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Power-ful return to IndyCar

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:32:32 GMT

Power turned in a gutsy performance in the series' season-opener and first race held in a South American country. The 29-year-old Aussie avoided a five- car pileup on the opening lap and then endured rainy conditions for a majority of the event before passing Ryan Hunter-Reay for the lead in the closing minutes to claim his second career IndyCar victory.

"It was probably the most mixed up race that I have ever been in, but it created an opportunity for me to come back through the field and end up winning the race," Power said. "I think it was just a really good day for racing. If you were fast you could pass, because there is such a good track layout here. I'm pretty sure it was an exciting race for the

Power wins bizarre IndyCar season-opener in Brazil

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:24:08 GMT

Power and Hunter-Reay battled for the lead before the Aussie took the top position for good with three-and-a-half minutes remaining. The inaugural race in Brazil was scheduled for 75 laps, but Indy Racing League officials placed a time limit on the event due to numerous accidents and a brief delay for a thunderstorm.

The 29-year-old driver made his first start since he was seriously injured in a practice crash last August at Sonoma, Ca. He claimed his second career IndyCar victory. His first win came during the 2009 season in Edmonton, Canada.

Alonso wins Bahrain GP, Schumacher sixth

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:11:43 GMT

Alonso, a two-time F1 champion, benefited from Sebastian Vettel's late-race mishap.

Vettel started on the pole and led two-thirds of the 49-lap race, but the Red Bull driver lost power, allowing Alonso to sweep by and take the lead for good.

Franchitti takes pole for season-opener in Brazil

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:24:57 GMT

One day after qualifying was delayed due to poor track conditions, Franchitti lapped the 2.6-mile, 11-turn street circuit in one minute, 27.7354 seconds. Qualifying took place on the same day as the race -- a first for the series.

"I was a little surprised to get into (the Firestone Fast Six)," Franchitti said. "I didn't have a very good day yesterday. We struggled to get my car the way I wanted it to work." IRLofficials postponed Saturday's scheduled qualifying after slippery concrete and very bumpy conditions along the front straightaway portion of the track presented safety concerns.

Qualifying at Sao Paulo postponed

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:03:50 GMT

Officials made the decision after receiving driver feedback relating to the slippery concrete along the front straightaway portion of the track. Drivers also complained of very bumpy conditions in the same section of the 2.6-mile, 11-turn street circuit.

Part of the straight rests on an area referred to as the Anbembi Sambodromo, whichis one-third of a mile in length.

Vettel grabs pole at Bahrain, Schumacher qualifies seventh

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:46:53 GMT

Vettel, who finished second to champion Jenson Button in 2009, lapped the 3.914-mile, 23-turn Bahrain circuit during the closing 10-minute qualifying session in one minute, 54.101 seconds for his sixth career F1 pole. The young German won two of the final three grand prix last year.

"I am very happy to be on pole thanks to the team," Vettel said. "To come here the first time that everyone really shows how strong they are and to be on top is a very nice feeling." Vettel finished 0.141 seconds quicker than Massa, who will start on the outside pole.

Schumacher's comeback, expanded grid highlight 2010 season

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:37:16 GMT

It's anyone's guess right now who the favorite is to win this year's F1 world championship, as several drivers, particularly reigning titleholder Jenson Button, have new rides. The grid has increased with three new teams added and new rules are in place to make this one of the most competitive seasons in the sports' 61-year history.

THE SEVEN-TIME CHAMPION RETURNS Schumacher announced in December he was ending his three-year retirement in F1, as he joined the newly formed Mercedes GP. Mercedez-Benz recently acquired Brawn GP, which captured the constructors' title and drivers' championship with Button during the team's maiden season in 2009. Last August,

Ganassi, Penske drivers set to battle for 2010 IndyCar title

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:37:24 GMT

WILL GANASSI'S REIGN CONTINUE? Dario Franchitti capped off his return to IndyCar in 2009 with his second championship. Franchitti edged 2008 series champion and Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon by 11 points.

After winning his first title with Michael Andretti's team in 2007, Franchitti joined Ganassi and moved over to NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition the following year, but his efforts in stock car r

Schumacher returns and new teams debut at Bahrain

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:46:51 GMT

Amid the blistering desert heat, the 2010 Formula One season gets underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Three new teams -- Hispania Racing Team (HRT), Lotus Racing and Virgin Racing -- will make their debuts at Bahrain, but Michael Schumacher will be the center of attention as the seven- time F1 champion returns to the sport.

After three years of retirement, the 41-year-old German is making a comeback with the newly formed Mercedes GP team. Mercedes-Benz recently acquired Brawn GP, which captured the constructors' title and drivers' championship with Jenson Button in the team's maiden season last year.

IndyCar kicks off season with first-time trip to Brazil

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:37:26 GMT

The IndyCar Series -- with new title sponsor IZOD -- will compete in South America for the first time with the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dario Franchitti also will begin his campaign to repeat as series champion. Franchitti ended the 2009 season with an 11-point margin over his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon. Four of his five wins last year came on road/street courses.

This Week in Auto Racing March 12 - 14

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:49:03 GMT

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES Sao Paulo Indy 300 - Streets of Sao Paulo - Sao Paulo, Brazil The IndyCar Series -- with new title sponsor IZOD -- will compete in South America for the first time with the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

NASCAR suspends crew members for substance abuse violation

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:33:03 GMT

According to a news release, William Keith, a crew member of the No.38 Front Row Motorsports/Yates Racing team in the Sprint Cup Series, and Matthew Huffstetler, a member of the No.01 Daisy Ramirez Motorsports team in the Camping World Truck Series, were found to have violated sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book.

NASCAR has suspended five crew members so far this season for violating its drug policy.

