Another rough St. Pete visit for Scott Dixon (PA SportsTicker)
March 29, 2010
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.(AP)—Scott Dixon might not be in any hurry to return to the Honda Grand Prix.
Dixon’s run of ridiculously bad luck on the streets of St. Petersburg continued Monday, when the runner-up in last year’s Indy Racing League series point chase finished 18th after two incidents – both of which he took the blame for – marred his chances.
“Just two mistakes on my part,” Dixon said.
Dixon finished second behind Helio Castroneves in 2006 and 2007. He hasn’t been remotely close to victory in St. Pete since.
Mechanical issues sent him to a 22nd-place finish (in a 26-car field) in 2008, and a wreck in Turn 3 last year gave him a mere 16th-place showing.
It’s early in the season, of course, but Dixon knows every standings point counts, a lesson learned once again last year when Dario Franchitti nipped him by 11 points for the IndyCar championship.
“You never know what happens at the end,” Dixon said. “You need all the points you can.”
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CRISIS AVERTED: The combination of course cleanup and sweeping led to an interesting moment about 30 minutes into Monday’s Honda Grand Prix.
The yellow flag came out when Takuma Sato went into a tire wall, ending his day and sending most cars to the pits. With both the wrecker on the course – to pick up Sato’s damaged ride – and the large truck that serves as a street-sweeper also on-track, there were two large obstacles for drivers to deal with as they returned from the pits.
Many had to slam on the brakes to avoid the sweeper truck, causing a five-wide traffic jam. Somehow, there was no incidents.
“Well, that was interesting,” Nicole Briscoe typed onto her husband Ryan Briscoe’s Twitter feed.
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SCHEDULE ISSUE: Gen. David Petraeus, who was expected to serve as the honorary Grand Marshal and issue the “Drivers, start your engines” command, was unable to attend Monday’s delayed race because of schedule conflicts.
Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill filled in for Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq and Afghanistan and typically regarded as the most popular and widely known general of his generation. Many have speculated that Petraeus could become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He’s wildly popular in this section of Florida, given its proximity to the headquarters of the United States Central Command, which Petraeus oversees.
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KANAAN’S SHUFFLE: Tony Kanaan says there’s a new attitude around his team this year, and is thrilled about it.
The offseason was one big shake-up for Kanaan’s team, after a sixth-place finish in the overall 2009 IndyCar standings. Every aspect was evaluated and re-evaluated, and the decision was made for sweeping change.
“The only person left on that team from last year is myself,” Kanaan said. “Everybody else is different. Not new people, but we shuffled people around in the team.”
Based on what he sees so far, Kanaan says that was the right move.
Another edge for Kanaan this year, he said, was having team owner Michael Andretti around more often for advice and counsel.
“When it goes right, it goes right,” said Kanaan, the series champion in 2004 with essentially the same team he had through 2009. “Everything is awesome. The atmosphere is better. It’s just different people. We’re kind of getting to know each other.”
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50 FOR ANDRETTI: Michael Andretti got his 50th win as a car owner this weekend.
Sage Karam, 15, won USF2000 series races – the entry-level rung on the “Road to Indy” ladder series – on Saturday and Sunday by an average of 14 seconds for Andretti Autosport. The second of those victories was the milestone one for Andretti.
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NOTES: Scott Dixon started third, extending his record of consecutive races starting in the 10th spot or better to 34. Dixon was fastest in Sunday morning’s final practice as well, the first time all weekend that Will Power hadn’t had the top lap time in an on-track session. … France’s J.K. Vernay became the eighth driver to win his debut race in the IndyLights series on Sunday before the really hard rain came down and pushed the IRL race to Monday. He’s gone by “Jean Karl” in the past. On the name change? “Because normally, Americans, it’s more difficult for them to say ‘Jean Karl,”’ he said. … Jon Secada sang the national anthem. … A prerace video showed a quick question-and-answer session with Danica Patrick, including having her spell “aerodynamic.” Patrick balked at first, then seemed to surprise herself by getting it right on the first try. … When Vitor Meira stayed out during a yellow in lap 28 to take the lead, it was his first time in front of an IndyCar race since August 2008.
