TV Police: Sprint Cup Series From Bristol On FOX (Day Four)

Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on the case. Some further investigation seems to be needed judging from the comments, tweets and emails already arriving.

The first conflict arose when the Bristol Motor Speedway again had hyped-up driver introductions with each driver picking their own theme song and making a brief statement over the PA system. SPEED helped the problem along by ending RaceDay with reporters talking about these introductions as they were about to happen.

Then Chris Myers, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond appeared on the FOX pre-race show without being able to address the topic. Instead, fans got upset because what had just been teased by SPEED was not followed-up by FOX. The pre-race show was a jumble of topics. The situation was exaggerated by the fact that FOX moved the outside pre-race set to the head of pit road.

Either the FOX program had been recorded earlier or somehow the entire speedway reacting to the chosen driver music and comments was magically muted. It made for a wild TV transition for those who had been watching RaceDay.

After several hours of SPEED and ESPN2, it's still a rough change to the act Chris Myers does on FOX. Like it or not, Myers has adopted a "goofy guy" approach and repeats it on every pre-race. It is a complete and total act.

FOX proudly uses its philosophy of shooting NASCAR races in a "hyper-tight" style. This is the style the network team has used all year and it appears that they will run it all the way through the FOX portion of the season.

At Bristol, there was no opportunity for TV viewers to have a perspective of the racing on the track. Rarely under green was the entire track or even half the track show on-camera. "Hyper-tight" shots and in-car cameras dominated the day.

At one point of the race, under green, FOX actually had split-screen views of two in-car cameras on drivers. There they were...driving. The philosophy of jumping from one tight shot to another and just identifying the cars on the screen is certainly an interesting one.

As we spoke about in the live blog post, the pit reporters and the Hollywood Hotel gang disappeared early on in the telecast. Green flag racing with super-tight shots of only two cars made field recaps and updates on big name drivers non-existent.

Fan attendance is not an issue for this blog, but FOX certainly took every precaution to not show the grandstands. We all know hotel prices, tough economic times and gas prices are affecting the sport. That is one reason TV coverage needs to be so focused on telling the stories of all the teams in the race.

Mike Joy is having a tough time because he must react to the pictures on the screen as the primary source of his commentary. Jumping from one two-car battle to the next just loses the flow of the race and makes him look out of the loop.

The big crash was with about 60 laps to go. FOX was on a tight shot and when the large crash began to unfold chose not to cut to a wideshot. Instead in-car camera angles caused TV viewers to miss virtually the entire incident. Literally, the commentary from the announcers did not match the pictures for a good ten seconds.

FOX immediately began to flood viewers with replays. This is the primary way that the network offers information on what has transpired on the racetrack. It is a direct result of the "hyper-tight" coverage philosophy.

After choosing to show only the winning car cross the finish line in the first few races, the FOX director was forced to cut back to one race among three cars in the field when Mike Joy called out for coverage. Those three were the only other cars shown finishing. This "single car finishing" appears to alwo be a part of the new FOX production philosphy.

There is no doubt that the technical folks are producing good pictures and sound. There is no doubt that Mike Joy and the pit reporters can offer solid and accurate information. There is also little doubt that this style of production will continue through the end of the FOX portion of the season.

We welcome your comments on the FOX production of the Sprint Cup Series race from the Bristol Motor Speedway. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting.

Willie Blevins Charles Blewitt Bill Block

New Faces But Same Issues For Showtime

Update: Got some email this week from fans who had just watched "Inside NASCAR" on Showtime. They were upset that profanity from the team radios was used. In fact, that uncensored radio traffic is a centerpiece of the show and something that Showtime promotes on a regular basis. It's only one of the issues associated with this TV series. Here is our column previewing the 2011 version of the show originally published February 9.

Last year NASCAR trumpeted a multi-year agreement for a new weekly TV series that would be produced from the downtown Charlotte, NC studios of the NASCAR Media Group for 2010. Inside NASCAR was going to be a flagship mid-week show with a twist.

Showtime would offer the series to its universe of subscribers and then make the show available online through both the Internet and cell phone streaming technology. It was Sports Business Journal reporter Michael Smith who offered the following information back in 2010 before the series began.

