Button confident, wet or dry

Jenson Button is confident that he and his McLaren team can do a good job if the Brazilian Grand Prix is a wet race, despite the challenges presented by such weather conditions.

Leo Kinnunen Gregory Jack Biffle Nico Hülkenberg Jesús Iglesias Ryan Joseph Newman

Steve Addington named crew chief for Tony Stewart

Theo Helfrich Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Designs Toyota Jean Pierre Jarier Helm Glöckler

Brad Daugherty testing race truck at Martinsville this week

DAUGHERTY GETS UP FROM BEHIND THE DESK FOR THE DAY TO CLIMB INTO A RACE TRUCK AND TEST AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY HARRISBURG, N.C. (November 28, 2011) – - Brad Daugherty may be best known as a five-time NBA All-Star or for his work as an ESPN analyst for NASCAR?s top touring divisions. However, his passion [...]

Clint Bowyer Brian Gubby Dale Arnold Jarrett Nicolas Kiesa André Guelfi

NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented By Sprint Features Appearances By 2011 Champions

NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by SprintStewart, Stenhouse Jr., Dillon To Sign Autographs At Inaugural Fan Festival In January DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (Nov. 29, 2011) ? With the completion of the 2011 NASCAR season, planning for the NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint season preview fan event is in high gear. Driver appearances by the newly...more»

Theo Helfrich Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Designs Toyota Jean Pierre Jarier Helm Glöckler

Pirelli promises to keep F1 exciting

Pirelli will not hesitate to modify its Formula 1 tyres next year if it feels the racing is getting boring. As the Italian tyre manufacturer continues its preparations for 2012, having tried out two different compounds in Friday practice in Brazil, its motorsport director Paul Hembery says Pirelli is keen to ensure teams never get comfortable with the rubber. And after confessing that perhaps Pirelli had been too conservative in the last two events in India and Abu Dhabi, Hembery has indicated that its priority remains to keep the racing exciting.

Kyle Thomas Busch Georges Grignard Peter de Klerk Boy Hayje Jeffrey Michael Gordon

Mercedes and Renault-Nissan Alliance: What to Expect in the U.S.

DaimlerChrysler?s efforts to integrate with Mitsubishi and Hyundai to create a “global number one” in the 1990s resulted in catastrophic damage to Chrysler and Mitsubishi. The chemistry between Daimler and Chrysler never worked out, and Chrysler was finally dumped and left stranded with incredibly uncompetitive products. Financial firm Cerberus Capital Management took over in 2007 [...]

Mack Hellings François Hesnault Willi Heeks Bill Holland Jim Hurtubise

Raikkonen says motivation not an issue

Kimi Raikkonen says there are is no question about his motivation ahead of his return to Formula 1 with the Lotus Renault team next year. The Finn left the sport at the end of 2009 to compete in the World Rally Championship for the past two seasons, but has now secured a two-year deal with the team to return to grand prix racing in 2012. Raikkonen, a world champion with Ferrari in 2007, says he would not have returned to Formula 1 if his motivation was not high.

Sterling Burton Marlin Al Herman Bobby Grim Kyle Thomas Busch Georges Grignard

NASCAR fans boo the First Lady?

Howden Ganley Alan Dennis Kulwicki Ruby Tuesday Dodge James Hunt Fred Gamble

Report: Senator Corker heckled at GM Spring Hill plant ceremony

Filed under: Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, UAW/Unions

Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) met a tough crowd last week at a ceremony announcing General Motors would once again produce vehicles in Spring Hill, Tennessee beginning next year. Autoworkers attending an event at the manufacturing facility booed and jeered Corker during his speech. According to The Detroit Free Press, the senator listened to the unruly crowd for nearly 20 seconds before saying, "I think everyone knows we've had our differences in the past. And I can tell today that's fine with you, and it's fine with me." The lawmaker then went on to urge the autoworkers to strive to make GM great once again.

Corker led the fight against the federal government's automotive bailout in 2009. He also pushed for further wage and benefit concessions from the United Auto Workers as part of the rescue package. Those efforts had a direct impact on many of the workers in attendance at the Spring Hill ceremony, and The Detroit Free Press reports that many employees at the plant feel Corker's work didn't do much to keep the plant from going dark earlier this year.

