place Toyota tried to make a passing move on the 4th place Toyota, and seemingly not seeing the Deltawing, turned in and slammed into the Nissan ( Video http://www.autoevolution.com/news/nissan-deltawing-crash-at-lemans-video-46282.html ).

The privateer P2 class was won by the American No.44 Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX 03b driven by Kimber-Smith/Ryan Dalziel/Enzo Potolicchio. The next three spots were taken by the Oreca Nissans of by TDS Racing, Pecom Racing, and Signatech Nissan. "At Sebring we had a brand new car and we won, said Dalziel of Starworks. “At Spa, we had to do some work on the car but the Honda Performance Development chassis is perfect. We haven't got the pace of the Oreca chassis but we could do triple stints. I think that was the key to our success.”

The production based GTE class saw competitive racing even though it appeared that Ferraris dominated with 1st, 2nd, and 4th place finishes. The #51 AF Corse 458 Italia of Bruni/Fisecella/Vilander finished on top two laps ahead of the Luxury Racing 458 Italia. The #97 Aston Martin Vantage placed third completing the podium finishes. The #74 Corvette looked to be very competitive this year, but a series of mishaps including a foiled pit stop where the right-rear wheel was not properly secured cost them any serious
placement.

The GTE-Am amateur class saw an exciting finish with the Larbre Competition Corvette, prepared by Pratt and Miller Racing, drag raced to the finish with the IMSA Performance Porsche RSR of Poms/Anarac/Armindo. The pole-sitting #80 Flying Lizard Porsche RSR entry of went out in hour ten battling suspension issues then finally, an accident. The #79 Flying Lizard entry managed a 4th place finish.

Montreal GP - Hamilton is Lucky 7!

MONTREAL, CANADA – Formula One has sure had an interesting season. Coming into the Montreal GP, there have been 6 separate winners in six races. Canada was going to be no different with Lewis Hamilton crossing the finish line first in his McLaren, and becoming the seventh winner this year. Romain Grosjean came in second in his Lotus with Sergio Perez third for team Sauber. Sebastian Vettel initially led from the pole position, but Hamilton was able to keep him in close range. Following the first set of pit stops starting on lap 16, Vettel was the first to come in, then Hamilton on lap 17 and Alonso on lap 18. Alonso came up on top on after the stops, but Hamilton was able to rocket past the two gaining the lead.

Hamilton easily held the lead and was able to put a few seconds between him and the Ferrari. However, a poor pit stop for the McLaren resulted in him coming up in third place. It looked bleak for the Brit as it appeared that Renault and Ferrari had planned a one-stop strategy. But the one-stop strategy proved to be a poor one on lap 62 as he blasted past Vettel and reeled in and past Alonso by lap 65.

The degrading tires on the Ferrari and Renault were taking their toll on lap times. This gave Grosjean in the Lotus and Perez in the Sauber opportunity to move into second and third place. Vettel finally made the choice to come in for tires on lap 63 and was also able to shame the Ferrari. “I always knew today’s race was going to be incredibly tough. So, in the first stint, I was really pleased that I could keep up with Seb [Vettel], and at that point I already felt sure I’d be involved the fight for victory. Our strategy was always for a two-stopper: we knew it was going to be the fastest way to get to the finish. I looked after my tires really well today, and I used them knowing we were going to two-stop.

The win puts Hamilton back on top with 88 championship points, followed by Alonso with 86 and Vettel with 85. The win had extra meaning for Hamilton as Montreal was the track that saw his first win back in 2007.

In related news, ticket sales for the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas went on sale this past weekend. Legal battles between the race founder/promoter and the race investors were put to rest late Friday in an out-of-court settlement. It was also announced that racing great Mario Andretti has been named the Circuit Ambassador.

Embarrasment For Motor City

DETROIT, MI – In what can only be labeled as embarrassing, Detroit’s Belle Isle Grand Prix lasted only 40 of a planned 90 laps due to poor track conditions. The Motor City race circuit began delaminating and breaking up as long strips of black sealant used to fill seams began lifting as the open wheel IndyCars ripped up the pavement. On some corners, the lifting sealant folded up to form dangerously large chunks which led to a violent crash by James Hinchcliffe of Andretti Motorsports. Luckily, James was unhurt. “I hate to say it, but I don’t know what they’re going to do,” said Hinchcliffe. “The lap before the accident a big chunk hit my wing in Turn 9. I was going to turn in, a piece of [track] folded over, and you’re just a passenger at that point.”

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Following the accident, the yellow flag was shown on lap 40. The cars continued circulating until lap 45, allowing the officials to call it a completed race. Upon initial inspection by Race Director Beaux Barfield, the race was expected to restart, but that was not to be.

