FanHouse

Ryan Newman Calls Talladega Crash 'Worst Hit I've Ever Had'

Holly Cain — 2009-11-06T16:46:00 00:00

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Crashes

For two mornings this week, Ryan Newman struggled just to lift his head off the pillow to get out of bed, his neck muscles still sore from a frightening airborne smash-and-roll wreck at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last Sunday.

Even as he suited up Friday to practice for Race 8 of NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Championship at Texas Motor Speedway, he was still aching from the crash, and bristling that it even happened.

Newman had been outspoken about NASCAR's immediate need to keep the race cars from launching into the air during accidents -- only to take that scary ride himself Sunday afternoon.

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Timing Crucial in Danica Patrick Move

Holly Cain — 2009-11-05T20:00:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: NASCAR Rumors, Danica Patrick

INDIANAPOLIS -- The timing of the latest round of Danica Patrick-to-NASCAR reports isn't lost on those in the IndyCar world, where Thursday's major announcement that IZOD will be the IndyCar Series' first title sponsor in a decade has been forced to share headlines with its most famous driver's likely part-time foray into stock cars.

Recently crowned 2009 IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti -- a former Andretti Green Racing teammate of Patrick's -- said Thursday he's still confident she's staying in IndyCar next season.

"I believe she'll be back in IndyCar next year and that will help her with her goal of winning the Indianapolis 500,'' Franchitti told FanHouse. "If she does drive in NASCAR, I think it will be difficult to do both.''

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IZOD Signs on as IndyCar's Title Sponsor

Holly Cain — 2009-11-05T16:46:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: IRL

INDIANAPOLIS -- The IndyCar Series formally welcomed IZOD as the title sponsor for the series Thursday in a flashy, ultra-hip unveiling at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- a significant development in the future of the series which hasn't had a big money title sponsor in the last decade.

"It is our biggest day in the history of the company,'' said Terry Angstadt, President of the IRL's Commercial Division.

"When people ask about our priorities on a business side, this was number one through ten, believe me.''

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Jimmie Johnson on Bulldozing Talladega, Luck and Enjoying the Ride

Holly Cain — 2009-11-04T06:26:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Talladega Superspeedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup

To hear Jimmie Johnson describe it, the most challenging part of wrapping up a historic fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship is not getting wrapped up in winning it. No matter how hard everyone else tries to convince him the trophy's been engraved.

He holds a 184-point advantage -- nearly a full race lead -- on second place Mark Martin and only needs to finish 10th place or better in the remaining three Chase for the Championship races to secure the trophy. That's even if Martin wins all three races and leads the most laps in each.

But Johnson insists his approach in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy will be the same as if he was trailing by 184 points and promised he wasn't about to start being conservative.

"We're showing up to win races,'' Johnson said. "Finishing 10th isn't as easy as it sounds. It is a tough field of cars out there and we need to be on our game. With three to go, we need to race these next two as if we're behind in the points and get every point we can.''

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Different Day, Same Talladega

Holly Cain — 2009-11-02T16:25:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes

Before Ryan Newman's horrific Talladega flip-roll-smash-and-slide on Sunday, there was Carl Edwards' car somersaulting into the front stretch fencing.

The late Dale Earnhardt had one of his most frightening accidents at Talladega Superspeedway, barrel-rolling through the tri-oval. Before that it was Ricky Craven and Bill Elliott on E-ticket rides. In 1993, driver Jimmy Horton's car flipped over the Turn 1 wall and landed outside the track.

Rusty Wallace's Talladega crash footage -- pick a year -- used to be standard play before any NASCAR restrictor plate race.

The point is -- while there is a justifiable outcry at the scary accident involving Newman this weekend -- spectacular, highlight-reel wrecks here aren't news. They are old news.

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Despite Precautions, Talladega Remains Wild Ride

Holly Cain — 2009-10-28T17:00:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Tracks

Depending on your perspective, Ryan Newman either had the best seat in the house or the worst during NASCAR's last visit to the mighty and unpredictable Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Carl Edwards, Sprint Cup rookie Brad Keselowski and Newman were 100 yards in front of the checkered flag, set to decide the winner amongst themselves, when Keselowski and Edwards collided directly in front of Newman. Edwards' Ford went airborne, bounced off the hood and windshield of Newman's Chevy, then flew into the fencing along the front stretch grandstands in a horrific-looking accident that led the country's sports highlight reels.

If you haven't seen the video, you will. It'll be played over and over and over all weekend as the Sprint Cup Series makes its Chase for the Championship visit to Talladega this week.