Senator Corker heckled at GM Spring Hill plant ceremony originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joe James Emmanuel de Graffenried Toyota Kimmy Lewis Hamilton Travis Wade Kvapil

Hamlin Finishes Fifth in Season Finale at Homestead

No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota CamryZ-Line Designs Driver Notches 41st Top-Five in 128 Career Nationwide Series Starts Date: Nov. 19, 2011 Event: Ford 300 (Round 34 of 34) Series: NASCAR Nationwide Series Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Start/Finish: 7th/5th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps) Winner: Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing (Dodge) Denny Hamlin drove...more»

Terrence Lee Labonte Brian Henton Gene Hartley Jacky Ickx Peter Gethin

Video: Turkey Day was terrible for these two Corvette owners

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Chevrolet

If you saw a C5 Corvette pulled up next to a C6 Corvette at a stop light, would you assume that a drag race would follow? And which vehicle would win? We'd have our money on the C6 Vette, but then again, the C5 owner may have a bit extra under the hood.

While on his way home from picking up the family's Thanksgiving turkey last week, one astute driver noticed just such a scenario play out in front of his eyes, and he was smart enough to press the record button on his camera phone. Unfortunately, the Vette owners weren't smart enough to know that public drag racing is always a bad idea, even on the day before Thanksgiving.

As it turns out, the C5 did have the juice to keep up with the C6, but it didn't have very good traction. Follow the jump to watch a Bowtie battle for the ages turn into one very expensive insurance claim. With joggers, bikers and kids within a stone's throw of the road, this was a really stupid move, and the drivers are lucky only their cars - and egos - were damaged.

NOTE: There is some swearing in the video, so you may want to turn down the volume.

Continue reading Turkey Day was terrible for these two Corvette owners

Turkey Day was terrible for these two Corvette owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jean Marc Gounon William Clyde Elliott Elmer George Masten Gregory Clint Bowyer

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Driver Points

Pos Driver BPts Points Ldr Nxt Starts Poles Wins T5s T10 sDNFs Money Won PPos G/L 1 Tony Stewart 40 2403 0 0 36 1 5 9 19 1 $6,529,871 2 1 2 Carl Edwards 29 2403 0 0 36 3 1 19 26 0 $8,485,989 1 -1 3 Kevin Harvick 30 2345 -58 -58 [...]

Randy Joseph Lajoie William Ashton Lewis Jr Naoki Hattori Romain Grosjean Kevin Michael Harvick

Report: Germany in court again over "VW Law," could face fines of nearly $375,000/day

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Government/Legal, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

We haven't heard about the Volkswagen Law in a while, but that doesn't mean the EU Commission has forgotten about it. The law gives the state of Lower Saxony, with a 20.1-percent stake in VW, veto rights on a takeover deal, which means no one's ever going to take over VW because its home state won't allow it. The law came in handy when Porsche was working to gobble up Volkswagen. The law was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in 2007. Germany then scrapped the old VW Law but rewrote another one that gave Lower Saxony the same rights with different legalese circumventing the spirit of the court's decision.

The EU competition oversight body is taking Germany back to court over the law, but wants to put some pain into the judgment: it wants Germany fined €31,000 ($41,000 USD) per day for every day since the original 2007 judgment. It also wants the court to issue a second ruling, and if Germany doesn't bring the law into line with the ruling, the EU Commission wants Germany fined €282,725 per day (nearly $375,000) until the Germans comply.

No federal German authorities have responded to the latest EU thrust, but the premier of Lower Saxony offered this: "Doesn't Europe have better things to do?"

Germany in court again over "VW Law," could face fines of nearly $375,000/day originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beppe Gabbiani Johnny Herbert Tom Jones Divina Galica Oscar González

Alguersuari predicts ?chaotic? race

Jamie Alguersuari is predicting a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday due to the rain expected to hit the circuit. The Spanish driver qualified in 13th position on Saturday and was pleased to be ahead of the Saubers, with which his Toro Rosso team is fighting for seventh place in the championship.

