Schroeder Takes Biggest Race of the Year

An elated Justin Schroeder took the first win of his career at the biggest race of the year – the Stan Yee Memorial 150. The twenty-one year old managed to find himself in the lead on the eightieth lap and never looked back. By the time he was done, he had lapped almost the entire field.

The day dawned with a bit of rain, which seems to be the norm at the Flack Rock Speedway, but the JMS Racing team didn’t seem to bat an eyelid. They managed to post the second fastest qualifying lap, just missing the fast qualifier award by split seconds. When the race finally started, Justin Schroeder found himself in ninth position on the grid. But it certainly wasn’t smooth sailing from that point. The 150-lap event had three starting attempts before the race finally got underway and Schroeder could start to eat his way up to the top of the pack. By lap seventy-one, a caution helped the young driver to whiz past Eric Lee, putting him in the lead and ultimately helping him to take the Stan Yee Memorial 150 winner’s trophy. Justin Schroeder has been racing for just two years and, judging by the way he drove during this race, this may be his first ever Outlaw Late Model win, but it won’t be his last.

After the race Schroeder noted that he’d really wanted the win and that both he and his team had come a long way since starting to race their cars. He said winning the biggest race of the year and the fact that this was his first ever win was “really pretty cool.” He also thanked his sponsors and his mother and father for their support. Schroeder will now be heading to the Dixie Motor Speedway where he will be taking part in the Port City Racecars Dixie Cup 100 next weekend. After that it’s off to Toledo Speedway where he will be battling it out for the Gold Cup championship. The youngster is already sitting in third place in the standings and will be looking to gain some ground on point’s leader Harold Fair Jr. when he takes to the track on August 8th. Justin Schroeder is no doubt a force to be reckoned with and fans should keep an eye out for this up-and-coming driver in the months ahead.

Brickyard Title Goes To Johnson After Tough Race

It wasn’t easy but after a grueling series of short dashes for victory, Jimmie Johnson finally managed to take home the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Sprint Cup race. Sunday afternoon’s race saw 43 of the world’s best driver’s fight for survival as the rough racetrack brought them to a screeching halt repetitively during the course of the race.

Unfortunate circumstances resulted in NASCAR imposing a number of precautionary pit stops for the sake of safety at the Brickyard Sprint Cup race on the weekend. This not only broke the racing into a series of ten or twelve lap dashes, but also meant that drivers had to pamper their cars and do their best to save their tires to ensure that everything lasted and performed until the final run. Tire problems continued to vex drivers and crew chiefs for the entire length of the race. Despite having spent years developing race tires specifically for Brickyard racetracks, race conditions on Sunday simply devastated all that research and had drivers racing conservatively instead of full-speed as they normally would. Constant restarts meant extra wear and safety was a major concern at the event. But in the end it was NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson who overcame the odds and managed to cross the finish line first. Johnson managed to finish just one car length ahead of his chief competitor, Carl Edwards, in a dazzling sprint to the end on the final seven laps. Despite the dangerous conditions it seems that Johnson threw caution to the wind somewhat and pushed every last ounce of speed out of his Chevrolet to take home the winner’s trophy.

From the start of the race the old Indy track promised to pose new challenges for tire wear so NASCAR and Goodyear agreed on a mandatory caution after ten laps in order to check tire wear for safety reasons. But the field didn’t even last that long. The first caution cropped up on only the fourth lap when Michael Waltrip lost control of his speeding Toyota. From that point on things were difficult and slow. Most of the action happened in the final laps when Edwards and Johnson, who started the race from pole position, battled it out for the winner’s trophy. During this short period of time the pair made managed to turn in some of the fastest laps of the day and leave third-place winner Denny Hamlin in the dust. The three were followed by Elliot Sadler and Jeff Gordon.

Tony Schumacher Takes Another Victory

It would seem that the name Schumacher is synonymous with speed and success. Certainly there is every indication that Tony Schumacher is destined to make it to the top of his field. The American drag racer has dominated the NHRA Top Fuel class for the past four years and it seems this year will be no different.

