With new Nationwide car, looks can be refreshing (NASCAR.com)

October 31, 2009

If looks count for anything, NASCAR got this one right.

With the official unveiling of the four new Nationwide Series chassis Saturday morning at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR may have taken a big step in solving what many fans feel is a major identity crisis: what happened to being able to tell the cars apart from your seat in the grandstands?

And how interesting that the one series that can't be easily pigeon-holed—is this a driver development series, as a Saturday test session for Cup competitors, or a way for NASCAR to make international inroads?—will have race cars that actually share noticeable design characteristics with their on-street counterparts?

The Dodge Challenger actually looks like a Challenger from the front. The Toyota Camry looks like a Camry. The same with the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Impala. And you can't imagine how much happier that makes the manufacturers who, in this economic climate, are needing all the help they can get.

The cars certainly look great. There's a character, an individuality there that's been missing, perhaps since the Thunderbirds and Monte Carlos were phased out. Now, Monday's test session here at Talladega will go a long way in knowing if they'll race great.

"The look is definitely unique," Dodge Motorsports Engineering manger Howard Comstock said. "Dodge worked with NASCAR and wanted brand identity for these cars. We were the first manufacturer to make a decision on the car and we felt like the Challenger would be the right fit. There certainly is brand identity to it. I think we have done a nice job in bringing to NASCAR the uniqueness of the Dodge Challenger."

Toyota Racing Development's president and general manager, Lee White, certainly agrees.

"I think the car has great potential and certainly we're very excited because it's given us an opportunity with a slightly longer front end and a much more production-looking front end, for us to get more of our character and our corporate identity into the car," White said. "We love that, our management loves that and that's why we're here."

NASCAR's research and development team deserves a huge amount of credit for the quantum leaps in safety made during the design of the new car. But in many fans' eyes, aesthetics took a backseat to functionality when the new chassis made its Sprint Cup debut. For General Motors' Nationwide Series program manager Shane Martin, the idea of the manufacturer and NASCAR working in tandem to design a new car that meets stringent safety guidelines and still has identifiable characteristics was refreshing, to say the least.

"We were given strict parameters for the aero targets for all four manufacturers and they gave us a little more window to work with than in the Cup cars does for brand identity," Martin said. "Our marketing and branding departments chose the Impala and we were given the Impala design to meet in the parameters and we worked very hard. There was a lot of wind-tunnel testing, numerous that we went through to get this car to be close with all the other cars. I think the difference between all four is I think three horsepower of drag and just a few pounds of downforce. So, we are in a very tight window."

That, according to White, may be the final determination if this bold new direction is ultimately successful.

"We've been to the wind tunnel three or four times with the aero matching and everything that goes on," White said. "Of course with the different front-end treatments of the two new pony cars that are coming into the series, that created quite a challenge matching everything so that the on-track product will be close and good competition. It took a lot of extra work to get that right and of course testing here Monday or Tuesday, whatever the rain allows, will hopefully give us some idea of how successful we all were, particularly in the ability to draft and run in a pack."

After seeing what can be done, it begs the question: How long before we see similar design differences to the "one-size-fits-all" look of NASCAR's premier series? For many, it can't come soon enough.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

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NASCAR tries to avoid another Talladega disaster

October 31, 2009

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP)—Michael Waltrip pulled up to the back of Jimmie Johnson’s car, settled in on his bumper and shoved him all the way around Talladega Superspeedway as the two drivers worked on a strategy for NASCAR’s fastest race track.

“We got hooked up and started flying,” said Johnson.

Only problem? NASCAR doesn’t want to see such aggressive drafting anymore, and when Waltrip didn’t heed a warning to back off a bit, he was yanked out of the final practice session leading into Sunday’s race.

It was NASCAR’s way of sending a message to the drivers: They can police themselves or NASCAR will do it for them.

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It’s all part of a concerted effort to avoid a repeat of the spectacular last-lap accidents that marred the last two restrictor plate races this season. Carl Edwards went airborne into the Talladega safety fence on the final lap of April’s race, and Kyle Busch sailed hard into an outside wall at Daytona in July.

In Edwards’ accident, the frontstretch fence bowed, but held, and flying debris injured seven fans in the grandstands. After crossing the finish line on foot, Edwards issued a dire warning about the racing conditions.

“We’ll race like this until we kill somebody,” Edwards said, “then (NASCAR) will change it.”