Danny Kladis Jeffrey Tyler Burton Bill Homeier Dick Gibson Hans Klenk

Caterham to run in green and gold

Team Lotus will continue to run in a green and gold livery in grands prix next year, despite Tony Fernandes' squad being rebranded as Caterham F1. Fernandes, who decided to rebrand and end a long-running dispute over naming rights with rival Group Lotus, said that maintaining a traditional British look would be important for the team's image in the future. "Next year we will still be green and yellow, we will call ourselves the Caterham F1 Team, with the same people," Fernandes said

Tony Gaze Nanni Galli Gimax Graham Hill Beppe Gabbiani

?The Best Is Yet To Come? at Newly Car-Free New Lots Triangle

More than 70 people packed into the New Lots Triangle in East New York this morning for the official ribbon cutting of a new public space, but perhaps the most important sign of the plaza’s popularity wasn’t the big crowd but the senior citizens who had simply stopped there to sit down and drink a [...]

Duncan Hamilton Robert Allen Labonte Cecil Green Jerry Hoyt Z Line Toyota

Video: The drag racing wreck that refuses to end

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

When's the last time you watched a wreck that took nearly two minutes to conclude? Driver Eric Peterson's XDR Firebird got out of shape almost immediately during a solo dragstrip run and crashed almost head-on into the wall.

According to people in attendance, both tires on the car's driver's side were torn off, and the impact ripped the master cylinder from the firewall. The throttle cable was attached to the cylinder, so when the cylinder fell, the throttle controlling a 1,500-plus-horsepower engine got stuck wide open for more than a minute. Worst of all, the initial impact knocked Peterson unconscious, so he wasn't able to do anything to intervene.

You can see what happens after that in the video after the jump. Peterson, an experienced racer, came to after the medics cut him out of the car and is said to be at home and ok.

Continue reading The drag racing wreck that refuses to end

The drag racing wreck that refuses to end originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alan Jones Hubert Hahne Jean Marc Gounon William Clyde Elliott Elmer George

The Final Lap #184 ? Tony Stewart is 2011 Champion

SHOW #184 – Guest: David Caraviello from nascar.com, Tony Stewart is Champion, Carl Edwards is runner up. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop (About 46 mins) LISTEN HERE SUBSCRIBE HERE DOWNLOAD HERE RSS FEED SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to our audio shows from iTunes, and they will automatically show up [...]

Virgil Ernest Irvan III David Hobbs Max Jean Aldo Gordini Yuji Ide

Brad Keselowski Wins at Homestead in Final Race as Nationwide Series Champion

Brad Keselowski gets ready to celebrate after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-ending Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCARHOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 19, 2011) ? Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), picked up his...more»

Sam Hanks Stefan Johansson Bruce Halford Geki Ernst Klodwig

NASCAR Fines Kurt Busch For Actions At Homestead-Miami Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LogoDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 25, 2011) ? NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch $50,000 for his actions during the Nov. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR determined that Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing ? inappropriate hand gesture; abusive language) of the 2011...more»

Kyle Eugene Petty Walt Hansgen Mark Anthony Martin Kevin Harvick Howden Ganley

Petrov: No resentment after outburst

Vitaly Petrov says his Renault F1 team does not resent him for his outspoken criticism of them following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this month. The Russian launched a verbal attack on his team on Russian TV following the race - criticising Renault for poor strategy calls and a lack of car development. He later wrote an email letter of apology to Renault F1 staff, in which he said his comments were unnecessary, which was accepted by team boss Eric Boullier.

Al Herman Bobby Grim Kyle Thomas Busch Georges Grignard Peter de Klerk

Talladega Superspeedway Offering Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

Talladega (Ala.) SuperspeedwayTALLADEGA, Ala. ? Retailers won?t be the only businesses seeking to drive up sales while passing on great values to customers following Thanksgiving. Talladega Superspeedway is getting into the holiday spirit with a couple of great deals for Black Friday (Nov. 25) and Cyber Monday (Nov. 28). The Black Friday deal offered by...more»

James Christopher McMurray Alan Jones Hubert Hahne Jean Marc Gounon William Clyde Elliott

2012 Buick Regal GS vs. 2012 Volvo S60 R-Design: Two Comfort Kings Consult the Book of Changes

China Syndrome: Buick and Volvo owe their continuing existence to China. The Regal GS and the S60 R-Design show the brands? great aspirations. Depending on whom you ask, China is either a rising dragon or a paper tiger. But one thing is for certain: The Middle Kingdom is a monster car market. Eighteen million cars, [...]

