Autoblog

First production 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible auctioned for a cool million

Michael Harley — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:24:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet

Barrett-Jackson auctioned off the first production 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible in Palm Beach this evening, with the open-top two-seater commanding a huge winning bid of $1,000,000 from Rick Hendrick, owner of NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.

While the Geneva Motor Show C7 prototype is pictured above (it also was shown at Barrett-Jackson), Hendrick won rights to the first retail production model (VIN undetermined at this time), allowing him to choose both color and options before his V8 sports car rolls off the assembly line in the near future. Hopefully, by the time that happens, we will all know more about its soft convertible top, double-bubble tonneau and the mechanism that opens and lowers the fully automatic roof at speeds upwards of 30 mph.

It is worth mentioning that proceeds from the sale of this first C7 droptop will benefit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer institute, one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States that strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. The General Motors Foundation is a longtime supporter of Karmanos, with nearly $6 million in support over the last 15 years.

First production 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible auctioned for a cool million originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Race Recap: 2013 Daytona 500 runs 200 laps, six of them count [spoilers]

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:40:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

It's been a huge month, leading up to the Super Bowl of NASCAR, the Daytona 500. This is the first year of the new Car of Tomorrow, the "Gen Six" car, and all of the drivers have been trying to figure out its intricacies. The Ford Fusion and Chevrolet NASCAR SS has joined the field and its street-legal equivalent, the SS, was introduced. A huge wreck in the Nationwide Series race the day before the Daytona 500 tore a car in half, tore a hole in the fence, sent car parts flying into the crowd and injured some 33 spectators.

And then, of course, making just her 11th Sprint Cup Series start, there was Danica Patrick on pole position. She'd lead the way for the 43 cars on the grid to start the 200 laps of the 2.5-mile oval called the Daytona International Speedway, with its five-story-high turns banked at 31 degrees and the 3,000-foot front stretch banked at 18 degrees.

Perhaps all that excitement is why James Franco, the honorary race starter there to promote Disney's new film, Oz the Great and Powerful, yelled "Drivers, and Danica, start your engines!" to begin the 65th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship...

Continue reading Race Recap: 2013 Daytona 500 runs 200 laps, six of them count [spoilers]

Race Recap: 2013 Daytona 500 runs 200 laps, six of them count [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch this time-lapse build of the Chevy SS for NASCAR

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:43:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chevrolet, Racing

There's only about a week left until we get our first look at the production version of the 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan, but Chevrolet NASCAR teams have been looking at the race version of the car all winter. Autoweek has posted a really neat time-lapse video showing just a portion of what it takes to build one of NASCAR's new Gen6 stock cars.

Though the video is quite brief, it does show almost the entire build process starting with just the car's nose, and it gives us a good look at how integral the template is to the final product. As a bonus, Hendrick Motorsports also provided some videos showing two of its teams performing pit stop tests over the winter. The second video shows some of the more detailed aspects of the racecar's rear end, including the stock-looking trunk cutout and a newly mandated rear bumper extension that will be used on super speedways like Daytona and Talladega.

To see what Team Chevy has been up to all off-season, check out all three videos posted after the jump.

Continue reading Watch this time-lapse build of the Chevy SS for NASCAR

Watch this time-lapse build of the Chevy SS for NASCAR originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick shaken up in plane crash [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Safety, Videos

Good brakes may be less important in stock car racing than in other forms of motorsport, but on a plane, they're pretty darn important. That's what Rick Hendrick found out - the hard way - last night when his private jet crashed off the runway in Key West, Florida.

Hendrick's Gulfstream G150, registered to Jimmie Johnson (one of Hendrick's star drivers), slid straight off the runway and almost into the water when its brakes apparently failed upon landing. On board together with the NASCAR team owner were his wife Linda and two pilots. Fortunately, CNN reports that no one was seriously injured.

The incident must have been especially traumatic for the Hendricks, who lost seven members of their family - including their son Ricky who drove for and ran the team with his dad - in a 2004 plane crash. However, the Hendricks aren't the only ones to have been affected by plane crashes: Fellow NASCAR team owner Jack Roush has survived two such incidents, while off-road racer Rick Huseman and his brother Jeff were killed in a small plane crash in California a couple of weeks ago.

Click past the jump to watch an Associated Press report on the crash.