NASCAR listened, and precautions have been taken headed into Sunday’s race.

Track operator International Speedway Corp. has raised the fencing to 22 feet from 14 feet at the recommendation of an outside engineering firm, and NASCAR reduced the size of the holes in the restrictor-plates, which are used to throttle back the horsepower at the two biggest tracks on the circuit.

The smaller holes are intended to cut anywhere from 12 to 15 horsepower and slow the cars just a tick.

Whether that’s enough to eliminate “The Big One”—the massive accidents that these races are generally remembered for—remains to be seen. But drivers seemed skeptical and worried the new plates are actually going to create more mayhem than usual.

“I don’t want to go flipping across the finish line,” Dale Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner, recently said. “The measures of raising the fences are good, but cars go through them fences, parts go through them. And it seems like the smaller the plate gets, the more we wreck, in my opinion.

“The smaller you make the plate, the more on top of each other we race and the more we’re going to wreck. Every time that plate gets smaller, it gets more dangerous.”

That’s the predicament NASCAR finds itself in as the series heads into what is traditionally one of the most exciting races of the year. The action is intense for the entire 500 miles, as cars jockey for position at speeds of almost 200 mph.

Because of the restricted horsepower, the traffic is typically one massive pack of cars running door-to-door and bumper-to-bumper in three- and four-wide lanes. Drivers hook onto each other’s bumpers to draft their way around the speedway, and one small wiggle can trigger a wicked wreck.

NASCAR thinks the drivers are capable of preventing the multicar accidents, if they’d just back off and not be so aggressive. But even after warning drivers before Friday practice that they weren’t going to allow bump-drafting, almost everyone did it during two lively sessions.

“Every time, it evolves because the drivers continue to push what the car is capable of and what the drivers are capable of,” said six-time Talladega winner Jeff Gordon. “I thought there were no-bump zones or something like that, but the reason why that’s happening is because NASCAR is allowing the cars to push one another through the corners.

“Until they crack down on that, you’re going to see it come down to two guys locking up together and pushing one another and then trying to figure out how to decide it among themselves.”

That’s what happened in the last two races. Edwards was running in a two-car breakaway with Brad Keselowski when he tried to block Keselowski’s attempt at a race-winning pass. Contact between the two cars initiated his flight into the fence, and the scene was nearly repeated at Daytona in July when Busch and Tony Stewart battled for the win.

No amount of warnings will change that, either. With a win up for grabs, every driver is going to do anything possible to get to the finish line first.

And not everyone is convinced that NASCAR should intervene.

“Blocking has always been an issue,” Ryan Newman said. “I think it was Richard Petty who said when they created the second car, the potential for racing started and as soon as racing started there was a potential for blocking.

“Blocking is a part of this sport. It’s frowned upon by most drivers, but there are a few drivers that try to take advantage of the situation. I think the drivers are fully capable of managing their situations, and having NASCAR let us manage those situations is important.”

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Kyle Busch bumped to victory at Talladega

October 31, 2009

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP)—Kyle Busch used a generous bump from teammate Aric Almirola a few hundred yards from the finish to win the NASCAR Camping World Trucks race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

Busch and Almirola pulled wide behind leader Todd Bodine on the final lap and Almirola nudged Busch’s No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota to the front. They overtook Bodine just before the finish line in fading daylight at the 2.66-mile oval.

The win was Busch’s sixth in the Trucks series this season and his fourth in his last four starts.

Bodine, looking for his fifth consecutive win in a restrictor-plate race, was third. Terry Cook was fourth, followed by David Starr.

Busch had endured some tough luck in the last few restrictor-plate stops, including a third-place finish at Talladega last year when Bodine bumped him out of the way on the final lap.

The NASCAR star didn’t waste an opportunity to return the favor.

Busch and Almirola tucked in behind Bodine on the final lap then waited until they emerged from the fourth turn to make their move. The two jumped to the outside and Almirola drilled Busch’s rear fender, propelling them past Bodine in the final yards.

“It stinks sometimes when you have to push your teammate to victory, but hopefully Aric wanted to do it,” Busch said.

Bodine said he considered jumping out in front of Busch in an effort to block him but didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, not wanting to duplicate Carl Edwards’ wild ride on the final lap of the spring Cup race at Talladega.