Theo Helfrich Heikki Kovalainen Z Line Designs Toyota Jean Pierre Jarier Helm Glöckler

Today?s Headlines

Cuomo Looks to Labor Pension Funds, Including UFT and 32BJ, to Finance Tappan Zee (WSJ)
Chuck Schumer Sides With Staten Islanders Seeking Special Deal on Tolls (Advance)
Scott Stringer: Many Neighborhoods in Need of 20 MPH Zone (Post)
Chris Ward: “We Have to Toll the East River Bridges” (Capital NY)
Christie Transportation Commissioner Explains His Side in ARC Debacle [...]

Kerry Dale Earnhardt Roberto Guerrero Scott Russell Riggs Duncan Hamilton Robert Allen Labonte

Vettel happy tyre failure not his fault

Sebastian Vettel says he takes heart from the fact that the tyre failure that pitched him out of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was not his fault - even though Red Bull Racing remains unsure about the exact cause of it.

Howden Ganley Alan Dennis Kulwicki Ruby Tuesday Dodge James Hunt Fred Gamble

Interlagos set for 2012 changes

Interlagos looks set for a major revamp for 2012 as part of safety improvements being made in the wake of fatal accidents earlier this year.

Brad Keselowski Juan Pablo Montoya David Lee Blaney Charles Robert Hamilton V Paul Goldsmith

Ex-Williams man Thynne passes away

Sheridan Thynne, who played a key role in the rise of the Williams Formula 1 team, has died. Thynne got to know Frank Williams during the early 1960s through his friendship with Piers Courage when all three were regulars on the British racing scene

Jim Hall Paul Hawkins Ignazio Giunti Kasey Kenneth Kahne Piercarlo Ghinzani

NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Position, Tires, Pit Stall Selection

Virgil Ernest Irvan III David Hobbs Max Jean Aldo Gordini Yuji Ide

Stewart wins race and Cup title

Tony Stewart overcame adversity to beat Carl Edwards to victory at Homestead, claiming his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in the process. The battle for the 2011 title will go down in the record books as the closest ever in the history of the series as Stewart and Edwards ended up tied in the points after 36 races, with Stewart clinching the title by virtue of his record-breaking five wins during the Chase to Edwards' single one during the year

Olivier Gendebien Bruce Johnstone Richard Allen Craven Mike Hawthorn Maurício Gugelmin

Kobayashi targets qualifying progress

Kamui Kobayashi says his qualifying form is the main area he needs to improve in for 2012, admitting he has thus far struggled to warm the tyres on his Sauber properly. The 25-year-old currently leads team-mate Sergio Perez by 14 points in the drivers' championship heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix, but the Mexican boasts a better record in qualifying across the season. Kobayashi says that while his ability to pick up points has been a source of pride, trailing Perez highlights the need for him to adapt better to the Pirelli rubber in order to improve his performances on Saturday

Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Mike Hailwood Eddie Keizan Phil Hill Parker Kligerman

Magnussen relieved to survive crash

Kevin Magnussen, the son of former McLaren and Stewart Formula 1 racer Jan, survived a 165mph trip into the catchfencing near the end of Sunday's Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix. British F3 race winner Magnussen was battling with William Buller when he claimed the Fortec driver moved over on him as he attempted to pass on the straight after Mandarin corner on lap 13. Magnussen's car was catapulted into the air, and struck the catchfencing "20 feet in the air" according to his team boss Trevor Carlin, who was shown CCTV footage of the accident.

Bill Holland Jim Hurtubise Mike Harris Gary Hocking Carel Godin de Beaufort

First Drive: 2013 Lexus GS 350

Filed under: Sedan, Lexus, First Drives, Luxury

If This Is The New Lexus, We Can Stop With The Pejoratives



So Lexus wants to be taken seriously now. Certainly the brand is a heavyweight - and has been since the moment it launched 22 years ago, changing the luxury market almost overnight. It's just had trouble garnering the respect of the cognoscenti, the car enthusiast types, the sorts of people who can see a pair of taillights flash by and identify year, make and model.