Showtime's new weekly Inside NASCAR show will be available via the Internet and mobile phone, which required clearance from NASCAR's rights holders in that space.

NASCAR Media Group, which manages those multimedia rights, had to clear the broadcast of Inside NASCAR with its TV, web and mobile partners before giving final approval for the new show.

Unfortunately after the studio set was built, the announcers were signed and money changed hands the other shoe dropped. Click here to review "Showtime Throws NASCAR a Curveball" from TDP last January.

The powers that be at Showtime contradicted the NASCAR Media Group and told us they never intended the series to be distributed outside of the Showtime universe. You want to see it, subscribe they said.

The upshot is that a very good NASCAR TV show is only seen by a very small group of fans. That was the worry going in when the deal was announced. Healthy national cable TV networks may have 90 million homes or more across the country. Showtime is available to less than 19 million subscribers and something big is looming on the horizon.

"Netflix streaming added 3.1 million subscriptions during the fourth quarter of 2010 and now has more than 20 million subscribers," said Gary Kim of IPCarrier. "That's more than the total subscribers of premium channels Starz and Showtime, which have 17.3 million and 18.2 million subscribers, respectively. What that means is that Netflix is competing with the premium cable TV channels."

Once you shake-out the Showtime viewers who are there only for the original entertainment shows and movies, the remaining number of viewers for a sports series like Inside NASCAR is tiny. This season, there are also other things that are getting smaller.

Despite adding Kyle Petty as a panelist, Inside NASCAR is downsizing from one-hour to 30 minutes in length. Chris Myers hosts the show with Randy Pemberton, Michael Waltrip and Brad Daugherty as the original panel members.

The Showtime folks are entertainment-oriented and it shows. The big feature of the series is the re-airing of the profanity-laced team radio traffic without editing. The Showtime PR folks refer to this as uncensored scanner audio and boast it is a Showtime exclusive.

?The show aims to bring NASCAR fans deeper inside the sport than ever before,? said Ken Hershman, General Manager of Showtime Sports. ?We delivered precisely that in season one. Now, with the new half-hour format, Inside NASCAR will become the fastest show on television.?

If Inside NASCAR has a challenge this season, it will be to provide commentary from four panelists, weekend race highlights and the infamous uncensored scanner audio in a 30 minute format. It has not gone unnoticed that two of the panelists participating in this shorter program are named Waltrip and Petty.

Our original suggestion was to make the show available online at the NASCAR.com website on Fridays, two days later than the 9PM ET Wednesday original air date. Online viewers would get to see what Showtime can do with NASCAR content while Showtime subscribers would still have an exclusive two day window for viewing re-airs.

Perhaps as the Showtime universe of subscribers continues to be affected by Netflix, offering this one series online will become a smart business and public relations decision. After all, that was the original idea when Inside NASCAR was created.

We invite your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Bill Barker Curley Barker John Barker

Getting The Band Back Together (Update)

Update: Kenny Schrader will be joining Ricky Craven and ESPN the Magazine writer Ryan McGee on Monday's NASCAR Now program on ESPN2 at 5PM ET. Allen Bestwick hosting.

This is a repost of an item that ran earlier after ESPN's original announcement of Schrader and Johnny Benson appearing on NASCAR Now this season.

To many who read the recent NASCAR on ESPN media release, it was just another sentence about the network's plans for 2011. The impact on most of the NASCAR media was a resounding thud. There is a group, however, that found deep meaning in the following words.

Veteran NASCAR drivers Johnny Benson Jr. and Ken Schrader will be frequent guests on the Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now in 2011.

It was not lost on hardcore fans that a happy Allen Bestwick recently posted pictures of his off-season marriage on his Facebook page. That was a big departure for the formerly very private and highly-organized TV pro who has been a presence in NASCAR for decades.

Allen Bestwick's most personal venture on television began as a Monday night show on a fledgling cable TV network called SpeedVision. It was a one-hour show taped in the late afternoon that featured three local NASCAR personalities discussing the racing from the weekend. At least, that was the theory.