More than a rain shower needed for Formula One
March 29, 2010
PARIS (AP)—In the space of just two races, Formula One has veered from oneextreme to another—from total boredom in Bahrain to a near-overdose of thrillsand spills in Australia.
The ideal ground for this sport lies somewhere in the middle. And the racingspectacle shouldn’t be so reliant on the weather.
Rain, as F1 fans have long known, can improve the show. On Sunday, dropsconveniently doused Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit shortly before the racestart. Viewers in front of their televisions around the world must have beencelebrating.
The ensuing crashes, absorbing racing and dashing overtaking moves were justthe tonic needed to revive interest in F1 after the dust-dry season-openingdowner in the desert of Bahrain.
In this second Grand Prix of the season, Jenson Button showed that he canwin even when he doesn’t have the luxury he had last year of driving the fastestcar. On Sunday, the Briton was the first driver to pit for dry-weather tireswhen the rain had eased but when parts of the track were still damp. It wasrisky and brave and paid off handsomely with a second consecutive Melbournevictory for the defending world champion.
His McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton could do with a dose of Button’s cool.As quick as he again proved, clambering to 6th from his disappointing 11th placein qualifying, Hamilton again proved in Melbourne that he is still far frombeing a well-rounded professional.
Last year, he lied to race officials. This year, police confiscatedHamilton’s road car after they caught him showing off and burning rubber on astreet near the circuit. A racing car driver should know better.
During Sunday’s race, Hamilton also churlishly admonished his pit crew—“fricking terrible idea,” he said over his radio for all to hear—forbringing him in for a tire change.
Hamilton was right to be angry, because the unnecessary stop possibly costhim a better finish. But the 25-year-old clearly has some growing up to do.
Button didn’t need his team to tell him what to do. It’s been clear sincehis first Grand Prix win in Hungary in 2006, which also started in rain andfinished in near-sunshine, that he can cope with mixed conditions. His smoothdriving style also meant in Melbourne that he was able to make his tires lastthrough to the checkered flag.
Based on the torrential downpour that curtailed the race last year, adverseweather could make things interesting at the Malaysian Grand Prix next weekend,too.
But F1 can’t conjure up rain at every race—not unless it takes a leaf outof the Chinese government’s book and sets up its own Weather Modification Officeto try to produce precipitation on demand or, just as outlandishly, installswater sprinklers at race tracks to make the tarmac excitingly slick.
Melbourne was a mirage, because races as watchable as that are still too fewand far between. The spectacle at Albert Park is helped by the fact that thefirst turns often produce crashes, that there are places to overtake and thatthe track is lined in sections by walls that punish drivers who aren’t careful.
Fans must brace themselves for other races, perhaps many other races, laterin the season that will be as deathly dull as Bahrain’s, especially if there areno deluges to spice things up.
The underlying problem with F1 remains that it is still too difficult undernormal circumstances for drivers to pass each other. That is mostly because ofthe way F1 cars are designed with such a heavy emphasis on aerodynamics—andthat is the problem F1 teams and administrators must sit down together to solve.
F1 cars are “so efficient that it’s difficult for even a fantastic driverto overtake another slow car,” Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says.“That’s the point that we need to attack, all together, to make sure that weare able to solve it.”
Once solved, F1 won’t need to pray so hard for rain.
Even in Melbourne, where there were passing moves galore, the overtakingdifficulties were clear. After his second pit stop, with newer tires, Hamiltonwas more than a second faster than the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa and FernandoAlonso, who had older tires with less grip because they pitted just once.
But even with that big speed advantage, Hamilton was unable to pass them.That problem, in other races, is a surefire recipe for more Bahrain-likeprocessions.
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The AssociatedPress. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org.
Showtime to sponsor NASCAR race
March 29, 2010
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP)—Showtime Networks Inc. will sponsor Darlington Raceway’s iconic Southern 500 NASCAR race.
Track president Chris Browning told The Associated Press on Monday that the cable network has agreed to a multiyear deal as title sponsor for the raceway’s only Sprint Cup race.
The track has been searching for a sponsor since the end of last year’s race.
Showtime executives say this is the first time they’ve lent their name to a NASCAR race.
The network debuted its “Inside NASCAR” program this year and says this is another step to connect with NASCAR. The Showtime Southern 500 will take place May 8.