Lexus representatives are not shy about the issue, in part because it's hard to ignore years of critics calling your cars bland and soulless, while smirking, self-avowed "car guys" trade their BMW sedans in on new BMW sedans, even as they grumble about electronic nannies, iDrive and Chris Bangle.

That's why Lexus built the LFA supercar, say the company's flacks, who seem unnaturally willing to admit that previous models were lacking a certain something, having settled upon the word "emotion" as the politically correct way to describe what was wrong with this last generation of Lexus products. But the real reason behind such refreshing, if specious hindsight, is that the Lexus braintrust thinks it has the solution to winning over its detractors in the 2013 Lexus GS 350.

Continue reading 2013 Lexus GS 350

2013 Lexus GS 350 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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William Ashton Lewis Jr Naoki Hattori Romain Grosjean Kevin Michael Harvick Keith Greene

Mike Wallace and No. 01 I Hate Steven Singer team close season with another top 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

No. 01 I Hate Steven Singer Chevrolet Impala (Photo Credit: Phil Cavali)GAFFNEY, S.C. (November 20, 2011) ? Mike Wallace and the No. 01 IHateStevenSinger.com Chevrolet team of JD Motorsports closed out their 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season with another top-20 finish in Saturday?s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The teams only had one practice session on...more»

Geki Ernst Klodwig Horace Gould Jimmie Kenneth Johnson Ingo Hoffmann

2013 Infiniti JX35 Revealed in Production Trim, Will Start at $41,400

The family friendly Infiniti crossover is here. Do not adjust your eyeballs. You have already seen this vehicle. Infiniti unveiled a JX concept in Pebble Beach in August, and as we wrote then, this L.A. production version is pretty much the same?right down to the color. Infiniti has now, however, confirmed a few of our [...]

Alan Dennis Kulwicki Ruby Tuesday Dodge James Hunt Fred Gamble Patrick Gaillard

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG: 415 HP, 5.5-Liter V-8, Glorious Soundtrack

All hail the tiny thunder. Bless Mercedes-Benz. Bless that company a thousand times. The house that Gottlieb, Karl, and Wilhelm built may not be good at everything, but at the end of the day, it gets one important thing right: If you are going to build a high-performance car for public sale, then said car [...]

Kurt Thomas Busch Out! Pet Care Toyota Olivier Gendebien Bruce Johnstone Richard Allen Craven

Huff beats Muller to Macau pole

Rob Huff took pole position for the first of the World Touring Car Championship finale races on Friday, after outpacing title rival and Chevrolet team-mate Yvan Muller in a thrilling battle for the top spot.

Mika Häkkinen Randy Joseph Lajoie William Ashton Lewis Jr Naoki Hattori Romain Grosjean

Bottas relieved weather changed

Valtteri Bottas reckons the dry weather that greeted drivers on Friday was key to helping him secure third place on the grid for the Macau Grand Prix. The Finn arrived late in Macau following his Formula 1 test duties for Williams in Abu Dhabi - and had to run to the car from the ferry terminal to make it out for Thursday's first qualifying session.

Robert Allen Labonte Cecil Green Jerry Hoyt Z Line Toyota Kenny Dale Irwin Jr

Austin willing to delay debut to 2013

Austin Grand Prix chiefs are ready to accept moving their inaugural race back to 2013, after conceding for the first time that next year's race is probably not going to happen. After a dramatic week at the Circuit of the Americas, where construction work at the venue was stopped on the back of a dispute over a race contract, track chiefs issued a statement responding to comments from Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that next year's event will be dropped from the schedule

Leslie Johnson Kyle Eugene Petty Walt Hansgen Mark Anthony Martin Kevin Harvick

On the Block: Back to the Future III DeLorean up for auction

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Etc., Celebrities

There are reported to be just three surviving Back to the Future Delorean DMC-12 movie cars left in existence, and only one of those is held in a private collection. Next month, you'll have a chance to take it home. One of the stainless-steel wonders used in Back to the Future III is headed to the Profiles in History auction block. The Icons of Hollywood auction will feature a litany of items from the trilogy, including the vest worn by Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly and a remote-control hoverboard. This has the makings of the best Halloween costume ever.