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Steve Addington Out as Kyle Busch's Crew Chief

Holly Cain — 2009-10-27T11:52:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

Despite turning in a four-win 2009 season and leading Kyle Busch to a series best eight victories last year, Steve Addington (far right, with Busch) is being replaced by Dave Rogers as crew chief of Busch's No. 18 Toyota beginning with the Nov. 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Addington, 45, who has served as crew chief of the No. 18 car for five years, will be reassigned within the Joe Gibbs Racing organization, according to a news release from the team on Tuesday.

"We evaluate all of our teams on an ongoing basis and believe this is a change that will make the 18 team stronger as we prepare for next season,'' said JGR President J.D. Gibbs. "We think highly of Steve and the job he has done and we look forward to him remaining a part of the JGR family."

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What's the Knock on Johnson? None

Holly Cain — 2009-10-25T20:28:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

Is there another sport that turns on its winners so?

And cheering against the New York Yankees doesn't count.

Another superb run in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship has put Jimmie Johnson in position for a historic fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title. He's on the verge of accomplishing something Richard Petty, the late Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon never did.

And for all his hard work and performance under pressure here's the thanks he gets: people are accusing him of stinking up the show.

More Coverage: Hamlin Triumphs | Tums 500 Results | Sprint Cup Standings

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Jeremy Mayfield: 'I Was Worth More ... As A Failed Drug Test'

Holly Cain — 2009-10-23T12:45:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Sprint Cup

In his first national one-on-one television interview, suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield continued to deny drug use and accused NASCAR of using him as a "a good pawn who wasn't going to cost them any money at all.''

Mayfield, who was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for testing positive in a pair of drug tests this May, made the assertions on ESPN's Outside the Lines show, which will air Sunday at 9 a.m., hours before the green flag drops for the Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville, Va.

It's been widely reported that the positive test revealed use of methamphetamine, something Mayfield has denied. He claims the tests were a "false positive," the result of his use of Adderall, a prescription drug for attention-hyperactivity disorder, combined with the common allergy medication, Claritin-D.

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Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: Helping the Animals

Holly Cain — 2009-10-23T11:24:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup

FanHouse has partnered with Ryan Newman for a behind-the-scenes look at NASCAR's Chase for the Championship. Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway is the sixth of 10 races that will decide the Sprint Cup Series championship.

Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet, is ranked ninth of the 12 Chase drivers vying for the season title, 288 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, but only 111 points behind fifth-place Kurt Busch. Newman is coming off an 11th-place finish Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- his third finish of 11th or better in the five Chase races so far.

In this week's installment of Inside the Chase with Ryan Newman, FanHouse gets the back-story of the Ryan Newman Foundation, which raises money for animal shelters and pet adoption education.

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Richard Childress Racing Continues to Search for Answers

Holly Cain — 2009-10-22T14:36:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress wore the expression of someone who's learned to operate "in the big picture" as he calmly, thoughtfully answered the tough questions about how his mighty racing organization has endured the struggles and frustration of a winless 2009 season.

Lost in all the Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin championship storylines, and the Dale Jr. non-championship hysteria, is the quiet dismay at RCR, which had three cars in the Chase for the Championship a year ago and not a single one of its now four-car stable qualify this fall.

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Lesa France Kennedy Is 'Most Powerful Woman In Sports'

Holly Cain — 2009-10-20T15:26:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: NASCAR Awards

It's hard to imagine Forbes Magazine's newly crowned "Most Powerful Woman in Sports" in a neon-orange vest standing outside Daytona International Speedway directing race day traffic in the hot Florida sunshine. Or collecting tickets from fans at the gate. Or working in the chaotic, noisy mail room -- before computers automated the process.

But that's exactly how Lesa France Kennedy, 48, got her start at International Speedway Corporation (ISC), sister company to NASCAR. Her late father, Bill France Jr., would have it no other way in the family business.

"In fact, he [France Jr.] was probably tougher on Lesa than her brother [NASCAR Chairman] Brian ... just to toughen her up and prepare her, he didn't cut her any slack,'' said NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter, who has known Kennedy since she was a teenager.

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Chasing Jimmie: Contenders Fading Fast

Holly Cain — 2009-10-18T01:45:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Lowes Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup

CONCORD, N.C. -- For the past two days, one driver after another took the podium in the press room at Lowe's Motor Speedway and made his case that NASCAR's Chase for the Championship was far from over. Sure, Jimmie Johnson had taken the points lead last week and looked every bit the postseason form that won him the previous three Sprint Cup championships.

But the Chase wasn't even halfway over yet, we were reminded. And no way could anyone maintain a finishing average less than five in the most pressure-packed time of the year.

Turns out, it's all wishful thinking.

More Coverage: Race Results | Sprint Cup Standings

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Banking 500 Chat Recap

Holly Cain — 2009-10-17T14:00:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

FanHouse readers joined Holly Cain at Lowe's Motor Speedway for a trackside chat before the green flag dropped for the Banking 500. The race marks the halfway point of NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Championship playoff.