Edwards receives three-race probation for Atlanta incident

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:44:40 GMT

NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the seriousness of the Edwards- Keselowski incident, in which Keselowski's car went flying upside down into the frontstretch wall after Edwards deliberately hit him from behind in the closing laps at Atlanta.

Helton also said NASCAR officials had several discussions internally as well as conversations with the stakeholders of the situation, including team owners Jack Roush (Edwards) and Roger Penske (Keselowski), before making their decision to place Edwards on probation for the upcoming races at Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix.

NASCAR needs to control on-going Edwards-Keselowski feud

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:47:31 GMT

Keselowski got his bell rung when Edwards intentionally bumped him from behind and sent his No.12 Penske Dodge flying upside down into the wall along the frontstretch at the fast 1.54-mile track.

Edwards was more than 150 laps behind at the time of the crash, due to a previous encounter with Keselowski earlier in the race. Keselowski clipped Edwards and shot him up to the track before he made contact with Joey Logano and then slammed into the wall.

Kurt Busch prevails in a wild one at Atlanta

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:43:44 GMT

Busch squeezed his way from fourth to first just after the first two-lap overtime restart. A seven-car pileup occurred just before the final lap when Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer made contact, forcing a second attempt to end the race. Busch held off Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya in the final two laps for his third victory at Atlanta and the 21st of his career.

Kenseth finished second, followed by Montoya, Kasey Kahne, who led the most laps with 143, and Paul Menard.

Hornaday Jr. claims Atlanta pole

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:39:43 GMT

Hornaday, the defending series champion, secured his 24th career pole with a lap of 177.721 m.p.h. He also won the pole at Atlanta in 2007 and '08.

Kyle Busch will start on the outside pole after posting a lap of 177.306 m.p.h. Busch is the defending race winner.

Earnhardt Jr. tops in qualifying at Atlanta

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:47:07 GMT

Earnhardt Jr.'s lap of 192.761 m.p.h. set a record for the fastest qualifying speed in the new Sprint Cup Series car -- the Car of Tomorrow. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, held the record with a lap of 192.376 m.p.h. last October at Charlotte.

"It's really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said of his qualifying lap around the 1.54- mile track. "You just got to hang on. I think there's a lot of cars that can run that fast, but you just got to hang on to it." Earnhardt Jr.

Johnson on the right track heading to Atlanta

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:24:43 GMT

Since his disappointing 35th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson has soared to fifth in the points standings with consecutive victories at California and Las Vegas.

Johnson's win at California came with a little bit of luck. The four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion benefited from a late-race caution when he pitted just before the yellow flag was displayed. He then held off a hard- charging Kevin Harvick in the closing laps.

Trucks back on track at Atlanta

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:21:26 GMT

After a two-week break, the Camping World Truck Series returns to action at Atlanta.

The series kicked off their season on February 12 at Daytona, with Timothy Peters winning the 250-mile race in thrilling fashion. Todd Bodine held the lead on the final lap, but Peters shoved Bodine up the track to claim the top spot. He went on to score his second career victory in the series.

This Week in Auto Racing March 5 - 7

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:02:55 GMT

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 - Atlanta Motor Speedway - Hampton, GA Since his disappointing 35th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson has soared to fifth in the points standings with consecutive victories at California and Las Vegas.

Earnhardt Jr. contributes $1M to Victory Junction camp

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:03:13 GMT

Corral and Amphitheater at Victory Junction -- a camp for children with serious illnesses.

Earnhardt Jr. revealed his contribution during the camp's kickoff of its "Keeping the Dream Alive" campaign. He plans to be at the camp on March 27 when groundbreaking begins on the project.

Patrick has much more to learn in NASCAR before her return

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:43:12 GMT

The Nationwide Series received more attention than ever during the month of February due to the hype surrounding Danica Patrick's foray into stock car racing. Now, it's back to the same ole humdrum for NASCAR's second-tier series until Patrick returns in four months at New Hampshire.

Without question, Patrick's first three Nationwide races have been a learning curve, but there's plenty more for the 27-year-old to study during her stock car crash course.

Johnson spoils Gordon's dominant day at Las Vegas

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:09:17 GMT

Jeff Gordon led a track-record 219 laps, but Gordon took two new tires only during his final pit stop. After putting on four tires, Johnson quickly chased down his Hendrick Motorsports teammate after a restart with 34 to go. Johnson finally passed him for the lead with 17 laps remaining and then cruised to his second consecutive victory. The four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion won last week at California.

"It came down to pit stops," Johnson said. "I thought the race was going to come down to pit stops and who got a good restart. Kind of turned out that way, although the four tires I think helped us more than anything." Johnson recorded his 49th career victory, which moved him up to 12th on the series' all-time race winners list. He also set a NASCAR record for most wins on a 1.5-mile track with 1

Harvick reigns at Las Vegas, Patrick 36th after crash

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:05:46 GMT

Harvick led the most laps with 83, but a lengthy pit stop early in the race shuffled him back in the field. He took the lead for good when he passed Denny Hamlin just after a restart with 25 laps to go.

Harvick recorded his 35th career victory in the series.

Patrick crashes in Las Vegas Nationwide race

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:44:53 GMT

On lap 84, Patrick bumped into Michael McDowell and then slammed into the wall coming out of turn two. McDowell slid up the track and made contact with Patrick again when he hit the wall. She took her car to the garage with heavy damage to the front end of it.

"The car in front of me was going really slow, and I caught him down the front straight," said Patrick, who was running 27th at the time of the incident. "He was just going slow, so I went to go underneath him as he drifted up to the wall, and then he turned down in. I guess I probably should have seen all the tape on the left rear bumper and said, 'I probably shouldn't be on the left rear bumper.' Sure enough, he turned down and then took us both out." Patrick made her last Nationwide star