According to the auction house, the DMC-12 was used in 1955 drive-in move scene where Marty heads off into the Old West. The vehicle was built specifically for off-road use, though the auction doesn't specify exactly what sort of modifications were made to the gullwing machine to handle bouncing through the desert sand. The auction house expects the vehicle to roll away with a winning bid between $400,000 and $600,000. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading On the Block: Back to the Future III DeLorean up for auction

On the Block: Back to the Future III DeLorean up for auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phil Hill Parker Kligerman Peter Hirt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Denny Hamlin

2012 Buick Regal GS vs. 2012 Volvo S60 R-Design: Two Comfort Kings Consult the Book of Changes

China Syndrome: Buick and Volvo owe their continuing existence to China. The Regal GS and the S60 R-Design show the brands? great aspirations. Depending on whom you ask, China is either a rising dragon or a paper tiger. But one thing is for certain: The Middle Kingdom is a monster car market. Eighteen million cars, [...]

Bruce Johnstone Richard Allen Craven Mike Hawthorn Maurício Gugelmin Bruce Kessler

Muller: Grid system key in slow start

World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller said he allowed himself to become spooked by the series' new qualifying format in early 2011, and that this impaired his form at the start of his title defence. Muller did not win a race until round eight in Hungary, as Chevrolet team-mate Rob Huff built up an initial points advantage. But the 2010 champion fought back with eight wins in the remaining events and managed to retain his crown.

Ingo Hoffmann Olivier Grouillard Al Keller Jeremy Allan Mayfield Casey James Mears

Wittmann wins qualification race

Marco Wittmann won the qualification race for the Macau Grand Prix on Saturday with a controlled drive at the head of the field, as the event finished under the safety car. The Signature driver's job from pole position was made easier when front row starter Antonio da Costa's Hitech car broke its first gear when the lights went out. Wittmann held on to the lead all the way down to Lisboa, and from there he pulled out a 1.5 second gap over Carlin's Felipe Nasr, which he maintained throughout the 10-lap race.

Bobby Grim Kyle Thomas Busch Georges Grignard Peter de Klerk Boy Hayje

2012 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder: Rear-Drive Gallardo Bows in L.A.

Lambo?s newest roadster is basically a topless Balboni. Now there?s a mental picture. Next up in the never-ending proliferation of Lamborghini?s Gallardo lineup is the LP550-2 Spyder. (In just the past year, Lambo has introduced the Super Trofeo Stradale, the Spyder Performante, the rear-drive LP550-2, and the Bicolore and Tricolore.) The first rear-drive convertible from [...]

William Clyde Elliott Elmer George Masten Gregory Clint Bowyer Brian Gubby

Rick Kelly takes victory in rain

Rick Kelly took victory in the wet in the first of this weekend's Sandown V8 Supercar races, as points leader Jamie Whincup tumbled back to 13th place and lost ground to title rival Craig Lowndes. That championship twist had looked highly unlikely after qualifying, when Whincup had joined Kelly on the front row and his Triple Eight Holden team-mate Lowndes had struggled to 27th. But while Whincup quickly recovered from fourth to second following a slow start, as the race progressed he steadily lost ground - dropping back at restarts particularly in an event that featured three safety car interruptions, and admitting that the ever-worsening conditions had made him very uneasy

Oscar González Christian Goethals Cuth Harrison Jean Pierre Jabouille Denny Hulme

Cup Series Starting Lineup for Homestead-Miami Speedway: Edwards on pole

1 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 30.775 175.467 2 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 30.891 174.808 3 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 30.931 174.582 4 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge 30.942 174.520 5 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 30.947 174.492 6 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford 30.950 174.475 [...]

Denny Hamlin Taki Inoue Eddie Johnson Rupert Keegan Damon Hill

NASCAR past champions (Yahoo! Sports)

Year Driver Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Starts Crew chief Owner Make 2011 Tony Stewart 5 9 19 1 36 Darian Grubb...

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Sterling Burton Marlin Al Herman Bobby Grim Kyle Thomas Busch

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Driver Points

Pos Driver BPts Points Ldr Nxt Starts Poles Wins T5s T10 sDNFs Money Won PPos G/L 1 Tony Stewart 40 2403 0 0 36 1 5 9 19 1 $6,529,871 2 1 2 Carl Edwards 29 2403 0 0 36 3 1 19 26 0 $8,485,989 1 -1 3 Kevin Harvick 30 2345 -58 -58 [...]

