Fernando Alonso’s highly anticipated return to McLaren F1 has begun with a thud.
On the advice of his doctors, the two-time World Driving Champion will sit-out the 2015 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 15 after suffering a concussion in a crash while testing at Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 22.
Alonso’s McLaren/Honda will be handled at Albert [...]
FEATURE STORY, NASCAR - Sprint Cup Series »
New Rules Produce Familiar Result At Atlanta
Jimmie Johnson was a lonely man as he took the checkered flag at Atlanta last Sunday. (RacinToday/HHP photo by Garry Eller)
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
It was 10 years ago that Brian France summoned a small group of reporters to the NASCAR hauler in the infield of Kansas Speedway to talk about the future of Sprint Cup Series machinery. The centerpiece of the CEO/Chairman of the Board’s talk in that cramped, quiet 
office that day was a radical redesign of Sprint Cup cars.
The new cars, which would come to be known as the Cars of Tomorrow, featured rear-deck wings, protruding front splitters and a boxier overall shape. France explained that the purposes of the redesign were three; to increase safety, be more economical to design and build, and to improve raciness.
While NASCAR officials hit hard on the first two reasons, it was the third which, some say, was the major impetus for the introduction of the CoT.
NASCAR at the time was under seige by an invasion of engineers and flow dynamicists. The cars were no longer stock cars but purpose-built tube-and-skin fascimilies of stock cars. Read the full story »
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
It was 10 years ago that Brian France summoned a small group of reporters to the NASCAR hauler in the infield of Kansas Speedway to talk about the future of Sprint Cup Series machinery. The centerpiece of the CEO/Chairman of the Board’s talk in that cramped, quiet office that day [...]
The cars that provided the heartbeat of the NASCAR Modified division’s most storied rivalry – and put Rome, N.Y., forever on the racing map – are about to take their places in American automotive culture.
A No. 61 Pinto-bodied Modified formerly owned and driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans and a replica No. 38 [...]
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
Jimmie Johnson survived an explosion of late-race cautions and restarts to win Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The victory was the 71st of the six-time champion’s career and came in start No. 473.
Johnson, who didn’t pick up a victory in 2014 until the fourth month of [...]
By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Matt Crafton finally visited Victory Circle at his “favorite racetrack” Saturday, blitzing the field in the Hyundai Construction Equipment 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The two-time/reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, Crafton’s Toyota Tundra overtook Daniel Suarez on Lap 59 of the scheduled 130 around AMS’ 1.54-mile quadoval. At the [...]
A week ago in the Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano finished second and first respectively. Saturday, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Harvick and Logano finished first and second respectively.
Harvick took the lead for the final time with 26 laps to go and held off Logano to win the [...]
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
Qualifying almost always results in one driver being happy and all others being disappointed. Following Friday’s Sprint Cup time trials at Atlanta Motor Speedway, one driver emerged happy and a bunch of others were beyond furious.
The happy dude was Joey Logano, the winner of last weekend’s Daytona 500, who won [...]
By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Police have found the Sprint Cup car that was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Georgia.
The car was found in Loganville, Ga., north of Atlanta on Saturday.
Team Xtreme Racing had withdrawn from Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway because somebody had [...]
By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Joey Logano’s victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 was witnessed by 13.4-million viewers on FOX, a 44 percent increase over the 9.3-million diehards who waited-out last year’s day-long, rain-delayed telecast at Daytona International Speedway.
The network reported Thursday that a total of 23.5-million viewers watched all or [...]
By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
David Ragan will replace Kyle Busch as driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota Camry fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing beginning with Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Meanwhile, Daytona 500 runnerup Kevin Harvick used his “Bully Pulpit” position as reigning Cup [...]
Regan Smith will make a second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start as replacement driver for the suspended Kurt Busch in the Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 1, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Monday.
Smith will return to the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS during an open test session at AMS [...]