Full Throttle

Driver Erin Pac (Farmington, Conn.) and brakeman Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) of the United States captured the bronze medal as the Olympic women’s bobsled competition concluded Wednesday night at The Whistler Sliding Center.

The term racer to NASCAR fans means one thing, modern-day Gladiators wheeling 4 wheeled 3,500lb hunks of tin, Kevlar and fiberglass. Admittedly we as NASCAR fans have a very narrow definition of the term and that’s sad in many respects.

PRISM Motorsports efforts at Daytona were called “historic.” For the first time in the team’s history they entered two cars for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the #66 Toyota of Dave Blaney and the #55 Toyota of Michael McDowell.

Nelson Piquet driver had initially planned to contest the Free State 500 stock car event on the Phakisa oval prior to his US racing debut but will now head straight to Daytona.

Carl Renezeder made the long trip from California pay off Saturday as the off-road racer lead all qualifiers in the Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering.

 

 Joe Castello interviews Geoff Bodine, Alan Reinhart, Jeg Coughlin and Morgan Lucas. [60:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re thinking there will be many changes around here, forget it, I’ll be the same cantankerous old me. Aren’t you glad? No this post is more about my recent absence, the reason why, and why the first checkbox on the wife’s imminent divorce list has been X’ed out.

Last year a blown engine by Brett Hudson denied the opportunity to challenge Chuck Barnes Sr for the win in the inaugural Polar Bear 150.

The 2.5km banked oval at Free State’s Phakisa Freeway has been given the thumbs-up from the first professional stock car driver to drive it.

NASCAR’s history is well known to even the most casual observers. As a sport rooted in the mountains and the foothills of the Southern Appalachians it first received national prominence in 1965. That year saw Esquire magazine publish Tom Wolfe’s essay, “The Last American Hero”, about Junior Johnson’s Wilkes County exploits.

Kyle Busch thrives in the limelight whether it’s cheers or boos and on Sunday night drews mostly cheers and he won the 42nd annual Snowball Derby in front of a sellout crowd at Five Flags Speedway.

Marcos Ambrose will race in the Dubai 24 Hour sportscar race at the Dubai Autodrome on January 14-16 early next year. Ambrose will drive the #148 Ferrari F430 GT2 of the AF Corse team, partnered by Rob Kaufman, Michael Waltrip, Rui Aguas and Niki Cadei.

It will be teen day on the front row Sunday for the 42nd annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway. 2009 Blizzard Series’ Super Late Model Champion Johanna Long, all of 17 years old, and Ross Kenseth, a 16-year-old are the two fastest drivers for the prestigious race.

The town of Fort Erie Ontario, Canada is the site of a purposed one mile NASCAR type oval, located a hop, skip & gambling chip toss away from Fort Erie Race Track & Slots, Niagara Fallsview Casino and other southern Ontario attractions. The location is only 2 miles from the Peace Bridge a vital transit link between the United States and Canada.

The final rounds of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship will take place Sunday - at 12.05 and 13.25 local time. The two 9-lap races will decide the fights for both the Drivers’ and the Manufacturers’ World titles.

Edoardo Mortara set the quickest time in the final free practice session for the Macau Grand Prix with an impressive lap that was underneath the circuit’s official lap record.

Marcus Ericsson narrowly seals provisional pole position for Tom’s for the 2009 Macau F3 Grand Prix following opening qualifying around the Autódromo da Guia in the Far Eastern enclave of Macau.

Augusto Farfus set the best lap in Thursday’s test session ahead of this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship finale at Macau.

Chase Elliott could have used some help from the Aaron’s Lucky Dog on the hood of his No. 9 Ford during Sunday’s 26th Annual World Crown 300 at the new Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.

All NASCAR fans are familiar with the long history, and final demise of North Wilkesboro Speedway, a short track that held races in NASCAR’s top three series from NASCAR’s inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996.

With the recent unveiling of the Roush NNS Mustang, and a complete inability to come-up with something more suitable to write, I offer the following for your enjoyment and hopefully puzzlement.