“I could have blocked him and who knows if I would have ended up like Carl Edwards into the catch fence,” said Bodine, who didn’t panic when his spun out trying to leave pit road early in the race. “I wasn’t willing to take that chance.”

The finish was Almirola’s best in the truck series. He received a heartfelt “thank you” from Busch moments after the race was over and Bodine credited Almirola for “doing the right thing” by helping Busch get the win.

Not that Almirola was in the mood to celebrate. He finds himself looking for a ride in 2010 and a victory would have certainly helped his cause.

“I wanted to win so bad,” he said.

Instead he sent Busch to his 15th career truck win.

Points leader Ron Hornaday Jr. was collected in an 11-car pileup with five laps remaining and finished 17th though he still has a comfortable 202-point lead over Matt Crafton with three races left in the season.

Chrissy Wallace, making her first Trucks start, finished 13th, while father Mike wound up 28th. The two actually ran first and second for a lap—with dad in front—during a caution early in the race.

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Kyle Busch bumped to victory at Talladega (PA SportsTicker)

October 31, 2009

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

TALLADEGA, Ala.(AP)—Kyle Busch used a generous bump from teammate Aric Almirola a few hundred yards from the finish to win the NASCAR Camping World Trucks race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

The win was Busch’s sixth in the Trucks series this season and his fourth in his last four starts.

Bodine, looking for his fifth consecutive win in a restrictor-plate race, was third. Terry Cook was fourth, followed by David Starr.

Busch had endured some tough luck in the last few restrictor-plate stops, including a third-place finish at Talladega last year when Bodine bumped him out of the way on the final lap.

The NASCAR star didn’t waste an opportunity to return the favor.

“It stinks sometimes when you have to push your teammate to victory, but hopefully Aric wanted to do it,” Busch said.

Not that Almirola was in the mood to celebrate. He finds himself looking for a ride in 2010 and a victory would have certainly helped his cause.

“I wanted to win so bad,” he said.

Instead he sent Busch to his 15th career truck win.

Chrissy Wallace, making her first Trucks start, finished 13th, while father Mike wound up 28th. The two actually ran first and second for a lap – with dad in front – during a caution early in the race.

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Dodge, Toyota, Chevy unveil Nationwide cars

October 31, 2009

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP)—Dodge is giving its NASCAR Nationwide entry more than a facelift when the series introduces its own version of the Car of Tomorrow in 2010.

The company is switching from the Charger to the Challenger for four races next season, coinciding with the implementation of the new Nationwide car that will be fully integrated into the series in 2011. Dodge unveiled the updated Challenger on Friday.

Toyota and Chevrolet followed suit Saturday, showing off revamped models of the Camry and Impala. Ford presented its new Nationwide Mustang at Roush Fenway Racing this month. The cars are scheduled to for tire testing at the massive oval Monday.

The new cars are closer approximations of the street version, a move manufacturers hope will lead customers into show rooms across the country. The current Nationwide cars are largely uniform save for variations on the grille.

“We’re very proud of the look of the car,” said Dave Bailey, senior manager of Dodge Motorsports engineering. “It’s great looking. We’ve maximized the brand identity of the vehicle. We feel this is the right opportunity to showcase the Dodge Challenger in this series as the Challenger came back to the market in 2009.”

The cars will debut at Daytona in July. Dodge will provide two Nationwide cars for Penske Racing.

“The car looks great and will give the Nationwide Series its own identity,” said Justin Allgaier, who will drive the new car along with future Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski.

NASCAR announced the plan to move to new cars last month following a meeting between owners, crew chiefs and NASCAR officials in July. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the four races next year will give teams good feedback heading into 2011.

NASCAR used a similar plan to roll out the “Car of Tomorrow” on the Sprint Cup circuit in 2007. The car was introduced during the 2007 season and became the official Cup car a year later.

HAPPY REUNION: Carl Edwards already knows what he’s going to do with the trophy if he can snap his season-long winless streak on Sunday at Talladega.

Edwards plans to give the trophy to Blake Bobbitt, who suffered facial injuries following Edwards’ spectacular last lap crash during the spring race at Talladega. Edwards was attempting to block Brad Keselowski when the two made contact starting off a chain of events that ended with Edwards No. 99 Ford hurtling into the catch fence along the front straightaway.

Several fans were injured as debris flew into the crowd. Bobbitt was airlifted to a hospital and had surgery on her jaw after debris from the crash came through the fence. She recovered in time to graduate from high school, but will face at least one more surgery in the future.

