Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Talks About His Dad, Daytona and New Hendrick Digs

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spent a portion of his lunch break Thursday visiting with reporters at Daytona International Speedway, where his No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet was a respectable 11th fastest in the first morning session of a three-day test for the Feb. 20 Daytona 500.

This year's 53rd running of the Daytona 500 marks 10 years since his father, NASCAR's seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt, was killed on the last lap of NASCAR's biggest race. And while fans and the racing media are paying special attention to the sad milestone, Earnhardt said he thinks about his dad every day anyway.

"You think about your parents all the time,'' Earnhardt said, alternately bowing his head and then looking off in the distance, as he endured the inevitable questions. "I think about him and my mother all the time, especially getting back to racing.''

Earnhardt said his father would approve of the new $20 million pavement job gracing Daytona's 2.5-mile high banks. This week's test is the first time the majority of teams have tried the new surface. But Earnhardt didn't appear as concerned about the challenges of a new race surface as much as his desire to get out of a competition rut.

Earnhardt hasn't won a race in two and a half years and his 21st place finish in the 2010 standings was the second-worst of his career. The worst was a 25th-place ranking in 2009. Earnhardt will break in his third crew chief in as many years with NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Steve Letarte -- formerly Jeff Gordon's crew chief -- will now lead Earnhardt's No. 88 team, which will share a shop with teammate and five-time reigning Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson.

"I feel good about the position I'm in now and I feel pretty confident about it and I'm looking forward to going into the season and working hard for it,'' Earnhardt said. "We'll just see how it goes.

"When you're running good you can put up with about anything. It's not fun being on the radar when you're running like crap. But last year we sort of fell off the radar altogether.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/20/dale-earnhardt-jr-talks-about-his-dad-daytona-and-new-hendrick/

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How Williams triumphed in the face of adversity

Sir Frank Williams, who has been given the 2010 Helen Rollason award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, has never seen his disability as an excuse not to succeed at the very highest level.

The owner of the Williams Formula 1 team has been a quadriplegic since breaking his neck in a car crash in March 1986 but he has continued to oversee his company with evangelical zeal and commitment. In fact its biggest successes came after his life-changing accident.

Williams does not so much love Formula 1 as he is consumed by it. He still goes into the factory seven days a week, with Christmas Day his only time off. And his ability to carry on regardless, resolutely refusing to let his disability affect his day-to-day work, continues to humble those who know him.

When Williams suffered his injury, at the age of 43, doctors pointed out to those close to him that, based on the examples of other people with similar problems, he would be lucky to live another 10 years.

Nearly 25 years later, Williams continues to attend most of the races in an increasingly marathon F1 calendar, and remains one of the most widely respected men in the sport.

His attitude to his disability is simple - it's his own fault he ended up that way so he had better just get on with it.

If he ever felt differently, there is no evidence for it.

In her brilliant book about Frank, his wife Ginny gives an eye-opening account of the days after the accident.

Williams was a very active man and a keen runner but even when his life was still in danger immediately afterwards, he never - not even to his wife - betrayed any sense of self-pity, depression or any of the other emotions that might be expected of someone in his situation.

He talks about it very little, and simply says to Ginny that they have had several good years of one kind of life together and now they just have to get used to a different one.

Williams's partner, the team's director of engineering Patrick Head, says: "I'm sure Frank had some terrible moments thinking about the change in his life but he's never been one to sit around and be sorry for himself.

"Frank has always been very pragmatic about 'what is the problem and how can I deal with it' and applied that to himself and his injury.

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"His enthusiasm and positive attitude always overcome any difficulties he has."

This is the approach Williams has applied to his disabilities ever since.

Looking back, he says in his clipped manner: "I've had a wonderful life; wouldn't dream of changing anything, truthfully."

Williams suffered his injuries when he crashed his hire car while racing his driver Nelson Piquet to the airport after a pre-season test in the south of France.

He discusses the accident now with the same detachment he displayed in recovering from it.