Johnny Benson, Kenny Schrader and Michael Waltrip became cult TV hits as Inside Winston Cup Racing hit the air. Seen under several titles, the show featured the kind of uniqueness that has now been almost wiped from NASCAR TV. Unlike the current crop of cookie-cutter shows, this one was different.

Bestwick relished his role as the ringleader of the NASCAR circus. His personality just meshed so well with the three troublemakers. Waltrip repeatedly bounced comments off the wall that just defied all forms of human logic. Benson was the straight man who tried to keep his cool and interpret Waltrip's observations. Schrader was the enforcer who kept everything in perspective, including Waltrip.

This show clicked because of Bestwick. He arrived early on taping day, reviewed the highlights and prepared the entire show format with the producer. It was clear to those who watched that it was his baby.

Instead of finding it annoying, Bestwick celebrated when the dumpster truck arrived in the middle of the show and was clearly heard through the thin walls of the Sunbelt Video studios. In the early years, so many things just happened that discussing the show with fans became a great conversation. Remember the replay controllers? Not a good idea.

As with all things in TV, change is usually awkward and forced. A new production executive swept through SPEED and decided that the network was going to go Hollywood. Among the changes was the firing of Bestwick and Benson on the spot. No goodbye show, no video memories and nothing but the awkwardness of Dave Despain trying his best to follow orders. It was miserable.

The saga of Bestwick includes his rebirth at ESPN. Starting as an entry level pit road reporter, Bestwick has risen in five years to his current status as the senior man on the NASCAR totem pole. Along the way, the network wasted time, effort and money on a ton of wannabees before putting Bestwick in the Infield Studio and as the host of the Monday NASCAR Now . The idea that Bestwick should replace Marty Reid in the broadcast booth was a popular one after Reid struggled in the Chase.

They say good things come to those who wait and Bestwick has been a patient man. This season, his influence may finally help to guide ESPN back into the good graces of many fans. The faces of Benson and Schrader, along with a bit more fun and a bit less formality, will go a long way toward bridging what we call the "Bristol gap."

With Michael Waltrip gone to the Inside NASCAR series on Showtime, the popular suggestion among the ESPN personalities to fill the final place on the Monday panel is Ricky Craven. It should be fun to watch this dynamic unfold. It should also be fun to watch Kenny Schrader at ESPN in his High Definition make-up and necktie. I wonder how long that will last?

We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Charlie Blanton Erwin Blatt Willie Blevins

Race Report Cadwell Park September 2010

Cadwell Race Report September 2010
Primrose blossoms while Fenn finds his form







Greetings race fans!
The remote Lincolnshire Circuit of Cadwell Park played host to a weekend of thrills and spills as the PBIC hit town. It really was a race of two halves but no prizes for guessing who would end up as sick as a parrot.
The [...]

Michael Dokken Bobby Dotter Ray Elder

Two For One: Unique Team Pairing Has Doug Coby Returning Full-Time To The Whelen Modified Tour In 2011

When looking down the roster of established Modified drivers, those around the Whelen Modified Tour over the last two years likely would have put Doug Coby and Matt Hirschman at the top of the list of the best drivers out there not in full-time rides in the division.

Though there will be no wonder about what's keep either of them out of the division in 2011.  Wednesday it was announced that Hirschman would return to the Whelen Modified Tour full-time next year to drive for Boehler Racing Enterprises.

Thursday, Coby made official the news that he will also return to a full-time ride in 2011. Coby, of Milford, told The Courant he will split time in events in 2011 for two separate teams.

Bud Boone Bobby Booth John Borden

Bristol TV Flashback: NASCAR on FOX

In 2010 we started to offer a platform for fans to voice their comments immediately after TV coverage of a Sprint Cup Series race.

Last March, over one hundred fans stopped by after the NASCAR on FOX coverage of the spring race from the Bristol Motor Speedway. The topics they raised were diverse, but several threads ran through the posts.

Presented without comment, here are excerpts from some of the comments as they appeared that day. Click here to read the entire post and fan comments.

On the topic of announcers:

"No one is CALLING the race!! All they do is chit-chat like teenagers at a high school dance. 16 years of watching NASCAR shot to hell!" (from John P.)