When Tony Schumacher thrashed his opponents at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, he continued to uphold his already well established reputation as a top NHRA driver. The drag racer is now the sixth driver in the history of the sport of drag racing to manage to take the entire western swing of NHRA races consecutively, winning in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma. His latest win is his eighth NHRA victory this season. It was also his 49th career win, putting him just three wins short of Joe Amato’s all-time best of 52. Other drivers who have managed to ‘sweep the swing’ include Joe Amato, Cory McClenathan, Larry Dixon, John Force and Greg Anderson. Anderson was the last person to do so and that was back in 2004.

When the green light lit up, Schumacher had the best reaction time allowing him to storm to the other end in 3.886 seconds at an average speed of 307.93 mph. In doing so he blew his chief competitor, Hillary Will, out the way. Will did well but her run lasted 3.988 seconds and her average speed was 306.19 mph. The race was virtually decided right from the start. Hillary Will was the local favorite, having come from Eureka in California. But it seemed that Schumacher was just one step ahead of her. Commenting on his victory, Schumacher said: “It’s been a lot of fun. The last couple of races have just been outstanding.”

When Schumacher took his U.S. Army dragster to the quarterfinals, he not only clinched the No. 1 seed in Top Fuel, but earned himself the 20-point bonus that comes with that achievement. Schumacher was not the only driver to enjoy some success on the weekend. Robert Hight won Funny Car with a run of 4.163 at 296.50, defeating mentor Gary Densham. Dave Connolly managed to claim the Pro Stock trophy with a 6.628 at 207.69 win over Jeg Coughlin. Matt Guidera won his second season race in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a 7.054 at 185.74 over Andrew Hines. Fans of the drivers now look forward their next races with keen anticipation.

Less Foreign Car Manufacturers Interested In NASCAR

A number of local car manufacturers that have been involved in NASCAR for a long time are now looking to downsize their racing ventures because of financial woes. One might think that this would see more variety hit the race track, but instead it seems it may be the start of hard times ahead for NASCAR.

Apparently representatives from several overseas car manufacturing companies have said that they are not interested in getting involved in NASCAR races, such as the Daytona 500, in the near future. Volkswagen, for instance seemed more concerned about environmental concerns than getting involved with big NASCAR races. They commented that they were not at all interested in investing their money in gasoline-powered racing at this point in time, but also noted that if NASCAR allowed turbos and diesels to race in their series they might start to consider it. With the company set to open a new manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it would seem that getting involved in big local motor sports is the next logical step. But instead the company seems dead-set against it, citing the fact that it is not as financially viable as other forms of racing. Motosports manager for VW America Clark Campbell noted that their entire involvement in the Jetta TDI Cup amounts to only about “two weeks worth of budget for a NASCAR team.” Hence, their efforts will continue to focus on the Jetta TDI Cup series while they work hard at tripling their current share in the U.S. car market during the next ten years.

Honda, on the other hand, is currently the only car manufacturer involved in the IndyCar Series. But that might soon change. Despite the fact that the company has enjoyed a steady rate of sales in the U.S., they do not share the same sentiments as NASCAR when it comes to developing racecar technology. Honda wants to use what they learn on the track in the cars they put on display in the show room, but NASCAR wants to keep all the cars on a level playing field by restricting technology. Hence Honda is not particularly impressed with the NASCAR racing situation at present.

Meanwhile Nissan seems to be harping on their racing heritage, saying that they have always been involved in championship road racing and so it seems that they will stick to that form of racing in the years to come. Of course there are many other car manufacturers that also need to decide whether or not to get involved in NASCAR racing, but if the trend continues, fans could be at a loss for good racing in the near future.

Auto Club Speedway to Host NASCAR Event

The NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series are set to return of the Auto Club Speedway later next month for three great days of fan interaction and spectacular auto racing. Additional entertainment is also lined up for the event to ensure that the weekend is unforgettable.

Situated in Fontana, California, the Auto Club Speedway will certainly be buzzing with life from August 28th to 31st. The weekend’s festivities will kick off with the Stater Brothers Race Fest 2008 which will take place at the speedway’s Opportunity Fan Zone on Thursday. The event will last four hours and will feature tons of great interaction between fans and the stars of the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. Tents will be set up to house the different drivers, and fans can easily move about obtaining autographs, pictures and special giveaways. Live entertainment, shopping and special displays will add to the mix. Essentially the event is a massive, fun pre-race party.

