Main page | June 18, 2007 »

Backseat Driver: Big Weekend for Race Fans

It's a big weekend for race fans with a number of key races, including the Le Mans 24-hour race in France, the USA Formula 1 Grand Prix in Indianapolis, NASCAR's Citizens Bank 400 at the Michigan International Speedway and the NHRA's Franklin Trailers Lucas Oil Division 1 Points Race at Atco Raceway in Atco, NJ.

Rhode Island's own Bob Tasca III is competing at Atco after already building up quite a record in Top Alcohol Funny Cars this season. Last month, he won at the Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond and came second at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA.

But perhaps his most impressive performance was at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL, in March where he set the record for Top Alcohol Funny Cars with a pass at 263 mph. That's 263 mph - a speed that few of us can even imagine let alone ever experience.

Tasca is one of the brightest stars on the Top Alcohol Funny Car circuit - where he he currently ranks No.8 nationally - and I look forward to writing an indepth piece about him later in the season as he keeps up this blistering pace. I mean, what is it really like to drive at 263 mph?

Speaking of No.8, all eyes will be on Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Michigan this weekend following his signing with Hendrick Motorsports, the most dominant team in the Nextel Cup. Earnhardt, son of legend Dale Earnhardt, is the most popular driver in the sport and the move - he will start driving with Hendrick next year - is expected to generate increased interest and revenues for the sport.

Meanwhile, much speculation surrounds the possibility that Chevrolet might break out of a winless pattern at Michigan and come in with a win with current Nextel Cup leader Jeff Gordon. Chevrolet has been dominating the circuit this year, but last won at Michigan with Gordon in 2001.

By the by New England race fans, NASCAR is coming to Loudon, NH, on July 1 for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway. That's just two weeks away, and I plan to go.

But let's get back to superstars. The Formula I Grand Prix in Indianapolis this weekend features a major new star in the form of Lewis Hamilton of the McLaren team who won the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend in Montreal.

Hamilton, a Brit, is being hailed as the next Tiger Woods - he is young (22), black, handsome and extremely media/sponsor savvy. Already, there is talk of him being lured to the Ferrari team, which is suffering this season, for sums beyond the dreams of avarice, as Dr. Johnson would say.

Then we have the Le Mans 24-hour race in France, starting Saturday afternoon. There really is no race like it in the world - the cars run through the night for 24 hours with teams of three drivers changing places every three hours or so - and the car that has completed the most number of circuits at the end of the race wins. So it's really a matter of endurance and traditionally a great testing platform for engine and performance technology.

Certainly one of the most dramatic leaps in engine technology was highlighted last year with the win by Audi's R10 TDI diesel racer. One of the R10s was down at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance earlier this month and they are impressive just to look at - wide and low slung in silver and white with red and black flashes.

The TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) engine, with its massive torque, is incredibly powerful and romped to victory last year and is the favorite again this year. It's success follows the numerous victories of Audi's R8 gasoline Le Mans racer which retired last year after a final tour of the Le Mans American Series, including a run at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.

The only drawback of the R10 is the noise: there isn't any. For any race fan used to the breastbone-breaking thunder of a sqad of NASCARs or the madding whine of a flow of Formula I racers, the discrete hum of the R10 is something of a letdown to say the least.

But with the TDI technology due to hit the American roads next year as the VW group starts importing its clean diesels, the comparative quiet of their engines will be more than welcome. Just not at the racetrack!

Posted by   at 3:45 PM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

1957 Plymouth standing in water-logged time capsule

In a major setback to festivities surrounding the unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that had been buried in a time capsule in Tulsa, Okla., in 1957, a preliminary opening of the concrete vault revealed the car in several feet of water, according to the Associated Press and reported by CBS.

Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered to learn the secrets of a gold and white Plymouth Belvedere buried half a century ago under this city's courthouse lawn, according to the AP.