"The car banged over a few times and I'm ashamed to say it was either the sixth or seventh rollover accident I'd had in my life," he says.

"I remember the sharp pain in my neck. I thought: 'Wow, rolling over isn't supposed to hurt that much.' The car finished upside down and I tried to reach for the safety belt to get myself out and I couldn't do it.

"I knew I was going to have the big one but I couldn't slow myself down."

The first few months after his accident he spent focusing on getting into a condition that would allow him to get back to attending races.

"He runs himself with military precision," says Head, "and once he'd found out what the things were that would cause him problems, he adapted his lifestyle to give himself the best opportunities. He's very disciplined about that sort of thing - it's remarkable what he has done since then.

"Frank's always been quite private in his own emotions and in control of his interactions with other people. Once we'd got used to the fact that he wasn't the same person he was before, that he was in a wheelchair, things just sort of carried on as normal."

Stopping competing in F1 never occurred to Williams.

"The thought of retiring or selling the team never crossed my mind," Williams says, "and I also suppose recognised subconsciously it would be a great daily antidote for the difficulties I would find myself in. It's a fantastic job, a very exciting business, highly competitive, always something to worry about, which can be quite healthy, actually."

At the time of his accident, his team were about to embark on one of several periods in which they have dominated the sport.

But success was a long time in coming. Getting to the top of F1 was famously a struggle - Williams operated his team out of a phone box at one stage in the early 1970s, so tight had money become. Once he had achieved success, though, he did not let it go for a very long time, regardless of the misfortune that was to befall him.

The turning point was joining forces with Head, whose first car for the team in 1978 established them as serious contenders for the first time.

In 1979, they missed out on the title only through poor reliability and an eccentric scoring system. But they made no mistake in 1980, with Australian Alan Jones romping to the championship.

They remained more or less at the top of F1 from then until Williams's accident, just missing out on the drivers' title in 1986 but winning it in 1987. But when at the end of that year they lost their supply deal with Honda, producer of the best F1 engines, people wondered whether, with the boss in a wheelchair, they would cope.

That was counting without the incredible commitment and desire of this remarkable man.

Patrick Head and Sir Frank Williams

Williams and Head have formed a formidable partnership for the last 30 years

Before long, Williams had replaced Honda with Renault, and the team went on to its greatest successes - particularly the 1992 and 1993 seasons, when a car bristling with technology such as active suspension brushed the opposition aside with Nigel Mansell and then Alain Prost at the wheel.

The team have variously dominated F1 in the early 1980s, the mid-'80s, and the early to mid-'90s, winning drivers' titles with many famous names - Jones, Keke Rosberg, Piquet, Mansell, Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, along with nine constructors' championships.

They have also provided the platform for some of the sport's most brilliant engineers to make their names - among them Adrian Newey, now in charge of design at world champions Red Bull, and Ross Brawn, who ran Ferrari's technical department in their dominant period with Michael Schumacher and now boss of the Mercedes team.

But there have been dark times, too - particularly the death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix only three races into his Williams career.

It remains one of William's greatest regrets: "I felt that we had been given a great responsibility providing him with a car, and we let him down."

The last few years have seen Williams slip from competitiveness. They have not won a world title since Villeneuve's in 1997 and not taken the chequered flag since the final race of the 2004 season.

And for the first time there have recently been signs that the 68-year-old Williams is slowing down a little.

In November 2009, he and Head sold 10% of the company to Austrian businessman Toto Wolff, with the two men's own shareholdings reducing proportionately from 65% (Williams) and 35% (Head).

And last summer, Williams handed his role as chairman responsible for the day-to-day running of the team to Adam Parr, with Williams remaining as team principal and Head still in charge of the technical side.

When he made the announcement, Williams emphasised that while he was planning for succession, he was certainly not retiring.

As Williams's current lead F1 driver, the veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, says: "I've never met anyone with so much passion for motor racing - it's truly amazing."