Then things get a bit more serious on Friday afternoon when practice sessions for both races get underway on Laughlin Qualifying Day. By the end of the day, Sprint Cup teams will head to the speedway’s two mile over to do their qualifying laps, which will determine where they stand on the starting grid for the Pepsi 500. No doubt there will be great racing, excitement, frustration and fun, so the day is definitely worth being present for. Saturday will start with qualifying laps for the Nationwide Series. It will also be the last opportunity to get some practice in for the Sprint Cup Series. Then, at 7 pm the action gets underway with the cars lining up for the Nationwide Series race. The Camping World RV Service 300, presented by Coleman, is 150 laps of the two-mile oval. Competition will be tough with drivers such as series leader Clint Boywer and teams like Joe Gibbs Racing taking part.

But the fun and excitement doesn’t end there. Sunday heralds the fourth and final day of the Auto Club Speedway’s massive weekend. The Pepsi 500 is the highlight of the weekend and will get underway at 5pm and continue late into the night. The difference in day and night driving means a change in track temperatures, so crew chiefs will need good strategy to ensure that their driver’s excel under these changing conditions. The race is bound to be a memorable one. There are a wide variety of tickets available for the weekend to suit different budgets, so make sure that you don’t miss out all the action by getting yours now!

Kroger and Power Stroke Diesel to Storm O’Reilly Raceway Park

Both the Kroger 200 and the Power Stroke Diesel 200 are set to take place at the O’Reilly Raceway Park before the end of the month. The Nationwide Series‘ Kroger 200 is set to take place this Saturday on the 0.686-miletrack. This is something that shouldn’t surprise anybody, as the race has been taking place at the O’Reilly Raceway since 1982.

Last year the action at the Kroger 200 was very exciting. A late caution resulted in a five-lap sprint to the finish where it was anyone’s guess who would be taking home the trophy. Greg Biffle led the pack out of the restart, with Jason Leffler, David Reutimann, Carl Edwards and Ron Hornaday Jr. hot on his tail. A further restart proved to go in Leffler’s favor and by the end of the race it was Jason Leffler who crossed the finish line first. This year Leffler will be back to defend his victory, but he will be going up against the likes of Carl Edwards, the current defending series champion, so it will be difficult to predict who will take the winner’s trophy home from the outset.

With fans barely recovered from the action and excitement of the Kroger 200, competitors from the Craftsman Truck Series’ Power Stroke Diesel 200 will be revving their engines in preparation for their race. This great race is set to provide fans with plenty of action after the exciting race that took place at Kentucky last weekend. At the moment the points battle is red hot with some driver’s having only a one-point advantage over others. The Craftsman Truck Series has been racing at O’Reilly Raceway Park every year since 1995. It’s a tough track and it seems that it is hard to hold onto the winner’s trophy. So far only three drivers have managed to do so on more than one occasion. They are Mike Sinner, Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday Jr.

The short track will no doubt result in the trucks suffering a lot of damage from each other but this will no doubt only add to the excitement. Johnny Benson, winner of the race at Kentucky last weekend, managed to jump from fourth place to first place in the overall series standings. But he only has a one-point advantage over Matt Crafton who took third place at the last race. The two face stiff competition from Ron Hornaday Jr. who was at the top of the standings with a massive 27-point lead until suffering a bad run at the Kentucky track, which resulted in him finishing in 10th place, pushing him down to third in the standings just five points behind Crafton. The three will be facing Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch who is also expected to run in both the Kroger 200 and the Power Stroke Diesel 200.

Carl Edwards Takes Winners Trophy at Gateway

Gateway International Raceway was abuzz with excitement this weekend as it hosted the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday night. The contenders for the winner’s trophy were fierce, but in the end it was Carl Edwards who managed to cross the finish line first.