On top of the order at the race conclusion were the Target-Ganassi duo of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. The Dallara-Hondas made a respectable showing in their street-course debut as IndyCar rookie Simon Pagenaud finished third in his Dallara-Honda. "Tremendous day for Honda," he said. "Also, I've got to thank my team, [Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports], and it's amazing to be a one-car team and fighting against Penske and Ganassi. I've found like it's living in a dream."

For Detroit, the weekend has to be considered a major disappointment. Not only was the state of disrepair of the Motor City infrastructure placed in the spotlight of the world stage, the only US-built engine in the series could not manage a podium finish. Detroit resident Sherrie Van Horn knew she would have to deal with the broken-up streets outside her home, but was surprised to hear the at the Belle Island suffered the same fate. "It's too bad," she said at the track. "This was the city's chance to shine.” Some race fans were surprised when the cars were parked after only 45-laps, but Jack Michaels of Royal Oak said he wondered and worried before the race how organizers could make the streets worthy of the Grand Prix. "I've driven those streets," he said. "I'd be worried driving fast ( http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120604/SPORTS03/206040340#ixzz1wqF9WGsK ).”

As an American, I have to declare that this is completely unacceptable in the greatest country on this earth. China and India display fabulous race facilities (pictured) during Formula One races, but we have to show the degrading infrastructure of Detroit. Is this the legacy of the famed “Auto-Bailout?”

"It was wild, it was intense, it was hot and it was fun.’’

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – If Tony Stewart says it was the “best Indy 500” he has ever seen, it must have been. The 5-wide flying start was exciting. A record 34 lead changes among 10-drivers was obviously exciting. And some of the most exciting open wheel restarts were certainly exciting. But the most exciting was seeing Dario Franchitti claw his way up from last place following a broken nosewing, to winning his third Indy 500 championship while Takuma Sato put it in the wall on the last lap.

Dario, and teammate Scott Dixon started in 16th and 15th position. The Dallara chassis powered with newly developed 6-cylinder, single-turbo Honda engines were not expected to do well in the 500. Practice and qualifying was dominated by the Chevrolet powered cars of Team Penske and Andretti. In fact, Chevrolet held 8 of the top 9 starting positions. Honda worked very hard with the teams during the 30 days in May, and it showed. A last minute update for the 2.2 liter engines provided for a very competitive race. Dario quipped "It was wild, it was intense, it was hot and it was fun.’’

The mediocre starting position for the Scot-born driver was not the only difficulty facing Franchitti. On lap 14, he was hit from behind by E.J.Viso during a pit stop requiring a complete replacement of the cars nosewing placing him in 29th position – near the back of the pack. By lap 150, it was pretty evident that the Hondas of Franchitti and Dixon were formidable. The teammates were running in front leading 41 of the final 50 laps. “Credit to Dario," he said. "He had a bad start to the day and came through the field. It’s a 1-2 finish for Target on their 50th anniversary. You couldn’t have it a better way. I just wish the No. 9 was first. He drove a hell of a race and definitely deserved it. Real happy for Honda. What a way to win their first race of the year. They can forget about the other four. To come out and win Indy in their first attempt against Chevy is pretty cool.”

Another interesting story at the 500 was Ruben Barrichello’s first race on the oval at Indy. Rubens, a past winner at Indianapolis, though on the Formula One road course in 2002, drove a respectable race with an 11th place finish. He was the highest placed rookie. “It was a great achievement today," said the 19-year F1 veteran. "The first oval experience; it was very different than anything I've done. We carried too much downforce all the way. That kept me safe. It kept me racy. I mean, I could race sometimes, but it was very hard to follow people and to keep it running fast. You could see that people were in a much lower level of down force that were in front of us. I'm still very proud of what the team has achieved. It's a pity that we didn't finish top 10, just outside. But I can be proud of that for my first time out."

This was also the first Indy 500 race since the death of 2010-winner Dan Wheldon in a fiery crash at the Las Vegas race last year. In honor of Weldon, Bryan Herta drove a single parade lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the car Wheldon won with last year. The driver's widow, Susie Wheldon (pictured below) watched the race with Emma Dixon, Scott Dixon's wife. Also, laps 26 and 98, which marked the numbers of both cars that Wheldon drove to his pair of Indy 500 wins, were raced in his honor. "I just want to dedicate this to two of Indianapolis' finest, Dan Wheldon and Michael Wanser," said Franchitti, honoring the fallen 2011 Indy 500 winner and the son of his team manager, Barry Wanser. "Thanks to all of the Indianapolis fans for their tribute to Dan today. What a race. I think D-dub (Dan Wheldon) would be proud of that one."