So much passion, indeed, that when he had to make a decision a few years ago between building a wind tunnel that would help make the cars go faster and keeping the private plane that allowed him to attend the farthest-flung races, he chose the wind tunnel.

Williams's voice is quieter now - talking is uncomfortable for him, as a result of his disability - and his eyes a little more watery. But a few minutes in his company leaves you in no doubt that his team's current lack of success pains him greatly, and that he is as committed as ever to getting them back to the top of F1.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/12/frank_williams_honoured_for_ac.html

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NASCAR Racing Teams

Every NASCAR racing team has earned the trust of racing fans all over the world because they are wiling to work hard each week during racing season to bring fans all of the thrilling moments of NASCAR that they richly deserve. The racing teams stand to lose out on a lot of sleep at times because they will be tasked with not only getting the race car ready for the next race, but they are willing to work harder still if the race car was in a wreck or pileup the previous week.

NASCAR fans know that racing teams are willing to do everything in their power to give the driver a fair chance of winning the next race. Every member of the racing team has a job to do and by performing that task to the best of their technical abilities, they hope that one day, their hard work will pay off. They do not seem to mind if the driver basks in the glory of the win in the winner's circle because if the driver has reached that point in the race, they know they have done their job superbly.

Every NASCAR racing team has one purpose in life. As a group, they are tasked with maintaining the racecar at top performance speeds that will allow the driver to be competitive each week. They want the driver on their team to win the race each week because they know that he must be able to tally up win points. Those points are a critical factor in determining which driver is the best and only the best driver in the country is going to be declared the winner of the Winston Cup.

To win the Winston Cup Racing Series, a NASCAR racing team must perfect their trade. They know that the road to the winner's circle is a long one and racing team members also know that they must do their best each week if they are going to experience the thrill of the win. The racing teams are not afraid of hard work and hard work is all they know during the racing season.

Every team member in NASCAR is willing to devote many hours to training. The pit crew will train on various tasks that are performed in the pit during every race. The training time is centered on one concept. It is their job to make split second tire changes and make repairs to the race car and anything else that needs to be done and get the NASCAR driver back on the track so that he can do the job he was hired to do. Seconds count in the pit and the training periods can be grueling.

For everything that they are tasked to complete each week, the NASCAR racing teams feel that it is all worth it. The fans have come to expect a certain amount of greatness from the things that they do and the racing teams will do everything in their power to make certain that they do not disappoint them. The racing team feels that it will be justly rewarded for all of its efforts when the racing team driver brings the Winston Cup trophy back to the racing team owner at the end of the season. Until NASCAR racing is over for the season, the racing team continues to stand at the ready and give the team the best of their abilities.

James Brown writes about Footlocker.com on-line coupons, NFLShop.com deals and Football Fanatics coupon codes

Article Source: NASCAR Racing Teams

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/44881/nascar-racing-teams

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History About The Start Of Nascar

What started off as a way of racing stock motorcars on dirt tracks has now become as America's biggest and most-watched sporting event. It has rapidly matched and in many places taken over even the NFL as the most-watched sport. Nascar is huge today. For those of you wondering, Nascar stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. There are many popular races that are put on by Nascar. There are more than 1500 races that are sanctioned by Nascar with the Nextel cup, Busch series, and the Craftsman series being the most common ones.

The History
It all began in the early days of the 19th century, when Daytona Beach became the setting for speed and racing cars. It had quickly become the place where speed records were being passed each and every day. In fact, more than 15 records were set here in a span of a few years. Drivers then begun to modify their cars in order to escape the fierceness of the police force. It was here that modified cars began participating in the racing circuit.

William France, Sr.
It was William France, Sr. who can be named the founding father of Nascar or the man who laid the groundwork for it. William France, Sr. had traveled to Daytona Beach from Washington, D.C. to escape from the Great Depression. He then entered in the racing event at Daytona Beach and finished fifth. He saw that very often the drivers were left lurking in the dark after sponsors made off with their money. They were left unpaid most of the times after doing all the hard work.