Nico Hülkenberg Jesús Iglesias Ryan Joseph Newman Loris Kessel Leslie Johnson

2012 Hyundai Azera Gets Complete Makeover, Debuts at L.A. Auto Show

Another uninspired Hyundai turns zesty. With Hyundai?s Accent, Elantra, and Sonata all benefiting from extroverted redesigns within the last year, the Azera looked especially out of place?even more than it normally does, what with being wedged uncomfortably between the trendy Sonata and the well-appointed Genesis sedan. Introduced at the Los Angeles auto show, the revamped [...]

Damon Hill Jimmy Jackson Kamui Kobayashi Jo Gartner Bob Gerard

Edwards Captures Pole for Ford 400

FORD Racing Homestead, Saturday, 19 November 2011 CARL EDWARDS - No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion "Thank you to the fans for coming out to support this Ford weekend. It is a big weekend obviously and it is really neat to...

Z Line Toyota Kenny Dale Irwin Jr José Froilán González Bruno Giacomelli Marc Gené

Mercedes out to end season on a high

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn says his squad is determined to finish the season on a high in the Brazilian Grand Prix. The team has already secured fourth place in the standings and is fully focused on the development of next year's car. But Brawn insists Mercedes is eager to finish the year on a high note at Interlagos after a series of positive results.

Keith Greene Virgil Ernest Irvan III David Hobbs Max Jean Aldo Gordini

Video: Nissan Juke-R clears its throat for the first time

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Videos, Nissan

The end of the Nissan Juke-R build has come and gone. The vehicle is done. Only a lucky few were there when the 485-horsepower twin-turbo V6 borrowed from a Nissan GT-R cleared its throat for the first time. The thrills and high-fives, that wave of adrenaline that buoys dog-tired men, and the long minutes of standing around and grinning at your project as it burbles away is a private moment that only the builders can fully appreciate.

Respecting the space of the Juke-R build team doesn't mean we don't want to examine this evil little mutant closely. Nissan UK knows this, and has thrown us all a bone with 11 new pictures and three videos of the Juke-R, one with audio of the revving engine. The ultimate payoff will be the figures from performance testing, which we expect to see soon.

Using an online performance-stat calculator, we first plugged the stats of a normal Juke, deciding to go with the heaviest curb weight of 3,200 lbs, and the numbers it spat back, 7.6 seconds from zero to 60 mph and a 15.93-second quarter mile, dovetail pretty well with what car magazines have gotten, though the glossy print guys are a bit faster.

Taking that same 3,200 lb weight (though we don't know whether the Juke-R is lighter or heavier than a standard Juke) and going for 485 hp returns a predicted 3.6 second 0-60 run and a quarter mile that gets scorched in 11.44 seconds with a 124 mph trap speed. We could live with that. We've added the new images to our gallery, and you can check out the videos posted after the jump.

Continue reading Nissan Juke-R clears its throat for the first time

Nissan Juke-R clears its throat for the first time originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alan Dennis Kulwicki Ruby Tuesday Dodge James Hunt Fred Gamble Patrick Gaillard

Wittmann taking nothing for granted

Marco Wittmann has refused to get too carried away with his dominant performance in the Macau Grand Prix qualification race - well aware that the only thing that matters is victory in the main event on Sunday.

Bob Gerard Jason Leffler Ken Kavanagh Danny Kladis Jeffrey Tyler Burton

Bliss Returns to TRG Motorsports for Homestead

TRG Motorsports(Mooresville, N.C.) 11/18/2011 - Mike Bliss will pilot the No. 71 School Media Ford Fusion in NASCAR’s season finale this weekend at Homestead-Miami, FL. Bliss is no stranger to the No. 71 team. Also jumping on board for the last race of the season, Flex-Box will be an associate sponsor on the No. 71...more»

Olivier Grouillard Al Keller Jeremy Allan Mayfield Casey James Mears Dan Gurney

Taniguchi to miss Macau

Yukinori Taniguchi has been ruled out of this weekend's final round of the World Touring Car Championship at Macau following a crash at Tianma last time out.