The 1957 two-door hardtop - buried to celebrate Oklahoma's 50 years of statehood - was encased in a 12-by-20-foot concrete vault, supposedly tough enough to withstand a nuclear attack.

Event officials already had to pump out several feet of water from the crypt that held the Belvedere for a half-century. But the condition of the car, wrapped in three layers of mud-caked protective material, remains a mystery.

Posted by   at 3:15 PM to Marques , Popular culture | Permalink | Comments 1

As the Rich Get Richer, the Nascar Field Tilts

Dale Earnhardt Jr. flashed a broad smile as he stood next to the race-team owner Rick Hendrick with cameras clicking away, capturing the moment that marked the beginning of a new era in Nascar, according to The New York Times

Earnhardt, the most popular driver in the sport, announced Wednesday at his JR Motorsports headquarters that he would join Hendrick Motorsports, the most dominant team in the Nextel Cup. Earnhardt has agreed to a five-year contract starting in 2008. His addition will create an all-star lineup at Hendrick next year with the four-time Cup winner Jeff Gordon and the defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

Posted by   at 1:25 PM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 1

Can discount gas crimp your ride?

Gasoline prices hit near-record levels recently, and the government says the average will stay above $3 all summer, sending motorists shopping for lower-price fuel and making them wonder if they're hurting their engines burning the cheap stuff, according to USA Today.

Their anxieties have lately been fueled by a $35 million Shell marketing campaign, warning that discount fuel is the petro-chemical equivalent of the road to hell.

And those anxieties are likely to go unresolved, because there seems no easy answer to the simple questions: What is bad gas? How can I avoid it?

Posted by   at 1:19 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

27,000 hourly workers have taken Ford buyouts

Ford says about 27,000 U.S. hourly workers have left the company under buyout or early retirement offers, according to USA Today.

Ford offered the packages last year to reduce its workforce to match lower demand for its cars and trucks.

Initially about 37,000 workers signed up for the offers, but not all have left the company, it said. Ford has until September to phase in the departures as it closes plants under a restructuring plan, and some of the workers could change their minds and stay with the company.

Posted by   at 1:16 PM to Auto industry , Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Carmakers funnel more funds to Democrats

American automakers, who are lobbying against legislation that would increase fuel economy standards, have directed more than half of their contributions this year to Democrats after 12 years of giving heavily to Republicans, according to USA Today.

The political action committees of the three automakers have contributed $374,000 in the first five months of this year, with 54% going to Democratic candidates, leadership PACs and party committees, according to a USA TODAY analysis of campaign data collected by PoliticalMoneyLine, a non-partisan group that tracks money in politics.

Posted by   at 1:14 PM to Auto industry | Permalink | Comments 0

Hertz, Avis Plan to Boost Hybrid Fleets

The increased demand for "green" vehicles is spilling over to the rental car counter, where many more drivers will soon be able to choose a hybrid vehicle, according to the Associated Press.

Hertz said it will spend $68 million to add 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrids to its fleets by 2008. And Avis said this week it plans to make 1,000 hybrid Prius vehicles available for rent as early as next week.

Posted by   at 1:12 PM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Winnebago 3Q Profit Falls

Motor home manufacturer Winnebago Industries Inc. reported its earnings fell 14.4 percent in the third quarter as higher materials and labor costs hurt its profit margins, according to the Associated Press.

The Des Moines, Iowa-based company's shares fell 2 percent in afternoon trading. Winnebago earned $11.3 million, or 35 cents a share, in the three months ended May 26 versus $13.2 million, or 40 cents a share, a year ago.

Posted by   at 1:09 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas Prices Expected to Rise at Pump

Gasoline futures extended their rally today, raising the prospect that prices at the pump will reverse course and again head higher in the coming weeks, according to the Associated Press. Oil futures moved above $68 a barrel.

Retail gasoline prices, which typically lag the futures market, fell again by 1.4 cents overnight to a national average price of $3.029 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Prices peaked at $3.227 a gallon on May 24.

Posted by   at 1:05 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0