Mark Martin is the defending champion.
Rain postpones Martinsville race (PA SportsTicker)
March 28, 2010
By HANK KURZ Jr. AP Sports Writer
MARTINSVILLE, Va.(AP)—NASCAR’s bad weather luck at Martinsville Speedway reared its head again Sunday as rain forced the postponed of the Sprint Cup race until Monday at noon.
It is the second year in a row that rain pushed an event into the work week at the track in southwest Virginia. Last spring, the truck series event had to be run on Monday.
Rain also has washed out Sprint Cup qualifying for the past three spring races, putting points leader Kevin Harvick on the pole for the race. Harvick will be seeking a weekend sweep after dominating the truck race that was run in sunshine and ideal conditions Saturday.
Many drivers traded their ball caps for knit caps and wore heavy coats for driver introductions Sunday, which were conducted under heavy cloud cover and in a steady rain.
“It stinks for the fans and all the teams, but the fortunate thing is we’ve got an off week coming up, so it’s not like this is going to put everybody way behind,” said A.J. Allmendinger, who will start 21st.
NASCAR’s premier series is taking its traditional break of the season for Easter next weekend.
The Monday race will be the first in the Sprint Cup Series since last August at Watkins Glen, N.Y. It will be the first Cup race on a Monday in Martinsville since the fall of 2001.
The absence of lights for night racing at the 0.526-mile oval meant the window for racing was already small considering the time it would take to dry the track if the rain stopped.
NASCAR does not allow a race to start unless it’s feasible for the entire event to be run, and races at Martinsville take up to 4 hours to complete.
The call to postpone was made about 90 minutes after the scheduled 1 p.m. start.
The postponement also will push back Denny Hamlin’s plans to have arthroscopic surgery on Monday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He still hopes to have the procedure this week so he’ll have time to recover before the next race on April 10.
Rain postpones NHRA Four-Wide Nationals (PA SportsTicker)
March 28, 2010
CONCORD, N.C.(AP) —Rain and a forecast for more severe weather Sunday forced NHRA officials to postpone the completion of the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals to Monday at zMAX Dragway.
Top Fuel and Funny Car competitors completed two rounds before the rain started to fall just past 2 p.m. at the first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event to feature racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two. One round was completed in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Top qualifier Cory McClenathan, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and local favorite Doug Herbert, from nearby Lincolnton, will decide the Top Fuel final. In Funny Car, 14-time world champ John Force, daughter Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps will race for the Wally at the historic event.
Series leader Mike Edwards, Gainesville winner Jason Line and Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke are still in contention in Pro Stock eliminations. Top qualifier Jeg Coughlin was upset in the first round, along with Greg Anderson, who set a national speed record during qualifying.
Four of the top-five points leaders in Pro Stock Motorcycle were upset in the first round. Defending series champ Hector Arana, top qualifier Matt Smith and past Charlotte winner Steve Johnson advanced to the second round.
Rain postpones Martinsville race
March 28, 2010
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP)—NASCAR has postponed its race at Martinsville Speedway to Monday afternoon because of rain.
Showers lingered over the track in southwest Virginia on Sunday, and the absence of lights for night racing meant the window for racing was closing quickly.
NASCAR does not allow a race to start unless it’s feasible for the entire event to be run, and races on the shortest, oldest track in the Sprint Cup Series can take up to 4 hours.
The call to postpone was made about 90 minutes after the scheduled 1 p.m. start.
Lap-by-Lap: M’ville (NASCAR.com)
March 28, 2010
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Noon—FOX’s pre-race coverage of the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 is under way.
11:55 a.m.—Robby Gordon will take his No. 7 to the rear of the field with an engine change.
11:50 a.m. ET—The weather doesn’t look like it wants to cooperate with the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. There is a 50 to 70 percent chance of rain all day and evening in Southern Virginia. Green for the race is set for 1:13 p.m. ET with Saturday’s Truck winner Kevin Harvick on the pole.
