Full Throttle

I’ve long be an advocate of the Nationwide Series breaking away from the “Cup Model,” i.e. a smaller wheelbase with slightly smaller engine but otherwise identical to it’s larger cousin the Cup car.

To be specific I believe in order to forge a new identity for the series they should go the Pony Car route. For a while I had visions of NASCAR officials reading Full Throttle and taking the hint.

Now, not so much.

Recently I’ve seen various quotes by NASCAR bureaucrats hinting at a versions of the CORN for the Nationwide Series. I say your freakin stupid, and here’s why.

Number one, whether they switch to a Pony Car of a different version of the CORN you’re talking big bucks for the teams to make the switch. So the money issue is a non-issue.

Number two and most important is the emphasis the manufacturers are placing on their Pony Car line-up of Camaros, Mustangs and Dodge Challengers.

The Mustang FR500S pictured above was introduced this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

It’s not just any Mustang but a racing Mustang YOU can purchase directly from dealerships. (Shades of the mid-sixties and the Ford Thunderbolts!) For a cool $75 G’s you to can own a real race car.

And race it in the all-new Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup - that’s “Miller,” as in Miller Motorsports Park (MMP) near Salt Lake City.

In a joint effort between MMP and Ford Racing the Miller Cup will be a one-make “spec” series utilizing the new Ford Mustang FR500S fitted with BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tires.

The 325-hp Ford Mustang FR500S joins the $129,900, 420-hp FR500C as raced in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, and the $250,000, 525-hp FR500GT that has been homologated for use in the GT class of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series starting in 2008.

And you can bet your last dollar that Dodge and Chevy will follow suit and homologate their Challenger and Camaro for the Rolex Series as well once they hit the marketplace.

If any of this flies over the heads of the NASCAR Suits, if they fail to see the importance Ford is placing on marketing, and racing the Mustang, they deserve what they will ultimately get.

Just another Cup-lite series with the Nationwide brand stuck on it.

Indian motorsport superstar Narain Karthikeyan landed in Bahrain yesterday and attended a function with over 2,000 school children at the Indian School in Isa Town.

Karthikeyan will be driving this weekend in the new Speedcar series that is part of a bumper festival of motor racing at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in conjunction with the Desert 400 V8 Supercar Championship Series. He will be among 24 drivers competing in identical V8 620bhp stock cars.

The Desert 400 V8 Supercars Championship, which is full of entertainment both on and off the track for the whole family, starts on Thursday with racing on Friday and Saturday.

Apart from the Speedcars, three races for the Lumina CSV Middle East Championship, Thunder Arabia and Radicals will be held as support events for the championship.

In the Lumina CSV Championship, 15 drivers will lined up in Chevrolet 5.7 Gen3 V8.

He will join the ranks of World famous drivers like Ferrari and Benetton Formula One star Jean Alesi, who participated in over 200 Grand Prix in his career, and Johnny Herbert, Michael Schumacher

“For those who have their evil, twisted conspiracy hats on, we want to put that to rest,” John Darby said. “If it was sabotage, it would have to be the kind of thing where someone hates NASCAR racing across the board.”

Who ME!

Are you talkin’ to me, you talkin’ to me…? You talkin’ to me, who the hell else you talkin’ to, I’m the only one here? Who the f*ck do ya think you’re talkin’ to John Darby?

You’ll have to pry my evil, twisted conspiracy hat from my cold, bald and dead pate before I give up my favorite head gear!

And BTW, John Darby, there are people that hate NASCAR. Start your investigation here in search of your prime suspect. And I’d start tracking northbound water trucks, ’cause Atlanta is out of water</am, it must have been imported.

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A lot of us, well… all of us actually, were in fits of hysterical laughter when some loonbat from the Homeland Security Committee suggested inoculations were required to attend a NASCAR event.

After this weekend I’m not so sure they were wrong. And “Yellow Fever” may be at the head of the targeted disease list.

After Saturday’s near historical level of yellows fly at Memphis and Sundays Atlanta Motor Speedway record number of yellows it’s obvious “Yellow Fever” is highly contagious among the drivers and those that work in the race control tower.

Combined the weekend saw more yellow than a weeks worth of pre-school diapers. Not a good thing, but hey, it gave the broadcasters plenty of time for commercials and inane comments by Booth Bobbleheads

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal the IRL will announce sponsorship deals involving soft drink, energy drink and motor oil companies this week at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas.

IBJ’s Anthony Schoettle writes that infamous and always unnamed “sources” close to the series said Frank

Not every double-wide trailer is inhabited by a ignert chain-smoking, beer swilling couples with tattoos. Some, like the one in the infield of Memphis Motorsports Park, are home to NASCAR officials.

After the completion of the Sam Town 250 the line outside NASCAR’s double-wide had more drivers waiting at it’s door than those on queue for a 50% off sale at Wal-Mart.