Carl Edwards arrived at the race-track by bicycle and no doubt the clean air and healthy exercise did him some good since there was no stopping him after he got behind the wheel of his No. 60 Ford on the day of the race. The competition was tough, but it seemed that Edwards was destined to claim his second home win at the Gateway International Raceway right from the start. The doors started to open for Edwards after a pileup on Lap 116 wiped out a bunch of really strong contenders. The mess stopped the race for almost 25 minutes and saw Scott Wimmer spin into the wall at Turn 2 after getting a tap from Cassill. The result was that Reed Sorenson, Mike Bliss and Steve Wallace were eliminated from the race. From there he managed to climb his way up until he was third in a restart on Lap 146 and that was where it really started to get exciting. He chased Leffler and James Buescher for a while until he made a quick stop for some new tires. After that he quickly managed to pass the two cars before coming up on the 18-year-old Joey Logano racing phenomenon. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota was tough competition but in the end Edwards managed to take the checkered flag just 6.877 seconds ahead of his young rival.

After the race Edwards commented that his win at the 200-lap event was “unbelievable”. This is the 15th win of his career and he has already gained a large group of supporters who were in the grandstands to cheer him on. He didn’t forget his fans, but instead thanked them with the words: “Thank you everybody up in the grandstands. Thanks a lot.” Edwards also commented that racing with the No. 20 Toyota Camry was “a challenge, but a fun one.” The No. 20 Camry has already claimed nine victories this season with four different drivers behind the wheel. Jason Keller managed to scoop up third place, followed by Jason Leffler, Brad Keselowski and Landon Cassil respectively.

German Grand Prix Review

The German Grand Prix was perhaps one of the most unexpected races of the season. The surprising part wasn’t that Lewis Hamilton took the winner’s trophy, it was that the Ferrari Team performed dismally, with Massa only just managing to scrape together a third place.

It is a well-known fact that while Formula One Racing might be considered to be a science, with the performance of carefully tuned high performance vehicles being improved year after year by small scientific discoveries, it is really the art of driving that makes the biggest difference between a good race and a great race. The sport is physically and mentally challenging for the driver and it takes endurance, fitness, alertness and, most of all, skill to run a good race to the finish. For years now Ferrari has been dominating the sport, taking home one winner’s trophy after the next and maintaining a seemingly vice-like grip on the “Constructors Title.” They had the best drivers, the best cars and won the most races. But lately it seems they have hit a giant oil slick in their racing strategies. The cars are not performing the way they should and the drivers are not racing to their fullest potential. It is sad to see, but it gives other teams a chance to truly shine. And that was exactly what happened at the German Grand Prix this weekend.

In the beginning Raikkonen seemed to have the fastest car on the track and he was doing well. Light rain brought into question the use of tires better suited to the conditions and Team Ferrari chose not to put on new wet intermediates. The decision was strongly disputed and in the end it proved to be Raikkonen’s downfall. The result was that other teams such as Honda and McLaren could push to the front. By the end of the race all eyes were on Lewis Hamilton whose McLaren Mercedes car was screaming around the track in first place, after carefully climbing his way forward. Being able to take home the win in his home country must have only added to the joy Hamilton experienced at the event. The 23-year-old was clearly ecstatic and critics are wondering if they are going to see this youth blossom into one of the greatest drivers Formula One has ever seen. However, the fact remains that since other first class drivers such as Raikkonen and Massa were out of the picture, it is hard to tell exactly how he would perform against these more seasoned drivers if they were driving at their peak. Only time will tell exactly how good a driver he has the potential to become.

Rubens Barrichello also made good use of the rain, managing to climb the overall ranks somewhat during the course of the race. In the end it was Nelson Piquet for Renault who took second, and Felipe Massa of Ferrari who took third. The three were followed by Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) and Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren Mercedes) respectively.

NHRA Decides to Shorten Runs For Safety’s Sake

When drag racing became more and more popular in the early 1950s and 60s, the National Hot Rod Association’s home track was Pomona Raceway in California. The track was built as a quarter-mile and the cars’ speeds were only nearing 200 mph so the logistics worked. But that was then, and this is now. Today cars reach speeds in excess of 325 mph, and officials now fear that the track hasn’t changed enough to accommodate these high speeds.