Button’s gamble pays off with win in Australian GP (PA SportsTicker)
March 28, 2010
By CHRIS LINES AP Auto Racing Writer
MELBOURNE, Australia(AP)—McLaren’s Jenson Button survived a first-corner collision and successfully gambled on a bold tire strategy to win a thrilling Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Button was the first driver prepared to change from intermediate tires to slicks on a drying track, and drove the final 52 laps on a wearing set of soft tires to claim back-to-back race wins in Melbourne.
The 2009 world champion tangled with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at the first corner, and inherited the lead just before half distance when pole sitter and race leader Sebastian Vettel ended up in a gravel trap after the brakes on his Red Bull failed.
Renault’s Robert Kubica was 12 seconds behind in second place, driving doggedly to hold off faster rivals and finish ahead of Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Alonso. The top four drove most of the race uninterrupted on one set of tires, while their rivals behind them elected to stop for fresh rubber.
Boldest of all was Button, who changed to slicks when the track was still damp, carefully navigated while he got heat into his tires, and was rewarded with a victory in just his second race with McLaren, having won the world title with Brawn GP last year.
“I thought it was a terrible call initially. I thought it was a catastrophic mistake. Once I got it going and up to speed, the pace was pretty good,” Button said. “It was the right call, and I am very happy.”
If fortune favored the brave Button, it entirely deserted Vettel, who for the second race running was let down by a mechanical failure while comfortably leading a grand prix. He has just six championship points – and Red Bull has 18 – meager reward for the car that had proven itself to be the quickest in the early part of the season.
“I don’t know in general pace where we would stand,” Button said. “But that’s not all that racing is about; it’s about strategy, it’s about thinking and it’s about conserving and we did it correctly today and we came away with a good victory.
“When you can get good points finishes like this it really does mean a lot to you when you don’t have a car that you think is quick enough to win every weekend. These are important points for us.”
Among those who were called in for a new set of tires was Button’s McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, who fumed at the decision postrace, saying his team’s strategy call cost him at least a second-place finish, if not victory.
“I drove my heart out today and I deserved better,” Hamilton said. “The strategy was not right. Everyone else in front of me did one stop and I did two.”
The British driver, who had a horror weekend that included being pulled over by police for dangerous driving in a private car near the Albert Park circuit, then a woeful qualifying performance, had moved up to third from 11th on the grid in the middle stages before pulling in for the new tires. He never regained that podium slot, and was bumped from fifth down to sixth by a collision with Red Bull’s Mark Webber on the next to last lap.
Webber briefly led his home race, but paid heavily for being the last of the leaders to change onto dry-weather tires. He was shuffled back in the early pit-stops and finished ninth, behind Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi in seventh and Williams’ Rubens Barrichello in eighth. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher took the final point, finishing 10th for Mercedes.
Alonso leads the drivers’ standings with 37 points. Massa has 33 and Button 31.
After a processional race in the season opener in Bahrain when teams were adapting to a new ban on in-race refueling, many critics called for the rules to be immediately overhauled. Those critics will be silent for the time being, after a Melbourne race that delivered more action on the first lap alone than all of the dull competition in Bahrain.
The first corner, notorious in Melbourne for its accidents, lived up to its reputation. Alonso was squeezed between Button and Schumacher and spun the wrong way, facing the oncoming traffic. The Spaniard was forced down to 18th place after lap one, while Schumacher had to pit with front wing damage, his race ruined.
There was a more spectacular incident a couple of bends later when Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi slid off the track when his front wing fell of after a collision and got stuck under his front wheels. Unable to control the car, the Japanese rammed at full speed into Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Buemi and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, ending their races.
Malaysia will host the third race of the season next weekend.
Virgin cars to start from pitlane
March 28, 2010
McLaren’s Button wins Australian F1 Grand Prix (PA SportsTicker)
March 28, 2010
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA(AP) —McLaren driver Jenson Button has won the Formula One Australian Grand Prix, in an incident-packed race. World champion Button won by 12 seconds from Renault’s Robert Kubica, with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa third.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel started from pole position and led for the first 25 laps before going off the track into a gravel trap, ending his race due to what he thought was brake failure.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was fourth and Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg fifth. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton survived a late collision with Red Bull’s Mark Webber to finish sixth, while Webber slipped down to ninth as a result.
Alonso leads the championship with 37 points, ahead of Massa on 33 and Button on 31.
