Author: Missed Gear

Advertising drives racing. The cars have sponsors. The race has sponsors. The TV and radio broadcasts have sponsors. We expect it and accept it. Watching F1 and the Monaco Grand Prix we’re in awe at the beauty and diversity of the city and the view. The Marina is filled with blue sea and watercraft of every design. The cityscape rises set against the view of the hills. The sponsor banners line the streets with every color.

At best, they present a subliminal impact as they eye is drawn to the speed and road clinging action of open wheel power amidst the tight turns and narrow straights that make up the course in this showcase city with French and Italian influence.
There is a flash of Johnnie Walker, UBS, Pirelli, Shell V-Power, DHL and Zepter. We don’t know what Zepter is but from the tunnel we get flashes of “Home Art” and “Cosmetics”. (more…)

So many Americans have given so much for our Country. That sacrifice is often put to the side by many other troubles on our own doorsteps. The economy, political struggles and even the daily routine take up so much. However, there are those that step in and run with the efforts to never let these sacrifices be forgotten.

Several months ago the Martinsville Speedway held an event to announce some of these efforts to assist an injured United States Marine. Corporal J. B. Kerns was injured in Afghanistan on his third tour of duty. A terrorist’s IED roadside bomb left Kerns with amputated legs and an arm. Kerns is one who remembers that others in his outfit and all over the conflict do not come back at all. (more…)

The current seat of NASCAR is Charlotte, NC.  However, from this big city and central hub of racing teams the scene rolls back in time to many places and personalities of much more variety. The NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees for 2013 induction showcase this variety all too well.

The field of those on the list for consideration highlight the earliest days of the sport. Fireball Roberts, Wendell Scott, Tim Flock and others advanced the racing, the style and the stories that shaped NASCAR to what it is. Other nominees such as Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress, well known to even the youngest fans, have taken the ropes from the veterans and moved the sport forward to what we see now. (more…)

The starting grid is set following a weekend of practice, qualifying and the “bump day” for the Indianapolis 500. However, the “bump day” could have simply been labeled “Qualifying, The Sequel”. There were 9 spots to fill out the starting grid and 9 teams/cars going for it so there would be no actual “bump” from the race.

The top tier has shaped up as a veteran vs veteran for race teams. The top six qualifiers filling out the first and second rows are from the Penske and Andretti teams. These same teams fill out the top four spots in the points coming to Indy with Penske at 1-2 while Andretti is in at 3-4.

Will Power has dominated with Verizon/Penske Chevrolet bringing 3 wins of the 4 races along for the ride. Team mate Helio Castroneves is 2nd in points winning that 4th giving Penske a season sweep so far. (more…)

Auto Racing, in general, is having a bit of an identity crisis. It is not so much that the fans, or even the general public, do not recognize it. It is more a general feeling that there is no real connection to racing anymore.

Practically everybody can look at the #14 Office Depot Chevy driven by Tony Stewart in NASCAR and recognize it as a “NASCAR” race car. However, present the general public with the #10 Target / Ganassi Racing Honda of Dario Franchitti and the #4 Vodafone McLaren of Lewis Hamilton you will find that few outside of the paddock recognize the difference from IndyCar to Formula 1. Both of those cars, to the “non-racing” public, are likely identified as one or the other.

The “prototypes” of Grand-Am and American Le Mans are beautiful bits of shell and engineering but to the casual observer they are simply “race cars”.

Generally, if you throw a number and a logo on any given car it becomes recognizable as a “race car”. (more…)

Earlier this year Missed Gear attended a promotional event at the Martinsville Speedway to introduce a Heroic young man injured while serving our Country and a talented film star with a musical side stepping in to help him.

United States Marine Corporal J. B. Kerns was injured by a terrorist IED on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. The goal is to raise funds for a specialized home he can call his own in SW Virginia.

The film star is Gary Sinise. (CSI: NY, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump)  Gary adopted the name of his character from the film “Forrest Gump” and put his love of music together with a mission to help the men, women and families of our Armed Forces. (more…)

Talladega was a merry-go-round of sheet metal. A number of cars were damaged and put off or out. There were five yellow flag situations. Cautions and crashes. On average, a bit light on yellow for Talladega.

Then came Darlington. Green flag racing for the first half of the race. The last half of the race brought the yellow but for the most part it was a NASCAR call for “debris”. There were some spins and wall slides but no real field-changing sheet metal bang-ups.

Fan excitement. The debate is on… Again.

At some point in the week following Richmond on the way to Talladega one of the many “race talk / preview / review” shows on TV brought forth the subject of fans and attendance and viewing. One of the sub-topics included was cautions, crashes and what fans want to see. It seems the 2012 season is below average for crashes and cautions. Apparently, there is just too much green flag racing to keep the “fans” interested. (more…)