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Ceccon amazed by Formula 1 machinery

Kevin Ceccon admitted he was amazed by the performance of Formula 1 machinery after completing his first day of running in Abu Dhabi.

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Fast Facts: Jennifer Jo Cobb

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Roush Fenway Racing to Use Social Media to Share Historic Championship Weekend with Fans

Roush Fenway RacingFollow Roush Fenway?s historic weekend with special #RFR242 Hashtag HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2011) ? Roush Fenway Racing will look to make history this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where it hopes to become the first team in NASCAR history to win both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series Championships in the same season....more»

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Vergne still on top in Abu Dhabi test

Jean-Eric Vergne continues to head the timesheets in the Abu Dhabi young driver test despite being restricted to just 17 laps after Red Bull suffered sensor problems this morning.

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Ford 400 NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV Lineup

NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTVRide Along with Stewart, Harvick, Earnhardt and Edwards at Homestead on DIRECTV Event: Ford 400 Previous Winner: Carl Edwards (beat Jimmie Johnson by 1.608 seconds on Nov. 21, 2010) Date / Time: Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. EST Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway Configuration: 1.5-mile oval (267 laps = 400.5 miles) Banking in...more»

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Report: Jay Leno has driven 11,000 miles in his Chevy Volt, still hasn't bought gas

Filed under: Hybrid, Etc., Hatchback, Chevrolet, Celebrities, Electric

Here's a fun bit of trivia: Jay Leno has driven his Chevrolet Volt nearly 11,000 miles and doesn't have a single gas station receipt to show for it. According to The New York Times Wheels blog, Leno has had his plug-in for 11 months and, as he told them, "I've never had to put gas in it yet... They gave it to me with a full tank of gas. I've used less than half of that."

Given that Leno has an entire fleet of gas-swilling rides in his garage, he can just take the Volt out whenever he knows he can get to Point B and back without refueling. You have to be kind of careful to put 11,000 miles on a Volt without ever going more than 40 miles (plus or minus) at a stretch. Luckily, Leno said his commute is less than 35 miles a day, and so he uses the Volt as his daily driver. He then makes a fairly good joke at the expense of General Motors, which you can read here.

Jay Leno has driven 11,000 miles in his Chevy Volt, still hasn't bought gas originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roush Fenway Looks to Make Championship History

Roush Fenway RacingFord Championship Weekend Looms Large for Roush CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 16, 2011) ? This weekend Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing will attempt to parlay one of its most successful seasons into NASCAR Championship history. RFR leads both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series point standings with only the season finale at Homestead-Miami...more»

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Rodman: Truex says Daytona time trials at 200-plus mph ?fun to see? (NASCAR.com)

Rodman: Truex says Daytona time trials at 200-plus mph fun to see

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Vettel?s puncture set to go unexplained

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Roush Fenway Looks to Make Championship History

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Gonzalez: F1 came easier than GP2

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The B-Specs Keep Coming! Mini Joins the Fray with Turnkey Cooper Hardtop Race Car

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October 2011 Sales: What the Headlines Don?t Tell You

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NNS Recap: Hornish Wins First NASCAR Race at Phoenix

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MAKE Motorsports to honor local fallen hero for NASCAR Nationwide Series Homestead race

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In Massachusetts, Driving Drunk, Getting Caught, Walking Away Scot Free

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Most people that are arrested in Massachusetts [...]

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We Build the Chevy Spark EV?s AC Permanent-Magnet Motor

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Kobayashi happy to end points drought

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Quotes from ESPN Analysts on NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

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Name That Shifter, No. 49: 1984 Toyota Van

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Top-10 in Phoenix Moves Michael Annett Two Spots in Championship Point Standings

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Top-10 in Phoenix Moves Michael Annett Two Spots in Championship Point Standings

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2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Photos and Info: Twin-Turbo V8, As Much as 550 Horses

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2013 Ford Flex Gets Updated, Still Looks Like a Giant Mini Cooper

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Video: Kyle Busch apologizes for actions at Texas

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Mallya: Sixth place nearly in the bag

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NNS: Hornish wins at PIR to claim first NASCAR victory

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