Continue reading NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick shaken up in plane crash [w/video]

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick shaken up in plane crash [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kasey Kahne leaving Petty Motorsports, likely landing at Hendrick

Zach Bowman — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Rumormill

Word has it the ever-voracious Hendrick Motorsports is about to sink its teeth into even more talent. Kasey Kahne just announced he won't be renewing his contract with Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this year, meaning the guy probably has his eyes set on making his way to the same team as Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest. Needless to say, the internet is rife with rumors of the move.

Kahne currently pilots the No. 9 Budweiser car, and has snapped up 11 wins during his time as a pro-driver. Despite deciding not to re-up with Richard Petty Motorsports, the King himself had nothing but praise and well-wishes for Kahne, so it doesn't look like anyone's left on bad terms.

The only hitch in Kahne's rumored move to Hendrick lies in the fact that the team doesn't have an open slot at the moment, meaning a current Hendricks driver would have to be eying another opportunity elsewhere. That doesn't sound overly likely to us, especially considering that most of the drivers are locked into contracts that run well beyond Kahne's supposed 2012 sign-on deal.

[Source: Fanhouse | Image: Tom Pennington/Getty for NASCAR]

Kasey Kahne leaving Petty Motorsports, likely landing at Hendrick originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Danica Patrick joining NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010

Chris Paukert — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chevrolet, Celebrities

Danica Patrick No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet - Click above for high-res image gallery

The "Will she, won't she" debate is over - Danica Patrick is headed for closed-wheel racing in 2010. Patrick will race a partial schedule in next year's National Nationwide series in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, and she will also participate in one ARCA race. As a driver on the No. 7 team, she will be signed through 2011 to the JR Motorsports team that's owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Rick Hendrick, Kelley Earnhardt and Tony Eury, Jr. through 2011.

This bit of news is not to say that Danica is eschewing her open-wheel career - she will also continue to race her similarly day-glo green Andretti Autosport IndyCar, also in full GoDaddy.com regalia. The NASCAR events that she will race in will be interlaced with her IndyCar schedule, before, during, and after the open-wheel season.

Danica's first stock car race will be a February 6 ARCA race in Daytona, the day before the Super Bowl. As usual, her primary sponsors will feature Patrick in a slate of new commercials during the big NFL game, and we're willing to bet that they'll have a bit of NASCAR flavor. High-res gallery of her new ride below, official press release after the jump.

Gallery: Danica Patrick NASCAR

[Source: GoDaddy.com]

Continue reading Officially Official: Danica Patrick joining NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010

Officially Official: Danica Patrick joining NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Callaway building Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniv. 2010 Camaro SS

Drew Phillips — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

2010 Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Callaway Camaro - Click above for a high-res image gallery

We've already added plenty of Camaros to our must-see list at SEMA, including variations from Hurst, Lingenfelter, and Yenko. Now we can add one more to our schedule -- this Callaway-built Camaro commissioned by Hendrick Motorsports for their 25th anniversary. An appropriate production run of 25 is planned after the show, with each car commanding a $76,181 price tag.

What does the price of two fully loaded SS Camaros get you? Lots of carbon fiber, for starters. The front splitter, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, rocker panels, and hood inserts are all made from the lightweight material. The exterior also gets a see-through ZR1-style hood that shows off the Eaton TVS supercharger sitting atop the V8 directly beneath. In addition to the blower, the Hendrick Camaro enhances its performance credentials with an upgraded exhaust system, short-throw shifter, and Eibach suspension components.

While the price tag might seem a little high for what you get, we're guessing there are at least 25 crazed Hendrick Motorsports fans that will splash the cash for this expensive but exclusive collector's item. The cars can be purchased through Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego, CA or one the three Hendrick Chevrolet dealerships.

Gallery: 2010 Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Callaway Camaro

[Source: CamaroBlog.com]

Callaway building Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniv. 2010 Camaro SS originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM to make "NASCAR-wide" funding cuts

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:38:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chevrolet

The scalpel of bankruptcy that is slicing off GM's sponsorship activities hasn't touched NASCAR's top tier Sprint Cup series, but the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series' have been trimmed. NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kevin Harvick have teams running in the lower two series, and have been told by GM that they will lose funding.

Harvick runs three trucks in the Camping World Truck Series and hasn't commented on what GM's move will bring. Earnhardt, with the backing of Hendrick Motorsports, fields two cars in the Nationwide series and a team spokeswoman said "we are fully capable of adjusting our business model to this change" to continue racing.