This led him to the conclusion that a set of regulations, a governing body, and an organized championship were necessary for the improvement of the race and the drivers. This gave way to negotiations with several racing enthusiasts, and Nascar was formed on the 21st of February, 1948.

The First Races And Rules
Can you believe that the first set of Nascar rules and the points system were written on a saloon napkin? The first racing event sponsored by the facultative body was held at Daytona Beach. But the first ever stock car race was held on June 19th, 1949, at the Charlotte speedway. Alterations on the car commenced after about six years after Nascar was formed. Soon, custom-made vehicles began appearing on the circuit.

The Racing Circuits
Some of the tracks expended in the initiatory racing circuits are still utilized today. Martinsville Speedway is one of them. Darlington Raceway, which opened in 1950, is another. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is a popular track on the Nextel Cup circuit, dates back to 1909!

This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise

Article Source: History About The Start Of Nascar

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/111202/history-about-the-start-of-nascar

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NASCAR Drivers Expect 'Wild' and 'Spectacular' Daytona 500

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If a few hours of testing the new pavement on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway is any indication, NASCAR drivers say fans can expect an even more action-packed, unpredictable Daytona 500 than usual. And that's saying a lot.

The prevailing opinion during Thursday's first test session was that the spanking-new, $20 million paving job is going to create one of the most wide-open 500s in recent history. Drivers praised the smoothness of the circuit and say it has created an even playing field between the veterans who knew all of the nuances and the new drivers not afraid to lift in a four-wide draft through the corners.

"It's just going to be wild,'' said Carl Edwards, who was 22nd fastest of the 40 drivers in town for the three-day test session. "The track is so smooth and has so much grip that there's no telling what people will try. You know the last lap is going to be insane.''

Michael Waltrip Racing drivers David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. led four Toyotas (pictured above) at the top of Thursday's speed chart. Reutimann's top speed was clocked at 195.780 mph and Truex was just a tick off at 195.776 mph.

Red Bull Racing teammates Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne were next fastest. This was Vickers' first official test since being sidelined most of last season with a blood clot. Kahne, who moves to Red Bull this season, is coming off double-knee surgery in the off-season.

Tony Stewart turned in the fifth-fastest lap in his Chevrolet, followed by the Chevys of Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and defending 500 winner Jamie McMurray.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/20/nascar-drivers-expect-wild-and-spectacular-daytona-500/

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Mark Martin to Race in All Three NASCAR Series in 2011

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Just when we thought Mark Martin might be winding up his long and storied career as a NASCAR driver, he's decided to jump back in with both feet in 2011 by running races in all three of NASCAR's national touring series.

In his final, lame-duck year with Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup series, Martin has decided to also run selected Nationwide series and Camping World Truck series events for Turner Motorsports.

Martin will drive the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet in Nationwide races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Ca., Michigan International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, with Trent Owens serving as his crew chief, the team announced Wednesday.

Martin will also drive the No. 32 Chevy Silverado truck in NASCAR Truck series races at Michigan as well as Pocono Raceway.

"I'm excited to be running back in the Nationwide and Truck Series again," said Martin. "Everyone at Dollar General and Turner Motorsports has been great and I'm looking forward to hitting the track with them next year. Working with Turner, I get to extend my relationship with Chevrolet and continue to have Hendrick horsepower under the hood, which is really, really good."

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/12/mark-martin-to-race-in-all-three-nascar-series-in-2011/

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MOTOGP: Stoner upbeat after Sepang test

Stoner upbeat after Sepang test By Pablo Elizalde Thursday, February 3rd 2011, 12:14 GMT Casey Stoner was upbeat about his progress with the Honda team following his first test of 2011 with the Japanese squad. The Australian, joining Honda after four years at Ducati, showed strong form during the Sepang test, finishing quickest on the opening day and second fastest on the last. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/motogp-stoner-upbeat-after-sepang-test/

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