"I would love it dearly if Mike Joy would have told Darrell Waltrip about lap 178 to shut up & let him call this race. It never happened. Replay is not the same as seeing it happen live. We saw lots of replays. Even when Fox was "showing the race" reporters Tweeting from the track got word out about cautions & who was involved before TV bothered to tell us." (from JoJaye)

"I have no idea why Fox has 3 guys in the booth and reporters on pit road. It certainly isn't to keep viewers informed about what is happening on the track! Has someone at Fox lost the memo about going 'through the field'? Very few explanations about cars that went forward or back during the race, so I had no clue what happened." (from Sally)

"The disconnect between the camera shots and the TV booth was startling. Cars would be shown on the screen but the announcers were talking about something completely different. At first, I tried to make a connection but soon realized there wasn't any to be made. The TV truck was calling for shots & the booth was talking about something unrelated. One or both sets of individuals was failing the TV viewer each time that happened." (from Red)

On the topic of producing and directing the race coverage:

"I'm a NASCAR viewer from the days of 'Wide World Of Sports'. There is too much dependence on special cameras. I don't see that the ground-cam gives us any additional knowledge. The bumper cams can be useful, but too often we just see that one car is close to another. A medium shot of both cars could have established that. If there's an incident, look at all of the possible replays and pick the best one. ONE in-car, ONE wide-shot. I don't need to see the accident from every in-car camera in the field. Show me the shot that adds information." (from Don)

"Is it against the rules to show fans in the stands in order to get a wider shot of the action? What's the point of HD if you're focusing in on one or two cars at a time? I'd think with HD technology today they could probably show at least 10 cars at a time to allow us to see all the racing - and we'd still be able to read the ads on the cars. Instead they "zoom" us back to 4:3 days by zooming-in on two cars at a time. It just doesn't make sense. During the pre-race show they had this really cool live shot of the entire race track from the top of the stadium - stands, track, and all - that would have been even more cool with the race going on. Show us some racing from the blimp. Allow the "crank it up" cam to see the entire field go by. Mix it up a bit. Watching one car go around the track and talking about the driver in it doesn't equate to going through the field. Going through the field is telling us when a position is being fought for. What's going on with the drivers fighting for 35th in points? We never heard any of that." (from James)

"The coverage has gone from bad to worse. Locking in on the same dozen cars, in-car shots that are uncalled for, roof cam shots that are unnecessary, and managing to miss action on the track because someone is asleep at the wheel in the production truck is unforgivable. But by golly they'll make sure the plugs for the gopher are correct." (from TheMadMan)

Fox showed the winner and the next three cars finish the race on the TV coverage. Here are some comments on that topic:

"I love how those TEN SECONDS it would have taken to show the whole field finish were far too valuable for the Fox director. TEN SECONDS!" (from Anon fan)

"I want to see the cars cross the start finish line at the end of the race, it's why I bothered to watch all day, to see them cross the finish line and what order they did it in. Instead I'm seeing the inside of the 48 car or the crew celebrating. I'm no longer "hooked" on NASCAR TV and if I was a new fan, this would not make me come back next week." (from Gina 24)

"I understand the race ran over, but for crying out loud, would it kill you to show the cars crossing the line. I don't give a rat's behind about the joyful crew of the winner. I want to see where my favorites finished. And why did you post the graphics before the race ended? Did you NOT know what lap it was? I did." (from TexasRaceLady)

"The final 3 laps were poorly produced. The finishing order was posted before the race was completed and only the first five cars were shown finishing before there was a cut to the winner's in-car camera while the top five's faces remained across the top of the screen. I had to go to a website to get the actual finishing order." (from Red)

"I was livid when Fox failed to have the courtesy to show all of the cars finish the race. This is especially maddening at Bristol where a lap only takes about 16 seconds. Why they did not take that small amount of time to show the field coming across the line when that would miss only moments of JJ's celebration is beyond my comprehension." (from KoHoSo)

Those three topics dominated the live chat during the race and the post-race comments. Bristol is a completely different track that requires a completely different type of TV coverage.

Fans wanted more focused commentary and less story-telling from the announcers in the booth. More information from the pit reporters was also a concern. In the race, using wideshots instead of in-car cameras and shots of single race cars that forced FOX to replay most of the important moments was a hot topic. Finally, the lack of showing all the lead lap cars racing to the finish was a very popular issue.

