Autoblog

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

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

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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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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Five NASCAR drivers turn down invitation to meet Obama at White House

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Racing

Five NASCAR drivers invited to meet President Barack Obama at the White House aren't going to show, citing "scheduling conflicts." Nobody's sure whether "scheduling conflicts" means "political views," but thanks to stereotypes associated with NASCAR, nobody's ruling that out.

The president invited 12 drivers from the 2010 Chase to celebrate their successes. The drivers bailing include Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Carl Edwards. Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch (who had initially declined), Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth all plan to attend.

While the absentees may indeed have scheduling conflicts, we'd expect that if that were the case, it'd hold true for the majority of those invited. Also, passing on the chance to meet the sitting U.S. president, regardless of one's views, seems like an odd move.

Five NASCAR drivers turn down invitation to meet Obama at White House originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday

Zach Bowman — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet, Celebrities

Kid Rock receives a Camaro for his birthday - Click above to watch video after the jump

Chevrolet and NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson teamed up to make Kid Rock's recent birthday party one the Detroit city rocker will likely never forget. During the singer's 40th birthday celebration concert, Johnson presented Rock a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro on behalf of the Bow Tie brand. You know, because if there's anyone who can't afford to buy his own car, it's Kid Rock. Sarcasm aside, Rock seemed genuinely surprised and grateful for the gift, even going so far as to ask if he was being punked.

No, sir. That's the rest of us.

Ironically, the birthday celebration concert that Kid threw himself was being held at Ford Field. The one-off Camaro also came with special graphics slathered over the hood, doors and back glass, as well as a personalized "BADASS" license plate. We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried. You can hit the jump to see a video of the gift-giving for yourself.

[Sources: YouTube, Yahoo Sports]

Continue reading Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday

Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson wins pole, Earnhardt Jr. takes Bud Shootout

John Neff — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Regardless of whether or not you're a NASCAR fan, there's no denying that the motorsport is starting off its 2008 season in the best possible way. Early festivities for the season opener Daytona 500 began this past weekend and resulted in Jimmie Johnson, last season's champion, taking the pole position. Next to him on the grid will be a somewhat redeemed Michael Waltrip, who was embroiled in a scandal at last year's Daytona 500 that resulted in the largest ever fine handed down from NASCAR at the time.

That would probably be enough for a great kick off to the season, but the newly minted NASCAR Sprint Cup is swimming in merchandise sales after Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Bud Shootout on Saturday in his first race as a member of Hendrick Motorsports. Driving his new No. 88 Chevy, Earnhardt Jr. came out swinging in this exhibition that nets no points for the winner, but is a good omen for winning the 500 next weekend.

[Source: ESPN, Photo by John Harrelson/Getty]

Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson wins pole, Earnhardt Jr. takes Bud Shootout originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson to run in Cadillac CTS-V at Charlotte

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Cadillac

No, Cadillac has not decided to slap their grille and headlight stickers on one of the standardized NASCAR body shells. The SCCA World Challenge will be running a 50 minute sprint race as one of the supporting events for the Memorial Day weekend festivities at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I refuse to call venues that once had real names by their bought and paid for names, hence Pine Knob and Laguna Seca will always go by those names as far as I'm concerned, but I digress.

2006 NASCAR Champ Jimmie Johnson will make a special appearance behind the wheel of one of the Cadillac CTS-Vs campaigned by Team Cadillac at the May race in Charlotte. Apparently, they'll be putting some barrels or other obstacles on the high banks to force the drivers to swing the steering wheel to the right occasionally for this race. The 2007 World Challenge Series opens up at Sebring next weekend. The GM press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Jimmie Johnson to run in Cadillac CTS-V at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson to run in Cadillac CTS-V at Charlotte originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trophy Wife: Mrs. Jimmie Johnson also wins at awards ceremony

Alex Nunez — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

Just because Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup doesn't mean that it's all about him. At the annual Myers Brothers Awards last Thursday, General Motors presented Jimmie's wife Chandra with the key to a 2007 Corvette convertible. Which is really nice, because that's a $55,000 financial hit he won't have to shell out from the $15,770,125 (!) in prize money he collected at NASCAR awards banquet the following night. Honestly, we don't know what he'd have done otherwise.

For her part, the lovely Mrs. J playfully said that Jimmie could "be her chauffeur."

Jimmie Johnson is, by all accounts, a very lucky guy...

[Source: San Jose Mercury News]

Trophy Wife: Mrs. Jimmie Johnson also wins at awards ceremony originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson finally wins NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

Scott Davis — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chevrolet

Nine years ago, from his couch in El Cajon, California, Jimmie Johnson watched his future team's co-owner, Jeff Gordon, win the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship (then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series). Last night, he raised the chalice himself after finishing 9th at Homestead, 56 points ahead of Matt Kenseth for the season, as the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup series champion.

The #48 Lowes Home Improvement Chevrolet team overcame a hole in the grille and no tape to fix it, a fantastic call by crew chief Chad Knaus, catching a loose left front lug nut before Jimmy left the pits that kept them from going a lap down, and a near-miss with Robbie Gordon in the closing laps to complete the chase for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup championship. Greg Biffle, who finished second to Tony Stewart for the championship last year, won the season-ender Ford 400 for the third year in a row.

Follow the jump for a brief history lesson on how the 10-race NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship Race went for Jimmie Johnson.

Continue reading Jimmie Johnson finally wins NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

Jimmie Johnson finally wins NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Checkered weekend: No. 48 looks good for Cup win

Chris Tutor — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 07:43:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

This Sunday the Chase for the 2006 Nextel Cup will cross the finish line. At the end of the day, as long as No. 48 Jimmie Johnson finishes 12th or better at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he will walk away with his long-awaited championship. According to the guys who crunch the numbers, that's even if No. 17 Matt Kenseth, who trails Johnson by 63 points, wins the race and leads the most laps.

But No. 29 Kevin Harvick, third in the standings going into this weekend's race, will not end the year empty-handed. Harvick's done even better in the Busch Series. He had that title wrapped up in October. He can just coast through Saturday's Busch race (Ford 300 on TNT at 7 p.m. ET). No. 11 Denny Hamlin, fourth in Nextel Cup standings, looks good to take home rookie-of-the-year trophy.
Sorry No. 8 fans, at 115 points behind Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. is a long shot. There's always next year, Dale. Rounding out Nextel Cup's top 10 are No. 24 Jeff Gordon, No. 31 Jeff Burton, No. 6 Mark Martin, No. 9 Kasey Kahne and No. 5 Kyle Busch.

Watch the Ford 400/Nextel Cup Series Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

For the Craftsman Truck Series championship, Johnny Benson trails Todd Bodine by 112 points before Friday's Ford 200 in Miami. Watch that race on Speed Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET

Check the NASCAR TV schedule for official airing times.

Checkered weekend: No. 48 looks good for Cup win originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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