Bobbitt and Edwards have become text-messaging buddies over the last few months and are planning to meet face-to-face during the drivers’ meeting before Sunday’s Cup race. Edwards is hoping for another meeting a few hours later in Victory Lane.

“I know if I can win this race, this trophy is going to her for sure, that’s the best thing to give her,” Edwards said.

The track and NASCAR have both taken measures to better protect both fans and drivers. NASCAR cut the size of the restrictor plates used at the track to take some of the top-end speed out of the cars while Talladega raised the catch fence from 14 to 22 feet. The catch fence also will be raised at Daytona.

GETTING SPOOKED: Drivers have no trouble running side-by-side within inches of each other at 190 mph.

There are some things, however, that scares even the most daring of Cup stars: the infield at Talladega on Halloween.

The combination of the holiday and the notoriously rowdy crowd at one of the series’ most popular tracks is a potent combination most drivers will likely avoid.

“Man, I don’t know about that,” said Mark Martin when asked if he was going to wander into the infield on Saturday night.

That doesn’t mean the drivers won’t play dress-up. Denny Hamlin donned a Tin Man outfit earlier in the week as part of a “Wizard of Oz” theme. Edwards and Subway pitchman Jared Fogle entertained reporters in the media center on Saturday morning.

Edwards dressed up in the 60-inch jeans Fogle used to wear before going on his now famous Subway diet. Fogle poked fun at Edwards’ propensity to pose shirtless, donning a puffy outfit meant to resemble a pumped-up Edwards.

Some costumes offered a peak into the driver’s dreams. Like a lot of kids, Joey Logano dressed up as Batman one Halloween. Most kids, however, didn’t include the Batmobile as part of the costume, as Logano did.

“I had the car around me,” Logano said. “It was pretty funny.”

RACING RETURNS TO NORTH WILKESBORO: Racing will return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2010.

The 0.625-mile track—which hosted NASCAR events from the series inception in 1949 through 1996—will welcome the USARacing Pro Cup Championship Series on Oct. 3, 2010.

The track closed following the 1996 season and its two Cup dates were moved to New Hampshire and Texas. A new ownership group, led by the widow of former NASCAR star Benny Parsons, worked to bring racing back to the North Carolina track.

“We are very excited to add the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway to the 2010 USARacing Pro Cup Series schedule,” said Series Director Jimmy Wilson. “It adds another high profile venue to our already impressive list of quality and historic tracks.”

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Rain washes out qualifying at Talladega

October 31, 2009

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP)—Jimmie Johnson will be starting from the pole at Talladega Superspeedway after rain washed out qualifying and the field was set by points.

His Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon will start second and third.

Johnson, the three-time defending series champion, has a 118-point advantage over Martin with four races remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. But Talladega is his weakest track, and he’s got a 17.7 average finish.

He’s started from the pole at Talladega two other times, both in his 2002 rookie season.

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NASCAR tries to avoid another Talladega disaster (PA SportsTicker)

October 31, 2009

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

TALLADEGA, Ala.(AP)—Michael Waltrip pulled up to the back of Jimmie Johnson’s car, settled in on his bumper and shoved him all the way around Talladega Superspeedway as the two drivers worked on a strategy for NASCAR’s fastest race track.

“We got hooked up and started flying,” said Johnson.

It was NASCAR’s way of sending a message to the drivers: They can police themselves or NASCAR will do it for them.

“We’ll race like this until we kill somebody,” Edwards said, “then (NASCAR) will change it.”

NASCAR listened, and precautions have been taken headed into Sunday’s race.

The smaller holes are intended to cut anywhere from 12 to 15 horsepower and slow the cars just a tick.

Whether that’s enough to eliminate “The Big One” – the massive accidents that these races are generally remembered for – remains to be seen. But drivers seemed skeptical and worried the new plates are actually going to create more mayhem than usual.

“The smaller you make the plate, the more on top of each other we race and the more we’re going to wreck. Every time that plate gets smaller, it gets more dangerous.”

“Until they crack down on that, you’re going to see it come down to two guys locking up together and pushing one another and then trying to figure out how to decide it among themselves.”

No amount of warnings will change that, either. With a win up for grabs, every driver is going to do anything possible to get to the finish line first.

And not everyone is convinced that NASCAR should intervene.

