NASCAR Tickets - Earnhardt Ganassi Parks No. 8

The No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. stock car brought immense fame to the great Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but it will not have the same sort of luck for Aric Almirola, who saw his Sprint Cup season cut short earlier this week when his sponsorship money ran out. The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver will finish his NASCAR season short at a current number 37 in owner's points, putting another 40 jobs in jeopardy as Almirola now gets to play the waiting game in collecting more sponsorship money to continue his wild ride on the racetrack.

Almirola and EGR knew funding would be tight going into the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and Almirola had four separate sponsors in his seven races during the '09 season before finally being forced to call it quits. The No. 8 driver hasn't given up completely, though, as he is still under contract with EGR but could talk with other teams about driving should sponsorship money come through. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta recently made a statement regarding the current Almirola situation, saying, "We're talking to a lot of companies. We had a couple of companies with us at Texas. We've been doing this one [race] at a time, two at a time, three at a time, and it's really tough to do that. So we decided not to go to Phoenix and get ourselves to the point where we can get that sponsorship that will believe in Aric and market around Aric and help our team. Once we do that, we'll be back on with the 8 on the track."

While this waiting game is undoubtedly difficult for Almirola to undergo, the stock car racer has no other option than to spend valuable time searching out sponsorship money before getting back behind the wheel for another Sprint Cup race. If his season is indeed done for good, Almirola will have concluded the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a number of consistent finishes, as he crossed the finish line at Daytona in 30th place, was 35th at Fontana, 39th at Las Vegas, 21st at Atlanta, 35th at Bristol, 37th at Martinsville and 33rd at Texas. Fans with NASCAR tickets got to see the third EGR car zoom around the track seven times this season, and hopes are high that Aric Almirola will return for next racing season, if not sooner.

Almirola is a native of Tampa, Florida and has been racing competitively since age eight, when he got behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time. In 2004, Almirola made his NASCAR debut piloting late models in North Carolina for Joe Gibbs Racing, and in 2005 he switched to the Craftsman Truck Series of Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, where he kicked up dust and eventually got noticed, propelling him into the Busch Series. After 2007, Aric Almirola scored a ride with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, where he shared the No. 8 United States Navy Chevrolet with Mark Martin. His run in 2009 with the combined Earnhardt Ganassi Racing was short but sweet, but racing fans can be sure they haven't seen the last of Aric Almirola. The show must go on for now, and NASCAR tickets will be available online regardless of whether or not Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's No. 8 comes back this season or not.

This article is sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Article Source: NASCAR Tickets - Earnhardt Ganassi Parks No. 8

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/256627/nascar-tickets-earnhardt-ganassi-parks-no-8

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Chip Ganassi Set to Double Up IndyCar Champion Team

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Chip GanassiReigning IZOD IndyCar Series championship owner Chip Ganassi will be doubling his efforts in the series in 2011, adding two additional cars to his trophy stable.

The team, which would not confirm or comment on the long-rumored news, has scheduled a press conference Thursday in Indianapolis where Ganassi will introduce the newest additions to a driver lineup that already features two-time defending series champ Dario Franchitti and former two-time champ Scott Dixon.

Second-generation driver Graham Rahal -- son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal -- and Charlie Kimball, 25, a young talent moving up from the feeder Indy Lights Series, will campaign for Ganassi next year, working out of a "satellite" team shop rented from drag racing legend Don Prudhomme.

Rahal, 21, is the youngest IndyCar Series winner in history, scoring his only victory in the 2008 season-opener at St. Petersburg, Fla. However, he did not race full time last season. Kimball will be making his debut in the series.

Thursday's announcement will also confirm full-time sponsorship for both Rahal and Kimball -- significant for the series, which had several high-profile teams struggling to find primary corporate backing in 2010. In a unusual twist, Rahal actually announced a two-year sponsorship deal with TBC Corporation -- which owns several automobile tire retailers -- at this season's finale in Homestead, Fla. before having a contract in place with a team.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/15/chip-ganassi-set-to-double-up-indycar-champion-team/

Kevin Harvick Brad Keselowski Ruby Tuesday Dodge Carl Edwards

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

David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch

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; The Best Weekend Of Your Life!

It doesn't seem to matter whether you are a fan of Nascar or you hate the sport, Nascar is one of the most popular organizations and auto races of all time. In fact, there are people all over the country that make it a weekend affair when the auto racing season comes upon us! There have been so many different exciting times in this sport that it would be hard if not impossible to name all of them off, however, there have been key people that have been involved in this sport and I think it is important to list a few of those. These are people that brought the world of Nascar to the forefront of every person in the good old USA that were excited about auto racing.

Jeff Gordon -

See, Jeff was always my favorite! He is one of the many individuals that has appeared on commercials, TV shows, books, documentaries, memorabilia and even cereal boxes, but all this popularity is for good reason! Jeff has won somewhere around eighty auto races in his career, and every single day he seems to out do himself and his accomplishments!

Dale Earnhardt -

Dale also known as the Intimidator by all the other drivers on the track definitely lived up to his nickname. This guy was absolutely perfect for auto racing, sadly his career had come to a halt when his life ended a few years ago. The thing most people remember about Dale was the seven championships he won in the auto racing industry! Dales son Junior has now taken over the racing field, winning awards such as 2007s Most Popular Nascar Driver and 2004 Daytona 500 Winner. Though most people say Junior will never be able to replace his dad, they also say he still is doing a great job in the auto racing industry!

Richard Petty -

Petty can't even be compared to Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon simply because he raced in a different era than those two, however, he gets definite marks for winning over 200 races in his lifetime! Petty has always been really popular amongst the masses and tons of his fans still to this day, continue to look up to Richard Petty for all the achievements he accomplished along the way!