This fact was brought into sharp relief recently when the life of Scott Kalitta, a Palmetto Funny Car driver, was brought to a catastrophic end when his car launched into the barrier at the end of a run last month in New Jersey, causing the car to explode with the driver still trapped inside. There were likely more factors involved in the crash than simply the lack of space and increase in speed, but the tragic event was a stark reminder that something needed to be done about the problem. The accident took place in Englishtown on a track that was built in 1965 – one of many tracks that, like Pomona Raceway, have run out of space to expand the runoff area at the end of the quarter-mile in case of emergencies such as these. Since the runoffs cannot be expanded, something else needs to be done to ensure that these tracks continue to remain relatively safe places to participate in motor sports. With this in mind, the NHRA has made the decision to shorten the races for Top Fuel and Funny Cars to just 1000 feet instead of the full 1 320-foot quarter-mile that has been the standard up until now. Both events see the fastest cars on the track and the most risks taken, and shortening the track will no doubt see a lot of cars slowing down in order to stay on the track.

Although the NHRA has said that this is only a temporary solution to the problem, a lot of people in the auto racing industry are up in arms about it. They feel that speed is the name of the game and a good driver will just suck it in and do their best. They also fear that the NHRA’s decision will become permanent. However, the decision made by the NHRA is clearly not about slowing the races down – it’s about the long-term safety of the drivers involved in these races. As long as there is insufficient space for a car hurtling down a run at 325 mph to slow down safely, the risk of more accidents like Scott Kalitta’s is just too great. Tracks must be altered, races must be shortened or technology must improve – we will no doubt see interesting developments in all three of these facets of racing in the near future.

British International Motor Show

Looking for a great weekend out for the whole family? Look no further than the British International Motor Show. No one in the family can complain that the show is just about cars because, while that is obviously the focus of the event, there is a whole lot more on offer.

This massive motoring show is held every two years in the United Kingdom where it receives a phenomenal response from the public. It is recognized by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles as being an international event and this premier auto show lasts almost two weeks. The 2008 British International Motor Show is set to take place from July 23 to August 3 and it will be held at the ExCeL Exhibition Center situated in London’s Docklands. This year will see a number of new cars being introduced to the public for the first time. These include the Ford Focus RS, the Opel Insignia, the Nissan Qashqai+2, the Vauxhall Insignia and the soon-to-be-legendary Lotus Eagle. But it doesn’t end there. There will be more than 595 world premieres, hundreds of interactive attractions and more manufacturing representatives than you can imagine.

The heritage enclosure will transport you back in time to discover the legacy of the supercar over the past fifty years in a fun and entertaining way. The marine experience will take the action away from the racetrack to the water where the public can “Try-a-boat”, watch exhilarating boat races and more. The Motor Show Music Festival will provide great waterside musical entertainment in a relatively intimate setting. Expect to hear the sounds of legendary bands such as UB40, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Blondie, Meatloaf with guest Arno Carstens and Squeeze. At the Dreamscape Honda Action Arena you will see plenty of exciting racing action as a variety of Honda cars and motorbikes take to the racetrack to thrill audiences in celebration of the legendary man behind the name. Kids are certainly not forgotten and not only do they get to have fun behind the wheel of their own minicars, but they get to learn about the rules of the road while doing it at the Peugeot Kids Driving School. The Disney/Pixar World of Cars will also give them a chance to catch up with their automobile heroes as these life-sized vehicles will be attending the show.

Those who prefer to kick up the dirt will find themselves at home at the ‘Land Rover’s Ultimate Experience’ zone. With a specialist instructor behind the wheel, you can find yourself in a car doing some pretty hair-raising stunts as its off-road capabilities are tested to the limit. Other exciting facets of the show include the Taster Test Drives, Mazda Zoom Zoom Challenge, the Supercar Paddock, the Shop at the Motor Show, Brownhills Outdoor Living, What Van? Live, Vauxhall VXRacing Village, Westfield Active Drift Experience, Garmin Great British Drives and Karting 4U. Clearly this is a not-to-be-missed event, so book your tickets now and make sure that you are there on opening day!

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