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One driver can fix NASCAR's doldrums (NASCAR.com)

October 31, 2009

Like the great white shark or the bald eagle, Jimmie Johnson has no natural predators. His place atop the Sprint Cup food chain is secure. Regardless of what happens Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, the three-time defending NASCAR champion will all but certainly continue his march toward a fourth consecutive title with a cool, ruthless efficiency that would make even Michael Schumacher blanch.

And yet, apex predators can have a difficult time stirring passions within the heart. Oh, no question, there are tons of people out there who really love Johnson—more than we give him credit for, actually—who admire his coolness and his professionalism and his ability to raise his game when it matters most. There are plenty of folks who realize that the unflappable, behind-the-sunglasses Jimmie Johnson is just a persona, and that the real guy is funny and charming and humble. And yet, as television ratings languish and race track attendance figures stagnate, it's become clear that Johnson cannot pull NASCAR out of the doldrums all by himself.

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Make no mistake about it, NASCAR is in the doldrums—ratings for Chase races have been down slightly over last year, and speedway attendance is off roughly 20 percent across the board. Point fingers all you want at Johnson, the Chase, or the current Sprint Cup car, but a lot of this is purely related to the recession, and not limited to stock-car racing. Every weekend a handful of NFL markets face local television blackouts, which the league mandates if home games are not sold out. Many college football stadiums that historically draw very well are seeing more empty seats than usual. Although the economy may be showing signs of improvement, there are still a lot of fans out there who don't have the disposable income they once did.

Still, there is no question that NASCAR could use a jump start, something to attract new fans and galvanize old ones, to add a bit of unpredictability and once again make the sport must-see TV. This time of year, with football in full swing and baseball in the final stages of its postseason, it's painful to see how lost NASCAR sometimes can get, even in the midst of its championship run. There's one guy out there with the potential to change all that, who can make the sport more relevant in a crowded landscape, and who can get even non-NASCAR fans talking about NASCAR again.

And it's not Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It's Kyle Busch.

Goodness, how NASCAR could use Busch at his bowing, rear-fender bumping, trophy-smashing best right now. This is nothing against Johnson, whose ability is unquestioned, and will go down as one of the four or five greatest drivers ever by the time his already-illustrious career is complete. But Johnson is also somewhat cautious, and somewhat conservative, and learned from mentor and teammate Jeff Gordon that one way to win championships is to avoid controversy at all costs. Busch, thankfully, never got that memo. He seems to thrive on controversy, to at times willfully create it, and in the process adds a refreshing, slightly unhinged, 3 a.m.-in-the-French-Quarter feel to a sport that too often takes itself way too seriously.

NASCAR is just more fun when Busch is winning races, and talking smack about Earnhardt's crew chief, and treating Gibson guitars like a sledgehammer, and playing with Sir Laurence Olivier flair that villain role some people love and many others simply cannot stand. Oh sure, he can be a pain sometime, running away from reporters after poor performances. And no question, the sport is worse off because Earnhardt has endured the kind of trying, disappointing season that's left his legion of fans almost apathetic. But the worst thing to happen in NASCAR this season was Kyle Busch failing to make the Chase. There's not a more interesting, fascinating, polarizing and unpredictable driver out there, and when someone like that is marginalized—as the Chase does to anyone who's not in it—NASCAR suffers as a result.

To steal a line about Reggie Jackson, Busch is the straw that stirs the drink. Not even Earnhardt, with his immense popularity, can quite fulfill that role. Sure, there are some out there who think Junior is living off the family name, as if 18 race wins at NASCAR's premier level can somehow happen by accident. For the most part, though, Earnhardt is universally beloved, particularly among old-guard fans who revered his father. If he were to run up front once again, Junior Nation would rise from its collective hibernation and there would almost certainly be more bodies in the seats. In that regard, NASCAR absolutely needs Earnhardt to start winning again. Everything about the sport is better when its biggest stars—Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in particular—are doing well.

But the sport also needs an agitator, somebody to shake things up, and Busch is an agitator extraordinaire. While Earnhardt is sometimes too honest—as in his "end of my rope" comments from earlier this month—he's not by nature controversial. Everything about Busch is, from his personality to his driving style to his smirk to the way he celebrates. Half the grandstand thinks he's a arrogant punk. The other half thinks he's a hard-charging throwback, and a welcome departure from all the mass-produced spokesmodel drivers overrunning the sport today. Regardless, everybody pays attention. To that extent, Busch may have more in common with Dale Earnhardt the elder than even Dale Jr. does.

