Full Throttle

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.

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.

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.

Since NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup was instituted in 2004 many have derided the sanctioning body for what some call “selling out to the stick and ball sports” playoff system, or simply eschewing NASCAR’s traditional and long-standing history.

DATELINE: Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada - Long-time racing fan and NASCAR memorabilia shop owner Randy Nicholson is being sued by Darrell Waltrip over the use of “boogity” in the shop name.

NASCAR Nation is all a-twitter as some of it’s biggest stars of the past and present invade the White House lawn and “Obama Nation.”

Organizers of the European Grand Prix want Formula One authorities to rescind Renault’s suspension from the race so Fernando Alonso can compete in his native Spain.

NASCAR has asked a federal judge Graham Mullen to reverse his ruling of last week and keep driver Jeremy Mayfield off the track.

Max Mosley may run for a fifth term as FIA president after Formula One teams announced plans to break away from the sport because of a dispute over a planned budget cap.

Each racing weekend brings winners, and losers. But the week’s racing action on many occasions brings with it an on track action so dumb, so stupid it has to be called out as Racing’s Stupid Move of the Day.

NASCAR has been pilloried by the Earth-is-hotting-up-we-gotta-do-something-NOW-crowd for as long as I can remember. Not that is some ways they don’t deserve it, it took the Daytona Suit a dog’s age, a very old dog, to switch to unleaded fuel.

The occasional verbal spasms of silliness from other sports sometimes serve to remind me of one of NASCAR’s very best traits: Loyalty.

From time to time a combination of boredom with the current state of being - despite this being arguably the biggest racing weekend of the season - plus a general frustration over what passes as auto racing commentary sends the Half-Vast Staff™ of Full Throttle into full-on assault mode.

Setting aside for the moment most F1 fans wouldn’t be adverse to seeing a few more teams on the starting grid. Reports suggest the 2010 grid is officially open to three new teams added to the 10 in this years championship.

Ferrari insist they are serious in their threat to pull out of Formula 1 at the end of the year over plans to introduce a budget cap. Board member Piero Ferrari likened the situation to a threat by his father Enzo, the company’s founder, to quit F1 for the Indianapolis 500 in the 1980s.

Jeremy Mayfield on Saturday became the first Cup driver suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy that went into effect last fall. Since the shock announcement Saturday there have been a couple updates.

On an afternoon complicated by an early multiple car collision, the two Brawn drivers proved their team remains the outstanding force this season in the first European race of the year.

International karting competitor Michele Bumgarner of the Philippines was in Gasoline Alley with high hopes of landing a ride in the Firestone Indy Lights race, the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 22 at the Speedway.

Already well-known for his desire to broaden Formula 1’s scope in terms of the countries it visits, Bernie Ecclestone now appears keen to reach out to more culturally and ethnically diverse audiences.

Threshold Animation Studios’ Tinseltown Toons has embarked on the first full-length animated feature based on the NASCAR brand for the kids market.