For now, Chevrolet has no plans to pull out of NASCAR entirely and the Sprint Cup remains immune to the cost cutting. As the red carpet event, everybody knows the fans want to see Chevrolet doing the ovals, and we imagine there will be quite a few other painful measures taken before the Bowtie would bow out of oval racing.

[Source: AP via Google News]

GM to make "NASCAR-wide" funding cuts originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins in Michigan, ends 76-race losing streak

John Neff — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the darling of NASCAR, but the motorsport's most popular driver was completely winless for the last 76 races until this past weekend when the Intimidator's son won the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Junior won the race in an odd way, literally coasting across the finish line on an empty tank of gas under a caution flag after Patrick Carpenter spun out on lap 203. The race had been extended to overtime after Sam Hornish Jr. spun on Lap 200, and had it not been for the caution Carpenter created three laps later, Junior would likely would've ran out of gas before the finish. Rather than do burnouts afterwards on the track, Earnhardt's #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy had to be pushed to Victory Ciricle. The win not only ended Junior's drought, but also gave his new employer, Rick Hendrick, his second win of the season. Many thought this might be Junior's year after he handily won the Bud Shootout ahead of the Daytona 500. That was his first race as a member of Hendrick Motorsports and didn't count for points, but the rest of the season has not gone his way until this past weekend.

[Source: NASCAR]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins in Michigan, ends 76-race losing streak originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earnhardt Jr. will do the Dew in No. 88 next year

John Neff — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:55:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Those wondering what Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving next year when he begins a five-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports have an answer. Earnhardt Jr. will leave his famous No. 8 car sponsored by Budweiser behind and pick up the No. 88 next season. His main sponsor will now be Mountain Dew, along with Amp Energy drink and the National Guard, while Budweiser will be jumping ship to sponsor Kasey Kahne's car for Evernham Motorsports.

Though many wanted to see Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 follow him to Hendrick Motorsports, DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt, also Earnhardt Jr.'s step-mom, wouldn't give it up. The No. 88 has historical significance for the Earnhardt family too, though, as Jr.'s grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, drove the No. 88 Oldsmobile back in 1957. The No. 88 was donated to Earnhardt Jr. in a selfless act by Robert Yates Racing, who asked NASCAR to transfer the retired number to Earnhardt Jr.'s new ride to keep the legacy alive.

[Source: blogs.courant.com]

Earnhardt Jr. will do the Dew in No. 88 next year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs 5-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports

John Neff — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:07:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the most coveted free agent in sports when he announced last month his departure from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Today Junior announced at a press conference that he has signed a 5-year deal with Hendrick Motorsports, the current team to beat in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with 10 wins in the last 14 races. Hendrick, however, was very fortunate that one of its four current drivers, Kyle Busch, asked to be released from his contract with the team, which opened up a spot to sign Junior. The young Earnhardt will get his wish to continue driving Chevys, though his sponsorship, paint scheme and number are yet to be determined.

Follow the link to SpeedTV for a full report on Junior's move, and check out our gallery of the press conference below

[Source: SpeedTV, Photos - Grant Halverson/Getty]

Gallery: Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs 5-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Impala chosen for NASCAR Cup races, Monte Carlo snubbed

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:51:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Chevrolet

NASCAR may be saying goodbye to the Monte Carlo. Although it has been the most successful car in Nextel Cup racing history, GM has apparently gotten approval from NASCAR to replace it. According to a report in the Charlotte Observer, NASCAR has given General Motors permission to drop the Monte Carlo SS, and replace it with the Impala SS. This despite the fact that the Monte Carlo has the most Cup wins of any model in history with 400. Sources told the Observer a Hendrick Motorsports built Impala SS by will be unveiled at the official announcement Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Impala actually won the Cup way back in 1960 and 1961, but the Monte Carlo took over the NASCAR duties for Chevy after its debut in 1969. The Monte didn't actually race until 1971, but it captured the pole for its first race at the 1971 World 600 at what is now Lowe's Motor Speedway. The new Impala SS will run in 16 Nextel Cup races next year, according to the Observer. It will be used as Chevrolet's version of NASCAR's "car of tomorrow." In races where they aren't using the "car of tomorrow," Chevy teams will still use the Monte Carlo.

[Source: ESPN via GM Inside News]

Impala chosen for NASCAR Cup races, Monte Carlo snubbed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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