Sunday's race coverage starts on FOX at 12:30PM ET. The same broadcast team, including producer and director, returns for this telecast. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 1:13PM.

This post is simply meant as a reminder of the challenges TV viewers faced last season on this event. Each new year brings a fresh start and it should be very interesting, with the above fan comments in mind, to see how the NASCAR on FOX team handles the race telecast.

We invite your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Mike Borkowski Pierre Bourque Stan Boyd

CPR Evo wins at USC 2009 - Santa Pod

Even though CPR concentrates on building the quickest circuit Mitsubishi Evo's in Europe, we are still able to produce exceptional times in Drag, and we recently entered the Yellow CPR Evo 6 into the 2009 Ultimate Street Car Championships at Santa Pod.

The competition is open for Road-Legal Street Car's, where victory is assured by running the quickest time up the drag strip over the weekend.

Congratulations to James Nicholls, owner and racer of the CPR Yellow Evo, who won Class D - F.I. 4WD with a 9.90s @ 144.84mph , in full Circuit Trim (still fully Road Legal) on Toyo R888 Tyres.

Full results: http://www.ultimatestreetcar.co.uk/

Michael McDowell Joe Nemechek Tony Raines

Sprint Cup Off to Excellent Start in 2011

Bruce Atchley Irv Atkinson Ray Atkinson

Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 Post-Fontana [3]

Derrike Cope Carl Edwards Jeff Green

NASCAR Driver Pictures: Best of Kurt Busch 2010

It seems Busch the elder, oft times is overshadowed by�his younger sib’s antics. But he, like his bro, has always been very accomodating when it comes to pics. Here are some that Glenn and myself took in 2010.
Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler and Glenn Bure OnPitRow.com

Mike McLaughlin Jimmy Means Roger Mears

Edwards-Busch feud still simmering

FONTANA, Calif. — One breath Carl Edwards says there’s no rivalry between him and Kyle Busch, next one he’s insinuating payback is still coming for their wreck at Phoenix.it should be interested what change will this make

Lennie Pond Mike Porter Randy Porter

New Year?s Revelations January 2011

Happy New Year Race Fans!!
Well here we go again, saving our pennies for more go-faster bits and also taking out a second mortgage to cover the rising fuel costs.
With a challenging year ahead the PBIC gears up with an impressive fixture list of 12 races.
We start the New Year with a shock revelation that the [...]

Rick DeLewis Joe Deloach Mal Delometer

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Martinsville - Goody?s Fast Relief 500

After the checkered flag waved at Fontana, I had to sit back and rub my eyes; did Kevin Harvick just beat Jimmie Johnson at one of his best tracks? I think most NASCAR fans–myself included–breathed a sigh of relief that this could possibly be the year that Johnson gets knocked off of his throne. Of [...]

Hank Chapman J.R. Charbonneau Rene Charaland

What on Earth Should I Take to My First Karate Class?

As a karate trainer, among the things I hear most often is “What gear do I need for my initial martial art training class?” I’d like to get started by saying that it’s always most effective to discuss this kind of concern with the teacher prior to buying any gear, but we will go over [...]

Paul Menard Juan Pablo Montoya Joe Nemechek

Moto Corse MV Agusta Brutale 1133 Evo-CA

The MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR is a special bike in its own right, featuring another of Massimo Tamburini’s iconic designs in motorcycling. It’s hard to improve upon such a work, which is perhaps why we see MV Agusta currently recycling its aesthetic as it updates its motorcycle line. This fact hasn’t stopped Moto Corse from trying its hand on improving upon the Tamburini design though, as the company has put together what it calls the�MV ...

Nathan Haseleu Ryan Hemphill Bobby Hillis

Unfortunately This Is Your Grandmother?s NASCAR

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams head back to the west coast for their now once a year trip to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California.
This race track like no other has mirrored what has become of the sport we love so much.� Like the trip to the grandmothers house that is too clean, [...]

Glen Armstrong Ben Arnold Pete Arnold

Keith Rocco To Be Named State Athlete Of The Year By Connecticut Sports Writer's Alliance

A source close to the Connecticut Sports Writer's Alliance has confirmed that the organization will name Keith Rocco as its 2011 male athlete of the year in Connecticut.