It's been a quiet autumn in NASCAR; Johnson running away in the points is one reason why, but Busch being out of the picture is another. Earlier this week brought the news that Joe Gibbs Racing would change crew chiefs on the No. 18 team, with Dave Rogers coming over from the Nationwide side to replace Steve Addington after Talladega. For all Busch and Addington have done together over the past two years, there's clearly been something missing in the cars over the last two-thirds of this season; as early as June, Busch talked about how he couldn't pass people when he needed to. Of course, it can't help that post-happy hour debriefs have sometimes been truncated because of Busch's commitment to the Nationwide tour, something that will be cut back to only companion events in 2010.

Maybe those changes will be enough to have Busch back to his old self next season. For NASCAR's sake, you certainly hope so. He obviously isn't the most popular driver on the circuit, and as long as Johnson is around, he probably won't be viewed as the best one, either. But these days, nobody in a stock car is better at evoking emotion at its extremes. Nobody is more capable of making some people smugly satisfied and others pitchfork-carrying mad all at the same time. Nobody is better suited to inject passion, unpredictability, controversy and drama into a sport that right now sorely needs it. Nothing is better for NASCAR than a winning, defiant, and polarizing Kyle Busch.

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Written by chris · Filed Under NASCAR | Leave a Comment

Storylines: Flirting with disaster (Yahoo! Sports)

October 31, 2009

Somehow, Jimmie Johnson avoided any contact in this 12-car wreck.AP

There is a photo from last year’s Chase race at Talladega Superspeedway in which every car in the picture but one wrecks. The photo shows Dale Earnhardt Jr. pinching Greg Biffle into the wall, then plowing into the side of Matt Kenseth. It gives the impression that Kevin Harvick and Reed Sorenson avoid the carnage, but they didn’t. They were part of it, too.

In all, 12 drivers were caught in this “Big One” just nine laps from the finish of last year’s AMP Energy 500.

The one who stayed out of trouble? Jimmie Johnson, who despite being smack-dab in the middle of it all drove through entirely unscathed.

Six weeks later, Johnson won his third straight championship by a scant 69 points. Had he not skirted the danger that day in Talladega, the 2008 title almost assuredly would have gone to Carl Edwards.

Teflon Jimmie, that’s what he’s been since crashing at Talladega in the fall of 2006. Since then, however, he hasn’t finished outside the top 15 in a single Chase race – a span of 32 events. In that time he’s altered the playoff mindset from one that accepted room for a Mulligan in the Chase to one where near perfection is what it will take to win it all.

Six races into this year’s Chase and once again Johnson is Mulligan-free. The competition can’t say the same, which is why the three-time defending champ’s closest competitor (Mark Martin) is 118 points back.

Now Talladega looms again.

Though there are three more stops remaining after this weekend’s race, Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 will determine the fate of this Chase. Will it be a blowout or will Talladega jump up, rip the Teflon off Johnson and bring him back to the field?

Hamilton takes pole for Abu Dhabi GP (PA SportsTicker)

October 31, 2009

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates(AP)—McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has claimed the pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton set a time of 1 minute, 40.948 seconds on the last qualifying lap around the new Yas Marina circuit Saturday, edging Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel by almost six tenths of a second.

Vettel’s teammate, Mark Webber, will start from third on Sunday, ahead of the Brawn GP teammates Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button.

Toyota driver Jarno Trulli and BMW Sauber teammates Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld will fill the next three positions.

Start your engines! — Sign up for Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing 09 today. And follow the race action with TrackPass on NASCAR.com.

Written by chris · Filed Under NASCAR | Leave a Comment

With new Nationwide car, looks can be refreshing (NASCAR.com)

NASCAR tries to avoid another Talladega disaster

Kyle Busch bumped to victory at Talladega

Kyle Busch bumped to victory at Talladega (PA SportsTicker)

Dodge, Toyota, Chevy unveil Nationwide cars

Rain washes out qualifying at Talladega

NASCAR tries to avoid another Talladega disaster (PA SportsTicker)

One driver can fix NASCAR's doldrums (NASCAR.com)

Storylines: Flirting with disaster (Yahoo! Sports)

Hamilton takes pole for Abu Dhabi GP (PA SportsTicker)

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