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Yes, Virginia, your racing season is on!

The racing season is winding down but the tension is rising. Just have a look at NASCAR. The last few races have seen the variety of winners with circumstances rotating through the points lead. Currently, the lead is on with Greg Biffle who also held it early in the season.

Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have also rotated through the lead. The last few races have change off on leader points like right front tires on pit stops. The season is in high gear and the state of Virginia gets the lion’s share of the action.

Bristol is this weekend. Anything can happen here as the “Chase” winds through the final points races to get in. Face it, Bristol is a strip of pavement in a fishbowl. Throw in 43 cars looking for a win with a good portion of them looking for “Chase” points and you get eggs in a blender. Bristol is one for Virginia fans.

Yes, Tennessee, we know. But what is a few miles, really? (more…)

Has racing become too “predictable”? We hear it sometimes… Lap after lap… Left after left… Yeah…

We had an opportunity to check out a fairly new series of racing over the weekend of August 11-12 at Virginia International Raceway. “Chump Car” racing puts a lot of folks behind the wheel and on the track with real racing and, compared to NASCAR or other national series, little investment. It is grass roots racing with a “run what you brung and have some fun” attitude.

The premise is basic. Get your hands on a cheap car. Throw in the roll cage and basic safety stuff so you don’t damage yourself. Leave the engine and suspension alone for the most part. Go to a drivers’ meeting and get the rules and such for the day and “go racing”!

How simple is that? Anybody can race as long as their car falls inside the fairly loose regulations. The goal is fun, safety, and clean competition. (more…)

Tires. Generally you think about your tires when the number on your inspection sticker and the number on your calendar matches up. It is then you take a quick look at the treads and think they will sneak by one more time or you realize they would hardly be safe hanging from a tree. If the latter is the case, you then mumble some profanity and begin the search for the best deal. Internet, newspaper, friends… Ads and questions… Buy three get one free… all weather or performance…  tread life… Do you want the replacement warranty?

Race drivers don’t have most of these worries. The tires they get are sanctioned so they aren’t shopping the net for the best deal. They do, however, find themselves at some facility testing those very tires that are issued for race day. In some ways you could equate this to comparison shopping as the drivers are out all day with tire stats instead of doing fun stuff at home. (more…)

The NASCAR season is into the late half and so far, by design or luck, it is shaping up for big races. The “Chase” is winding with a few aces being held to the chest. The ingredients have been mixed and all that is left is to toss it in the oven and watch it rise.

There has been drama and controversy to keep the fans talking. Kurt Busch, for example, with media trouble and a race suspension from NASCAR trying to break him back inside the corral.  A.J. Allmendinger is another with a mark on substance abuse, suspension and a sanctioned rehab program. The continuing saga of Matt Kenseth making a jump for 2013 keeps some speculation in the conversation. (more…)

Some of the best racing at The Brickyard was Friday evening, and the grandstands were all but empty. There were people about the place, but for the most part the seating looked more like aluminum storage.

This first visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the ROLEX Grand-Am series showcased everything that defines motor racing and few, a very few, even bothered to give the race an eye.

When the green flag drops on Sunday’s Curtiss Shaver 400, the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the grandstands will be crowded, filled and full of “race” fans. Or should we say “NASCAR” fans… They aren’t “race” fans. The proof was the empty aluminum on Friday. With that omission, they deprived themselves of a great event. (more…)

England seems to have invaded Germany with weather. Just like Silverstone two weeks earlier, the Grand Prix of Germany was taken over by rain and wet conditions for practices and qualifying only to open with a dry, green track for race day. Formula 1 was primed for a good race as teams scrambled once again for set-up and tire use strategy. They all had a good stock of Pirelli dry tires as the wet conditions earlier left the smooth tires in the stacks.

The softer compound adds grip but the harder compounds give better wear. Tire strategy timed to have traction and speed in the final laps was on tap in Germany. The earlier rain had left no rubber on the course so holding or gaining through the 67 laps had to play within that strategy also. (more…)

No NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend? Whatever will you do…?

You could watch the Nationwide series race. Some of you will. Maybe not all of it. Maybe long enough to see a spin or crash and blame it on Danica Patrick…

However, you could expand your horizon a bit and watch Formula 1 from Germany and American Le Mans from Canada. You could also catch up with IndyCar, also racing in Canada, and see how they are getting along without Danica… (more…)