A magical season behind the wheel competing at all three of Connecticut's short track facilities propelled Rocco, of Wallingford, to the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship. It was the first national title for the 26-year old Rocco.

The Connecticut Sports Writer's Alliance will announce Rocco as its male athlete of the year on Sunday.

Rocco is the first driver to win athlete of the year honors from the organization since they began the award in 1973.

He will be recognized by the organization at their annual Gold Key Dinner on April 17 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

Mike Stefanik Brian Tyler Jacques Villeneuve

F1: 2011 Constructor McLaren

Dennis Crowder Ray Crowley Ronnie Croy

Quote of the week from Inside NASCAR on Showtime

David Ray Boggs Pete Boland Bill Boldt

Double Ringer

Benny DeRosier Ernie Derr Bob Derrington

ExxonMobil renews long standing Mobi1 partnership with McLaren F1 team

ExxonMobil this week announced the renewal of its long standing technology partnership with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team, marking the start of the 17th year of the Mobil 1 and McLaren association.
The Mobil 1 brand will continue to be prominently displayed on the McLaren race cars, drivers overalls and helmets as it has [...]

Raymond Carter Jerry Carver Joe Carver

Saab-Spyker to Spin-off Spyker Cars...

Rusty Wallace Darrell Waltrip Rick Ware

F1: Time Capsule - Aussie Flashback

Wayne Edwards Chris Fontaine Mike Garvey

Four Burning Questions: The End of Print, The Future of Bayne, And JJ In Victory Lane? [1]

What?s the deal with National Speed Sport News?

In a wonderful press release sent out yesterday, the motorsports leader in journalism for as long as most fans have been alive has printed its last edition. National Speed Sport News has long been one of the most respected publications across the board and is considered by many, including myself, to be the pinnacle of motorsports journalism. But this is a sign of the times. Print publications have struggled to survive in the age of the Internet, and it seems as if NSSN is the most recent casualty.

Kelly Sutton Randy Tolsma Dick Trickle

NASCAR Sharkfin Soup from Las Vegas

Let’s hope that for once, “what happen’s in Vegas”, doesn’t stay in Las Vegas.
The Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a return to normalcy. No more crazy racing, like the pairs competition at Daytona and freaky Phoenix. Well maybe no more until�Bristol. But we’ll see I guess.
Vegas was traditional. Lots of [...]

Joe Clark Mike Clark Mitchell Clark

Japan keeps reeling from Devastation

Crash Carson Pancho Carter Raymond Carter

Team CPR reach victory at T.O.T.B VIII

Car Planet Racing entered a team of 10 highly modified street legal cars into the 2009 Ten of the Best TOTB VIII Competition at Elvington, Yorks 26/07/2009, consisting of some of our staff's and customers' cars, reaching victory in the 0-400m Shootout Final and a new personal best from the Orange CPR Race Car.






Team CPR

Clive Seddon - Orange Evo 5 - 950hp


James Nicholls - Yellow Evo 6 - 850hp



Max Waung - Mercedes CLS55 AMG - 600hp


Albert Yeung - Twin Turbo Evo 9 - 650hp


Andy James - Evo 5 - 460hp


Jim Moore - Evo 5 - 450hp



Rob Cowling - Evo 7 - 700hp


Mark Croft - Nissan GT-R - 580hp


Ged Jefferson - Evo 8 - 700hp


Yin Ng - S15 Silvia - 270hp



Throughout very poor wet conditions, the CPR Team performed well, with an all-round excellent effort across the 3 disciplines of Handling, Top Speed and 0-400m.

We were very proud to achieve our new Personal Best 0-400m time of 9.5s, by Clive in the Orange CPR Evo, even with a wet track.

Even more of an achievement is the success of the Yellow Evo 5, driven faultlessly all day by James Nicholls, which qualified him for the 0-400m Shoot-Out Finals.

James managed to find the extra grip on a very slippery drag track, to defeat Andy Forester in the AFP Subaru Impreza in the first heat, and then went on to win the Shootout by beating Paul Martin of the MLR in the Momentum Motorsport Evo, after a very close battle, won only in the last 60 feet.