Congrats to David Reutimann for winning his first Busch Series event. However his win, more specifically the condition of his car after the crash-fest, should serve as a lesson to most of the drivers he competed with Saturday.

It was near spotless, as was that of second place finisher Mike Bliss.
The Michael Waltrip Racing (or whatever its called now) Toyota stood in stark contrast to several that completed the race ordeal minus fenders and hood and the majority of the rest that looked like refugees from the Figure 8 World Championship.

Did I mention there were 10 drivers in the starting field under the age of 21? (that lays to waste “Busch isn’t a development series any longer” meme that’s making the rounds doesn’t it?- ed)

Not that they were the sole cause of the near NASCAR record 25 caution flags, plenty of veterans contributed, but they certainly played a large part in the debacle.

With luck, and much wrist slapping inside that double-wide, a prime lesson will be learned by all. To finish first, you have to first finish.

Posts published by the esteemed and Half-Vast Staff™ of Full Throttle may be on the light side the next 36 hours or so.

The eyes are still on the prize, the Cup event at Atlanta, there just won’t be as much time for posting any thoughts we may have on the event.

As you can see by the logo the 2007 Weblog Awards are in progress. As in most years I’m a judge this year and must at minimum sift through over a hundred blogs in two separate categories to select the top ten finalists in each.

(As an aside, save your bribes, they would do no good. There are 49 different categories of blogs to be judged and the identity of my two are under court seal and located under Bernie Ecclestone’s hairpiece.)

Voting starts November 1st so save up enough energy to punch out Full Throttle on the ballot in the Best Sports Blog category.

Jean Todt, a piece of advice from the Half-Vast Staff™ of Full Throttle, when your boss Luca di Montezemolo issues such a luke-warm non-denial denial as that that follows you better don your Kevlar suit coat.

A knife in the back will soon follow.

“Until further notice he [Todt] will carry on doing that, while also having the Gestione Sportiva under his wing,” di Montezemolo, Ferrari president, said after a Fiat Group board meeting earlier this week.

“In any case, we’ll announce the team organisation for 2008 at Christmas,” the Italian added.

How very tepid!

Allegedly, according to the most ardent Tifosi, Montezemolo has expressed his desire for the return from sabbatical of Ross Brawn to lead the Prancing Steeds in 2008. That has led to the apparent tiff between Montezemolo and Michelle Yeoh’s better half. (See, there is a reason for the cheescake photo. We loooove Michelle - ed.)

In any case whether it be at the helm of Ferrari in 2008 or Todt’s shown the paddock door (Merry Christmas!) by Montezemolo we at FT wish him well and he enjoys retirement in his second home.

You knew it had to be coming. The F1 season is over and the drivers disperse to do what they do in the little time they have before the 2008 campaign starts.

As a result the sporting press, tabloids, and other stalkers that don’t wear the sporting press or tabloid label professionally strain to find something, anything to print. (Did I mention bloggers? We strain for material also, hence, what you see here.)

But it looks like Ralfy has run into a spot of trouble over his sporting options in his free time.

PETA (the *great folks* that bring you images of fake blood doused on little kids as they enter McDonalds as a form of protest) claims that Schumacher joined a hunting party in Kozara, Serbia where he gunned down three deer that had no chance of escaping.

Not unlike shooting fish in a barrel, PETA charges Ralfy paid

Gather the women folk and children and rush them to safety! (and inoculate them against “NASCAR Nation Fever!”)

If you have a large boat anchor toss it into the backyard, the Earth’s rotation is about to speed up 10 fold and the stratosphere is about to be sucked into a black hole that once was the Pacific Ocean! (READ: The sky is falling!)

The absolutely unthinkable has happened! The unimaginable in our lifetime! An event that Nostradamus failed to see!

NASCAR has reversed themselves not once this week, but twice within the span of 48 hours.

National Stock Car Racing Commission, headed by Charles Strang, has reversed a previous commission decision on the Le Affair Robert Yates that occurred at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on August 4, 2007. (out of spec shock absorbers)

The first appeal finding was to reduce the original points penalty.

This second-level and final appeal Mr. Strang found that “the results of the inspection process are not adequate to prove culpability on the part of the appellant or his associates.”

Mr. Strang therefore ordered that: The 25 NASCAR Busch Series Championship Car Owner Points shall be restored to car owner Robert Yates. The 25 NASCAR Busch Series Championship Driver Points shall be restored to driver Stephen Leicht. The $5,000 fine for crew chief Charles Barraclough shall be eliminated.

I’m not sure what to think. I’m breathless with disbelief, but there it is in black & white, justice served by a NASCAR bureaucrat!

Just in case this string of The Improbable continues I have a bit more writing to accomplish.

To be on the safe side you understand, but if there IS a Santa Claus, a real one and not Dear Ole Dad dressed to not fool anyone, I’ve got a very long list to compose.

It won’t hurt, it might be a long shot, but so is NASCAR reversing themselves in such a public and meaningful way.