Wallys for Beckman, Grubnic, and Johnson at Topeka

TOPEKA, KANSAS – It was a great day for Jack Beckman as he claimed his first Funny Car Wally of the season at the Fram . Up against teammate Ron Capps in the final round, Jack’s 4.158 sec, 303.09 mph blast bettered Ron’s 4.107 sec, 304.39 mph by his near-perfect 0.004 sec reaction time. The Schumacher teammates switched cars, crews and trailers following the Vegas race and this is the first time that Beckman has been able to make it happen. “It’s a big win for us,” Beckman said. “We’re right back in the hunt... That was my 13th win, and I try to appreciate every win because you never know when it can be your last.” He continued, “They [the NAPA team] were clearly outrunning us. When we saw them run 4.12 in the semi's, we knew we couldn’t run that without stepping too far that the risk of smoking the tires was too great. Our strategy was to put a 4.15 in it and hope something happened with their car. I think I dodged a bullet on the starting line. I had a hiccup in staging in the final round that could have bit us. The irony is that I don’t know if we could’ve won any other way.”

In Top Fuel, David Grubnic ended up top dog beating out Spencer Massey in the finals. Grubnic ran a 3.893 sec, 319.07 mph against Massey’s 3.910 sec, 309.98 mph run. This is the Australian-native’s first win since 2006. “My whole career has been ups and downs, but you have to go through these troughs to appreciate the peaks,” Grubnic said. “Today is one of those peaks. My first win came here in 2005, and it’s great to do it here again. Why we have success here in particular is beyond me, but we’ll take it where we can get it.

It was a surprise in Pro Stock with Allen Johnson beating the Summit boys. Allen Johnson ran strong all-weekend and was paired with Greg Anderson in the final round. Allen ran a respectable 6.587 sec, 210.54 mph run. Though running in the quicker left-lane, Anderson experienced a bit of tire-shake and only managed a 6.696 sec, 210.21 mph run. “The whole crew for the Mopar Dodge Avenger was just so strong and so consistent all weekend,” said Johnson, “today our mission was to be consistent and maintain lane choice. We did that until the final round, and it just so happened that in the final the right lane turned out to be better than the left, and Greg shook the tires a little bit. So it worked right into the palm of our hands. We’ve been after them [the Summit cars] for the last few races and finally got the win and gave them a run for the money. This Pro Stock battle for the rest of the year will be a knock-down drag out.”

Gavin Makes It Two For Corvette

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – It could not have been a better day to run the third round of American Le Mans series at Laguna Seca. The Muscle Milk HPD or Graf/Luhrs easily claimed P1 and the overall wins with a 3-lap lead over P2 winning Level 5 HDP of Tucker/Diaz/Montagny. Third place went to the PC-class ORECA entry of Bennett/Braun. The GT-class Corvettes of Oliver/Milner and Magnussen/Garcia claimed a 1-2 finish in exciting, nail-biting competition.

P1 was essentially an uncontested class with the second place prototype finishing over 20-laps back. P2 was a bit more exciting, though hard to keep track of drivers. The pole-sitting No. 55 Level 5 of Montagny led the first 3-hours until colliding with a GTC-class car, conceding the lead to the No. 95 Level 5 HPD piloted at the time by Scott Tucker. Montagny was able to complete the final 90-minute stint in the No. 95 entry achieving a top-of-the-podium finish for the Frenchman. PC-class was quite an exciting show coming down to the last lap as the CORE Autosport ORECA of Braun/Bennett passed the RSR Racing’s entry of Junquera/Drissi/Gonzalez as they “picked” around a CTC car. The CORE entry of Popow/Kimber-Smith came in third with only 1.725 seconds separating the three PC cars.

The real show was in GT-class where the race could have been won by either of 7 cars. The two Corvettes, two BMWs, and three Porsche’s were within 2 seconds in the last hour of the race. Oliver Gavin took the lead with an hour to go as he passed the Team Falken Porsche of Wolf Henzler. But then Bill Auberlen gave Gavin a run for the money in the BMW but was unable to pass the faster Corvette. With 15 minutes to go, the Corvette of Magnussen/Garcia went around the BMW giving the Michigan team a 1-2 finish, and their 2nd consecutive ALMS win. The GT Challenge race was won by the TRG entry of Bleekemolen/DiGuida with the Sofronas/Welch/Villenuve GMG RSR coming in second. Bob Faieta of Competition Motorsports managed a third place finish with co-drivers Cort Wagner and Michael Avenatti.