Congratulations to James for his victory, and to all who competed well throughout difficult conditions.

Official Results T.B.A

Brendan Gaughan Craig Goess Mario Gosselin

CFM: The 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours ? A Review

Published at Chequered Flag Motorsport on 16th June 2007 The 1997 Le Mans 24 Hour Race will go down as one of the toughest, most exciting and most significant editions of the annual endurance race. The race went down to the last hours, with many twists, turns, and stories to tell. Tragedy Before the event [...]

Rodney Combs Rodney Combs, Jr. Doug Congden

Kevin Conway Needs Help from His Sponsor

The first three weeks of the NASCAR season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
The stories that have come from this early season have been all that NASCAR could have hoped for.� From twenty-year-old Trevor Bayne winning the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing” to a resurgence by veteran Jeff Gordon the first two [...]

Matt Kenseth Brad Keselowski Travis Kvapil

Sauber disqualified, launches appeal

Follwoing an outstanding result in the Australian Grand Prix, Sauber has been disqualified from the race results due to what the FIA says is an illegal rear wing. It seems the rear wing is not within the FIA’s understanding of the regulations and therefore the team have lost their 7th and 8th place finishes. The [...]

A. J. Cox Bobby Cox Buddy Cox

Race Report Snetterton October 2010

Snetterton October 2010
Greetings Race Fans,
The final race of the season was approached with some trepidation by the Peter Besters as the Norfolk Circuit threatened to be a washout on the weather front.
Qualifying on the Saturday was a little damp but the rain held off allowing 27 eager drivers to safely grab their place on the [...]

Tim Boulton Elias Bowie Bill Bowman

Pre-Race Report Brands Hatch 2011

Greetings Race Fans and welcome to another New Season with the PBIC.
Well where does the time go?
As we finished off last year I had the best of intentions of getting some work done on the trusty B but here we are with just a few days before the first race and I find myself with [...]

Eddie Beahr Harold Beal Joe Bean

Vermeulen May Not Race at Donington Park

The saga of rehabilitating Chris Vermeulen’s knee continues this weekend at the second round of the World Superbike season. The Australian will participate in the practice and qualifying sessions beginning Friday at Donington Park, but he may sit out the races on Sunday. This news comes after Vermeulen missed the season opener and winter testing at Phillip Island because his knee has not recovered as quickly as planned, and it was hoped that skipping his ...

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kenny Wallace Mike Wallace

Open Race Thread: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway

Dave Davis Frank Davis Gene Davis

F101: Australian GP Review

Forget KERS, Sebastian Vettel blitzed the rest of the field without it in Melbourne for the first race of the Formula One season today, while the other stories of the day included Button vs. Massa, Sergio Perez?s triumphant debut race, Vitaly Petrov finishing on the podium, Lewis Hamilton?s damaged undertray, and a post-race disqualification for [...]

Jerry Cook Jim V. Cook Mel Cook

Mallory Race Report July 2010

Mallory Race Report July 2010
A slightly reduced field of Peter Besters took to the track as guests of the Morgan Sports Car Club at Mallory.
The Morgan drivers consisting of several Tarquins and Ponsonby-Smythes were a little taken aback as the Peter Besters consisted of Browns and Joneses.
Nevertheless they let us race anyway.

As predicted of the [...]

Everett Brashear Andy Brass Darin Brassfield

Biaggi to Melandri: ?What Did the Hand Say to the Face??

Slap! And that’s what happened when Max Biaggi stopped by Marco Melandri’s pit box after qualifying, after the two riders traded moments stuffing each other during the Superpole sessions. While out on his fastest lap in Superpole 2, Marco Melandri came onto the slower lapping Max Biaggi, and according to Melandri, Biaggi blocked his fellow Italians fast lap. Subsequently, Melandri returned the favor on Biaggi’s fast lap attempt, while Biaggi would go on to do ...

Bill Blackwell Dick Blackwell T.L. Blakely

Rob Cowling's Evo 7 - 712hp/600lbft+ Video

Martin Truex Jr. Brian Vickers Brandon Ash