Check out what topics the chat included, as readers asked questions about championship contenders and contributed their own opinion.

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Junior Johnson - Last American Hero Is Hall of Famer

Holly Cain — 2009-10-16T19:11:00 00:00

by Holly CainCONCORD, N.C. -- Smiling ear-to-ear, 78-year old Junior Johnson declared his selection for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class "the biggest thing that's ever happened to me" in a storied career that included 50 race wins as a driver and six Cup championships as a team owner.

When asked if being a Hall of Famer was how he'd most want to be remembered, the single recognition he'd like on his headstone one day, Johnson deadpanned with a twinkle in his eye, "I'd want it to say, 'He didn't cheat as much as everyone thought he did.' ...

"But that would be a lie too," Johnson added as the room filled with laughter.

The subject of the great Tom Wolfe classic, "The Last American Hero," Johnson wasn't able to attend the Hall of Fame announcement ceremony Wednesday in downtown Charlotte because of recent back surgery. But he watched on television, "and I will never forget when (NASCAR Chairman) Brian France called out my name."

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Dale Jr. Near 'The End of My Rope'

Holly Cain — 2009-10-16T16:00:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

CONCORD, N.C. -- Sounding at times deflated and exasperated, Dale Earnhardt Jr. told reporters Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway that he's just as perplexed by the disappointing performance of his team as the rising tide of critics and doubters.

Most frustrating, he said, is that he doesn't have the quick answers to turning things around.

Earnhardt used Thursday night's qualifying session as a microcosm of his 2009 season. After posting a top-15 speed during practice in his No. 88 Amp Energy-Chevrolet, he managed only the 39th fastest lap in qualifying.

"All the other cars qualified fine and backed their times up in practice and we didn't even get close,'' a mostly subdued Earnhardt said. "We looked ridiculous last night.

"It's like really encouraging one day and the next day it's equally discouraging and that gets really old. I'm about to the end of my rope on it.''

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FanHouse Trackside at the Banking 500

Holly Cain — 2009-10-15T20:20:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

CONCORD, N.C. -- Steady rain kept cars off the track for most of the day at Lowe's Motor Speedway but there was plenty going on in the garage area prior to a scheduled rain-delayed, late-night qualifying session Thursday.

FanHouse is trackside this weekend for the Banking 500, race 5 of the 10-week Chase for the Championship, and caught up with the Chase drivers as they waited out the weather.

Jeff Gordon talked about his back, Carl Edwards announced he's going to be a father and Greg Biffle updated us on his Logano family feud and what he thinks of Michael Vick's return to the NFL.

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Hall of Fame Got Inaugural Class Right

Holly Cain — 2009-10-14T19:36:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: NASCAR Awards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR executives and racing royalty filled a ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center Wednesday afternoon. David Pearson, Cotton Owens, Ned Jarrett, Bruton Smith, Glen and Eddie Wood and Ricky Rudd were among stock car's dignitaries on hand, eager to hear the inaugural five-person NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

The room went totally silent when NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter took the stage to introduce chairman Brian France. And in an eight-minute ceremony carried on live television, France opened sealed envelopes announcing one-by-one that his grandfather, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.; the sport's all-time winningest driver, Richard Petty; Brian France's father, Bill France Jr.; the late seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt; and champion driver and owner Junior Johnson will go down as the first to be in enshrined when the Hall opens next May.

The inclusion of France Sr., Petty and Earnhardt was a given, it was the final two selections that created an air of suspense.

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Back from NASCAR: Franchitti Wins IndyCar Championship

Holly Cain — 2009-10-10T22:15:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: IRL

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- It was as if Dario Franchitti never left.

The 36-year old Scot returned from a don't-look-back 2008 NASCAR experiment to reclaim the IndyCar Series championship trophy he took with him, sealing the deal on his second title Saturday night in nearly identical fashion to how he earned the first in 2007.

While Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe and Franchitti's Target Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon traded the race lead and led the most laps in the Indy 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Franchitti laid back in third position, saved just enough fuel and inherited the lead when Briscoe and Dixon was forced to pit for fuel in the waning laps of the series' first ever caution-free race.

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IndyCar Championship to be Decided in Saturday's Finale

Holly Cain — 2009-10-10T16:42:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: IRL

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The Indy 300 -- the IndyCar Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- is Saturday. For the fourth consecutive season the last race on the schedule will decide the drivers championship.

New Zealander Scott Dixon leads his Target Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti by four points in the standings. Australian Ryan Briscoe, of Team Penske, is eight points behind Dixon. The three dominated the practice speed charts and will start in front of the grid today -- Franchitti on pole position, Dixon next to him and Briscoe on the second row.

The three men have accounted for 12 wins in 14 races and traded the championship lead 14 times. This is the second closest championship battle in the series history.

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