Obviously this is only a small list of the thousands of people that actually race in this industry, for instance putting these three guys to the sidelines there is also Rusty Wallace, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip, Ricky Rudd and many more! Moreover, with the excitement that comes from the fans for all of these men, indicates that Nascar has come along away but that Nascar will also live on for many more years to come!

This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise

Article Source: Nascar; The Best Weekend Of Your Life!

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/114297/nascar-the-best-weekend-of-your-life

Brad Keselowski Dale Earnhardt Jr Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford

Brad Keselowski Gets Nationwide Crew Chief Paul Wolfe for Cup Team

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No driver competing in NASCAR's two top series showed greater disparity in results in 2010 than Brad Keselowski, who won the Nationwide series championship with six victories while eking out a couple of top-10 finishes in a forgettable Sprint Cup campaign.

Both cars came from Penske Racing, and when Roger Penske is involved, nonperformance won't stand.

Thus, the organization announced Tuesday that Paul Wolfe, Keselowski's championship-winning crew chief in Nationwide, has been promoted to become his Sprint Cup crew chief, replacing Jay Guy.

In addition to the six victories and the championship, Keselowski and Wolfe scored 29 top-10 finishes in 35 races. Twenty six of those were top fives -- a series single-season record. He also won five poles, led 1,147 laps and had an average finish of 5.2.

By contrast, in his Sprint Cup car, Keselowski had no victories, one pole position, no top fives and just two top 10s -- 10th-place finishes at Martinsville and Talladega late in the season. He led 41 laps and had an average finish of 22.4.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/30/brad-keselowski-gets-nationwide-crew-chief-paul-wolfe-for-cup-te/

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Your questions answered - Brazilian Grand Prix

Do I think Red Bull should have allowed Mark Webber to win in Brazil instead of Sebastian Vettel? Do I think Mercedes and Renault will benefit from such a tight battle this season? Do I agree with Bernie Ecclestone's comment that Lotus are the only new team to have contributed this season? Do I think heads should roll at McLaren? Who do I think has been the best driver in the bottom five teams? And the big question - who is going to win the title?

Watch my answers below.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2010/11/your_questions_answered_-_braz.html

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Canadian GP: Hamilton all set for qualifying as he goes fastest in P3

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TBPlp2bglqI/AAAAAAAAGT0/qQ-B08kXt4w/s1600/Hamilton+all+set+for+qualifying+as+he+goes+fastest+in+P3.jpg

June 12 '10

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver in his McLaren in the final practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix with his best time of 1m16.058s which was 0.3 of a second faster than the Red Bull of Mark Webber in second position.

As if the track wasn't slippery enough, overnight showers made track conditions even worse at the beginning of the session. Halfway through the session the track became almost dry and Hamilton set his fastest time of the weekend on the super-soft tyres that nobody could match.

According to iTV, "In the middle part of the session Button had briefly traded fastest times with his McLaren team-mate Hamilton, before the younger Briton took command with a 1m16.259s lap at the 40-minute mark.

"Even though it was set on the harder prime tyre, that time remained unbeaten when the field switched to the super-soft options in the closing stages ? except by Hamilton himself, who moved the benchmark to 1m16.058s."

Sebastian Vettel was fifth quickest in the second Red Bull and was on target to improve when Lucas di Grassi spun his Virgin at the Casino hairpin with just a minute left on the clocks and brought out the yellow flags.

Apart from Grassi, there were few others who also had a close shave. Felipe Massa brushed the wall at the exit of turn seven and sparks flew from the front side of his Ferrari with no major damage. Hamilton also brushed the barriers coming out of turn four after setting the quickest time of the session.

Nico Rosberg managed just 4 laps during the dying stages of the practice session as his Mercedes was being tended by the pit crew with a clutch problem. Hispania's Karun Chandhok missed the entire session as his car stopped at the pit exit due to gearbox problem.

Canadian Grand Prix free practice 3 times

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 16.058s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 16.340s
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 16.495s
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 16.536s
5. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 16.582s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 16.653s
7. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 16.673s
8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 16.699s
9. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 16.814s
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 16.982s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 17.121s
12. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 17.231s
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 17.331s
14. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 17.548s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 17.609s
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 17.633s
17 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 17.789s
18. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 17.979s
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 19.013s
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 19.447s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 19.536s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 19.844s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 20.325s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth No time

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Marcos Ambrose Is NASCAR Crash King With 19 Incidents

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Marcos Ambrose, NASCAR's Aussie driver, did not let a mid-season surge in futility by Elliott Sadler deter him from capturing the season 'championship' in yellow-flag crashes and spins.

Coming on strong during the final eight races with seven spins or crashes, including a final spin (at right) during the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ambrose easily outdistanced the competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series to post a season-leading 19 incidents and win the title by two.

Sadler, meanwhile, found uncommon consistency in the final stretch, chalking up only a single yellow flag in an incident at Martinsville Speedway during the last eight races. That brought his season total to 15, a number easily surpassed not only by Ambrose, but by hard-luck Sam Hornish Jr., who reached the second-highest total of 17 after the misfortune of four more incidents in the final eight races, including two in the Martinsville race.

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano were tied for fourth in our exclusive FanHouse crash and spin roundup, with 14 incidents apiece.

Drivers involved in 13 spins or crashes in the 36-race schedule, or one every three races, were Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya.

In our tally, we count an incident on a driver's tally if his car is listed as being involved in a spin or a crash that brings out a yellow flag. Caution periods caused by stalled cars, engine failures or debris do not count, unless a spin or crash was involved and a car number listed.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/28/marcos-ambrose-is-nascar-crash-king-with-19-incidents/

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